Month: August 2022

Another one bites the dust! Serial monogamist Leonardo DiCaprio is apparently back on the market. According to People, the Oscar-winning actor/Brazilian president’s nemesis and model/actress Camila Morrone have called it quits after more than four years of dating.

The couple, who first met in early 2018 in Aspen, Colorado, have mostly managed to keep their relationship private, so it’s hardly surprising that reps for neither DiCaprio nor Morrone returned People’s request for comment. Morrone, who will next be seen in the Amazon series Daisy Jones & The Six, did briefly touch on her relationship with the Titanic star in a 2019 Los Angeles Times interview when she addressed their 20-plus year age difference.

“There’s so many relationships in Hollywood — and in the history of the world — where people have large age gaps,” Morrone said. “I just think anyone should be able to date who they want to date.”

But following this latest break-up, people are beginning to suspect that Leo might have a bit of David Wooderson in him, a.k.a. Matthew McConaughey’s character from Dazed and Confused, who famously proclaimed that what he loved about high school girls was that “I get older, they stay the same age.”

While it’s been more than 20 years since DiCaprio dated an outright teen, one very detailed graph showed that the actor does seem to have a very Menudo-like approach to girlfriends: Once they turn 25, they’re shortly shown the door.

Twitter users had a lot of fun with the idea that, in Leo’s mind, 25 equals death, and attempted to explain the phenomenon.

(Via People)

During a recent comedy show in Phoenix, Chris Rock revealed that he had turned down an offer from the Academy to host the 2023 Oscars. While Rock appreciated the Academy attempting to make amends for the comedian being slapped by Will Smith, he had no intentions of returning to the scene of the incident. Unfortunately, Rock took things a bit too far by joking to the crowd that accepting the Oscars hosting gig would be like Nicole Brown Simpson deciding “to go back to the restaurant” where she left her glasses right before her murder.

The joke was not Rock’s best work, and the comedian has been getting dragged on social media ever since. To make matters worse, Nicole’s sister, Tanya, heard the crack, and she was understandably not thrilled. She found the joke “unfunny” and blasted Rock for comparing Nicole’s murder to being slapped. Via TMZ:

Tanya tells us his attempt at humor was distasteful to say the least, and offensive to the extended family … especially since she believes it was totally gratuitous.

What TS wants Chris — and anyone else who might want to invoke Nicole’s murder in their bit — to know is this … there are still surviving family members who are still dealing with her loss to this day, and this type of stuff hits close to home and hurts people.

However, Tanya proved she’s the bigger person by disagreeing with online comments that the Nicole joke proves that Rock deserved to be slapped by Smith. Despite Rock making a joke about her sister’s death, which she calls a “misfire,” Tanya isn’t onboard with condoning violence.

(Via TMZ)

Gorillaz fans have a lot to look forward to next year: In February, the computerized band will release their new album, Cracker Island.

Ahead of the album, Gorillaz has already released its title track, which features vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Thundercat. Today, they have dropped a groovy, trippy, psychedelic track called “New Gold,” which features Tame Impala and Bootie Brown. Gorillaz previously performed “New Gold” at London’s All Points East Festival earlier this month.

As these aforementioned collaborations suggest, the upcoming album is a collaborative effort, with more guest appearances from Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Bad Bunny, and Beck.

“Cracker Island is the sound of change and the chorus of the collective,” Gorillaz guitarist Noodle said in a statement.

“The hallowed tones of Cracker Island will soundtrack our collective ascension into the new dimension! JOIN ME,” the band’s Murdoc Niccals also added.

Check out “New Gold” above and the Cracker Island artwork and tracklist below.

1. “Cracker Island” Feat. Thundercat
2. “Oil” Feat. Stevie Nicks
3. “The Tired Influencer”
4. “Tarantula”
5. “Silent Running” Feat. Adeleye Omotayo
6. “New Gold” Feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown
7. “Baby Queen”
8. “Tormenta” Feat. Bad Bunny
9. “Skinny Ape”
10. “Possession Island” Feat. Beck

Cracker Island is out 2/24/2023 via Parlophone. Pre-save it here.

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

Welcome to Style Watch, our bi-monthly roundup of the best streetwear to hit the internet. The fall season is all about comfy baggy fits and rich autumnal-toned layers but it’s still technically summer and it’s hot as f*ck outside, so if you’d sooner reach for a pair of shorts and a simple t-shirt, we feel that and we’ve got you covered. This time of year is always a bit crazy for apparel brands, the changing of the season coupled with the college campuses opening up again has just about everyone looking for a wardrobe refresh, and every brand takes that as an opportunity to unveil their end-of-year offerings.

This week, we have a lot of different looks to get through — from Doja Cat’s brand new apparel collection to the latest from skatewear brands like NOAH and Supreme. Doja Cat’s collection features a jockstrap with the word “yes” printed on the front, so if you’ve ever wanted one of those for some reason, now is your time! Are people buying jock straps as fashion now? Should we own more jockstraps?!

If you’re looking for a pair of sneakers to complete your fit, be sure to hit up our weekly sneaker roundup series, SNX DLX. Let’s dive into this week’s best apparel!

Doja Cat It’s Giving Collection

If you aren’t quite ready to layer up just yet, Doja’s got your back with her new apparel capsule collection of summer-ready fits. The It’s Giving collection features your typical streetwear staples like graphic tees, crop tops, shorts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants, with simple accessories like underwear, hats, bags, and socks, all featuring variations on three simple designs.

There is also a jock strap because why the hell not?

A few of the pieces read “It’s Giving,” while some feature a pink cartoon cat (the cat looks totally high), the word “yes,” or some sort of combination of all three themes. The collection is subtitled “Volume 1” which would imply that we’re going to be getting more It’s Giving apparel out of Doja, which is dope! This is better than your typical merch collection because it allows you to rep Doja without looking like a complete and total Stan to the outside world. The collection is simple, but it sure looks dope on Doja and her cast of models.

Doja Cat’s It’s Giving collection is available now at the official It’s Giving website.

STAPLE x New York Old Friends

Jeff Staple has been a fixture on the streetwear scene for nearly 30 years, and even though his brand is still killing it, he’s been taking the time lately to highlight emerging brands with some dope cross-brand collaborations. Recently, STAPLE linked up with Tori Simonov’s new label New York Old Friends, for a 20 piece collection of pocket t shirts, hoodies, sweatsuits, and light zip-ups, all dressed in a color palette of cream and blue, with pink and red lettering.

The collection combines STAPLE’s iconic pigeon with New York Old Friends’ rose graphic, resulting in a collection that is undeniably New York and represents both the past, present and future of streetwear.

The STAPLE x New York Old Friends capsule is available now. Shop the full collection at the STAPLE online store.

NOAH Fall Winter 2022 Collection

The first drop of NOAH’s Fall Winter 2022 collection is out now! The New York Streetwear label looked to the fashion of surfers, writers, runners, and urban professionals for this latest collaboration, combining the distinctive styles into a hybrid aesthetic. The results are pretty interesting, we’re not sure that the concept is completely realized, but what came out looks undeniably NOAH, and that’s never a bad thing.

The first drop consists of windbreakers, puffers, northeastern zip-ups, cardigans, long sleeves, and short sleeves with the obvious highlight being the Herringbone Jacket and sing-pleat suit pants. The brand may not have delivered on the hybridization factor, but this collection definitely offers a little something for everyone, whether you’re hitting an important meeting, or jumping on your board for a ride through the city.

The NOAH Fall Winter 2022 Collection is out now. Shop the drop at NOAH’s webstore.

Kangol Streetwear Collection

Kangol has long been a streetwear staple, but for the most part the brand has stayed comfortably in its lane. That all changes this month with the unveiling of the brand’s debut apparel collection. This isn’t some simple capsule collection to test the waters, Kangol is going big with an extensive collection of men and women’s streetwear staples in three distinct themes inspired by the artists and personalities who made the brand popular.

The Camo collection nods to Wu-tang, Nas, and Tupac, the Y2K collection mines early 2000s era RnB music videos for inspiration, and the Acid Wash collection offers looser fits and loungier styles. All of the looks pair amazingly with a Kangol bucket hat, which is to be expected.

The Kangol Streetwear collection is out now. Shop the full collection at Fashion Hub Club.

PUMA x Baby Phat

With the resurgence of the Y2K aesthetic, you shouldn’t be surprised that a brand synonymous with that era, Baby Phat, has returned in full force. The brand that popularized the fluffy tracksuit has linked up with PUMA for a collection of comfort-focused streetwear staples including cropped jackets, fitted t-shirts, bike shorts, bralettes, platform sneakers, and fuzzy sandals all dripping in Baby Phat’s soft pink aesthetic.

The PUMA and Baby Phat branding look great together, both are feline-focused and PUMA’s sleek silhouettes look right in line with the sort of cuts Baby Phat fans will already be familiar with. The bubblegum pink aesthetic of the brand looks best on PUMA’s simple Mayze sandal and sneaker, which Baby Phat transforms into something you might see in a late-period Aaliyah video.

The PUMA x Baby Phat collection is out now, shop the full collaboration at the PUMA online store.

Supreme Fall Winter 2022 Collection

Supreme is back with a new Fall Winter 2022 collection full of loud colorful graphics, wild fabric combinations, and a whole bunch of really dope jackets. Whether you’re into denim, all-over prints, hoodies, or puffers, Supreme pretty much hit every style you could think of, from workwear-influenced looks to military-inspired fits. As usual, the brand has linked up with a roster of influential artists like Shaun Crawford and Raymond Pettibon to add some art school flair to the designs.

Most notably they teamed up with Andre 3000 for a photo shoot showing the legendary artist decked out in the latest Supreme. Is a bigger collaboration on the horizon? We can only hope.

The first drop of the Supreme Fall Winter 2022 Collection is set to hit the internet on August 25th. Shop the drop at the Supreme webstore.

Last week, HBO revealed the first look at The Last of Us television show; later this week, Naughty Dog is releasing a remake of The Last of Us video game. This is not a coincidence, but it is a shrewd maneuver, because if you’ve been curious to check out the masterpiece of a video game ahead of the show, now’s a great time to do so.

The reviews of the newly-christened The Last of Us Part I have dropped and they’re near-universally positive. Maybe this isn’t a huge shock, considering the 2013 release is widely considered to be one of the greatest video games of all-time (it’s in my top-5 all time, at least), but it is surprising how essential the remake sounds.

“If you love The Last of Us and believe it’s an indisputable PlayStation classic, the PS5 remake may likely be worth the full price. The visual upgrade: Faces look less plastic and stiff. It’s like Toy Story 1 to 3, except it’s the same story,” the Washington Post games reporter Gene Park tweeted, along with a link to his glowing review. First-time player (and Polygon writer) Nicole Carpenter added, “i somehow went nearly a decade without getting spoiled on the last of us and wow yeah it’s a fuckin good game.”

Meanwhile, The Verge‘s Andrew Webster acknowledged the TV show and polarizing sequel in his review, writing, “What this remake does, though, is smooth the transition between the two games in the franchise. Think of it like sanding away (most of) the game’s rough edges. That will likely be important to those who played Part II before the original or the hypothetical brand-new audience that will be introduced to The Last of Us through HBO’s live-action adaptation next year… The Last of Us is now a franchise — and within that framework, a remake so soon actually makes a lot of sense.”

The Last of Us show will “stay pretty close” to the game, so if you’re not interested in playing The Last of Us Part I because it will spoil the plot, that makes sense. For everyone else, though, it sounds like it’s worth the 70 bucks.

The Last of Us premieres on HBO in 2023.

After some time away, 2022 has been big for Phoenix so far. The group is currently finishing a new album and they shared the single “Alpha Zulu” this summer. They’ll also be wrapping up the year with some tour dates. Furthermore, singer Thomas Mars just made a fun cameo on one of TV’s best comedies: What We Do In The Shadows.

(The rest of this post contains spoilers about the new episode and current season of What We Do In The Shadows.)

Throughout the show’s ongoing fourth season, Nadja has been running a vampire nightclub, which has been a major success thanks to nightly song-and-dance performances by Baby Colin. At the start of last night’s (August 30) new episode (titled “Freddie”), it’s revealed that word about Colin’s shows has spread outside of the vampire community. This has lured human celebrities to the club, specifically director Jim Jarmusch, director Sofia Coppola, and Mars (Coppola’s real-life husband), all portraying themselves.

Mars tells Nadja of Colin, “That kid is incredible. More than a star, he’s a phenomenon.” Nadja responds with an apparent reference to Mars’ French nationality by saying Colin has a “certain je ne sais quoi.” That prompts Colin to reply in French, which Nadja does not understand.

Coppola then asks what the “celebrity special” menu item is and both she and Mars express interest in it. Nadja then chooses a couple of eager vampire clubgoers to enjoy the celebrity special, which turns out to be killing and sucking the blood out of Coppola and Mars. Jarmusch, not realizing the two are actually dead, is blown away by what he thinks are special effects. Later in the episode, Jarmusch leaves Coppola a frustrated voicemail about her falling out of contact with him after the perceived gag.

So, canonically in the What We Do In The Shadows universe, Mars is dead, meaning Nandor, Guillermo, and the rest of the squad may never get to hear Phoenix’s upcoming album.

Elsewhere in the episode, Laszlo rattles off a terrific list of vampire musicians/bands and it includes Gloria Estafang, Bloody Holly, Bat Stevens, Batboy Slim, Hall & Throats, Tame Impaler, and The Undead Kennedys. He goes through some more in a post-credits scene: Impaler Swift, Bruno Scars, and Lindsey Suckingham. Laszlo also runs down a list of wraith (another type of mystical creature in the show) performers: Bonnie Wraith, Wraith Hill, Wraith Evans, Billy Wraith Cyrus, Wraith No More, and Wraith Charles.

Watch the full episode on Hulu, here.

Hometowns can be weird. On one hand, they can serve as hurdles; obstacles to overcome that separate your childhood from your adulthood. But they’re also, well, home, and for better or worse, always will be. For Blackbear, who grew up in the northeastern city of Palm Coast Florida, it’s complicated.

“It just reminds me of kind of the place that was holding me back from my dreams… There were a lot of people that didn’t believe that I was actually going to do something with my life. But Florida in general is a great place for community and great people come from there. Some of my best friends have come from there and I still have friends that live there and my mom still lives there. So it’s cool to go back and visit for the holidays,” Blackbear tells me over Zoom.

Blackbear’s feelings about Palm Coast might be conflicted, but the more I talked with him about his hometown, I picked up on a lot of nostalgic affection for the city that helped shape him. The music scene in particular had been an important stepping stone that lead Blackbear to where he is today,

“There was a really sweet music scene. My babysitter, he was actually my guitar teacher, and I was probably in the second or third grade when he was babysitting me. He taught me riffs from New Found Glory and Blink-182. There was a good music scene and it kind of shaped me to be an artist for sure. I saw him in a band and I used to go to the garage shows or the teen center shows or the ones at Thrills Arcade. Then I found myself starting a band.”

For Blackbear’s latest (and greatest) album, In Loving Memory, the artist put together a deeply personal piece of work that examines the complicated feelings he has about the death of his absent father, but together with producer Travis Barker, the pair have put something together that sounds warm, inviting, and pulls inspiration from the sort of pop-punk and emo music Blackbear was listening to while growing up in Palm Coast as a teen, and the results are comfortingly nostalgic while still sounding fresh.

“When I was in the fourth grade, I was wearing MxPx t-shirts with Good Charlotte patches on my plaid pants and NOFX patches. So I was a full punk rock girl for sure.”

Be sure to catch Blackbear this fall on his headlining Nothing Matters Tour. But first, let’s learn a little bit more about him by checking in on his favorite local Palm Coast hangouts.

What Is Palm Coast Best Known For? What Is One Thing People Visiting Have To Experience?

Flagler Beach

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Palm Coast is best known for some of the music people who have come out of there. We’re known for our beach too. Flagler Beach is a great beach and the sand is like ground-up shells, so it’s really tough not like California. It’s very rough so I spent a lot of nights smoking DMT and hanging out.

We would drive, all pile like 10 of us into one Honda Accord, and go to the beach. The beach is really all there is to do besides going to the Walmart parking lot and hanging out… At night it’s a vibe and it was just cool to go there and kind of make up ideas for songs with people and just hang out and get high really.

What’s The Best Palm Coast Breakfast Spot And What’s The Go-To Order?

Cracker Barrel

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We would go to Perkins before it shut down and we would go to Cracker Barrel. Definitely get some cheesy grits and eggs and bacon!

Is There A Good Place To Dig For Records?

…Wal-Mart

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I was a broke angry teenager, so I would just steal CDs from Walmart. I got caught one time and I never did it again. Still to this day, I’m not allowed back in Walmart. I don’t know if they would recognize me today.

What’s The Best Local Venue For Discovering Music In Palm Coast?

SeaBreeze Coffee Connection/Thrills Arcade (Closed Down)

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The closest place you could go was the Coffee Connection in Daytona Beach, Florida. That was this little coffee shop that would hold like 40 people tops. There were shows there and that was about 30 minutes away. You would drive to Daytona… other than that we had an arcade called Thrills Arcade, and that was where I got my first shine for sure…

It’s really hard to say because everything that I grew up doing is torn down now. Thrills Arcade, that’s what we did. We went to the Thrills Arcade and there were awesome shows there. And it was so much fun, but everything’s torn down now and new things are there. I think a Chick-fil-A’s there now.

If You’re Looking For Something Adventurous To Do In Palm Coast, What’s The Play?

Kayak The Intercoastal Waterway

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You can go kayaking. Me and my brother usually kayak on the intercoastal. So it’s like the beach before the beach, usually, people live on the intercoastal and you can just go for hours, it’s really nice.

What’s Best Thing To Do On A Night Out?

Go Clubbing

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Orlando’s fun. That’s where we used to go clubbing and we would have so much fun in Orlando. Miami’s super fun, but Miami… we never considered it Florida because it’s like its own country.

What’s The Best Fancy Dinner Spot… Does Palm Coast Have One?

Fancy Sushi & Grill

The fanciest place is called Fancy Sushi. You get a free miso soup and a free Holiday Roll.

What’s The Best Late Night Guilty Pleasure Food Spot?

Steak and Shake

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Dude, Steak and Shake, hands down, is the best place to go late at night when you’re too drunk and whatever. You get a DD and you all go to Steak and Shake. The food just tastes 10 times better than it normally would when it’s 2 in the morning. I think Underoath stopped in there one time, we were all starstruck.

What’s The Best Time Of The Year To Visit Palm Coast?

Winter

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I like to go during Christmas because the weather is great. It’s not going to snow, it’s a great Christmas vacation. If you’re there in weather it’s really fun and the weather is perfect.

Brendan Fraser was a highly-sought after actor in the late ’90s, when he graced the screen in various box office hits like The Mummy and George of the Jungle. After the height of his fame, he famously retreated from the spotlight, taking smaller roles in TV shows and making various cameos.

Recently, director Darren Aronofsky approached Fraser to be a key role in The Whale, the story of an obese English teacher who attempts to mend his tumultuous relationship with his teenage daughter, played by Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink. “[Darren] said he wanted an actor to reintroduce,” Fraser told Vanity Fair. “And I wanted to be reintroduced.” Thus, Fraser’s return to the big screen began, though it wasn’t without hesitation.

“If there’s no risk, then why bother?” Fraser added. The actor wanted to take a second shot at his film career as a leading man, which began over 30 years prior. “I want to learn from the people I’m working with at this point in my career. I’ve had such variety, a lot of high highs and low lows, so what I’m keen for, in the second half of my time doing this, is to feel like I’m contributing to the craft and I’m learning from it. This is a prime opportunity.”

First looks of Fraser in The Whale went viral, with many praising his return to more serious work. Fraser himself said that he really wanted to transform into his character in order to return to the screen. “I wanted to disappear into it. My hope was that I would become unrecognizable. I wanted to know what I was capable of.”

His fans already know what he’s capable of: after his role in the now-extinct Batgirl movie was revealed, fans came flooding with praise and came to his defense when the movie was shelved. Many on Twitter were calling this year the Brenaissance as a sign that this would be Brendan Fraser’s renaissance. Despite his absence from the screen, it seems like the Fraser fandom isn’t going anywhere.

The Whale will be released in theaters on December 9th.

(Via Vanity Fair)

MSNBC correspondent Ari Melber is a huge fan of hip-hop who loves quoting rappers like Nicki Minaj and using hip-hop songs to make poignant political commentary. In his latest segment, though, he takes it a step farther, pulling quotes from Jay-Z’s triumphant “God Did” verse to break down the US government’s ongoing — and some would say failed — War On Drugs, which has mostly just led to increased incarceration rates for Black Americans, billions of tax dollars dumped into increasingly militarized police forces, and little measurable reduction in drug use in the US.

Melber references numerous lines from the verse, including one in which Jay calls US laws “draconian,” and another that mentions a 1996 60 Minutes interview between Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan and Mike Wallace. Melber breaks down these lines and others as he draws parallels to the drug war and points out how the prohibition of alcohol was reversed, allowing numerous former criminals to become legitimate businessmen with huge returns on their investments.

This leads to a note that while so-called “street drugs” continue to be criminalized and associated with minorities, the biggest drug dealers are, in fact, the pharmaceutical companies that legally manufacture ultra-addictive drugs like Oxycontin and Fentanyl despite being caught unethically using their power and reach to pressure doctors to overprescribe them.

One of the four billionaires that Jay claims responsibility for mentoring in the song, LeBron James, agreed that more people should check it out, sharing the report on Twitter. “Listen!” he implored his followers. “Then listen again to make sure you got the point. HOV DID!!!! And so did the reporter! TALK.” His post prompted two replies, one from Melber, who quoted Jay’s line from “God Did” mentioning LeBron, and Jay-Z himself, who made a rare Twitter appearance to cosign James’ tweet with another quote from the verse.

The report is fascinating and enlightening through and through, and you should really check it out, which you can do up top.

Rejoice, NBA fans: League Pass is slated to be much cheaper this upcoming season. In a recent renewal email, League Pass announced its premium service, which enables users to view games on multiple devices free of commercials, will cost $129.99. Last season, it ran folks $280. Meanwhile, a standard subscription cost $230 in 2021-22 and has been slashed to $99.99 for the 2022-23 season, according to Sportico. A monthly subscription for the standard service will cost $15.

The speculation here is League Pass aiming to compete with fellow sports streaming services, which tend to come in at drastically lower or more frugal price points than League Pass. For instance, ESPN+ is $9.99 per month or $99.99 for an entire year. ESPN+ offers NHL and MLB games, and recently became the host of PGA Tour Live.

League Pass has long been a staple for fans to access out-of-market NBA games throughout the season. But the hefty price point has certainly barred many from purchasing it. While this pay cut won’t fix everything, decreasing various subscription tiers by over 50 percent should help provide greater access for a notable sect of people who couldn’t previously afford it or justifying buying it.

Now, all that’s left is to address the constant freezing, lagging and buffering that seemingly interferes on a nightly basis with the League Pass Experience. At the very least, watching the game’s brightest stars is going to be easier for a chunk of people and that’s good for everyone involved.