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Schoolboy Q Is Finally Back As He Announced His New Album ‘Blue Lips’ And Shared Its Release Date And Tracklist

It’s been a minute since a new Schoolboy Q project, as his latest album, Crash Talk, was released in April 2019. That was nearly five years ago now, but Schoolboy is ready to end the drought soon: Today (February 1), he shared the tracklist for Blue Lips, his upcoming sixth album that’s set for release on March 1.

He made the reveal with a simple video that shows the tracklist written out on a giant tarp. The clip also highlights multiple dictionary definitions of the term “blue lips”: “speechless, especially as the temporary result of shock or some strong emotion,” “(of a person or mood) shocked, speechless, or embarrassed,” “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something,” and, “become fully aware of (something) as a fact; understand clearly.”

Fans have been looking forward to the album (in a concrete way, anyway) since this past summer, when the Back On Figg podcast hosts declared, “We been in the mixing process of Schoolboy Q’s album. That sh*t is coming very, very soon.’

Check out the video above and find the Blue Lips tracklist below.

Schoolboy Q’s Blue Lips Tracklist

1. “Funny Guy”
2. “Pop”
3. “Thank God 4 Me”
4. “Time Killers”
5. “Yeern 101”
6. “Cooties”
7. “Movie”
8. “Ohio”
9. “Nu Nu”
10. “Blue Slides”
11. “Love Birds”
12. “Lost Times”
13. “First”
14. “Germany ’86”
15. “Faux”
16. “Pig Feet”
17. “Smile”

Blue Lips is out 3/1 via Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope. Find more information here.

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What Are The Must-See Shows For February 2024?

Mr and Mrs Smith Donald Glover
Amazon Prime

You know the drill on February. Not only is the weather miserable, but the restaurants are packed due to a certain made-up holiday. Both are very good reasons to hunker down as much as possible, and fortunately, TV is here for you if you want to zone out at home while awaiting Reacher and the Liberty Bell (which needs to happen onscreen, btw).

Granted, the “romance” subject cannot be totally avoided, but fortunately, both noteworthy applicable shows — the Mr. & Mrs. Smith reinvention from Amazon and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live from AMC — have much more to offer besides two lead characters making eyes at each other. Additionally, Larry David will bid farewell to “Larry David,” and fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender can take stock of the newest live-action adaptation, which will hopefully be more successful than the last effort.

Here are the must see shows for February.

Genius: MLK/X (Nat Geo series streaming 2/1)

This eight-part series dives into both the philosophies and personal relationships of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre). As a result, we will see Coretta Scott King (Weruche Opia) and Betty Shabazz (Jayme Lawson) as the icons’ equals as all four parties lead the Black empowerment Movement. The show also portrays King and X’s only in-person meeting, although the two advocates held an ongoing conversation (while sometimes at odds) on the cause of racial equality. The series will stream next day on Hulu and Disney+.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Season 1 (Amazon Prime series streaming 2/2)

Do we really need a reimagining of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie? Watch the first few episodes, and you might agree that this effort was not wasted. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine pick up as assassins who happen to be paired together (and “married”), and you aren’t ready for the rollicking, madcap, action-packed set of missions that they must complete (or else?). Glover is incredible as always, but Erskine steps up to take control of the screen, and boy, their onscreen relationship is as much of an occupational risk as the assignments themselves.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 12 (HBO series streaming 2/4 on Max)

Larry David’s final curmudgeonly season is upon us? Feels like we’ve heard that before, but this time, he even declared, “‘Larry David,’ I bid you farewell. Your misanthropy will not be missed. And for those of you who would like to get in touch with me, you can reach me at Doctors Without Borders.” Hey, if Larry says that he’s done, do not argue with the man.

Abbott Elementary: Season 3 (ABC series returning 2/7)

After multiple Emmys and a long hiatus due to 2023 chaos, Quinta Brunson and her crew will be back with fewer episodes than expected, but at least viewers will see some followup on the Janine and Gregory relationship. The school calendar might be confusing at first to make up for lost time, but rest assured that Abbott classes will be back in session and as funny as always.

Halo: Season 2 (Paramount+ series streaming 2/8)

Pablo Schreiber is back as Master Chief, and if he has any say in the matter, there won’t be Sexy Master Chief on display this season. Officially, he will be fretting about the changing tide of his war and how to prepare for what he believes is an imminent attack by the Covenant on the most valuable stronghold known to mankind. Can he finally find the Halo, which will either help humanity survive or kill it off forever? So much pressure! Yeah, please don’t have him wasting time getting down and dirty this season.

Constellation: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series streaming 2/21)

Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks attempt to recover after a space disaster in this action-drama series that imagines a hidden history of mankind’s voyages within the universe. Yes, it’s an adventure series but also a spooky exploration of human psychology and both literal and figurative darkness.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix series streaming 2/22)

Yes, there’s been a live-action adaptation of this IP already. And yes, people overwhelmingly prefer the Nickelodeon animated series, but here is another reimagining that will hopefully make everyone forget about that M. Night Shyamalan project. The setup will be familiar, of course. The story takes place in a world where the four nations (represented by the elements of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air) no longer live in harmony. Fire Nation destroyed the Air Nomads, and one young Air Nomad (Aang) must now ascend to his rightful ruling position and restore peace between the elements and realms. The Fire Nation is very angry, however, so watch out, Aang and friends.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Season (AMC series streaming on AMC+ 2/25)

Rick Grimes has been missing from TV screens for a handful of years and in The Walking Dead timeline for over a decade. Now, Michonne is about to save his ass and hopefully torch the CRM while she’s at it. Too much? Nah, this franchise went off the rails a long time ago, and that’s part of the fun. Meanwhile, Daryl is still in France, now with added Carol, so they won’t be reinforcements for the “Save Rick” cause, but we can hope for a reunion.

Shōgun: Season (FX series streaming on Hulu 2/27)

James Clavell’s beloved 1975 novel (within his Asian Saga) will be lushly rendered to bring his 1600s civil war-story to life. You might need a flowchart to keep track of the various alliances and betrayals in this show, which begins when Lord Yoshii Toranaga finds himself being dragged into oblivion by “vultures,” i.e. the opposing Council of Regents. Enter an apparent ally, John Blackthorne, whose ship has conveniently been marooned nearby, although he could be the key to helping Toranago tip the balance against his enemies. That’s only the beginning, and clearly, any attempt at a small blurb would fail to adequately describe what’s in store for viewers here.

The Tourist: Season 2 (BBC One/Stan series streaming 2/29)

Netflix picked up this title (in the U.S.) after Max streamed the first season (arriving on Netflix as of 2/1). This season, Elliot/”The Man” will travel to Ireland from the unwelcoming Australian Outback after discovering why bad dudes are trying to kill him in violent ways. As it turns out, Elliot was a bad dude, too, but can he make any headway with digging into his past on the Emerald Isle? First, he’ll be drawn into a family feud — the worst kind of feud.

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Why Aren’t Taylor Swift’s Songs On TikTok?

taylor swift
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It is a sad day for SwiftTok. This week, users likely started discovering that TikTok videos with any Taylor Swift songs on them have been either muted or removed and questioned why. There has been a lot happening behind the scenes with the app and its negotiations with major labels.

Here’s what to know about why Swift’s catalog suddenly disappeared from the social media platform.

Why Aren’t Taylor Swift’s Songs On TikTok?

Earlier this week, Universal Music Group put out a statement about trying to get a deal with TikTok that wasn’t going well. Swift is one of UMG’s signees, so when the label removed all of their artists, she was been taken off the app with them.

“As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth,” UMG’s statement read. “How did it try to intimidate us? By selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars.”

“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” TikTok responded in their own statement.

If the two companies reach a deal, hopefully UMG will reverse the decision, and bring back their artists’ songs to TikTok. Until then, Swifties’ favorite fan edits are left sad and songless.

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Stephen Colbert Used A Taylor Swift Lyric To Eviscerate Trump For Claiming That He’s More Popular Than The Singer

Donald Trump is claiming he’s more popular than Taylor Swift, and Stephen Colbert will not “tolerate it.”

The former president is not concerned about Swift endorsing Joe Biden for president (again) ahead of the 2024 election because, according to Rolling Stone, he’s “told people in his orbit that no amount of A-list celebrity endorsements will save Biden. Trump has also privately claimed that he is ‘more popular’ than Swift is and that he has more committed fans than she does.” I’ve seen footage of Trump rallies and I’ve been to Taylor Swift dance parties — MAGA ain’t got nothing on the Swifties.

Besides, Colbert ain’t buying it. “What? More popular than Taylor Swift? That is insane,” he said during Wednesday’s episode of The Late Show. “Can you imagine Trump selling out stadiums in Tokyo?” (Taylor resumes the Eras Tour in Japan next week.) Colbert broke into a terrible Trump impression (“I love your beautiful country, but I have to say, your Filet-O-Fish? Frankly, undercooked”) before making fun of the “ridiculous” claim that his followers are more committed than Taylor’s fans.

“To be fair, in the last three years, about 500 of his fans have been committed to jail,” he joked, later adding, “This country dumped Donald Trump ― and we are never, ever getting back together, like ever.”

You can watch Colbert’s The Late Show monologue above.

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Amazon’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Is The Reimagining You Didn’t Know That You Wanted

Mr and Mrs Smith Donald Glover
Amazon

Simple, guilty pleasures exist for good reason. You’ve got ’em, and the 2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith film starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie was a guilty pleasure of mine for years. It made fine TBS-rerun background noise, and this could have even been my own personal “Snyder Cut” since I dug the unrated/extended version, too. This enjoyment was cut short by the real-life issues between the two stars, but at one point in time, it honestly felt like enough — for a silly blockbuster movie — that two sexy people did sexy action things and found each other sexy again after discovering that they both led adrenaline-fueled lives as assassins for rival agencies.

Fast forward to 2024, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith has received a reboot that was perhaps inevitable because Hollywood cannot resist pulling old hits out of the attic. Like (undoubtedly) plenty of people, I wasn’t immediately jazzed, so I get the concern. Seriously, I do. Very few revivals/reboots/remakes are worth the resurrection, and most are not fantastic or even worth commentary.

Fortunately, this effort was not wasted, and that has to do with Donald Glover hearing that his pal scored the rights and not really understanding the original story’s purpose: “[I]t’s just two gorgeous people in this situation. But the story I didn’t quite understand.” And yes, that checks out. As fun as the movie was to watch, the actual dynamic between the pair was unimportant. The mere realization of their mutual murder-lives immediately reignited their passion. Marriage problems solved? So they claimed, but this was an adequate 2005 summer-popcorn film. Now, even without the uncomfortable details that unfurled about that leading duo, I don’t think I’d want to watch it again.

Why? Because that damn Donald Glover is ruining things, and I thank him for it. Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a TV reimagining that reworks the whole concept in a tactically and emotionally smart (but not obnoxiously so) way, and much of that credit (onscreen and off) goes to Maya Erskine, too. She began this project as a writer, and when Phoebe Waller-Bridge ducked out, Maya stepped up to fill those acting shoes. Let’s talk about the three simple ways that this series is worth your time:

Mr and Mrs Smith Donald Glover
Amazon Prime

Could this be an ongoing story with more seasons? Yes! The ensemble cast includes Ron Perlman, Sarah Paulson, Michaela Coel, and Paul Dano. Each of their characters add layers to the story without distracting from the main duo. The show organizes itself around a ready-made structure, given the ultra-episodic nature of this story — sort-of a mission a week, and there are unspecified leaps forward in time, which are not frustratingly unclear but add to the texture of the story — for guest stars to pop in and disappear at whim.

Additionally, there’s much more intrigue in this series beyond simply “two gorgeous people kill other people and have a final stand-off after their employers try to kill them, only to live happily ever after.” There’s an enduring mystery and a cliffhanger ending that could flow right into a second season, so there should be more if the show’s audience is receptive. However and as with Glover’s Swarm, this season will release in bingeable form, which I feel is a mistake because weekly drops would build the suspense more, but I don’t call those shots (go talk to Jeff Bezos if it makes you mad).

Also, this feels like as decent a section as any to mention that Mr. & Mrs. Smith is very unlike anything that Donald Glover has done in recent years. Atlanta, as brilliant and funny as it was, loved to subvert expectations and do it again two episodes later. It truly kept viewers on their toes, but it also wasn’t a show that you could watch on autopilot. Whereas Mr. & Mrs. Smith picks you up and carries you along with momentum. Like those damn addictive chips called Pringles, once you pop, well, you catch my drift. It’s a clever show, but it doesn’t make the viewer work for what they receive. That’s a sweet spot.

The setup of their jobs is much better: Things go incredibly wrong in the business of death, and also, you have to consider this: how f*cked up are people who agree to do this for a living? Pretty screwed up, as it happens. In a departure from the film, Glover and Erskine’s “John” and “Jane” were hired before they knew that they would be paired with anyone, let alone “married.” They work that discomfort and the sense of discovery hard, in the most entertaining way. Glover is incredible as always, but Erskine steps up to take control of the screen, and boy, their onscreen relationship is as much of an occupational risk as their assignments themselves.

As they get to know each other while disposing of bodies (what an icebreaker that is), they find that their motivations for entering the business differ, and that’s only a slice of what these two could ideally work out in therapy. Of course, solving these issues in the first season would not only distract from the story’s momentum but also kill some mystery, so the show instead peppers some of these deep-down revelations into the way that they handle f*ck ups. That’s honestly the most enjoyable part of this series: the unglamorous moments that aren’t as simple as fleeing the scene by jumping out of a skyscraper like Angelina Jolie did. And this is deeply, morbidly funny stuff.

The marriage exists beyond sexual attraction: Maybe this point is important for a major reason that romcoms have faded out of theaters and are few and far between as streaming releases, too. With all the competition for eyeballs these days, only the rarest of films can succeed by virtue of two people being hot. If there is going to be an eight-episode season of TV, there had damn well better be something else on the table beyond two gorgeous people getting busy, and the hook of whether they will fall for each other also isn’t enough to justify a reboot.

I’ll credit this show with realizing that the “will they or won’t they” question needed to be answered very quickly. From there, even with attraction, these two are still essentially two strangers who have to learn to deal with each other’s quirks and shortcomings, and it’s not always pretty. In fact, that’s a difficult obstacle to overcome for people who marry by choice. And for these two? They are thrown into insane, nearly impossible situations from the beginning, and I’m actually mildly surprised that neither of these characters “accidentally” kill each other at multiple points, but their partnership is structured in such a way that the show wouldn’t work without both of them.

Again, there is a cliffhanger there, and it’s a question that will need to be answered. I’ll be pretty irked if it isn’t settled with a second season. So give this show a shot, won’t you? It’s a rare example of reinvention that not only justifies its existence but updates and surpasses the original.

Amazon’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ will release a full eight-episode season on Feb. 2.

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‘Longlegs’: Everything To Know So Far About The Cryptic Nic Cage Horror Movie Including The Release Date, Trailer, And More

Longlegs
NEON

Viral marketing is a difficult art for films to pull off, and presumably, this turns into a glut of unacknowledged attempts to harness the practice. In the case of the recent Smile, however, sports-loving seat fillers did the deed, leading the horror film to financial success via word of mouth. This approach follows long after The Blair Witch Project lured viewers into the woods, made a quarter-billion, and launched endless found-footage imitators.

Now, it might be too soon to call a successor to the viral-marketing throne, but an upcoming Nic Cage movie seems to be hitting those same elusive beats. And NEON’s Longlegs looks like a frightfully fun time at the movies, in the same way that The Strangers made people never want to look at a swing set again and Sinister made it scary to walk past an open window. In the case of Longlegs‘ marketing strategy, though, the intrigue lies in what the film’s plentiful teases are not revealing.

Let’s piece some clues together and not lose our sh*t in the process.

Plot

That’s actually a difficult question to answer, given the vagueness of NEON’s marketing campaign. The film appears to revolve around grisly sets of murders over the course of decades. The following NEON social media teases mention axes, a door-to-door visitor, an omnipotent “he,” and a 1992 scene with “No signs of forced entry.”

Note that Nic Cage doesn’t appear anywhere in these hints, other than his name in the headlining credits. Here’s what Polygon suggests that he could portray a serial killer, but there’s also hints of the supernatural at work, given that a nun is shown in one of the teaser images, although there’s no telling why a woman appears to be stabbing herself with a knife.

As if that wasn’t mysterious enough, video teasers insist that it’s important to “[r]emember to say your prayers.” There’s a mysterious “her” as well, and a very unsettling clip that again suggests repeat violence upon families.

Clear as mud? Yes. Longlegs is directed by Osgood Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins) of Greta & Hansel, The Blackcoat’s Daughter. He sure is working the suspense hard, and this is so much more enticing than countless movies who give too much away in trailers.

Admittedly, we don’t even really know the plot despite all of the teasers, and that’s intriguing. Heck, the film has also successfully teased a Nic Cage-starring film in several ways without even showing Nic Cage in any of the preview materials.

Cast

This will be one of Nic Cage’s final movies, according to Nic Cage himself. His role, however, remains a mystery. We also know that Maika Monroe (It Follows) willplay one of the FBI investigators of the horrific crimes therein, and buckets of blood should arrive on the scene.

Release Date

Keeping with the cryptic theme, Longlegs hasn’t revealed its precise 2024 release date. Yet.

Trailer

No full-on trailer exists yet, but let’s resurrect those chills again with a replay of this trailer from 1999’s The Blair Witch Project.

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Goodbye Taylor Swift, Drake, Billie Eilish, And So On: UMG Has Officially Removed Its Artists’ Music From TikTok

TikTok logo
Getty Image

It happened: Universal Music Group has removed its artists’ songs from TikTok. As of today (February 1), official songs from artists signed to UMG labels no longer appear under the “Sounds” tab on the TikTok app, and previously published videos that featured those songs now have muted audio.

Impacted artists include Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Steve Lacy, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, Rosalía, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Adele, U2, Elton John, J Balvin, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, Post Malone, and many others.

TikTok and UMG had a licensing agreement that expired yesterday (January 31), and the day before it did, there were clear indications that negotiations on a new contract were not going well.

UMG shared an open letter about the situation, which read in part:

“As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth. How did it try to intimidate us? By selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars.

TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans.

We will never do that.”

TikTok then shared a response that reads in full:

“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.

Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.

TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”

At the moment, it’s not clear when or if a new licensing agreement between TikTok and UMG will be reached, and when/if the artists’ music will return to TikTok.

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‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ Season 1: All The Details That You Need To Know (Update For February 2024)

rick grimes final episode
AMC

The original The Walking Dead TV series lost some momentum towards the end, which was to be expected after several beloved characters (Rick, Michonne, poor freaking Jesus) left the show. Even Maggie went and came, as did Negan, and I think even viewers were willing to let the show go after eleven seasons. However, AMC has pulled off a virtual miracle with three new spinoffs featuring principal characters in new scenarios with Dead City taking that hot walker action to the street and Daryl Dixon taking a relatively idyllic jaunt through the French countryside and the meanest streets of Paris.

Soon, however, the long-awaited return of Rick Grimes will come to light. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will do the thing as “Rick Grimes and Michonne” show with Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira reprising their roles. She will still have her machete in hand, thank god, and he might be down some digits. Let’s talk about that and more.

Plot

Rick Grimes was originally going to depart the original series and head onto the big screen. Maybe? There were reports and rumors that a trilogy could even happen, and then the pandemic hit, and all Hollywood hell broke loose. Fast forward to 2023, and AMC began to put Fear The Walking Dead into its final grave while diving into smaller shows to showcase Maggie and Negan; Daryl and (soon-to-be) Carol; and the couple who was spotted naked by Jesus. Will Rick and Michonne eventually meet up with the other duos in a crossover? We can only hope, but let’s talk about where this spinoff finds Rick.

As viewers will recall, Rick needs to stay off horses and even ended his official The Walking Dead run midway through the ninth season. He was impaled, managed to pull himself off a giant spike, escape a horde, and blow up a bridge to save his community. As far as his adoptive family was concerned, he had probably perished somewhere out in the woods, although Daryl did spend years looking for his good friend. No one knew then that Janis/Anne had “saved” Rick by sweeping him off to be with the Civil Republic Military (CRM), and she was very proud of herself for capturing him as an asset. Then in the series finale, we found out that Rick had tried to escape, had been spotted by a CRM helicopter, and had left behind evidence of his continued existence, which was discovered by Michonne, who went looking for her husband.

Thus far, we know that Michonne has been looking for Rick and even left Judith and R.J. (Rick Grimes Jr.) behind in the Alexandria Safe-Zone while doing so. She will cut her way through the most ridiculously large horde of walkers seen in these shows, and footage thus far has seen her thrilled upon discovering that Rick is still indeed alive after she recognizes his walk in those trademark boots of his.

Rick, however, might be more than a little bit off the rails after what he’s endured. He has remained intent upon getting back to his wife, but even Rick Grimes can’t manage to leave the CRM. The show has also hinted that AMC has decided to go ahead and make Rick lose a hand, like he did in the comics.

Rick Grimes
AMC

Also, the show’s synopsis is incredibly existential:

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were. Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?

Cast

Pollyanna McIntosh is the third confirmed returning actor in this series. She, of course, portrays Janis/Anne, and it’s all her fault that Rick ended up in two ways: (1) Not dead; (2) As property of the CRM. Everyone already knows that Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira shall be the focus, and new roles will be portrayed by Lesley-Ann Brandt (as Pearl Thorne) and Matt Jeffreys (as Nat).

Release Date

Although this series will include some romance (this is Rick and Michonne’s long-overdue reunion, after all), timeliness for the holiday will not be of the essence. The official premiere date is February 25..

Trailer

This final trailer sets up explosions and Rick having just about had it with his past decade away from the fam.

Previously, a teaser trailer let the world know that Rick is doing about as maddeningly as expected in CRM custody.

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Lana Del Rey Has The Perfect Title For Her Country Album She Just Revealed Will Be Out In 2024

Lana Del Rey
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Lana Del Rey has been on a roll: Since the start of 2021, she has released three albums. Her latest, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, dropped less than a year ago, last March. And yet, it looks like she’ll have another new project out before 2024 ends, as she indicated at a Billboard pre-Grammys event last night (January 31).

As Billboard notes, while discussing Jack Antonoff on stage, Del Rey said, “If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country. We’re going country. It’s happening. That’s why Jack has followed me to Muscle Shoals, Nashville, Mississippi, over the last four years.” She added that the album is currently set for release in September and it’s called Lasso.

So, to recap: What we know about Del Rey’s next album so far is that it will have a country influence, Del Rey worked on it with frequent collaborator Antonoff, she recorded at least parts of it in the southern US, it’s called Lasso, and it currently has an expected release date sometime in September.

Speaking of the Grammys, Del Rey has five nominations at this year’s awards, while Antonoff is up for Producer Of The Year — Non Classical.

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Juvenile Is The Latest Artist To Dispute The Lovers & Friends 2024 Lineup, And His Rant Is Glorious

Juvenile 2021
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It would appear Lovers & Friends Festival was a little hasty about announcing its 2024 lineup last week. Usher, Janet Jackson, and Backstreet Boys were unveiled as the headliners, but two other prominent artists have since disputed their names being listed on the lineup poster.

Last Thursday, January 25, Mary J. Blige wrote on her Instagram Story that her “inclusion was an error as I will be busy in preparation for my Strength of a Woman Summit just one week later.” On Wednesday, January 31, Juvenile posted an Instagram Reel — and he was, um, much less cordial than Mary J.

“Here we go again, man,” he said. “These cats at Lovers & Friends — whoever in charge of Lovers & Friends, man, y’all doing bad business, man. Y’all done put my name on the flyer, and y’all know you ain’t sent me no deposit, ain’t sent me no bread or nothin’.”

The Cash Money Records rapper continued, “Keep on playing games — talking ’bout y’all gonna get back at me. Look, y’all playing games with the wrong mothaf*cka, man. If y’all gon’ book me, if y’all not gon’ book me, take my mothaf*ckin’ name off y’all flyer. I ain’t got no problem with that. I could do something else with my time. I ain’t trippin’, but don’t put my f*ckin’ name on y’all flyers if y’all know you ain’t paid me no money. That’s f*cked up.”

There’s not really a smooth way to transition out of that, but for those still interested in attending Lovers & Friends 2024 to see whichever artists will perform, the festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 4, at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Find more information here.