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Bridgerton‘s second season is nearly upon us, and the Shondaland-fueled trailer has promised more scandal and tons of racy scenes, as the viewers demand. There are ways, of course, for the show to pull this off, beyond the item that John Oliver suspects (i.e., “jizzing in blankets”). and there’s a new leading man (The Duke is somewhere else these days) onboard this season. Actually, Lord Anthony Bridgerton maneuvered around in the background in the first round of episodes, but this season, his love life is front and center. He needs a wife, dammit, and the show’s not about to give him an easy path to finding the right fit for him.

As such, actor Jonathan Bailey’s been doing the rounds, and he’s answering the questions on everyone’s mind about the sex scenes. There are numerous such instances on the way, and Bailey told Radio Times that a special prop is the secret to realism while also, uh, minding the gap between the actors. “It’s amazing how that whole industry has just come on, even in a year,” he related. “There are new tricks to the trade [like] little cushions, and it’s amazing what you can do with a half-inflated netball.”

Tell us more.

“If there are two people doing a sex scene, the rule is they must have three barriers separating them,” Bailey further explained. “And there are certain acts where a half-inflated netball can allow for movement without having to connect physically. It’s pretty silly, really, and we have some hilarious moments, but it makes it less awkward.”

And that’s how the magic happens. Also, netballs > corsets, for sure.

Bridgerton (along with Lady Whistledown) returns on March 25.

(Via Radio Times)

While Kanye West continues his feud with Pete Davidson over the love of Kim Kardashian (at least, in his own mind), one of their fellow celebrities has stepped forward to offer an unconventional solution to their dispute. Actually, it might just be the oldest one there is: Fight it out. Jake Paul, who started his career as a YouTube personality before becoming a surprisingly good professional boxer, proposed a six-round boxing match between the two men and even staked $60 million of his own money to bring them to the negotiating table — $30 million for each.

“I have an official offer for Kanye West and Pete Davidson,” he said in a video posted to Instagram. “I have $30 million for each of you, guaranteed, plus pay-per-view upside for a six-round boxing match. Let’s make it happen; let’s settle this beef like men before the children get affected by your antics. Let’s get it done; make it happen.”

Say what you want about his suggestion (to be real, a pair of grown men should be able to settle their differences without violence) but at least it gets to the point. So far, all the two have done is trade taunts via text and Instagram, with Kanye releasing two videos for “Eazy,” his collaboration with The Game, in which Pete gets beaten up by Kanye or his associates (which he threatens to do in the song’s lyrics, as well). While Pete reportedly found both videos “hysterical,” it seems the object of both men’s affections, Kim Kardashian, is as fed up as any of the rest of us with their shenanigans. If they did take Paul’s offer, there’d be the entertainment value of a sporting event if nothing else — plus, they could make some money for their troubles.

In 2020, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl reminisced on the time that David Bowie told him to “f*ck off.” “Believe me,” Grohl shared with Billboard, “it wasn’t the first time my battered ears had heard such colorful language, but from the ‘Thin White Duke’ himself? What could I have possibly done to illicit such a soul-crushing reaction? Was it something I said?”

However, just recently the former Nirvana member spoke on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 7.30 program and reflected on better times he had with Bowie, who he considered to be one of his heroes. He described seeing Bowie at a festival in London that he was playing as well: “I stood in the photo pit and looked at him and it was like seeing an alien. You know, it was like seeing a UFO for the first time, like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s real.’ That’s something I’ve never seen before.”

“And then getting to meet him,” he continued, “all of that feeling coming down to Earth, realizing, ‘Oh, my God, what a gentleman! What a brilliant, sweet, kind, outrageously funny person.’ And then I recorded a song with him. This [was] years ago, and watching him step in front of a microphone and begin to sing and you realize, ‘Wow, that voice – that’s real, that just comes out of his mouth, that iconic voice.’

“The great thing about it is that it really humanizes everything. We’re like, ‘Wow, that’s a real person.’ It’s reassuring, but at the same time, you’re like, ‘That’s a hero.’ That’s not just another person. That’s David Bowie.”

Listen to the full episode above.

Atlanta rapper Latto — who recently made waves when she appeared on rising rapper Omeretta The Great’s “Sorry Not Sorry” admitting that she, like many of the city’s greats isn’t technically from ATL — is set to depart as headliner on the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour later this week, and as it turns out, she won’t be going empty-handed. Today, Latto announced the official release date for the long-awaited follow-up to her 2020 debut album, Queen Of Da Souf and shared its carnival-themed artwork.

Titled 777, the album will arrive on March 25 via RCA Records. On the cover, Latto stands in front of a massive bullseye in white boots, shorts, and an extremely cropped top with knives and daggers stuck into the target behind her. According to a tweet she also shared, the artwork offers a glimpse into her state of mind as she prepares to release her first album since the lockdown and her official name change. “I put a lot of thought into my artwork,” she wrote. ” hope u guys love it and understand where I’m at mentally the music will give just as much as the visuals! I PROMISE U THAT!”

Meanwhile, Latto’s biggest single to date, the Mariah Carey-sampling “Big Energy,” continues to rise on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching a new peak at No. 14 this week, up three spots from last week. Can it climb into the top 10? Perhaps her announcement will help it do so, but its success will certainly go a long way toward helping her album make an impressive debut when it drops on March 25, along with her new single “Wheelie” featuring 21 Savage. In the meantime, you can catch Latto — along with fellow ATLien supporting act Kali — on tour in Santa Cruz, California, San Francisco, Seattle, and Fresno starting March 19.

The 2022 NCAA Tournament provides a fantastic scouting opportunity for NBA diehards. While college basketball’s regular season is sometimes lost in the sporting shuffle, the NBA season is now winding down and various fan bases are turning attention to the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft. Through that lens, there are plenty of intriguing prospects in action, including the vast majority of the consensus contenders for lottery position.

In the East region, one prospect stands out above the rest, but in DIME’s look at the top five prospects in each region, there are five contenders for first round status. Let’s roll through the list.

Jaden Ivey – G, Purdue

Ivey is the clear top prospect in the region and one of the top five players in the class. While many saw him as a future first-round pick a year ago, Ivey’s breakout has been fun to watch, and he is the centerpiece of a Purdue team that is fully capable of making a run. Ivey is hyper-athletic and is the most intriguing guard in the entire tournament from an NBA perspective.

TyTy Washington – G, Kentucky

Kentucky is loaded, as usual, but the Wildcats don’t have a definite top-10 pick this time around. Big man Oscar Tshiebwe, who happens to be the National Player of the Year frontrunner, would be No. 6 on this list, but Washington is the best NBA prospect. He has a highly developed mid-range game, a high-end feel for the game, and the reality that Kentucky guards often over-perform their draft slots.

Jeremy Sochan – F, Baylor

Sochan wasn’t on the mainstream radar, at least outside of the diehards, until recently, and he’s got work to do. With that said, he’s been outrageously fun down the stretch of the season. He is a do-it-all forward who has been asked to anchor Baylor’s defense at times, and there is a lot to like with his offense. Sochan is the kind of player that could cement lottery status if he jumps another level on the biggest stage of the sport.

Kendall Brown – F, Baylor

Brown and Sochan are fun to watch on defense together, with both bringing length and athleticism. Brown is an elite-level athlete and, when it looks good, it looks really good. He’s very raw on offense, though, and sometimes tends to disappear on that end. He’s managed to be efficient on quality looks, but Brown could leave a mark if he can show a bit more on that end of the floor over the next few weeks.

Justin Lewis – F, Marquette

Lewis is the least flashy and the least sexy of this group. He’s also a lot less famous than Oscar Tshiebwe. However, Lewis profiles as a potential 3-and-D combo forward that NBA teams have a clear need for in the modern game. Lewis cooled off from three-point range during the season, but still managed to make 35 percent and average 17.1 points per game for a good team. He will need to show more as a passer at some point, but he is very long and physical, but isn’t the most explosive athlete.

Slowly but surely, this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony is starting to come together. At the top of the year, the event was postponed, and not long after that, organizers revealed the show would be taking place on April 3 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, not its original venue, Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Now, we’re getting an idea of who’s going to be there: The Recording Academy and CBS revealed some of this year’s performers, a list that so far includes BTS, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, Brandi Carlile, and Brothers Osbourne.

Those artists have a storied history with the Grammys. Eilish, for instance, won all four major awards at the 2020 show and had a major presence the next year, winning Record Of The Year for “Everything I Wanted,” which she also performed. As for BTS, this is their second year both being nominated for a Grammy and performing at the ceremony. Rodrigo had a huge Grammy year in 2021 as she was nominated for a whopping seven awards, which she called “probably the most meaningful” of her dreams that came true that year.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The first trailer for Ms. Marvel is here, and it offers up the best look yet at the Disney+ series focusing on the teenage superhero who took comic book shops by storm thanks to writer G. Willow Wilson. Starring Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, a New Jersey teenager obsessed with Captain Marvel, the trailer showcases Kamala trying to navigate teen life. On top of constantly daydreaming about being a superhero and crushing on boys, Kamala’s Pakistani parents don’t always make things easy for her, but they clearly have nothing but love for their daughter.

However, all of that changes, as Kamala suddenly has superpowers of her own. In the comics, Kamala is an Inhuman whose latent powers activates after being exposed to Terrigen mist, but in the trailer, it looks like she’s exposed to the same cosmic energy that gave Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) her powers. If the series is going that narrative route, it would further bond Kamala to Carol as Ms. Marvel sets the stage for the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, which will also add WandaVision‘s Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Paris) to the mix.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Ms. Marvel introduces Kamala Khan-a 16-year-old Pakistani American from Jersey City. An aspiring artist, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she is a huge fan of the Avengers-and one in particular, Captain Marvel. But Kamala has always struggled to find her place in the world-that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to.

Ms. Marvel starts streaming June 8 on Disney+.

It’s hard to ask for a much better start to a music career than John Mayer had with his 2002 debut album Room For Squares: It was a top-10 album that was critically well-received and spawned an era-defining single in “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” which won Mayer a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2003.

The album still has legs today: Fan-favorite non-single “Neon” generated some attention on TikTok last year after Mayer posted a tutorial of how to play the song. Despite the how-to, some fans didn’t get much clarity about how to actually perform the track: One user commented, “I need a tutorial for this tutorial,” while another wrote, “u forgot to explain the step where u just dislocate ur thumb.” That clip now has over 6 million views, making it one of Mayer’s most-watched clips since he joined TikTok around this time last year.

Fast-forward to March 13, when Mayer performed at The Forum in Los Angeles. While introducing “Neon,” he spoke about the renewed attention the song has received and gave some background on the track, saying:

“This next song is very interesting to me because it’s one of my oldest songs, and I would have thought that time would just send it down the assembly line and the older songs go in the back and the newer songs go in the front. But, suddenly, this song now feels like a TikTok trick shot video challenge song and I feel kind of bad about it, because I wrote this song when I was playing alone in, like, bookstores and cafés and stuff, and I wanted to get people’s attention.

So it’s a little cynical in the sense that it’s like a little bit of circus trick. But there’s a song in there, but I feel bad because I have thumbs like a mile long. Anyway, I guess it’s this new thing where people are like, ‘You play guitar, man? Cool. You play ‘Neon?” You know the kid in school who could turn his eyelids inside out? That’s sort of what this is. It’s just this one freako thing that I can do.”

Watch Mayer’s “Neon” explanation and performance below.

While even Donald Trump seems to have largely backed away from his once-vociferous claims about the 2020 presidential election being stolen from him, the former president’s “gang of weirdos,” as Seth Meyers calls them, just won’t let it go. Chief among these dissenters is MyPillow Guy Mike Lindell, who just this weekend was attending/lurking about a Trump rally in South Carolina and sharing his batsh*t conspiracy theories with anyone who was dumb enough to listen.

On Monday night, Meyers shared a clip of Lindell from the event, where he was yelling about the 1.5 million votes that he claims “were stoled” (his word) from Trump in California. Though he had asked the presumably small crowd gathered around him to guess which state was the most corrupt when it came to the most recent election, he clearly forget the rules of The Guessing Game, because he launched right into what sounded like an ear-piercing version of “Fifty Nifty United States” when he shouted out “the list of states that Donald Trump won for sure.” According to Lindell, those states include: “Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, umm, Georgia… Arizona, and Nevada. We don’t know about, he might have won Maine, he might have won Colorado, there’s four others in question.” That’s a lot of states, as Meyers pointed out, while whipping out his hilariously spot-on Lindell impersonation:

Are there any states Trump didn’t win? ‘He won Wisconsin, Pennsyldonia, Old Jersey, New Jack City, Arrakis, Endor, Xanadu, and the one that has the flag with THA bear!’

Also, if you’re going to ask people to guess something, give them a second to answer first. The guy didn’t get the microphone back to his mouth before you yelled it out.”

You can watch the full clip above.

The pandemic’s led movies to an odd place, to say the very least, with some not-so-great records being broken. That would include the Jared Leto-starring Morbius, which managed to land a dubious record that no film would want to see. On the other hand, the Tom Cruise-starring Top Gun: Maverick has seen a few delays as well (the original release date was in June 2020), but the flick’s flying high no matter what. In fact, this “Need For Speed”-bound movie has already determined to do something that no Cruise movie has done in three decades.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the sequel to the 1986 action picture will head to the prestigious Cannes film festival this may. This marks exactly 30 years since Far and Away (co-starring Cruise’s now-ex-wife, Nicole Kidman) did so under the direction of Ron Howard. The festival begins this year on May 17, and there’s no word on whether this tentpole film would actually enter the competition or simply bow there with a splashy debut (with the Iceman in tow, natch), but it will nonetheless be an event. This won’t, however, be the actual debut of the movie. Via THR:

Cruise is considered one of Hollywood’s most relentless promoters, and never shies away from publicity. Cannes would be an obvious place for the actor to show off his new film. And Cruise’s appearance would benefit the two-week fest as it emerges from the pandemic.

Cannes, however, would not serve as Top Gun: Maverick‘s world premiere. That event has long been planned to be held in San Diego, where the first film was set.

Tom Cruise is coming to Cannes, which means that movies will officially be back, baby. This might help make up for all the disappointments that he’s endured with the Mission: Impossible 7 delays, perhaps? Actually, that’s still gotta feel like a gut punch.

Top Gun: Maverick arrives in U.S. theaters on May 27.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)