While Meghan McCain’s announcement that she’s leaving The View at the end of this season arrived unexpectedly last week, the news wasn’t a total surprise given the numerous shouting matches with her fellow co-hosts. As the The View‘s firebrand conservative, McCain often sparred with the more liberal Joy Behar, which was to be expected. But according to a new report, McCain allegedly grew even more difficult to deal with behind the scenes, and it got to the point where even Whoopi Goldberg allegedly had enough. Via Page Six:
“Everyone was at their wits’ end — even Whoopi, and she’s the chillest of them all. Whoopi is never going to advocate for anyone to get fired. She’s not about that, but she was very clear that she no longer wanted to work with Meghan,” a source told Page Six.
According to insdiers, the emergency meeting in late May to rein in the heated exchanges on The View was the beginning of the end for McCain. After being “protected” for years by former ABC News President James Goldston, his successor Kim Godwin clearly had no qualms with putting McCain in her place. Godwin called the emergency meeting and told the co-hosts to stop with the “personal attacks,” which reportedly caused McCain to storm out of the virtual call.
Following the meeting, the other co-hosts reportedly told Godwin they no longer wanted to work with McCain. “Whoopi was clear that she didn’t want to work with her either,” a source told Page Six. “There have been so many well-documented issues, and [Meghan] has not made a good impression on new management.”
The 12-man roster for Team USA is set as the Tokyo Olympics draw ever nearer, although three of those players — Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday — are currently in the NBA Finals and will miss at least a significant portion of camp.
The roster is star-studded, per usual, but that wasn’t necessarily a given with the NBA season ending so close to the start of the Olympics and so many players voicing their frustrations with the physical toll the condensed season took on their bodies. Still, plenty of stars signed up to go to Tokyo and the American men’s squad will again be the favorites to take home their fourth straight gold medal. As for their schedule, Team USA finds itself in Group A alongside Iran, Czech Republic, and France, the latter of whom they will open their Olympics with in a big time showdown in the group on Sunday, July 25 at 8:00 a.m. ET. The complete Team USA and Olympic men’s schedule can be found here.
On Monday, USA Basketball also announced the numbering for the squad, which goes from 4 to 15. Kevin Durant will wear 7 as he does in Brooklyn, a shift from No. 5 which he wore on the Rio gold medal squad. Bam Adebayo and Jerami Grant will likewise snatch their normal numbers of 13 and 9 for the USA squad, while Draymond Green will be the lone player to carry over his number, 14, from the Rio squad to the Tokyo team.
4: Bradley Beal
5: Zach LaVine
6: Damian Lillard
7: Kevin Durant
8: Khris Middleton
9: Jerami Grant
10: Jayson Tatum
11: Kevin Love
12: Jrue Holiday
13: Bam Adebayo
14: Draymond Green
15: Devin Booker
Camp is set to begin for the nine players not in the Finals this week in Las Vegas, as they go up against the Select squad before some tune-up games leading into Tokyo.
After throwing himself into the race for one of Ohio’s two Senate seats, Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance has positioned himself as a pro-Trump candidate. However, Vance hasn’t always been a fan of the former president. CNN reporter Andrew Kaczynski recently discovered that the venture capitalist turned author deleted tweets from the 2016 election where he not only criticized Trump, but planned to vote for Evan McMullin. Those deleted tweets put Vance on the defensive over the holiday weekend, and on Monday, he went on Fox News to explain his rationale for removing the tweets criticizing Trump from his timeline.
“Like a lot of people, I criticized Trump back in 2016,” Vance said in an interview with Fox’s Alicia Acuna. “And I ask folks not to judge me based on what I said in 2016, because I’ve been very open that I did say those critical things and I regret them, and I regret being wrong about the guy. I think he was a good president, I think he made a lot of good decisions for people, and I think he took a lot of flak.”
In the deleted tweets, Vance called Trump “reprehensible,” and like most Americans, he reacted strongly to the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape where Trump brags about assaulting women.
“Fellow Christians, everyone is watching us when we apologize for this man. Lord help us,” Vance tweeted at the time. While most people assumed that Access Hollywood tape would end Trump’s electoral chances, he narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton, and now, Vance has changed his tune as he attempts to court the MAGA Republican base.
“The most important thing, is not what you said five years ago, but whether you’re willing to stand up and take the heat and take the hits for actually defending the interests of the American people,” Vance said in defense of his Twitter activity.
Last year brought Microphones In 2020, Phil Elverum’s first new album as The Microphones in 17 years. Now he’s getting ready for some shows in support of the album, which will be his first proper Microphones tour in 18 years.
The tour, which was announced today, will consists of a handful of North American shows in February and March of 2022. The West Coast shows will see support from Ragana, while Emily Sprague will open the rest of the dates aside from the Brooklyn show at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church.
Back when Elverum announced Microphones In 2020 (which consists of a single long track), he explained the inspiration behind reviving the project, saying, “In the summer of 2019. I played a little local concert under the old name for no big reason. The little flurry of weird attention around this announcement got me thinking about what it even means to step back into an old mode. Self commemoration would be embarrassing. I don’t want to go backwards ever. There is nothing to reunite. So I nudged into the future with these ideas and came up with this large song.”
Check out the full list of tour dates below.
02/17/2022 — Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriets *
02/18/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room *
02/26/2022 — Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall *
02/28/2022 — Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre *
03/01/2022 — Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center #
03/02/2022 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
03/03/2022 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Wealthy Theatre#
03/04/2022 — Toronto, ON @ Great Hall #
03/05/2022 — Montréal, QC @ La Sala Rossa #
03/06/2022 — Portland, ME @ Space #
03/07/2022 — Somerville, MA @ Somerville Theatre #
03/08/2022 — Brooklyn, NY @ St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church
03/09/2022 — Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Sanctuary #
03/10/2022 — Washington, DC @ Miracle Theatre #
This week in pop music saw some summer-ready bops. Iggy Azalea dropped a club-primed track, Skrillex tapped international superstar J Balvin for a pumped-up single, and Taylor Swift once again worked with Aaron Dessner for a gentle tune.
Offering another preview of her upcoming album End Of An Era, Iggy Azalea made it more than clear that she’s ready for the return of nightlife with her pounding track “I Am The Stripclub.” The dance-ready track is Azalea at her best, delivering boastful lyrics about her self-worth over a cutting-edge beat.
J Balvin, Skrillex — “In Da Getto”
Skrillex is well underway with his comeback. The producer is gearing up for a new project by debuting a handful of EDM singles and this week, he teamed up with J Balvin for the wildly energetic tune “In Da Getto.” Skrillex’s thumping beat creates the perfect backdrop for J Balvin’s quick-witted flow, resulting in a track that’s sure to be heard on dancefloors everywhere.
Big Red Machine — “Renegade” Feat. Taylor Swift
Big Red Machine, the collaborative project between Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon, shared “Renagade” this week, one of the Taylor Swift collaborations heard on their upcoming debut album. The song is reminiscent of Swift’s Folklore era as a wistful guitar accompanies Swift’s delicately-delivered lyrics about the trepidation of a new relationship. In a statement upon sharing the track, Swift described how meeting Dessner changed her musical outlook. “I was ushered into his world of free-flowing creativity where you don’t overthink, you just make music,” she wrote.
Maisie Peters — “Psycho”
As the latest signee of Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man Records, Maisie Peters goes bubblegum pop in her latest track “Psycho.” The punchy tune marks one of Peters’ most lively songs yet, showcasing her soaring vocals over an earworm beat. “‘Psycho’ tells a dramatic story of someone whose lies catch up to them, and who seem to feel very little when they hurt other people,” Peters says about the single. “I think this is something near enough everyone in the world can relate to, myself included.”
Sigala — “You For Me” Feat. Rita Ora
British DJ Sigala tapped Rita Ora for “You For Me” as their unofficial entry for this year’s song of the summer. The turned-up tune showcases Ora’s fluttering vocals over sunny synths and a shimmering bass drop. Ora fires off lovelorn lyrics contrasted by the song’s electrifying instrumentals, crafting an irresistible tune that’s tailor-made to be heard on beaches everywhere in coming months.
Magdalena Bay — “Chaeri”
LA electro indie-pop duo Magdalena Bay teased their debut LP this week with the hypnotic lead single, “Chaeri.” The synth-forward track draws comparisons to Grimes’ early catalog, combining atmospheric production with breathy vocals to create an enticing tune.
Faouzia — “Hero”
Hardworking songwriter Faouzia returns with yet another kinetic single. Faouzia’s tune “Hero” highlights her impactful vocals, melting together empowering lyrics with a buoyant beat that packs a punch. “I wrote ‘Hero’ late one night while taking a break from studying for my exams,” Faouzia said about the single. “Thematically, the song discusses having fair and reasonable expectations from the love you give and receive in a relationship or a friendship. It’s a two-way street and any healthy relationship needs both sides to be supportive of each other.”
Slush Puppy — “Barbie Doll”
Rising 20-year-old indie-pop producer Slush Puppy shares the gritty track “Barbie Doll” as a reflection on those who alter themselves for the attention of others. With a woozy beat and electrifying bass guitar, the addictive single expertly juxtaposes sunny instrumentals with bittersweet lyrics. “I wanted to creatively express what it feels like to overcompensate for being insecure,” Slush Puppy said about the track.
Laura Mvula — “Pink Noise”
UK musician Laura Mvula delivered her endlessly-fun third studio album Pink Noise this week. The LP’s title track gives a hip-shaking preview of the disco-tinged beats heard on the project, combining ebullient brass instruments with a bouncing beat to create a dance-ready tune. “This is the album I always wanted to make,” Mvula said about Pink Noise. “Every corner is made warm with sunset tones of the 80s. I was born in 1986. I came out of the womb wearing shoulder pads. I absorbed the dynamism of the 80s aesthetic right from my first moments on this planet.”
Caspr — “Duct Tape Lips”
New York-based artist Caspr fires off another alt-pop release with the heart-wrenching track “Duct Tape Lips.” The song was produced by Omar Apollo and acclaimed producer Andrew Watt and seamlessly combines emo and pop-punk sensibilities for an affecting melody. “Duct Tape Lips” marks Caspr’s third officially-released track, rallying excitement for what the artist has coming next.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
After what has felt like years of rumors that a new, more powerful, Nintendo Switch was on the way we woke up on Tuesday morning to the exciting news that those rumors were true…sort of. The Nintendo Switch (OLED model) is indeed here and it will be coming this October. Nintendo made the announcement via a tweet, YouTube video, and with surprisingly little fanfare. Why they chose to announce this now instead of during last month’s E3 presentation is anyone’s guess, but at least we finally have a Switch with information we can dive into.
Unfortunately, most of the information we’ve been given is kind of underwhelming considering all of the hype that came from those rumors. What everyone wanted was a new Switch that was going to run games at smoother framerates, allow for ports of more modern games, and increase the general power of the tiny device. Instead, this model is going to be more focused on making the portability of the Switch more viable. The OLED model improves the way games appear on the Switch itself and is going to have improved audio when portable. The kickstand on the back of the Switch, for anyone that wants to stand up the small device on a table, can now be adjusted and has been made wider so players can worry less about it possibly falling over. Players who like to take their Switch on the go are definitely going to see an upgrade.
There were some other additions to this new Switch as well such as a LAN port and an internal storage increase of 64 GB, but for an “upgrade” this feels extremely underwhelming. Yes, the Switch is a device that is meant to be played on the go and this does make that experience a little easier. They wouldn’t be able to advertise it as a home console that can be taken everywhere if the portability mode didn’t also receive upgrades but is that enough of an upgrade to justify calling this a “new” Switch. Well, that depends on if we consider this a new console or not.
Personally, this just seems like a new purchase option for anyone that is looking to buy their first Switch. Current Switch owners aren’t going to have much reason to own this unless they religiously play their Switch in portable mode. This “new” console does not feel like the kind of mid-life console upgrade that we saw out of, to use a recent example, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. Will games look prettier, and maybe run slightly better in portable mode, yes and that’s awesome. However, as for the kinds of games the Switch itself can run, it’s going to be business as usual. That’s fine, but for those of us that want to see games run better on the Switch itself, it’s admittedly a little disappointing.
The “industry rule” Q-Tip revealed back in 1991’s “Check The Rhime” appears to hold as true as ever. For proof, look no further than the recent sale of A Tribe Called Quest’s catalog royalties as an NFT, which the band now says they never actually authorized. Group DJ and co-founder Ali Shaheed Muhammad responded to Billboard‘s report of the sale on Facebook, revealing just how Royalty Exchange came to offering 1.5% of the band’s first five album royalties as a non-fungible token at auction.
“No member of A Tribe Called Quest has entered into any partnership with Royalty Exchange,” he wrote, as he launched into a lengthy explanation of just how labyrinthine and convoluted record contracts can truly be.
In 1989 a dream unfolds. Two teenagers sign a 5 album recording contract with Jive Records. Q-Tip and I were represented by Ron Skoler and Ed Chalpin. Ed owned PPX Enterprises, google that ish. We had absolutely no affiliation with either of these gentlemen other than them representing us as our lawyer/“agent” in negotiating the deal with Jive.
PPX aka Ed Chalpin added a clause to our agreement stating they get paid a percentage of our recording fund EVERY time we commenced to record a new album. We did not discover this hidden clause until we commenced to record The Low End Theory. We disputed this clause. Neither Ed or Ron ever told us about this bullsh*t language in the agreement. It was unwarranted and where I come from “crooked.” Ed sued us and he lost. He appealed the case. He was rich and had deep pockets to litigate. We however were not rich. We were kids with a dream, an album slowly selling and deeply in debt to our record company.
We were determined to not to be taken advantage of by PPX Enterprises. We wanted to fight on. Jive offered to help us with our lack of capital to litigate the appeal however they required us to sign a sixth album with them. Without any other means to get this (do not use slanderous adjectives) entity out of our lives, we signed for the 6th album, added Phife to the contract and Jive made the PPX issue disappear or so we thought.
It wasn’t until reading this incomplete article by Billboard on June 29, 2021 that I learned PPX Enterprises wasn’t entirely out of our business. Apparently PPX sold their share of a settlement they made with Jive Records to an individual whom entered into a partnership with Royalty Exchange. Be clear that is the NFT that was created and auctioned.
Had we known this percentage of our art was out there we would have bought it directly from PPX Enterprises as it should have never been sold by Jive Records.
So, there you have it. The group never wanted to sell their royalties but now, bidder Stephen F, who paid 40.191 in Ethereum ($84,765), will be receiving semi-annual checks from every stream, sample, or media appearance of songs from the first five Tribe albums (you know, the ones that have appeared EVERYWHERE since the ’90s revival boom in television and film over the past decade) until the copyright expires. Yikes.
In the wake of his recent altercation with fellow musician Saint Jhn, Lil Uzi Vert has been accused of physical and mental abuse by his ex-girlfriend Brittany Byrd, whose manager told The Shade Room that the rapper caused the confrontation after “stalking” Byrd. Byrd, a Los Angeles-based visual artist, dated Lil Uzi Vert briefly between 2014 and 2016, during which Byrd’s manager — referred to only as “Brianna” in the story — was “toxic and mentally and physically abusive.”
Brianna also claims that the rapper “has been stalking Brittany since they broke up,” and says that Byrd was hospitalized after the attack. The manager alleges that when Uzi arrived to the Dialogue Cafe in West Hollywood where Byrd was having a lunch meeting with Jhn, Uzi punched Byrd in the face multiple times and pointed a gun at her.
This contradicts the previous reports from TMZ that Uzi tried to punch Jhn and revealed a gun during their altercation. The report was updated after the fact to reflect new sources that said Uzi’s gun fell after his initial punch missed, Byrd approached him, and he pointed the gun at her and struck her. Byrd filed a police report at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station.
Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Gorillaz leader Damon Albarn has a solo album, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, coming out later this year. After sharing the title track last month, he returns today with another cut, “Polaris,” which is more upbeat than its predecessor and is carried by a bossa nova rhythm.
Albarn previously said of the album, “I organized musicians, string players, three bass trombones, some percussion, and keyboards into an interesting arrangement. […] I took some of these real-time, extreme elemental experiences [of Iceland] and then tried to develop more formal pop songs with that as my source. I wanted to see where that would take me. Sometimes it took me down to Uruguay and Montevideo. Other times I went to Iran, Iceland, or Devon. With travel being curtailed, it was kind of nice to be able to make a record that put me strangely in those places for a moment or two.”
Check out both the studio and live versions of “Polaris” above. Albarn also guests on a new episode of Mark Ronson’s Fader Uncovered podcast, so check that out below.
The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows is out 11/12 via Transgressive Records. Pre-order it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Paddington is a very good movie. Paddington 2 is one of the best movies of the 2010s (or if Rotten Tomatoes scores carry weight, of all-time). By this logic, Paddington 3 will transcend our understanding of what a “cinematic masterpiece” can be. It will unite Democrats and Republicans, it will bring peace to the Middle East, it will make marmalade as omnipresent in the United States as ketchup. You might say I’m excited.
Varietyreports that Paddington 3 is “among a host of slate titles revealed by Studiocanal” at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday. “Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh said that principal photography on the keenly anticipated project would commence in the second quarter of 2022.” If we’re kind and polite, the Paddington trilogy will see daylight.
Paddington 2 was a hit for StudioCanal, earning $228 million at the international box office on a $40 million budget (not to mention the near-unanimously positive reviews), so a trilogy-capper should have been a sure thing. But there was some concern when Paul King said he wasn’t going to return to direct. “At some point, you just have to stop. It might be time for somebody else to do a twist on it. I’m trying not to do a third bear movie, which is a huge, huge mistake,” he told Empire. King will, however, receive an executive producer and story by credit for Paddington 3, along with Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Foster and James Lamont.
The director and cast are “currently under wraps,” but we have some ideas on who could play the villain (make it Tom Hardy, you cowards).
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(@CianOMahony)