Month: August 2024

The Olympics are over, and now, it’s time to start counting down until the start of the NBA season in about two months. The league was incredibly well represented in Paris this summer, as every member of Team USA came from the NBA, while the rest of the international field was loaded with talent from the best league on the planet.

As soccer fans know, there can be some serious pitfalls that come from overestimating how the results of an international tournament can impact the upcoming club season — there are countless examples of players performing at a high level for their country, going back to their professional team, and not reaching those levels again. Still, there were things that we can take away from the Olympics in the lead-up to this season, and we decided to highlight some of the most important observations on the heels of one of the best international basketball tournaments we’ve ever seen.

1. The Warriors have to be all-in on building a contender around Steph Curry

Steph Curry can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season, when he will be 38 years old. Now, I, for one, cannot ever imagine Curry suiting up for a team other than the Golden State Warriors, but I would have said the same thing about Klay Thompson eight weeks ago, and look at how that turned out.

We saw during the Olympics that Curry is still capable of being absolutely unbelievable, the alpha dog on a court that features the best basketball players on the planet. He can take over a game like no one else on the planet. And heading into this season, Golden State has been awfully careful about not pushing all of their chips into the center of the table to get him another superstar running mate — Draymond Green is obviously not going anywhere, while they’ve held onto all their young players (Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski) and draft capital. They have made some really nice moves to bolster their rotation with veterans, like Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, and De’Anthony Melton, and I think you can argue that this is a better all-around team than it was a year ago.

The question: Is that a good enough team to seriously compete for a championship in the Western Conference? I do not think so, and as of this writing, FanDuel gives them the ninth-best odds of winning the West. Wanting to be in a good position for life after Curry whenever that comes — whether that’s in two years or five-plus years down the road — is understandable, but they flat-out owe it to him to do whatever it takes to win another title. The Olympics showed he can still take a team to the promised land, and as a result, there’s no team that we’re going to pay more attention to once we get to the trade deadline than the Warriors.

2. The Lakers and Suns have to take advantage of their stars

You can make the case that four of the five best players (along with Curry) on Team USA played for the Lakers and the Suns. LeBron James is LeBron James, even as he’s on the verge of turning 40, and sure looks like someone who can be the best player on a championship team when the going gets tough. Anthony Davis was excellent as well, and while we’ve never seen him hit shots the way he did in the Bubble, we got a glimpse of the best version of himself, a defensive force of nature who is able to score efficiently and play off of LeBron perfectly.

Kevin Durant just did what he always does on the international stage, as he is arguably the best pure scorer that we have ever seen set foot on a basketball court and showed no signs of slowing down as he gets older. And Steve Kerr went out of his way to praise Devin Booker for a reason, as he happily accepted a role as the guy who ties everything together on both ends of the floor and takes advantage of his opportunities when they pop up — he battled on defense, was always willing to make the selfless play, and he was a killer whenever he got a chance to shoot the ball, as he led the team by hitting 56.5 percent of his threes (13-for-23).

It’s not a stretch to say that the front offices in Los Angeles and Phoenix have taken swings that have just not worked over the years, like the Russell Westbrook trade that is still hurting the Lakers (which, it must be said, happened with the blessing of LeBron and AD) and the Bradley Beal trade that cost the Suns everything they had and had less-than-ideal results in year one. All four of these guys positioned themselves to have monster years on the back of their Olympic performances if they can remain healthy, which is necessary after both teams failed to get out of the first round last year. How the rest of their teams — from the front office to the end of the roster — take advantage of that will be fascinating to watch.

3. The Nuggets are somehow an even bigger question mark than they were before

Obviously, as long as Nikola Jokic is there, I don’t think you can be too terribly concerned about Denver winning games and him putting up numbers. As we saw throughout the Olympics, the dude is still incredible, and his ability to be the sun around which everything revolves for a basketball team is unparalleled right now.

But Jamal Murray was just outright bad. Murray, one of the players Canada hopes would be a foundational piece of a medal contender, averaged six points per game on 29 percent shooting from the field and 14.3 percent from three, with 3.8 assists, three rebounds, and 2.3 turnovers in 20.5 minutes a night. This happening while he’s eligible for an extension with the Nuggets — which lost a crucial rotation player for the second summer in a row — just adds to the intrigue.

Understandably, Murray has built up enough equity in Denver that this can be written off as a bad stretch by a guy who never looked 100 percent, and who had a role on the national team that is nothing like his role as Jokic’s running mate. Still, the Nuggets need him to be their no-doubt second-best player and a guy who is capable of performing at the All-Star level everyone has long believed he can achieve — Murray has famously never made an All-Star team nor an All-NBA team despite his bonafides as a playoff performer, and while the former has largely been waved away because of the latter, at some point, Murray’s got to show that the team can rely on him to stay healthy and consistently perform over an 82 game season. The Olympics did not help in that regard, but if he looks good at the start of this upcoming season, no one will remember how he played in Paris. But if not? It’ll be hard not to look back on this tournament as a sign of things to come.

4. Wemby’s here

Yes, Victor Wembanyama’s numbers at the Olympics weren’t always great, as he really struggled from the field in the quarters and the semis against Canada and Germany, respectively. But this guy is so clearly the best defensive basketball player in the world that it’s hard to debate, as he shuts down the paint and is able to use his length and athleticism to deter even the best players from trying him. And when the lights were at their brightest, he delivered: He was out of his mind in the gold medal game against the United States, going for 26 points on 11-for-19 shooting from the field and 3-for-8 shooting from three. After the game, he had this to say: “I’m learning, and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years.”

I’m worried for the opponents that are going up against him next season, as the dude talks like a super villain and is capable of backing it up when games start. He has everything it takes to be the best basketball player on the planet, and he’s coming off of an Olympics in his home country where he was unable to get to the top of the mountain despite his best efforts. Add in the fact that the San Antonio Spurs brought in a pair of rock solid veterans to help bring him along in Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, and I think we’re going to see Wemby avoid any sort of sophomore slump in a big way.

5. The Celtics may have a way to avoid complacency

The hardest thing about winning a championship is doing it again. You run the risk of complacency setting in when a team runs it back, which the Boston Celtics are doing on the heels of their NBA title this past season. Now, there’s no guarantee this happens, and some teams are motivated by their desire to win again — Joe Mazzulla has struck up a friendship with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who is about as good of an influence as there is in this regard.

Something that could certainly help: Having your two-best players enter the season with a chip on their respective shoulders. Jaylen Brown was very clearly furious about his exclusion from Team USA this summer, and it certainly seems like there is no bad blood between himself and Derrick White or anything like that. Jayson Tatum losing his rotation spot twice against Serbia was turned into a gigantic deal, and when he did play, he struggled to get into a rhythm. He was also candid about how strange this summer was for him after the team won gold.

Is it possible that none of this matters, and the Celtics spend the whole year faffing about because they’ve already won? Sure, but I wouldn’t bet on that. Is it possible they were going to have a way to fend off complacency no matter what? Once again, sure, but it sure does help that there were things about the Team USA experience that gave two of the best players in the world something to push them, which we think will help Boston keep its vice grip on the top of the East.

Even though the Alien franchise has had a long, complex history that was brought to life by many different directors, Ridley Scott is the mastermind behind it all. The director brought the first film to life and continued to act as a producer on many of the subsequent installments, even returning to direct the prequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. He might have been too busy with the Gladiator universe to return to direct Alien: Romulus (he will still act as producer), but he has nothing but praise for the film’s director Fede Alvarez.

Alvarez shared the advice that Scott gave him before he began shooting the film, which takes place in between Alien and Aliens. On Instagram, Alvarez posted a photo of the note: “Dear Fede, Good luck. Good health. Good hunting. Don’t f*ck up. Very best wishes, Ridley Scott.” It definitely could have been meaner, so this is a good sign!

Scott isn’t the only director to touch base with Alvarez. James Cameron, who directed Aliens, also offered who two cents. He does this plenty and sometimes to humorous effect.

Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter, “I saw a rough cut six months ago, so I’m sure it’s changed a lot,” he said. Cameron added that while he didn’t work on the film as much as it’s been reported, he did have some input. “I viewed it once. I gave some notes to [director Fede Álvarez]. He and I aren’t close pals. I mean, I wish him the best with it, but I think it’s been overstated that I had some big creative input to that film. I think Ridley [Scott] did because Ridley was an actual producer on the film. So I’m just putting it in perspective,” he added.

Aside from both sets of advice, Alvarez seemed to do a pretty good job, as early reactions are praising the new installment. If nothing else, they surely did a good job with that popcorn bucket.

Former President Obama has shared his latest summer playlist, and of course, he’s all-in on Brat Summer too. This year’s list includes new fan favorites from the likes of Billie Eilish, Shaboozey, and of course, Charli XCX, but it also has quite a few throwbacks, as well. “No Diggity” from Blackstreet makes an appearance, as does “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting” from jazz great Charles Mingus and “How Do U Want It” from the late, great Tupac Shakur.

But, a big part of Obama’s appeal has been that he’s an older guy who keeps up with the times, and as per usual, he certainly does seem to have his ear to the streets — or at least, the algorithms. From Billie Eilish’s new album, Hit Me Hard And Soft, he’s got “Chihiro”; from Charli XCX’s unlikely political favorite, “365.” Shaboozey’s J-Kwon-sampling “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is a no-brainer, as is Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby.”

However, there are also some surprises here. Rising British rapper Enny appears with her 2023 single “Charge It,” as does Saweetie’s newest single, “My Best.” R&B stars H.E.R. and Cleo Sol both appear (both songs are throwbacks from their catalogs, with “Process” and “Why Don’t You” representing their respective artists). But lest you think that golden ear is turning to tin, Tems’ “Love Me Jeje” also appears to keep things up to date.

You can see Mr. Obama’s full summer playlist below.

The Office is being rebooted. Community is completing the #AndAMovie part of #SixSeasonsAndAMovie. 30 Rock lives on in useful out-of-context quotes. But what about another popular NBC sitcom to premiere in the 2000s?

Emmy-winning medical comedy Scrubs aired for nine seasons — seven on NBC, two on ABC — and 182 episodes, and launched the career of mixtape icon Zach Braff. It also taught the world that Neil Flynn, who played the Janitor, had a small role in The Fugitive. Is there a chance that, like the Michael Scott-free The Office and Frasier and too many other shows to list, Scrubs could return? Based on recent comments, it sure sounds like it!

Here’s everything we know about the proposed Scrubs reboot, including plot details and a release date.

Plot

To cut to the chase: creator Bill Lawrence wants Scrubs to return and thinks it’s only a matter of time before it happens.

“I’m really candid about it. We’re definitely going to do it, just because we’ve all been enjoying hanging out,” he recently told LADbible. “Look, there’s no huge drive because everybody’s successful, and I think the show was on for, like, 72 years, but on the other hand, medical people over here right now are very heroic to me. It’s been a tough road, and no one’s becoming a doctor right now to get rich here in America, and we’ve all been hanging out and talking.”

(I don’t know exactly what it says about America that a TV show might return from the dead because medical professionals in this country are not flocking to the profession, but I know it says something!)

Lawrence continued, “I’m open to it, and I don’t want to do it as a movie, but I’m definitely open to doing a couple more years of that show. It would not only be fun to see where the characters I used to love are now, but also to see what a young doctor nowadays looks like, as far as the kids coming in behind them.” He predicts they’ll “figure it out in the next six months or so,” although he is a busy man with Apple TV+ hit Shrinking and possibly more Ted Lasso.

If the reboot does actually get off the ground, Braff has some ideas for his character, J.D. “You know, J.D. is a grown-ass man now, and so Scrubs would still have his imagination. But I think he’s more in the Dr. Cox position these days. He’s the senior doctor to the hospital,” he told ScreenRant. “I think it would be interesting to find him yearning for some of the innocence of his youth, and finding ways to sort of get back to the character that everyone fell in love with. To me, that would be interesting, seeing him having lost some of his joy, and going in search for finding some of the joy of his youth.”

Cast

Scrubs can be split into two eras: the season 1-8 cast with Zach Braff (J.D.), Donald Faison (Turk), John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox), Sarah Chalke (Elliot), Judy Reyes as (Carla), Ken Jenkins as (Dr. Kelso), and Neil Flynn (The Janitor), and the season 9 cast which only featured the first three in starring roles. With all due respect to the med school students played by Eliza Coupe, Dave Franco, and Halt and Catch Fire legend Kerry Bishé, it’s reasonable to assume that the Scrubs reboot will largely ignore season 9, and bring back the original favorites. (Sadly, Sam Lloyd, who played scene-stealer Ted, died in 2020.)

Faison is interested. “It’s gonna happen,” he told NBC Insider in February. “I don’t know when, but within the next five years.” It helps that the cast appears to still be on good terms (especially Braff and Faison, who are basically playing J.D. and Turk in every other cell phone commercial these days).

Release Date

Even if they do indeed “figure it out in the next six months or so,” Scrubs 2.0 (3.0?) probably won’t premiere until 2026. Until then, NBC’s new hospital comedy, St. Denis Medical, looks pretty funny! It’s got a great cast with Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, and Allison Tolman.

Trailer

Let’s face the facts: there is no trailer, but there are nine seasons of Scrubs on Hulu and Disney Plus, including the musical episode.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Uproxx cover star Wale (possibly due to complications from COVID-19), but that could be changing soon. The Maryland rapper returned to social media this week with the announcement of his Every Blue Moon Tour (named after his 2022 Under A Blue Moon Tour, apparently), which according to Live Nation, will celebrate both his upcoming eighth album AND the 15th anniversary of his debut, Attention Deficit.

Tickets will be available starting with artist presales starting tomorrow, Tuesday (August 13), with additional presales throughout the week, and the general sale beginning on Friday (August 16), at 10 AM local time. You can find more information here.

Wale: Every Blue Moon Tour

09/19 — Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
09/20 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
09/23 — Charleston, SC @ The Charleston Music Hall
09/25 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
09/27 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
09/28 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
09/29 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
10/01 — McKees Rocks, PA @ Roxian Theatre
10/03 — Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
10/04 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
10/05 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
10/07 — Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues
10/08 — Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
10/10 — Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall
10/11 — Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues Chicago
10/12 — Minneapolis, MN @ Uptown Theater Minneapolis
10/14 — Denver, CO @ Summit
10/15 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
10/18 — Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
10/19 — Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
10/20 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
10/23 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
10/25 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
10/26 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
10/27 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
10/29 — San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre
10/31 — Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues Dallas
11/01 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
11/02 — Houston, TX @ House Of Blues Houston
11/05 — New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues New Orleans
11/06 — Mobile, AL @ Soul Kitchen
11/07 — Birmingham, AL @ Iron City

California rap royalty Saweetie and YG could be experiencing trouble in paradise. According to TMZ, the couple’s neighbors called the police on them over worries of a domestic dispute on Saturday (August 10). The officers who arrived determined that their argument never got physical, despite being loud enough to worry the neighbors, and an incident report was filed after the couple had calmed down. According to that report, the fight had started over “phone drama.”

The couple was rumored to have broken up in January, when the Instagram gossip account TheShadeRoom reported that a source with knowledge of the situation had confirmed they agreed to part ways. However, they appeared to put that speculation to rest in March, when Saweetie popped out during YG and Tyga’s set at Rolling Loud California, exchanging some flirty words and gestures that suggested that they were either back together, or never broken up to begin with. Saweetie’s name also appears on the tracklist for YG’s upcoming album, Just Re’d Up 3, so they certainly appear to be on good enough terms to work together.

The two West Coast rappers had been dating for about a year; they were first linked in March 2023, when they were photographed on vacation getting fairly cozy. Since then, they’ve collaborated on multiple songs and even went on tour together with Tyga last fall.

At Disney’s D23 event this past weekend, Miley Cyrus was named a Disney Legend, since she was a major Disney Channel star during her Hannah Montana days. In her acceptance speech, she reflected on those times.

At one point, she joked about her Bangerz era, saying, “The Burbank office is where it’s rumored they create all of us Disney kids. I definitely wasn’t created in a lab, and if I was there must have been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years and 2013 and 2016.”

The speech wasn’t all jokes, though, as Cyrus got tearful at points (as People notes). She said at one point, “I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana. […] In so many ways, his award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing loyal fans, and to everyone who has made my dream a reality. To quote the legend herself, ‘This is the life.’”

Aside from Cyrus, also honored at the ceremony were Colleen Atwood, Angela Bassett, Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, Mark Henn, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, Joe Rohde, and John Williams.

In a press release ahead of the event, Disney CEO Bob Iger wrote, “To be named a Disney Legend is the highest honor our company can bestow on anyone, reserved for those whose talent and achievement have earned them an enduring place in our history. The fourteen individuals to be honored as Disney Legends this year have each made extraordinary creative contributions across the worlds of Disney and we look forward to celebrating them at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.”

Watch the speech here.

The cool thing about the Alien franchise is that there’s something for everyone. Want to see a truly horrifying thriller about a mysterious extraterrestrial? That’s what Alien is all about. Want an inspiring tale about a mother-figure stopping at nothing to protect her family with the help of James Cameron? Aliens is for you. Want to see a bunch of extraterrestrials duke it out with violence? Sure, you can catch some Alien Vs. Predator action if that’s what you’re into. A lot of people aren’t, though.

The upcoming installment, Alien: Romulus is not a sequel or a prequel, but sits smack-dab in the middle of the ever-growing Alien origin story. Romulus takes place between Alien and Aliens and follows a group of young space explorers who stumble upon the wreckage of a space station that has become a breeding ground for those infamous aliens. In theory, you only really need to see Alien before heading to the theater for Alien: Romulus, but if you want to immerse yourself in the lore of it all, you might need to do research beforehand.

Here is the chronological order (from earliest to latest) of Alien franchise, including the Predator flicks, but not including the upcoming series. Note that it is different from release order, since this franchise has been all over the place for over 40 years and always expanding.

AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

This is up to you: many Alien fans like to ignore the existence of the Predator, mostly because it can get a little murky with the Alien origin story, but if you like monster battles, this one is for you! The 2004 matchup takes two iconic monsters: the Xenomorphs and the Predator and pit them against each other while a group of human researchers get caught in the crossfire and have to keep their destruction contained. The film stars Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, and Lance Henriksen. You can stream Alien vs. Predator on Hulu.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

Picking up immediately after AVP, the aliens and the predators are in full takeover mode as they crash-land in a small American town that is absolutely not prepared for an all-out alien war. Despite being an R-rated action flick, it’s often overlooked by Aliens fans, but you can stream Alien vs. Predator: Requiem on Hulu if you want to see what the lil’ Xenos are like when faced with small-town American life. The movie stars Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, and John Ortiz

Prometheus (2012)

This is where the real lore begins! Prometheus takes place in the late 21st century, after the events of AVP, but before we meet our girl Ripley. Director Ridley Scott wanted to return to the series to expand on the mythology of the Aliens, so while Prometheus might not be a standard prequel, it does take place in the same universe and ties together many of the concepts from the franchise (by also wiping out any Predator references). The story follows a group of space explorers who are on the hunt to find the origins of humanity, though they stumble upon a very different type of species. The film stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, and Charlize Theron. You can stream Prometheus on Hulu and Disney+.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

The next installment in the Alien universe brings us to Covenant, which takes place a decade after Prometheus. The film brings back Michael Fassbender as a new android Walter who brings a group of new researchers to colonize a new planet. It sounds too good to be true, because they are not alone on that planet! Soon the group is faced with alien encounters. You’d think they would know better by now, but they don’t! You can stream Alien: Covenant on Hulu and Disney+.

Alien (1979)

This is where is all began. After you’ve been brought up to speed on the Alien origins, the first film in the franchise is a classic horror that needs little to know introduction. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, and Tom Skerritt as the crew of the Nostromo who are awoken out of stasis to investigate a distress signal. The first installment introduces the scary chestbursters we have all come to know and fear. You can stream Alien on Hulu and Disney+.

Alien: Romulus (2024)

The latest movie in the franchise takes place some time after Alien, but before Aliens. Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced star as the young crew who board a defunct space station only to discover that they are not alone on there. While we know the prequel takes place during Ripley’s lifetime, we don’t know if there will be any more references to the original series, but one can hope. The movie hits theaters on August 16th.

Aliens (1986)

The sequel to Alien brings Ripley back as she is determined to kill that Xenomorph queen once and for all. Often considered to be the favorite sequel thanks to James Cameron, Aliens expands on the universe by adding in even more creepy aliens and adds in an innocent child, so you can’t help but root for them. Aliens is now streaming on Max.

Alien 3 (1992)

Once again, Ripley has survived another round against the Xenomorphs, but how much more can she take?! The third flick brings back Sigourney Weaver as she lands on yet another deserted planet and must fight to survive. Alien 3 is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Ripley is back! Though this time, it’s 200 years later and she’s been cloned. It happens. In Alien: Resurrection, the government gets involved and tried to breed the Xenomoprhs in order to study them, but before they can do that, the aliens all escape and roam the space station. You would think that they would have learned by now, but they haven’t. At least this time, Winona Ryder is involved. You can watch Alien: Resurrection on Hulu and Disney+.

Borderlands hit theaters last week, but by the cold reception it got, those involved might want people to forget about it entirely. The big screen adaptation of the game series took a group of award-winning actors and threw them into a dystopian playground, and the results were mixed, to say the least.

But maybe you have a video game loving preteen in your life, or maybe you just need to see Cate Blanchett’s TAR followup, so eventually, you might want to watch this movie. Whatever the reason is, good luck.

Since the film was released by Lionsgate, it will eventually have its streaming debut on Starz. Past Lionsgate movies have taken 4–5 months after theatrical release to land on streaming, or even longer. Thanks to the movie essentially flopping, we can safely assume that Borderlands won’t have a very long theatrical release, so the film could hit Starz as early as late November or early December.

After streaming on Starz, some Lionsgate movies then continue their journey over Roku city for a brief stint on the Roku Channel, which willy likely happen for Borderlands. Finally, Borderlands will find its resting place on Peacock, where all Lionsgate movies go when retired. An estimated guess would bring Borderlands to Peacock in early 2025, but again, that can all change. TARis now streaming on Peacock, though!

It’s been quite a year for Kendrick Lamar. “Not Like Us,” one of his many Drake diss tracks, went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “The Pop Out — Ken & Friends” show was a one-of-a-kind California performance. He’s even working on a movie with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

Really, the only blemish on Lamar’s 2024 is the time he confused Haley Joel Osment for Joel Osteen. On “Euphoria,” he raps, “Am I battlin’ ghost or AI / N**** feelin’ like Joel Osteen / Funny, he was in a film called A.I. / And my sixth sense tellin’ me to off him.” One is an acclaimed actor and the voice of Sora in the Kingdom Hearts video games (Osment); the other is a shady televangelist (Osteen). But The Sixth Sense and A.I. Artificial Intelligence actor thinks the mix-up might have been on purpose.

“I think he’s too precise,” Osment told the Associated Press at the premiere of Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice (via Billboard). “I don’t know for sure and I’m not gonna assume that he knows my exact name, but the way I’ve heard people talk about that and certain analysis that I’ve read about it, I think that it’s an intentional scrambling of my name and that other guy’s name. Because Kendrick’s too precise to just make a mistake like that.”

Or maybe the simplest explanation is the correct one: Kendrick really did confuse the two. Here’s another way to tell them apart so this doesn’t happen again: no one ever found bags of money in Haley Joel Osment’s church.