Robin Williams and George Carlin are two of the most prolific, ubiquitous, and downright hilarious comedians of all time. Sadly, Williams has been dead since 2014 and Carlin since 2008. But that still hasn’t stopped streaming service giants Pandora from profiting off of their stand-up comedy recordings without paying royalties to their respective estates. At least that’s what copyright infringements lawsuits filed by both Williams’ and Carlin’s estates are claiming.
According to filings of these lawsuits obtained by Rolling Stone, Williams’ estate is seeking to get $4.1 million in damages, while Carlin’s camp is suing for $8.4 million. The lawsuits claim that Pandora knew that they were streaming the recordings, even though they didn’t have the proper licensing right to do it. Furthermore, they haven’t paid any money to the estates that preside over the comedians’ posthumous earnings.
The claims state that Pandora “gained listeners, subscribers and market share with full knowledge it did not have licenses.” In 2018, Pandora was sold to SiriusXM for a whopping $3.5 billion and recordings from comedy titans like Williams and Carlin were (and still are) a part of the service’s offerings.
The filing from Carlin’s estate cheekily states, “While Carlin would have been thrilled for his works to live on through valid licenses and payments, he would have seven dirty words to say about Pandora’s actions and willful copyright infringement, no doubt.”
For what it’s worth, Pandora also received complaints from comedians Andrew Dice Clay, Ron White, and Bill Engvall. It sounds like they need to legitimize this portion of their operation in regards to comedy recordings, or the names on that list are going to grow even bigger.
(SPOILERS for this week’s Euphoria will be found below.)
Rue Bennett’s relapse and drug addiction are the focus of this week’s episode on Euphoria. After orchestrating a deal that grants her a suitcase filled with drugs to sell, her drug use takes a huge spike. However, all of it comes to a screeching halt when Rue’s mom finds out about the suitcase and disposes of it, causing Rue to go a painful bout with withdrawal. The latest episode of Euphoria also expands on the love triangle between Nate, Maddy, and Cassie.
Just like last week’s episode, which featured songs by Sinead O’Conner, Baby Keem, Montell Jordan, Faith Evans, and more, this week on of Euphoria also featured a great selection of songs. The aforementioned events in this week’s episode are soundtracked by carefully curated songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene.
What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E5?
The standout songs on this week’s episode were Labrinth’s “Understand Me” and Sharon Cash’s “Fever.” The former was used during a pair of scenes where someone was in pursuit of Rue. The first is when Rue jumps out of her mom’s car and runs across traffic in order to avoid a trip back to rehab. The second time came in the second half of the episode when Rue is running away from a crew of police officers after she robbed a house for jewelry and cash. The robbery itself was soundtracked by Sharon Cash’s “Fever.”
The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes Labrinth’s “We All Knew” and Albert Hammond’s “It Never Rains In Southern California.” This week’s episode also comes with the great news that Euphoria has been renewed for a third season.
Last fall, the usually very articulate Awkwafinastruggled to answer a question about perhaps the only controversial thing about her: her use of what’s been dubbed a “blaccent.” In movies like Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8, the actress and rapper partook in the sketchy tradition wherein non-Black people adopt a stereotypical Black voice. Now, a handful of years later, she’s finally addressing it.
In a lengthy statement dropped on her Twitter feed Saturday morning, Awkwafina began by addressing the “historical context of the African American community in this country.” She wrote about how “a group that is disproportionately affected by institutionalized policies and law enforcement policies – all the while having historically and routinely seen their culture stolen, exploited and appropriated by the *dominant* culture for monetary gain without acknowledgment nor respect for where those roots come from.”
Awkwafina then tried to clarify her position in all this. “But as a non-Black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE [African American Vernacular English], what is deemed appropriate or backwards toward the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group,” she wrote. “But I must emphasize: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not. My. Nature. It never has, and it never was.”
She continued:
“My immigrant background allowed me to carve an American identity off the movies and TV shows I watched, the children I went to public school with, and my undying love and respect for hip hop. I think as a group, Asian Americans are still trying to figure out what that journey means for them – what is correct and where they don’t belong. And though I’m still learning and doing that personal work, I know for sure that I want to spend the rest of my career doing nothing but uplifting our communities. We do this first by failing, learning, acknowledging, hearing and empathizing… And I will continue, tirelessly, to do just that,”
A couple hours later, Awkwafina returned with another announcement. “”Well, I’ll see you in a few years, Twitter – per my therapist,” she wrote. “To my fans, thank you for continuing to love and support someone who wishes they could be a better person for you. I apologize if I ever fell short, in anything I did. You’re in my heart always.”
She then clarified that she was not retiring from the entertainment industry, just from the “ingrown toenail that is Twitter,” and that she will “avail” herself “on all other socials that don’t tell you to kill yourself!”
To Clarify: I am retiring from the ingrown toenail that is Twitter. Not retiring from anything else, even if I wanted to, and I didn’t drunkenly hit someone with a shoehorn and now escaping as a fugitive. Also am avail on all other socials that don’t tell you to kill yourself!
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Wednesday night’s episode of The Masked Singer.
If you ever find yourself working directly for a disgraced leader who’s been accused of corruption and fascism and are worried about your future, fret not! You can always find a second life on some trash game show. Sean Spicer, who bullied and lied to journalists as Donald Trump’s first White House press secretary, improbably wound up on Dancing with the Stars. Sarah Palin, recently seen jeopardizing the health of New Yorkers by dining out after testing positive for COVID, was among the unmasked (in more ways than one) on The Masked Singer.
Speaking of, as per Deadline, on Wednesday’s episode of the singing-themed reality show, the big reveal was so shocking it reportedly prompted two of the judges to storm off in protest. Who could be that polarizing? Why, it’s Trump’s cash-strapped, legally doomed, accident-prone personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
When one of the masked singers was revealed to be one of the key players in Trump’s failed attempts to overturn democracy, judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke furiously fled the scene. The other two judges, Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy, who was anti-vaxx before everyone else, remained and engaged in some banter with the guy responsible for such classics as “Four Seasons Total Landscaping” and “Mystery Black Goo Pouring Down Head.” Jeong and Thicke eventually returned.
In any case, it’s probably a bit too early to be normalizing alleged crooks who have yet to have been punished. But then, Rudy probably needs the dough.
If you’d told me 20 years ago that 50 Cent would become one of the hottest producers in television with a veritable cinematic universe to his name… Actually, I would have believed you. At the time, he was the biggest thing in rap music, a world-class superstar who had promised to put the radio game in a chokehold — and then did it.
Now, he’s done the same with premium TV; again, if you told me his Power franchise (with three spin-offs plus an unrelated but thematically relevant Black Mafia Family bio series) were majorly responsible for a big boost in Starz subscriptions for the past three years, I would definitely be inclined to believe you.
The story that began with Ghost St. Patrick and Tommy Egan way back in 2014 in the original Power is, in 50’s own words, coming full-circle with the upcoming spin-off, Book IV: Force. Following Tommy’s exploits when he leaves New York for his hometown, Chicago, Tommy will once again get wrapped up in criminal enterprise and intrigue as he gets caught between two of the city’s rival organizations.
With Book IV: Force set to premiere on Starz on February 6, executive producer 50 Cent sat down for a Zoom call with Uproxx to discuss the show’s cultural impact, its catchy theme music, and why he would actually prefer if his cinematic universe was a little more family-friendly.
What modern-day social issues do you hope to address with the show with the story of Tommy in this new city?
Coming into the town, he interacts with who he would just run into. It turns into a whole different thing, but in the future, you should expect him to see more of that culture that we are aware of coming into the show, but it comes in as a resource that he sees. When he’s under circumstances where he gets into something and he involves them to come as muscle.
I’m not trying to fix the world with television. I’m trying to entertain people with it. And I think when you look at everything else that’s there, when you look at the news, all you see are things that speak to the graphic nature of premium television. So this is where we make a connection that network television doesn’t. I think people connect with that, having really flawed characters that people could relate to. I think that’s what makes them watch the show with a different intensity. They feel like they could have played the character.
How much of yourself do you see in your characters when they make choices on the shows? Do you find yourself going, “Well, I would do that differently”? Every time Cane [In Book II: Ghost] does something, I’m just like, “This dummy.”
I definitely do that. “What is he doing? Why are you doing that? I get into it too. I’ve seen the material. I’ve read it. Even when I’m not on set, I still get a chance to see the pieces of it. I watch it, complete it before everybody else watches it, and I’m still not excited until I’m watching it and everybody else is watching it because I’m thinking what everybody else is thinking when they watch it.
How hard is it as the producer not to jump in and be like, “Don’t do that! No. Change that.”
It is very hard. Look, I’ll call the writers or the showrunners of the shows, I’ve called each one of them at points and said, “Why? Why is this like this? Why does it have to be like this?” There are certain scenes that they’ve done in Ghost. I look and go, “Yo, could we tone that down a little bit?”
So, when you put that with younger characters… Also knowing some of the audience is not as mature. I like the sex scenes and stuff but some of it can be insinuated, you don’t have to see it. The fact that we can do it, they feel like, okay, cool. We just don’t want to go from watching television that ended up in soft pornography.
How many spinoffs do you think this universe can support? What would an Avengers-like crossover look like between the shows?
Whew, you said Avengers, that’s crazy. Look, I already took this far enough. If you looked at Power, Ghost, Raising Kanan, and now, Force. finishes the story. Because it was Ghost and Tommy in the beginning.
It’s just, his lady would help him with things. She was the right woman for the journey and the wrong woman in the story because she’s only seeing him one way. So she just wants him to be the biggest drug dealer. Remember that line, “When you look at me what do you see?”, “Biggest drug dealer in the city.”
Right. Right. Right. And it’s like, don’t encourage me to be this. Encourage me to be better.
Something different. And then while he’s having to change a heart no one knows.
And that’s kind of like where every gangster show goes, right? The guys want to go legit and the city won’t let them. The game won’t let them.
At the point that you decide that “I have enough. I’ve made enough. I experienced enough.” Right. This is when you go, “maybe I could have did it legit or did it a different way.” And at that point, the irony of it is you’re under investigation.
Yeah. Because you’ve gotten too big. That’s the danger of being the biggest is that you become a target. When you’re recording the theme music what inspiration do you take away from the show itself and how does it differ from writing music for yourself?
When you get into the theme songs, it’s fun to make those records for me. It’s like each one of them is a separate energy, a separate piece. I’ll go in the studio. I’m like, “Yo, this last one was forced.” It was easy. I had to make something that felt like Chicago and no matter what I write about Chicago, it’s going to feel like New York.
So look, there’s two vocal versions of the song. So when you hear the television show, it’s slightly different from when it’s on the song and it’s because I’ve really set the vocals once I heard the tones in Durk’s verse and what Jeremih the chorus felt like finished. Because we’ve done it several times. He’s done the hook two, three different times before we got it all the way right.
Durk recorded one time and then sent it back and then we heard it and then we had everything, all the pieces to put the song together. And I didn’t want it to feel like a collage because I’m here, they’re there and we just put it together. So I matched the tones of everything else so it’ll feel like a cohesive song.
How do you find angles to play off each individual style out from the collaborators like with NLE Choppa and Lil Durk?
Look, you have with NLE and these guys, these are the new guys, bro. The “hip” part of hip-hop is youth. You know what I’m saying? So what they’re thinking and doing, you got to watch them and see how to wave for what’s coming next. It’s going to go.
Do you think you can ride that wave into the future?
The cadences that they using is not difficult at all. If you listen to the music, you could just go, “Okay. I could write that.” If I was coming right now, I’d be on fire. I think once you’ve been, let’s say seasoned, right? I sold over 35 million records, bro. I have a whole 12 years, 13 years of dominating hip-hop culture. Nobody wants to remember that time period though because it was not comfortable.
When you represent things that are street or that have the energy, it’s on the artist without him even saying anything. The NBA YoungBoy, these kids is coming from different territories, but they have street on them. They can’t help it. It’s already there. You don’t have to have Instagram or Twitter or any of that stuff because once it connects it, it’s just there.
Power Book IV: Force premieres February 6th on Starz.
It’s not all that unusual to see celebrities at big sporting events but in Los Angeles, it’s apparently such a common occurrence that it’s easy to get them confused for one another — even when they look nothing alike. That’s what happened during Sunday’s NFC Championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium, where Big Sean and Jhene Aiko were misidentified on the Jumbotron as Buffy The Vampire Slayer herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and her husband Freddie Prinze Jr.
On the Jumbotron, a closeup of Big Sean and Jhene Aiko was captioned “Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.,” prompting Gellar to joke on Instagram, “@bigsean do you get mistaken for me as often as I get mistaken for you? (Swipe right to see my actual date at the #ramshouse).” In her post, she compared a selfie with her and her husband to the photo that appeared onscreen at the game, then added a photo of her and her friend Elsa Collins, with whom she actually attended the game.
Sean and Jhene also seemed tickled by the mishap, with Sean posting a photo of the two staring in confusion at the Jumbotron to his own Instagram Story.
This latest episode of Euphoria ended on a cliffhanger. Rue, Jules, and Elliot’s love triangle has become more intimate, but their bond is put at risk thanks to a discovery that’s made by one of the characters. Meanwhile, Nate and Cassie’s affair reaches toxic levels as a result of the latter’s decision to spend more time with his ex-girlfriend, Maddy. Then there’s Cal, who goes on quite the bender, which comes to a dramatic end, all while Kat reaches a conclusion in her relationship with Ethan.
All of these events are soundtracked by great music selections that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene.
What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E4?
The big stand-out songs on this week’s episode are Towns Van Zandt’s “I’ll Be Here In The Morning” and Sinead O’Conner’s “Drink Before The War.” The former was used in the opening scene as Rue describes her love for her girlfriend Jules. The latter was used during Cal and Cassie’s most vulnerable moments as they dance at a bar as well as Maddy’s birthday party.
The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes: Baby Keem — “Trademark USA” Montell Jordan — “This Is How We Do It” Pussycat Dolls and Busta Rhymes — “Don’t Cha” Faith Evans — “Love Like This” James Blake — “Pick Me Up”
Jonathan Richman — “I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar”
INXS — “Devil Inside,” “Need You Tonight,” and “New Sensation”
Mahalia Jackson — “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child”
Red 7 — “Heartbeat”
Ericdoa — “Sad4whatt”
Pavel Sporcl and Petr Jirkovsky — “24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1: No. 14 in E-Flat Major”
Can — “Vitamin C”
Daryl Hall & John Oates — “Method Of Modern Love”
Artery Eruption — “Swarmed By Mosquitos Place Larvae Into Your Cranium”
Skatt Bros — “Life At The Outpost”
Spandau Ballet — “True”
Mindfulness Healing BGM Project — “Gemini & Detox”
The second season of Euphoria got underway earlier this month, bringing back the many characters we’ve come to love (or despise) over the course of the show’s first season. They include Rue Bennet (played by Zendaya), Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie), and Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney). This season has also brought new characters into the mix, a group highlight by Elliot who is played by Dominic Fike. Elliot meets Rue at a drug-filled New Year’s Eve party and the two quickly form a bond that Jules, who is also Rue’s girlfriend, initially questions but later accepts after warming up to Elliot.
So, who is Dominic Fike from Euphoria?
Aside from being an actor on the show, Fike is also a singer who delivered his first project back in 2017 with his Don’t Forget About Me, Demos EP. The project earned the singer plenty of attention from around the industry and it later sparked a bidding war between record labels to sign him. Fike eventually picked Columbia in 2018 where he re-released Don’t Forget About Me, Demos and his debut album, 2020’s What Could Possibly Go Wrong? That project featured no guest appearances across the 14 songs present on it.
Elsewhere, Fike has worked with Justin Bieber, Slowthai, Halsey, Kevin Abstract, and more throughout his career.
Miami isn’t a hidden gem or secret travel hub. It’s one of the best-known, most populous party cities in the United States. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. Miami is awesome. Go a lot. Go bi-monthly. Move there.
Charly Jordan — DJ, model, and style entrepreneur — is a Miami regular who’s learned the ins and outs of the city’s scene. She’s DJed at Miami’s hottest nightclubs and most exclusive events (including Scott Disick’s “Boat To Basel” party during Art Basel 2021) and had more than enough adventures to call herself a Miami expert. In preparation for her new single, “Innerbloom,” (debuting today, January 28th, on Spotify and Apple Music) Jordan has been playing the city often and cultivating a vibe in the rooms she plays.
“My goal is to influence positive change in the way people perceive mental health and success,” says Jordan. “I believe success is not just being monetarily successful, but living a rich and full life as well while helping others around you. Be the energy that fills a room, not takes away from it.”
The DJ — a longtime friend of Uproxx — certainly brings energy to the room when she hits the stage in Miami. So we asked her to share a guide to the best places to explore and party in from South Beach to the Keys to Wynwood.
WHY MIAMI?
Charly Jordan
I’ve had the pleasure of playing many shows in Miami over the past year and I’ve really grown to love it. It can be a bit difficult to enter the city if it’s your first time not knowing anybody, but as soon as you find your niche and your crowd there are endless possibilities. I’ve never seen boat life quite as active as I’ve seen in Miami. There are full-blown yacht parties, speed boats, deep-sea fishing, and the late-night boat rides through the Miami River are pretty magical.
What’s one thing that every first-time visitor should see or do in Miami?
If you’re a first-time visitor in Miami and you love food, which who doesn’t, Mila is one of the best dinner spots to go to. As well as taking a stroll along ocean drive in South Beach during the day, where you’ll see endless restaurants and stores right next to the white sand beach.
Miami Beach is a classic, but I also love hotel hopping in South Beach and hitting the different restaurants and bars that overlook the water.
Best way to take in the iconic art scene of Miami?
Charly Jordan
The best way to take in the art scene in Miami is honestly just by paying attention because I feel like the art is everywhere. Obviously, there are more specific areas that are filled with art like Wynwood, where you can hardly turn a corner without seeing graffiti on the wall neighboring a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. But you’ll see sculptures all throughout Miami, even in many of the apartment buildings.
Best nightclub for a late night out in the city?
Charly Jordan
Since I DJ, I would consider myself a sort of connoisseur of nightclubs, given that I’ve been to so many. You won’t really experience anything better than E11even Miami. One of the only of its kind, a hybrid nightclub and strip club that serves food and also has massive artists perform like Migos, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and many more (including myself lol). I’ve performed at E11even a couple of times, so not only is it one of my favorite clubs to go to but they’ve become a family to me.
Make sure if you go to E11even you order the chicken sandwiches because there’s nothing that beats them.
The best place to get Cuban food in Miami is Havana Vieja! I personally get the Ropa Vieja and the grilled octopus.
FROM UPROXX: Havana Vieja offers freshly-made, authentic Cuban dishes. The restaurant’s lively ambiance, colorful decor, and diverse cocktail menu make it an excellent choice for a celebratory lunch or dinner.
I like hotels that have a lot of amenities and typically when I go to Miami my personal favorite hotel to stay at is the Mondrian. It has the perfect view of the ocean, it’s in the city, has a perfect assortment of food at their downstairs restaurant, and a great bar as well.
The best time of year to visit Miami is definitely during the summer, but the weather doesn’t change that much there honestly so it’s pretty much a good time to go year-round. Basically what I’m saying is there’s no excuse to not go to Miami.
10/10 would recommend taking a boat out into the keys or even to the Bahamas since it’s so close to Miami. There are many sunken ships, planes, and underwater statues with an abundance of wildlife like dolphins, huge schools of various fish, jellyfish, and sharks. Miami’s endless, as long as you know the right people and know where to go. I typically play at E11even Miami and Daer in Fort Lauderdale so if you’re ever out there make sure you catch me at a show or check out my upcoming tour with Cheat Codes.
There’s a case to be made that Yellowjackets is the best new television show in a decade (we made it right here), but it wasn’t perfect. You know how the hit series could have been better? With Tori Amos and Nine Inch Nails, that’s how.
Jen Malone is the music supervisor for Yellowjackets (and Euphoria, and Atlanta, and The Umbrella Academy), and in an interview with Vulture, she discussed how she wanted to include Amos in the soundtrack for season one but couldn’t find the right spot.
“We tried it, and it just wasn’t — we want to do Tori proud with the scene that we put her music to and we just couldn’t find the right one,” she said. “She’s so influential, to not only myself. Little Earthquakes, when I was in high school, that record was everything. I remember the first time I heard that record. Thank God we have season two.”
Would “Winter” be too on the nose?
Malone also revealed that Nine Inch Nails, especially something from Pretty Hate Machine, “is going to be [on] the top of the list next season. There’s so much for Yellowjackets that I’m just very excited to dig into in season two. We haven’t even scratched the surface with the songs from that time period. To reintroduce these artists to a whole new audience has been very special for both shows.”
Misty is the Tori Amos-meets-Nine Inch Nails of people. I can’t explain it, but I know it’s true.
