Month: October 2020

Wear a mask. This should not be a political issue, but it is for some reason, because a) everything is a political issue now, and b) everything is dumb. It doesn’t have to be this way. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clearly states, “Everyone should wear a mask in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.” If 95 percent of people wear a mask in a public setting, COVID-19 transmission would be reduced by at least 30 percent, according to a study from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. That would save thousands of lives.

Instead, we have this:

That’s Fox Nation regular and Cameo prank target Tomi Lahren trying to shame Joe Biden for wearing a mask. “Masks matter. They save lives,” the video from the presidential candidate reads (uploaded the same day Donald Trump left the Walter Reed medical center after testing positive for the coronavirus). Lahren’s response: “Might as well carry a purse with that mask, Joe.” It not only sounds like a joke from Home Improvement, but as many on Twitter noted, it carries a confusing (and toxic) message.

Surviving a pandemic is not masculine? Got it. Cool.

Britney Spears’ conservatorship is a complicated thing that has been going on for over a decade. A lot has been said both for and against it, and now a Spears associate has expressed his belief that the conservatorship may never end.

Andrew Wallet, Spears’ former estate manager, spoke with The Daily Mail about the conservatorship and speculated that it’s possible it will go on for the rest of Spears’ life, saying, “I have had people in conservatorship who have got themselves right and it has been terminated, but you don’t see that because they’re not people in the public eye. Other people can be in a conservatorship their whole lives. I’m not saying that’s going to be Britney, but it could happen to her.”

He also insisted that Spears will not be performing in the near future: “She’s tired of it. She’s done, at least for now. She’s within her rights to decide that, you can’t make her work or do something she doesn’t want to do. The conservatorship isn’t in place to make her do things she doesn’t want to do. It’s in place to protect her. If she doesn’t want to work, she doesn’t have to work. No one can force her.”

Elsewhere, he expressed his belief that Spears conservatorship is justified and attested that the singer “to this day does not have the capacity to sign documents and make decisions for herself.” He also noted, though, that there are “people lurking in the shadows pushing an agenda,” saying:

“Britney is in a conservatorship for good reason, but a lot of the Free Britney people have no experience with the law. These legal proceedings are complex and people jump to conclusions. Their perception is so wrong, but you can’t go and tell them why because a lot of it is confidential. You have a lot of people who don’t have a clue, but meanwhile, we can’t talk about it. It’s frustrating, but it is what it is. If Britney wasn’t a celebrity, none of this stuff would get talked about.

The most important question is whether the conservatorship is in her best interests. That’s what you always have to ask yourself and I absolutely still believe that the conservatorship is in her best interests. This movement on social media has definitely complicated matters. There are people lurking in the shadows pushing an agenda. I can’t say who but it is hurting Britney, she’s the only one who gets hurt by all this. I have my own theories and things are going to come out during discovery and the trial [to determine who gets appointed].

There is a lot of criticism that is completely wrong. It is not in Britney’s best interests to be outside the conservatorship but there’s a lot of politics involved. Britney to this day does not have the capacity to sign documents and make decisions for herself. Protecting her assets is very important and for that the conservatorship has to stay in place because she is susceptible to undue influences.”

Read the full interview here.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: movie titles should be more literal. Take The 355, for instance. I don’t know what that means. It’s a boring title, and if I saw it on a marquee or while scrolling through Netflix, I might not watch it. But if the title was Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, and Penélope Cruz As a Group of Wild-Card Spies Who Come Together to Stop World War 3, well, I couldn’t find that Futurama GIF fast enough. The idea for the James Bond-meets-Ocean’s 8 spy-thriller comes from Jessica Chastain “proposed the idea” to director Simon Kinberg while they were working on Dark Phoenix. So, at least something good came out of that movie.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Jessica Chastain) will need to join forces with rival badass German agent Marie (Diane Kruger), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Penélope Cruz) on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it, while also staying one-step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Bingbing Fan), who is tracking their every move. As the action rockets around the globe from the cafes of Paris to the markets of Morocco to the wealth and glamour of Shanghai, the quartet of women will forge a tenuous loyalty that could protect the world — or get them killed.

The 355 comes out on January 15.

This week in the best new pop music saw a bevy of big-name releases. The Blackpink girls teamed up with Cardi B for a snapping tune, Shawn Mendes ushered in a new era of soaring pop, and Demi Lovato shared a previously-unreleased fan favorite.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.

Blackpink — “Bet You Wanna” Feat. Cardi B

Beloved K-pop group Blackpink released their shimmering record The Album this week and on it saw a surprise feature by the one-and-only Cardi B. Bringing her indelible energy to the track, Cardi flaunts her worth over a snapping, laid-back beat.

Shawn Mendes — “Wonder”

When Shawn Mendes released his most recent single, “Señorita” with Camila Cabello, the song was nearly inescapable. A year later, the song still graces airwaves and retail playlists everywhere, but now, Mendes is ready for a new era. Announcing his upcoming album, Mendes drops the soaring title track “Wonder,” signaling even more music from the pop sweetheart is coming soon.

Demi Lovato — “Still Have Me”

This week, Demi Lovato officially released the longtime fan favorite “Still Have Me.” The single is an emotional piano-pop ballad that showcases the singer’s impressive vocal range and emotive lyrical delivery, reminding fans that music is always there for them when they need it most.

Halsey — “I’m Not Mad”

Though Halsey released her acclaimed record Manic early this year, the singer still had a handful of offerings up her sleeve. Celebrating her 26th birthday this week, Halsey shared Manic (Deluxe), which graced fans with a handful of new songs including the sharp post-breakup number “I’m Not Mad.”

JoJo — “The Change”

This week, JoJo debuted her poignant track “The Change,” which was chosen to be the official track of the Biden/Harris presidential campaign. In a statement, JoJo said she was honored to have her song be the soundtrack to their campaign: “When [Diane Warren] sent me ‘The Change’ a few weeks ago, I felt passionately about being the voice to bring her song to life. I always try to use my voice for good, but it’s especially meaningful to be singing these words at a time when our country needs to hear them more than ever. For the song to be chosen by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as their ‘campaign anthem’ is an absolute honor. I hope it can help make a difference.”

Kali Uchis — “La Luz” Feat. Jhay Cortez

Pointing to new music on the horizon, Kali Uchis teamed up with Jhay Cortez and producer Tainy for the steamy track “La Luz.” The song will appear on her upcoming Spanish-language album, which has yet to be unveiled. Either way, Uchis said she hopes the rhythmic single makes her fans feel “tasty & powerful” when they listen to it.

Maren Morris — “Better Than We Found It”

Following her award-winning 2019 record Girl, Morris debuted the powerful single “Better Than We Found It” this week. In a statement alongside the track, Morris called the single a “protest song” she made to mourn the state of the country: “I wanted to write something to address exactly how I feel right now, and this came together pretty quickly. It’s a protest song — it’s the most American thing to protest and protest songs have been so embedded in American culture: Bob Dylan, Nina Simone. I think the world right now is sort of in a perpetual mourning period and I wanted to have a song that had weight but also had hope.”

Mxmtoon — “Wallflower”

Prolific songwriter Mxmtoon released her swooning EP Dawn earlier this year, and the 20-year-old singer didn’t wait long before announcing the effort’s follow-up. This week, Mxmtoon debuted the 7-track counterpart Dusk, featuring the soulful piano ballad “Wallflower.”

Chet Faker — “Low”

Making music under the moniker Chet Faker, Nick Murphy released a handful of successful albums. Now, Murphy has revived the project for his first new music since 2015. “Just because I feel low right now, doesn’t mean all that I’ve got has run out,” he declares on the hip-shaking indie-pop number, hopefully pointing to new music in the near future.

Omar Apollo — “Dos Uno Nueve”

Calling on his Mexican and Indian roots, Omar Apollo pivoted away from his dance floor-ready pop sound to share “Dos Uno Nueve,” his take on a corrido ballad. “’219′ is where I’m from and it will always have a place in my heart,” Apollo said in a statement about the single. “Growing up, I dealt with a lot of obstacles that shaped my personality. My life is constantly changing; and as I’m adjusting to this new lifestyle of traveling, meeting people, and making music for a living, I’ll always love coming home to Indiana.”

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

Billie Eilish and Finneas had the tremendous honor of writing and performing the theme song for No Time To Die, the upcoming film in the James Bond series, which is older than both artists combined. The sibling pair has gotten some chances to perform it, and they did so again last night when they swung by The Tonight Show last night. The black-and-white video was pre-shot and sees Eilish and Finneas performing the tender song in a grand, Bond-ian, and dramatically lit room.

They also sat down with Jimmy Fallon for an interview, during which Eilish discussed the advice she got from Alicia Keys after her recent slew of Grammy wins. Doing what was honestly a rock-solid Keys impression, Eilish said, “She called me and she was like, ‘I just wanted to say: ‘Don’t be embarrassed for being dope.””

Elsewhere during the conversation, as a callback to the time earlier this year Finneas revealed some production trivia about “Bad Guy” to Fallon, the host had Finneas create a beat based on some samples he sent to him in advance. He pitched down some of Fallon’s vocal samples, added drums and other elements, and in just a minute or two, Finneas had himself a pretty fun beat.

Watch clips from Eilish and Finneas’ appearance on The Tonight Show above.

Kim Kardashian just revealed Kanye West was diagnosed with COVID-19 several months ago. In a recent interview, Kim revealed Kanye had contracted the virus back in early March, pinpointing his diagnosis the time when Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson first announced they had tested positive.

Speaking to Grazia Magazine for their upcoming issue’s cover story, Kim recalled needing to care for Kanye on her own, saying it was a “scary” time for both of them:

“Kanye had it way at the beginning, when nobody really knew what was going on. It was so scary and unknown. I had my four babies and no-one else in the house to help. I had to go and change his sheets and help him get out of bed when he wasn’t feeling good. It was a challenge because it was so unknown. Changing his sheets with gloves and a face shield was really a scary time.”

Kanye has yet to make a statement about his experience with COVID, but the rapper recently took to Twitter to wish Donald and Melania Trump well after they contracted the virus. “There’s a crying need for civility across the board,” Kanye wrote. “We need to and will come together in the name of Jesus. I’m praying for President Trump’s and Melania’s full recovery, just as I would for Joe and Jill Biden if they were stricken, as well as everyone else with COVID-19.”

Read Kim Kardashian’s full interview with Grazia Magazine here.

Wednesday was a big day for reshuffled Hollywood release dates, with one of the last big films scheduled to arrive in 2020 — the latest big budget adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune — was bumped nearly a year, to October 1, 2021. Many wondered how that move would affect the film that was already occupying that spot: The Batman, in which Robert Pattinson becomes the latest brooding Caped Crusader. And word on that came quick: By the end of the day, Variety was reporting the Matt Reeves-helmed reboot was moving to March 4, 2022.

Granted, the film only recently resumed shooting, after going hiatus twice: first because the pandemic had forced them to go on pause, then because Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19. So that just gives them more time to take their time, both in production and in post.

The reshuffling affected other Warner Bros. movies as well. One piece of good news is Matrix 4, the first in that series since 2003, was bumped from an earlier date, from April 1, 2022 to December 22, 2021. However, two DCEU titles were delayed to later dates: The Flash from June 3, 2022 to November 4, 2022 and Shazam 2 from that date to June 2, 2023. That’s a far ways away — enough that we may actually conquer this thing for good by then. One hopes.

(Via Variety)

Led Zeppelin have been embroiled in a long legal battle over copyright infringement, but after many years they can finally lay the accusations to rest. ’60s LA band Spirit claimed Led Zeppelin ripped their most popular song “Stairway To Heaven” off one of their own, the instrumental track “Taurus.” But now, nearly six years later, the Supreme Court has ruled in Zeppelin’s favor.

Spirit’s Randy Wolf penned “Taurus” in 1967, four years before Zeppelin recorded “Stairway To Heaven.” The two bands had played many shows together between that time, and Jimmy Page even admitted that Spirit’s song was in his record collection, but he disputed any accusation of plagiarism. Wolfe’s estate filed the original copyright lawsuit back in 2014, and it has since moved between courts. A jury sided with Zeppelin on the original case, but it was eventually overturned after a panel of appellate justices decided the jurors should have been able to hear Spirit’s song in court.

Back in March, the case moved on to the Ninth Circuit Court, which upheld the court’s original ruling in favor of Zeppelin. But it didn’t end there. The case eventually went to the Supreme Court, who, according to Bloomberg Law, recently refused to hear the case. Because of the Supreme Court’s dismissal, the Ninth Circuit Court’s ruling still stands, meaning Zeppelin officially won the case.

Hear Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” and Spirit’s “Taurus” above.

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

Very little is certain about President Donald J. Trump’s battles with COVID-19, after he tested positive for the coronavirus last week. In fact, even the date he contracted it is in dispute, among other details. Conspiracy theories are swirling about how sick he is, which drugs he’s taking, if he’s even fit to continue performing the most powerful job on earth, and if steroids were to blame for that early morning all-caps tweet-storm . So when he (prematurely!) left Walter Reed Medical Center, in which he’s resided since Friday, returning home to the White House, his attempts to look healthy and back to normal didn’t go over well with everyone.

Upon returning via helicopter to the White House, Trump paused on the balcony for a dramatic photo op. He even removed his mask, despite still being very much infected with a highly contagious disease. Trump went on to record a video, in which he repeated his highly controversial statement that people shouldn’t be afraid of COVID-19, despite the nearly 210,000 deaths in the United States alone, with no end in sight. But right before he did that, he stood there silently, not looking all too well.

Puffier and somehow more orange than before, Trump was also gasping rather heavily, as though winded — as though he was very much in the throes of a disease that especially affects people his age. Maybe he just hadn’t gotten much exercise after three days in a hospital? Or maybe he’s not as well as he let on. In any case, the clip did not inspire confidence.

People had some theories.

People who survived COVID-19 could relate.

Others were reminded of certain dictatorships.

Still others saw parallels with other Trump-era news items.

And there were jokes.

And there were people pointing out that, were Biden gasping like this, Trump would pounce.

For the second time this year, a welterweight title showdown between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns has been pushed back, this time as Usman needs more time to recover from undisclosed injuries, per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

The fight was set to be the main event for UFC 256 on December 12 in a rescheduled bout after Burns had to pull out of UFC 251 late with a positive COVID-19 test. That led to Jorge Masvidal taking Usman on with short notice at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Usman won that fight by unanimous decision to move to 17-1 in his career and defend his belt successfully for a second time. As for what will replace Usman-Burns on the December card remains to be seen, with Helwani noting UFC is exploring various options, but nothing is close to a done deal yet.

Among the potential headliners are a Jorge Masvidal-Colby Covington bout or a Stipe Miocic-Francis Ngannou heavyweight title fight, but neither are far along in discussions — with Helwani noting Miocic-Ngannou is especially a “long shot.” It will be the second straight major card that has needed a new main event, with Cody Garbrandt having to pull out of the UFC 255 main with a torn biceps. As of now, Amanda Nunes defending her women’s featherweight title against Megan Anderson is the lone fight confirmed for the card.