Month: October 2023

It would probably be a college student’s worst nightmare to have his dad crash a frat party. Unless of course that dad is Will Ferrell.

Over the weekend, Ferrell was seen behind the DJ booth at a Sigma Alpha Mu party for his alma mater, the University of Southern California—the same college his son Magnus attends—channeling his popular role of Frank the Tank from “Old School.” Minus the streaking.

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Videos show the comedy actor in full DJ garb (black tracksuit, backwards baseball cap, shades, giant headphones) as he blasts songs like “Eye of the Tiger” and Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “Watch the Throne” hit “N—-s in Paris” to the crowd.

@lupetwins8803 #uscfamilyweekend @@WillFerrellOfficial #uscfootball ♬ original sound – Lupitatwins

Though the younger audience didn’t seem to recognize the songs (yes, really) Ferrell still got their heads bobbing along to the beat.

This is not the first time Ferrell has revisited his former college. Back in 2017, the “SNL” star went viral for his zinger-filled commencement speech to USC’s class of 2017, which also, unsurprisingly, included some signing as well.

But Ferrell isn’t the only musically inclined person in his family. That’s a trait clearly passed down to his son Magnus, who announced on his Instagram page that he’ll be releasing some new tracks on Oct 15.

@lupetwins8803 #usc#uscparentsweekend ❤️💛❤️💛 #fighton✌️ ♬ original sound – Lupitatwins

And perhaps the sweetest part of this viral moment is seeing how close Ferrel is to his son, something the father has previously labeled a parental priority. Back in 2008 for an interview with PEOPLE, he advised that moms and dads talk to their children “at least once a week,” adding “If you’ve got time, do it two or three times a week, but otherwise, I find the times where I let weeks and weeks go by without talking to my children, that adds up.”

There you have it folks—Will Ferrell, great music and awesome parenting…all rolled into one fun story.

Mischa is a mixed-breed dog discovered in a forest in Romania with her two siblings in March 2021. It’s believed she was just a month old when she was rescued. “They [Mischa and her siblings] were terrified of humans. If they hadn’t of been rescued, they all would of died from cold and hunger in the forest,” Paula Biddle, a volunteer at Noah’s Ark Dog Rescue in East Anglia, England, told Newsweek.

Even though Mischa’s and her siblings were fostered, she was returned to the kennel after she was sent to “didn’t work out with the resident dog.”

After spending just about all her life in kennels, the rescuers felt they were running out of time with Mischa because of her deteriorating mental state. As time passed, Misha “got more scared and started to shut down; she wouldn’t come near us at the kennels so we had to do something,” Biddle said.

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​But on October 1, over two and a half years since being moved to a kennel, Mischa was fostered by Trish Edwards, who saw her story on the Noah’s Ark Dog Rescue’s TikTok page.

The video of her first moments outside the kennel shows how Mischa’s attitude completely changed once she was in a comfortable home environment. “We were all amazed at how different she was,” Biddle said.

@noahsarkdogrescue

Remember the video of terrified Mischa? Well she has gone into foster and the difference by the afternoon was amazing. We can’t thank the family enough fir giving Mischa a chance of a happy life. #dogrescue #thisisrescue #adoptdontshop🐾 #rescuedogsoftiktok #noahsarkdogrescue #dogadoption #kennellife #dogfoster #terrifieddog

The video shows what can happen to dogs when they are fostered or find a forever home. “What a beautiful and lovely dog. Terrified to the bone, but still no aggression. Hope she has found her forever home,” Jewelry by Jorika wrote on the post. “All they need is a chance and a bit of love and patience,” JohnnyMoore128 added.

If you’re interested in helping a dog like Mischa, learn more about becoming a dog or cat foster from the ASPCA.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is the highest-grossing concert film of all-time, and it’s not even out yet. The movie, which was shot over three nights of Swift’s Ticketmaster-breaking tour, has already earned over $100 million in advance ticket sales globally, surpassing the total theatrical run of previous record-holder, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never ($99 million).

Swift made the unusual (and profitable) decision to bypass the studios and sign a distribution deal for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour directly with AMC. She bet on herself, and it’s going to pay off. Literally. Variety reports that “Swift’s camp will receive roughly 57 percent of ticket sales, with theaters keeping the remaining revenues and AMC taking a small distribution fee.”

Based on the Eras Tour movie’s massive pre-sales, Swift’s camp will receive at least $60 million, a sum that should climb even higher beyond opening weekend. That’s to say nothing of home entertainment. After its theatrical run, Swift can carve out a separate deal there — and may even choose to self-distribute again, partnering with a company like Apple to release the movie on iTunes.

There’s only so far new money goes — but $60 million, on top of the countless millions she earned from the tour itself, is a good place to start.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour premieres in over 8,500 movie theaters across 100 countries on October 13th. It’s rated PG-13 for seductive dancing with a chair.

(Variety)

For the first time since the 2011-12 NBA season, the Portland Trail Blazers are going into the year without the services of Damian Lillard. We’ll make this quick as you know the story here, but Lillard is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks on the heels of a tense offseason where he requested a trade to the Miami Heat.

Now, Portland has to prepare for life without arguably the greatest player in franchise history, which is a difficult spot for a lot of teams, because it requires a full-scale rebuild after years of going all-in on getting the best out of that specific player. But while the Blazers probably won’t win a ton of games — someone in the Western Conference has to have a bad record — there’s talent on this team and there’s plenty of draft capital that can help them as they put together their roster going forward. Even if a postseason berth of any kind this year is a bit optimistic, this year has the potential to be a fun one in the Pacific Northwest.

Biggest Question: How Does Scoot Henderson’s Rookie Year Go?

We’ll never know everything that went on this offseason, but one thing we do know is that Lillard wanted Portland to turn the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft into immediate help. The team decided to not do that, and instead used the pick on Scoot Henderson, the dynamic guard from the G League Ignite who has been pegged as a potential All-Star for years.

Putting major expectations on Henderson right away is not fair. He is, at the end of the day, a teenager who is about to make the jump to the most difficult professional basketball league in the world. But for everything that Portland got (and will continue to get) in the Lillard trade — whether that be the one that sent Lillard our or the subsequent ones involving players they acquired for him — the most important piece of the puzzle is his successor, who will now get the opportunity to spread his wings and fly from the jump.

There’s a solid core around Henderson, and those players should help take some of the pressure off of him as he finds his way in the league. That might take a while, because being a rookie point guard is just not easy. But between his natural ability and the way he’s wired, it makes sense to want to bet on Henderson in the long-term — remember, while the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was never in doubt, there was a school of thought that Henderson would have gone first overall in plenty of prior Drafts, as he’s the sort of guard prospect worth building your team around. This year is a chance for him to lay down a floor, and even though there are going to be obvious growing pains, the flashes he’ll probably show are what the Blazers are banking on.

X-Factor: Shaedon Sharpe Taking Another Step

Sharpe’s unusual path to the NBA has been well-documented. There’s a chance he could have been in the conversation to go No. 1 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft if he played in college, but instead, he went through his only season at Kentucky without playing a single game. And while he was not perfect during his first year in the league by any stretch of the imagination, Sharpe’s flashes as a potential game-changing talent on the wing with rare athleticism were quite promising.

It’s worth noting that the Blazers’ priorities … we’ll say evolved as the year went on — they played 24 games after the All-Star break, won five of them, and Lillard was shut down for the final 10 games of the year. Sharpe’s play was a bright spot over this stretch, as he shouldered a bigger load down the stretch and responded well. Those final 10 games without Lillard were especially promising for Sharpe, as he played in nine of them and averaged 23.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 35.5 minutes a night while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 36 percent from three.

He’s similar to Henderson in that the infrastructure around him is going to be important, because even though he has a year of NBA experience under his belt, the amount of responsibility that is going to be on his shoulders is increasing. The reps he gets this year are going to be gigantic for the long-term outlook of the Blazers. If he makes the most of them, Portland’s post-Lillard rebuild is going to look even more exciting.

In our efforts to find the best fall craft cocktails, we’ve dug deep into dens of iniquity and hallowed archives. Pumpkin spice flips, apple brandy sours, sips dark and spicy, and so many more cocktails that simply ooze fall vibes. But I think I’ve finally cracked the code and found the absolute quintessential October cocktail. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, being that I’ve been looking for these drinks down various historical rabbit holes, but this wondrous drink is called…

The Applejack Rabbit.

Have you heard of it before? Seen someone order it? Had a bartender regale you with its history? If not, allow me.

The Applejack Rabbit dates back to the dark days of Prohibition and highlights apple brandy (a recurring theme for me this fall). Moreover, it just plain slaps. It’s one of those cocktails that you take a sip of and your eyes widen for a moment and then widen again on the finish. Yes, it’s that good.

Intrigued? Let’s dive in and get shaking one up!

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Applejack Rabbit

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. apple brandy
• 0.75 oz. fresh orange juice
• 0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 0.5 oz. maple syrup
• Ice
• Lemon peel

Back in the day, Applejack and apple brandy were pretty much interchangeable terms, depending on whatever part of the country you were in. So don’t feel tied to buying and using something with “applejack” on the label. Always use the best spirits to make the best cocktails. In this case, you can’t go wrong with the highly awarded Starlight Distillery Bottled-in-Bond 11-Year-Old Apple Brandy from Indiana. It’s a great sipper on its own and it shines brightly in this cocktail, with a deep and fresh apple orchard vibe with a nice layer of wood spices that really pop.

As for the rest of the ingredients, you can get them anywhere. But make sure to get real-deal maple syrup. That component is crucial to giving a buttery depth to the finish of this drink.

What You’ll Need:

• Coupe, Nick and Nora, or cocktail glass (prechilled)
• Cocktail Shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Hand juicer
• Paring knife
• Fine mesh strainer
• Jigger

Method:

• Add the apple brandy, orange juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, and a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker. Affix the lid and shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds (until the shaker is ice-cold to touch).
• Fetch the glass from the freezer and strain the cocktail into the glass. Express the lemon oils from the lemon peel over the cocktail, run the peel around the rim and stem, and then discard the peel. Serve.

Bottom Line:

This is light and citrusy on the front of the palate and then veers into a fresh and crisp apple bite that’s absolutely layered with fall spices. It’s almost airy but then goes deep on the finish toward a caramelized and buttery note that just works wonders with the spiced crisp apple vibe that came before it.

You immediately want to go back for another sip of this one. Then another. That finish just takes this cocktail to a whole new level and really draws out the entire experience. This is like a walk through an apple orchard on a crisp fall day followed up by freshly baked cinnamon rolls just kissed with orange oils and then brightened with lemon oils. It’s brilliant.

Master this easy shaker and you’ll cruise straight through October.

An institution in the world of sports is hanging up his skates. On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN announced that longtime hockey analyst Barry Melrose, who turned 67 earlier this year, would leave the network after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. One of his colleagues at the network, John Buccigross, posted the news to his Twitter account, along with a video that highlighted Melrose’s one-of-a-kind personality and his love for the sport.

After a professional career that spanned more than a decade and included NHL stints with the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings, Melrose moved into the coaching ranks, where he spent time with both the Los Angeles Kings and, for a brief spell in 2008, the Tampa Bay Lightning. During his first year at the helm of the Kings in 1992-93, Melrose helped the team make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, where Los Angeles would ultimately fall in five games to the Montreal Canadiens.

He’s perhaps most well-known for his tenure as an analyst with the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Melrose joined ESPN in 1996 and has been a mainstay in the network’s coverage of the sport for decades. The news of Melrose’s departure from the network comes on the day that the NHL will drop the puck on the 2023-24 regular season.

Earlier today (October 10), Christina Aguilera announced that she’s coming back to Las Vegas with a brand new residency. The show will be held at The Venetian’s Voltaire Belle De Nuit, and sooner than fans might have thought.

Aguilera’s residency will open on New Year’s Eve, with the first two dates being December 30 and 31. More dates are set to be announced later this week. For those looking to buy tickets to the opening dates, they will be available for purchase this Friday, October 13.

While not much information is known, Voltaire’s website states that there will also be VIP Packages for the shows. Right now, fans can sign up for the venue’s mailing list for an “exclusive first look” at future residency dates.

“I look forward to bringing Las Vegas a new show that fuses music, sophistication, and art in ways I have never performed before,” Aguilera shared about her new residency in a statement. “What I love about the intimacy at Voltaire at The Venetian Resort is how up-close-and-personal I can be with the audience… a truly modern twist on the performance experience.”

Tickets to Aguilera’s new residency will be sold through Ticketmaster. More information can be found on Voltaire’s official website here.

We’ve all been subjected to a Lifetime movie or two over the years. Maybe while staying home sick from high school, or hanging out with your grandma, or even in your own downtime when you wanted to subject yourself to some modern American horrors. And now the network has made it to a monumental 500 (!!!!) original Lifetime movies, so the next one is going to be an entire event.

Murdaugh Murders: The Movie is Lifetime’s take on the real-life story of Alex Murdaugh (played by Bill Pullman), who was found guilty in the double homicide of his wife and son in this twisty true crime case. Murdaugh recently faced a total of 102 grand jury criminal charges and is currently incarcerated for two consecutive life sentences.

The Lifetime effort should not be confused with Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal from earlier this year or HBO’s The Murdaugh Dynasty. There is clearly a lot to tell about this family.

The special premieres on Saturday, October 14th at 8 pm on Lifetime, and part two will then premiere on Sunday, October 15th. The special will head to streaming the next day in the Lifetime app, so you might need to reach out to your cool aunt now and ask for her password so you can catch up on some more Lifetime originals. All 500 of them.

Since pulling out of his guest-starring appearance on Lil Baby’s It’s Only Us Tour, “Where Does Spirits Go” musician The Kid Laroi has kept a mysteriously low profile. Last month, Laroi took to his official Instagram page to explain his hiatus while announcing his next full-length album, The First Time.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a bit silent. Been going through a lot recently. I’m good, but I’ve just needed space to focus on processing my feelings & work,” wrote the entertainer. Today (October 10), Laroi revealed his plans to go global on his next single off the forthcoming project. The track titled “Too Much” will feature guest verses from international music stars Jung Kook and Central Cee.

In a teaser clip uploaded to his official Instagram page. The video ends with the release date and time for each recording artist’s respective time zones. For Laroi, that’s Sydney, Australia. Central Cee is a proud London, England native. While BTS’ Jung Kook hails from Busan, South Korea.

“Too Much” is slated to hit streaming platforms on October 20. In addition to the song’s release, Laroi has unveiled that fans will have the opportunity to purchase physical CDs with alternating covers of the record as well as other clothing items. Find more information here. Fans of Laroi should expect his next album sometime next month.

It’s been five months since season five of All-American came to a close. In a normal year, we’d be close to enjoying the show’s sixth season, but things are a bit different now. All-American was renewed for season six at the top of 2023, but the new season will not be the jam-packed 20-episode package that we’ve come to expect from the series over the past few years. A shake-up at CW, where All-American episodes air, caused a reduction in season six episodes which took it from 20 episodes to just, but when will those new episodes come out?

When Does All-American Season 6 Come Out?

In a new update from The Hollywood Reporter, CW is eyeing April 2024 for the premiere of All-American season six. It comes after production for the new season was paused due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes which is also why CW pushed back the season premieres of All-American, as well as All-American: Homecoming, back to 2024. Now that the WGA strike is over, script work for both shows can resume.

The new season of All-American will reportedly premiere in April 2024 and run through the summer which follows a similar schedule that CW put into use after the pandemic delayed multiple shows on the network.

‘All American’ season 5 is now available to stream on Netflix.