Month: August 2024

With The Bear, Fargo and Reservation Dogs all having their own respective moments, FX is slowly becoming the home of Post-Peak TV. That was only emphasized with the debut of Shōgun earlier this year, and now the network has been nominated for a whopping 93 Emmys, making it a worthy competitor for HBO and Netflix. And it’s partially because of… well, this.

A second season of Shōgun is already in the works, despite the fact that it was initially supposed to be a limited series. The show is based on the 1975 novel of the same name, which follows the English ship captain John Blackthorne as he becomes marooned in Japan in the midst of political turmoil, which stirs up even more tension. A second season was quickly green lit after, though the plot will depart from the original text.

“We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence,” husband and wife duo/prducers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo revealed to The Hollywood Reporter in March. “We love how the book ends; it was one of the reasons why we both knew we wanted to do it — and we ended in exactly that place.”

While there are five other books in the saga, season two will bring the story somewhere else. “We don’t have the novel,” producer and star Hiroyuki Sanada revealed to Variety. “Freedom is there…I hope our writers will enjoy the freedom and respect the novel of course.” Even without a source text, the season will surely be a worthwhile adventure for fans of the series. Here is everything to know so far about season two of Shōgun.

Plot

Even without a book to adapt, Sanada (who is set to reprise his role of Lord Yoshii Toranaga in season two) says that there is no shortage of events to draw inspiration from. “There are so many famous episodes in Japan. Toranaga’s strategies are like a chess game. It’s not only about fighting. Human drama is important,” he said. Season one is set at the end of the tumultuous Sengoku period, which in turn leads to the Edo period.

The second season promised to bring in new characters, in addition to some familiar faces, that will lead into another (!!) season. “There will be new characters coming in, and we’re going to basically follow the real history in seasons two and three. Before the peaceful era came, there were a lot of dramatic moments,” Sanada said.

Cast

Sanada cryptically revealed that half the existing cast will be back, and “the other half will be new characters coming in.” Sanada will definitely be returning as Toranaga, though none of the other cast has confirmed to return at this time.

Sanada previously told USA Today, “Blackthorne is useful to Toranaga, who wants to keep him in Japan and not let him go back to England,” which could signify the return of Cosmo Jarvis.

Release Date

The writers are hard at work on season two, which is still in the early stages. Sanada revealed, “We have a writers room, and they’re working every day. Hopefully sometime next year, we can start shooting.” Filming for season one took about nine months from 2021-2022, so there we are still quite a ways away from a premiere. Assuming they use a similar schedule, season two likely won’t premiere until late 2025 or early 2026.

“It’s a long production period.” FX CEO John Landgraf told Variety in July. “I think between principal and second unit days of photography, that show shot between 180 and 190 days or more, could have been close to 200.”

Trailer

While there is no trailer or footage, the entire first season is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ so you can get a feel for where the series is headed next. Check out the first season trailer below:

Polo G released his most recent full-length album, Hall Of Fame, in mid-2021, and then he unveiled the Hall Of Fame 2.0 deluxe edition later in the year. So, after a bit of time without a new album, Polo’s new one, Hood Poet, is coming. It’ll be on Apple Music soon, so here’s what to know about streaming it on the platform.

When Will Polo G’s New Album Hood Poet Be On Apple Music?

The album’s release date is August 9. This means that, as is true for most new major releases, the LP should be available on Apple Music and other streaming platforms starting at midnight ET on August 9.

Check out the album’s cover art and tracklist below.

Polo G’s Hood Poet Album Cover Artwork

Polo G’s Hood Poet Tracklist

1. “God’s Favorite”
2. “No Recruits” Feat. G Herbo
3. “Barely Holdin’ On”
4. “Only Gang” Feat. 42 Dugg
5. “Same Me” Feat. Fridayy
6. “Detox”
7. “Thorns”
8. “G63” Feat. Offset
9. “We Uh Shoot” Feat. Lil Durk
10. “Rain Fallin” Feat. The Kid Laroi
11. “Distraction”
12. “No Turning Back” Feat. Hunxho
13. “Angels In The Sky”
14. “Darkside”
15. “Bad Kids” Feat. Glorilla
16. “Survival Of The Fittest” Feat. Future
17. “Letter To My Pops”
18. “From The Heart”

Hood Poet is out 8/9 via Columbia Records. Find more information here.

Hunter Schafer currently stars in Kinds Of Kindness, but her star turn came on HBO’s Euphoria, which premiered in June 2019. The Zendaya-led, Sam Levinson-created drama has only screened two seasons in five years. The second season finale aired in February 2022, and the dysfunction since is well-documented.

In July, HBO confirmed that production on season three would begin in January 2025, and the core ensemble cast would all reprise their roles, including Zendaya, Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, and Jacob Elordi. Tragically, Angus Cloud passed away in July 2023.

Still, Schafer appeared on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy and shared persistent confusion over the show’s third season. Around the 43:30 mark, Cooper asked for a status update on season three. Schafer responded, “The real tea is I have no f*cking idea what’s going on, and you can ask literally all of the cast.”

Schafer continued, “Here’s the real tea is that a lot has happened. But at least for me and knowing where the rest of the cast is at and everything, too, I mean, a lot has happened.”

Schafer got emotional when referencing the “deaths” within the Euphoria family:

“I think everyone feels a certain sense of anticipation for, like, if we are supposed to do this season three. Obviously, I’m still coming to qualms with what’s happened and losing people that we really loved and were a part of this family and everything. If we do go back, that’s gonna be tough. I think there’s a world in which we can channel that into making it a beautiful season three, if it is supposed to happen, but I think that sh*t really threw everyone for a loop on an emotional level. And then there’s all this industry, whatever political things that go into whether or not this is happening, but that’s emotionally, I think, where a big part of what’s happening, too.”

Variety exclusively relayed the mess around Euphoria in March, as excerpted below:

Sources tell Variety that Levinson, who exerts full creative control over the show, writing and directing every episode, proposed his vision for the season in winter 2023, featuring a time jump five years into the future for the former students of East Highland High School. HBO thought his pitch and early drafts for the season — which included meaty arcs for Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi that a source described as ‘very compelling’ — were a strong start. But after the WGA strike ended, and as the full scripts began coming in, they didn’t pass muster with Zendaya.”

Zendaya kept it vague when asked about Euphoria in April, telling Variety, “If it’s right for the characters and everything turns out the way it should, of course, but it’s beyond me.”

Come June, Variety questioned HBO chief Casey Bloys, who said that Levinson didn’t “want to have it in high school anymore,” which caused “a lot of back and forth.”

“HBO hasn’t set an airdate, but it’s unlikely that Euphoria would be ready to go before late next year, which would mean a gap of up to four years between seasons,” The Hollywood Reporter reported last month. “The dual writers and actors strikes of 2023 meant no work on the show, and filming was further put on hold in March to allow Levinson more time to work on scripts.”

Listen to Schafer on Call Her Daddy below.

Since May, Kendrick Lamar made it impossible to mention Drake outside the context of his feud with Kendrick Lamar, which Lamar pretty unanimously won. This week, Drake provided plenty of new talking points by uploading three unreleased songs — “It’s Up” featuring 21 Savage and Young Thug, “Housekeeping Knows” featuring Latto, and “Blue Green Red” — alongside various unreleased content from his past archives. The dump is known as “100 Gigs,” billed as “100 gigs for your headtop.”

People have latched onto one behind-the-scenes video in particular, reposted on X (formerly Twitter) by someone named Ahmed.

In the video, Drake is seen in the studio smoking a hookah while “Too Good” plays. “This is more about me and Serena,” Drake said, referencing tennis GOAT Serena Williams. “It’s funny because when I make songs about women, I also make songs for them, so I know what kind of song to make — if I’m gonna talk about them, I’ll at least do them the justice of making them a song that they like.”

He continued, “So, I know Serena very well, and I know that she’ll hear it loud and clear, but she’ll also not hate me for it because it’s light-hearted.”

Drake was speaking to his mother, Sandi Graham, who was off-camera. She added, “And she is seeing someone else.” Drake exasperatingly responded, “I don’t know, Mom.”

“Too Good” featuring Rihanna, another one of Drake’s exes, was released in early 2016. Drake’s newly released video did not come with a date, but he was briefly rumored to be romantically involved with Williams in 2015. Williams was linked to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, her husband of nearly seven years, by late 2015.

We already knew at least one song was aimed at Williams, at least partially. On “Middle Of The Ocean” from Drake and 21 Savage’s 2022 joint album Her Loss, Drake rapped, “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie / He claim we don’t got a problem but / No, boo, it is like you comin’ for sushi.” Ohanian appeared to respond by writing on X, “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do — including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter.”

Last month, Williams hosted the 2024 ESPY Awards and playfully shaded Drake during her opening monologue.

“If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us — not a single one of us, not even me — should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar,” the 23-time grand slam singles champion said. “He will make your hometown not like you. The next time Drake sits courtside at a [Toronto] Raptors game, they’re gonna Forrest Gump him. ‘Seat’s taken!’”

The United States men’s basketball team trounced Brazil earlier this week to earn a spot in the Olympic semifinals. During the third quarter of the win, Kevin Durant scored a basket that gave him 489 career points in Olympic play, which passed Hall of Fame inductee Lisa Leslie for the most in USA basketball’s decorated history in the tournament.

It was presumed that Durant would get here at some point during the Olympics, even with a calf injury that limited him in the lead-up to Paris. Still, he managed to get there, and to celebrate the achievement, Nike dropped a new ad voiced by none other than Colorado football coach Deion Sanders.

It’s an extremely good commercial, one that includes a nod to Durant accepting the Slim Reaper nickname that he turned down years ago. This isn’t the only way Nike is praising Durant, as this new billboard went up in New York City.

Next up for Durant and the United States is a showdown with Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday. The two teams faced off in their Olympic opener, with the U.S. coming out on top, 110-84, thanks to a scorching hot game from Durant. The Phoenix Suns star went for 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the field and 5-for-5 shooting from three.

Latto is depicted in Spotify’s new Gold Standard Exhibition honoring “the ladies setting the bar for hip-hop” and showcased in New York City’s The Hole Gallery. Sugar Honey Iced Tea, her upcoming album due out on August 9, should be Latto’s latest masterpiece.

On Wednesday, August 7, the Atlanta-bred rapper revealed the full Sugar Honey Iced Tea tracklist, and she is not playing around. The album features Coco Jones, Megan Thee Stallion, Ciara, Young Nudy, Hunxho, Mariah The Scientist, and Teezo Touchdown.

“When the album drop pls listen in order & don’t skip ‘Big Mama’ just cuz it’s already out I put a lot of effort into the sequence [smiley face emoji],” Latto captioned her Instagram post.

Latto released “Big Mama” in June. The song placed within the top 50 of several Billboard charts, including peaking at No. 29 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

See Latto’s full Sugar Honey Iced Tea tracklist below.

1. “Georgia Peach”
2. “Big Mama”
3. “Blick Sum”
4. “Settle Down”
5. “Shrimp & Grits” Feat. Young Nudy
6. “There She Go”
7. “Brokey”
8. “Mimi (Interlude)”
9. “H&M”
10. “Copper Cove” Feat. Hunxho
11. “Ear Candy” Feat. Coco Jones
12. “Liquor”
13. “Squeeze” Feat. Megan Thee Stallion
14. “Good 2 U” Feat. Ciara
15. “Look What You Did” Feat. Mariah The Scientist
16. “Prized Possession” Feat. Teezo Touchdown
17. “S/O To Me”

Bonus

18. “Put It On Da Floor”
19. “Put It On Da Floor Again” Feat. Cardi B
20. “Sunday Service”
21. “Sunday Service (Remix)” Feat. Megan Thee Stallion & Flo Milli

Sugar Honey Iced Tea is out 8/9 via RCA Records. Find more information here.

Update: On Wednesday night, August 7, Scott Rosenblum, Nelly’s attorney, spoke out in his defense. Rosenblum told TMZ that Nelly (real name Cornell Haynes Jr.) had been “targeted by an overzealous, out-of-line officer.”

He also issued a statement to Billboard in Nelly’s defense, as excerpted below.

“He was arrested for ‘No Proof of Insurance’ from 2018 on a warrant issued December 2023 that he received no notice. Mr. Haynes is was targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer. After winning several jackpots, at a venue where Mr. Haynes frequently visits and entertains at its amphitheater; instead of just supervising the transfer of Mr. Haynes’ winnings, this officer felt compelled to needlessly run a check for warrants. The officer informed Mr. Haynes a background check was mandated when a player won over a certain amount; Mr. Haynes knew this to be untrue as he had won several jackpots for similar or greater amounts including one just a week prior without incident or a background check. Once Mr. Haynes was informed of the warrant for a No Proof of lnsurance infraction, this officer felt compelled to handcuff Mr. Haynes behind his back and parade him through the casino in front of other patrons.”

Rosenblum claimed to Billboard and TMZ that the arresting officer searched Nelly “without probable cause” and allegedly discovered ecstasy. Rosenblum expressed utmost confidence that “this case will go nowhere, and we will be asking for an inquiry into this officer’s conduct.”

As per TMZ, Rosenblum clarified that Nelly had not been charged with drug possession.

Original Article: Nelly had been basking in good news over the past year-plus. The iconic St. Louis rapper reconciled with Ashanti, with whom he had a high-profile relationship in the early 2000s, and they may or may not be married. In April, Ashanti did publicly confirm that she and Nelly are expecting their first child together.

But it’s not all roses.

As first reported by KRCG, Nelly was arrested around 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning, August 7, in the St. Louis, Missouri area.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol later confirmed details to TMZ, as excerpted below:

“The agency has a gaming division, with troopers stationed at the Hollywood Casino in St. Charles. Nelly was asked to show his ID to police and his info was run for verification in accordance with Missouri Gaming Commission regulations.

Police found Nelly had an active warrant for no insurance from a previous traffic stop conducted by Maryland Heights Police. Nelly was arrested for the active warrant, and he was searched. That’s when four ecstasy pills were found on his person, according to the Highway Patrol.

Nelly was booked for felony drug possession and on a warrant for no vehicle insurance.”

TMZ additionally reported that Nelly was “booked at the Maryland Heights Police Department,” and he has been released. Nelly’s mugshot can be seen within TMZ’s report.

As of this writing, Nelly has not publicly commented on the matter.

Naming a baby isn’t the easiest thing that new parents will experience, and subjecting themselves to the well intentioned, but not so helpful input of others is one of the many aspects that makes the whole process really stressful.

That of course goes double for naming twins.

Everyone has an opinion on how matching, catchy or avant garde twin names should be, but outside opinions are rarely what parents need—especially when they didn’t ask for it. Imagine finally coming up with not one, but two perfect monikers meant to represent the two humans you’re bringing into the word ostensibly for their entire life, and someone completely raining on that parade. Doesn’t sound like new parent bliss.

And that’s why one couple decided to come up with a list of fake twin names to give to any inquiring minds.

Over in the r/namenerds subreddit, the couple shared that Tom and Jerry, Ben and Holly, Charlie and Lola and Ant and Dec had already been jotted down, and asked folks to share their own ideas.

The answers did not disappoint.

Of the celebrity name variety, Mary-Kate and Ashley was the top suggested, followed by Taylor and Travis, Lucy and Desi, Cheech and Chong, Penn and Teller.

Then there were music-inspired choices, like Tu and Pac, Wayne and Garth, Sonny and Cher, Ike and Tina and Pink and Floyd.

Plus a few names based on historical figures, like Antony and Cleopatra and Bonnie and Clyde.

Of the twin names inspired by children’s shows, we had Snoopy and Woodstock, Zack and Cody Phineas and Ferb, Anna and Elsa, He-man and She-Ra Bluey and Bingo Fred & Barney Burt & Ernie, Even a few video game references with Mario & Luigi and Link and Zelda. And of course, Ken and Barbie.

There were quite a few names based on literary icons. Be it authors, like Nora and Robert, Lewis and Carol, Agatha and Christie, Stephen and Kingsley, Jane and Austen, James & Joyce and William and Blake. Or characters like Hansel and Gretel, Jack and Jill, Cinderella and Prince (Charming) ,Thor and Loki, Nancy & Drew, and Romeo and Juliet . For the last one, it was suggested to “feign total ignorance that they’re not related” for added comedic effect.

Next category: Movies/TV shows inspired names, which included Wednesday and Pugsley, Ross and Monica, Bart and Lisa, Cersei and Jaime (yikes!) and Luke and Leia.

“I honestly don’t think anyone would be shocked if I suggested Luke and Leia 🤣 That’s definitely going at the top of the list,” the OP commented.

And from there, things descended into absurdity with suggestions like Easy-Peasy and Lemon-Squeezy, Copy and Paste, Dayquil and Nyquil, Gin & Tonic, Merlot & Chardonnay, Beavis and Butthead (especially if for twin girls).

One last honorable mention goes to the person who shared, “My partner and I always joke that we’d tell everyone they were Yanni & Laurel after that internet ‘they sound the same’ thing that went around in 2020.”

Ultimately, naming twins needs the same kind of considerations that all baby names do, which is to think about the real world implication their name might have beyond childhood. There’s just the added challenge of choosing between complete individuality or by acknowledging the unique sibling bond. No choice is necessarily better or worse than the other.

Regardless, this couple has plenty of hilarious fake names to add to their decoy list. Mission accomplished.

Watching the Olympics is always an inspiring reminder of the incredible human ability to push the boundaries of excellence and achievement in sports. It can also be a good reminder of the utter inability the vast majority of us have to even come close to the feats those athletes perform.

There’s a funny phenomenon with the Olympics where we all become overnight armchair experts in every sport, critiquing diving teams’ synchronicity and rock climbers’ foot placement and gymnasts’ landings as if we have any idea what we’re talking about. And there’s also the phenomenon where, somewhere in our bodies, we feel like we might actually be able to do backflips on a balance beam or butterfly stroke our way across a pool or run 100 meters in 10 seconds.

Of course, the truth is we can’t. It takes years and years of intense training to be able to do what Olympians do, and the rest of us aren’t even in the same universe of skill and physical ability as they are. That’s where the “didn’t quality for the 2024 Olympics” viral video trend comes in, offering a hilariously humbling reality check for us all.

When elite athletes make their sport look easy, it’s easy to forget how hard what they do actually is. Seeing people blunder their way through it, though, makes the difficulty painfully clear. So when people started sharing videos of sports fails on social media, tagging them with the captions along the lines of, “Unfortunately didn’t qualify for the 2024 Olympic team,” it became a hilarious viral celebration of human un-achievement.

For instance, this:

@sky.to.swaggy

surprised they didnt ask me to come out of retirement 🤷‍♀️ If @Simone Biles comments I’ll go back to gymnastics #olympics2024paris #gymnastics #simonebiles

And this:

@bellitabaute

Training for LA 2028!! #2024olympics

And this:

@sweetpotatoes2006

maybe next olympics😢

Sometimes you don’t make it because maybe you’re just a little too powerful.

@marshalls_life

i gave it my best shot tho! #paris2024 #olympics #fail #fyp

This girl is all of us after watching the diving events, mistakenly thinking we could do some of what they do.

@www.ihaveacrushonyou

maybe next year ! 😪#olympics #iwillbethenextsteelejohnson or #simonebiles

From high jump and pole vault fails to balls and bodies bouncing in ways they aren’t supposed to, this trend has people wincing but rolling at the examples of why Olympians are Olympians and the rest of us are the rest of us.

— (@)

Of course, even Olympic athletes have epic fails of their own sometimes, which only serves to prove how difficult it is to get to their level but and execute their skills perfectly each time. All the more reason to appreciate their talent and hard work and perhaps to be a bit humbler in our critiques from the couch.

Here’s to humans who do extraordinary things—and to humans who find humor in all the epic fails it takes to get there.

A video posted by a mechanic who goes by Tooey’s Garage on TikTok shows why it’s so important to listen to people who fear they are in danger. It’s also a great reminder that when you suspect something creepy is going on, tell someone about it.

It all started when a woman came to Tooey’s Garage because she thought her car had a tracker attached. “The customer stated that she suspected a tracker was in her vehicle and asked if we could take a look,” Tooey captioned the video.

Apple AirTags and Tiles allow people to attach a small tag to their important items (car keys, wallet, luggage, cars, etc.) to track them if they get lost. The tags report back to an app that allows you to find them on a map. If these items are stolen, the owners can make the tag chirp so the thieves know they’re being tracked.

However, people can use these tags for nefarious reasons, such as stalking people by placing them on their cars. This allows them to know wherever their victim may be whenever they leave the house.

Tile tracker devices.via Dennis Sylvester Hurd/Flickr

The woman who came to Tooey’s Garage said she got an alert on her phone that an “unidentifiable tile” was following her around. So Tooey searched the inside of her car for hours and found nothing. Then he put the car up on a rack and searched the underside, where he found a tracker wrapped in duct tape and attached to the vehicle in a magnetic hide-a-key box.

The woman told Tooey that the person she suspected was stalking her had put trackers on other people’s cars as well.

@tooeys.garage

Customer stated that she suspected a tracker was in her vehicle, and asked if we could take a look. We looked inside 1st then put it on a lift once one opened up. The tile tracker was attached under the car in a magnetic key box. #creepy #creeper #stalker #mechanicsoftiktok #mechanic #fypage #gethelp @Life360 @Tile #fixed #life360

“If you feel like someone might be creeping on you and stalking you, maybe see if your local shop can take a look. Hopefully, they won’t think you’re crazy, but it does actually happen,” Tooey said at the end of the video.

People in the video’s comments praised the mechanic for taking the woman’s concerns seriously and doing whatever he could to find the tracker. “Y’all are awesome for not only believing her but also helping her!” one commenter wrote. “Thank you for believing her AND being so thorough!” another added.

One commenter made a great point: trackers should be traceable back to the purchaser to prevent stalking. “The owner should be able to have that device tracked back to the purchaser and have them charged with stalking!” they wrote.

Tooey’s video has been seen over 3 million times, and it’s an important warning for people to get their cars looked at immediately if they have even the slightest suspicion that they’re being tracked. It’s also a great example for mechanics to take action if someone comes into their shop looking for a tracker because they could be in great danger.

Kudos to Tooey for going out of his way to help the woman by spending much of his workday trying to locate the tracker. Without his help, the situation could have turned tragic.