Today, a second member of K-pop boy band BTS was discharged from mandatory military service and his eldest bandmate was there to greet him as he took his first steps off-base. J-Hope, the group’s rapper and third-oldest member, completed his 18-month enlistment as of today, October 17, and met up with a flower-bearing Jin, who had recently completed his own service, as well as around a hundred fans, according to Reuters. While the entire band had reunited for Jin’s discharge, it looks like duties kept the rest of the Bulletproof Boy Scouts from being able to put on a similar show for J-Hope.
While the group is reportedly aiming for a 2025 reunion (although that’s not guaranteed, according to their agency’s CEO), they’ve got a slew of other projects on the table during their ongoing hiatus. For J-Hope, that could include a follow-up to his March 2024 EP, Hope On The Street, Vol. 1, and the J. Cole-featuring single, “On The Street.” With bandmate RM teaming up with Megan Thee Stallion for “Neva Play,” there’s a wide-open opportunity for more collaborations alongside American rappers to ensure BTS’ name remains buzzing as they wait for the rest of the band to complete their mandatory enlistments.
You can check out a video of J-Hope leaving his base here.
In the wake of the sudden death of English singer Liam Payne, his former One Direction bandmates have shared heartbroken tributes to their fallen “brother.” Louis Tomlinson called Payne the “most vital part” of the British boy band, while Harry Styles and Zayn Malik also checked in today to share their thoughts.
While Styles called it an “honor” (using the American spelling, rather than the English, here), Malik noted that Payne was the “most qualified” member of the band musically, writing that Liam was “more sensible” than him despite being younger. It’s clear from both posts that while the group had its frictions, the members really loved each other, and Payne’s death had truly impacted them all. While Niall Horan has yet to make a public statement, he was photographed in Argentina, where Payne died from a balcony fall, with dark shades covering his eyes as he walked his dog with his girlfriend, Amelia Woolley. Payne and Horan had recently reunited when Liam attended one of Niall’s concerts in Buenos Aires.
Meanwhile, the group’s band page on Instagram also released a joint statement in which they promised they’d return with more to say after the members have grieved.
You can see Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and One Direction’s group tributes to Liam Payne below
From Harry:
I was devastated by Liam’s passing.
His greatest joy was making oilier people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.
Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.
My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.
From Zayn:
Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives. I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved. Even though you were younger than me, you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no fucks about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, A”, I always secretly respected you for it. When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison), was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional. I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next. I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro
From One Direction:
We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.
The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.
For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly.
We love you Liam.
Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry
Romance novelist Emily Henry doesn’t step into the spotlight too much, but that’s working out more than fine for her. Several of Henry’s bestselling books have been queued up for adaptations by various studios, and it’s frankly hard to keep track of them. Happy Place (which Jennifer Lopez is developing for Netflix with a major assist from a Bridgerton executive producer), Beach Read, Funny Story, People We Meet On Vacation, and Book Lovers are all in different stages of development. Fan casting for the latter title has included Ayo Edebiri and Paul Mescal, and Henry has been happy to stoke that speculation, but that book isn’t the first Henry story that we will see hit the screen.
Which will be the first? Well, none of these projects have firm release dates yet, but People We Meet On Vacation looks further along than the rest of the pack, and Netflix’s Tudum site already has details on the ensemble cast, which includes Lucien Laviscount (Emily In Paris), Lukas Gage (Dead Boy Detectives), Sarah Catherine Hook (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It), Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), and Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) along with Emily Bader, Miles Heizer, Tommy Do, Molly Shannon, Alan Ruck, and Tommy Do.
This film will be directed by Brett Haley with the following synopsis:
Free-spirited Poppy (Bader) and routine-loving Alex (Blyth) have been unlikely best friends for a decade, living in different cities but spending every summer vacation together. The careful balance of their friendship is put to the test when they begin to question what has been obvious to everyone else — could they actually be the perfect romantic match?
People We Meet On Vacationis reportedly filming as we speak in Louisiana, which should add up to a 2025 release.
Louis Tomlinson called the late Liam Payne “the most vital part of One Direction” in a heartfelt tribute to his bandmate, who died yesterday afternoon at the age of 31. Tomlinson was the first member of the British boy band to post a reaction to Payne’s death, and you can read his full statement below.
Payne died on Wednesday afternoon (October 16) after falling from the third story of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, landing on a wooden deck below. Witnesses say that Payne was behaving “erratically” in the lobby moments before, although videos he shared on social media a few hours before suggested that he was having a “lovely day,” although he reportedly filmed the videos days before posting them. Payne had released a new single, “Teardrops,” this spring.
Read Louis Tomlinson’s tribute to Liam Payne below.
I am beyond devastated to be writing this, but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to every day, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.
Posts
I first met Liam when he was 16, and I was 18, I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for.
Liam was an incredible songwriter with a great sense of melody, we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.
And for the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction. His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam.
A message to you Liam if you’re listening,
I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life, but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours, reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again, but it wasn’t to be.
The cream is starting to rise to the top in the NFL as we get to Week 7. In the AFC, the Bills, Chiefs, and Texans are already two games up in their division, while the Ravens and Steelers are tied atop the North with a two-game gap to third. In the NFC, there’s a bit more in flux, headlined by the NFC North where all four teams are 4-2 or better — while the NFC West doesn’t have a team over .500. Week 7 features a handful of big games that could help further separate the top of the league, headlined by a Super Bowl rematch and a battle for first in the NFC North between the Lions and Vikings — neither of which are in primetime spots.
Primetime Game of the Week: Ravens at Bucs (Monday 10/21, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
We don’t exactly have the best primetime slate in the history of the National Football League this week, even if there are two Monday Night Football games. Having said that, as a person who likes when NFL games go completely off the rails and both offenses light it up, I am excited to watch the team tied for the highest-scoring offense in the league (the Bucs) take on the team with the second highest-scoring offense in the league (the Ravens). There is something fun about a defensive slugfest, but I do not think a Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore offense that can run on anybody or a Baker Mayfield-led Tampa Bay offense carved teams up through the air will be kept out of the end zone.
Sunday Funday Game of the Week: Chiefs at Niners (Sunday 10/20, 4:25p.m. ET, FOX)
I mean, yeah, this is the answer this week, even with a very fun Lions-Vikings showdown for the top spot in the NFC North that will headline the 1 p.m. slate. In Santa Clara, we will get a rematch of an ultra-tight Super Bowl between two team that have real aspirations of getting back there, the high-flying Niners offense against a Chiefs defense that has been outrageous this season, and Patrick Mahomes going up against a star-studded San Francisco defense that has been battle tested this year. Outside of some pretty prominent injuries for both teams that could fundamentally change this matchup if they see each other again in February, everything is in place for this game to be a blast.
Under the Radar Banger: Seahawks at Falcons (Sunday 10/20, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
Another game where we are probably going to get a ton of points. Geno Smith and Kirk Cousins are first and fourth, respectively, in passing yards coming into this week, while both passing defenses are in the top-10 of yards allowed per game — things haven’t gone as well for either rushing defense, though, so perhaps Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Kenneth Walker, and Zach Charbonnet can all cook a little bit. Regardless, as a RedZone viewer, I expect Scott Hanson to cut into this game a ton, because I think this has the potential to be a basketball game.
Who Won The MVP Last Week: Derrick Henry
It took Henry a few weeks to get used to life on his new team, but lately, he’s been out of his mind en route to being the league’s rushing leader. None of this should be a surprise, as he is awesome, Lamar Jackson is lethal on the ground, and few coaches love establishing it more than John Harbaugh, but it’s been a blast to watch this play out. And unfortunately for the Washington Commanders, they learned the hard way that Henry is comfortable in his new digs, as he went for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in a 30-23 win last week.
Best Bet (2-4): Dolphins at Colts UNDER 43.5
In four games since Tua Tagovailoa’s injury, the Dolphins have scored 10, 3, 12, and 15 points. I don’t see that getting a whole lot better this week against the Colts and they’ve pretty clearly steered into the skid by slowing the tempo and trying to keep games low-scoring to give themselves a chance. Indianapolis is likely to go back to Anthony Richardson in this one, which means more explosive plays but also a little less consistency out of the Colts offense compared to when Joe Flacco is at the helm. Give me the Under in a game I hope I see very little of as I watch RedZone on Sunday.
Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman recently said the famed pop-punk festival is coming back in 2025. The context of that confirmation, though, was sort of off-the-cuff, but now there’s more official news: It was formally announced today (October 17) that Warped Tour is celebrating its 30th anniversary next year with a three-city tour.
The three lucky cities are Washington DC, Long Beach, and Orlando, each of which will host their own two-day festivals. The DC event is going down at the Festival Grounds at RFK Campus on June 14 and 15, Long Beach will host at Downtown Long Beach Shoreline Waterfront on July 26 and 27, and the tour will wrap at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium Campus on November 15 and 60.
At each event, between 70 and 100 bands will perform. Lineups haven’t been announced yet, but a press release notes, “The 2025 edition will honor the tour’s iconic history while shining a spotlight on the next generation of artists, with full lineup details to be announced at a later date.”
In a statement, Lyman says, “People are craving connection, live music, and the raw, unfiltered experience that Warped has always offered. We’ve seen how music continues to unite and inspire, and this return isn’t just about nostalgia — it’s about giving a new generation the chance to feel that same sense of belonging and freedom that Warped has always championed. Insomniac is a company I’ve always admired, so when the opportunity to collaborate arose, I couldn’t say no. I thought, why the hell not? Let’s dive in and make this happen!”
Tickets will be available starting with a pre-sale on October 24 at 9 a.m. PT/noon ET, via the Warped Tour website. Tickets will be sold at the all-inclusive price of $149.98.
Each week our staff of film and television experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
You might know Brian Jordan Alvarez from his videos on TikTok and Instagram as TJ Mack, the singer of earworm “Sitting.” He’s also the star and creator of English Teacher, about a teacher who “often finds himself at the intersection of the personal, professional, and political aspects of working at a high school. Evan wants to be a principled person but often runs into trouble because of it.” His first lesson to his students: sitting is the opposite of standing.
Colin Farrell’s scene-stealing performance in The Batman resulted in him being turned into a meme and, probably more impressively, getting a spin-off on Max. The Penguin explores Oswald Cobblepot’s (or as he’s called in the show, Oz Cobb’s) rise in the seedy Gotham underworld. The series, which also stars Cristin Milioti, Clancy Brown, and Theo Rossi, is getting comparisons to another crime drama in the HBO / Max family: The Sopranos. Not too shabby.
After former SNL head writer Harper Steele came out as a trans woman, she and Will Ferrell went on a two-week road trip across America. Will & Harper tracks their journey. “What if we went on a road trip together, giving her a chance to go into a cowboy bar or whatever places she misses, and I can be by her side and lend support as a friend?” Ferrell said about the origin of the documentary. “At the same time, it would give us a chance to reconnect and figure out what this transition means to our relationship.” If only all SNL cast members from the ‘90s were so open minded…
The acclaimed anime Dan Da Dan is about Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate / occult fanatic Okarun, who begin talking after she saves him from getting bullied. However, an argument ensues between them: Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts. It’s a real Mulder and Scully dynamic, if they were both Mulder (and there was a Turbo Granny). Dan Da Dan, which is getting a weekly release, comes from animation studio Science Saru, who also made last year’s shockingly good Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
One of the most talked-about shows at the moment is Nobody Wants This. It turns out, everybody wants to see Kristen Bell and Adam Brody in a romantic comedy, which is something I could have told Netflix without having to be paid an executive’s exorbitant salary. Nobody Wants This follows the unlikely relationship between a sex podcaster (Bell) and a hot rabbit (Brody). It’s very cute, and hopefully a sign that we’ll get more good rom-coms soon.
Quarantine hit The Platform is an allegorical horror film about class struggle, where inmates in a “Vertical Self-Management Center” are fed using a platform that’s initially filled with food but as it descends, there’s fewer and fewer options for the lower levels. Those at the bottom are lucky to get anything at all. Following a prisoner rebellion (and some delicious panna cotta) in the original, The Platform 2 has a new leader imposing their rule in the Platform, while “a new resident becomes embroiled in the battle against this controversial method to fight the brutal feeding system,” according to the logline from Netflix. “But when eating from the wrong plate becomes a death sentence, how far would you be willing to go to save your life?”
9. Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (Netflix)
netflix
The first Tomb Raider game came out on the Sega Saturn nearly 30 years, but the love for Lara Croft remains strong. There’s been three movies, so many games (including a remaster of the first three mainline titles released earlier this year), and now, an anime. Hayley Atwell voices the titular explorer in Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft from animation studio Powerhouse Animation Studios, which also made the impressive Castlevania: Nocturne series. They have a stranglehold on Netflix anime.
The official synopsis for Teacup reads, “Teacup follows a disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive.” But that leaves out the intriguing involvement of producer James Wan, or that the subject matter is so “horrifying,” it made star Yvonne Strahovski “feel sick.” Just in time for Halloween!
La Máquina reunites Y tu mamá también stars Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal in a boxing drama-thriller. After a brutal loss, boxer Esteban “La Máquina” Osuna (played by Garcia Bernal) faces a low point in his career. But his manager and best friend, Andy Lujan (Luna), believes he still has promise to mount a comeback for one last fight… possibly for selfish reasons. Esteban is also facing issues in his personal life, including his journalist ex-wife Irasema (Eiza González), who is investigating corruption in the boxing world.
Alfonso Cuarón, the Oscar-winning director of Children Men, Y tu mamá también (big week for the YTMT freaks out there!), and the best Harry Potter movie, is back with his first new project in six years. Disclaimer stars Cate Blanchett as a journalist who receives a mysterious book in the mail that threatens to reveal her darkest secrets. The ensemble cast of the psychological thriller, which is told over seven chapters, also includes Kevin Kline, Kodi Smit-McPhee, HoYeon Jung, Louis Partridge, Lesley Manville, and Leila George. It’s just nice to have a new anything from Cuarón.
I’m sorry, but the only thing we should be talking about is how there’s a new show starring Bruce Campbell (yes) set during the Satanic Panic 1980s (yes yes) about a struggling metal band that pretends to be devil worshippers to become more popular (yes yes YES). Also, the group’s name is Dethkrunch (g*d yes). Hysteria was created by Matthew Scott Kane and is executive produced by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the duo behind last year’s excellent Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
What if Drunk History was exclusively about Florida? That’s essentially It’s Florida, Man, which takes funny folks like Anna Faris, Jake Johnson, Randall Park, Juliette Lewis, Sam Richardson, and Ego Nwodim, and has them recreate actual incidents from the Sunshine State. Don’t worry, it’s not exploitative: their real-life counterparts appear in the show, too. It’s all right there in the opening voiceover, courtesy of Stephen Root: “What you’re about to see may be dangerous, petty, misguided, but most definitely stupid. But it’s also all true. Sort of.”
In Brothers, Josh Brolin (seen above in a “I Just Dropped My Load” shirt) and Peter Dinklage play, well, brothers. One’s a reformed criminal (Brolin), the other’s still in the game (Dinklage), and together, they go on a road trip “for the score of a lifetime,” according to the official plot synopsis. “Dodging bullets, the law, and an overbearing mother along the way, they must heal their severed family bond before they end up killing each other.” This is the kind of movie that would have $150 million at the box office in the 1980s.
Bill Lawrence might be rebooting Scrubs, and working on more Ted Lasso, and he has big plans for Bad Monkey season 2, but for now, he — and fellow creators Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein — is focused on Shrinking. The mental health comedy returns for another season with Segel as grieving therapist Jimmy and Harrison Ford as his cranky co-worker Paul. But the show’s real MVP is Jessica Williams.
What’s Anna Kendrick been up to lately? Besides raking in “Cups” residuals, I assume, she also directed her first movie. Woman of the Hour looks back on the time that a real-life serial killer, Rodney Alcaca, appeared as a contestant on 1970s-era The Dating Game. Kendrick also stars as aspiring actress Cheryl Bradshaw, who was unlucky enough to pick Alcaca as her date. Woman of the Hour “explores the way women navigate a world of violent men,” and it’s terrifying because it’s so real.
That last bit has always been the issue for the Clippers, particularly when it comes to Leonard. His inability to be on the floor in the postseason has kept the Clippers from ever reaching their full potential as a contender, and this summer he was already a late scratch from USA Basketball and was rehabbing continued inflammation in his right knee during camp. On Thursday, Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk brought word that Leonard will continue to be out indefinitely with that right knee inflammation and will miss the start of the 2024-25 season.
That’s not exactly a surprise, unfortunately, given Leonard’s injury history, but it does put a real damper on any excitement around the Clippers coming into the season. They will have to hope James Harden can really turn back the clock to be a dominant force on the offensive end, as they are lacking in the on-ball creator department if Leonard is out. While it’s possible Harden can carry them early, the concern there is that they’ll have to put too much wear-and-tear on Harden early in the season to stay afloat, and that by the time they reach the postseason push, even if Leonard is able to be on the floor, it will be Harden tapering off — and he’s had his own battles with hamstring issues in recent years.
The Garden State soundtrack is one of the most iconic of the millennium. As the Zach Braff film and OST turn 20 years old this year, something big is happening: It was announced today (October 17) that a 20th anniversary concert is happening.
The show is going down at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on March 29, 2025. The event will benefit The Midnight Mission, a homeless shelter and services provider that has offered resources to men, women, and children in LA since 1914.
A press release notes that “nearly all” of the artists featured on the soundtrack will participate in the show, including The Shins, Iron & Wine, Frou Frou, Colin Hay, Thievery Corporation, Remy Zero, Cary Brothers, Bonnie Somerville, Sophie Barker from Zero 7, and “very special guests to be announced later.”
Braff spoke about the event with Variety, saying, “When I was first approached about doing a concert for the 20th anniversary, I was like, ‘I don’t know how we’re ever going to get all these bands together at the same time.’ But when the notion of doing it as a benefit for The Midnight Mission, I was all in. I was like if we can marshal all of these beautiful artists together for a cause that is helping such a prevalent dire situation in Los Angeles and give back to the community, that’s when I got off my couch. I was like, ‘How do we figure this out?’”
He also teased some big moments, noting, “We’re going to have a lot of special guests, too, because there’s two songs in particular we want to include. But Paul Simon’s not performing currently and Nick Drake is no longer with us. So, between my connections and [musician and soundtrack artist] Cary Brothers’ connections, we’re going to have some really, holy-sh*t surprise guests that are going to be covering their songs.”
The New York Knicks shocked the basketball world last month when they acquired Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves. While there had been rumors for years that the Knicks might make a move for the New Jersey native and that the Wolves would need to make some tough decisions because of how expensive their roster was getting, it really did come out of nowhere when New York sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in exchange for the All-Star big man.
Towns spent his entire NBA career to this point with the Wolves, which drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2015. He made clear in the aftermath of the move that Minnesota will always hold a special place in his heart, which became incredibly clear on Monday when he attended a Billie Eilish concert. Instead of being 100 percent locked into the show, Towns pulled up his phone and watched a bit of the Wolves’ preseason game with the Chicago Bulls.
KAT was locked in on T-Wolves preseason game during Billie Eilish concert at MSG
The Wolves came up just a bit short in their effort to beat the Bulls on Monday night, as Chicago picked up a 125-123 victory. There is no word from Towns on what he thought of his old team’s performance, or if he enjoyed going to a concert at Madison Square Garden.
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