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Well, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) wanted a “Gaetzgate,” and he got one, alright. Even Fox News has come out in response to Gaetz suggesting that he might work with him with a big fat nope, and this happened after Tucker Carlson declared that he was astounded after talking with Gaetz while calling it “one of the weirdest interviews I’ve ever conducted.” And apparently, Tucker was also seriously angry with Gaetz too.

The subject in question, of course, was the New York Times report that detailed allegations of Gaetz having a relationship with a 17-year-old girl. There’s a federal Department of Justice investigation because Gaetz may have violated sex trafficking laws (he reportedly paid the girl to travel with him), and Gaetz was wildly claiming that he was being extorted by an ex-DOJ official for $25 million. And in the middle of the bizarre interview, Gaetz tried to drag Tucker under the bus by suggesting that Tucker had met Gaetz’s “friend” at a dinner. Tucker denied Gaetz’s attempt to link him to the scandal:

Gaetz: “You and I went to dinner about two years ago. Your wife was there, and I brought a friend of mine, you’ll remember her.”

Carlson: “I don’t remember the woman you are speaking of or the context at all, honestly.”

CNN is now reporting word from a source has revealed Tucker’s behind-the-scenes reaction: “It pissed him off.”

It’s a more than reasonable reaction for Carlson to have. Gaetz was attempting to legitimize whatever has happened and also suggested that Tucker had knowledge of something, and Tucker wasn’t about to get dragged into this hot mess. Rep. Ted Lieu has pointed out that this could eventually make Tucker a witness in the investigation, so yep, not wise, Gaetz. Of course, it’s hard to expect much at all from the lone lawmaker who voted against an anti-sex-trafficking bill in 2017.

You can re-watch the full Carlson-Gaetz interview below:

(Via CNN & Fox News)

Sharon Van Etten is releasing an anniversary reissue of her Epic album, titled Epic Ten, later this month. The rerelease also includes a collection of covers of the album’s tracks and Van Etten has been releasing a new one every Thursday leading up to the release. Today’s cover comes courtesy of Courtney Barnett and Vagabon, who teamed up for a rendition of “Don’t Do It.”

Ahead of the release, Van Etten shared a post about Barnett and wrote about the friendship they’ve enjoyed over the years: “Courtney Barnett has been an important musical influence on me since 2014, when we first met at The Neptune theater in Seattle. From the first time we met, I felt like I made an immediate friend. From performing together, to having home hangs in between tours, commiserating with the very specific mixed feelings of tour life assimilating back to home life and figuring out the in between as we have been learning how to nurture our domestic lives while paying attention to our creative selves outside of the album and touring cycle. I admire Courtney’s writing style in that she has such a unique and intimate narrative approach while being personal and funny, without giving too much away. I feel connected to her music and perspective, while always wanting to learn more — and as a friend she has offered me guidance and advice while also being an ear when I have been in a rut or when I am in need of a new approach to look at my writing in a new way.⁣”

Listen to Barnett and Vagabon’s cover of “Don’t Do It” above.

Epic Ten is out 4/16 via Ba Da Bing. Pre-order it here.

Songwriters are an invaluable part of the music industry, but some of them feel like they aren’t getting a fair deal. Now, a group of songwriters have formed The Pact and are calling on artists to drop demanding credit on and publishing rights of songs that they didn’t help write.

The group has shared a letter, which asserts:

“Over the last few years, there has been a growing number of artists that are demanding publishing on songs they did not write. These artists will go on to collect revenue from touring, merchandise, brand partnerships, and many other revenue streams, while the songwriters have only their publishing revenue as a means of income. This demand for publishing is often able to happen because the artist and/or their representation abuse leverage, use bully tactics and threats, and prey upon writers who may choose to give up some of their assets rather than lose the opportunity completely. Over time, this practice of artists taking publishing has become normalized; and until now, there has been no real unity within the songwriting community to fight back.”

It goes on to declare, “This body of songwriters will not give publishing or songwriting credit to anyone who did not create or change the lyric or melody or otherwise contribute to the composition without a reasonably equivalent/meaningful exchange for all the writers on the song.”

The Pact’s website has a list of artists involved and it includes Tayla Parx, Justin Tranter, Tobias Jesso Jr., Emily Warren, Toss Golan, Amy Allen, Lennon Stella, Shae Jacobs, Sam Harris, Deza, and Joel Little. The aforementioned artists have had a huge impact on the music industry in recent years, as they have collaborated with big names like Ariana Grande, Khalid, Normani, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato, Chloe x Halle, Janelle Monáe, Anderson .Paak, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, Kygo, Kacey Musgraves, John Legend, Maroon 5, Halsey, Cardi B, Imagine Dragons, Jonas Brothers, Sia, Adele, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Florence And The Machine, Haim, Niall Horan, King Princess, and Ellie Goulding. All those credits, by the way, are for just Parx, Tranter, and Jesso.

Read the full letter below and learn more about The Pact here.

“The beauty of the music industry is that it operates at its best as an ecosystem. Behind most songs, there is a story of collaboration. By the time of release, a song has been touched not just by the artist, but by songwriters, producers, mixers, engineers, record labels, publishers, managers and more.

Over the last few years, there has been a growing number of artists that are demanding publishing on songs they did not write. These artists will go on to collect revenue from touring, merchandise, brand partnerships, and many other revenue streams, while the songwriters have only their publishing revenue as a means of income. This demand for publishing is often able to happen because the artist and/or their representation abuse leverage, use bully tactics and threats, and prey upon writers who may choose to give up some of their assets rather than lose the opportunity completely. Over time, this practice of artists taking publishing has become normalized; and until now, there has been no real unity within the songwriting community to fight back.

That is why we have decided to join together, in support of each other, and make a change. What we are saying is this:

This body of songwriters will not give publishing or songwriting credit to anyone who did not create or change the lyric or melody or otherwise contribute to the composition without a reasonably equivalent/meaningful exchange for all the writers on the song.

To be clear – this action is being taken for two main purposes. First and foremost, we hope that this action will protect the future ‘us’, the next generation of songwriters — those who believe they have no leverage and no choice but to give up something that is rightly theirs. The second purpose is to shift the rhetoric and perspective surrounding the role of a songwriter. As songwriters, we are fully aware of the importance of the artist who goes on to perform and promote the songs we write, the role of the producer who takes the song to the finish line, and the role of the label that finances the project and plans for strategy and promotion. In light of that, we are not suggesting we dip into those revenue streams, we are not asking for something we don’t deserve. We are simply asking for that respect in return. We are simply asking that the ecosystem stay in balance; we are simply asking that we not be put in positions where we are forced to give up all we have in exchange for nothing; we are simply asking that we give credit where credit is due and only take credit where credit is earned.

If we take the song out of the music industry, there is no music industry. As of today, we will no longer accept being treated like we are at the bottom of the totem pole, or be bullied into thinking that we should be making sacrifices to sit at the table. We are all in this together, and we all need each other for this wheel to keep turning. So let’s start acting like it.

Sincerely,

The Pact”

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

After getting through the “Major” news of the day (Joe Biden’s dog, Major, pooping on the floor of the White House), Jimmy Kimmel turned his attention to Matt Gaetz’s bad week. “Matt Gaetz is basically the shrimp tail in your Cinnamon Toast Crunch,” the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host said. “He is not well-liked by anyone. And he is reportedly being investigated by the Department of Justice. They’re looking into whether or not he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her travel across state lines, which becomes sex trafficking… He’s one of the worst of the worst. Even his fellow Republicans are reportedly celebrating this. But not only does Gaetz deny the charges, he tried to explain to Tucker Carlson last night that the real victim is him.”

Carlson called it “one of the weirdest interviews I’ve ever conducted,” and considering he “interviewed someone who claims Hillary Clinton was running a satanic pedophile operation out of a pizza place,” that’s saying a lot. “This interview was so all over the place you’d think Matt Gaetz owned a pillow company,” Kimmel joked. He later compared the interview to when “your college roommate shows up and meets your wife and starts saying things like, ‘Remember that time we had a threesome with that goat?’”

You can watch the Jimmy Kimmel Live! clip above.

After staying out of the public eye for more than a year, Lorde is making her way back to the spotlight. The singer spent much of 2020 to herself as she continues work on her upcoming third album. With that being said, she recently joined Marlon Williams onstage during a concert in Auckland, New Zealand. The performance came during Williams’ during run of New Zealand shows as a part of his current tour. Together him and Lorde delivered a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Tougher Than the Rest,” which can be found on The Boss’ 1987 album, Tunnel Of Love. The cover comes after Bruce Springsteen covered Lorde’s breakout hit, “Royals,” during a 2014 concert in New Zealand.

At the end of 2020, Lorde spoke about the upcoming project in a recent interview and revealed how a past trip to Antartica influenced the album’s yet-to-be-revealed title. “I actually decided on the album name right around that trip,” she said. “Just coming back from that trip I thought ‘this is what it is,’ which is not something that’s even close to being announced, and that in itself is a weird announcement. There is something so inspiring about it.” Lorde has also written a book about her trip called Going South.

You can watch the duo cover “Tougher Than the Rest” in the video above.

The Lakers have had absolutely rotten injury luck this season, with both Anthony Davis and LeBron James shut down for the foreseeable future with an Achilles issue and a high ankle sprain, respectively. Other key contributors like Marc Gasol and Dennis Schröder have missed time during the season, and the goal right now for the team is to simply avoid a freefall in the West without their stars.

On Wednesday, they finally seemed to be getting a lift as their new buyout acquisition, Andre Drummond, was set to make his Lakers debut against the Bucks. Drummond looked rusty in his 14 minutes of action, with four points, two assists, and one rebound, but that was somewhat expected after he hadn’t played in nearly a month as Cleveland had shut him down. However, what was far more concerning was his departure in the third quarter with an apparent toe injury, as he had his big toe wrapped and made a shoe change at halftime, dealing with discomfort. He would eventually remove his right shoe and walk to the locker room with the trainer.

The Lakers announced late in the third quarter that Drummond’s night was over with a right toe contusion.

It’s an unfortunate end to his debut and hopefully won’t be something that keeps him out for any kind of extended time, but for a Laker team that can’t seem to get healthy, it’s another injury to add to their list.

On Wednesday night, the Jazz beat the Grizzlies in Memphis in a hard fought game that Utah was able to gut out despite the absence of their star guard Donovan Mitchell. However, getting to Memphis proved more difficult than any game, as their plane struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff, causing an engine failure that forced the plane to return to Salt Lake City for an emergency landing.

No one on board was injured as the plane was, happily, able to make it back safely and with no issues, but the situation certainly shook those on board. Mitchell’s absence was listed as “personal reasons” and was announced after the plane incident, and after the game on Wednesday Jordan Clarkson noted that he was more than understanding of why Mitchell didn’t want to make the trip after such a scare.

Clarkson also went into more detail of what he saw from inside the plane, saying he heard a loud bang and people in the back saw flames coming out of the engine, with many thinking they were going to die in a plane crash — and also shouting out the pilot for getting them down safe and keeping calm under such a situation.

Mike Conley offered similar thoughts on what he saw, and it’s clear the situation is one no one on that plane will forget.

Thankfully, nothing awful happened and they were able to land, and hopefully all involved will be able to shake off what was clearly a harrowing experience, given the amount of plane travel NBA players have to deal with.

The New York Mets and new owner Steve Cohen were determined to make a splash this offseason and did so by trading for Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is among baseball’s absolute best players.

A four-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and two-time Gold Glove award winner in just six seasons in the bigs, the 27-year-old Puerto Rican star was set to cash in on a new contract next year and so Cleveland moved off of him to gather up more prospects. The Mets landed one of the league’s top stars, but it came with the expectation that they would pay him. With Opening Day mere hours away, the two sides appeared at a stalemate on Wednesday evening, with reports neither would budge from their respective offers — the Mets offering 10 years, $325 million and Lindor wanting 12 years for closer to $380 million.

However, with under an hour until Opening Day arrived on the East Coast, the two sides struck a compromise and got the deal done, with Lindor inking a deal with New York for 10 years at $341 million, as was reported by, well, every major baseball reporter.

It’s a huge deal for Lindor, who leaps $1 million over Fernando Tatis Jr.’s full contract amount (14 years, $340 million) and falls just behind Mike Trout’s 10 year, $360 million deal in terms of average annual value over the lifetime of the deal, which begins in 2022. The Mets make sure to lock down their star shortstop of the present and future, and make good on their promise to make a major move this offseason to vault themselves closer to contender status.

People thought that Westside Gunn would retire from rapping at the end of last year and focus on the other interests. This was due to a tweet he posted in September, in which he tweeted, “Only 3 more months left and I’m still at peace with my decision but this will be a dope 3 months I promise u that #FLYGOD.” But the rapper changed his mind at the beginning of the new year, saying there’s “more work to do” in his rap career. He even went ahead and announced his next album, which is entitled Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sincerely Adolf.

With the full-length effort very much en route, Westside shares his latest singles, “Julia Lang” and “TV Boy.” The former is named after the founder of the genderless lifestyle label VEERT. They also appear beside Westside in the track’s accompanying video, which sees the rapper, his crew, and Lang kicking it at a studio as the Griselda rapper lets off a string of sharp raps. As for “TV Boy,” the song boasts production from frequent collaborators Daringer and Beat Butcha, who help create a grimy track for Westside to strut his stuff.

You can listen to both tracks in the videos above.

On Thursday, Major League Baseball will have Opening Day as the 2021 season gets underway, and it will be the first regular season MLB games with fans in the stands since 2019, as stadiums around the country are open to a limited capacity of fans based on local guidelines. The one exception is in Texas, where the Rangers will open the season and have a full capacity of fans after Texas’ governor lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in the state.

Only the Rangers are opening the stadium all the way up, as the Astros will continue to operate at a limited capacity, and while they will require masks it is far from the suggestion of the CDC for how to handle events under current guidelines as the vaccine rollout continues across the country. On Wednesday night, ESPN aired an interview with president Joe Biden in which Sage Steele asked him about the Rangers allowing a full stadium of fans, and he didn’t mince words about his feelings on the matter.

“That’s a decision they’ve made, I think it’s a mistake,” Biden said. “They should listen to Dr. Fauci and the scientists and the experts, but I think it’s not responsible.”

Other topics broached in the interview were the vaccine rollout, Biden encouraging people who have concerns to get the vaccine, and him offering his support should Major League Baseball decide to pull its All-Star Game out of Atlanta due to the new voter restriction laws that were passed in Georgia, which Biden called “Jim Crow on steroids.” Eventually, Biden hopes to get back to full capacity stadiums, as he was asked about the NFL’s plan which he mentions is months out and offers at least more time for the vast majority of the population to get vaccinated, but urges teams to follow the science and the recommendations of experts until we get to that point with limited capacities to limit another surge of the virus.