Okay, folks, this is not a drill. The Muppets Mayhem series is finally coming to Disney+, and when I say “everybody is in it,” I really mean EVERYBODY IS IN IT.
Muppets media is well-known for its hilarious cameos — who doesn’t love the Muppets? — but this musical film, which follows the house/jam band Dr. Teeth And The Electric Mayhem as they try to record their first album after 40 years, has all the justification it needs to pack in the guest stars like fans at a Phish concert.
You want musicians? Series stars Lilly Singh and Tahj Mowry (as a pair of record execs) pair up the band with EDM stars DeadMau5 and Zedd, while an in-film documentary clip features Chris Stapleton, Lil Nas X, and Tommy Lee paying homage to the fictional band and even crediting them with their influence.
Weird Al makes an appearance in the clip above, as do Cheech and Chong. Kesha shows up. Not only does Morgan Freeman show up, but he also does so rocking a bright blue wig and matching fedora! There’s even a Grease/Anchorman-style Stan gang war after Dr. Teeth accidentally upsets the Beyhive AND the Swifties at the same time (have mercy on his soul, Jesus)!
You can check out the trailer above and catch all episodes of the series on Disney+ beginning May 10.
The full significance of the Super Bowl opener (with Sheryl Lee Ralph’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” rendition as well as a Navy flyover featuring an all-female pilot team) was lost upon Marjorie Taylor Greene, who wasn’t aware of country singer Chris Stapleton’s perspectives. The far-right congresswoman’s anti-woke leanings are no secret, given that she worries for the “average white male” (whatever that means). However, Greene slipped up by praising Stapleton but trashing the rest of the opener.
“Chris Stapleton just sang the most beautiful national anthem at the Super Bowl,” Greene tweeted. “But we could have gone without the rest of the wokeness.”
Chris Stapleton just sang the most beautiful national anthem at the Super Bowl.
But we could have gone without the rest of the wokeness.
No one is debating Stapleton’s prowess at the mic, which even left Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni in tears. What MTG failed to recognize is that Stapleton is an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, and his presence as part of this ensemble matters a lot. “There’s a very broad awakening that’s come about,” he declared to CBS This Morning after the murder of George Floyd. “It’s time for me to listen. It’s time for other folks to listen.” He then added, “The country that I thought we were living in was a myth.”
Greene’s tweet came back to bite her in the butt, given that she missed the above news when it happened. One user tweeted, “Chris Stapleton is ‘woke’ as f*ck,” and that was only the beginning. Others questioned why she has such a problem with an all-woman team of pilots, but no one ever said that Greene makes sense.
” Do I think Black lives matter? Absolutely … I don’t know how you could think they don’t,” Stapleton said at the time. “…There’s a very broad awakening that I guess has come about, and it’s time for me to listen. And it’s time for other folks to listen.” – Chris Stapleton
Aside from the handing out of awards, the other major reason to watch the Grammys is for the performances, as the Recording Academy routinely recruits the brightest stars in music to take the stage. They nailed it this year, with performers including Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, Sam Smith, Brandi Carlile, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Chris Stapleton, DJ Khaled, and Luke Combs. There’s also a terrific cross-generational performance that just went down: Stevie Wonder took the stage with a number of guests.
“Thank you, but stop,” Wonder said to start his time on stage as the audience applauded. He then introduced his band and kicked off with a rendition of The Temptations’ “The Way You Do The Things You Do.” Smokey Robinson then joined in for his own “Tears Of A Clown” before Chris Stapleton joined in on “Higher Ground.”
Neither Wonder nor Stapleton are nominated for any Grammys this year, but both artists certainly have a history with the show. Wonder is one of the most decorated winners in Grammy history, in fact: He’s been nominated an amazing 75 times and has won 25 of them, first in 1973 with “Superstition” and “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” winning awards in 1973, and most recently in 2006, when his and Tony Bennett’s “For Once In My Life” won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.
Stapleton, meanwhile, has a strong Grammys winning percentage, as he’s won eight of the 17 awards for which he’s been nominated. He won three awards last year, all for material from his 2020 album Starting Over.
Find the full list of this year’s Grammy nominees and winners here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Future football Hall of Famer Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be out of the runnings, but that hasn’t slowed down the hype around Super Bowl LVII. The teams playing in the final game are still unknown at this time, with four teams still fighting it out in their respective conference championships. However, at this moment, what we do know is this year’s featured entertainment.
Last year’s halftime show featured an all-star medley performance by rappers Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent alongside singer Mary J. Blige, and producer Dr. Dre featuring their chart-topping hits. This year, Oscar-nominated singer Rihanna is slated to up the mantle. The “Lift Me Up” singer has remained tight-lipped about her upcoming set, leaving fans to speculate what she has up her sleeve.
Now, further details are being released about this year’s pre-game festivities. The national anthem (“The Star-Spangled Banner”) will be sung by country music star Chris Stapleton.
Legendary R&B singer and producer Babyface will sing “America the Beautiful,” while multi-hyphenated Emmy Award-winning actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph will sing the Black National Anthem (“Lift Every Voice and Sing”).
Super Bowl LVII will take place on February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
King of country music and well-documented cannabis connoisseur Willie Nelson is using his concert organizing skills to coordinate an epic birthday for himself. To commemorate the musician’s 90th birthday, the guitarist will bring his Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, A Star-Studded Concert to the Hollywood Bowl in California.
Willie Nelson’s birthday concert is set to take place across two days, April 29th and 30th. Although Nelson is known for his signature country sound, the lineup will feature performances by a range of other musical artists, including Kacey Musgraves, The Chicks, Neil Young, and Snoop Dogg.
Other rumored guests for the concert include Allison Russell, Beck, Billy Strings, Bobby Weir, Charley Crockett, Chris Stapleton, Edie Brickell, Leon Bridges, Lukas Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Margo Price, Miranda Lambert, Nathaniel Rateliff, Norah Jones, Orville Peck, Particle Kid, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Sturgill Simpson, The Avett Brothers, The Lumineers, Tom Jones, Tyler Childers, Warren Haynes, and Ziggy Marley.
General admission tickets go on sale beginning Saturday, January 28 at 1 p.m. ET. However, Capital One, Visa, and Mastercard holders will have access to a pre-sale on Wednesday, January 25 at 1 pm ET. To purchase tickets, click here. For more information about the event, weekend bundles, and more, click here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In honor of the 125th anniversary of “Bottled-in-Bond Day,” Buffalo Trace has teamed up with country superstar Chris Stapleton to release a bottle of the good stuff for a good cause. Very briefly, Bottled-in-Bond Day (March 3rd) celebrates the creation of the Bottled-in-Bond Act that federally regulated the production of American whiskey according to the proof for taxation/production purposes. It was a pivotal moment in the history of American whiskey.
For this special drop, Chris Stapleton (if you don’t know who he is, go listen to Traveller immediately) has linked with Buffalo Trace for the second year in a row to pick his own barrel and sell it for charity. This year, the single barrel release is an E.H. Taylor, Jr. Bottled-in-Bond Single Barrel personally selected by Stapleton at the famed distillery. Incidentally, E.H. Taylor was the in-studio bottle Stapleton and his band drank during the making of Traveller.
Over the next two weeks, you can bid on one of two options for a bottle of this very limited bourbon. One way to win is to bid on a package that includes concert tickets to a Stapleton show this April in Lexington, Kentucky, a VIP tasting for four people at Buffalo Trace, some merch, and, of course, the bottle. Another package includes the bottle, merch, and two tickets to any Stapleton show this year. You can enter both right here. The rest of the bottles will be available via various charity events associated with Stapleton’s Outlaw State of Kind organization throughout the year.
Okay, let’s get into what’s actually in the bottle.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
The whiskey in this case is a 12-year-old barrel of E.H. Taylor. That whiskey was hand-picked by Chris Stapleton. It was then cut down very slightly to bottled-in-bond proof, or 100 proof, with that famously soft Kentucky limestone water.
The Bottle:
The bottle is a classic E.H. Taylor bottle with a big, yellow label (a label which definitely happens to make one hell of a statement among aficionados). An additional label/sticker is on the bottle denoting the 125th anniversary of the Bottled-in-Bond Act and Stapleton’s “seal” of approval.
Tasting Notes:
Dried dark fruits and a hint of vanilla wafers mingle with fig fruit leather, a touch of orchard wood, and a deep caramel on the nose. The palate holds onto those notes while layering in dark berry tobacco with sharp winter spices, new leather, and a singed cotton candy next to a cedar box filled with that tobacco. The finish lingers on your senses a while and leaves the spice behind for that dark, almost savory fruit note with an echo of blackberry Hostess pies next to soft leather pouches that have held chewy tobacco for decades and a final hint of old porch wicker in the middle of summer.
Bottom Line:
This feels very classic while offering a little something sweet and fruity, which is nice for a 12-year-old bourbon. I like this a lot over some rocks and it will make one hell of an old fashioned.
The Ranking:
91/100 — This is classic, perfectly made, and very easy-drinking. There are no faults but also nothing to “wow” your palate either.
A time-honored tradition, The National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony took place in Washington D.C. last night with both Joe and Jill Biden present for the affair. There was a full-on slate of musical guests that included Chris Stapleton, HER, Juanes, Billy Porter, Keb’ Mo’, Patti LaBelle, Maren Morris, Kristin Chenoweth, the Howard University Gospel Choir, and LL Cool J as the evening’s presenter. Think of the ceremony as the Super Bowl of Christmas Tree lightings and it’s a totally decked out tree that spares no expense. Get a load of the description of this year’s design:
“This year’s design includes a background of warm white lights with a delicate sprinkling of sparkling red and warm white sphere ornaments placed in a cascading pattern from the top all the way down the newly planted White Fir tree, with a cluster of sparkling red and white spheres on the lower branches. A simple, yet elegant star topper finishes off the design. “
So with the gigantic tree flanking the stage, the stars came out and Stapleton and HER laid down a rendition of “This Christmas” that highlights what the 2022 Grammy nominees do best. Stapleton’s down home country vocals and slick guitar kicked off the number before being joined by HER’s gorgeous piano and elegant, forceful singing, becoming emboldened as the song rolled on. Backed by the U.S. Army Band Downrange, the confluence of the pair’s talents on the duet chorus made for a classy performance that feels natural and fits the moment perfectly.
Watch the video of the pair performance of “This Christmas” above.
HER has become an awards show staple in recent years, so naturally, she found a way to pop up at the CMT Music Awards last night. During the ceremony, she performed her 2020 single “Hold On” alongside Chris Stapleton. While the two artists don’t exactly run in the same musical circles, Stapleton’s raspy country howl actually paired wonderfully with HER’s smooth R&B vocals.
Meanwhile, at a different point in the show, Stapleton (whose “Starting Over” visual was up for Male Video Of The Year but lost to Kane Brown’s “Worship You”) also took to the stage solo to perform “Arkansas.”
Elsewhere, some notable award wins for this year included Carrie Underwood and John Legend winning Video Of The Year for “Hallelujah,” Taylor Swift’s Best Family Feature win for the “The Best Day (Taylor’s Version)” video, and Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey’s rendition of “The Other Girl” from the 2020 CMT Music Awards taking home this year’s CMT Performance Of The Year award. Meanwhile, also receiving nominations in various categories were Maren Morris, Noah Cyrus, Elle King, Pink, Lady A, Kelsea Ballerini, and Darius Rucker.
HER, by the way, also revealed this morning that her upcoming album Back Of My Mind has a release date of June 18.
Watch HER and Stapleton perform “Hold On” above, where you’ll also find Stapleton’s performance of “Arkansas.”
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