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For years, J. Cole fans’ favorite refrain to defend their hero was the “platinum with no features” trope — so much so, that even J. Cole himself got sick of it. Well, now they’ve got a new platinum album to crow about without adding that caveat. Cole’s new album, The Off-Season, hasn’t yet been officially certified by the Recording Industry Association of America, but according to the ChartData Twitter which tracks sales data readily available online, the album has crossed the one million units sold milestone to become eligible for certification.

The Off-Season becomes Cole’s sixth consecutive album to sell platinum, not including the Dreamville compilation Revenge Of The Dreamers III, on which Cole also holds top billing. The Off-Season included features from 21 Savage, 6lack, Bas, Cam’Ron, Diddy, James Fauntleroy, Lil Baby, and Morray, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200, and launching five of its songs into the Hot 100 top five: My Life” (No. 2), “Amari” (No. 5), “Pride is the Devil” (No. 7), “95 South” (No. 8) and “Interlude” (No. 8). Cole’s manager Ibrahim Hamad celebrated the achievement on Twitter as well, reminding fans just how long-running this streak has been.

2021 has been a massive year for Cole, who is also nominated for several Grammys, including Best Rap Song for “My Life” and Best Rap Album. He recently completed his Off-Season Tour and capped off his year with a headlining performance at Rolling Loud California.

A few days ago, it was reported that Eric Clapton got a €3,400 (about $3,844) win in a court case against a woman who was attempting to sell a bootleg CD of one of his concerts for €9.95 (about $11.25) on eBay. Now, more details about the situation have come to light, including the fact that Clapton apparently doesn’t intend to actually collect the money awarded to him in the case.

As The Guardian reports, Clapton’s management released a statement yesterday through the Where’s Eric! fan club website, which offers some context by starting:

“Germany is one of several countries where sales of unauthorized and usually poor-quality illegal bootleg CDs are rife, which harms both the industry and purchasers of inferior product. Over a period of more than 10 years the German lawyers appointed by Eric Clapton, and a significant number of other well-known artists and record companies, have successfully pursued thousands of bootleg cases under routine copyright procedures.

It is not the intention to target individuals selling isolated CDs from their own collection, but rather the active bootleggers manufacturing unauthorised copies for sale. In the case of an individual selling unauthorised items from a personal collection, if following receipt of a ‘cease and desist’ letter the offending items are withdrawn, any costs would be minimal, or might be waived.”

The statement then claims the defendant was uncooperative with Clapton’s management when they contacted her, writing, “This case could have been disposed of quickly at minimal cost, but unfortunately in response to the German lawyers’ first standard letter, the individual’s reply included the line (translation): ‘feel free to file a lawsuit if you insist on the demands.’ This triggered the next step in the standard legal procedures, and the Court then made the initial injunction order. If the individual had complied with the initial letter the costs would have been minimal. Had she explained at the outset the full facts in a simple phone call or letter to the lawyers, any claim might, have been waived, and costs avoided.”

The statement concludes by noting, “However, when the full facts of this particular case came to light and it was clear the individual is not the type of person Eric Clapton, or his record company, wish to target, Eric Clapton decided not to take any further action and does not intend to collect the costs awarded to him by the Court. Also, he hopes the individual will not herself incur any further costs.”

Unlike George R.R. Martin, who wanted Game of Thrones to run for at least 10 seasons, Peter Dinklage was ready for the show to be over.

“It was the right time. No less, no more. You don’t want to wear out your welcome, although I’m not sure that show could have,” the Emmy-winning actor told the New York Times when asked about Thrones ending after eight seasons. “But I think the reason there was some backlash about the ending is because they were angry at us for breaking up with them. We were going off the air and they didn’t know what to do with their Sunday nights anymore. They wanted more, so they backlashed about that.”

There may have been other reasons, too.

“They wanted the pretty white people to ride off into the sunset together. By the way, it’s fiction. There’s dragons in it. Move on. [Laughs] No, but the show subverts what you think, and that’s what I love about it. Yeah, it was called Game of Thrones, but at the end, the whole dialogue when people would approach me on the street was, ‘Who’s going to be on the throne?’ I don’t know why that was their takeaway because the show really was more than that.”

I fall into the camp of Game of Thrones viewers who did not like the final episode (or the final season, for that matter), but I still love the show, not only for the character development, witty dialogue, and scenic locations. But because, as Dinklage puts it, “there’s dragons in it.” Every show would be better with dragons in it. Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey, Ross, and a dragon. See? Friends is good now.

Dinklage can soon be seen in Cyrano, the trailer for which you can watch here.

(Via the New York Times)

Saving the descendants of Eleanor Roosevelt’s monkeys. A “So You Think You Can Dance” finalist teaching kids in the foster care system to dance. Spreading Christmas cheer to kids in Peru. Creating a lit bookfest in the most diverse city in the U.S.

At first glance, these initiatives might seem at odds with each other, but if you look closer you’ll see that they all embody simple acts of kindness for those most in need in their communities—human or otherwise.

Plus, each project has received a $500 financial boost thanks to the Upworthy Kindness Fund—a collaboration between Upworthy and GoFundMe that celebrates and amplifies everyday acts of kindness.

Through the end of 2021, you too can tell Upworthy how your GoFundMe is making a difference in your community for a chance to receive $500 for your project and a shout-out on Upworthy.

So far, more than 120 people have received a financial boost from the Kindness Fund. Meet the latest batch of winners:

1. Fostering Dreams

Throughout Melanie Buttarazzi’s dance career, she has been a finalist on “So You Think You Can Dance” and has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Pharrell, Pitbull and Ne-Yo. For her, dancing is strength and offers freedom. These are some of the core tenets of Melanie’s nonprofit Fostering Dreams Project. The organization partners with school districts to bring a comprehensive curriculum designed to enrich the lives of foster youth both academically and socially.

Since 2018, the Fostering Dreams Project has used dance, movement therapy and meditative practices to improve the grades, self-esteem and behavior of more than 1,000 students in 25 schools. But now, with COVID-19, many school budgets have been reduced.

Melanie’s GoFundMe for Fostering Dreams will allow kids in foster care to continue to have a healthy way to release the stress, anxiety and depression that many battle every day.

Image courtesy of Fostering Dreams Project

2. Christmas for Kids in Peru

Biancha Medina believes in “una Navidad para todos,” which translates to “a Christmas for everyone.” But in many parts of the world, including Peru, kids don’t get to experience the joys of the Christmas season.

With the help of Upworthy’s Kindness Fund, Biancha’s fundraiser will bring gifts and supplies to kids and their families living in extreme poverty in Peru’s agricultural Incahuasi district.

In partnership with Lions Club International, Biancha aims to spread Christmas joy and address the basic needs of more than 400 children in many more villages throughout Peru.

Image courtesy of Biancha Medina

3. Let’s Build a Monkey Sanctuary!

Seventy years ago, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt imported tiny vervet monkeys from Africa for biomedical research in Florida. Nearly a dozen of them escaped, and in the ensuing decades they procreated—as monkeys do—and settled around Dania Beach.

But the monkeys remain wild and, as such, face risks due to human interaction. Deborah Williams, organizer of the Dania Beach Vervet Project, writes on its GoFundMe page, “We’ve lost many monkeys over the years to painful electrocutions, car collisions, and wounds due to possible snaring.”

And because they’re not a native species to Florida, the monkeys are not entitled to proper veterinary care. The best solution is to build a 3.5-acre sanctuary that would reduce human interaction in an urban environment and allow the monkeys to live peacefully and injury-free.

Image courtesy of the Dania Beach Vervet Project

4. BIPOC Bookfest

Journalists and writers of color have come together to form the BIPOC Bookfest in Houston, Texas, with a mission to ensure that people’s reading experiences are, as they put it, “a little more diverse, and a lot more lit.”

The two-day festival in what is one of the country’s most diverse cities will celebrate books by Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, Asian American, Pacific Islander and other marginalized groups’ authors. A vital aim of the festival will be to combat low literacy rates in Harris County.

The festival is currently raising funds to pay for venue rental, artist fees, book giveaways and other logistics—all crucial in making the event come alive in Spring 2022.

Image courtesy of BIPOC Book Fest

Do you have a GoFundMe or an idea for one that helps your community or the planet in some way?

Through the end of 2021, we want to hear about projects that make a difference—and should your project qualify, we’d be proud to support your efforts with a $500 grant to your fundraiser!

For questions and more information, please check out our FAQs and the Kindness Toolkit for resources on how to start your own kindness fundraiser.

Michael Bublé had some major success in the late 2000s with popular singles like “Everything” and “Haven’t Met You Yet,” but it’s his Christmas music that has come to define his career. Billboard noted earlier this month that his iconic 2011 album Christmas has sold over 16 million copies worldwide. So, it’s probably pretty easy for Bublé to get into the holiday spirit when November and December roll around, but even he gets tired of Christmas music.

He recently told the Irish Daily Star, “Christmas music reminds me of rich food: When you haven’t had it in a while, you are so excited for it and you eat as much as you can. By the 26th of December, you don’t ever want to hear it again. But there are worse things than a season where people are kind.”

The Canadian singer also noted that even at 46 years old, he still has a childlike love of the holiday, saying, “I love Christmas so much and my parents made it so great for us that I still have that sense of wonderment. It’s not that I see it through the eyes of kids, I genuinely have that wonderment. Like, my tree was up November 1st.”

Meanwhile, other sources have indicated that too much of a good thing is indeed possible when it comes to Christmas music. A 2011 survey from Consumer Reports showed that 23 percent of respondents dreaded hearing holiday music. A 2019 study also found that when it comes to “incessant repetition” of seasonal tunes, “the brain can become oversaturated and end up triggering a negative response, leading you to feel the opposite of the Christmas cheer and even worsening some stress you may be feeling related to the season, such as worries over spending money on gifts.”

As for Bublé, he celebrated the tenth anniversary of Christmas earlier this month with a Lorne Michaels-produced holiday special, Christmas In The City. He also dropped a deluxe edition of Christmas last month.

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

Last month, after more than a year’s worth of singles as well as an EP, Dijon finally released his debut album Absolutely. Upon its arrival, fans received 12 songs that best displayed what he had to offer. In total, the project follows Dijon as he aims to reach his full potential as a singer while also trying to meet the expectation that those around him have placed on him. Now, to truly complete the experience he creates with Absolutely, Dijon returns with the project’s accompanying film.

Through the film’s 25 minutes, Dijon unveils the full visual experience behind the creation of Absolutely. The moments of inspiration and creativity that led to the songs on the album can all be found in the film. It also showcases what the atmosphere is like as the project came together thanks to the intense passion and joy that Dijon and his collaborators share. In addition to Dijon himself, appearances by Mike Gordon, Henry Kwapis, Brad Oberhofer, Ryan Richter, Gabe Noel, and director Jack Karaszewski are also made throughout the film.

As for what’s next, Dijon will hit the road in March for a tour in support of Absolutely. The string of shows will begin with him as an opening act for Bon Iver before he sets off as a headliner for 14 shows starting in late April.

You can watch the film for Absolutely above.

Absolutely is out now via Warner. Get it here.

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

Seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson hasn’t played in a regular season NBA game since the 2017-18 season when he was traded from the Jazz to the Rockets before the deadline and played in 55 games combined. Since then, he’s popped up in Pistons camp but mostly been spending his time dominating the Big 3, where he is the reigning, two-time MVP.

However, as the NBA has faced a player shortage this season due to more than 100 players entering COVID-19 protocols, Johnson has gotten a chance to return to the Association, inking a 10-day with the Celtics on Wednesday and immediately suiting up that night against the likewise shorthanded Cavs.

The Celtics, spurred on by 34 points from Jaylen Brown, were cruising in the closing minutes and with the game in hand, they put Johnson in the game to the delight of the crowd, as he returned to the court he started his career on in Boston.

Almost immediately, Iso-Joe went to work with a bucket that looked like thousands we’ve seen before from Johnson, as he worked his way to the midrange, got his defender on his back, and sidestepped into a fadeaway that found nothing but net.

It’s vintage Iso-Joe and, if there is any silver lining to the absences this season, it’s that we’ve gotten to see some new faces get NBA minutes and some old friends get one more crack at playing on an NBA floor.

The LOX had one of the more memorable moments of 2021 thanks to their Verzuz against Dipset. Led by Jadakiss, the group put on an absolute show in front of thousands at Madison Square Garden this past summer. It turned out to be one of the best Verzuz matchups in the series’ history, and it was the start of many big moments for them. Others inclkude an appearance on Ye’s Donda album and receiving the key to their hometown of Yonkers. For their latest act, they returned to Madison Square Garden for a fiery freestyle.

The LOX’s Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles stood tall in the New York Knicks’ home arena to show off their bars. The performance came after a partnership with high-end clothing brand Kith and its founder and designer Ronnie Fieg, which resulted in the trio delivering their raps while wearing clothes from the unreleased collection “Kith x Nike x New York Knicks.”

For the freestyle, Jadakiss led the way with lines like “Coming from where we from, the triple threat is all we know / Shoot the jumper, you pass it, or you take it to the hole.” Sheek Louch soon joined him to supply some additional energy to the freestyle. “New York, New York, what’s bigger than this / The home of Jay-Z and Nas, matter of fact, the home of Biggie and Kiss / Donnie and P L-O-X way before Cube we were the big three,” he rapped. Finally, Styles P stepped into the spotlight to close things out, rapping, “Dark on the streets, Clarks on the feets/ even when I’m solo, I’m deep / I ain’t coming to sleep, but you could go to sleep, yeah I’m headed to the Mecca roll a leaf.”

This comes almost a year after Kith partnered with Dipset for a similarly-styled freestyled.

The 2024 election is still a ways away, and right now there are two big uncertainties: Will Donald Trump, the twice-impeached, one-term former president, run again? And will current president Joe Biden, who turned 79 only last month, be game for round two? Trump, of course, keeps teasing another run but hasn’t officially committed. (Possibly because he could be in a lot of legal and financial trouble.) Biden, meanwhile, has reportedly been telling people he’s up for it, despite talk that he step aside for the next generation of Democrats.

But in a new interview with ABC News’ David Muir, Biden seemed a lot more confident about what he’ll be up to in a couple more years. Muir asked him, point blank, if he was up for 2024.

“Yes,” he said outright, then reined his answer in a smidgeon. “I’m a great respecter of fate. Fate has intervened in my life many, many times. If I’m in the health I’m in now, in good health, then in fact I would run again.”

Muir reminded Biden that he may once again square off against an opponent who, among other things, threatened to skip the debates entirely and spent one of them actively preying upon his stutter, successfully getting him to snap. But Biden seemed the opposite of scared.

“You’re trying to tempt me now,” Biden replied. “Why wouldn’t I run against Donald Trump as the nominee? That would increase the prospect of running.”

During the rest of the interview, as per Deadline, Biden was a bit more modest, admitting failure and promising to do better, especially with the pandemic. On Tuesday, he vowed to send 500 million rapid tests out to American citizens in early January, but he admitted that he “wish[ed] he had thought about ordering sooner.” He also said “nothing’s been good enough,” though he pointed out that things are dramatically different from this time last year, when vaccines were still barely available to the general public and many families spent the holidays apart.

Or, you know, maybe Biden will go up against Ted Cruz.

(Via Deadline and ABC News)

It’s a dancer’s worst nightmare. You’re in the middle of a performance you’ve rehearsed over and over when all of a sudden you forget what you’re doing. Everyone else is in sync, and you’re hopelessly out of step, trying desperately to not make it obvious that you’re completely lost.

That’s sort of what happened to Utah Jazz dancer Danielle Bush earlier this week during a basketball half-time performance. Bush didn’t forget the routine, though—it just suddenly changed on her in the middle of it. The song, the routine, all of it. To her credit, Bush rallied, smiled, and did her best to improvise, but it was clear she was lost. For a torturous 20 seconds, she tried to keep up—and then she figured out what was really going on.

What started out as a nightmare turned into a heartwarming surprise that the rest of her fellow dancers were in on.

Watch:

Utah Jazz dancer realizes the routine is different than what she practiced, soon finds out the reason:pic.twitter.com/6meKzkONU0

— Rob Perez (@Rob Perez)
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How can a video be so painful to watch and yet end up with such a happy ending? The poor girl was so confused until she actually heard what the song had been changed to—Bruno Mars’ “Marry You“—and realized it had to have been changed for her.

According to KSL News, the proposal had been planned in secret since earlier in the month. Bush’s boyfriend (now fiance) Brandon had asked Jazz Dancers director Ashley Kelson if it were possible to pop the question on the court.

“I wanted to make it big and special for her for sure,” Kelson told the outlet. “Making it a part of the routine was so much fun.”

Kelson scheduled Bush to be at a community event during a rehearsal where the other dancers learned the alternate routine. The team only had one practice to rehearse the proposal, and they pulled it off beautifully.

“It was an honor to plan with Brandon and be a part of their special moment and just proud of my team for keeping it a surprise,” Kelson said. “It definitely was a team effort.”

And it was definitely a proposal to remember. Congratulations, Danielle and Brandon!