Month: April 2024

The 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship Game was a highly anticipated matchup between an undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks team and an Iowa Hawkeyes squad that featured the biggest star in the sport, Caitlin Clark.

After Iowa broke ratings records in the Elite 8 (against LSU) and again in the Final Four (against UConn), the expectation was that many millions of folks would tune in for the national championship game on Sunday afternoon. The game being on ABC rather than ESPN figured to provide another boost, as even in 2024 network broadcasts allow for a wider reach, and the game itself delivered with Clark going crazy early from three before becoming a back-and-forth battle until the Gamecocks ultimately pulled away for a win to complete a perfect season.

On Monday, the official ratings came in and it once again broke the record for the most-watched women’s college basketball game of all-time, pulling in a ridiculous 18.7 million average viewers, with a 24 million viewer peak. That isn’t just a huge number for a women’s game, it made it the most-watched basketball game of any kind — men’s/women’s college, WNBA, or NBA — since 2019.

Clark was fired up when she learned of the record-setting ratings the game did, as even in a Hawkeyes loss, it was a phenomenal day for the sport and both teams involved.

It is quite the number, bringing in viewership we simply never see this side of the football field (or Olympics), and shows how the when given mainstream attention and the perfect storm of star power and team dominance, there’s an awful lot of interest in the women’s game.

Blame it on the election year, the eclipse, or something else, but the hip-hop world has descended into utter chaos in 2024. First, there was Ice Spice and Latto, then there was Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj. Kendrick Lamar threw shots at Drake and J. Cole; J. Cole shot back and apologized a few days later. Today, not only did Meek Mill air out his feelings about Wale but now, City Girls JT and Yung Miami are having it out on the timeline, apparently prompted by perceived shade from Saucy Santana.

Buckle up, this is a bumpy ride.

So, I guess the place to start is JT, who has been on a Nicki Minaj-esque tweet rampage for the past several hours, arguing with infamous Stan acoount Ken Barbie (please understand, all of these people need to get a life, but it’s high school on Stan Twitter 24/7, so of course, this is where it all started). Meanwhile, Yung Miami was dealing with a Stan troll of her own, and when her good friend Santana inserted himself into the conversation is where things really went left.

After telling off the stan in question (and receiving a catty reply in return), Santana tried to dismiss their return fire about Yung Miami being caught in the crossfire of Diddy’s ongoing legal drama. Unfortunately, JT apparently took his snide reference to TV shows about Diddy’s ongoing problems personally. “Your not my power of attorney sit your ass down!!!” she told him. She also took a separate tweet from Yung Miami around the same time the same way, interpreting Miami’s assertion that “A bitch been sneak dissing me for weeks” to be a reference to herself.

That opened the floodgates, and JT lit into her partner-in-rhyme, prompting a back-and-forth that is still ongoing, as of press time.

You can see more of the ongoing feud below. If all this is just rollout for a reunion album, I will be FURIOUS.

A total solar eclipse appeared on Monday afternoon, and a large portion of the United States got to witness the celestial event. The path of totality went over a number of states, including the great state of Ohio, where plenty of folks (for example: me) went outside and threw on some eclipse glasses and looked up into the sky.

Two of the cities that got an especially great view of things were Cincinnati, which got 99.7 coverage at its peak, and Cleveland, which was right along the path of totality. Fortunately, there were people in both cities that decided to set up time lapse cameras in their respective MLB stadiums, as both the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Guardians are getting ready to play games in the late afternoon/early evening on Monday. Unsurprisingly, the video the Reds posted was stunning.

The one that the official MLB account posted from Progressive Field was even better, as it had the sun prominently featured and really gave a glimpse into just how dark things got for those who were along the path of totality.

Unsurprisingly, the players in attendance were blown away by the whole thing.

Anyway, let’s all do this again when we get another one of these in the U.S. in 2044 and 2045.

Last year, Daisy Ridley surprised Star Wars fans by appearing at the 2023 Celebration event and revealing that she’d be starring in a new movie set 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.

Ridley’s involvement shocked fans given she’d stepped away from social media after receiving a significant amount of hate for playing Rey, the new Jedi hero of the Sequel Trilogy who had the audacity to be a girl. There was also a significant amount of (sigh) discourse following the release of The Last Jedi. Throw in the fact that Star Wars has yet to get a single theatrical feature off the ground since Rise of Skywalker, and you had some pretty puzzled people.

However, in a new interview, Ridley opened up about why she was still excited to jump back into the franchise despite, well, everything.

Via Empire:

“I suppose I feel more like I’m owning it. I suppose I owned it the first time. Basically, I’m an adult now,” she explains. “I certainly did not feel like an adult at the time. Obviously, personally, things have changed, and professionally, I’ve had lots of other experiences, and so I definitely feel like it’s a different thing this time.” Even after three films – and a considerable amount of online discourse – Ridley still holds real affection for the world of Star Wars. “There’s just a lot of joy with me and these films,” she says. “Honestly, if I wasn’t excited, I wouldn’t have done it. It feels like a great thing to be a part of.”

Obviously, Ridley couldn’t reveal anything about the plot, which will reportedly involve the formation of a new Jedi Order, and what that even means following the events of the The Skywalker Saga. Her main concern is doing justice to this wisened iteration of Rey.

“It feels pretty amazing to be able to continue a character – like, can I even remember how to play her?” Ridley told Empire. “It’s an interesting challenge as an actor to come back to something and try to figure out what’s changed for me and what’s changed for her.”

(Via Empire)

At WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes didn’t just finish his story, he capitalized on everything he’s worked for over the last few years to elevate himself to the face of WWE. Holding the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship for the first time in his career, Rhodes will also roll into Monday Night Raw as the driving force behind the band Downstait claiming the top song on the iTunes Rock chart following his win.

When Rhodes returned to WWE three years ago, he was intentional about every aspect of his character. Maintaining the gimmick he’d created wasn’t in question — he had trademarked everything and has the tattoo of his logo prominently placed on his neck. And when it came to his music, he was adamant everything stay intact.

“The music, it wasn’t that there was any pushback, as much as it was, what does it matter? We make great music here too, and really they do,” Rhodes told Uproxx Sports ahead of his American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes documentary. “I’ve heard a song that was a version for me here. That was an area where I was adamant, and Kevin Dunn was very generous in that he allowed that to be the case. Now I couldn’t think of the bit without it. There’s some fans who are absolutely on board and they know every part of this movie you’re going to see. And then there’s other fans who know, this is where we go, ‘whoa,’ at the show and that may be their only thing. What we’ve discovered was this rallying cry against WWE, which is what the song is, is very catchy. That was an area where I knew it was important enough to fight for it.”

The song has become tied to Rhodes and his rise to the top, and will now follow him into his first appearance as champion on Monday Night Raw.

There are certain things that are quintessential British culture, like tea parties, corgis, and guards with big hats. One of the most iconic pieces of British pop culture is Doctor Who, the long-running sci-fi show that most recently helped launch the careers of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and James Corden before they shipped him across the pond to become a professional chauffeur. But throughout its 50+ years on air, Doctor Who has never encountered another infamous British legacy: The Beatles.

There has never been a Beatles-themed episode of the series, even though they’ve done just about everything else. This is likely due to the price tag on a popular track like “Hey Jude.” Though they could probably afford “Wild Honey Pie” if they wanted to.

As showrunner Russell T. Davies explained to Empire, “I knew instantly you can never play Beatles songs on screen because the copyright is too expensive. So I’m thinking, ‘How would you do a Beatles episode without Beatles music?’ And that becomes the entire plot. That’s where the idea came from – copyright law!”

Davies helmed the show from 2005- 2010 and just returned for the most recent season. He was clearly brainstorming this whole Beatles thing the entire time.

One of the upcoming episodes will star the latest Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, as he and his companion take a trip down Abbey Road. Davies explained how the idea came to life: “There’s a young director called Sam Arbor who I’ve kind of been mentoring for a while, and when I told him I was going back to Doctor Who, he was just 21 and said, ‘Oh my God, if I had a TARDIS, I’d go back and watch the Beatles recording their first album.’ And I thought for a 21-year-old to say that must mean there’s something to that idea.” The Doctor Who universe has been big on nostalgia lately.

How will they possibly pull it off? You’ll have to wait and see! The 14th season of Doctor Who premieres on May 11 on Disney+. Feel free to queue up the Beatles documentary, also on Disney+, if you want an immersive experience.

(Via Empire)

Last year, Tinashe garnered positive reviews with her September EP, BB/ANG3L, as she joined the wave of US artists reviving the UK garage and drum-and-bass styles. Supported by an immersive video project, The BB/ANG3L Experience, a Tiny Desk Concert, and a co-headlining tour with Shygirl (which was unfortunately canceled for medical reasons), BB/ANG3L debuted a thrilling new direction for Tinashe, whose penchant for blending pop and R&B found its most effective outlet yet in the dance music revival.

It looks like she’ll continue going in that direction as today, she announced BB/ANG3L PT. 2 — Quantum Baby is coming soon, sharing a pre-save link with a unique, Mad Max-ish trailer. In the video, a sports car tricked out to look like a real war machine is chased through the desert by drones, evoking a futuristic, somewhat dystopian world for the new project — which is right in line with much of the world-building Tinashe has done around her music since going independent some years ago. (Maybe she’s been playing the hell out of Cyberpunk 2077 and its anti-corporate ethos really resonated with her after her misadventures in the major label system.)

BB/ANG3L is “coming soon,” which means a release date will likely be announced shortly.

Kim Kardashian is one of the most famous celebrities in the world. It would be intimidating for anyone to film a sex scene with her, but especially someone who had never gotten “intimate” on screen before.

“I was nervous and body-conscious, and to find out my first sex scene is going to be with an icon known for their beauty was a lot,” Dominic Burgess, who stars alongside Kardashian in FX’s American Horror Story: Delicate, told Variety. But the actor, who has also appeared in Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Bette and Joan, as well as The Good Place, The Leftovers, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, had a “wonderful” experience shooting the sex scene.

“But there was a great intimacy coordinator who asked what we felt comfortable with, and the director was John J. Gray, who I worked with on Feud — and Kim was wonderful. It ended up being a really pleasant experience,” he said. They even bonded over a shared love of Shania Twain.

Burgess has never seen an episode of any of Kardashian’s reality shows, and wasn’t sure what to expect. The actor had been scolded early in his career for talking to the main actors on a set, and has learned to exercise caution when approaching stars. “But she was really friendly,” he says. “We talked about travel and Broadway shows and Shania Twain!”

“Let’s go girls” is what I say every time I see Jessica Lange and Frances Conroy in a Ryan Murphy show.

(Via Variety)

Victor Wembanyama came into the NBA with more hype than any prospect since LeBron James and, much like LeBron did 21 years ago, Wembanyama has more than lived up to the sky-high expectations placed on him.

The Spurs rookie big man is almost assured the Rookie of the Year award, even with Chet Holmgren having a great year in OKC, and he has a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year, with his late season push flipping some prominent opinions of whether he’s deserving of it even with the Spurs struggles — most notably, Draymond Green’s. On a seemingly nightly basis Wembanyama does things we just never see on the basketball court, and he often leaves opponents dumbfounded and/or in awe of what he’s capable of doing.

With unicorn already taken (and at this point, overused) the best way to really describe Wembanyama is “an alien,” as he simply does things no one else can do or ever has done. He’s embraced that moniker, wearing PE’s of Nike sneakers with an alien logo on the back, and the sneaker giant is starting to give Wemby the full promotional treatment. On Monday, they took advantage of the total solar eclipse that passed over Texas and much of the central United States to release a terrific new ad spot for the Spurs young star.

Nike has long been among the best at athlete ads, and this is some very good (and opportunistic) work. Wemby crop circles in Texas is good stuff and after years of brands and players forcing monogram logos on us, I’m very excited to have a player with a unique logo that’s not some mashup of his initials. The alien head in a basketball is grade-A work and I hope they keep steering in to the supernatural/otherworldly element with Wembanyama going forward.

It’s back-to-school time (yaaassss!), but that means it’s also the time when you have to tackle those super-long, super-specific school supply lists (uggghhhh!).

You know what I’m talking about — the 15-plus-items-long list of things your kids need for school.

As a bonus, they’re often brand-name specific. Seriously. Because Elmer’s glue is apparently just that different from generic store brand glue.

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Based on the venting ( “OMG, everyone is sold out of pre-sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils!”) and cries for help I’m seeing from my fellow parents on social media (“Where did you find three wide-ruled draw-and-write composition books?” — OK, I admit that was my question), a lot of our public school kiddos are being given supply lists quite similar to this one:

Sample school supply list created from actual lists I’ve collected. Some items have been switched between lists to protect the innocent.

While many public schools send these lists to parents, in certain states they’re “requests” not “requirements” (even when not clearly presented that way) because some states cannot legally require students to provide their own school supplies.

Optional or required, however, these school supply lists are important.

I know, I know — lots of us parents have many feelings about them, like:

• We didn’t have to buy a specific list of supplies when we were kids (walking uphill both ways, two miles, in the snow).
• This is public school, not private school! Can’t the glue sticks come out of my taxes?
• This list is so name-brand specific. Are Elmer’s glue sticks reallllyyyy that superior to these cheaper, generic ones?
• Seriously?? So many glue sticks?! Just … what?

And we can all agree that it’s not right that public school budgets are regularly slashed and aren’t big enough to cover the basic necessities essential for our kids’ success. (You know, like pencils.) And in some cases, budgets are misused, and that’s not right, either.

But as much as parents dread shopping for school supplies, our children’s teachers probably dread having to ask.

Katie Sluiter, a mom of three and teacher of 13 years, shares in parents’ frustrations about supplies — just from a different perspective. “I struggle every single August with having to ask for [supply] donations. I hate it,” she says.

She’d love to stop asking parents to bring in a combined total of 800 pencils and 1,000 glue sticks and just buy them herself. But as a teacher, she simply cannot afford to do it.

“I hate that we have two full-time salaried workers in our house. … I have an advanced degree, and we are still living paycheck to paycheck. It feels shameful to have to ask every. single. year. for donations. Teachers don’t want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach.”

“Teachers don’t want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach.” — Katie Sluiter

Nicole Johansen, a mom of two who was a teacher for 12 years, echoes Sluiter’s sentiments. She cites never ending budget cuts as well as the need to stretch other funds, like PTO-raised money, further and further as the reasons supply lists exist and adds, “It is frustrating knowing that schools should be appropriately allotted funds for supplies — this said from the parent AND teacher standpoint.”

So most of us are on the same page here. Class supply lists are the pits … for everyone!

The most significant thing to remember, though, is that if your budget allows, it’s important to purchase the items on the list.

If you’re not purchasing the supplies, it’s very likely your child’s teacher will have to — with his or her own money.

Image by Thinkstock.

And we’ve already established that teacher salaries aren’t cutting it when it comes to taking care of their families and their students.

And maybe it’s not so much that teachers have to spend their own paychecks on classroom supplies, but they want to because an overwhelming majority of teachers genuinely care about their students.

“I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students,” Johansen said. “Pretty much all teachers I know will be spending for their classroom despite having to cut back the grocery bill for their family.”

“I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students.” — Nicole Johansen

“No, we don’t have to spend all that time and money on our classrooms, but it makes it a quality experience when your children have things like science experiments, books, art supplies, and a comfortable, cozy classroom environment.”

OK, but seriously, what do they do with all of those glue sticks?!

I know I’m not the only one who opened up that list when my daughter was in first grade, choked on my coffee, and exclaimed, “THREE DOZEN GLUE STICKS?! What, are the kids eating them? [Probably. Little kids eat all kinds of gross stuff.] Are the teachers selling them for profit? [I wouldn’t blame them. See above about teachers’ salaries].”

Image by Thinkstock.

“We glue kids’ mouths shut,” Sluiter told me when I asked.

“Totally kidding. They last like 12 seconds … [and] no matter how vigilant we are in supervising the picking up and putting away of supplies, each time we get the tub of glue sticks out, there are about three to five dead soldiers and lone caps rolling in the bottom of the bin.”

(I love teachers with senses of humor!)

But back to the actual issue.

My friend Shannon summed up the class supply list conundrum perfectly, if bluntly:

She wants parents who can budget in school supplies without experiencing a financial burden to “quit complaining about some of the items being communal. Vote for politicians who will quit cutting money from schools. I don’t remember my parents having to buy 20 glue sticks, but I certainly don’t think any more should come out of teachers’ pockets.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

This story originally appeared on 08.11.15.