Month: August 2024

Mariah Carey has awoken from her post holiday slumber. Today (August 2), Carey has announced tour dates for Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time, a new tour.

Even the “All I Want For Christmas Is You” singer admits in her social media post that “it’s not time yet,” but these sorts of things need some advance planning, so here we are. The tour goes down in November and December and will hit 20 cities in the US.

Tickets go on sale starting with a Live Nation pre-sale on August 8 at 10 a.m. local time (access using the code STRUM) via Ticketmaster. A public on-sale will follow on August 9 at 10 a.m. local time.

Find the list of tour dates below.

Mariah Carey’s 2024 Tour Dates: Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time

11/06 — Highland, California @ Yaamava Theater
11/08 — Los Angeles, California @ Hollywood Bowl
11/13 — Greater Palm Springs, California @ Acrisure Arena
11/15 — Phoenix, Arizona @ Footprint Center
11/17 — Austin, Texas @ Moody Center
11/19 — Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center
11/21 — Dallas, Texas @ American Airlines Center
11/23 — Atlanta, Georgia @ State Farm Arena
11/25 — Nashville, Tennessee @ Bridgestone Arena
11/27 — Rosemont, Illinois @ Allstate Arena
11/29 — St. Louis, Missouri @ Enterprise Center
12/01 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
12/03 — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Wells Fargo Center
12/05 — Boston, Massachusetts @ TD Garden
12/07 — Baltimore, Maryland @ CFG Bank Arena
12/09 — Raleigh, North Carolina @ PNC Arena
12/11 — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania @ PPG Paints Arena
12/13 — Newark, New Jersey @ Prudential Center
12/15 — Belmont Park, New York @ UBS Arena
12/17 — Brooklyn, New York @ Barclays Center

If you were forced at Waylon Smithers gunpoint to pick one scene from The Simpsons to prove that it’s the funny TV comedy of all-time, “Dr. Zaius” would have to be in consideration.

In season 7’s “A Fish Called Selma,” Troy McClure (voiced by the GOAT Phil Hartman) is cast in a Planet of the Apes-inspired musical called Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off! (“I love legitimate theater”). He plays the human who hates every ape he sees, from chimpan-a to chimpan-z, until he realizes it was Earth all along. Yes, they finally made a monkey out of him.

The whole sequence is brilliant (“Dr. Zaius! Dr. Zaius!”), but it started with a very “stupid” pitch. Five of them, in fact.

Former Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein, who was the co-showrunner for season 7 with Bill Oakley, shared how the Planet of the Apes sequence came to be. “Perfect opportunity to repeat this writing tip I learned at The Simpsons: Never shoot down an idea, no matter how crazy or stupid it may sound. Lean into it. It may be nothing OR it becomes the Dr Zaius scene, which is, in fact, the combo of 5 separate ‘crazy’ ‘stupid’ pitches,” he wrote on X.

Pitch 1:

It began with Steve Tompkins pitching “What if we did a musical of Planet of the Apes?” This is either a crazy or a stupid idea or both but we all loved it and we could all feel the potential so I say at least let’s explore this and see if it goes anywhere…

Pitch 2:

I was running room but had never scene movie. But I knew a few key things like statue of liberty “it was earth all along” end, “get your hands off me” line and that there was character named Dr. Zaius. I asked room to verify this than pitched “So you know that Falco song?”

Pitch 3:

I don’t remember order of following pitches but George Meyer said “Now hear me out on this…” and then pitched since Zaius is a doctor, why don’t we intersperse song with corny/stupid old vaudeville style joke breaks, like the piano gag. We agree to give that a go.

Pitch 4:

Someone pitches since he’s a doctor, have his nurse begin the song with “Oo, help me, Dr. Zaius”. I have no idea if there is even a nurse in the movie but sure, that’s a great way to kick it off.

Pitch 5:

Someone else (sorry I’m not remembering everyone) pitches that this musical number should have a lot of breakdancing moves in it because at the time, that seemed like a trend in a lot of splashy broadway musicals

And that’s how comedy history is made. You can read the full thread below.

One of the coolest things about the Olympics is seeing high-profile athletes go from place to place and support their fellow athletes. The American men’s basketball team, for example, has been quite busy during their days off, as we’ve seen Anthony Edwards go to table tennis and a bunch of guys on the roster go watch Simone Biles and the women’s gymnastics team.

LeBron James decided to get in on the fun, as he went to watch the beach volleyball duo of Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth on Thursday. The pair beat a team from China despite a lengthy weather delay, one which did not deter the James Gang — the Los Angeles Lakers star was joined by his wife, Savannah, and his daughter, Zhuri. At one point, James was in a particularly good mood, so he started cheering. This got Zhuri cheering, too, and in response, James turned into a dad and started to dance, thereby embarrassing his daughter.

We have to assume that part of this can be blamed on the fact that there is an empty glass next to a mostly empty glass of wine in front of LeBron. But even if that’s not the case, everyone who has ever been in public with one of their parents knows where Zhuri is coming from here.

50 Cent’s vow to get rich and die trying continues to pay off. The “I Get Money” rapper turned television mogul is padding his resume yet again.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 50 Cent, by way of G-Unit Film And Television and G-Unit Studios, has signed a deal with Lionsgate to catapult its latest network.

The free channel, 50 Cent Action, is said to be an ad-supported offering of the company’s already plentiful film catalog including The Expendables, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, and Rambo. But if you’re a fan of 50 Cent’s television or film work in front of or behind the camera, you’re in luck. More than a dozen films in which he starred as well as the original Power series will be made available on the network.

In a statement, Jim Packer, Lionsgate’s president of worldwide television distribution, shared his excitement about the venture. “50 Cent’s movies and television series are synonymous with non-stop action,” he said. “And we’re thrilled to extend our longstanding partnership into the FAST space.”

50 Cent also spoke out regarding the venture to THR. “I’ll make sure the quality of everything is there,” he said. “The platform has to be able to fit my original material. Give me one year, and I’ll be ranked the highest FAST channel.”

Some would consider this to be a rather bold claim, but after he declared he was the only person from hip-hop culture to produce quality projects, the public shouldn’t expect anything milder from 50 Cent.

Kid Cudi canceled his Insano World Tour in April after breaking his foot, but it appears he’s made good use of the time spent off his feet: By May, he had rescheduled a good portion of the canceled dates, and he apparently spent time finishing up a new album.

Yesterday (August 1), in the first of a series of tweets, Cudi wrote, “Im so hype. I got my next album finished and I really cant wait for yall to get a taste. Maybe this Fall?” He added in another tweet, “Im not f*ckin around!! Its been awhile since Ive switched it up and tried something new, and I feel confident u will love the direction.”

He added, “My psychic said 13 was a lucky number for me. And this is my 13th album. I can honestly say ur faces will melt and ur hearts will be filled w happiness.” He wrote in another tweet, “im not slowin down anytime soon. Im inspired. Turnin 40 flipped a switch in my mind and heart. The focus is crazy. Lets see whatelse I can accomplish w this magic.”

Somebody asked if the new project will impact Cudi’s tour setlist and he responded, “Im glad u asked. Yes. The whole tour setlist will be revamped. One big party. Leave your troubles outside of the venue and come to let loose and feel the love.”

Find Cudi’s tweets below.

(This post contains spoilers for Trap.)

Let me be the 586th person to point out the obvious: the Trap trailer gives too much away. If you somehow avoided it and walked into M. Night Shyamalan‘s latest thriller only knowing that it starred suddenly-everywhere Josh Hartnett and the plot had something to do with a The Eras-Tour inspired concert, good on you. Because everyone else already knew Trap‘s “twist”: the concert is a, well, trap set up the FBI to catch a serial killer known as The Butcher.

Except — and maybe this is the real “I see dead people” surprise — Shyamalan doesn’t think of that as a twist.

“That’s the premise of the movie,” he told Slash Film. “You’re watching it from the point of view of someone unexpected, is really what the movie’s telling you. Not necessarily a plot point, but his feeling, like what’s unconsciously happening is, you’re identifying with him as you’re finding out the premise of the movie. So that’s actually the funky twist of it, is not the information, that he’s in a trap or that he’s the killer — it’s that you are the killer.”

Is there another twist on top of the not-twist? Sort of.

During the concert, Cooper Adams (an excellent Hartnett) — who is The Butcher, in case that’s not obvious already — schemes his way to getting his daughter (Ariel Donoghue) a backstage pass to meet her idol, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). Cooper confronts Lady Raven in her dressing room after realizing there’s no way he’ll be able to leave the concert without getting caught. He tells Lady Raven that he’s the one they’ve been looking for and if she says anything, he’ll remotely kill a man who’s trapped in a basement.

Lady Raven escorts Cooper and his unaware daughter out of the venue in her limousine, and to stall for time, asks if she can visit their house. That’s where we meet Cooper’s wife, Rachel (Alison Pill), who — to skip some plot points and get to the final twist — is the one who told the feds that she suspected he was The Butcher.

Also, for most of the final 10 minutes of the movie, Josh Hartnett isn’t wearing a shirt. The real twist is the Russian twists you’re going to do after seeing how muscular he is.

Trap is out in theaters now.

Four years ago, Chappell Roan was working at a coffee kiosk in a small town in Missouri. Four years later, she’s performing in front of “one of the biggest crowds ever seen” at Lollapalooza.

It’s been quite a rise for “your favorite artist’s favorite artist,” who has exploded in popularity since releasing her debut album, 2023’s The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess. Roan’s ascension to the top of pop continued on Thursday, where she performed at the Chicago-based music festival wearing a lucha libre-inspired outfit. There’s no estimate for how many people she played in front of, so let’s just go with: a lot.

“Four months ago she had never even hit the Hot 100. Now she’s playing to Reunited One Direction crowds at 5:00 on a Lollapalooza Thursday. I have never seen anything like this,” @AUgetoffmygold wrote on X, while @RaghallaighJ joked (?), “Chappell Roan gets a bigger crowd out than any presidential candidate — and as such, should run for President.”

Have a look:

Chappell Roan’s Lollapalooza Setlist

1. “Femininomenon”
2. “Naked In Manhattan”
3. “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl”
4. “Love Me Anyway”
5. “Picture You”
6. “Hot To Go!”
7. “After Midnight”
8. “Casual”
9. “The Subway”
10. “Red Wine Supernova”
11. “Good Luck, Babe!”
12. “My Kink Is Karma”
13. “Pink Pony Club”

The United States is doing great at the 2024 Olympics so far: As of this post, the US leads in overall medals and trails behind only China in gold medals. Superstar gymnast Simone Biles has contributed to the US medal count, and now she is the subject of a new Beyoncé-narrated video.

The spot, which offers a visual overview of Biles’ journey, is set to the Cowboy Carter song “Just For Fun” and also features narration from Beyoncé. She says, “Let’s talk about power. Because, really, that’s what this story’s about: Physical power. Its beauty, its wonder. The way it never stops amazing you. Then there’s spiritual power, the kind that really matters. The power you can’t see, only sense. The power you need in those moments when life goes a little sideways on you. And, of course, lasting power. Only a select few know what it feels like to get to the top and stay there. And, somehow, keep getting better.”

This comes days after Beyoncé starred in a Cowboy Carter-style hype video introducing the USA athletes, before the games officially kicked off. In the video, she gives props to some athletes specifically while also saying more generally, “Get a look at America, y’all. These hopes and dreams. These superstars that represent us, the people of this big, bold, beautiful, complicated nation, all rooting together for them.”

After becoming one of hip-hop’s biggest rising stars over the past couple years, Ice Spice released her debut album, Y2K!, last month. It turns out she had one more song in the queue, as she just unveiled “Gyat,” a new Y2K! bonus track.

For those not plugged in to what the kids are talking about these days, Urban Dictionary notes that “gyat” is an exclamation typically used in response to seeing a woman with a large behind.

Ice sets the tone on the first verse, rapping (as Genius notes), “I’m from the X, so I’m packin’ that jatt / Got out the hood and I ain’t going back / Built like a Barbie, but act like a brat / You know I’m the baddest, like, keep it a stack / If it ain’t ’bout money, I ain’t talkin’ ’bout that / I be poppin’, you b*tches be flat / I be shakin’, and he like, ‘Gyatt.’”

Meanwhile, Ice Spice just kicked off her Y2K! World Tour a few days ago, so don’t be surprised if “Gyat” gets added to the setlist for upcoming shows, since her setlist includes essentially every song she’s released so far in her young career.

Listen to “Gyat” above.

Y2K! is out now via 10K Projects/Capitol Records. Find more information here.

Today’s episode begins with Steven and Ian dipping into Sportscast discourse about the Olympics and Jordan Love’s recent historic NFL contract. After that, they delve into the week’s new releases, which include a Smashing Pumpkins album not even Steven and Ian care about and an Ian fantasy draft pick that might have been a reach. They also talk about the recently announced American Football tribute album, and Steven’s experience seeing Vampire Weekend live this week.

In the mailbag, the guys answer questions about the validity of predetermined “farewell” albums and their feelings about Father John Misty’s Pure Comedy in light of a new greatest hits album for FJM.

In Recommendation Corner, Ian goes the Swedish emo band I Love Your Style while Steven talks about retro country singer Charley Crockett.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 200 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.