Month: August 2024

Angel Reese has had quite the 2024, as she was drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Sky after another strong season at LSU, and it didn’t take her long to put her name in the WNBA record books.

In July, Reese broke Candace Parker’s record for consecutive double-doubles, putting together 15 straight games with 10+ points and 10+ rebounds, as she has been a dominant force in the paint for the Sky. On the season, she’s averaging 13.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, earning an All-Star nod as a rookie — adding a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double in a Team WNBA win over Team USA.

Off the court, Reese has become a phenomenon as well, with plenty of famous fans in the hip-hop space and becoming one of the faces of Reebok. As part of that partnership, Reese has a new collection she designed for Reebok that features three sneakers and a line of clothes that reflect her unique style.

Reese leans on a silver and icy blue color palette for the collection, which includes leggings, bodysuits, crop tops, and more, as she crosses over in both the athleisure and lifestyle space. The collection is up on Reebok’s website to look at, but isn’t available for purchase just yet, as it says “coming soon.”

Steph Curry‘s first Olympics as a member of USA Basketball wasn’t going especially well in the lead-up to Thursday’s game against Serbia. And then, Curry played one of the very best games of his decorated career to help save the Americans, as he went for 36 points on 12-for-19 shooting from the field and 9-for-14 shooting from three to help the United States pick up a thrilling, 95-91 win.

Serbia forced the U.S. to dig deep, as the Serbians’ ability to stretch the floor gave them headaches all game, while Nikola Jokic looked excellent. And yet Curry (with LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Kevin Durant) came up gigantic, dragging the team across the finish line against an opponent that brought their A+ game. And after it was all over, Curry opened up to NBC about just how special that game was.

“It was everything I imagined it to be,” Curry said. “Obviously, this is my first go around in the Olympics. Knew we were gonna get challenged by a great Serbia team, and to have to beat them three times this summer was gonna be tough. I just kinda got lost in the moment of understanding how big this stage is, and what’s at stake for this team. And it was special, it was the most fun I’ve had in a very long time. To dig deep like we did with this group and get a win, special. So, I’m kinda basking in that right now.”

The United States will play France with a gold medal on the line on Saturday.

Maybe Cate Blanchett thought that wearing 100+ spoons to the Borderlands premiere would distract people from Borderlands itself. That didn’t happen. But the actress did have a minor wardrobe malfunction and the only person who could save her was co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, who knows her way around a spoon.

Blanchett was decked out in antique spoons sourced from the Swedish countryside when she was interviewed ahead of the premiere, though she had a bit of a mishap and was saved by none other than Curtis, who was holding the back of her spoon top. “You know what’s going on? I’ve got her back,” Curtis said when ET asked her to explain.

“I’m in The Bear, and they had an entire episode called ‘Forks’ so we’re covering all of the preliminary stuff,” Curtis said, while Blanchett jokingly added, “There are a lot of references at play here.” Curtis proceeded to hang around for the rest of the interview, shielding Blanchett’s top. You can check out the full clip above.

While out promoting Borderlands, Blanchett has been keeping very busy by talking about anything but the movie. When she was asked by Andy Cohen about her biggest paycheck, he guessed it was Lord of the Rings, to which she objected. “Are you kidding me?” Blanchett said. “No, no one got paid anything to do that movie. I basically got free sandwiches,” Blanchett added. “And I got to keep my ears.” Hopefully she gets to keep her spoons from this one. There is a new black cherry Activia flavor that she needs to check out.

Borderlands hits theaters on August 9th.

The United States men’s basketball team will play for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Despite trailing against Serbia by as many as 17 points, the Americans were able to dig deep and pick up a thrilling, 95-91 win to earn their spot in the gold medal game.

It was one of the best basketball games you’ll ever see, as Serbia brought its A+ game and the United States needed a monster night from Steph Curry to get over the finish line. Curry wasn’t the only player who snapped himself out of an Olympic slump, as Joel Embiid was great, going for 19 points against Nikola Jokic in arguably the matchup that made him such an important addition to the U.S. roster.

After the game, Embiid celebrated by doing something that only he (and Triple H, and Shawn Michaels, and Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn, and X-Pac) can do: Dancing around while doing D-Generation X crotch chops. Sixers executive Daryl Morey posted a video of Embiid celebrating after the game while Gala’s “Freed from Desire” played, and you can tell that Embiid just had the weight of the world lifted off of his shoulders.

Embiid has done the crotch chop throughout the Olympics, and has, of course, gotten fined by the NBA for doing it in the past on multiple occasions. Anyway, Embiid and the Americans have only one thing standing between them and another gold medal: A France team led by Victor Wembanyama on Saturday. Embiid has drawn the ire of French fans all tournament, as he flirted with joining their national team before announcing he’d play for the U.S. Our hunch is that he’s not going to have a fun time dealing with their fans in the gold medal game, but if he comes out on top, he’s going to crotch chop once again.

For the third time in the last month, Team USA faced Serbia in men’s basketball, but after cruising to two comfortable wins in exhibition and group stage play, they faced a much stiffer test in the Olympic semifinals.

Serbia came out aggressive, as they were red-hot shooting the ball in the first quarter, jumping out to a 31-23 lead on Team USA. The only reason the Americans were able to stay within touch was Stephen Curry finally snapping his Olympic shooting slump, as he had 17 in the first quarter, keeping Team USA’s offense afloat single-handedly.

However, no one else from Team USA could get it going and Serbia just kept piling in buckets, with a Nikola Jokic and-1 putting them up by 16 in the second quarter.

The Americans would chip away to get that lead back to 11 by halftime, as Joel Embiid — who authored his best game of the Olympics — had a massive dunk to show some life for Team USA.

The two teams would go back-and-forth in the third, with Team USA getting the lead down to a two-possession game in the mid-third quarter, but Serbia would explode ahead again with a flurry late in the third quarter, as their lead ballooned back up to 15 late after Marko Guduric got a 4-point play that had the arena buzzing.

The fourth quarter saw Serbia looking to work clock and keep Team USA out of transition, but in doing so, they got themselves out of rhythm and into foul trouble. With seven minutes to go, one of the biggest swings of the game went the way of Team USA. Nikola Jokic picked up his fourth foul when he pushed Anthony Davis into Kevin Durant as he came down from hitting a three-pointer. That gave the Americans a side-out and the bucket, and they turned that into a six-point possession on a Devin Booker three to trim Serbia’s lead down to five.

From there, Serbia just could not come up with consistently good offense, while Curry, Embiid, and LeBron James came up with clutch buckets to get the game tied and, eventually, reclaim the lead for the first time since the very early stages of the first quarter.

The dagger came on a Kevin Durant midrange jumper that extended the lead to four, and Serbia just could never fully close the gap again, as the Americans iced it at the free throw line with Curry.

Steph finished the game with 36 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including nine made threes, while LeBron had a 16-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, and Embiid had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Those three pretty much made up Team USA’s offensive attack, with Durant finding some key late buckets but only scoring nine on the night.

Serbia got a 20-point night from Bogdan Bogdanovic and 17 points and 11 assists from Jokic, and poured in 15 threes as a team, but their shot went cold late as they missed a handful of good looks, as the tension of the moment seemed to catch up with their non-stars late in the game.

The Americans will now face France on Saturday in a highly anticipated gold medal showdown between the favorites and the host nation, while Serbia will play Germany for the bronze.

Albuquerque is a wonderful city with great food, a hot air balloon festival, and art galleries. It’s also a popular filming location, most notably the house at the fictional address of 308 Negra Arroyo Lane.

The residence was picked as the chill and normal dwelling for Walter, Skyler, Walt Jr., and Holly on Breaking Bad, which aired for five seasons from 2008 until 2013 on AMC. The home is owned in real life by Joanne Quintana, who told GeeEntertainment that she wasn’t paid as much as many people think.

“People assume we made millions, millions off the show,” she said. “We were not in the show, so we did not get residuals, so we do not get compensated. We only got paid the location fee. A one-time fee. In and out. That’s it.”

Joanna did not specify the exact figure her family was paid but according to Paul Kim, founder of Image Locations, a US company that has supplied homes to productions involving the likes of Beyonce and Lady Gaga, it can range from $12,000 to $1 million a year.

Hopefully it was enough to buy some stock in a fried chicken chain.

Back in 2017, Quintana erected a fence around the house. “We don’t want to gate ourselves in. We’re the ones who’s being locked up,” she told KOB4 News. “We feel like we can’t leave because when we, do something happens and that’s ridiculous.” So while it’s fine to drive by the Breaking Bad house the next time you’re in Albuquerque, please don’t throw pizza on the roof.

(Via Metro)

In June, Jpegmafia announced he was heading out on the Lay Down My Life Tour. Well, fast-forward to present day and the tour just launched at Fox Theater in Pomona, California on August 7.

If you’re heading out to an upcoming date and you want a preview of the songs Jpegmafia is gonna play, the August 7 setlist (via setlist.fm) should serve as an indication of what you can expect.

Find the setlist below, along with the Lay Down My Life Tour tour dates.

Jpegmafia’s Lay Down My Life Tour Setlist

1. “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot”
2. “Sin Miedo”
3. “I Scream This In The Mirror Before I Interact With Anyone”
4. “Lean Beef Patty”
5. “Bald!”
6. “Don’t Rely On Other Men”
7. “Hazard Duty Pay!”
8. “Call Me Maybe” (Carly Rae Jepsen cover)
9. “1539 N. Calvert”
10. “Steppa Pig”
11. “Garbage Pale Kids”
12. “God Loves You”
13. “Scaring The Hoes”
14. “New Black History”
15. “Vulgar Display Of Power”
16. “Exmilitary”
17. “Jihad Joe”
18. “Baby I’m Bleeding”
19. “Either On Or Off The Drugs”
20. “It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot”

Jpegmafia 2024 Tour Dates: Lay Down My Life Tour

08/07 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater Pomona
08/08 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
08/10 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore Auditorium
08/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
08/13 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
08/15 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
08/16 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
08/17 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
08/19 – Reno, NV @ Virginia Street Brewhouse
08/20 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
08/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
08/24 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
08/27 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre
08/29 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
08/30 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
08/31 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
09/03 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
09/05 – Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Music Festival
09/06 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
09/07 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham
09/10 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
09/11 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
09/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
09/14 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/15 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
09/17 – Providence, RI @ Fête Music Hall
09/19 – Toronto, ON @ Rebel
09/20 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
09/21 – Chicago, IL @ Radius

Michael C. Hall was recently revealed to be narrating Dexter: Original Sin. That news then took a turn with the added detail that Hall will also physically embody Dexter Morgan again in the upcoming sequel series, Dexter: Resurrection. How is this possible? As the title indicates, TV’s most enduring serial killer somehow survived being (fatally?) shot in the limited series finale of 2022’s Dexter: New Blood. At that time, questions swirled about whether there would possibly be a sequel spin off featuring Dexter’s son, Harrison, who happens to have been nurtured by not one but two serial killers. Yet Showtime decided to head back in time instead for a prequel series, and now, they are hopping slightly forward in time, too, with no mention of Harrison.

On the bright side — and this is basically tradition at this point — this show now has a chance to go for three gut-punch endings after the frustrating lumberjack detour and the semi-anticlimactic “death” of the killer of serial-killers. Can they do it? I do kid — even the worst finales are far preferable to having no Dexter at all, so let’s talk about what has materialized for this surprise (m*therf*cker) sequel, or rather, threequel series.

Plot

To call this sequel unlikely would be an understatement, especially after Dexter: New Blood‘s finale showed Dexter apparently being a goner at the hand of Harrison (he even showed Harrison where to shoot him), who is presumably in the wind now. This seemed to be the definitive end for Dexter’s own Code-dictated lifestyle in early 2022 when Showtime Entertainment chief Gary Levine issued a statement including the words “a profoundly powerful conclusion to our beloved and extraordinary series.”

Additionally, showrunner Clyde Phillips had insisted, “Dexter is dead.” Only, he’s not dead, so what’s the explanation for this miraculous survival?

A few weeks ago at San Diego Comic-Con, Hall cagily hinted to Variety, “I don’t know what I am authorized to say other than, it’s really cold out there.”

In other words, the frigid, snowy weather slowed Dexter’s blood enough to save his life because fiction, baby. With Netflix viewers consistently devouring the original series’ eight seasons (which ended in 2013) this year, Showtime obviously decided that an upcoming prequel series wasn’t enough. They’re gonna trot Dexter back out for more blood-slide action, and Hall seems pleased at this turn of events after previously thinking that sailing into a hurricane was all they wrote.

“It’s unbelievable,” he remarked. “There’s something about this world, something about this character that captivates people.” Why do viewers adore Dexter so much? Hall has a theory:

“I think there’s many different ways this show appeals to people as there are people who watch it. But I think maybe a biding thing is, in a world in which we feel a sense of being out of control people like spending time with a character who’s taking his own, unique control of his little corner of the world. I think we all have our shadow side that we contend with and Dexter’s is obviously a little weightier than most. People enjoy spending time with someone who is doing his best to take responsibility for that side in his sort of outside-the-box way and morally grey way … maybe contending with it in a way that is arguably admirable — even though he’s doing what he’s doing.”

In constructing Dexter: Resurrection, Showtime has planned for possible multiple seasons after the story resumes “right where we left off.”

Cast

Michael C. Hall is the only currently confirmed cast member, although it feels like Jennifer Carpenter could be back as Debra ghost again. We shall see.

Release Date

Even though this sequel series was only announced at SDCC, Showtime plans to roll out Dexter: Resurrection sometime in 2025.

Trailer

While we await further developments, I need to ask a question: were you aware that Michael C. Hall portrayed Broadway’s Cabaret Emcee in the late 1990s? Nobody can beat Alan Cumming, but Hall was still spectacular:

(WARNING: Spoilers for Power Book II: Ghost season 4 will be found below.)

In just a few weeks, Power Book II: Ghost season four will return to air the last episodes in what will be the series’ final season. This season of Power Book II: Ghost is lining up to be its most dramatic yet, as big surprises like Diana being pregnant and Tariq being the father, Cane and Noma’s new partnership, Detective Carter’s threatening presence thanks to his work in the NYPD, Tariq’s new romance with Anya, Noma’s daughter, and much more. Though Power Book II: Ghost season four, part one was a dramatic one, the crew can definitely up the ante in the next five episodes.

With a little less than a month to go until Power Book II: Ghost returns, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the new episodes.

Release Date

The second half of Power Book II: Ghost season 4 will premiere on September 6 with the sixth episode of the season debuting on the STARZ app and website at midnight EST/PST. The episode will later make its on-air debut on the STARZ TV channel on Friday at 8pm ET/PT. This will conclude a two-month mid-season break that Power Book II: Ghost began back in July for its highly anticipated final season.

Cast

Season four, part one of Power Book II: Ghost a pair of fairly major deaths. Obi was shot and killed by Noma after she learned that he lied to her about how he got green cards for his family, which Tariq helped facilitate. Salim was also sot and killed by Tariq during a struggle in the latter’s home after Tariq arrived to inquire about Diana’s whereabouts.

Aside from those two, the list of major characters is expected to remain the same as we head into the second half of the season. This includes new season four additions like Golden Brooks as Janet (Monet’s cousin), Michael Ealy as Detective Don Carter, Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Detective Nico Calder, Alison Luff as Detective Felicia Lewis, Talia Robinson as Elle (Brayden’s new love interest), and Sydney Winbush as Anya Covington (Noma’s daughter).

Here’s the full list of confirmed and expected cast members for Power Book II: Ghost season four, part two:

Main:

• Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq St. Patrick
• Giani Paolo as Brayden Weston
• Woody McClain as Lorenzo “Cane” Tejada Jr.
• LaToya Tonodeo as Diana Tejada
• Lovell Adams-Gray as Dru Tejada
• Method Man as Davis MacLean
• Mary J. Blige as Monet Stewart Tejada
• Caroline Chikezie as Noma
• Lightskin Keisha as BruShandria Carmichael
• Michael Ealy as Detective Don Carter (new)
• Golden Brooks as Janet Stewart (new)
• Mattea Confroti as Elisa Marie Proctor (new)
• Sydney Winbush as Anya Convington (new)
• Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Detective Nico Calder (new)
• Alison Luff as Detective Felicia Lewis (new)
• Talia Robinson as Elle (new)

Recurring:

• Larenz Tate as Councilman Rashad Tate
• Naturi Naughton as Tasha St. Patrick
• Stephanie Suganami as Perla Tanaka
• Elizabeth Rodriguez as Paz Valdes
• Cory Jeacoma as Trace Weston
• Michael J. Ferguson as 2-Bit
• Jeff Aeur as Robert Weston
• Pha’rez Lass as Zion
• Wesley Han as Pinky

Plot

STARZ shared an official synopsis for the season half of Power Book II: Ghost season 4 earlier this month. You can read it below:

Tariq finds himself in an eerily similar situation, just like his late father, Ghost, stuck between a rock and a hard place, with the choice to leave the game or take over. Entrapped by Detective Carter, the Tejada family realizes their safety is not guaranteed. Monet fiercely fights for her family to become whole again, but is it too late? Noma is working her way to the top of the food chain. Meanwhile, her daughter, Anya, gets too close to the game, forcing Noma to think twice about her actions.

Trailer

STARZ shared an official trailer for the final Power Book II: Ghost season 4 episodes earlier this month, you can watch that below.

Power Book II: Ghost Season 4, Part 2 Schedule

Here is the expected release schedule for the final five episodes in Power Book II: Ghost season 4.

• September 6: Episode 6
• September 13: Episode 7
• September 20: Episode 8
• September 27: Episode 9
• October 4: Episode 10

How To Watch Power Book II: Ghost Season 4

New episodes in Power Book II: Ghost season 4, part 2 will be available weekly on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12am ET/PT. The new episodes will also air weekly on-air on the STARZ TV channel on Fridays at 8pm ET/PT.

Power Book II: Ghost’ season four, part two premieres on September 6. Seasons 1-4, part one are available to stream now on STARZ.

While there have been a bunch of incredible finishes in the track and field events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 400m women’s hurdles was never expected to be one of them. That’s because the field was chasing Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who has broken her own world record numerous times, and as long as she ran her race, she was the massive favorite to take home gold.

The biggest question was whether she would set a new world record, and that might require Dutch star Femke Bol to run one of her best races to push her. On Thursday night at Stade de France, we did not get a duel with Bol, but we did get a McLaughlin-Levrone world record as she dusted the field once again, setting a new world record with an astounding 50.37.

It’s truly incredible watching her run this race, because while everyone else is managing speed and struggling with the stamina required in one of the hardest races in track and field, she just seems to be cruising at all times. To put her dominance and speed in perspective, her time in the hurdles final would’ve qualified her for the Olympic final in the regular 400m — where people run without leaping over obstacles.

American Anna Cockrell stunned Bol with a silver medal finish, as the Dutch star just didn’t have the gas down the stretch, but the story was McLaughlin-Levrone continuing to compete with history and herself — and winning that battle along with gold medals.