Month: January 2024

Danny Masterson’s wife, Bijou Phillips, filed for divorce late last year in the wake of his double-conviction for rape. The That ’70s Show actor and Scientologist received a 30-year prison sentence (to life) after a jury found him guilty on charges involving 2003 events that occurred at his Hollywood Hills house. Phillips’ team wasted little time getting legal papers ready for an appeal while asking for bail, and in response, the judge on Masterson’s case pointedly mentioned that he “has no wife to go home to.”

This was relevant, albeit brutal when voiced out loud, in the context of whether or not Masterson is a flight risk and whether he’d have any incentive to stick around in the states while out on bail. Judge Charlaine Olmedo is standing firm, via the NY Post:

“If defendant’s conviction and sentence are upheld on appeal, he will likely remain in custody for decades and perhaps the rest of his life. In light of the fact that defendant has no wife to go home to, defendant now has every incentive to flee and little reason to return to state prison to serve out the remainder of his lengthy sentence should his appeal be unsuccessful.

This declaration took place following Masterson’s attorneys declaring that he wants to be “at-home parent and financial provider for his family,” so they would love to at least have him on house arrest during the appeal process. These lawyers also promise to present “extensive exculpatory evidence that was not presented to the jury,” but the judge isn’t willing to take any gambles at this point. Additionally, it remains to be seen whether Masterson still has any earning power after being dropped years ago from Netflix’s The Ranch, so the “financial provider” argument probably doesn’t make much sense.

From here, the criminal appeals process shall continue, and a civil trial (against Masterson and Scientology) for harassment (based upon the allegations of multiple Jane Does) is scheduled to begin in September 2025.

(Via NY Post & Deadline)

As we cross the midway point of the NBA season, we have a pretty good idea of which teams will factor into the playoff and Play-In races in each conference and which won’t. In the East, the bottom three teams are on pace for some historical losing, as the Pistons, Hornets, and Wizards are a combined 22-107, with all three on pace to finish with fewer than 20 wins on the season. If that happens, it’d be the first time that three teams in the same conference came up shy of the 20-win mark in a non-lockout year since 1997-98 when four teams in the West finished with 19 or fewer wins.

However, they are taking very different approaches to their struggles as the trade deadline approaches. Charlotte and Washington appear to be embracing that they are starting to rebuild, with the Wizards tearing it down this summer (although, hoping to get more out of their return than they have) and the Hornets in the midst of a fire sale of their own. In Detroit, where they’ve been losing a lot for a number of years, there seems to be a scramble to try and make a splashy move to turn things around quickly. They’ve been linked to Pascal Siakam, Dejounte Murray, and just about every other big name that’s been on the trade market, with Zach LaVine as the latest star to be attached to Detroit’s interest.

According to The Athletic’s James Edwards III, talks between the two teams never got particularly far because the Bulls continue to ask for a high price for LaVine, with the ask of the Pistons being Bojan Bogdanovic and one of Detroit’s four top young players (headlined by Cade Cunningham).

Similarly, the Chicago Bulls and Pistons have had conversations involving Zach LaVine, league sources say. Chicago appears to be locked in on a package involving Bojan Bogdanović and one of Detroit’s blue-chippers for LaVine and his hefty contract. Once again, the Pistons have shown no interest in parting with any of Cunningham, Ivey, Duren or Thompson. It is possible Detroit considers adding LaVine when/if the Bulls’ asking price goes down. However, those are discussions that have been happening and will continue to happen internally.

I do appreciate the attempt from Chicago to swipe Cade Cunningham, just in case Detroit was asleep at the wheel briefly and said yes. Ivey feels like the most likely of the youngsters to get moved in a LaVine trade just considering the Pistons rotational needs with LaVine would include Cunningham at point, Ausar Thompson for defense, and Jalen Duren in the paint. Given Edwards notes later that Detroit is asking for a “good” first round pick and a “good” player in exchange for Bogdanovic for the second straight year, it’s safe to say there’s a sizable gap between the Bulls and Pistons in any discussions involving those two players. Over the next two weeks something rather significant will need to change on at least one, if not both sides, to send LaVine on a four hour drive east.

Tiësto is now set to perform at this year’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas, making him the first in-game DJ at the massive NFL event, as the league announced today.

Fans can expect to hear the musician play a set before the game kicks off at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Tiësto will then continue to play tunes throughout featured breaks that take place during the game. According to the NFL, parts of his performance will air on CBS as part of the Super Bowl’s broadcast on February 11.

Tiësto will also reportedly be livestreaming moments of his DJ set through his social media accounts.

“I’m excited to be a part of the Super Bowl LVIII!” Tiësto shared in a statement. “And it’s even more incredible that it’s in my favorite place — Las Vegas. Thank you to the NFL for having me. I cannot wait to party with you all at the big game!”

“Each year, we look to elevate the in-stadium experience for our fans, and with our first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, it seems only fitting to embrace the legacy of iconic DJs in this city by having Tiësto bring his signature style to our biggest event,” Tim Tubito, the NFL’s director of event presentation and content, added.

He will now be joining the NFL’s musical selection, which includes Usher running the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and Post Malone is among the pre-game performers.

Tiësto is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Tomorrowland has a chokehold on tiny-font lineup posters from this point forward. On Thursday, January 25, the iconic EDM festival revealed the lineup for Tomorrowland Belgium 2024, and it is a fool’s errand to even begin to list out all of these artists. At least Tomorrowland had the decency to list them alphabetically, so I can quickly relay that it features Alesso, David Guetta, Dom Dolla, REZZMAU5 (a.k.a. Deadmau5 and REZZ), and Swedish House Mafia.

Below is everything else we know so far.

Tomorrowland 2024 Lineup

Here is that lineup poster, in all its glory.

You can also see how the daily lineup combinations on Tomorrowland’s official website.

Tomorrowland 2024 Dates

Tomorrowland Belgium 2024 will take place across Weekend 1 (July 19, 20, and 21) and Weekend 2 (July 26, 27, and 28) in Boom, Belgium.

How To Buy Tomorrowland 2024 Tickets

Pre-registration is available here until February 2, but Global Journey Travel Packages are already sold out.

When Do Tomorrowland 2024 Tickets Go On Sale?

Worldwide Pre-Sale is scheduled to begin on Saturday, January 27, at 5 p.m. CET (11 a.m. EST) ahead of the Worldwide Ticket Sale on Saturday, February 3, at 5 p.m. CET (11 a.m. EST). Find more information here.

How Much Do Tomorrowland 2024 Tickets Cost?

As listed here, The Full Madness Pass (giving access for all three days) will go for €304 ($326.95) if purchased via the Worldwide & Belgian Pre-Sale. The same pass will jump to €365 ($395.80) during the Worldwide Ticket Sale. The Full Madness Comfort Pass is set at €530 ($574.72) and €624 ($676.65) for the pre-sale and general sale, respectively.

There are also Day Pass options — Day Pass, Day Pleasure Pass, Day Comfort Pass — ranging in price from €129 ($139.90) to €245 ($265.71). Find more information here.

Yet another hip-hop icon has weighed in on Yasiin Bey’s controversial comments about Drake, and this time, it’s one of Bey’s own peers in the so-called “conscious rap” movement of the late ’90s and early 2000s. However, if you expected Common to side with his frequent collaborator against the Toronto star — with whom Common once shared a contentious back-and-forth with Drake resulting in at least two presumed diss tracks — you might be surprised by his response.

Appearing on Ebro In The Morning on New York’s Hot 97 Wednesday morning (January 24), the Chicago rapper shared his take after being asked for his opinion by host Ebro Darden. “I think Drake comes from hip-hop,” he said, in more-or-less direct contradiction to Bey’s viewpoint. “When I first heard him rhyming, I was like, ‘Yo, this dude rhyming.’ And if he goes out and makes songs that are popular, then that’s what it is. He’s still an MC… The dude is an incredible songwriter, he’s an incredible artist… You gotta have some respect and know that this dude is a very talented artist.”

After the host’s joked that Yasiin’s take was “very on-brand for him,” Common was also very complimentary to his rapper-turned-actor, saying, “He has poetry within his rap. He can style on anything. He can do a lot.”

Bey set of days of intense debate within the hip-hop world when he said during an interview, “Drake is pop to me, in the sense like, if I was in Target in Houston and I heard a Drake song… it feels like a lot of his music is compatible with shopping.” While some hip-hop heads (mostly those who likely stopped listening to new rap music sometime in 2005) agreed, others felt that the take was unfair to Drake or idealized hip-hop as an artform, since early rappers were equally as materialistic in their music.

Meanwhile, Drake himself pointed out that he could never NOT be hip-hop, using an old Method Man quote as an example and pointing out the hypocrisy inherent in Bey’s comments as someone who once fought for the expansion of artistic expression in hip-hop. “What umi say again?” he wrote, nodding to Bey’s 1999 single “Umi Says,” in which Bey sings, “My Umi said shine your light on the world / Shine your light for the world to see.”

Of course, there’s also Lil Wayne’s take, which simplified all Drake hate down to one simple reason.

Watch Common’s interview with Ebro In The Morning above.

It’s tax season. And while this can be a stressful time (especially if you own a business), if you know how to navigate your finances, it doesn’t have to be. With our series Cash Class, we’re once again breaking down clutch strategies and advice to maximize your return, build wealth, and level up your finances.

In the latest episode, accredited financial counselor and personal finance expert Lissa Prudencio sits down with Jess Rona, a dog grooming expert, aspiring comedian, and director who started her own business in her garage with zero money. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Rona was no stranger to dog grooming, but a traditional working environment didn’t gel with her drive to pursue her acting dreams.

“I got fired and I started grooming dogs in my garage… There was a moment in the garage where I was like, ‘I’m sick of being broke, I’m covered in dog hair, is this my life?’”

Then, during a session with a dog named Noodle, something special happened. As Rona was grooming and listening to music, Noodle’s ears flew up and Rona did what any of us would do when witnessing a dog looking cute, she grabbed her camera, filmed it, and posted it online and the video went viral.

Soon, Rona’s garage operation started to blow up, eventually leading to her opening a brick-and-mortar store. But that success wasn’t without its roadblocks. As the old adage goes: more money, more problems. Luckily, Prudencio has some tips for managing cash, staying organized, and on top of your finances — whether you’re situation is similar to Rona’s or not.

Good tax strategy is essential for every level of financial planning and building wealth, so to start developing the tools to get ahead, it’s time to take a Cash Class.

As for Rona? She hasn’t given up on her dreams, instead, she’s building off of her success by creating a beauty brand for dogs and finding the time to reconnect with her original dream of writing a screenplay. To find out more about Rona’s story and to pick up some tools to start building your finances, watch Cash Class above.

Thanks to a recent theory that managed to rope Taylor Swift into the mystery of who is the real Argylle author Elly Conway, director Matthew Vaughn would really like to put this whole thing to bed sooner rather than later.

Here’s the situation: Argylle the movie is reportedly based on the upcoming book of the same name written by a first-time, unknown author going by the name of Elly Conway. However, when the first trailer arrived, Bryce Dallas Howard was revealed as Conway in the movie as the author gets roped into a real-life espionage plot. The trailer left people scratching their heads, but Vaughn insisted that Conway is a real-life person who has yet to out herself.

Unfortunately, the whole thing is getting out of control. After online theories started postulating that Swift is the real-life Conway, Vaughn went into panic mode.

“It’s not Taylor Swift, but books do not write themselves. I wish they did. I wish screenplays wrote themselves. I wish movies directed themselves,” Vaughn told Variety at the film’s London premiere. “There is a Elly Conway. I am begging Elly Conway to come out of the shadows because this Taylor Swift thing freaked me out. And it’s going to happen.”

Conway’s identity continues to remain a mystery, but for now, Penguin, the publisher of the Argylle book, is continuing to insist that Conway is real and reserves the right to reveal her identity at a time of her choosing.

“Elly Conway is a real person who wrote a brilliant spy thriller a couple of years ago,” a Penguin publicist told Variety after being questioned about Conway’s existence. “Matthew Vaughn heard about the manuscript pre-publication via her agent and decided to put Elly’s novel at the heart of his new film Argylle, with a distinctive Matthew Vaughn twist. The book and the film are now being released almost simultaneously.”

Here’s the official synopsis for the film:

Argylle follows the globetrotting adventures of super-spy Argylle across the U.S., London, and other exotic locations, featuring a star-studded, award-winning cast including Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Argylle opens in theaters on February 2.

(Via Variety)

Snoop Dogg explained how his viral photo with the cast of Oppenheimer happened, during his recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. For those who haven’t seen it, the rapper went to an event and happened to pop up in the background.

Considering it was all the film’s actors except for Matt Damon, Snoop’s photo bomb was a hilarious addition. It’s such a random pop-up that it very well could have been Photoshopped. But no, it’s real.

“How did this happen?” Kimmel asked him. “Were you in Oppenheimer and I didn’t notice?”

“No, I wasn’t in the movie,” Snoop answered. “I happened to be at that party that night… I’m a fan of the majority of the cast on there, the director, the actors, and they asked me to be in the picture. They were like, ‘We can’t take a picture unless Snoop Dogg is in it.’ I’m like, ‘Alright.’”

Snoop went on to share how he felt about the Christopher Nolan flick, which became a summer blockbuster during the Barbenheimer craze. (For the record, he also went to see Barbie in theaters.)

“I loved it,” he said of Oppenheimer. “It was a long movie, but I loved it.” Snoop received screeners to view it at home but pointed out that when it comes to movies, he “can’t watch it in pieces,” and opted to run through the 3-plus-hour movie in full.

“I gotta watch it all,” he added. “I wanna respect the director, the actors, the whole storyline, and let it get to where it need to get to.”

Check out Snoop giving the backstory behind him joining the Oppenheimer cast photo above.

The ongoing search for The White Lotus’ season three cast has been a hot topic on the internet since season two was still on. As with other anthologies, creator Mike White tends to get a new crop of actors for each season of the HBO series, and we have started to get a glimpse at what to expect.

Season three, which will take place in Thailand, is set to include Walton Goggins, Parker Posey, Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, and Jason Isaacs (not Jack Black, unfortunately). It was recently announced that Serbian actor Milos Bikovic was added to the cast, and that’s where things get iffy.

Bikovic was called out by Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs account on X/Twitter for supporting Russia and accepting a medal from Vladimir Putin. The account posted: “Miloš Biković, Serbian actor who has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, is now set to star in HBO’s The White Lotus Season 3…@HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”

According to Deadline, Bikovic is slated to portray a Russian-speaking wellness guru at the hotel. Filming is expected to begin in February, and neither Bikovic nor HBO have commented on the matter, so only time will tell.

On the bright side, Natasha Rothwell is returning! So there will be at least one familiar face during what will likely be a chaotic season.

(Via Deadline)

Earlier this week, Lovers & Friends unveiled its 2024 lineup. The festival will be headlined by Usher (performing Confessions for its 20th anniversary), Janet Jackson, and Backstreet Boys, while Lil Wayne (performing Tha Carter III), Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, and more. Mary J. Blige was listed on the stacked poster, but don’t get too excited.

“I am beyond humbled by the response from all of you about the announcement of me on Lovers & Friends Festival,” Blige wrote on her Instagram Story this morning, January 25. “Unfortunately, my inclusion was an error as I will be busy in preparation for my Strength of a Woman Summit just one week later! I have the greatest fans in the world and can’t wait to see you in New York in aa few short months!”

So, Lovers & Friends will have to forge on without Mary J. The festival is slated for Saturday, May 4, at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The ticket presale is scheduled for Friday, January 26, beginning at 10 a.m. PST. According to the Lovers & Friends official website, general admission tickets (starting at $325), GA+ (starting at $595), and VIP (starting at $695), and hotel and ticket packages (starting at $679) are available. All tickets start at $19.99 down.

Before Lovers & Friends, Usher will perform the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on February 11, the release date of Usher’s Coming Home album.