Month: August 2024

The Boys‘ fourth season finale included a pair of characters from college-based spin off Gen V, and let’s just say that Homelander (Antony Starr) wasted no time after his cameo in putting Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann) into Bad Supe mode for him. The pair of fledgling Supes helped round up The Boys, and Gen V‘s second season will help bridge the streaming gap before the flagship show’s fifth and final season.

The scheduling of Gen V‘s production did get pushed back (amid news of star Chance Perdomo’s accidental death at age 27) a few months but is currently roaring. Significant script rewrites are also understood to have happened to modify the original plan with Chance’s character, Andre Anderson. Let’s dig into what to expect on that subject and other plans for the upcoming season.

Plot

Gen V‘s first season filled the gap in between The Boys seasons, and presumably, that will happen with Gen V‘s second season before The Boys returns in 2026. And currently, there’s plenty going on in The Boys realm with the vigilante group detained and Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) last seen heading into the wind with his tentacled Supe powers and the Supe virus in tow.

Whether Butcher pops up in Gen V again (he did, after all, uncover the virus’ existence on Godolkin U’s campus) hasn’t yet been revealed. Yet following The Boys‘ fourth season finale, Vought International offered a congrats to Cate and Sam “on a successful first mission” while noting that they’re headed back to classes. On that note, Total Film reported that recent SDCC footage shows Deep (Chace Crawford) making a God U cameo as well as Cate and Sam standing alongside the new dean, portrayed by Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass). Cate, as well, will reportedly welcome those who were framed and imprisoned following the Gen V season finale bloodbath back to campus.

On a more difficult subject, The Boys showrunner and Gen V exec producer Eric Kripke has revealed that Chance Perdomo will not be replaced, and rewritten scripts will include the death of Andre Anderson. Notably, Andre had been present in the Gen V season finale moments when Marie awoke in a secured medical facility while surrounded by her fellow Supes. Some viewers on social media have noted that Andre strangely appeared to be operating a cell phone in that scene, which suggested the possibility that the scene was not set in reality, although whatever was going on there might have been abandoned with the script rewrites spurred on by Perdomo’s death.

Additionally, Kripke recently announced that another spin off will happen soonish. That would be Vought Rising, a prequel series that stars Jensen Ackles (as Soldier Boy) and Aya Cash (as Stormfront), and Kripke told Variety that Rising has been long in the making and was greenlit by Amazon after Gen V‘s success. However, we shouldn’t expect Gen V to significantly overlap with Vought Rising other than perhaps some easter eggs. After all, Soldier Boy has already popped into Gen V as a figment of Cate’s imagination, and Stormfront is no longer alive in the current The Boys and Gen V timeline.

Cast

Returning cast members include Jaz Sinclair (Marie), Lizze Broadway (Emma/Cricket), London Thor and Derek Luh (Jordan), Asa Germann (Sam), and Maddie Phillips (Cate). The series hasn’t announced whether Patrick Schwarzenegger will continue to appear in flashbacks as Golden Boy, and Hamish Linklater will step in as the new college dean.

Release Date

Gen V will return sometime in 2025.

Trailer

We likely won’t see a trailer until early 2025, but it’s worth taking a look back at Vought’s “news coverage” of Cate and Sam as the Guardians of Godolkin.

Outside Lands is a three-day festival jam-packed with food, cannabis, and of course music. The festival’s 2024 lineup featured acts from across genres. However, you can’t ignore the influx of country recording artists—headliner Sabrina Carpenter surely didn’t.

Always observant of the scenery, the “Please Please Please” singer decided to treat attendees to a special on stage collaboration. Yesterday (August 10), during her set, Sabrina Carpenter invited Kacey Musgraves to join her for a stomping cover of “These Boots Are Made For Walkin.”

The 1966 song was originally recorded by Nancy Sinatra, but since its release, that track has been added to the live setlist of musicians around the world. It has even been sampled by several acts, including Beyoncé.

But instead of remixing the classic release, Sabrina and Kacey kept things true to its original form. In the festival’s livestream (which can be viewed here), both recording artists exchanged fun flirty stares while delivering the beloved lyrics.

They were sure to get the crowd involved in the performance. “I think you know this one Outside Lands,” Sabrina asked the festivalgoers.

By the time the chorus rolls around, everyone thunderous sings: “These boots are made for walkin’ / And that’s just what they’ll do / One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.”

The tracklist for Sabrina Carpenter’s upcoming album, Short N Sweet, has already been revealed. But fans are holding out hope that one day she’ll formally record a cover of the song, for fun’s sake.

(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent All American: Homecoming episode will be found below.)

Last week’s episode of All American: Homecoming featured Simone in crisis mode and the return of Thea. We also had some relationship drama with Keisha and Cam as well as Lando taking some time to learn about the KEK history. Season three continues with episode six and a big decision for Simone to make, while Keisha lands upon a big realization about her relationship with Cam.

When Will All American: Homecoming Season 3, Episode 6 Come Out?

The sixth episode of All American: Homecoming season three, titled “New Normal,” will arrive on August 12. The Charissa Sanjarensuithikul-directed and Hollie Overton-written episode will be available on Monday, 8/12 on the CW TV channel at 9pm EST/PST. The episode will later be available to stream on the CW app and website at 3 am ET/12 am PT. A synopsis for “New Normal” can be found below:

Simone has to choose between the most important things in her life. Nate’s cousin reaches out, which brings up some very raw emotions resulting in a heart-to-heart with Lando. Keisha comes up with a plan to help JR and realizes she needs to step it up with Cam.

New episodes of ‘All American: Homecoming’ are available on CW TV on Mondays at 9 pm ET/PT and on the CW app and website at 3 am ET/12 am PT.

If privacy was a person, it would undoubtably be Ella Mai. Since 2023, the “Not Another Love Song” singer quietly slipped out of the public eye. Following the deluxe edition release of her album, Heart On My Sleeve and wrapping up its supporting tour, Ella Mai even took a hiatus from social media.

But she reappeared all smiles and pregnant at the 2024 NBA Finals championship to celebrate her partner’s, Jayson Tatum, victory. Yesterday (August 10), the couple seemingly revealed their child’s birth at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Although Ella Mai nor Jayson Tatum have shared any family photos online, fans immediately began to congratulate the couple once behind-the-scenes clips of the Team USA family photoshoot were posted to X (formerly Twitter).

In the video (seen here), Tatum and his family gather to commemorate the men’s Olympic basketball team’s gold medal victory. As the visual progresses, Tatum is joined by Ella Mai and an infant child, all seemingly dressed in matching Team USA gear. This marks Ella Mai’s first child. For Jayson Tatum, this is his second. Tatum has a son, Jayson Jr, more affectionately known as Deuce, from a previous relationship.

For a while, fans wondered about the couple’s status, as they weren’t spotted out together. But it is safe to assume that they are still indeed boo’d up.

Taylor Swift is a globally recognizable pop star. The “You’re On Your Own Kid” singer draws in massive crowds to watch her perform. Even those who aren’t lucky enough to snag a ticket, are willing to gleefully gather outside the stadium to listen in. Sadly, this has reportedly made The Eras Tour a target for terrorist attacks.

Following a foiled attack at Swift’s concert in Vienna, Austria, the singer has reportedly taken measure to step up her show’s security protocols. According to TMZ, with the help of London authorities, Swift’s three performance dates (August 15-17) at Wembley Stadium will have “additional private security specializing in counterterrorism.”

Although the heightened measure could be attributed to the horrifying attack plot in Vienna, a law enforcement source told that outlet that it also has something to do with London’s currently social climate.

The source said: “Ongoing London riots that are placing a major strain on local police.”

So, in an effort to avoid not having adequate support should something go down, Swift’s team and London authorities are approaching her show from all angles.

Three suspects have since been arrested in connection with the attempted terrorist attack in Vienna. In a report from Associated Press, one of the suspects, grimly claimed to want to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.”

With that disturbing revelation, the venues of Swift’s remaining tour stops are on high alert.

For the 61st Olympic game in a row, the United States women’s basketball team picked up a win. And as a result, for the eighth Olympics in a row, the U.S. will leave the women’s hoops competition as gold medalists, although this did not come easy. Going up against France in Paris with a partisan crowd rooting against them, the Americans faced their stiffest test of these Olympics, but managed to pick up a thrilling, 67-66 win.

The story of the first half was the inability of the U.S. to get into a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor. While the American defense was sensational over the game’s opening 20 minutes, holding the French to only 11-for-40 (27.5 percent) shooting from the field, they just could not stop turning the ball over on offense.

France forced a remarkable 13 turnovers by the United States, with each one energizing the already raucous crowd in Paris, and turned them into 12 points. It didn’t help that the Americans didn’t get going from the field, either, going 8-for-28 (28.6 percent) and missing all three of their tries from deep. And while they got 14 attempts from the free-throw line, they only made nine of them, and as a result, things were tied 25 at the break.

Right out of the break, France landed a haymaker. The team went on an 10-0 run to start the third quarter and put the United States in an unfamiliar position: One where they needed to mount a comeback. And fortunately for the U.S., they were able to do just that thanks to everyone filling their role perfectly over the remainder of the frame. Whether it was Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu providing some juice on offense, Napheesa Collier getting easy looks by cutting to the rim, A’ja Wilson completely shutting France down whenever they got into the paint, or Kahleah Copper doing a little bit of everything, Team USA went on a 20-8 run to end the period to take a two-point lead into the fourth.

France’s physicality continued to give the United States trouble in the fourth, a particularly big issue due to their struggles to get going offensively — for some reason, it just seemed like the U.S. could not finish at the rim despite their ability to consistently get looks in the paint. It was a remarkable quarter, one where the two teams spent the entire time within one possession of one another.

Every time the U.S. opened up the slightest bit of a lead down the stretch, France always had something to keep it from getting out of hand, even though they struggled mightily from three in the final period. The one they made, a Gabby Williams triple with five seconds left, made it a one-point game, and while Copper nailed both free throws, France had one final shot. It went to Williams, who banked in a prayer as time expired, but her foot was well on the line. Because of this, instead of being on the other end of an all-time shot that forced overtime, the United States are able to call themselves gold medalists once again.

While Wilson struggled to get going from the field, her 21 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks led the United States, while Copper had 10 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter to go along with five rebounds, a steal, and an assist. Plum chipped in 12 points and four assists off the bench. It was a rock fight of the highest order, as the U.S. shot 19-for-56 (33.9 percent) from the field and 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) from three, while France was 23-for-73 (31.5 percent) from the field and 7-for-36 (19.4 percent) from three. Ultimately, France’s inability to keep the U.S. off the free throw line was the different, as they went 27-for-34 from the charity stripe.

Stephen Curry came into this summer having done almost everything a superstar can do in the game of basketball. He took a formerly dismal franchise and turned them into one of the league’s gold standards, leading the Golden State Warriors to four championships. He has a pair of MVP awards, including the first ever unanimous selection in league history. He revolutionized the way the game is played, launching threes at a historic rate and changing the perception of what people see as a good shot. He has plastered his name all over the top of the NBA’s record books as a shooter and has an unassailable legacy as one of the greatest players to ever grace a basketball court.

And yet, there was one thing missing from his career resume that he was determined to add this summer: an Olympic gold medal. Curry, who has played on World Cup teams, had never been on an Olympic roster before this year. He made his intentions clear prior to this past season, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and a number of top stars who threw their names in the ring after Team USA failed to medal at the World Cup last summer. There was immense pressure on this squad to win gold, as the rest of the world has begun closing the gap on the American’s basketball supremacy, but the faces of this basketball generation wanted to make one last statement in Paris.

Early on, it was James and Durant that shined brightest. LeBron was the team’s most dominant force, leading the way both with scoring and facilitating, taking over games when needed and providing something of a reminder that, even on a team full of stars, he’s still The Guy. Durant rewrote the USA Basketball record books, passing Lisa Leslie for the most points by an American in Olympic competition. Curry, meanwhile, struggled to find his footing out of the gates.

Through the first four games of the Olympics, Curry averaged just 7.3 points per game on 20 percent shooting from three-point range. He just couldn’t find his rhythm, and the greatest shooter to ever play seemed frustrated by his inability to get it going. And then, the floodgates opened. Curry exploded for 60 points in Team USA’s final two games, hitting 17 of his 26 attempts from three (65 percent) and leading Team USA to hard fought wins over Serbia and France. Those two performances erased all memory of the early struggles, as he showed up at the exact moment the team needed him and became an Olympic hero in the process.

Against Serbia, Team USA needed every bit of his 36-point barrage in a 16-point comeback to topple the eventual bronze medalists. He kept the team from getting run out of the gym early, scoring 17 in the first quarter, and then joined forces with LeBron and KD down the stretch to simply overpower Serbia with their combined scoring might. Against France, Team USA didn’t need a grand comeback to win, but France refused to go away and Curry buried shot after shot down the stretch, culminating in a preposterous dagger over Nic Batum and Evan Fournier that might go down as the greatest shot of his career — which, seeing as how this is Steph Curry we are talking about here, is an insanely high bar to clear.

This year’s Olympics team was one last stand by the old guard before passing the baton, and it was important for each of the veteran stars to prove something different. For LeBron, it was one last chance to defend his crown. For Durant, it was a chance to cement his place as the greatest men’s Olympian in USA Basketball history. For Curry, it was checking one last box off the career bucket list, but it wasn’t simply about filling that last empty spot in the trophy case.

Stars that play on Team USA at the Olympics almost always call it one of the greatest experiences of their career. It is something wholly unique, from the style of play to getting a chance to join forces with the best in the world and figure out how to make that work in a 6-game sprint. Curry had never gotten a chance to be a part of that, but with his place in basketball history, it wouldn’t have felt quite right if he hadn’t been able to leave a truly indelible mark on the international stage. He did just that over the last two games, and I think when most fans think back on the 2024 Olympic team, he will be the first name that pops to mind because of his performances in the semis and gold medal games.

I’m loath to say Stephen Curry needed anything for his legacy. He was already cemented as an all-time great, a future Hall of Fame inductee who inspired an entire generation of basketball players in a way that few others have. However, I think Steph needed this experience for himself. When you’ve won everything else there is to win, there aren’t many opportunities for a “first” at 35 years old, but this Olympics offered just that. He seized that opportunity in a way only Steph can, and can now add USA Olympic hero to his lengthy resume.

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

10. The Instigators (Apple TV+ film)

Roadhouse reboot director Doug Liman directs Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in this heist-buddy-action-comedy flick about a father and an ex-con who team up to take money from a corrupt politician. Damon’s strait-laced dude is not very good at being a criminal, but somehow a therapist (portrayed by Hong Chau) helps advise the pair. Alright? The script, co-written by Affleck, draws upon Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Midnight Run for inspiration.

9. A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder (Netflix series)

In the fine tradition of Nancy Drew, this series stars Emma Meyers as Pip Fitz-Amobi, a high-school student who works to solve a five-year-old murder of a fellow teenager (thereby exonerating the already dead accused murderer) in her English town. The story is based upon Holly Jackson’s 2019 book, and plenty of changes have been made from page to screen, so there’s no telling whether Jackson’s other three books in the series will inspire sequels.

8. Lady In The Lake (Apple TV+ series)

Apple TV+ is crushing the dramatic game with weekly episode rollouts, and Natalie Portman stars as Maddie, a 1960s housewife who sets out to obtain a divorce and career for herself. This happens to also involve steamy chemistry with co-star Y’lan Noel (as Officer Ferdie Platt), and Maddie happens to be in the position to gain clues over violent Baltimore crimes, including the murder of Cleo Sherwood (Moses Ingram). The story is based upon Laura Lippman’s same-named novel, which is part of her extensive offering of Baltimore-focused books with spooky sights and sounds to offer. Will the show’s twist match that of the book? You gotta tune in to find out.

7. Those About To Die (Peacock series)

Togas and sandals rule the day, as they will also dominate later this year in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 movie. Here, the almost-always-unsettling Anthony Hopkins portrays the leader of the real-life Flavian dynasty. The series is full of gratuitous violence as the Flavian progeny maneuver to succeed their father while those in the ring are there to “entertain” the masses.

6. Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+ series)

Apple TV+ is doing it here, as well, with its most popular drama to date, which is also a book adaptation and will receive a second season with “a new mystery,” meaning the anthology route. Jake Gyllenhaal portrays dirty-dog Rusty Sabich — a prosecutor who is accused of murdering his lover/colleague — in this adaptation of the Scott Turow novel. Thus far, several possibilities exist for the second season’s story, which could potentially be based upon another Turow book. Heck, David E. Kelley and Turow could decide together that this series should switch to a brand new original story, but we do know that Gyllenhaal is executive producing, and perhaps we will even see Rusty return onscreen if the followup time-jump novel, Innocent, gets adapted.

5. A Quiet Place: Day One (Paramount Pictures film on VOD & Prime Video/Amazon)

John Krasinski’s brainchild did it again in theaters, years after the first A Quiet Place became a sleeper hit that further cemented the horror genre as a place where budgets can be kept relatively low and yield tremendous returns. Audiences never do grow afraid of being scared, and the alien creatures are seen in this prequel film while touching down in New York City, where Lupita Nyong’o and her cat find a new friend, and the three fight to survive while dodging those horrible creatures with a frighteningly acute sense of sound.

4. House of the Dragon (HBO series streaming on Max)

Last week’s season finale left plenty of balls in the air in what turned out to be a watered-down season full of moving chess pieces to set up the real battles for the third season. The fact that Daemon pretty much hallucinated for the entire season didn’t help matters, but at least a set of cameos provided some pay off while also fueling a theory that won’t die anytime soon.

3. The Old Man (FX series streaming on Hulu)

Jeff Bridges is more than the Dude in this John Wick-esque series that will soon return for a second season, and positive word of mouth has prompted the streaming masses to catch up before go time on September 12. This season, Dan Chase is still in motion with John Lithgow’s Harold Harper now on the run with his old colleague after Dan got pulled out of obscurity for the “one last job” trope that is executed well here. Like Wick, a few dogs are involved in this series, and Alia Shaukat portrays a pivotal role along with Amy Brenneman. Dad TV and espionage-laden shows have never been hotter, and this series achieves a winning combination.

2. Dexter (Showtime series streaming on Netflix and Paramount+)

A ton of Michael C. Hall’s Dexter Morgan is on the way. That includes his voiceover work in Dexter: Original Sin and that vigilante serial killer in the flesh in Dexter: Resurrection because maybe he’s a zombie now. More than likely, it sounds like cold weather really will be the reason that Dexter survived his gunshot wound, but while we wait for enlightenment, the original series is still popping on Netflix because not even the lumberjack thing hurts its appeal.

1. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix series)

Do the Hargreaves siblings have it in them to stop a final apocalypse? That question would assume that they have a choice in the matter, and this time, a fix will be rough since the group lost their powers when Allison hit the reset button. As long as Klaus hasn’t lost his oddball behavior, this will be just fine, but watching the group be “ordinary” might be heartbreaking, so they shall need to figure out what the hell is going on set the world right. This season will include Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and David Cross along with the usual sibling mess led by Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, and Robert Sheehan.

For the fifth straight Olympics, the USA men’s basketball team won the gold medal, but, as expected, they faced serious tests in both the semifinal and gold medal games. Serbia pushed the Americans to the brink in the semis, as Team USA had to erase a 16-point deficit (and 13-point fourth quarter deficit) to even reach the gold medal game against France, where Victor Wembanyama kept the host nation close throughout.

In both games, Team USA prevailed thanks to their veteran stars showing why they’ve been the best in the world for a generation. LeBron James and Kevin Durant played key roles in both wins, but it was Stephen Curry that made the definitive mark in his first Olympics. After a 36-point outburst against Serbia, carrying the USA offense for large stretches before James and Durant joined him for a fourth quarter barrage, Curry followed it up with a 24-point outing against France. All 24 points came from beyond the three-point line, as he went 8-of-12 from deep, including an unbelievable closing stretch, putting dagger after dagger into the host country’s hopes of winning gold.

His final three was his most audacious, as he danced around into a sidestepping, quickfire three over Nic Batum and Evan Fournier — with LeBron and KD standing wide open on the opposite wing — that found nothing but net. It was vintage Steph, the kind of thing NBA fans grew accustomed to seeing during the Warriors dynasty run, but this time his American teammates — who have been driven crazy by those shots going against them in the past — got to enjoy being on the other side of the Curry flurry for once.

It is a shot that is singular to Steph in that for anyone else, that’s an objectively terrible shot to take given the circumstance and who was wide open next to him. But for that one man who is the best shooter to walk the planet, it’s a perfectly good look. Bam Adebayo summed it up best with a quote to the AP’s Tim Reynolds when asked about what his reaction was on the bench to Steph putting up that final dagger three.

It’s what went through just about everyone’s mind watching it, because who takes that shot in that situation? Steph Curry does, and Team USA had gold around their necks shortly after because of it.

On a stacked USA Basketball men’s squad, some players were going to end up as the odd men out of the rotation some nights. One of those ended up being Jayson Tatum in a surprise to many (especially in Boston), but with a stacked roster of forwards headlined by LeBron James and Kevin Durant, Tatum’s skillset became a bit of a redundancy and he found himself on the outside looking in during two of Team USA’s games.

The player that was not part of Steve Kerr’s rotation most games was a less controversial exclusion, as Tyrese Haliburton spent most of the Olympics as the hype man on the bench, making a few appearances but only playing 26 minutes across Team USA’s six games — with three DNPs. On a team loaded with offensive talent and shot creation, Haliburton’s best attributes were not needed as much, and Kerr opted to put stronger defenders into the rotation at the guard spots.

That proved to be the right choice, as Team USA managed to win the gold medal on Saturday in a thrilling game against France — backing up their sensational semifinal comeback against Serbia. Haliburton picked up his third DNP in the gold medal game, but he still collects the same hardware as everyone else. The Pacers All-Star is well aware of what his role on this team was, and he had some fun with it with the best social media post of anyone on the team after winning gold (which is a tall order on a squad with KD firing off heat on Twitter).

Every USA Basketball team needs guys willing to set aside their ego and embrace the role asked of them. It’s a team full of stars but you can’t have 12 guys playing their normal role and have it work together. For some, like Devin Booker, it’s about adapting a role while playing big minutes, working as a secondary piece and doing the little things and providing strong defense in order to keep everything going. For Haliburton, it was surrendering a place in the rotation in total on most nights, but still bringing his energy and embracing his place as Team USA’s official Vibes Guy. He did that and picked up a gold medal, even if it might feel like that school group project where you let everyone else do the work.