Month: June 2024

Barring something happening in the last seconds of the negotiations surrounding the league’s next media rights deal, 2024-25 is slated to be the final year that Turner gets to broadcast NBA games. As a result, legendary broadcaster Charles Barkley recently announced that he plans on retiring at the end of next year — Chuck has long said he doesn’t want to be in broadcasting forever, but he now has an end date in mind, even if Turner can pull off a miracle.

Of course, Barkley has always stuck around whenever he’s mentioned wanting to get out of the broadcasting game, so there are plenty of people who think he’s going to change his mind. And as it turns out, a Turner colleague agrees with that sentiment, as Draymond Green said on the latest episode of his podcast that he doesn’t think Barkley is going to walk away from television any time soon.

“I just think Chuck’s being very emotional,” Green said at the 32:35 mark of the above video. “I don’t think Chuck’s about to retire, I think Chuck’s in a very emotional state right now and he’s processing those emotions, and you know, one day you may wake up and be like, ‘You know what? I’m done with this stuff. I’m outta here’ while you’re processing those emotions.

“And then you go a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks, maybe even a couple of months because this decision doesn’t have to be made today, tomorrow, or the next day,” he continued. “And then you’ll probably come to your senses and be like, ‘I’m not retiring, what was I thinking about?’ But you never really come back and tell people I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. You kind of go along with it and move on to the next thing, and that is what I expect from Chuck. I expect Chuck to never come back and tell us, ‘Ah, I was trippin’, I’m not retiring. I’m moving on to the next thing.’ But we will all watch him gracefully move on to the next thing.”

I think I speak for everyone when I say that Charles Barkley sticking around would be a pretty good thing. As for whether or not that happens is a completely different thing.

The first big trade of the 2024 NBA offseason arrived on Thursday, as some stunning news arrived courtesy of ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Oklahoma City Thunder, fresh off earning the West’s 1-seed, made a trade to acquire Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls, sending former top-10 pick Josh Giddey to Chicago in return.

This is a considerable on-court upgrade for the Thunder, who continue to load up on strong defenders up and down their roster. Giddey was targeted consistently in the playoffs for Oklahoma City, and his inability to be a shooting threat collapsed the Thunder’s spacing and made life difficult on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC offense against Dallas, who effectively ignored Giddey on the perimeter. Caruso has had his ups and downs as a shooter over his career, but knocked down 40.3 percent from deep last season on a career high 4.7 attempts per game. Adding another high-level defender (Caruso was second team All-Defense this past season) who is a more willing and capable shooter is a big boost for the Thunder in their quest to get in the conversation as a title contender next season.

Per Woj, the Bulls wanted to get more playmaking, and that is unquestionably the top attribute for Giddey as a player. He is a tremendous passer and Chicago certainly needs more of that, but as noted, the Thunder struggled in the postseason with their spacing when Giddey was on the floor and the Bulls will now have to crack that code themselves.

Caruso is extension eligible, but not for six months since he was traded, but the expectation is OKC will look to get him locked in long-term as soon as they can, while Giddey is entering the final year of his rookie deal.

Dakota Johnson seems like the most unbothered actresses out there. Sure, she had a critically panned movie, crashed a wedding and even made some bad jokes, but she still sleeps soundly at night. For up 14 hours! So when she suffered from a pretty drastic wardrobe malfunction (shortly after the 7:00 mark above) on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she handled it better than most.

Johnson stopped by to chat with Kimmel, who is also her neighbor, about her newest movie, Daddio. Unfortunately, they didn’t get too far into movie talk before the strap on Johnson’s dress seemed to break. “My dress just fell off,” the actress said nonchalantly.

“It seems to be hanging in alright,” Kimmel replied as the actress attempted to mend the dress. “You just hold it, it wont be very long. By the way, you guys did a great job in this movie.” The movie stars Johnson and Sean Penn during one taxi ride from JFK to Manhattan, Even though it sounds like it, it’s not a horror movie.

Once the duo were back on track, Johnson revealed how she was able to “cast” a d*ck pick that appears at one point in the movie. “So there is this sort of ominous third character in the movie, you never see him, you never really meet him, and my character is texting with him the whole time, and he sends this d*ck pic,” Johnson explained.

She continued, “And you know when we were casting the d*ck pic, there’s not a back stock of penis pics that are usable in movies…” she explained that a crew member “had a group of her male friends just anonymously send in photos to her,” all while still attempting to hold up her dress. This is why she’s a celebrated actress!

Check out the full interview above.

California knows how to party. Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth concert, The Pop Out: Ken & Friends, proved as much this week while living up to its name and bringing a range of street-certified artists from across the Los Angeles area together in a one-of-a-kind performance reminiscent of culture-defining shows like Fresh Fest, the Hard Knock Life Tour, or Jay-Z’s I Declare War show.

Kendrick himself called the show an example of “unity at its finest,” highlighting what to outsiders might appear to be an unusual and even ill-advised collection of affiliations, considering the city’s history of internecine gangland conflict. Just under three years ago, the Once Upon A Time In Los Angeles festival was marred by an attack on South Central rapper Drakeo The Ruler — an attack that turned out to be fatal, costing the city its third icon in as many years after the deaths of Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant in 2019 and 2020.

So to collect so many of LA’s Blood and Crip-affiliated artists not only onto one show bill but onto the same stage was a victory for unity, regardless of the simmering spitefulness that ran through much of the headliner’s setlist.

It helps to have a common enemy, though.

While almost none of the artists on stage as Kendrick Lamar performed the Drake diss song “Not Like Us” five times in a row have ever even had dealings with the Canadian superstar, it was hard not to get caught up in the infectious energy permeating the Kia Forum. The song is a phenomenon, a viral tornado that has swept through real life gatherings as surely as it has social media. In its way, it’s also a callback to a simpler time, before TikTok dances and AI-powered algorithms determined the popularity of singles custom-designed to game search engines and recommendations pages.

That it’s a combative, defamatory anthem makes its popularity so unique; there is a call-and-response hook, but it revolves around dragging down a rival to the artist himself. Every quotable is damn near a libel litigator’s wet dream. It’s not exactly “standing on couches and crooning to the roof” music. Maybe that’s why it was such a perfect song to bring together a city so well-known for warfare. “California Love” is a thing, but the unspoken context is LA loves a hater.

Or maybe we just understand them. Look at the icons that this town has deified. Kobe Bryant’s defining characteristic was a near-sociopathic commitment to competition — one that his staunchest supporters inherited (Temecula, anyone?). Eazy-E? Rose to stardom on the wave of a song dedicated to his hatred of law enforcement. His former bandmate, Ice Cube, broke away from NWA with a vicious diss track of his own, “No Vaseline.” Tupac Shakur, arguably the West Coast’s messiah figure, is still the face and gold standard of rap beef thanks to his treatment of friend-turned-rival The Notorious B.I.G.

Kendrick’s show, as much as it shone a spotlight on LA’s flourishing well of talent, past, present, and future, was a testament to LA’s legacy of contrarianism, of contradiction. The city itself is often positioned as a counterpoint to New York, America’s “First City.” A trip downtown underlines its original architects’ intentions to make it the New York of the West. But everything around it, as the city grasps toward the ocean, the mountains, the desert surrounding it, displays its rejection of this characterization.

Ken & Friends was a rejection of external definitions. A declaration of LA’s own identity. But more than anything, it was a party, the likes of which you can only throw on the West Coast.

(WARNING: Spoilers for Power Book II: Ghost will be found below.)

So, where did we leave off in episode two of Power Book II: Ghost season four? “To Thine Own Self” concluded with a bit of a reality check for Tariq and Brayden as they realized that a life outside of the drug game is not one for them. Despite Noma’s demands for them to stay out of it, the duo opts to come up with a plan to get back in and make some money for themselves. Monet continues her search for her killer while Dru and Diana hope that she never finds an answer. Cane and Noma seem to be forming a new relationship and Effie made some big moves to keep the operation. Now that you’re up to speed, here’s what to expect for this week’s episode.

When Will Power Book II: Ghost Season 4, Episode 3 Come Out?

The third episode of Power Book II: Ghost season four, titled “Birthright,” will arrive on June 21. The episode will be available on Friday, 6/21 on the STARZ app starting at midnight EST/PST. The episode will later air on the STARZ TV channel at 8 pm ET/PT. A synopsis for “Birthright” can be found below:

Tariq and Brayden must find an in with a vicious new connect. Noma tasks Cane with handling a competitor operating on her turf.

You can also watch a pair of teasers for Power Book II: Ghost season four, episode three below:

New episodes of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ season four are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am ET/PT and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm ET/PT.

Summer only officially arrives this week, and Netflix is already cranking up the heat with the long-awaited return of Cobra Kai. That will mark the beginning of the final (supersized) season for that show where karate fights randomly break out in malls, hallways, and in parking lots. Does the show still have the “Eye of the Tiger”? We will soon find out.

Additionally, Tom Ellis will now begin portraying God instead of the Devil like that’s the most natural move in the world. Eddie Murphy is back on the beat with more Beverly Hills Cop, and the back library will soon include a pair of Bad Boys movies in case you want to chase the fourth movie with some older-school editions. Oh, and the final season of Suits is finally coming to this streaming service — happy binging to you.

Here’s everything coming to Netflix in July:

Cobra Kai: Season 6 Part 1 (Netflix series streaming 7/18)

Kreese is out on the streets, so watch out, soul of karate. Actually, Daniel and Johnny are already training their joint dojo to take on any recently escaped villainous senseis, and the world championship — Sekai Taikai — sits on the horizon. More importantly, Hawk has grown his mohawk back, which makes the long wait between seasons almost worth it, and I cannot wait to find out if anyone brawls their way into a swimming pool this season. That keeps happening, and we don’t talk enough about it. Time to fix that omission.

Exploding Kittens (Netflix series streaming 7/12)

After several years of portraying the Devil, Tom Ellis is here to portray God, at least in voice form. Strangely enough, God must also mingle with humanity on earth, and he ends up stuck inside of a house cat’s body, and his new home happens to be situated near another cat who is actually the Antichrist. Also, Godcat is obsessed with a pigeon and Devilcat really enjoys naps. You in?

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Netflix film streaming 7/3)

Eddie Murphy decided to drag Axel Foley out for a new adventure four decades after the first time that happened. There are sure to be plenty of f-bombs, speeding cars, and utter chaos.

Vikings: Valhalla: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 7/11)

This extremely hairy spin off will return for a final season after a seven-year time jump. Freydis simply wants to find happiness while Harald is pushing for power, and Leif is closing in on Newfoundland.

Homicide: Los Angeles (Netflix docuseries streaming 7/16)

Dick Wolf isn’t content to be the long-reigning king of NBC’s primetime shows revolving around horrific crimes that are generally brought to justice within the hour. Now, he’s here with a new docuseries — this season based in Los Angeles — that discusses the unknown details (via detectives and prosecutors on the cases) of pop-culturally notorious murder investigations.

Avail TBA
LALIGA: All Access
Simone Biles Rising

Avail. 7/1
About Antoine: Season 1
Amazing Antoine
American Hustle
American Psycho
Annabelle
Back to the Future
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part III
Big Daddy
The Blind Side
Call Me by Your Name
Captain Phillips
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
Easy A
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Batch 3)
The House Bunny
Jigsaw
The Karate Kid
Lost: Seasons 1-6
Magic Mike XXL
Matilda
The Nun
Paw Patrol: The Movie
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 3
Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 2
Suits: Season 9
The Sweetest Thing
Uncle Buck
The Wiz
Zombieland

Avail. 7/2
SPRINT

Avail. 7/3
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Love Is Blind: Brazil: Season 4
The Man with 1000 Kids

Avail. 7/4
Barbecue Showdown: Season 3
Rhythm + Flow France: Season 3

Avail. 7/5
Desperate Lies
Goyo
The Imaginary
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch: Season 3

Avail. 7/7
Boruto: Naruto the Movie
The Last: Naruto the Movie
Road To Ninja -Naruto The movie-

Avail. 7/8
Bad Boys
Bad Boys II

Avail. 7/9
The Boyfriend
Hannah Berner: We Ride at Dawn

Avail. 7/10
Eva Lasting: Season 2
Love Is Blind: Brazil: Season 4
Receiver
Sugar Rush: The Baking Point: Season 2
Wild Wild Punjab

Avail. 7/11
Another Self: Season 2
Vanished into the Night
Vikings: Valhalla: Season 3
Rhythm + Flow France: Season 3

Avail. 7/12
Blame the Game
The Champion
Exploding Kittens
Lobola Man

Avail. 7/15
Midnight Sun
Trolls Band Together
Wonderoos

Avail. 7/16
The Boy Next Door
Chad Daniels: Empty Nester
Fifty Shades Darker
Fifty Shades Freed
Homicide: Los Angeles

Avail. 7/17
The Green Glove Gang: Season 2
T・P BON: Season 2

Avail. 7/18
Cobra Kai: Season 6 Part 1
Master of the House
Rhythm + Flow France: Season 3

Avail. 7/19
Find Me Falling
Skywalkers: A Love Story
Sweet Home: Season 3
Too Hot to Handle: Season 6

Avail. 7/21
Rhythm + Flow France: Season 3

Avail. 7/23
All American: Season 6

Avail. 7/24
Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam
Love of my life
Resurrected Rides

Avail. 7/23
The Decameron
Kleo: Season 2
Tokyo Swindlers

Avail. 7/26
The Dragon Prince: Season 6
Elite: Season 8
House of Ga’a
Non Negotiable
Too Hot to Handle: Season 6

Avail. 7/27
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Avail. 7/31
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 4

And it’s your last chance to stream these titles:

Leaving 7/7
War Dogs

Leaving 7/14
Abducted in Plain Sight

Leaving 7/15
The Beguiled

Leaving 7/23
Big Eyes

Leaving 7/31
American Graffiti
Anaconda
Enough
Fatal Attraction
Glass
Hulk
King Richard
Knocked Up
Lucy
Moneyball
Public Enemies
Resident Evil
Resident Evil: Retribution
Role Models
Shrek
Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit II
Something’s Gotta Give
The Great Wall
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Theory of Everything
Top Gear: Seasons 29-30
Traffic

Summer is officially upon us. Which means that, even though sunscreen is recommended every season of the year, nearly everyone is being more mindful about slathering some on before heading outdoors—be it for vanity’s sake, or for cancer prevention. Honestly whatever motive ingrains the habit.

But according to dermatologist Dr. Michael Park, there’s one key spot that most people tend to leave out of their sunscreen regimen, which could leave them susceptible.

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“I don’t know if you guessed it, but it’s the ears,” Dr. Park says in a video posted to TikTok.

Park, who worked in a melanoma specialty clinic for over a year, recalls seeing multiple patients with melanoma, a common type of skin cancer, right behind the ear where the sun “beat down on their skin.”

Park also notes the seriousness of melanoma.

@michael.park.md #skincare ♬ original sound – Michael Park, MD

“I don’t know where people got the idea of ‘oh it’s just skin cancer, it’s not that big of a deal.’ Y’all, let me make something really clear: melanoma, if not caught early, will kill you. Aggressive squamous cell carcinoma on the head and neck will also kill you,” he says.

Even basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of cancer which in most cases is not fatal, will have to be cut out…along with the skin surrounding it.

Park quips that while no one would probably want large chunks cut out of them, “certain areas that would be way worse than others, and one of those places… is the ears.” Which is why he’s sending out a friendly PSA about the importance of sunscreen in every nook and cranny that might get some sun.

“Unless you want to be a Vincent Van Gogh looking a**, make sure you put sunscreen on your ears,” his video concludes.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. So it’s important not to forget to defend any and all vulnerable areas with every UV blocking products available—from sunscreen every couple of hours to protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, etc.

For more skin care tips from Dr. Park, find him on TikTok.

A baseball cap on his head, his hands tucked snugly in his front blue jean pockets, Ken Ballard stood in front of a room of onlookers, admittedly a little out of his element.

But the issue at hand was so critical, Ballard said, he couldn’t keep quiet.

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Ballard was speaking during Texas’ 85th Legislative Session this past winter about his 14-year-old transgender son, Ashur, who attempted suicide twice.

Ashur, like many trans people, had wrestled with his identity in a world where ignorance and irrational fear-mongering continue harming people like him.

“Was I going to be his bully?” an emotional Ballard said in response to his son’s coming out. “Was I going to try and put him back into a box that fit the rules of my world at the time or wait it out and see if it would just pass and go back to the way it’d use to be?”

Advocacy group Equality Texas, who’s worked with Ballard in fighting for LGBTQ rights in the state, recently shared a video of him speaking during the session. Although it was captured on video several months ago, Ballard’s emotional plea in front of his fellow Texans is just now making waves online.

Since Equality Texas shared the video on Facebook, the comment section has filled with loving messages of support and admiration.

The comments, although mostly positive, are a bit bittersweet to Ballard.

“I … see comments that too many parents missed out on what could have been an amazing journey for them and their child by not accepting them,” Ballard explains. “Be as excited about your kid’s life as you were at the sonogram, when ‘we are having a baby’ was enough.”

The ongoing debate over trans rights isn’t isolated in Ballard’s home state. Legislatures at both the state and local level across the country are pushing forward with harmful bills this very moment.

A recently proposed Texas “bathroom bill” — which would have forced trans Texans to use the restroom that corresponds with the sex they were assigned at birth (not the gender they identify) — was just rejected by House Speaker Joe Straus, which was great news for human rights groups like Equality Texas.

But there’s still much at stake in the Lone Star State and in jurisdictions from coast to coast.

A handful of states, including Montana, Virginia, and Minnesota — as well as local school boards spanning the U.S. — deliberating similar bathroom bills. Research shows these laws leave trans people even more vulnerable to dangerous circumstances in their own communities — yet, their passing doesn’t protect anyone.

Chances are, equality — and trans lives — might be at stake in your own region of the country.

As for Ballard and Ashur, they’re living proof that acceptance and inclusion save lives.

And, as Ballard’s moving speech illustrates so well, it’s important our laws reflect that critical reality.

“I’ve watched a kid go from someone who, 26 months ago, was in despair,” Ballard says of his son’s mental health. “Now, [he’s] flourishing.”

This article originally appeared on 07.06.17

In May, Suki Waterhouse announced The Sparklemuffin Tour, and now we have corresponding album news: Waterhouse announced Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin (set for release on September 13) and shared the single “Supersad.”

Waterhouse says of the song, “I tried to write a nineties song you could hear playing at the mall in Clueless or as an opening track for Legally Blonde.”

She also explained how a type of spider inspired the album, saying, “I came across the Sparklemuffin — which is wildly colored, does this razzle-dazzle dance, and its mate will cannibalize it if she doesn’t approve of the dance. It’s a metaphor for the dance of life we’re all in. The title felt hilarious, ridiculous, and wonderful to me.”

A press release conveys of the new album, “She leans on an ever-evolving sonic palette to convey what she’s feeling — whether it be folky Americana, nineties alternative, turn-of-the-century indie, or handcrafted otherworldly pop.”

Listen to “Supersad” above and find the Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin art and tracklist below, along with Waterhouse’s upcoming tour dates.

Suki Waterhouse’s Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin Album Cover Artwork

Suki Waterhouse’s Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin Tracklist

1. “Gateway Drug”
2. “Supersad”
3. “Blackout Drunk”
4. “Faded”
5. “Nonchalant”
6. “My Fun”
7. “Model, Actress, Whatever”
8. “To Get You”
9. “Lullaby”
10. “Big Love”
11. “Lawsuit”
12. “OMG”
13. “Think Twice”
14. “Could’ve Been A Star”
15. “Legendary”
16. “Everybody Breaks Up Anyway”
17. “Helpless”
18. “To Love”

Suki Waterhouse 2024 Tour Dates: The Sparklemuffin Tour

09/27 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Love Letters Festival
09/28 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom *
10/17 — Houston, TX @ House of Blues ^
10/18 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater ^
10/19 — Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum ^
10/21 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren ^
10/22 — San Diego, CA @ The Sound ^
10/23 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre ^
10/25 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
10/28 — Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom ^
10/30 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater ^
12/02 — Kansas City, MO @ The Truman ^
12/03 — St. Louis, MO @ The Factory ^
12/04 — Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre ^
12/06 — Cleveland, OH @ The Agora ^
12/07 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount ^
12/08 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount ^
12/10 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall ^
12/11 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem ^
12/13 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner ^
12/14 — Montreal, QC @ MTELUS ^
12/15 — Toronto, ON @ HISTORY ^
12/17 — Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre ^
12/18 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed ^
12/19 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium ^
12/21 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern ^

^ with Bully
* with Debbii Dawson and Mitski

Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin is out 9/13 via Sub Pop. Find more information here.

It’s hard to describe the appeal of M3GAN. In reality, a killer doll has been done before and there’s nothing more to add to that. But match that doll with futuristic technology that actually doesn’t seem so futuristic anymore? You get a robot bestie who may or may not often resort to murder. But she sings too!

After the success of M3GAN and while awaiting the upcoming M3GAN 2.0, Atomic Monster and Blumhouse are teaming up for SOULM8TE, which seems to be M3GAN for lonely adults. Not everyone should get an extended universe, but M3GAN should.

The movie follows a similar plot to M3GAN, though this time, it’s a grieving man who looks to evolving technology to replace his late wife. You can see where this is going if you saw M3GAN. Here is the official synopsis:

In SOULM8TE, a man acquires an Artificially Intelligent android to cope with the loss of his recently deceased wife. In an attempt to create a truly sentient partner, he inadvertently turns a harmless lovebot into a deadly soulmate.

James Wan, a legend in both the Saw and Conjuring universes, will write the movie, and Kate Dolan is slated to direct. “SOULM8TE is a thrilling and seductive addition to the M3GAN universe. We’re excited to partner with Kate to bring this story to life with her unique cinematic vision and point of view,” Wan said.

Are M3GAN and SOULM8TE the new Freddy and Jason? We can only hope.

SOULM8TE is set to be released on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.

(Via Deadline)