Month: October 2024

The New York Giants have had a dreadful start to the season, in large part because their offense cannot consistently put the ball in the end zone. Aside from the bright spot of rookie Malik Nabers making some incredible catches, the G Men have struggled to put points on the board through four weeks of the season.

On Sunday afternoon in Seattle, they got off to a promising start, marching down the field on their opening drive deep into the red zone, but stalled out on the goal line, needing a fourth and goal from inside the 1. They handed it off to Eric Gray who tried to knife his way across the goal line, but Seahawks defender Rayshawn Jenkins popped out of the pile with the football and ran it 101 yards for a touchdown the other way.

There wasn’t a down the line shot they could get on review, with the only angle other than the broadcast being from behind the end zone that showed the ball clearly came out. What wasn’t indisputable was whether he’d crossed the goal line or not with it (it looked very close), meaning the ruling on the field stood as called of a touchdown for Seattle. That’s obviously a wild swing, as the idea with going for it on 4th and goal from inside the 1 is typically the worst case scenario is you get stuffed and the other team takes over backed up on their own goal line. At no point are you thinking with a running play called that you’re going to give up a touchdown the other way, but the Giants found a way to pull that off and will suddenly have to play from behind.

Whether you know him as a YouTube prankster or humorous rapper, Uproxx cover star DDG doesn’t find anything funny about his split from Halle Bailey. On October 3, the “Way Too Petty” musician announced that after two years together, he and Bailey had officially broken up and would “remain best friends” as they raise their son, Halo.

While many fans still question the validity of DDG’s announcement, given his past antics, Joe Budden expressed his excitement about the news. So, yesterday (October 5), DDG took to X (formerly Twitter) to slam the rapper-turned-podcaster.

“‘Pump It Up’ went gold after 20 years u old b*tch,” he wrote. “Joe Budden, I’m on u .”

He continued, writing: “N**** got 30 years MAX of life left and speaking on a relationship of people the same age as your son you ain’t take care of. I hope u forget to take your magnesium pills today u old b*tch, Joe Budden .”

DDG also sent a message out to other men with negative opinions about him. “I don’t be tripping bout the girls saying sh*t cuz I’m used to it,” he wrote. “It’s all love. But you n****s wit platforms gonna get a response fasho.”

So, what did Joe Budden said to earn such a fiery response from DDG. During a recent episode of The Joe Budden Podcast (viewable here), he joked about being happy for the split so he won’t see DDG’s name anymore. Read Joe Budden’s commentary below.

The question to my distinguished panel is a question that I’ve been asking myself for quite some time. Who the f*ck is DDG? And why am I supposed to care about his thoughts on anything?… I’m very happy that they have broken up so I don’t have to keep seeing this n****s’ name attached to this girl’s name when I don’t know his for nothing as the standalone. And for me, it’s important to know people based on their own name, merit, and what they have done. I don’t even know enough about her. Like, I’m not her demo either. But every time I see his name, it’s attached to hers, and it is typically in some type of clout chaser fashion. So, that makes me look at him a different way. And hopefully I get to look at him a lot less now that they’ve broken up.

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens got back on track the last two weeks with wins over the Cowboys and Bills in national spotlight games, which brought them back into the contender conversation for many coming into Week 5 against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

While the defense did not make the trip to Cincy, giving up 38 points in regulation, the offense certainly did for Baltimore as Jackson led a comeback to force overtime at 38-38 by making some outrageous plays. His best (or, at least, wildest) came on a 2nd and goal from the 7 where he dropped the snap, picked it up, stiff-armed Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard to the ground, and threw back across his body to Isaiah Likely while getting hit on the sideline for a touchdown.

Doing any of these things would’ve made for a ridiculous play, but Jackson showed off everything that makes him such a unique quarterback on this play. He had the athleticism to pick up the ball and get out of the pocket rather than just falling on it, the strength and balance to throw off Hubbard, and then the arm strength and vision to pull off a throw that no coach would advise to find Likely in the end zone.

Unfortunately, the next time Jackson dropped a snap in overtime, he couldn’t bail himself out as the Bengals scooped it up and put themselves in field goal range.

However, the Bengals played for a 53-yard field goal and missed it on a bad hold, which the Ravens punished with a 50-yard run by Derrick Henry to set up a game-winning kick by Justin Tucker.

Tyrese Haliburton has been nothing short of spectacular since being traded to Indiana, as the former King was given the keys to the Pacers offense and put together back-to-back All-Star campaigns averaging 20 points and 10 assists per game in each season.

Last year, Haliburton and the Pacers enjoyed some playoff success for the first time, making a rather stunning run to the Eastern Conference Finals before ultimately losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics. With that success on the court, Haliburton has become a bigger name off of it as well. He’s made appearances in the WWE ring and picked up a number of endorsement deals, but his biggest move yet is in the sneaker world, where he has made the move from Nike to Puma to become the new face of the brand, per Nick DePaula.

Puma currently has three players with signature sneakers, as LaMelo Ball and Scoot Henderson have their own shoes, while Breanna Stewart is the face of their women’s division with her own signature shoe. It would certainly seem as though Haliburton will be in line for his own shoe, if the plan is for him to be the face of the brand, and Puma is banking on this just being the beginning of a long run of stardom from Haliburton in Indiana.

Not to age her, but Mariah Carey has been a household name since before I was born. Still, the “Always Be My Baby” singer never seemed to express any disdain with her global notoriety.

During a sit down with AP, Carey discussed her continuous domination of the holiday season. But when asked about thoughts on Chappell Roan expressing her frustrations with fame, Mariah Carey shockingly agreed.

“Well, I have been through my share of dramas,” she said. “It’s not fun because you grow up thinking, ‘I want to be famous.’ I mean, really with me, it was always, ‘I want to be a singer. I want to write songs.”

Carey then went on to admit that she was exactly opposed to obtaining fame. “But ‘I want to be famous’ was right there with it,” she said. “I feel like it was probably because I didn’t feel like I was good enough on my own because of the things I went through growing up. And that’s not a good way to feel, you know?”

Although Carey has found a way to balance life both with everyone watching, Chappell Roan hasn’t quite mastered that same skill. On September 27, Chappell Roan decided to cancel her appearance at All Things Go Festival 2024, citing being “overwhelmed” as the reasoning.

This year, Drake has faced tons of career highs including smashing tour and singles sold records. However, the “First Person Shooter” rapper’s arguable rap beef loss to Kendrick Lamar has tipped the hip-hop scales out of his favor.

At the height of the tension, several of Drake’s former collaborators including Rick Ross, The Weeknd, and Nav seemed to turn their back on him. Yesterday (October 6), Drake used his surprised appearance Toronto’s annual party, Nostalgia, to take shots at anyone against him. In between song breaks, on the microphone Drake slammed “fake friends” while encouraging others to put themselves first. View the clip here (courtesy of NFR Podcast).

“People you thought were friends, they might switch up,” he said. “They might stab you in the back, they might do a lot of things to you. You’ll come to that realization … it’s you and you alone by yourself.”

Most of the Rebel nightclub crowd appeared to empathize with Drake heading his advice. However, users online were split on Drake using the moment in his hometown to focus on a fizzled feud rather than soaking up the love attendees had to offer him.

But, supporters are holding out hope that Drake will return to Toronto soon enough for another OVO Fest installment. Maybe then, he can offer a more upbeat speech.

Madonna is allegedly in deep mourning. According to reports, the “Like A Prayer” singer has faced yet another death in her family after losing her stepmother Joan Ciccone. Today (October 6), TMZ revealed that Madonna’s younger brother and former creative collaborator, Christopher Ciccone has died at the age of 63.

An insider told the outlet that Ciccone officially passed way on Friday, October 4 in Michigan. The same source claimed that Christopher’s cause of death was cancer.

Longtime fans of Madonna will immediately recognize Ciccone from his past contributions in his sister’s early career. At one point, Christopher served as a backup dancer for Madonna. He then worked as Madonna’s show designer, backstage dresser, art director for the Blonde Ambition World Tour, and The Girlie Show tour director.

Outside of his work with Madonna, Christopher directed music for the late Tony Bennett and Dolly Parton. However, many may know Christopher from his illustrious career as a commercial interior designer. His furniture designs for Bernhardt Furniture were used in the New York City office of former president Bill Clinton.

Although Madonna hasn’t released a public statement, supporters of the singer have flooded platforms including X (formerly Twitter) to penned touching notes about Christopher.

After a rift in their relationship, which was outlined in Christopher’s 2008 biography Life With My Sister Madonna, the famous sibling rekindled things in 2012.

On Starz, 50 Cent’s rotating Power shows keep that universe rolling on a consistent basis, but the Outlander realm has felt shockingly empty for over a year. The flagship series has, of course, been delivering a historical-fantasy-romance mashup since 2014, and Season 8 will be its final tour. That last detail hasn’t been a surprise to fans, who seem far more frustrated at waiting over a year for the seventh season to deliver its back half.

Until now, readers of Diana Gabaldon’s novels tuned in for the “bodice-ripping” vibes and have stuck around for the show’s genre-blending delivery of a feminist romance, but will the wait for more episodes turn this loyal audience away? We will find out when more Outlander returns along with a Blood of My Blood prequel series that will look back at the love affairs that spawned Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser and made this whole saga possible. First, let’s resist thinking about that trip back in time and look at what to expect in the next Outlander episodes.

Plot

Season 7, Part 2 will pick up with Claire and Jamie getting the hell out of dodge (i.e. the U.S. Revolutionary War era) and return to Jamie’s ancestral stomping grounds of Lallybroch in Scotland. Young Ian ^^^ will be along for that voyage, too.

Sadly, the homecoming will not be as positive as hoped. A ton of Fraser family drama will be in store for the leading couple, and star Sam Heughan recently told Entertainment Weekly that an “emotional rollercoaster” will be afoot: “It’s not an easy time for the Fraser family, that’s for sure. But there’s so much for the book fans to look forward to, and if you don’t know the books, prepare yourself for a really emotional rollercoaster.” This will include Claire clashing with her sister-in-law, Jenny, and as Caitriona Balfe revealed, “Both her and Claire have a tendency, especially when they’re in pain, to lash out… Jenny is in a very painful situation and she wants Claire to really do something miraculous, and it’s not within Claire’s capability. There’s a lot of anger there that is maybe misplaced.”

To further complicate matters, Balfe admitted that Claire will also “quickly [have] to leave again” because “[s]he is needed back in the colonies… the wonderful surgeon she is.” This could will spell trouble in romantic paradise: “When the Frasers are not together, things don’t always go very well. This is not good. Claire believes an event happens, which is devastating.”

[Cue dramatic pause.]

Executive producer Maril Davis previously warned that this homecoming is a “sad” one because “[h]ome is never the home you knew. It’s never going to be the same.” This synopsis sums up the forces that are threatening to tear the Randall-Frasers apart:

Coming off of the first half of ‘Outlander’ season seven, viewers find Claire, Jamie and Young Ian leaving the colonies and arriving in their beloved homeland: Scotland. The perils of the Revolutionary War force them to choose between standing by those they love and fighting for the land they have made their new home. Meanwhile, Roger and Brianna face new enemies across time, and must battle the forces that threaten to pull their family apart. As loyalties change and painful secrets come to light, Jamie and Claire’s marriage is tested like never before. With their love binding them over oceans and centuries, can the MacKenzies and Frasers find their way back to each other?

Also, Starz has provided a peek at the Season 8 sets if you want more teasing.

Cast

Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe began their onscreen romance 10 years ago, so they are going nowhere yet. John Bell returns as Young Ian with Richard Rankin as Roger and Sophie Skelton as Brianna. The cast also includes Charles Vandervaart (William Ransom), David Berry (Lord John Grey), Joey Phillips (Denzell Hunter), and Izzy Meikle-Small (Rachel Hunter).

Release Date

The seventh season will finally return for eight more weekly episodes beginning on November 22. Then the wait for the final season shall begin. Since Blood of My Blood and the eighth Outlander season have been simultaneously filming, there’s no way to predict which will air next.

Trailer

A full trailer is still in the wild, but this teaser trailer will work for now.

WWE Bad Blood served as an ode to Atlanta, with current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes leading the way for local heroes to be recognized throughout the evening. Shortly after Triple H announced the new WWE Crown Jewel Championship, Gunther, the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, made his way to the ring to praise himself as a future legend.

Gunther confronted Goldberg, one of the many Atlanta legends in attendance, first downplaying his wrestling ability, then telling his son he hopes he was a better father than he was a wrestler. This caused Goldberg to jump the barricade and go after Gunther before security intervened. While Sami Zayn successfully attacked the champ, Goldberg made his way into the ring and told the camera, “You’re next.”

During the Bad Blood press conference, we asked Triple H about the possibility of seeing Goldberg wrestling another match in WWE, after he’s been quite vocal about his desire to have a retirement match.

“Atlanta loves Bill Goldberg, and that’s why he was here tonight. He was with his wife and his son, always going to get a huge reaction here enjoying the show,” Triple H said. “Things get said. I can tell you when Bill came back, he was not too happy with Gunther and we’ll see. The further you go, time catches up with all of us. The further you go, the talks get further and further away from reality. But I don’t know, I saw Bill earlier in the day and it was great. And I saw Bill later in the day, and there was a different look on his face and a spark in his eye. So I would say never say never.”

Goldberg last wrestled at the Elimination Chamber in 2022 against Roman Reigns.

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. Salem’s Lot – WBD film streaming on Max

The feature-length adaptation of Stephen King’s second novel sat on the shelves for years before finally making it to the small screen after the long-ago miniseries. This movie is optimal for spooky season and follows what happens when a King-created author, Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman), decides that it’s a great idea to go back home for inspiration, only to discover that an outbreak of blood-sucking vampires is afoot. The Donald Sutherland role of Straker got picked up by Pilou Asbæk, also known as the Game of Thrones actor who had the best villainous face of that fantasy show’s entire eight-season run. Fight me on that one. The cast further includes Alfre Woodard, who held her own in the recent See series starring Jason Momoa.

9. Yellowjackets – Showtime series streaming on Paramount+

Another Showtime series (waves to Dexter) is beginning to fly on Netflix, which should boost interest before the show’s third season surfaces next year. If you haven’t watched this series yet, do not eat before you start binging, and that’s not only because of the cannibalism that eventually ends up being on display. My main takeaways from this series (because the “mystery” got teased too long, imo) is that Sophie Thatcher should be in more projects, that Melanie Lynskey is a national treasure, and that the rise of Ella Purnell should continue unabated. Very scientific takes for sure.

8. Strange Darling – Magenta Light Studios film on VOD & Amazon Prime

If you know Willa Fitzgerald from Reacher and The Fall Of The House Of Usher, then you should run, not jog, to your nearest streaming TV device and fire this up. The less said about the plot, the better, but the story revolves around an ominous one-night stand and a serial killer. Willa is incredible, and in all roles, she lets the world know not to f*ck with her in more layered ways than casual viewers of her work might expect, at first.

7. Slow Horses – Apple TV+ series

Dads love their Dad TV. Also, Gary Oldman does not want to let go anytime soon of this series that he absolutely loves due to being a spymaster who can let his gas fly onscreen, unlike James Bond. This year, the action follows Mick Herron’s fourth Slough House novel, Spook Street, and we are truly living in a golden age of TV streaming takes on prolific spy book series, but this show occupies a special spot in showcasing intelligence agents who do not have their own sh*t together but still must protect society from those who aim to destroy it.

6. Grotesquerie – FX series streaming on Hulu

Ryan Murphy seldom misses with his target audience, who are all-in for this vengeance-soaked crime-drama series that brings back Monster secret weapon Niecy Nash-Betts. She steps in here as Detective Lois Tryon, who is unfortunately stuck in the variety of investigators who find that violence in her community is hitting too close to home. She also harbors those classic inner demons, but Murphy puts his own style on these tropes, and Lois teams up with Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond), who multitasks as both journalist and nun to wild results. The series also stars Courtney B. Vance, Lesley Manville, and Nicholas Alexander Chavez.

5. The Penguin – Max series

Come for Colin Farrell in prosthetics, and stay for the liberal use of Pepsi-Bismol and Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. Matt Reeves’ The Batman sits outside the DCU, as does this spin off show with Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot navigating the Gotham underworld’s power vacuum and finding exactly where he fits in after the murder of mob boss Carmine Falcone by Paul Dano’s The Riddler. Farrell certainly gives this character his full energies with a New York accent to boot. The word “unrecognizable” is overused with transformations these days, but it’s entirely appropriate to use here.

4. Agatha All Along – Disney+ series

This week’s sexual tension actually aired on Disney+, although to be fair, subtlety worked in this show’s favor. WandaVision launched the Disney+ MCU shows with much fanfare that has since lost its intensity, but that first show’s spin off brings Kathryn Hahn’s powerful witch back (there’s a catch there) and adds witchy Aubrey Plaza, too. Additionally, this series surprised everybody by debuting with a nude scene that far surpasses the Captain America jokes about “America’s Ass.” Hey, this could be a new Marvel Studios phase in more ways than one.

3. The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power – Prime Video/Amazon series

Jeff Bezos’ personally-driven answer to Game of Thrones is paying off handsomely in viewership numbers even if you hear fewer discussions in the “water cooler” sense from this fantasy epic series. The season finale should go well at tiding people over for a few years with other fantasy series, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and The Sandman poised to pick up the ball while production on this Middle-earth saga hunkers down before taking over living rooms again.

2. Nobody Wants This – Netflix series

This series, starring Kristen Bell as a sex-friendly podcaster and Adam Brody as a single rabbi, has stirred up some Sex and the City-reminiscent controversy, but nonetheless, the streaming service has scored viewership in the romcom-series department. Creator Erin Foster has maintained that the series is partially based upon her own real-life experiences and adult conversion to Judaism, and the wait has already begun for a second season.

1. Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story – Netflix series

Ryan Murphy does it again, y’all. Monster: Dahmer drew not only true crime junkies but enough curious Netflix subscribers to qualify as a true Ryan Murphy anthology series with more to come. That first season still sits at #3 on Netflix’s Top 10 English-speaking TV series of all time, which is higher than every single Bridgerton season out there. This season purports to chronicle acts by the Menendez brothers, who were convicted in 1996 for the murdering their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, and this season is somehow proving to be as controversial as its predecessor.