Month: August 2022

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of a few teams that are still looking to make roster upgrades with a month to go until training camp begins, and with the Kevin Durant saga over (for now), teams are going to be a bit more willing to make moves and fill up roster spots.

On Wednesday night, word broke late that the Lakers had made their first trade of the offseason, but one that doesn’t seem likely to be their last, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported they were finalizing a deal to send Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson to Utah for Patrick Beverley, who joined the Jazz in the Rudy Gobert trade from Minnesota last month.

Beverley will give L.A. the defensive-minded point guard they desire on a roster without that right now, and one would think this is a precursor to a deal that sends Russell Westbrook out. For one, Beverley and Westbrook have a rather long history of not liking each other, but the fact that the Lakers clear an additional roster spot, dropping down to 13 by sending Horton-Tucker and Johnson out and only taking Beverley back, means they can more easily add multiple players for Westbrook (which is necessary given his massive contract).

We’ll see if that’s the long-rumored deal with the Pacers that would bring Buddy Hield and Myles Turner to L.A., or if there’s another Westbrook suitor out there, but this is the first real indication that the Lakers have traction on an offseason plan to reshape the roster beyond minimum signings. Beverley, to his credit, manifested this back in May when he went on ESPN and said the Lakers were his top destination if he weren’t on the Wolves — and claimed his presence alone would’ve gotten L.A. to the playoffs last year.

Back in January of 2021, Mitch McConnell made a huge mistake: He ensured that Donald Trump could run for president a third time, even after Jan. 6, whose blame he put at his feet. Ever since then, Trump has been tearing the House minority leader a new one, early and often. Over the weekend, Trump went after his wife, Elaine Chao, who was even a member of his administration. A few days later, McConnell responded. Sort of.

In one of his increasingly lengthy and unhinged Truth Social posts, Trump began by tearing into McConnell, calling him a “hack politician” who “openly disparage[s] hard working Republican candidates for the United States Senate.” He was referring to McConnell’s worries that all the doofus candidates Trump has supported, including Dr. Oz and Herschel Walker, may wind up costing the GOP a Senate flip. He then accused him of spending more time “helping his crazy wife and family get rich on China!”

Chao was actually a member of Trump’s administration, serving as his Transportation Secretary. She resigned in protest of the Capitol riot, which surely made him hate McConnell all the more.

During a press conference Tuesday, a reporter asked McConnell if he cared to comment, to return fire, to maybe even denounce Trump as not only a potentially jail-bound crook but also a jerk who besmirched his wife’s name. Instead, McConnell simply responded, “No.”

It wasn’t a simple “no.” It was so dripping with contempt you could drizzle it over pancakes. It’s the McConnell seen on the floor of the Senate after the Capitol riot had quelled and lawmakers could finally return to doing their duty, free of the likes of QAnon Shaman and the influencer who though she wouldn’t serve time because she was “white.” (She later served time.) In some ways it said more than McConnell ever could have put into words. In other ways, words would have helped more.

(Via The Hill)

After a rather stunning blowout in Game 2 that saw the Dallas Wings even their first round series with the Connecticut Sun at 1-1, the series shifted to Texas for a winner-take-all Game 3.

Both teams had travel issues on their way to Dallas, requiring charters from the league just to get in town with a day to spare, but with only 14 people able to take those charters each, Connecticut hadn’t practiced at all until shootaround on Wednesday morning due to a lack of personnel and equipment. Early on, it looked like both teams were shaking off some rust, as neither offense could really get much going in what was a low-scoring game throughout.

The Wings would take a four-point advantage after the first quarter, finding success attacking the rim early — but those lanes would soon be closed off.

Connecticut would tie things up at halftime in a low-scoring, 34-34 affair that saw both teams struggling to find a rhythm, although Natisha Hiedeman and Marina Mabrey would provide some rare three-point makes for both teams in the second.

The third quarter saw the Sun start to gain their footing, with the Wings simply not having the size to deal with Dewanna Bonner, Jonquel Jones, Brionna Jones, and Alyssa Thomas on the boards, as those four players piled up 30 combined rebounds, which was more than the entire Wings team had combined. Part of the issue for the Wings inside was losing Isabelle Harrison to an ankle injury after she went down in the second quarter and had to be helped off the floor.

From that point on, the Sun dominated inside on both ends and after a terrific Game 2 off the bench, Teaira McCowan was unable to find that same level of effectiveness for Dallas in Game 3. Bonner led the way with 21 points for the Sun, with Thomas adding 13 points and Jones and Hiedeman providing 11 points each in the win. The Sun weren’t spectacular offensively, shooting just 35.5 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from three, but their defense truly was something to behold, as they forced 18 turnovers and held the Wings to a nearly identical poor shooting night, and pounded the glass with 16 offensive boards to consistently give themselves second-chance opportunities.

Dallas simply could not deal with the length and activity of the Sun’s defense, and even bringing Arike Ogunbowale back briefly off the bench in the third quarter couldn’t stop Connecticut from pulling away. The fourth quarter saw Dallas show some fight and keep things fairly respectable, but they never mounted a true charge. The most interesting part of the quarter was some jawing between Marina Mabrey and DiJonai Carrington that earned them both technical fouls to the delight of Ja Morant, who was seated courtside and was thoroughly enjoying the on-court chatter.

Ultimately, the Sun cruised to a 73-58 win, building some confidence in the process after there were surely some lingering doubts after getting knocked out as the 1-seed a year ago in their first series and finding themselves in a win-or-go home situation again (in a new round one format).

Connecticut will now head to Chicago to face the 2-seeded Sky in a Best of 5 semifinal series for the right to go to the WNBA Finals, where either the Storm or Aces will be waiting. The Sun will need to find their shooting stroke again if they’re to dispatch the defending champs, but they will certainly feel good about where they’re at as a unit on defense coming out of this game.

For Dallas, they head to the offseason with some positive vibes for the first time since the franchise moved to Dallas, as they won their first playoff game in 13 years in Game 2 and finished with their first .500 season since moving from Tulsa. They’ll hope that better health and a few tweaks to the roster can get them back in the playoff hunt next year, with designs on a run beyond the first round.

It is one thing to write a song about someone; it’s another to perform said song with them present in one of the most legendary arenas in the world. Olivia Rodrigo can now lay claim to that honor after joining Billy Joel onstage Wednesday at his Madison Square Garden show to perform her hit “Deja Vu” (as well as Joel’s classic “Uptown Girl”).

It is a surreal moment for Rodrigo, as “Deja Vu” is about how she introduced someone to the extremely, extremely, extremely popular music of Billy Joel. She sings lines like “I’ll bet that she knows Billy Joel ’cause you played her ‘Uptown Girl’” and “Play her piano, but she doesn’t know that I was the one who taught you Billy Joel.” The pop star was clearly elated when she entered the stage, telling him, “Thank you so much for having me, Billy. I’m such a huge fan. And, uh, I kind of wrote this next song about you.”

Rodrigo has had a very big last two years, with her 2021 debut album Sour playing host to three separate hits, namely “Deja Vu,” “Driver’s License,” and “Good 4 U.”

Check out the video of Rodrigo and Joel performing together above.

Euphoria is one of the most extreme major shows on television, and it doesn’t sound like it’s exactly easy to make either. Reports from the set of Season 2 weren’t pretty, with actor Jacob Elordi calling the week they filmed a party scene as like “being in hell.” There was also the fate of Barbie Ferreira’s Kat. A major player in Season 1, her role was mysteriously whittled down for Season 2. There were reports that the actress and creator Sam Levinson came to loggerheads, which she later denied. And now, all of a sudden, she’s revealed she’s gone entirely for Season 3.

“After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye,” Ferreira wrote on her Instagram Stories. “I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and I hope you guys could feel it. Love you Katherine Hernandez.”

The actress did not go into details and HBO has yet to provide a comment. But it’s a sad fate for a character who began the show by worrying about her body image, only to get a plot about terminal illness. At least the show put Ferreira on the map, which she’s already parlayed into roles in the likes of Unpregnant.

(Via Deadline)

AEW’s annual All Out show was set to be the stage for Toni Storm’s second shot against Thunder Rosa and her women’s championship in a showdown between ThunderStorm tag team partners.

But Wednesday night in AEW’s latest injury hit, the champ announced she would not be able to compete on Sunday, September 4, due to injury.

Instead, the top contender in the women’s division, Storm, will face off against Jamie Hayter, Hikaru Shida, and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D in a four-way dance for the AEW interim women’s world championship. Before dropping the belt to Thunder Rosa, Baker and Shida were the two longest-reigning women’s champions in the promotion’s history, at 290 days and 372 days, respectively.

The championship bout has plenty of intrigue now, with Hayter’s relationship as the muscle to Baker, Storm as the hungry challenger and Shida as the wild card.

Thunder Rosa’s exit from the championship match comes following a slew of injuries across the AEW roster, including CM Punk (who dropped the AEW heavyweight title on Wednesday’s Dynamite to Jon Moxley), Bryan Danielson, and Kenny Omega. Punk, Danielson, and Omega have since returned and are expected to be heavily involved in the All Out show in the coming weeks. As of now, it’s not known how long Thunder Rosa will be out injured.

Jon Moxley is now the undisputed AEW world heavyweight champion.

Just minutes into their match, Punk landed a head kick, immediately grabbed at his left foot and the referee called for medical attention. Moxley took advantage, landing heavy elbow strike before putting the champ on his back with his double underhook DDT.

Just five days after winning the AEW world championship over Adam “Hangman” Page at Double or Nothing, Punk was forced to relinquish the belt. After suffering a foot injury in early June, the champ walked away only for Moxley, AEW’s first big surprise acquisition, to step into his place to run the show as the “interim” champion, winning a tournament that culminated at Forbidden Door.

Initially expected to face off at All Out in just a week and a half, Moxley and Punk settled their score on Wednesday night Dynamite, a surprise announcement last week. After the match, Punk was helped to the back by AEW medical staff as Moxley celebrated throughout the crowd. Despite the premier PPV scheduled for a week from Sunday, there’s no current announcement on what to expect for the world championship match following the surprisingly short match that lasted less than three minutes.

Soon after the release of her new album Trauamazine, Megan Thee Stallion’s issues with her label 1501 Certified Entertainment have reared their heads once again. The Houston artist and 1501 CEO, former MLB outfielder Carl Crawford, first went back and forth on social media back in early 2020, when Megan claimed her music was being blocked from release and she wasn’t getting paid. Crawford said she was lying, that she was signed to a generous contract, and that he has been paying upfront for all of her shows with no contribution on her end. However, Crawford isn’t the only opposition Megan is facing in her current lawsuit.

Rap-A-Lot founder J Prince, who allegedly advises Crawford on business dealings according to Megan, shared a lengthy post on Tuesday on Instagram, in which he addressed many of the “Plan B” artist’s claims. “For years we have stood by quietly as MTS and her mgmt at Roc Nation has lied about Carl Crawford and his 1501 label,” he wrote. “The truth is that Carl discovered, developed and fully financed MTS early in her career which led to a life changing distribution agreement for her with 300 Entertainment.”

He also referred to her “generous contract,” where she allegedly earns 40% of the label’s profit, which he deems “substantially more than the customary record royalty that a new artist receives from a record label.” Finally, he countered Megan allegations with some of his own. “In addition MTS has consistently and intentionally breached her 1501 contract with impunity for years in ways that are too numerous to list here.”

Check out J. Prince’s Instagram post above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

It’s not often that a major studio junks an almost completed film that was highly anticipated. In fact, it may have only happened twice, and by the same studio, and at the same time. Earlier this month, it was reported that Warner Bros. Discovery had decided they simply wouldn’t release either Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, as part of some convoluted (and, as per many, ghoulish) attempt at a tax write-off. Perhaps one day the suddenly plagued corporation will have a change of heart. But at least some people have been watching the former.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, a number of sources have claimed to have attended secret “funeral screenings” of Batgirl, which stars In the Heights’ Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham’s Commissioner Gordon, who reinvents herself as the city’s other caped crusader. The screenings took place on the Warner Bros. lot and they included those who worked on the movie, both cast and crew, who wanted to see the fruit of their labors before the footage was hauled off to a vault or, as may happen, it was destroyed.

Indeed, there’s a possibility that Warner Bros. Discovery may do the latter if they seek to convince the IRS that they have no intention of ever profiting off of the shelved movie. Or they may simply hold onto it, release it later, and pay back the tax liability. Whatever the case, not even Batgirl’s directors, Bad Boys for Life’s Adil El Aribi and Bilall Fallah, could get their mitts on the footage when they tried to access it. It’s not great news for the newly merged corporation either, who have no doubt unnerved not only top shelf talent but also their paying customers. Anyway, here’s to more people being able to see Batgirl – and for that matter, the second Scoob! film.

(Via THR)

Shortly after the tragic helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with seven others, graphic photos of the crash began to circulate among L.A. County sheriffs and firefighters from the scene.

Those photos became the focus of a lawsuit brought by Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, who lost his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Payton, in the crash, alleging emotional distress caused by the photos. On Wednesday night, a jury issued its verdict in the lawsuit, awarding Bryant $16 million and Chester $15 million for invasion of privacy and emotional distress, bringing an end to the two-year long case.

“We’re not here because of an accident,” Bryant’s attorney Craig Lavoie told jurors during his closing arguments Tuesday, on what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 44th birthday, via the LA Times. “We’re here because of intentional conduct. Intentional conduct by those who were charged with protecting the dignity of Sarah and Payton, and Kobe and Gianna.”

Bryant’s testimony noted that her lasting fear is the photos getting out in public as the LA County investigation into the pictures was inconclusive regarding whether they still exist, as most of the officers and firefighters on the scene have gotten new phones and no longer have them on their devices, but they couldn’t be certain they weren’t still out there somewhere.

“I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up,” she testified, via the AP. “I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”

The verdict comes down a day after what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 44th birthday, and hopefully brings at least a bit of closure for both Bryant and Chester as they can move forward from the legal battle stemming from that tragic day.