Month: May 2024

Saturday night saw the Minnesota Timberwolves get off to a fantastic start in their Western Conference semifinals matchup against the reigning champs, as they went into Denver and took Game 1 (and homecourt advantage) off the Nuggets.

The star of the game, as is often the case for Minnesota, was Anthony Edwards, scoring 43 points on 17-of-29 shooting to out-duel Nikola Jokic. Edwards took over in key moments, creating buckets for himself and others whenever Minnesota needed him. You could tell how excited he was to play the defending champs and prove himself on that stage.

That emotion should be welcomed on the playoff stage, but after a tough bucket in the third, Edwards got hit with an incredibly soft technical foul for staring down Reggie Jackson. On the call for TNT, Reggie Miller rightfully chastised the officials for blowing the whistle in that situation, noting it’s the playoffs and Edwards didn’t even say anything, he just gave Jackson a little stare as he got set for the next defensive possession.

Thankfully, that point the Nuggets got didn’t play into the final outcome and the NBA made sure the T didn’t cost Edwards anything out of his wallet either, as the league rescinded the technical on Sunday afternoon.

It’s the right move, but the league also will need to communicate to their officials that, in the playoffs, the threshold for a taunting technical needs to be really high. This certainly didn’t meet that criteria and hopefully we won’t see any more like it this postseason.

HBO surely fretted over whether Game of Thrones‘ bonkers series finale had soured the audience to Westeros-related TV programming. Yet House of the Dragon launched as an instant juggernaut and is preparing for second-season debut time on June 16. That series is currently mapped out for four seasons, but HBO isn’t waiting for this show to run its course before heading into more George R.R. Martin source material.

A handful of other spinoffs are being batted around with an Aegon the Conqueror (with his two sister-wives) show in early stages. First, however, a House of the Dragon sequel (which will also double as a Game of Thrones prequel) will arrive. That would be A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. That title remains subject to change, but let’s investigate the latest tidbits in this series, including some concrete casting news.

Plot

Perhaps the most important detail to know is that HBO has had enough confidence to give a straight-to-series order to this show rather than a mere pilot (as with the failed Bloodmoon, which reportedly cost $30 million to make before being scrapped) or nothing, period (as with the reported Jon Snow series, which will not materialize, according to Kit Harington).

Instead, there are big plans for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, which begins 100 years prior to GoT and will bridge the time gap between the end of HotD (which in turn begins 300 years prior to A Song of Fire and Ice). The story of what has become known as the Dunk and Egg trilogy of novellas comprises A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms with The Hedge Knight being the first entry that introduces the main characters, Ser Duncan the Tall, a knight for hire, and his squire, “Egg,” who happens to secretly be…

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[WAIT FOR IT]

… Aegon V Targaryen, which means that he’s a descendant of the famous Aegons including Aegon the Conqueror and Aegon II, the latter of whom is currently causing a throne-stealing ruckus in House of the Dragon prior to the second season. When Dunk and Egg hook up, the Targaryens are kind-of still ruling Westeros but barely doing so, since they lost their dragons in the Civil War. Of course, dragons come back into being when Daenerys hangs out in that funeral pyre fire, thereby hatching that crop of eggs.

With that said, Ser Duncan the Tall is a stand-up dude, and his dynamic with Egg has been likened to that of Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne. HBO has supplied a series description, too:

A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.

Additionally, the upcoming Sea Snake show is still in the works (as an animated series) and a Nyemeria show might be on the way, and as mentioned above, Aegon the Conqueror’s time is in the works as well.

Cast

Physicality is important when it comes to the two led roles of Dunk and Egg. In the case of Ser Duncan, he approaches seven feet tall in the source material, and Alan Ritchson is already otherwise occupied. However, the casting gods did smile on this production, and according to Variety, ex-rugby player Peter Claffey (Bad Sisters) has been cast as Dunk. Claffey stands at a reported six feet and five inches, so at least he has the height going for him.

As for Egg? That would be Dexter Sol Ansell, who was recently seen in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as the young Coriolanus Snow. He already has the Targaryen blond locks, but those had to come off since Egg is an alias. To prepare for filming, Dexter went fully bald:

Keep your eyes open for other casting to be announced.

Release Date

HBO has this series on the calendar for a loose 2025 release date. In other words, look for this show to air between the second and third House of the Dragon seasons. We are living in miraculous TV times.

Trailer

The wait for footage continues, but if you are already knee deep in the lore, here’s GRRM discussing a notorious battle from the Dunk and Egg books.

Typically when you think of country music, there is a set list of what immediately comes to mind. Well, thanks to one Queen Bey, that imagery has been expanded. So, when Zach Bryan brought his The Quittin Time Tour to the Show-Me State, he was sure to channel that change.

On May 2, during the “I Remember Everything” singer’s visit to St. Louis, Missouri, Bryan treated concertgoers to a surprise cameo from a hometown hero. With several musicians native to the area finding someone to win over Enterprise Center wasn’t a difficult task. But Bryan wanted to shake things up and that exactly what Sexyy Red did. After hitting the stage, Sexyy added her own flair to the music with an impressive round of twerking.

Usually, country music is accompanied by line dancing, but simply put ass-throwing is universal. Plus opening acts The Middle East and Levi Turner provide enough of that earlier in the evening.

As expected the crowd ate Sexyy Red’s supporting performance up. After the show “Thank you for bringing me out Zach Bryan,” she wrote.

Bryan returned the love by way of a post on his official Instagram page. “Home of Sexyy Red,” he wrote. “Thank y’all so much for coming and you always got friends in us.”

Attendees and users online cheered on the duo’s now viral linkup.

“This is the generation that will end racism once and for all. It’s beautiful,” penned one user.

“This is why I love her so much. Twerking at a Zach Bryan show,” chimed another.

“I just watched Zach Bryan sing ‘Revival’ for 13 minutes while Sexyy Red danced around the stage for 13 minutes. There’s no show more St. Louis than that,” exclaimed one user.

“I love this soooo much omfg,” wrote another.

Following cameos from Bruce Springsteen, Kacey Musgrave, and Sexyy Red, Zach Bryan’s next onstage surprises have a high bar to meet.

The heat remained on in the kitchen for The Bear‘s second outing, which was quite a feat given that the kitchen-inside-the-show remained shuttered for most of the runtime. The FX on Hulu show didn’t certainly have to struggle for a renewal, and filming began in February of this year. The production has always been speedy and doesn’t rely upon special effects, so the season will come out faster than some had perhaps expected, and that’s all good.

Since the last time we checked in on Carmy Berzatto and his fellow Chefs, this show’s three most magnetic presences (Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach) each took home well-deserved Emmy awards. Now that they are in-demand stars (and this has been a long time coming for both White and Moss-Bachrach, who have been toiling away in TV for well over a decade), what can we expect from the third season?

Plot

First, let’s visit a question that’s perhaps on many people’s minds: will the series remain in bingeworthy format? According to Variety, FX chairman John Landgraf relayed how he harbored “no doubt” that this season will be released in full at once. “It wasn’t lost on me or anyone who worked on the show that it was anxiety-inducing,” he declared of that choice. “So we made a decision to drop the whole thing because it has a beautiful, uplifting ending.”

Jeremy Allen White alluded to how Carmy is getting back to his old kitchen tricks now that the new restaurant is up and running. We can assume that this means he will escape the refrigerator since White planned “to spend a fair amount of time getting together with some chefs.” As a result, we can expect much more culinary action and conflict because “we’re going to go back to that functioning kitchen atmosphere that we had in the first.” (Please let Richie get stabbed in the butt again, so we can watch him walk it off differently.)

Questions do remain however, such as whether Carmy will continue to allow himself to be distracted by romance and, on the same note, whether the writers will begin to draw he and Sydney closer together. On an even more stressful note, that loan money from Jimmy will come due awfully quickly, so it remains to be seen whether Carmy/Natalie can pay back that loan within 18 months as promised. Good god, that’s a terrible timeline, but it will help create more fantastic TV tension — especially if Carmy decides to prioritize a Michelin Star over everything else, which will either infuriate or invigorate everybody.

Cast

Surely, cameos will be in plentiful supply again, and we can only hope to see another brief appearance from Joel McHale’s nightmare Chef. Returning cast members include the main three personalities — White, Ayo Edebiri, and Bachrach — because they are absolutely essential main courses. Other vital ingredients include Lionel Boyce (Marcus) and Abby Elliot (Natalie). There’s no telling whether we have seen the last of Jon Bernthal as Mikey, but Jamie Lee Curtis and Will Poulter would be extra icing on the upcoming cake.

Release Date

June 2024. It’s happening then, Chefs.

Trailer

We are not that fortunate yet. However, here’s Jeremy Allen White telling Jimmy Kimmel about filming that tense Christmas episode and (separately) how he disastrously carved a turkey for the holidays.

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

10. Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix series)

The Sandman universe receives a much appreciated spin off series while awaiting a second season of the flagship show. Will these BFF ghosts be renewed for more adventures, too? Netflix isn’t revealing its hand yet, but this series begins with a bang-up cameo and continues by launching into the mysteries that human investigators cannot manage to solve. The two title characters were born decades apart but come together for a common cause, and even though Tom Sturridge admitted to being somewhat shook by what he observed, that revelation does bode well for the future.

9. Unfrosted (Netflix film)

Jerry Seinfeld might not have been too confident in his directorial debut, given that Rob McElhenney was able to easily disprove the Seinfeld claim that “P.C. Crap” has made laughs impossible to achieve in 2024. This Netflix “comedy” (and the jury is still fully out, although critics are overall not thrilled) goes back in time to retell the 1963 birth of the Pop-Tart, which somehow came together while rival cereal brands were going at each other. The film includes a sea of celebrity appearances from Hugh Grant, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Bill Burr, Maria Bakalova, and Seinfeld himself.

8. The Sympathizer (HBO series streaming on Max)

Robert Downey Jr. isn’t messing around here with a post-Oscar appearance in which he portrays four roles, including film director, professor, congressman, and CIA operative. Maybe that’s what happens after an actor embodies the same billionaire playboy philanthropist for over a decade? (He’s gotta stretch those acting legs.) This satirically rendered show adapts Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which follows a Vietnam War-era spy (Hoa Xuande) who encounters RDJ’s assorted, pivotal characters along the way.

7. The Veil (Hulu series)

No shortage of espionage-filled stories (including Slow Horses, Jack Ryan, and The Night Agent) have recently been taking streaming by storm. Now, Elisabeth Moss takes her turn in a thriller that brings two women together in an intricate game while they leap across Europe to save thousands of innocents from perishing. Secrets, lies, real-life peril, and ass-kicking moves swirl with international agencies coming together to halt inevitable mayhem.

6. Love Lies Bleeding (A24 film on VOD & Amazon Prime)

Rose Glass (Saint Maud) directed this project, for which Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian bonded over cat pee before production began. Kristen is Lou, a gym manager, and Katy is Jackie, a ripped-as-hell bodybuilder, and their romance gets sidetracked then they are sucked into the town’s criminal underworld due to Lou’s father (Ed Harris, who has seen far better non-hair days). Expect murder, mayhem, and tons of hair, baby.

5. Under The Bridge (Hulu series)

Lily Gladstone is following up her arresting Killers of the Flower Moon performance in this true-crime series adaptation of the late Rebecca Godfrey’s same-named book that dives tail first into 14-year-old Reena Virk’s murder after it flipped a Canadian town on its head. The story carries some Sharp Objects flavor with True Detective vibes alongside its real-life origins. Riley Keough portrays Godfrey, and Gladstone suits up as a cop as the two women take different approaches to the pursuit of justice.

4. Baby Reindeer (Netflix series)

Comedian, creator, and star Richard Gadd has already moved onto his next project after demolishing viewers with a dramatization of his real-life experiences with different abusers. That’s an oversimplification of the nuanced storytelling, and Gadd lays himself bare to the world in an adaptation of his one-man show that will stick with you, but he’d prefer that people stick to watching his series and resist the temptation to go armchair detective as though this was made as a typical true-crime series (which it was not).

3. Them: The Scare (Amazon series)

Amazon’s polarizing live-action horror anthology series returns (following 1950s-set Them: The Covenant) in the 1990s with Pam Grier in trouble as Athena Reeve. Dawn Reeve (Deborah Ayorinde), however, is an LAPD homicide detective gliding through utter chaos to catch a killer who has attacked a foster home mom. Does this case come too close to home for Dawn? You know how these stories usually work out but not how Dawn works this case.

2. Anyone But You (Sony Pictures Releasing film on Netflix)

Chemistry ruled the day for Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s romcom — a take on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing — which has given studios the confidence to believe in sleeper hits again. Of course, Sweeney’s own savviness had plenty to do with the film’s long-haul appeal at the box office, so let’s hope that she ends up back in the producer’s chair on countless occasions as her career progresses. Chemistry and mutual attractiveness from the leading pair certainly didn’t hurt, however.

1. Fallout (Amazon Prime series)

Walton Goggins cannot be stopped. A second season has already been greenlit for this adaptation of a beloved post-apocalyptic game franchise. Goggins portrays The Ghoul with nose-less abandon but, as always, charisma to spare. Fortunately, this series is one of many successful video-game takes hitting screens over the past few years, and let’s hope that Borderlands continues that trend. Before Fallout does more New Vegas however, Goggins fans can relish his recent cheeky social media postings and also spend too much time thinking (guilty as charged) about that Justified set friction because — let’s face it — humanity is addicted to drama, on and off TV.

Three things the internet currently can’t stop talking about: Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s beef, Dua Lipa‘s new album, Radical Optimism, and of course, the sexy tennis-centric thriller, Challengers. All of these things were addressed on tonight’s (May 4) episode of Saturday Night Live, during which, Dua Lipa pulled double duty as both the show’s host and musical performer.

During one of the sketches, Lipa brings Marcello Hernandez to her apartment, by which, Hernandez is immediately amazed. But within seconds, Hernandez notices something shocking in Lipa’s apartment — a large collection of bizarre little dolls. Lipa tells a confused Hernandez that these dolls are Sonny Angels.

When Lipa leaves the room, Hernandez notices that one of the dolls — played by Bowen Yang — comes to life. Tension soon builds between Hernandez and Yang, as he learns he will have to compete for Lipa’s affection.

Later on, the score from Challengers plays, as Yang continues to tease Hernandez. Lipa then brings a plate of churros to the living room, alluding to a scene in the movie where Mike Faist’s character feeds Josh O’Connor’s character a churro.

A surprising final twist in the sketch manages to bring Hernandez and Yang closer.

You can watch the sketch above.

Dua Lipa‘s third studio album Radical Optimism is finally here. And tonight (May 4), Lipa celebrated the album’s release as Saturday Night Live‘s host and musical guest. Over the years, Lipa’s penchant for performing has only improved, and her pair of SNL performances were a pleasant indication of what this era will entail.

First, Lipa performed “Illusion,” before which, she was introduced by Troye Sivan.

Dressed in leather and lace, Lipa took command of the stage. Surrounded by kinetic dancers, Lipa shined bright, matching the fast-paced, seductive energy. The black and red lighting created the feeling of a dance club, with trippy flashes and mysterious fog.

In her second performance of the night, Lipa performed the album’s closer, “Happy For You.”

After she was introduced by Jerry Seinfeld, Lipa appeared on stage, emerging through a cloud of smoke. Dressed in shiny silver and white undergarments, this performance felt a bit more bright and cozy than the performance of “Illusion.” Which, in this case, is fitting, as lyrically, “Happy For You,” features Lipa expressing gratitude over the fact that her ex has moved on and is able to be happy with someone else.

Lipa has not yet announced a tour for Radical Optimism, but these performances proved to be precursors to one hell of concert.

You can see the performances above.

Radical Optimism is out now via Warner Records. Find more information here.

Dua Lipa‘s third album Radical Optimism is finally here. But while this weekend is huge for her, she — like most of us — can’t help but get invested in Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s ongoing beef.

In a Saturday Night Live sketch, Lipa plays a culture reporter on a fictional talk show hosted by Mikey Day and Heidi Gardner. Though the hosts are clueless about the beef, Lipa helps by offering some informational tidbits.

“One clue on the song ‘Euphoria,’ when Kendrick describes Drake as Canadian, that’s because Drake is from Toronto,” said Lipa.

While this piece of information is rather obvious, Lipa continued, explaining one of the names Lamar calls Drake on the song.

“And he calls Drake ‘Crodie,’ which is a term used by the Crips,” said Lipa, “which according to Wikipedia is an alliance of street gangs based in Southern California.”

Lipa also touched on one of Drake’s diss records, “Taylor Made Freestyle,” on which, he used artificial intelligence to emulate Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur’s rap stylings. This particular song wasn’t well-received, and could potentially end Drake up in legal trouble.

“Drake is being sued by Tupac’s estate for using an AI version of his voice,” said Lipa.

Day and Gardner continue the sketch, imitating Drake and Lamar — but as one can imagine, it doesn’t end well.

You can see the sketch above.

It’s about to be a big night for Dua Lipa. This past week, Lipa dropped her third studio album, Radical Optimism. Tonight (May 4), the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning pop hitmaker is not only performing on the show, but also hosting the show. This is her first time pulling double duty on SNL, and by her opening monologue, it’s safe to say the “Training Season” singer has this in the bag.

During her opening monologue, Lipa explained the meaning of “radical optimism,” noting her ability to find the bright side in any situaion. She then called upon the audience to share problems they have.

One audience member, played by Mikey Day, shared that he accidentally called his wife “mom” in the middle of sex.

“On the bright side, you’ll have plenty of time to spend with your mom.”

Another audience member, played by Bowen Yang, revealed that he’s going to have to cut back on one of his vices.

“Yesterday I went to the doctor, and she said — yes, my doctor is a woman — that b*tch said I need to stop drinking,” he said.

Lipa offered a practical solution

“On the bright side, there’s always poppers!,” she said.

You can see Lipa’s opening monologue above.

Radical Optimism is out now via Warner Records. Find more information here.

The very public beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake is far from over. Last night (May 3), Drake dropped “Family Matters,” a response to Lamar’s diss track “6:16 In LA,” which he released earlier in the day. Within less than an hour, Lamar responded to “Family Matters” with “Meet The Grahams,” on which, Lamar accused Drake of fathering and hiding a daughter from the world.

Drake has yet to respond to “Meet The Grahams,” however, Lamar has since shared another diss track — “Not Like Us.”

Produced by Mustard, “Not Like Us” is equally scathing lyrically, as much as it is a certified dance-ready West Coast banger. On the track, Lamar calls Drake out, implying inappropriate behavior with young girls.

“Why he trollin’ like a b*tch? Ain’t you tired? / Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-Minor,” raps Lamar.

He also calls out his use of AI technology to imitate Tupac’s voice, and warns him not to show his face within the West Coast.

“You think the bay gon’ let you disrespect ‘Pac? / I think that Oakland show bout to be your last stop.”

Closing out the track, Lamar calls the OVO founder an “OV-Hoe,” and encourages the listener to chant it back.

You can listen to “Not Like Us” above.