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More than a year after he first announced the project, Kanye West finally revealed when the world would receive his tenth album, Donda. The rapper announced the project would arrive this Friday, July 23. As expected, fans all over the world quickly built up their excitement for its release. To build up the anticipation for Donda, Kanye also announced a huge listening event for the project set to take place at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the 75,000-capacity venue that’s home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

The event was slated for an 8 p.m. kick-off time, but to the surprise of no one, the event did not start at its intended time.

Thankfully, nearly two hours later, Kanye kicked things off for the night. The show began with what seemed to be a recording of Kanye repeatedly singing, “We gonna be okay,” as an organ played loudly in the background. The camera panned out to show him rocking a red bubble jacket while moving all across the stage, which was essentially the full stadium floor covered in some type of white material.

Prior to the show, Kanye was spotted backstage at the stadium putting the final touches on the album. This includes sequencing the project’s presumed tracklist, making last-second tweaks with producer and engineer Mike Dean, and apparently inviting acts like Playboi Carti and 2 Chainz to record additional verses for Donda.

Rumors of the arrival of Donda first began when Kanye and Tyler The Creator were spotted in the studio together, presumable working on the album together. Shortly afterward, the album was confirmed for a release through a Beats By Dre commercial featuring track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson that also featured his currently unreleased track, “No Child Left Behind.”

You can watch a livestream of the listening event for Donda here.

The Golden State Warriors expect next season to be their return to the top of the Western Conference hierarchy — a belief seemingly shared by oddsmakers as well.

With Klay Thompson returning from injury alongside Stephen Curry coming off a scoring title and Draymond Green showing he’s still a dominant defensive force, the Warriors have the foundation still in place to contend, but certainly need more. They’ve been caught in the middle of two worlds the last two years, best evidenced by the presence of last year’s No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, who had the expected struggles of a young player finding his way on an established team before an injury ended his season.

The Warriors have a pair of lottery picks once again this year at No. 7 and No. 14, but adding two more rookies isn’t exactly what Curry, Thompson, and Green need. As was the case last year, trade rumors are swirling around the Warriors’ picks as the Draft approaches, but this year there seems to be a mandate from their best players to make a move.

According to Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, the Warriors star trio has made it clear to management that they want them to go get immediate help for a championship push this offseason, which means to trade those lottery picks for an impact veteran.

The Warriors’ trio of stars — Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — have made it clear to management they want the franchise to focus on the pursuit of a championship, even to consider using their two lottery picks to get someone who can help immediately, sources confirmed. Warriors general manager Bob Myers said their goal this offseason is to add more of a veteran presence.

Should the Warriors go that route, Beal, the Washington Wizards’ guard who made third-team All-NBA, is deemed to be the best player and best fit for the Warriors among the players who could potentially be available this offseason.

The probable package the Warriors could offer the Wizards for Beal would be Wiseman, Andrew Wiggins, and their two lottery picks this year. That’s certainly nothing to sneeze at, but if Washington were to open themselves up to moving Beal — who, it should be noted, has continually said he wants to be in the nation’s capital — they would be fielding offers from all over the league that could very well top what the Warriors have to offer.

Maybe the most interesting nugget from the piece is where it notes that while Damian Lillard is being pursued hotly around the league, a return home to the Bay area is not something he wants, per Thompson. Should Beal not be available in discussions, the Warriors will have to turn their attention elsewhere, with Pacers big man Myles Turner being a possible target for the Warriors who wouldn’t necessarily require them to move Wiseman.

In any case, it is clear that while last year the Warriors’ stars were content to let the chips fall as they may, this year they want to leave no doubt in the minds of management that they expect them to build a title contender in the immediate term, future assets be damned.

The Surreal Life was a staple of a VH1 that seems a lifetime away for television viewers in a streaming world, but the music-adjacent TV channel is bringing back a seventh season of the reality show with an interesting cast list slated to revive the format.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, VH1 is reviving The Surreal Life and already has a cast in mind, with eight celebrities and celebrity-adjacent people ready to live together and have their every actions filmed for our enjoyment.

August Alsina, C.J. Perry, Dennis Rodman, Frankie Muniz, Kim Coles, Manny MUA, Stormy Daniels and Tamar Braxton will face off in what is being dubbed as a “reimagined” season of the originals. The cast of eight will come together for what VH1 describes as a “wild, over the top journey that pushes them to reveal different sides of themselves in surprising ways.”

“The Surreal Life is known for bringing together some of the biggest names in pop culture and creating many unforgettable moments in reality television,” says Nina L. Diaz, president of content and chief creative officer at MTV Entertainment Group. “We are excited to see how this stellar celebrity cast will make captivating television for audiences everywhere.”

The Surreal Life debuted on the WB Network and moved to VH1 after two seasons, becoming one of the iconic franchises of mid-2000s VH1 as music television pivoted away from music videos and toward tangentially-related music reality television. While The Surreal Life eventually spawned Rock of Love, Flavor of Love and several other love-related shows, the franchise itself has been dormant since 2006.

It will certainly be interesting to see how audiences react to the show in the modern, much more surreal world in general. But if you’ve ever wondered what Frankie Muniz and Dennis Rodman would talk about over breakfast, well, you’re about to find out.

Earlier this week, Coldplay confirmed their new album, Music Of The Spheres, and teased another new song from the record would be dropping shortly. The full project won’t be out until mid-October, but that hasn’t stopped Chris Martin and co. from getting the ball rolling early with plenty of new music for fans. Following up the first new single, “Higher Power,” today’s new track is an album cut, a whopping ten and a half minute banger that closes out the record. The song is an epic that namechecks Galileo, Oumuamua and Betelgeuse, and doubles down on the band’s newfound fascination with the cosmos.

Although this is already the second song the band is sharing off the album, they’ve let fans know that the next bit of new music won’t hit until September. This is the ninth studio album for the Brit-rock band, and Music Of The Spheres is definitely venturing into more pop territory for the group. The album was produced by Max Martin and ushers in a new era for the group. Earlier this week they shared the album trailer for the record, dubbing the clip “Overtura” and doubling down on the space name theme for songs and elements associated with the record. Check that out below and listen to “Coloratura” above.

Coldplay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music.

As people get older, social isolation and loneliness become serious problems. Many find themselves living alone for the first time after the death of a spouse. It’s also difficult for older people to maintain friendships when people they’ve known for years become ill or pass away.

Census Bureau figures say that almost a quarter of men and nearly 46% of women over the age of 75 live alone.

But loneliness doesn’t just affect those who reside by themselves. People can feel lonely when there is a discrepancy between their desired and actual relationships. To put it simply, when it comes to having a healthy social life, quality is just as important as quantity.

Loneliness is a serious problem because it can be as debilitating as a physical health issue. According to a study published in The New York Times, loneliness can result in an “increased risk of depression, cognitive decline, and illnesses like coronary artery disease.”

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that loneliness is also associated with premature death.

“Loneliness is a common source of distress, suffering, and impaired quality of life in older persons,” the study published in JAMA Internal medicine says.

via Pixabay

The study looked at 1600 participants with an average age of 71 and examined whether they were lonely or had healthy social lives. When the researchers performed a follow-up six years later, they found that 23% of lonely participants died within six years of the study, as opposed to only 14% of those who reported adequate companionship.

“The need we’ve had our entire lives—people who know us, value us, who bring us joy—that never goes away,” Barbara Moscowitz, senior geriatric social worker at Massachusetts General Hospital, explained to The New York Times.

One of the major reasons why older people tend to thrive after moving into an assisted living environment is because they are more social. Older people may resist such a lifestyle change, but being around other people, especially those their age who have a similar lived experience, can help them live a happier, healthier life.

via Pixabay

The study underscores the fact that the gift of time and quality attention is one of the most important things that we can give to the senior citizens in our lives.

We can also assist the older people in our lives by helping them maintain relationships with others. Instead of just driving them to doctor appointments, take them on a trip to see a friend or relative, too.

Watching our older relatives go through age-related decline can be distressing. But the good news from this study is that it’s not completely out of our control. By taking the time to foster healthy relationships with our older loved ones we can play an active role in promoting their longevity.

HBO Max has been a key streaming service for movie fans who have been reluctant to return to theaters amid the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and Warner Bros. deciding to release new movies on the platform simultaneously with its theatrical runs has been a huge boon to the service itself.

Now, according to reports, HBO Max-exclusive movies are now soon to be added to an already-lengthly list of original series exclusive to the platform. As CNBC notes, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar revealed during AT&T’s second quarter earnings call on Thursday that the platform will develop at least 10 HBO Max-exclusive titles in the coming years in an attempt to give all the people who have swarmed the platform in recent months more offerings even in a hypothetical post-pandemic world.

“The motion picture format absolutely matters and it matters in a number of ways,” Kilar said. “It matters in theaters …They also matter at home and, absolutely, in terms of the response that we’ve gotten not just from that title but from all of our day in day titles. We feel very good about the response that consumers have given it in the home.”

During the second quarter, HBO and HBO Max topped 47 million U.S. subscribers, up 2.8 million from the first quarter. Globally, subscriber numbers reached 67.5 million as of the end of June, up from 63.9 million last quarter.

Warners added the simultaneous release strategy to HBO Max amid the pandemic as theaters were closed and releases quite literally had nowhere to go. The resulting box office numbers have been interesting to say the least, with both award season impacted and box office numbers muted even as some people return to theaters. With Warners movies slated to return to theaters first again in 2022, those movies would not hit the streaming service until 45 days after the film is first distributed. But according to the report, movies with Oscar expectations headed to HBO Max exclusively may get a theatrical release in select locations.

[via CNBC]

As if a Canada goose named Arnold isn’t endearing enough, his partner who came looking for him when he was injured is warming hearts and having us root for this sweet feathered couple.

Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, Massachusetts shared the story on its Facebook page, in what they called “a first” for their animal hospital.

“We often have people ask if they can visit the patients they dropped off, but today we had our first animal visitor!” they wrote. “For the safety of our patients we do not accommodate visitation requests, but in this case we had to make an exception!”

Arnold is a Canada goose that lives on a pond near the facility and is part of a mated pair of wild geese that have been together for several years. The center said the geese usually keep to themselves, but one of their staff noticed that Arnold was walking with a “significant limp” and kept falling over. They were able to capture him and bring him into the hospital for examination.

“Upon exam our veterinary team found that he had two open-fractures on his foot,” they wrote. “This means that the tissue and skin has been pulled away leaving the bone exposed. Our best guess is that a Snapping turtle or other predator attacked him while swimming.”

To save his foot and help him survive, the staff knew they had to amputate one of the digits and suture the other wound closed. They gave him antibiotics and pain meds and prepped him for surgery the following morning.

Then his mate came knocking.

“Today, as we prepared to sedate Arnold and get him ready for surgery, we heard a faint tapping at the clinic door,” the center wrote. “We turned to see that his mate had waddled up onto the porch and was attempting to break into our clinic! She had somehow located him and was agitated that she could not get inside. She remained there throughout the entire procedure, watching us work, never moving from the doorway.”

Aww.

Surgery went well, and once Arnold woke up the staff decided to let him recover by the doorway so he and his mate could see each other.

“We opened the door and gave Arnold his flow-by oxygen in the doorway. His mate immediately calmed down and began to groom him through the door. They both seemed much more at ease in each other’s presence.”

AWWWW.

“Arnold will likely need several weeks of treatment in our hospital before he is ready to rejoin his mate in the wild,” they added. “He will need to be kept inside for the majority of this time in order to keep his wound sterile and prevent infection. We will do our best to get him back out quickly and will perform bandage changes and treatments in view of the doorway when possible so that his mate can check up on him. ❤️”

While attempting not to anthropomorphize too much, it’s so sweet to see animal partners show such genuine care for one another. Canada geese mate for life, and they are known to mourn in seclusion when they lose a mate. Seeing Arnold’s mate coming to find him and comfort him during his treatment is just too lovely.

Feel good story of the day, indeed. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Arnold!

When Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple men, including at least five who said they were teens at the time, it triggered a memory for Mena Suvari.

To prepare for a scene in a future-Best Picture winner American Beauty, Spacey invited the 19-year-old actress to “lay on the bed very close to one another,” Suvari told People. “He was sort of gently holding me. It was very peaceful but weird and unusual.” She “thought of that day” following the allegations against Spacey, but, as she noted in 2018, “it’s important to focus on the conversation that’s happening and the healing, the victims — the right thing that’s to come out of this. That’s sort of what I try to hope for and focus on the most. It’s something that we’re truly changing and moving out of.”

1999 was a breakthrough year for Suvari with high-profile roles in American Beauty and American Pie. But as she revealed in her new memoir, The Great Peace: A Memoir, she was “living a double life” at the time. “Between the ages of twelve and twenty, I was the victim of repeated sexual abuse,” she writes in the book.

“Every time I would go on a set. Every time I was interviewed, I was acting the whole time. It was another role for me to play. That I was okay,” she tells People… Looking back, she says of American Beauty: “It was a beautiful experience, being given the opportunity to work and express myself right when I needed I to save me.”

The Great Peace: A Memoir is available beginning next week.

(Via People)

Frogger is coming to Peacock as a game show, and the show has reportedly found its host. The TV version of the video game, played by humans taking the role of an animal trying desperately not to get hit by a truck or eaten by an alligator, will make humans the frogs on the streaming service.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote Thursday about the Peacock series hosted by Happy Endings star Damon Wayans, Jr., which revives the arcade classic with a new twist that will make it similar to some already-popular game shows that don’t feature video game intellectual property.

Damon Wayans Jr. will serve as host of the series, which will feature contestants playing the role of the frog in the video game and attempting a series of obstacle-filled crossings. NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt will serve as Wayans’ co-host.

Peacock’s first original competition series, Frogger will have its players dodging cars and jumping over the open maws of (presumably not real) alligators and hippos as they vie for a $100,000 prize. The series is based on the long-lived Konami video game, which has spawned more than 30 titles since its introduction in 1981 as an arcade console.

Frogger, the 1981 game developed by Komani and distributed by Sega, put players in the control of a frog navigating busy roadways and raging rivers to get to the other side. But this game show version will be a bit more like Wipeout and Holey Moley, with humans actually taking on the role of a Frogger frog on an oversized course. There are some pretty obvious similarities to shows like The Floor Is Lava here, too.

Given the inclusion of Brandt and the fact that they will presumably cover it like a real sporting event, the homages to the aforementioned game shows seem pretty clear. But we’ll have to wait and see just how much influence the actual video game has on its game show brethren, and just how many humans will get hit by trucks during filming.

Chloe and Halle Bailey of R&B duo Chloe X Halle have proven to be a multitalented pair. Not only are they one of music’s most sought-after new acts, performing on awards shows, sporting events, and corporate livestreams throughout the pandemic in lieu of touring, but they are also both accomplished actresses. While they both appear on Black-ish spinoff Grown-ish as the athletic Forster twins (in reality, Chloe is two years older), Halle is headed to the big screen in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid in the title role.

While Chloe has seemingly been content to work on solo music while the sisters are separated by Halle’s shooting schedule, it appears the elder sister is ready to pursue her own movie career. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chloe has been cast in Jane, the debut feature film from Creator+, an upstart movie studio/streaming platform aimed toward Zoomers and digital creators — two categories Chloe X Halle clearly fall under and appeal to greatly. Produced by and starring Riverdale‘s Madelaine Petsch, Jane is described as a psychological thriller exploring “social media anxiety and mental health from the perspective of a high school student.”

The film will also feature model Chloe Yu, Shrill actor Ian Owens, and Oscar-winner Melissa Leo, most recently of Netflix’s Thunder Force. Creator+, founded by former YouTube executive Benjamin Grubbs, is set to launch in the first quarter of 2022.