Month: November 2023

The connection between TikTok and music has always been strong, from the Musical.ly merger in 2017 to the platform being used as a music promotion tool today. Now, TikTok has made it easier for fans to keep track of songs they hear on TikTok outside of the app: As TechChrunch notes, the platform has launched a new feature that allows users to save songs from TikTok videos to their accounts on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

The feature, dubbed “Add To Music App,” was introduced in a TikTok press release shared today (November 14). It notes in part:

“The feature will appear as a button that says Add Song next to a track name at the bottom of a TikTok video in the For You Feed, inviting users to save the song to the music streaming service of their choice. The first time a user presses the Add Song button, they can choose to save it to their preferred music streaming service.

The track will then be saved to a default playlist in the preferred music streaming service, but users can also choose to add the track to a new playlist or an existing playlist that they have created. Following the first use of the Add to Music App feature, the music app selected will then become the default music streaming service for future track saves, although users can select to change the default music streaming service at any time under settings. Users can also use the Add to Music App feature from an artist’s Sound Detail Page.”

Add To Music App is being rolled out to users in the US and UK, while users in other areas are set to get the feature later on. Learn more about Add To Music App here.

Much to the joy of fans, Foo Fighters officially announced that they will be dropping a double A-side single of their song, “The Glass,” including a reinterpretation of the track performed by HER.

The track will be available to stream starting this Friday. There is also a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl that is currently up for pre-order. This will be released on December 29.

While the two performed the song together during the band’s previous Saturday Night Live appearance, Grohl delivered the lead vocals while she first popped in as the backing vocals in the chorus. From there, she carried the second verse on her own, giving fans a glimpse of what she’ll sound like delivering the heartbreaking lyrics in the full upcoming song.

HER will appear solo on this release, delivering new vocals and guitar instrumentation that is meant to transform the original’s “sonic and emotional dimensions,” per a release.

“The Glass” previously appeared as part of Foo Fighters’ recent album, But Here We Are, which dropped back in June. It marked the band’s first record without their late drummer, Taylor Hawkins.

Check out the Foo Fighters’ SNL performance, featuring HER, above.

Foo Fighters and HER’s “The Glass” is out 11/17 via Roswell Records/RCA Records. Find more information here.

The start to the 2023-24 NBA season has gone about as poorly as it could for the Chicago Bulls. After once again deciding that running it back was a better path forward than trying to rebuilt, Chicago has gotten off to a 4-7 start to the regular season, are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture at this early point in the year, and just have this malaise around them that makes it seem like there isn’t any real reason for optimism.

Considering that Chicago is, essentially, built around three veteran players in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and the recently-extended Nikola Vucevic, that’s not exactly a great place to be. But according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Bulls might be moving towards trying to break that core up, as he brings word that both the team and LaVine are more and more open to the idea of pulling off a trade.

NBA teams are probing the availability of two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine and there’s been increased openness from the organization and player about exploring a trade, league sources said.

Charania noted that NBA teams have executives in Chicago for the Champions Classic, a college basketball event that features four of the highest-profile teams in the country (Michigan State, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky). It’s obviously not a guarantee that this leads to a LaVine trade, but it’s an opportunity for the Bulls to gauge what they could potentially get back if he hit the trade market.

LaVine is in the second year of a 5-year, $215 million extension that features a player option ahead of the 2026-27 season. The 28-year-old guard has struggled to start the year, as he’s averaging 21.9 points per game on 40.9 percent shooting from the field and 30.9 percent from three.

Before seeing Todd Haynes‘ new film, May December, all I knew about the film was the title and the poster – and from that just assumed it was about a relationship between Natalie Portman’s character and Julianne Moore’s character. Nope, that is not the plot at all. Portman plays an actress named Elizabeth Berry who will be staying with a family near Savannah, Georgia. Julianne Moore plays Gracie Atherton-Yoo, married to Joe Yoo (Charles Melton), who are a little more than loosely based on Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau. Elizabeth is going to be portraying Gracie in an upcoming film and wants to know everything there is to know about this relationship, now and then. As you might expect with a Todd Haynes film, the movie goes to some pretty twisted places as Elizabeth conducts her “research.”

May December is certainly the funniest movie Haynes has made in a while, after the serene Carol, the sweet and sentimental Wonderstruck, and his dive into paranoid thrillers with Dark Waters. It’s interesting to hear Haynes talk about his own movies like he didn’t even direct them. There’s something appealing about listening to a filmmaker kind of rediscover his earlier work. Or talk about how he was really into rewatching I’m Not There and considers it his best movie.

I met Haynes at Netflix’s offices in Manhattan. When I walked out he commented on a Three’s Company shirt I was wearing, which led to a lot more Three’s Company discussion than I had anticipated during this interview.

Todd Haynes: I thought this was just a hangout, not an interview…

Yes, this is a hangout.

Okay, good.

We can talk about anything you want. You mentioned Three’s Company a second ago…

I saw Three’s Company once and… well, we shouldn’t do that…

No, we can do that.

We don’t have enough time.

We have enough time.

I saw it live. I saw it on television where John Ritter’s wearing a super tiny, of course, athletic little shorts, right? And he’s sitting on a couch probably next to the two of the women, and his dick falls out.

Oh, I’ve seen that. John Ritter discussed it on Conan.

But I watched it when it aired and no one singled it out. I watched it happening with no context, and I was like, what the fuck?

Have you ever thought what are Mr. Roper’s politics?

I mean, I wasn’t a regular watcher of the show, so I’m not going to be able to answer.

Well, Jack pretends he’s a gay man to live with the two women.

Oh right, yeah.

Mr. Roper is adamant there’s no way a straight guy can live with two women in his building. But he was fine with a gay man living there. But he’s presented as a curmudgeon.

Oh, he’s the landlord, okay. Yeah. Well … it’s the late ’70s.

Before seeing May December I had no idea it was loosely about Mary Kay Letourneau.

Were you a follower of that?

Well, it was impossible not to be.

I know. I mean, I wasn’t that closely following it, although you could not not.

I did notice there’s an age cutoff of people who have no idea that happened or she existed. After the premiere, a lot of people in their 20s had no idea your movie was based in reality.

I’m not surprised. But I mean, do they think it hasn’t happened since? Or do they think that there wasn’t a specific story at that time? Because it’s not like it hasn’t continued to happen.

But they stayed together…

What do you mean?

I think that’s the difference between some of the other examples and makes this unique.

No, no, no, exactly. They stayed together for their entire lives, built a family, and raised kids.

Was this tough to get made? Do you have to get permission from anyone?

Not for that. Not for any reasons about her possession of the story or Vili Fualaau’s permission.

Obviously, because it’s not technically the same person.

And it’s a fictional version of this with enough differences. And I mean, there were a couple places where in the research, unbelievable stuff of interviews with Vili and and Mary Kay Letourneau that made me want to add some stuff.

Oh, like what?

Should I say?

Yes, you can say.

I guess I can say. In the final scene between Julianne Moore and Charles in the bedroom where she basically was, “Who was in charge? Who was the boss?”

So that’s real?

Oh my God. The source of that is bonkers.

Is this one of the more interesting research projects you had to do for a movie? I know you’ve made documentaries. I know you’ve done a lot of research on a lot of things, but this goes some twisted places.

It does go to some very twisted places. I mean, this all happened so fast. And all of a sudden it was like, oh shit. What does Natalie and Julie’s year look like? And we found a little sliver of time in the fall last year, and we jumped on it. So we got right into it, and we didn’t know it was going to be Savannah. And it was also like, we were resetting it. I mean, Mary Kay Letourneau was in Washington state. This was originally scripted for Camden, Maine. So everything kind of changed as it became real. And all the real participants joined in, and all of a sudden all the components and all those elements informed what the film ultimately became in an incredibly stimulating and exciting way. In a way that I think served the film in the end, but was incredibly fun while we were doing it.

Your last narrative feature was Dark Waters, a movie I liked but I had to keep reminding myself you directed it. Does that make sense?

But I don’t think May December is like any of my other movies.

Well, no, but there’s a point of view that’s very much you in this.

I guess. I mean, I didn’t write this movie. Dark Waters was basically a script that came to me and I decided I needed to bring a writer in. And we went to Cincinnati and we met all the real people, and we started from scratch, and we built the whole film from scratch. But no, that film owes everything to the real story, the paranoia stuff. The paranoia cinema of the ’70s, which I am a completely obsessed lover of.

Like Pakula?

Yeah! And that’s what inspired the look and feel of that movie. But it was fortified and supported by the real story.

Klute.

All The President’s Men, The Parallax View. They’re just the true claustrophobia of paranoia.

Well see, that’s the thing, I’ve never thought of you as making a paranoia movie. That was very different for you.

It is.

And this one goes back to relationships.

And a female subject.

Most of your movies deal with relationships.

And all that stuff. Yeah. I mean, I think that I loved that experience of making Dark Waters. It was also the closest I’ve ever come to what Natalie Portman’s character actually does in this movie, which we were surrounded by the real people in Cincinnati making Dark Waters. And Rob Bilott was there. I mean, to a degree, at first Mark Ruffalo was like, “I want Rob on set every day.” And, at first, I was like, “I’m not so sure about that.” And then I couldn’t let go of having Rob on set every day because he was sensitive and sweet, but also smart and informative and remembered every fucking thing about the entire history. And so I became addicted to having the real guy who we’re making the movie about right in the next room next to us. It was a great experience.

So you felt like a journalist? Getting the story right and you liked that?

But what I loved is that crazy claustrophobic isolation. The loneliness of people who are onto massive corporate busting stories like that – that challenge power; systems of power and what it does to you. How it fucks you up and how lonely you get and how isolated you get and how scared you get. I mean, it’s true for All The President’s Men, it’s a real true story. But you feel it. You feel it in The Parallax View, and those are fictions. But this was the true story. It was all there.

So yesterday I went back and I re-watched Velvet Goldmine. Do you think about the kind of movies you made then versus now? You have this arc to your movies over your career, but when you go that far back from now it’s a little jarring the difference in style.

Yeah. I mean, what’s funny is I had this respective at Pompidou in May before Cannes with May December. And so I re-watched the movies that I hadn’t seen in years, and also the ones that I would be talking about. I mean, I talked about a bunch of them, but not all of them. But Cate Blanchett came and was there for two days. We did Carol and we did I’m Not There. And then Kate Winslet came. And so I had amazing guests and partners coming and so I watched movies of mine that I hadn’t seen. Velvet Goldmine, I’d seen not that long ago, because they did a restored version at Tribeca Film Festival recently.

But literally a week later, I watched the new DCP of Velvet Goldmine. But then they showed a print of it at the Hollywood Theater in Portland. I only came for the last half hour because I was doing a Q and A afterward, and I was like, fucking shit. The print is so fucking gorgeous. And it sounded better than the DCP. It was so superior in every conceivable way. I’m Not There was the one that kind of… I think it’s my favorite film of mine.

Oh, that’s interesting.

Yeah, I was into it. I was so into it.

Watching Velvet Goldmine, I kept thinking you don’t get enough credit for casting. Everyone in that movie became famous. Even Wonderstruck, with Millicent Simmonds, she has her own franchise now.

What franchise?

A Quiet Place.

Oh, A Quiet Place. Oh yeah, of course that. No, no. It’s amazing. I know. Oh, Millicent.

You’re the one who introduced us to her.

No, look, I am super proud of all of that. And I owe so much of that also to Laura Rosenthal, my casting director. And she and I go on these adventures and find these people and find unknown actors like Millicent and Millie and Charles. Finding Charles Melton, I didn’t know his work. I didn’t see him on Riverdale. He auditioned for us. But I was like, what the fuck? This guy. It completely changed who I thought Joe was. It deepened. It clarified. It made him human.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Movies, now more than ever! There was a lot of conversation over the weekend about how The Marvels underperformed at the box office, at least compared to other Marvel movies. But don’t let the fragile state of the MCU distract you from what we should be talking about: the number of good movies in theaters (and in one case, theaters and on streaming). Here are five worth checking out.

The Killer

David Fincher’s first film for Netflix was a biopic of Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. His second film for Netflix is a biopic about another Hollywood legend: himself. Sort of.

The Killer follows a detail-oriented assassin (played by Michal Fassbender) who has the worst possible thing happen to him: he loses control. Fincher has a (possibly overstated) reputation of being an obsessive filmmaker; he once did an estimated 200 takes for a single scene in Mank. In The Killer, he channels his own stick-to-the-plan tics into Fassbender’s unnamed hitman.

But Fincher is also self-aware enough to poke fun at his lead character, and by proxy, himself. The Killer is bleak, yes, and it has one of the gnarliest pummeling fight sequences you’ll see all year, but it’s also darkly funny. The only reason it’s not in the top-three of my personal Fincher rankings is because Zodiac, The Social Network, and Gone Girl are masterpieces. The Killer doesn’t quite get there, but it’s a solid number four.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Yes, it’s almost three and a half hours. Yes, there’s no intermission. Yes, you will probably have to pee. Blah blah blah. But should you miss Killers of the Flower Moon? Absolutely not. No living American filmmaker is a finer chronicler of masculinity than Francesca Scorsese’s dad, and Killers belongs among Goodfellas, The Irishman, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Yet, like Sharon Stone in Casino before her, it’s the one woman on the poster, the Oscar-worthy Lily Gladstone, who steals the show (er, movie) from her male co-stars.

Anatomy of a Fall

Anatomy of a Fall took home the Palme d’Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Previous winners include The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Pulp Fiction, and Parasite. Not too shabby. But did those films, or previous Palme d’Or champions Dancer in the Dark or All That Jazz, also win the Palm Dog Award, which celebrates “dog performances on the big screen”? Because Anatomy of a Fall did. Take THAT, Lars Von Trier. Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall not only features an all-time great dog (and a brilliant human performance from Sandra Hüller), it’s also a thoughtful, riveting French legal drama about the way an accident — or was it a crime? — can expose the ugliest parts of ourselves to the public. You’ll never hear 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” the same way again.

Priscilla

I have to admit that I haven’t found the time to see Priscilla yet, but the reviews for the film, especially actress Cailee Spaeny‘s lead performance as Priscilla Presley, are very good, and director Sofia Coppola has yet to make a bad movie. Even her “worst” film, 2020’s pandemic-released On the Rocks, has its moments. Plus, if it wasn’t for Priscilla, we would have never learned that tall king (of rock ‘n’ roll) Jacob Elordi learned about Elvis Presley from Lilo and Stitch. That alone makes it worth a watch.

The Holdovers

You know what the world needs more of? Movies to watch on cable on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The Holdovers fills that void. Working with Paul Giamatti for the first time since Sideways, Alexander Payne’s boarding-school throwback is about a curmudgeonly teacher (Giamatti, naturally) who looks after the students (including newcomer Dominic Sessa) who have nowhere to go during the holidays. The Holdovers is a bittersweet comedy that won’t surprise you (spoiler: it’s the student who teaches the educator a lesson), but it’s a prickly delight nonetheless. If you’re looking for something to watch with the family during Thanksgiving break or the holidays, make it The Holdovers.

The Philadelphia 76ers dropped a heartbreaker on the road in the opening game of the season to the Milwaukee Bucks and have not lost since.

At 8-1, they hold the NBA’s best record and have the most dominant tandem of the early season in Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, who combined are averaging 61 points, 17.1 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 3.1 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game. Embiid’s performance comes as little surprise, as he’s picked up where he left off from an MVP campaign a year ago. Maxey, however, has taken a leap into superstardom while taking on an entirely new role as the leading man in the Sixers backcourt with the departure of James Harden.

The biggest concern for the Sixers with Harden’s departure was how the offense would run without him pulling the strings at point guard. There wasn’t an obvious answer on the roster to replace his playmaking, but they’ve managed to do that by way of Maxey’s improvement and a new scheme. Maxey’s uptick in scoring hasn’t come as a huge surprise, as he’s always shown an ability to get buckets, but the way he’s orchestrating the offense and keeping the Sixers flowing has been wildly impressive. Rarely does a young offensive player with his scoring ability also possess the understanding of how to keep the rest of the team involved and strike a balance between being aggressive looking for one’s own shot while also knowing when to move it along.

A change in offensive approach under Nick Nurse has also helped open things up as the Sixers have gone away from a pick-and-roll heavy offense to more motion, which helps keep the creative burden from landing solely on Maxey’s shoulders. While Embiid isn’t an elite passing big man, they leverage the attention he commands by using him more in handoff actions to create space for shooters. With more flow and a quicker pace, the Sixers are also able to attack defenses that are in rotation and not set, which allows Embiid to get more one-on-one opportunities without facing a wall of defenders between he and the rim.

While the Clippers struggle to adjust to the James Harden system in L.A., the Sixers are thriving without him. Maxey is the biggest reason for that, but so is an offensive approach that has picked up the pace (14th at 100.0 compared to 26th at 96.7 a year ago) and better leverages the skills of the full roster rather than just highlighting a two-man game between the stars.

Where do the Sixers land in this week’s DIME Power Rankings? Let’s find out…

1. Minnesota Timberwolves (7-2, Last week: 1)

The Wolves just keep winning and keep looking impressive. Anthony Edwards is a superstar, Karl-Anthony Towns is starting to wake up, and the defense is the best in the league. A 6-game winning streak will keep them in the top spot, and they just seem to be building confidence with every W.

2. Philadelphia 76ers (8-1, Last week: 4)

I wouldn’t argue with the Sixers in the top spot, as an 8-game winning streak is as good as it gets and Maxey and Embiid are the NBA’s best tandem right now. They’ve got some big games this week and we’ll see if they can keep it rolling.

3. Boston Celtics (8-2, Last week: 3)

Boston’s only loss this week came in a tight one against the Sixers and otherwise they are bludgeoning teams. Their defense has been terrific and the offense is absolutely rolling right now, with Jayson Tatum operating on an unbelievably high level. If he keeps this pace up, he’ll be firmly in the MVP race.

4. Denver Nuggets (8-2, Last week: 2)

It was a light week for Denver, as they split a pair of 3-point games against Golden State and Houston, but they’re going to face some challenges with Jamal Murray sidelined with a hammy. The bench unit was already thin and the burden shifts even further to Nikola Jokic, with Michael Porter Jr. stepping into the spotlight a bit more as well. Still, they’re in it every night thanks to the two-time MVP and if they can tread water for a few weeks til Murray gets back, they’ll be just fine.

5. Dallas Mavericks (8-2, Last week: 5)

Speaking of MVP candidates, Luka Doncic is off to a blistering start to the season averaging 32.6/8.6/8.5 on crazy efficiency and the Mavs offense is just about unstoppable. The defense can be a bit leaky, but they are just decent enough on that end to put the pressure on opponents to try and keep up in shootouts. So far, not many have proven capable.

6. Houston Rockets (6-3, Last week: 11)

Break up the Rockets! They’ve won six straight and look legitimately terrific. They most recently took down Denver in a tight one and they’re showing some very impressive poise in late game situations. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are off to great starts as veteran leaders, while Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green have taken steps forward, as the Rockets are starting to turn potential into actual results.

7. Miami Heat (6-4, Last week: 15)

The Heat are on a nice winning streak themselves thanks to one of the best stretches of play of Bam Adebayo’s career. He has become a more consistent presence on the offensive end to start this season, while still providing Miami with elite defense. That’s allowed them to keep winning even with Tyler Herro sidelined with an ankle injury, with some help from Jimmy Butler starting to find his rhythm as well.

8. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-4, Last week: 8)

The young Thunder are impressively competitive, with three of their four losses coming by single digits. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to play spectacularly, Jalen Williams has taken steps forward, and Chet Holmgren has been an immediate positive impact player on both ends in his first 10 games as a pro. They are solid on both ends of the floor and certainly look the part of a team that will be a factor in the West playoff race all the way through the end of the season.

9. Indiana Pacers (6-4, Last week: 12)

The Pacers keep picking up wins behind a lethal offensive attack. The defense is an adventure and every game is a shootout, but they have the best offense in the league and can get away with it most nights. Tyrese Haliburton has become one of the best facilitators in the league and continues to shoot it at a high rate, as he trends towards another All-Star nod in the East.

10. Sacramento Kings (5-4, Last week: 28)

The Kings bounced back from their losing streak in a big way this week by winning all three of their games to leap back up the rankings. De’Aaron Fox’s return in a win over the Cavs was a welcome sight and if they can just crack the lid on the basket from three (33.4 percent on the year as a team), they will be a threat again in the West playoff race.

11. Milwaukee Bucks (6-4, Last week: 7)

There’s just nothing easy for the Bucks right now. It’s a credit to their talent level that they keep gutting out wins despite playing as sloppily as they have, but it’s also a bit concerning how hard everything looks for them. The defense has gotten better since going back to drop coverage with Brook Lopez but still has issues, and offensively they’re not bad but it just looks far more difficult for them to consistently create good looks than it should for a team with Dame and Giannis.

12. Atlanta Hawks (5-4, Last week: 9)

The Hawks split their two games this week against division foes and as such mostly hold pat in the rankings. The good news is Trae Young is starting to shake free of his early season rut, but the defense has some holes that need to be shored up. The next task for Atlanta is to figure out how to be more consistent, because the highs are high, but the lows are unfortunately too low.

13. Orlando Magic (5-4, Last week: 13)

The Magic will feel like they let one slip away with a loss to the Hawks in Mexico City, but they bounced back impressively to thump the Bucks back in Orlando. Their defense is legit, they just need a little bit more consistency in terms of offensive output to match it.

14. Los Angeles Lakers (5-5, Last week: 16)

The Lakers are now managing nagging injuries to LeBron and Anthony Davis, which is always concerning given how early it is in the season, but they’re getting very good play from D’Angelo Russell as a playmaker and have been able to tread water despite their stars being banged up. The question will be whether they can find their footing from three, as they are 29th in the NBA at 30.4 percent from deep so far this season.

15. New York Knicks (5-5, Last week: 17)

The Knicks were rolling up until Monday night when they got thumped by the Celtics. There’s no real shame in that, but it was a reminder of where they stand in the East’s hierarchy. If Julius Randle can get it figured out, this team would be an awful lot more dynamic, as the backcourt led by Jalen Brunson and R.J. Barrett are off to a good start but aren’t getting the requisite help. Mitchell Robinson also is doing yeoman’s work, averaging more offensive (5.8) than defensive (5.6) rebounds this season, which has helped keep their offense afloat despite a league-worst field goal percentage as a group.

16. Toronto Raptors (5-5, Last week: 22)

The Raptors likewise have been playing well aside from a lopsided loss to Boston. Scottie Barnes has been excellent this season, finally building on the two-way promise of his Rookie of the Year campaign, and overall the Raptors have shown some signs of life recently on offense after a woeful start to the year. There are still nights they can’t get out of first gear, but there’s a bit of optimism that they’re starting to take to Darko Rajakovic’s system. They don’t need to be wildly dynamic on that end if they keep it up defensively, but finding a bit more consistency and efficiency would be helpful.

17. Brooklyn Nets (5-5, Last week: 19)

Cam Thomas’ injury is a bummer as he was one of the best stories of the first couple of weeks, but Brooklyn has held steady in his (and Ben Simmons) absence. Brooklyn is doing a very good job of beating teams in the middle and bottom of the league, which is how you stay in the mix even when you’re overmatched when playing against the top teams.

18. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-6, Last week: 18)

Darius Garland is back, which hopefully can get the Cavs offense back on track after being stuck in the mud for much of the young season. They have been the definition of mid to start the year, with a 19th ranked offense and a 20th ranked defense despite a roster that should be better at both ends.

19. Golden State Warriors (6-5, Last week: 6)

The Warriors have lost three straight but all three have come by single digits. Still, the offense beyond Stephen Curry is a concern as he is the only Warrior with a 20-point game this season, which seems impossible but is somehow true. Andrew Wiggins has been dreadful to start the year and Klay Thompson has been pedestrian at best, and it goes without saying that if Golden State is going to be a contender, those two have to be much better.

20. Phoenix Suns (4-6, Last week: 23)

It turns out not having a point guard might be a bad thing. The Suns miss Devin Booker’s ability to create for others dearly on offense, as, even with Bradley Beal back on the court, they’re just not able to fire on all cylinders. Kevin Durant has been excellent as expected, but things just aren’t flowing particularly well for the Suns and they can’t string together wins right now.

21. New Orleans Pelicans (4-6, Last week: 10)

Things have taken a turn for the Pelicans after a strong start to the year. The offense looks disjointed without CJ McCollum, as they struggle to figure out how to keep things flowing beyond asking Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram to create for themselves. As a team they’re not shooting the ball well, the defense isn’t very good, and everything just seems just a little off in New Orleans.

22. Chicago Bulls (4-7, Last week: 24)

The Bulls are a tough watch on offense. They’re 27th in the league in both shooting percentage and assists per game, as the ball sticks a lot and their stars have a propensity for seeking out difficult shots. None of this is particularly new for the Bulls, but so far this year they haven’t been able to pull out as many wins in close games and the result is a 4-7 record. Alex Caruso is playing incredible defense this year and that’s been the most enjoyable part of watching Bulls basketball so far this season.

23. Utah Jazz (3-7, Last week: 26)

The Jazz are a tire fire on defense. They have officially ducked below the Hornets on that end to have the league’s worst DRtg, and they do not have a good enough offense to make up for that most nights. Lauri Markkanen continues to be great and John Collins looks like the guy we saw a few years ago in Atlanta, but the backcourt is woefully inefficient and, again, they cannot stop anyone.

24. Los Angeles Clippers (3-6, Last week: 14)

The James Harden experiment is off to a very poor start in L.A., as they’ve lost 5 straight since the trade got finalized (the last four with Harden in the lineup). Lineups with Harden have a -25.8 net rating, which is hard to do, and no one seems comfortable on the floor right now. Things will get better with time, but I’m skeptical of just how much better they will get considering this is a team that’s supposed to be a title contender.

25. Charlotte Hornets (3-6, Last week: 25)

The Hornets have given up 124 or more points in six of their last seven games. That is exceedingly bad, especially for a Steve Clifford coached team, and I’m not sure where they go from here. On the bright side, Brandon Miller has shown some flashes and LaMelo Ball is still a very good offensive player. Otherwise, it’s a bit bleak in Charlotte at the moment.

26. Memphis Grizzlies (2-8, Last week: 27)

The Grizzlies won another game, beating the aimless Clippers on the road, and they’ve been close in all of their recent games, with their last three losses coming by six or fewer points. That’s maybe showing some signs of life and if they can just figure out how to go 8-7 in the next 15 games without Ja Morant they will have a chance of rebounding. That might be asking a lot, but if you’re a Grizzlies fan, that’s got to be where your hope lies.

27. Portland Trail Blazers (3-6, Last week: 21)

Portland has lost three straight, but they have been competitive in all three. That’s probably the ideal way for this season to go for the Blazers, albeit they’ll want Scoot Henderson healthy again soon. In his absence, Shaedon Sharpe is playing a comical number of minutes (39.4 per game) but is playing very well despite the heavy workload and that has to be the biggest positive for Portland so far this season.

28. San Antonio Spurs (3-7, Last week: 20)

The Spurs are the epitome of a young team learning to win. They have not had good success holding leads this season, but, like Portland, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Victor Wembanyama is very fun, even if he still clearly has lots to learn about playing in the NBA, and the Spurs are competitive more nights than not, which is a step forward for this group.

29. Washington Wizards (2-8, Last week: 30)

The funniest team in the NBA was at it again on Monday night, as they blew a big lead in Toronto and provided another funny lowlight in the form of giving up a 5-on-4 possession because Kyle Kuzma walked to the bench on the other end of the court asking for a challenge that was not given.

They did win a game this week, so they avoid the bottom spot in the rankings — I would like to petition the league to let the Wizards and Hornets play 82 games this year cause that would be far more entertaining and competitive for everyone involved. Also, Bilal Coulibaly has been terrific as a rookie, giving Wizards fans a little reason for optimism in what figures to be an otherwise rough season.

30. Detroit Pistons (2-9, Last week: 29)

The Pistons have lost eight straight after a solid first week, and they just do not seem to have enough on the offensive end right now. Cade Cunningham is being asked to do everything for this team and as a result he’s finding it tough to be efficient, both as a scorer and passer, even while showing flashes of brilliance. There’s an outline of a strong core, with Cunningham, Jalen Duren (who is currently out with an ankle injury), and Ausar Thompson, who looks like an elite defender already. Marcus Sasser is also popping from his bench spot, with some calls for him to get an expanded role. This is a team that could really use Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Harris to get healthy and provide some spacing so they can at least see what this young group really looks like with capable veterans mixed in.

The Trolls are back, though this time several new band members have entered the mix.

Trolls Band Together, the third film in the franchise, follows Poppy (Anna Kendrick) who learns that her new Troll boyfriend Branch (Justin Timberlake) was actually a member of the former boyband BroZone. This obviously mimics the real-life past of Timberlake, though he’s definitely trying to keep that behind him for now.

When one of Branch’s old bandmates gets kidnapped, the trolls have to band together to find him. Get it? They are a boy band. It makes sense. Here is the official synopsis:

As they grow closer, Poppy discovers that Branch has a secret past. He was once part of her favorite boyband phenomenon, BroZone, with his four brothers: Floyd (Sivan), John Dory (André), Spruce (Diggs) and Clay (Cudi). BroZone disbanded when Branch was still a baby, as did the family, and Branch hasn’t seen his brothers since. But when Branch’s bro Floyd is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains — Velvet (Schumer) and Veneer (Rannells) — Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.

The film hits theaters on November 17th. As part of Universal’s slightly convoluted deal with Netflix, it will stream on Peacock for four months after its initial theatrical run, then will move to Netflix for ten months, and then will return to Peacock for the remaining four.

Trolls Band Together is expected to be in theaters for 45 days, so we could get to see those BroZone boys up on Peacock first, then Netflix by spring 2024 at the earliest. That’s when you’ll be able to hear that new NSYNC song from the comfort of your living room.

(Via Deadline)

Godzilla is smashing into the Thanksgiving season, so we you hope made lots of food. After last appearing in Godzilla Vs. Kong, the giant lizard is back with an all-new streaming series for Apple TV+, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

Starring Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt, Monarch is set in the same cinematic universe as the recent Godzilla and Kong films. The series will take a generation-spanning look at the secretive organization that seems to know way too much about the massive titans that once ruled the Earth and have returned to assert their dominance with devastating results.

Here’s what you need to know about the show before it launches:

Plot

From the official synopsis:

Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga – spanning three generations – reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.

Cast

Alongside the father and son Russells, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters also stars Anna Sawai, Anders Holm, Mari Yamamoto, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, and John Goodman reprising his role of Bill Randa from Kong: Skull Island.

Release Date

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will smash onto Apple TV+ with a two-episode premiere on November 17. Weekly episodes will drop every Friday.

Trailer

You can watch the official trailer below:

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters premieres November 17 on Apple TV+.

If you’ve spent any amount of time on YouTube at all, you probably know about Lofi Girl. The “lofi hip-hop” streaming channel has become ubiquitous, even inspiring Halloween costumes. The Lofi Girl stream even has its own lore, which unfolds in mysterious, days-long events that introduce new characters and events that’ll shake up the life of the animated, forever studio titular character (one’s going on right now; you can check it out above). Even if you know all this, you may not know exactly who is behind the stream and its growing popularity.

Although the Lofi Girl creator chooses to remain mostly anonymous, there are some details out there in the world. The YouTube stream was originally started as ChilledCow in 2017 by a lo-fi hip-hop fan who called himself Dimitri (no last name) in a New York Times interview. Dimitri initially used footage of the character Shizuku Tsukishima from the Studio Ghibli film Whisper Of The Heart but the stream was taken down for copyright infringement. The stream was pulled down again in 2020 and in 2022 for copyright strikes against the music used, although Dimitri said he always got permission and the strikes were of dubious origin.

In March 2021, the name was changed to Lofi Girl in honor of the now-familiar character (whose name is Jade, by the way). Jade was created by a Colombian artist named Juan Pablo Machado in response to Dimitri’s call for artists to replace the former character. Machado later decided to set the character’s iconic room in La Croix-Rousse in Lyon, France, which can be seen through her window. And across the way is Synthwave Boy.

Now, if only we knew what that snowflake is all about…

Two GOP-fueled clashes have happened thus far on Tuesday, and the day is barely half over yet. Surprisingly enough as well, rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert was not involved in either of these fights. Then again, she surely wants to tone down her firebrand ways after a certain “high school” insult (about her alleged promiscuity) got tossed her way last week. So, these feuds are all about the congressional dudes, and boy, they need to get it together.

One altercation was so pumped-up with attempted flexing that Bernie Sanders had to get involved to stop fists from actually flying. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who owns a plumbing company in Oklahoma, had it out with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. The launching point for the below video involves Mullin taking issue with a June tweet, in which O’Brien not only took a visual swing at Mullin’s height but also labeled him as a “[g]reedy CEO who pretends like he’s self made. In reality, just a clown & fraud. Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these senate hearings. You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy. #LittleManSyndrome.”

That’s not all. During a March hearing, Mullin previously shouted “shut your mouth!” at O’Brien after detailing how Teamsters were once allegedly “leaning up against my trucks” while attempting to organize his employees. And the acrimonious nature continued on Tuesday with O’Brien vowing that he’d be ready to fight “any time, any place.” Mullin stood up like he was ready to throw down, and that’s when Bernie stepped in.

Poor Bernie. He would rather be sitting over there and making grumpy faces, but his GOP colleagues are all pumped up for some reason.

The second fiasco involves recently ousted ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who still isn’t getting along with all of his colleagues. Rep. Tim Burchett accused McCarthy of elbowing him with a “clean shot to the kidneys.” At that link, CNN detailed how McCarthy denied doing so, but NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales relayed in a Twitter thread how she witnessed how McCarthy “shoved” Burchett before a “chase” broke out.

Burchett insisted to Grisales that the two men haven’t been on speaking terms, but man, this sequence of events tells a tale.

And it’s only Tuesday!