Month: November 2023

Drake fans might be experiencing whiplash this morning, November 13. Drake’s It’s All A Blur Tour with 21 Savage wrapped in early October at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, but it’s already time to gear up for Round 2. This morning, Drake and J. Cole announced their It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What?

Earlier this year, Cole and Drake co-headlined Dreamville Festival, and most recently, Drake’s “First Person Shooter” featuring J. Cole went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — becoming Cole’s first-career No. 1 and Drake’s 13th-career No. 1 on the chart. In other words, a joint tour has been bubbling for a while. (Not to mention, the tour’s title is ripped from the “First Person Shooter” chorus.) Below is what we know about the joint 2024 North American tour (so far).

How Much Are Tickets For Drake and J. Cole’s It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? Tour?

This March, fans were displeased to see that tickets to Drake and 21 Savage’s It’s All A Blur Tour were marked as high as $1,000 during the presale. In August, Billboard additionally relayed that last-minute resale tickets could be had for anywhere from $262 to $800 and over $1,000. There’s no reason to believe that It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? tickets won’t be just as (if not more) expensive.

While resale sites like Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats already have tickets listed — a pre-order resale, if you will — we won’t know the official It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? ticket prices until the presale.

When Will Tickets Go On Sale, and How Do I Buy Them?

As per a press release, a presale for Cash App users is set to take place, beginning on Wednesday, November 15, at 11 a.m. local time and ending at Thursday, November 16, at 10 p.m. local time.

Instructions for the Cash App presale can be found here. Then, the general sale will happen here on Friday, November 17, at 11 a.m. local time.

What Are Drake And J. Cole’s It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? Tour Dates?

01/18/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena +
01/19/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
01/22/2024 — San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
01/25/2024 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
01/29/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center +
01/30/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
02/02/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
02/07/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/08/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/12/2024 — St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
02/16/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
02/20/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center +
02/21/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
02/24/2024 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
02/27/2024 — Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
03/02/2024 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
03/05/2024 — Memphis, TN @ FedExForum
03/10/2024 — Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
03/14/2024 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena ~
03/18/2024 — State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center ~
03/23/2024 — Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena ~
03/27/2024 — Birmingham, AL @ The Legacy Arena at BJCC ~

+ Rescheduled dates
~ Without J. Cole

John Oliver wants the pūteketeke to be named New Zealand‘s Bird of the Year, and he will scorch the earth to make it happen. A few days before the online voting began, Oliver launched what he admittedly called an “alarmingly aggressive” campaign to make his bird of choice the winner in the beloved contest. The Last Week Tonight host had no idea what amount of chaos he was about to unleash.

“This is what democracy is all about – America interfering in foreign elections,” Oliver quipped via The Guardian before throwing the full weight of his show and celebrity power behind the pūteketeke. “They are weird puking birds with colourful mullets. What’s not to love here?”

“I don’t just want the pūteketeke to win. I want it to win in the biggest landslide in the history of this competition,” the Last Week Tonight host said next to a massive pūteketeke puppet.

Oliver also took his campaign to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where he arrived in a full pūteketeke costume. However, the stunt worked too well. Oliver’s aggressive campaigning caused the voting site to crash after being overloaded with votes. The incoming traffic was so overwhelming that voting had to be shut down and rescheduled for a later date.

According to Yahoo! Entertainment, Oliver’s shenanigans ruffled the feathers of bird enthusiasts who were hoping to see their favorite bird win. The late night host received some angry emails and was the target of social media videos, but he did not back down from his love of the puking bird. In fact, the debacle only hardened Oliver’s resolve.

“For the record, all of your birds are great. And it would be an honor to lose to any of them when results are announced on Wednesday,” Oliver said on Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight. “And the reason it’s so easy for me to say that is, we’re not gonna lose are we? We’re gonna win, and we’re gonna win by a lot. And when we do that, the pūteketeke will be your Bird of the Century, and there’s nothing any of you can do to stop that right now. Maybe good luck next century, New Zealand.”

(Via The Guardian, Yahoo! Entertainment)

After voicing Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which everyone was chill about, Chris Pratt is now the voice of Garfield in The Garfield Movie. If there’s ever a new The Flintstones movie, you know he’ll be Fred, too.

Sony has released the first trailer for The Garfield Movie (on a Monday, naturally), which is both an origin story of how Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult) adopted Garfield and a reunion between the lasagna-loving cat and his deadbeat father, Vic, played by Samuel L. Jackson. “Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist,” the official plot synopsis. The Garfield-heads are probably going nuts over the backstory for Garfield’s little-discussed father, but everyone else has, let’s say, thoughts on Pratt’s Garfield voice.

“why is chris pratt not even acting hes just talking completely in his normal voice. like there wasn’t even an attempt,” @DevSprings wrote on X, while @TCJaalin noted, “This looks good don’t get me wrong, but I can’t get with Chris Pratt’s voice as Garfield. At least with Mario, it sounded like he tried to sound like Mario. But with Garfield, he has the cadence and rhythm but he doesn’t actual voice of Garfield.”

Pratt’s Mario was better than I expected, but his Garfield, at least in the trailer, has too much energy. Garfield should sound tired, sarcastic, and bored, not like he’s hosting The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show.

Here’s more:

The Garfield Movie, which also features the voices of Cecily Strong, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, Bowen Yang, and Ving Rhames, comes out on May 24, 2024.

J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival 2024 lineup likely won’t arrive until late February, but it’s still a Cole World, as he and Drake announced their forthcoming It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? on Monday morning, November 13.

The 2024 tour follows Cole and Drake’s “First Person Shooter,” a track from Drake’s For All The Dogs album, went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — Cole’s first-career No. 1 on the chart.

How To Buy Tickers To The It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What?

As per press release, a presale for Cash App users is scheduled from Wednesday, November 15, at 11 a.m. local time to Thursday, November 16, at 10 p.m. local time. According to the Cash App presale website, access will be granted to people who enter the first nine digits of their Cash App Card and use it to complete the purchase. The general public sale is slated for Friday, November 17, at 11 a.m. local time via drakereleated.com.

Find more information here, and check out the It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? dates below.

01/18/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena +
01/19/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
01/22/2024 — San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
01/25/2024 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
01/29/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center +
01/30/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
02/02/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
02/07/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/08/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/12/2024 — St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
02/16/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
02/20/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center +
02/21/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
02/24/2024 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
02/27/2024 — Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
03/02/2024 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
03/05/2024 — Memphis, TN @ FedExForum
03/10/2024 — Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
03/14/2024 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena ~
03/18/2024 — State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center ~
03/23/2024 — Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena ~
03/27/2024 — Birmingham, AL @ The Legacy Arena at BJCC ~

+ Rescheduled dates
~ Without J. Cole

Drake and J. Cole have officially joined the growing list of superstar musicians who will hit the road in 2024 for a tour. The two rappers, who recently collaborated on “First Person Shooter” from Drake’s For All The Dogs album, announced the It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? today and it kicks off in two months. The tour starts on January 18 in Denver, Colorado, and continues for two months before ending on March 27 in Birmingham, Alabama. So, now that you know about the tour, here’s when you can purchase tickets for it.

When Will Tickets For Drake And J. Cole’s It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? Go On Sale?

Tickets for the It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? will first be available through a Cash App presale on November 15 starting at 11am local time. That presale will last until November 16 at 10pm local time. To secure a ticket through the presale, Cash App Card users must use the first nine digits of their Cash App Card to unlock the presale, and tickets for the tour must be purchased with their Cash App Card. For more information on the Cash app Card presale, fans can visit https://cash.app/exclusives/drake-presale.

Following the Cash App presale, a general sale will begin on November 17 at 11am local time. Those tickets can be accessed on drakerelated.com.

What Are Drake And J. Cole’s It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? Tour Dates?

The tour dates for Drake And J. Cole’s It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? can be seen below:

01/18/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena +
01/19/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
01/22/2024 — San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
01/25/2024 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
01/29/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center +
01/30/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
02/02/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
02/07/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/08/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/12/2024 — St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
02/16/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
02/20/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center +
02/21/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
02/24/2024 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
02/27/2024 — Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
03/02/2024 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
03/05/2024 — Memphis, TN @ FedExForum
03/10/2024 — Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
03/14/2024 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena ~
03/18/2024 — State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center ~
03/23/2024 — Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena ~
03/27/2024 — Birmingham, AL @ The Legacy Arena at BJCC ~

+ Rescheduled dates
~ Without J. Cole

If you have a parasocial relationship with world famous pop stars and Hall of Fame-bound football players, it was a big weekend for you.

Taylor Swift altered the lyrics to a song from Midnights to make it about her rumored boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who traveled to Argentina to attend an Eras Tour concert (it was a bye week for the Kansas City Chiefs). While performing “Karma,” she sang, “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me” instead of the usual “Karma is the guy on the screen, coming straight home to me.” He seemed to enjoy the change.

Now that Swift and Kelce are hanging out with each other’s parents, some, including One Tree Hill star Hilarie Burton, are certain that wedding bells (or at least the “Haunted” bell) could be in the future.

“They are gonna have the most flannel lined, pie and red ribbon kinda Christmas… and then these babies are gonna be engaged by May,” she wrote on X in response to a video of Kelce with Swift’s dad. When one of her followers noted that Swift has never changed the lyrics to one of her songs for a guy before, the actress (who is married to Jeffrey Dean Morgan) replied, “Because every other guy made her feel like she had to downplay her own work. This big ol beefy tree of a man is holding up signs and singing along! Catching her as she runs offstage?!?! Just saying….strong @JDMorgan energy.

Burton added, “Get a man who lights up when you win.” Is that a reference to “I Did Something Bad”? Because it seems like Swift is experiencing the most fun she’s ever had.

The audio book for Britney Spears‘ memoir, The Woman In Me, was read by Michelle Williams. Not the Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child, but five-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams, who is every bit as good in Manchester by the Sea as she is pretending to be Britney Spears while recalling the time Justin Timberlake tried to act “Black” around Ginuwine.

But Williams wasn’t the only choice for the audio book.

That’s the basis for the SNL sketch “The Woman in Me: Auditions,” at least. Cast member Chloe Fineman does a solid imitation of the pop star, who reveals the other choices to read her words. The list includes Martin Scorsese (as portrayed by guest host Timothée Chalamet), John Mulaney (Sarah Sherman), Jada Pinkett Smith (Ego Nwodim), and Julia Fox (Fineman). It’s a time-honored SNL impression-a-thon, but not everyone was amused.

“Wow. The writers of SNL are getting worse and worse,” Spears’ manager Cade Hudson wrote on Instagram on Sunday, according to the Daily Beast. He claimed that “no wonder you all reached out to me to get Britney on the show… SNL is on life support. You all are pathetic and this Chloe isn’t funny. Did you find her on Craigslist or something?”

I thought it was pretty good? Although not as great as Fineman’s Natasha Lyonne. You can judge for yourself below.

The audio book for Britney Spears‘ memoir, The Woman In Me, was read by Michelle Williams. Not the Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child, but five-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams, who is every bit as good in Manchester by the Sea as she is pretending to be Britney Spears while recalling the time Justin Timberlake tried to act “Black” around Ginuwine.

But Williams wasn’t the only choice for the audio book.

That’s the basis for the SNL sketch “The Woman in Me: Auditions,” at least. Cast member Chloe Fineman does a solid imitation of the pop star, who reveals the other choices to read her words. The list includes Martin Scorsese (as portrayed by guest host Timothée Chalamet), John Mulaney (Sarah Sherman), Jada Pinkett Smith (Ego Nwodim), and Julia Fox (Fineman). It’s a time-honored SNL impression-a-thon, but not everyone was amused.

“Wow. The writers of SNL are getting worse and worse,” Spears’ manager Cade Hudson wrote on Instagram on Sunday, according to the Daily Beast. He claimed that “no wonder you all reached out to me to get Britney on the show… SNL is on life support. You all are pathetic and this Chloe isn’t funny. Did you find her on Craigslist or something?”

I thought it was pretty good? Although not as great as Fineman’s Natasha Lyonne. You can judge for yourself below.

Earlier this year, Drake announced that J. Cole would have a guest feature on his next album, that being For All The Dogs. The album arrived last month, and as promised, the world received that collaboration through “First Person Shooter.” The record was their first song together since the 2013 loosie “Jodeci Freestyle,” which eventually found a home on Drake’s 2019 compilation Care Package. “First Person Shooter” would go on to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it turns out that it’s not the only collaboration Drake and J. Cole have for fans.

Drake and J. Cole will hit the road in 2024 for the It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? The tour, presented by Cash App and Visa and produced by Live Nation, will kick off on January 18 in Denver, Colorado, and continue for two months before concluding in Birmingham, Alabama on March 27. Cole will be present for all of the dates except the remaining four between March 14 and March 27 in Belmont Park, NY; State College, PA; Sunrise, FL; and Birmingham, AL.

Tickets for the It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? are available with a Cash App Card presale starting on Wednesday, November 15 at 11am local time. That presale, which lasts until November 16 at 10pm local time, can be unlocked by Cash App Card users who use the first nine digits of their Cash App Card to access the presale and complete a purchase with their Cash App Card. For more information on the Cash app Card presale, fans can visit https://cash.app/exclusives/drake-presale

The presale will then be followed by a general sale that launches on drakerelated.com on November 17 at 11am local time.

You can view the official tour dates for the It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? below.

01/18/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena +
01/19/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
01/22/2024 — San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
01/25/2024 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
01/29/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center +
01/30/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
02/02/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
02/07/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/08/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/12/2024 — St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
02/16/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
02/20/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center +
02/21/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
02/24/2024 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
02/27/2024 — Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
03/02/2024 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
03/05/2024 — Memphis, TN @ FedExForum
03/10/2024 — Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
03/14/2024 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena ~
03/18/2024 — State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center ~
03/23/2024 — Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena ~
03/27/2024 — Birmingham, AL @ The Legacy Arena at BJCC ~

+ Rescheduled dates
~ Without J. Cole

The Philadelphia 76ers came into Sunday evening’s game against the Indiana Pacers having won seven straight games, as Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have been nothing short of spectacular in the first three weeks of the season, clearly enjoying playing for Nick Nurse in a James Harden-less lineup.

That win streak was extended to eight games on Sunday behind another sensational effort from their stars, as Embiid scored 37 to go along with 13 rebounds and seven assists, while Maxey put up the first 50-point game of his young career. The Pacers had no answers on the defensive end, which has been a bit of an issue for them all season, as they couldn’t match Embiid’s physicality inside or Maxey’s pace on the perimeter. The Pacers did their best to keep up in an offensive shootout, but in the fourth quarter the Sixers stars proved too much for Indiana to keep pace, as Philly pulled away to a 137-126 win.

Maxey had it all working on Sunday night, as he had the Pacers defense completely off balance because of his ability to knock down outside shots if they backed off and drive into the paint to finish if they pressed up too high. In the fourth quarter he had 14 of his 50, as he was relentless in applying pressure to the Pacers defense and showed the incredible confidence he’s playing with right now with the way he let the three-ball fly off of stepbacks and self-creation.

Maxey put the finishing touches on a 50-ball with another stepback three, this time on the left wing, to ice the game and a career performance.

While the offensive effort will get the headlines, Maxey also authored the defensive play of the game with an incredible chasedown block of Buddy Hield on a dunk attempt that sent the Philly crowd into a frenzy.

Maxey finished the night with 50 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 20-of-32 shooting (7-of-11 from three) and took just three free throws. It was truly a spectacular shot-making performance, and the way he has stepped into a starring role alongside Embiid has been incredible to watch this season. It’s impossible not to compare the way he’s playing and the way the Sixers keep ripping off wins to what James Harden is doing in L.A., where the Clippers have yet to win since trading for him and his on/off numbers are jarring. The Sixers have certainly gotten some help from Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington since arriving in the trade, but the biggest thing they did was clear the way for Maxey to be the star in the backcourt and so far he’s rewarding them with All-Star caliber play.