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Chadwick Boseman, best known for playing Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has died at age 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer.

“It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman,” a statement on the actor’s Twitter and Instagram accounts read. “Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV. A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much. From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther. ⁣He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side.”

Boseman, who was born in South Carolina, was to play Japan’s first African samurai in the 16th century-set Yasuke, the latest in a line of historical biographies starring the actor, including James Brown in Get On Up, Jackie Robinson in 42, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. He was also set to reprise his role as T’Challa in Black Panther 2.

The Republican National Convention kicked off this week, and it seems the GOP may be running out of songs to play at their events. Many musicians have barred the party from using their music and most recently, Neil Young sued Trump after years of denying him permission to play his music at rallies. Now, Leonard Cohen’s estate is doing the same after the RNC used two covers of his infamous track “Hallelujah.”

According to Consequence Of Sound, both Cohen’s label and his estate promptly denied the RNC’s request to use the song. Brian J. Monaco, president and chief marketing officer of Sony/ATV Music Publishing said that “on the eve of the finale of the convention, representatives from the Republican National Committee contacted us regarding obtaining permission for a live performance of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. We declined their request.”

A legal representative for Cohen Estate, Michelle L. Rice echoed Monaco’s statements, saying the family was disappointed the RNC went against their wishes. Rice claimed they are “exploring legal options” after the family was “surprised and dismayed that the RNC would proceed knowing that the Cohen Estate had specifically declined the RNC’s use request, and their rather brazen attempt to politicize and exploit in such an egregious manner ‘Hallelujah’, one of the most important songs in the Cohen song catalogue.”

Rice continued to say if the RNC had requested a different song, specifically his posthumous Grammy-winning track “You Want It Darker,” they “might have considered approval of that song.”

Cohen now joins a large list of musicians who have disallowed Trump to use their music. Among Cohen and Young are artists like The Rolling Stones, Linkin Park, Tom Petty, and the Village People.

Read Cohen’s estates’ full statement above.

It’s been a historic week around the NBA, as teams and players staged an unprecedented walk-out to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake. For the past 72 hours, all the attention has been on the ongoing meetings and negotiations between the players’ union and the Board of Governors about how put more tangible efforts toward social reform.

After agreeing to plan, the playoffs are set to resume this weekend, starting with a three-game slate on Saturday that was originally scheduled for Thursday. The rest of the league business is back on the table as well, as the coaching carousel is in full effect with the Bulls, Pacers, Pelicans and Sixers headlining the most coveted openings around the league.

Many familiar names have emerged in rumors in recent weeks, but according to the latest report, the Sixers have their sights set firmly on Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue, who apparently has set something of a steep asking price for his services as he jockeys his way back into a heading coaching position.

Via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Lue is the prime candidate for the 76ers coaching job. He’s also a candidate for the New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets, and is monitoring the Chicago Bulls’ coaching vacancy.

While he wants $7 million per season, Lue could settle for $5 million to $6 million. The Sixers still owe Brett Brown around $10 million on the final two years of his deal after firing him Monday.

But Lue isn’t the only candidate. Pompey has reported previously that both Lakers assistant Jason Kidd and Rockets development coach John Lucas have expressed interest in the job, as well, either of whom could potentially present compelling cases if Philadelphia decides Lue’s price is prohibitive.

Lue’s championship pedigree with the Cavs in 2016 has made him a top target for several teams in the market for a new head coach, including the Pelicans, who recently parted with Alvin Gentry after a lackluster showing in Orlando and who boast one of the most exciting young stars in a generation in Zion Williamson.

(The Philadelphia Inquirer)

The NBA Playoffs are set to resume on Saturday, when the three Game 5s that were initially scheduled for Wednesday will be played following the players refusing to play in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

After meetings between players — and later players and owners — on Wednesday and Thursday they agreed to return to the court, pending an agreement with ownership and the league on how they can further impact change and social justice. The end result of that was a social justice coalition, the league promising to buy ad time and put out PSAs on voting during the playoffs, and turning every team-owned arena into a voting location.

The Saturday and Sunday television schedule was finalized earlier on Friday, and later in the evening the league announced its Monday schedule, pending the outcome of Saturday’s action, with TNT handling all of Monday’s potential action.

If the Blazers get a stunning win in Game 5, that Game 6 with the Lakers will be the nightcap on Monday, with OKC-Houston Game 6 before it. Miami-Milwaukee Game 1(or Milwaukee-Orlando Game 6), will be the early game, with its tip time dependent on if the Lakers and Blazers are playing or not.

Earlier this week Saweetie announced that a remix to “Tap In” was on the way with fresh verses from DaBaby, Jack Harlow, and another special guest who has now been unveiled as multi-platinum musician Post Malone.

While DaBaby and Jack Harlow’s bars play over Dr. Luke production and a Too Short “Blow The Whistle” sample, Posty takes the song into an entirely different direction that allows for him to comfortably add his signature melodic touch.

In an exclusive interview with Uproxx, Saweetie explained why she chose Post Malone, Jack Harlow and DaBaby to be on the remix for “Tap In.”

“‘Tap In’ is such a Bay Area anthem and I already did an all-girl anthem for the ‘My Type’ remix,” Saweetie said. “I come from a family that’s predominantly men and I wanted to put on for the boys in my family as well. It’s a woman’s anthem but I wanted something for the guys to get they bop on to or get they dance on to.”

Speaking of dance, fans can look forward to a video for the remix of “Tap In,” featuring Saweetie taking it back to her days on the Aztec Diamonds drill team at San Diego State University. Back in July, she posted a throwback clip of her dancing during a game hinting that she just might do it again.

“For the concept of the video I wanted to do something that I used to do in college,” she said of the “Tap In” remix’s forthcoming visual. “I used to be on the majorette drill team and it really opened my eyes to the dance world. I love to dance and I wanted to make a special content video for the ‘Tap In’ remix which is why I went back to my dancing roots.”

The dance took her four days to learn so make sure to tap in to the video when it comes out, too. And for fans wondering where Saweetie’s next project is, she gave us an update for that too: “The status of ‘Pretty B*tch Music’ is, working.”

Listen to Saweetie’s “Tap In” remix featuring Post Malone, DaBaby and Jack Harlow above.

Saweetie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

MTV is gearing up for this year’s VMA ceremony and the event is one of many awards shows that have been forced to find creative ways to adapt to the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It was originally reported that the VMAs were to take place at Barclays Center, but after New York City’s cases continued to rise, MTV instead opted to hold the event outdoors with little to no audience members.

In order to create buzz around the essentially virtual event, MTV has been re-airing a handful of past VMA shows. The network broadcasted their 1999 ceremony this week, and people online proceeded to lose it over some of the very dated outfits on the red carpet.

The VMAs are known to be an opportunity for musicians to showcase some of their most outlandish looks. How could anyone forget Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress? The 1999 ceremony was no different, with eye-catching outfits from musicians like Lil Kim and NSYNC.

Of course, there were some unforgettable acceptance speech moments, including Eminem winning his first-ever VMA.

While much of Twitter was focused in the outfits, the 1999 VMAs also featured some iconic performances. Britney Spears wooed the crowd with a mashup of a few of her iconic songs and the Backstreet Boys turned heads with a “Larger Than Life” performance.

While this year’s event won’t see Britney Spears or NSYNC performing their hits, MTV has still curated a lineup of some of today’s hottest musicians. Artists like Ariana Grande, BTS, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, and The Weeknd will take the stage to showcase their recent hits. The VMAs airs on 8/30 at 8 p.m. EDT on MTV. You can watch it here.

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

Many animal-loving kids grow up thinking they want to be veterinarians, imagining that working with cute and cuddly critters all day long must be a dream job.

But the reality of being a vet isn’t a whole lot different than the reality of being a doctor for humans. You have to have about the same amount of schooling, but you have to know about the biology of many different species. And while helping animals can certainly be rewarding, the truth is that a lot of a vet’s job isn’t all cuddles and cuteness.

Veterinarian Tracy Lee Richardson shared a story from particularly hard day on Facebook to help people understand what vets go through.

“I always post pictures of puppies,” she wrote. “So many of you might think that my job is all rainbows and butterflies. However in reality, it can be the exact opposite.

Today I had to euthanize a very sick dog. During the process, the owner had his son on FaceTime who started to sing a song that he had written for the dog. It was absolutely beautiful. Tears immediately ran down my face, almost in sync with his guitar. I sat in the room with the other family members and just cried my heart out with them.

Unfortunately, that’s not the hard part. I had to eventually leave the room, finish crying in the bathroom and then recompose myself to head into the next exam room. I was praying for my next patient to be a new puppy to brighten my spirits, but it was another sick dog on the brink of euthanasia as well.

This is a HUGE reason the suicide rate is extremely high in my profession. So please always be kind to your veterinarian and veterinary staff. Our jobs are much harder than we give off.

I absolutely love my job. I do not regret becoming a veterinarian, but there are just some days it sucks.”

Many people may not realize that the suicide rate for veterinarians is high. In fact, female vets are about 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. Some of it is the depressing nature of the euthanasia aspect of the job. But in addition to compassion fatigue, vets are also often mistreated by their patients’ owners. People don’t like having to pay for medications or services for animals, and vets report consistently being asked to have fees waived. When you’re dealing with huge medical school debt and then have customers get angry because they don’t want to pay you, it’s rough.

So be kind to your vet and their staff. They’re likely dealing with a lot more stress than we realize.

Fifty-seven years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, thousands of people returned to the same location for the Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks.

The day’s events took on added importance after an officer from the Kenosha, Wisconsin Police Department shot Jacob Blake on Sunday, sparking protests throughout the country.

The event featured speeches from the family members of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, and Blake as well as keynote addresses from Reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III.

The event was organized by the National Action Network as a call for police reform and racial justice. Lines for the event extended for several blocks as organizers took temperature checks for all attendees to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

“We’ve come to bear witness, to remain awake, to remember from where we’ve come and to carefully consider where we’re going,” King said according to the Associated Press. “Whether you’re here in person or watching on (television networks), thank you for joining us for this March on Washington.”

“We’re taking a step forward on America’s rocky but righteous journey toward justice,” he added.

“We didn’t just come out here to have a show,” Sharpton said. “Demonstration without legislation will not lead to change.”

The late Democratic representative John Lewis, who passed away earlier this month was referenced several times during the event. Sharpton paid homage to Lewis’ call for people to get into “good trouble” to fight injustice, saying, “”we didn’t come to start trouble, we came to stop trouble.”

“Black lives matter,” Sharpton said. “And we won’t stop until it matters to everybody.”

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris sent over a taped message to the event.

She said that if Civil Rights leaders from the ’60s march were in attendance today they would, “share in our anger and frustration as we continue to see Black men and women slain in our streets and left behind by an economy and justice system that have too often denied Black folks our dignity and rights.”

“They would share our anger and pain, but no doubt they would turn it into fuel,” Harris continued. “They would be lacing up their shoes, locking arms and continuing right alongside us to continue in this ongoing fight for justice.”

One of the emotional high-points of the event was a speech by George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, who said he wished “George were here to see this right now.” His sister, Bridgett Floyd, said, “we have to be the change.”

Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, shared words of encouragement with the audience. “Even though we’re going through a crisis, even though it looks dark, I want to tell you to be encouraged,” Fulton said. “Don’t stop saying Black lives matter, don’t stop protesting.”

Later in the evening, the Movement for Black Lives, a group of over 150 organizations that make up the Black Lives Matter movement, will hold a virtual Black National Convention.

The convention will unveil a platform to enact laws inspired by the central themes of this summer’s protests, investments to education, healthcare, housing, and social services as well as police reform.

The NBA’s postseason will apparently get back on track this weekend after labor unrest following another police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin earlier in the week. Saturday’s proposed resumption of the NBA playoffs comes after a series of meetings with players, coaches and the NBA’s Board of Governors to determine steps to take regarding racial unrest and systemic injustice and how the league and its players can use their stance to create change.

And one of the league’s most prominent fans apparently also played a role in resolving the situation. As The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Friday, former president Barack Obama was contacted by LeBron James and a group of players that sought his advice on how best to handle the situation.

Former President Barack Obama spoke to James, National Basketball Players Association president Chris Paul and a small group of players late Wednesday evening, advising them to play and utilize the opportunity to contextualize action they want in order to play, The Athletic has learned.

James, Paul and others wanted to seek the guidance of the 44th President of the United States (2009-2017), and on the call broached forming a committee for player action that they want Obama involved in, sources told The Athletic.

Given the unprecedented nature of the situation that unfolded in the Orlando Bubble, it certainly makes sense that Obama was contacted. According to the report, Obama was contacted by James after a strained meeting on Wednesday night in which the LA Lakers and Clippers ultimately decided they were on the side of stopping play in the Bubble altogether.

That stance was reversed on Thursday, as the parties involved came together to work toward an agreement to resume playing with social justice initiates agreed upon. It’s unclear from the report just what Obama said or what role he played in determining the outcome here, but it’s another key detail to the situation that appears to be at a more productive and fruitful point than it was just a few days ago.

The Hulu version of High Fidelity will not get a second act, and now that fans know what a second season of the show (based on a movie based on a book) would have been about, they’re even more upset about its cancellation.

This week brought news that the Zoë Kravitz-led romantic comedy (of sorts) would end after a single season, which was devastating news to the fans who loved the show about a woman named Rob exploring failed relationships and looking for love in New York. The show was a modern retelling of the Nick Hornby novel of the same name, leaning on the source material but recreating it for a new era of relationships and exploring the female and LGBTQ aspect of said relationships that varied the original’s themes enough to make it feel fresh.

After news of the show’s cancellation, feelings grew worse when fans learned what the show would have become in its second season. As Stereogum reported, the second season was poised to take the show — which was already a significant departure from the book and movie of the same name — in a very different direction. Namely one that focused a lot more on Cherise, who fans loved as the hidden gem of a rock star waiting to be discovered.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kingsley Ben-Adir, who played Rob’s ex (Mac), lamented the cancellation of the show and the loss of Kravitz’ chance to tell a compelling story that was just getting started. He spoke eloquently about how “heartbreaking” it is to lose representation of a “normal” Black couple on TV. But he also revealed that Rob’s relationship turmoil was set to take a backseat to another story in Season 2:

Annoyingly, Season 2 was really gonna be a Cherise-focused season. She [Da’Vine Joy Randolph] was gonna become the lead of the show, and the story was leaning toward being about where she’d come from, her heartbreaks and her family background. And they stopped it just as that was about to happen.

That was another dagger to the hearts of fans who fell in love with Cherise, with Joy Randolph effortlessly playing a role Jack Black made tough to top in the movie. Fans flooded Twitter with lamentations on Friday as the interview spread.

As many pointed out, some of the show’s best writing in Season One came from when it shifted perspectives to another character, which makes the news that we would have further explored Cherise and her perspective all the more upsetting.

(Via Stereogum)