The death of George Floyd has led to outrage nationwide, and on a local level in Minneapolis, the city is currently in the midst of massive protests. Plenty of sympathizers have offered words of support, but Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon — who is from nearby Eau Claire, Wisconsin — wants to provide more than that. Vernon has declared that he wants to help protestors, and his idea is to give them audio equipment so they can be better heard.

For the past day and change, Vernon has taken to his personal Twitter account (@blobtower) to express his extreme disappointment about the Floyd situation. He began yesterday morning by tweeting, “I’m out of words. Don’t know what to do. I’m so so so so angry. I want to do something.”

He then presented an idea: “For the organizing protestors in MPLS , I am in possession of a very very large PA system .. I could get it on the back of a trailer and bring it up … MAKING your voices louder … and blast the right music … hit me.” Vernon added, “Please , help spread the word… I want to help on the front lines.”

Vernon went on to note that he’s in the process of trying to figure out how to best transport his gear to Minneapolis, tweeting, “writing some audio companies … I have no trailer to get mine to Minny today … anyone with outdoor audio chops or gear hit me let’s get his going.” He added, “I’ve never seen a good audio system at any protest I’ve ever been to … we should get music involved … and loud human speakers,” and, “A large audio platform can help keep folks stay safe distances, encourage unity and non violence and really, really Disturb the ‘peace’…”

A few hours after that initial batch of tweets, Vernon offered a status report, writing, “Working on the Mobile PA thing still … need a custom trailer and an engineer … but workin on it. […] Figuring out how to transport it. Needs a crew to set it up And rig it so it can be mobile I’m working on it.”

This afternoon, over the past few hours, Vernon has sought help from his fellow Eau Claire residents, asking, “Anyone in EC have a 8000+ watt generator,” and, “Anyone have a hay cage they could let us use ? Thinking that could strap down a generator and PA system. I’d drive it up with a hitch.” He then shared a photo of the sort of trailer he was looking for.

He then put out another call for help, looking for the right people to whom to bring his audio set-up: “Mpls / ST Paul please let us know if there organizers that need a PA system. We have one and running on a generator and want to deliver it to the appropriate voices … Please respond with legit contacts only.”

As of this post, that Vernon’s most recent update on the situation. Regardless of whether or not Vernon is able to pull this off, at the very least, he has displayed a genuine drive to make a tangible contribution to the situation.

The 2019-20 NBA season has been on hiatus since early March due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the league has since been considering all sorts of ways to resume play. Since March 12, there have been some steps toward resumption with the league, Board of Governors, and Players’ Association finding themselves in frequent discussion recently regarding how to proceed safely.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the NBA is currently targeting July 31 as a date to resume the season. It is unclear what format the season will assume, although reports of a bubble league in Orlando seem to be leading the way.

The news comes after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the Board of Governors had a two-hour call with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to discuss proposals for the rest of the season. Earlier today, Charania also tweeted four competition scenarios for restart that the Board of Governors discussed in that call. Additionally, an ESPN report was published on Friday, which found that a majority of NBA general managers favored restarting the season by going straight into the playoffs.

While there is no guarantee that games will tip back off on July 31, this is the first date we’ve seen thrown out for when we could get back to games. We’ll have to see if that holds firm, and Wojnarowski reported on Friday that a decision is expected “inside the next week.”

---

View Entire Post ›

It’s been a week since Tenet dropped its mind-bending new trailer, and if you’re still confused by cars moving backwards and cryptic lines like, “You’re not shooting the bullet. You’re catching it,” don’t feel bad. Robert Pattinson stars in the eagerly anticipated Christopher Nolan film, and even he doesn’t entirely know what the movie is about.

While providing quotes for an in-depth Esquire profile on Tenet star John David Washington, the former Twilight heartthrob revealed that he was generally clueless about exactly what was happening while filming, and he would often rely on Washington to help him out, which resulted in Pattinson having doubts about whether he completely misunderstood his own character.

“I mean, there were months at a time where I’m like, ‘Am I . . . I actually, honestly, have no idea if I’m even vaguely understanding what’s happening.’ And yeah, I would definitely say that to John David. On the last day, I asked him a question about what was happening in a scene, and it was just so profoundly the wrong take on the character. And it was like, ‘Have you been thinking this the entire time?’ . . . There’s definitely a bond in the end in kind of hiding the fact that maybe neither one of us knew exactly what was going on. But then I thought, Ah, but John David actually did know. He had to know what was going on.”

Of course, these quotes arrive on the heels of Pattinson’s now-infamous GQ interview where he claims to be eating out of cans and not working out for The Batman before setting his microwave on fire trying to cook pasta. He also makes similar remarks about not even knowing the plot of Tenet, which prompts GQ writer Zach Baron to reach out to Nolan who… kind of sets the record straight?

“The interesting thing with Rob is, he’s slightly f*cking with you,” Nolan said. “But he’s also being disarmingly honest. It’s sort of both things at once.”

An ambiguous answer about an ambiguous film. Very on brand.

(Via Esquire)

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week, Giveon revamps “Favorite Mistake” with just a guitar, DaniLeigh taps Fivio Foreign for “Dominican Mami” and 6lack blesses fans with his “ATL Freestyle.” Check out the rest of the best new R&B songs below.

Giveon — “Favorite Mistake”

Giveon took an already beloved track from his album Take Time, “Favorite Mistake,” and delivered a remodeled, acoustic dream. Giveon‘s rich vocals are crystal clear, with the sound guitar filling out it’s divine energy.

DaniLeigh — “Dominican Mami” Feat. Fivio Foreign

DaniLeigh is following up her hit collab “Levi High” featuring DaBaby with a Fivio Foreign collab titled “Dominican Mami.” The song is expected to live on the Miami native’s forthcoming album.

6lack – “ATL Freestyle”

6lack‘s “ATL Freestyle” is a mellow, musical journey through Zone 6. The Lvrn artist rap-sings over melodic trap production about riding around the city while listening to Gucci Mane and touting the title of “hood love therapist.” He just launched his new website 6lackbox.com filled new music as well as a note remembering the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Abrery and Breonna Taylor.

Derek King — Let’s Be Honest

Derek King’s EP Let’s Be Honest has arrived 11 songs deep with guest appearances from E-40, King Combs, MarMar Oso, and JGreen. The Bay Area native manages to stay sonically stay true to his roots while also appealing to a broader taste. Tracks such as “Dior Kisses” and “Enough” are evidence of this.

PJ — Waiting In Paris

Waiting In Paris is PJ‘s first project in a longtime. Born, Paris Jones, the award-winning singer-songwriter is making her return to remind everyone of her singing prowess and doing it with pure confidence.

Rmr — “I’m Not Over You”

Off Rmr’s forthcoming EP Drug Dealing Is A Lost Art, is the trap-country hybrid track “I’m Not Over You.” The song is produced by the legendary Timbaland, so here’s hope to more music from Rmr and Timbo in the future.

Ali Gatti — “Running Through My Mind”

Ali Gatie‘s “Running Through My Mind” is a sweet, ethereal reverie and the Toronto sensation is celebrating his birthday with the song’s early release. The crisp track is just the follow-up to his global hit “What If I Told You That I Love You,” and truly lives up to expectations.

Robin Thicke — “Forever Mine”

This one is for the late Andre Harrell. Robin Thicke has dedicated his latest release, “Forever Mine,” to the fallen Uptown Records founder and it’s a smooth, jazzy jam brimming with love and memories.

Saint Jhn — Roses (Remix) Feat. Future

Just when it was apparent Saint Jhn‘s viral smash “Roses” couldn’t get any better as a remix (shoutout to DJ Imanbek), the Brooklyn musician introduces another version and this time it’s with Future. It’s truly something special; just press play on this one.

Check out this week’s R&B picks, plus more on Uproxx’s Spotify playlist below.

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

Lady Gaga wants fans to listen to her newly-released album while also helping her raise money for charity. The singer has teamed up with food delivery service Postmates to commit to donating money to a non-profit organization that delivers meals in places affected by natural disasters.

Gaga released her highly-anticipated record Chromatica today. To reign in the release, Gaga and Postmates joined forces. For every meal ordered through the delivery service, Gaga and Postmates will donate $1 to the charity organization World Central Kitchen and have committed to donating up to $100,000. In a statement alongside the partnership announcement, Postmates gushed over Chromatica: “Celebrate by dancing to her latest bops and, after you work up an appetite, order in on Postmates, and enjoy.”

Gaga’s Postmates charity commitment is her latest in a string of philanthropic work. The pop star recently gathered many big names in music, like Lizzo, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce, for an epic One World: Together At Home livestream. The event garnered many viewers and raised an impressive $125 million for coronavirus relief. $55.1 million of the money raised was allotted to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund while the remainder of the donations were given to local and regional responders.

Chromatica is out now via Interscope. Get it here.

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

Former NBA champion Stephen Jackson is taking matters into his own hands. Jackson gave an emotional interview on the TODAY Show on Thursday morning, in which he opened up about his lifelong friendship with his “twin,” George Floyd, who died on Monday after a Minnesota police officer knelt on his neck.

Jackson arrived in Minnesota on Friday to address the media and join with local activists. He was joined by many members of the community, plus Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, as well as fellow NBAers Josh Okogie, Gary Trent Jr. and Royce White, as he spoke to reporters.

During the NBA hiatus, Towns has garnered attention because of the death of his mother as a result of COVID-19, which makes his presence all the more striking.

But it was Jackson, who lives in Los Angeles, who made a statement first, saying, “I’m here because they’re not going to demean the character of George Floyd.”

Donning, a black hoodie reading “RIP George Floyd,” Jackson spoke to a crowd of onlookers and reporters to commemorate his lifelong friend.

“A lot of times, when police do things that they know is wrong, the first thing they try to do is cover it up and bring up your background to make it seem like the bullsh*t that they did was worth it.”

In a subsequent clip, Jackson painted an even clearer picture of the tragedy of Floyd’s death.

“They say experience is the best teacher,” Jackson said, “so you’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to make some bad decisions. It happens.

“You get an opportunity to move away from the environment that brought you down. You get away, you’re successful, and your life starts turning in the right direction. You stumble a little bit again, but it’s not worth your life, though.”

Visibly choked up, Jackson went on to describe the violent circumstances of Floyd’s murder, which led on Friday afternoon to the arrest of officer Derek Chauvin, who is being charged with murder and manslaughter.

Turning toward his hopes going forward, Jackson said, “I’m going to use everything I have to get a conviction (for Chauvin), to get all these motherf*ckers in jail.”

According to John Krawczynski, who covers the Timberwolves for The Athletic, Jackson left his mini press conference to lead a rally outside the Hennepin County Government Center.

Long more than just a basketball player, Jackson, who also commented on social justice and politics in his music and on his popular podcast All the Smoke, and is using his platform to speak out on behalf of his “twin,” George Floyd.

Last time in the Best and Worst of NXT UK: It was the end of April, and NXT UK put out a “Hidden Gems” episode featuring matches that had never aired on TV before. Now it’s the end of May, and they’ve done that again. It’s become more feasible now that tapings will be possible in the foreseeable future, but in the meantime don’t be surprised if we’re back at the end of June for another Hidden Gems edition even more bottom-of-the-barrel than this one. If you’d like to read previous installments of the Best and Worst of NXT UK, click right here. Follow With Spandex on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow me on Twitter if you want.

And now, the Best and Worst of NXT UK Hidden Gems, from May 28, 2020.

Best: Prince And The Revolution

This is a recent match — in fact I believe it’s from the last taping in March — so we’re getting fully formed Heel Finn Bálor versus Travis Banks Kenny Williams, one of the six or seven guys in the UK brand with a similar look to Finn Bálor. The just-recorded socially distanced commentary from Tom Philips and Andy Shepherd is hyping up the NXT In Your House match between Finn and Damian Priest, while the Finn of almost three months ago in the ring is focused on WALTER. We know this because more than once he looks into the camera and addresses WALTER.

That part’s a little weird, because Finn talks as if WALTER’s a babyface, despite the big guy being one of NXT UK’s nastiest heels. Finn’s doing that heel thing where he’s beating up a guy he doesn’t care about to show how he’s going to beat up the guy he does care about, but there’s no way WALTER cares what happens to Kenny Williams, nor does he see Kenny’s fate as predictive of his own.

All that is secondary to the match itself, which is great. Finn is so dominant in the beginning that I worried it was going to be a squash, but then Kenny gets it together and manages some offense against the Prince. Of course he never really stands a chance. I’ll go ahead and spoil the rest of the matches now: This is an episode of NXT UK in which nobody from the current NXT UK roster wins their match. But heel or not, I can’t help but root for Bálor over Williams. Not just because my Irish granddad would roll over in his grave if I cheered for the Englishman over the Irishman, but because Finn rules pretty hard and Kenny is just, you know, this guy. So I was more than ready by the time the Coup De Grâce came and ended things.

Worst: The Actor’s Nightmare

This was apparently Rhea Ripley’s last NXT UK match, and I guess they never aired it because it’s less than five minutes and against Nina Samuels. And honestly, even at that length it feels like it takes Rhea too long to put her away. Nina’s gimmick is “delusional grownup theatre kid” while Rhea’s gimmick is “has huge muscles and will kick your goddamned ass.” Rhea doesn’t need to be selling basically anything the woman who competes with Isla Dawn for bottom of the UK women’s division card can do. Just Riptide her and pin her. But of course, four minutes in that’s exactly what she does. I fear NXT UK may have already run out of unaired women’s division matches that could reasonably be called “Hidden Gems.”

Worst: Down With The Thickness

I know Killian Dane’s lost a bit of weight since he was the hulking monster of Sanity, but it’s still pretty funny how he’s such a beast in NXT Domestic, but then you bring him over to NXT UK and he just looks like the long-lost fourth member of Gallus. The only thing that makes Killian more beastly than five or six guys on this roster is the amount of hair growing on his shoulders, and Wild Boar might compete with him even on that front.

Still, Dane’s more than a match for Kenny Williams Travis Banks, who’s known as the Kiwi Buzzsaw because he’s from New Zealand and I tend to snore when he’s wrestling. That’s not really fair. I quite liked his title shot against WALTER. But Killian Dane isn’t WALTER, and this isn’t a title match, it’s a dark match from Download Fest that they haven’t bothered to air until two and a half months into a pandemic with no new tapings. So it is what it is. Dane wins, because I guess he needs to be protected for whatever they’ve got him doing over in NXT Domestic (is it nothing? I feel like at the moment it’s nothing), and at last we can move on to the main event.

Best: Where There’s Smoke

Okay, this match is pretty cool. It’s a Six-Man Tag featuring the Street Profits and Matt Riddle versus the Grizzled Young Veterans and Joseph “just here to take the pin” Conners. This is definitely the coolest thing Conners has ever been involved in, but imagine how great this match would be if the GYVs were teaming with Noam Dar or Jordan Devlin. I imagine those guys were too busy with whatever else was going on at the taping where this was the Dark Match “Main Event.”

The segment starts with a Zack Gibson promo, which is never a bad thing. Then he hands the mic to James Drake, and commentary says “We’ll find out what Drake has to say after this.” They run an ad, and when we return Joseph Conners is talking. It’s actually kind of a good gag. Conners says the three of them will take on anyone in the world, and that brings out three of the most American Superstars imaginable, the Street Profits and Riddle. And since this is from last summer, both the Grizzled Young Veterans and the Street Profits are holding their brands’ respective Tag Team Titles.

Plus, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins are hanging out with Matt Riddle, a guy who always has the smoke, so they’ve got everything they’ve ever wanted in this moment.

The match is really great, and really serves to show what Gibson and Drake can do. Ford spends quite a while as the Face in Peril, unable to make a tag, and he’s as great in that role as he is at everything else. Plus we get to see Riddle throwing dudes around like it’s nothing, and Gibson imitating Dawkins’ mixing bowl taunt. It’s good stuff all around, and honestly makes this episode worth a watch.

I don’t know if there are any more Hidden Gems left in the bag after this episode, but it’s looking like we may get a chance to find out. Whenever more new stuff airs, I’ll be here to recap it.

Earlier this week, an unarmed black man, 46-year-old George Floyd, was killed in a police encounter after an officer pinned him to the ground and drove his knee into his neck. The death has sparked outrage across the country, and in recent days, protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis and other cities, with the eyes of the nation turned to the response by Minnesotans in the face of this injustice.

All of this came in the wake of the county attorney waiting to arrest and charge the officer in question until Friday afternoon, despite video evidence showing the officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck while he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. On Friday morning, ESPN’s Jalen Rose used his time on Get Up to deliver an impassioned speech for white people to come out and support the black people of America, saying “I wish America loved black people as much as they love black culture,” and beseeching people to go beyond the surface level and join in the cause of bringing equality to the oppressed.

Floyd was also a close personal friend of former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who also delivered an emotional interview on Thursday and prompted several current NBA stars to speak out in unity against police violence targeted at minorities in America. The officer was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

June is Pride Month, and unfortunately, a lot of public festivities will likely not be able to go on as planned due to the current state of the world. There will still be ways to celebrate, though, and Amazon Music is doing their part with a number of Pride initiatives. One of them is by relaunching their “PROUD” playlist, and it now boasts a new, Amazon-exclusive cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” as performed by Hayley Kiyoko.

Covering an iconic track like “Mr. Brightside” is a tough task, but Kiyoko performed wonderfully here. She struck an ideal balance of keeping what made the song great while showing off a different side of the beloved composition. Naturally, Kiyoko’s version has more of a pop slant to it, and her cover serves as a worthy complement to the original.

Kiyoko took to social media to write about the impact the song has had on her life, saying, “I was 13 years old when ‘Mr. Brightside’ was released. I remember really connecting to that feeling of sitting alone in my room, knowing that my crush was probably with some other guy and how it broke my heart. This song made me feel seen at a young age, and gave me the strength to embrace who I was, to stay positive even though I was struggling to find that positivity in my own life at the time. […] Thank you @thekillers for getting me through.”

Listen to Kiyoko’s cover of “Mr. Brightside” below.