Month: October 2024

Denzel Curry continues to promote his new album, King Of The Mischievous South Vol. 2, with a glitchy, trippy video for the menacing “Set It Off” with Maxo Kream. The track is reflective of the Memphis goth-trap that defines the album, which can be seen on “Hot Ones” with TiaCorine and Ferg and “Hoodlumz” with ASAP Rocky.

The video evokes the blurry, black-and-white footage of a security camera, while also adding visual effects that mirror the results of a pharmaceutical trip. In his verse, Zel boasts, “My reign of terror is not for the weatherman,” while Maxo just straight up cuts to the point: “Play with Maxo, chopper shoot his baby mama.”

Curry is wrapping up the tour for King Of The Mischievous South Vol. 2, which has wound its way from Nashville to Detroit, in the coming week, concluding the 39-date run at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. You can check out the full list of remaining tour dates below.

Watch Denzel Curry’s video for “Set It” with Maxo Kream above.

King Of The Mischievous South Vol. 2 is out now via Loma Vista. You can find more information here.

10/04 — Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
10/05 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
10/06 — St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
10/08 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/09 — Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
10/10 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
10/11 — Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena

Actress/singer Halle Bailey and rapper/YouTuber DDG have broken up after two years together, according to a post on the rapper’s Instagram page.

“Dear friends and supporters,” he wrote. “After much reflection and heartfelt conversations, Halle and I have decided to go our separate ways.”

“This decision was not easy, but we believe it’s the best path forward for both of us,” he continued. “I cherish the time we’ve spent together and the love we’ve shared. Despite the changes in our relationship, our love for each other remains deep and true. We are still best friends and adore each other. As we focus on our individual journeys and our roles as co-parents, we cherish the bond we’ve built and the beautiful moments we’ve shared. As we navigate this transition, we ask for your understanding and support.”

DDG and Halle were first linked in January 2022, while DDG confirmed the relationship in June that year. In August 2023, rumors surfaced online that Halle was pregnant with the couple’s first child, and in January this year, those rumors were confirmed as they announced the birth of their son, Halo, who has since become a viral meme after making a face that works well for a variety of situations.

Halle took a break from social media recently, which preceded the release of her new single, “Because I Love You,” while former Uproxx cover star DDG released “Clockin’” today.

Hip-hop fans are understandably out-of-sorts with breakout Virginia singer Tommy Richman after he denied the “hip-hop” classification on social media.

After Richman tweeted, “I am not a hip hop artist,” Los Angeles DJ and radio host DJ Hed (who also co-hosts Uproxx’s podcast, The Bigger Picture) clapped back with a fiery response: “Fasho. So every Hip-Hop station playing [‘Million Dollar Baby’] or [‘Devil Is A Lie‘] should stop today.”

Richman tried to explain himself, reasonably pointing out, “I’ll say again, Im thankful for everything. I’m saying I don’t wanna be boxed in. I grew up on hip hop. But I’m a singer.”

Now, Richman certainly has a point; he’s more R&B singer than MC. But, as Hed noted, his most popular song has received its biggest push from hip-hop radio stations and playlists, while a number of hip-hop-associated acts have given him props and much-needed co-signs.

It seems Richman has found himself in a similar predicament as Post Malone, who was classified as a rapper early in his career, despite not doing much rapping vocally. As Post expanded his musical palette, accusations of being a culture vulture, combined with his own unfortunate statements, haunted his reception among some hip-hop fans. However, that didn’t stop Malone from becoming one of the biggest stars in America, with a slew of No. 1 albums, a juggernaut of a hit in “Sunflower,” and respect from across the musical spectrum, even as he recently shifted into country music.

Because hip-hop is equally regarded as a culture as much as a musical genre (which is often conflated with rap), there is an additional level to his rejection of the label that rankles hip-hop fans who have seen far too many outsiders of the culture use its trappings to succeed commercially before later ditching them to cross over. The fact that it was the hip-hop establishment that initially accepted and promoted Richman, though, makes any outright rejection on either side much more complicated than the young singer could capture in his initial tweet, which has since been deleted.

In its place is a new missive: “I meant to say I’m not SOLEY a hip hop artist.”

Caitlin Clark’s rookie year in the WNBA came to an end last week, as the Connecticut Sun eliminated the Indiana Fever from the first round of the postseason. It was a highly productive year for Clark on the floor, as she ended up being named the league’s Rookie of the Year along with being an All-Star in her first year.

The discourse around Clark, unfortunately, got pretty nasty at times, with things coming to a head when they were eliminated against the Sun. Clark has called it “unacceptable” to use her name to push negative agendas and tried to shut down controversies when they’ve popped up, but issues have persisted among a certain subset of fans. After the Fever’s Game 2 loss, Sun star Alyssa Thomas spoke out about the “unacceptable” way that Connecticut players were treated by fans, saying “in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fanbase.”

In the most recent episode of “A Touch More,” WNBA legend Sue Bird and her partner, Megan Rapinoe, discussed Clark, with Bird opting not to simply tiptoe around the issue of racism and speaking clearly on it and how Clark has been “used as a pawn” in her eyes by those looking to push racist narratives.

“Can we just call a spade a spade? Racism has been impacting the WNBA well before this year,” Bird said. “This is not a new thing. In that way, I do think Caitlin’s being used as a pawn. Caitlin didn’t bring racism to the WNBA, this has been happening, and that, I think, is what’s been such a shock for all of us, that other people are surprised by this. We’ve been trying to tell you.”

Bird then spoke about how W players during her time in the league had to confront this, and while it would take the focus and attention away from basketball, there was something inspiring that came from being able to use their platform to stand for something good.

“And once again, for so long, as a player I would almost joke, I’d be like ‘I would have loved to have shut up and dribble,’” Bird said. “In so many ways, I would have loved to have been valued as a basketball player. I would have loved to have been spoken about just for my play. I think everybody in the league can say that.

“But nobody ever let us do that,” Bird continued. “So what happened? We started to build a backbone, a little bit of an identity. We understood that in order to push our league forward, we were going to have to combat these things. And then you know what else we learned? It feels good to stand up for yourself, it feels even better to stand up for others. We started to learn that people were learning from us, and able to follow us in a different way. And who were we following? Black women.”

You can watch the full episode of “A Touch More” right here.

[h/t Awful Announcing]

Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter has made a few fiery exits over the past decade. He preemptively went medieval and pulled the plug on The Bastard Executioner after one season, and a handful of years later, he left the SoA spin off Mayans M.C., which he co-created with Elgin James, after admittedly “ruffling a few mouse ears” of incoming Disney overlords. After the initial news of his firing, he described himself as being “an abrasive dick.”

Sutter then regrouped before announcing in late 2022 that he had created and written The Abandons, an epic Western Netflix series for which he would be showrunner. The series purported to be matriarch heavy (as portrayed by Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey) in true Sutter fashion and included Sons of Anarchy and Mayans M.C. actors Ryan Hurst, Michael Ornstein, and Clayton Cardenas within an expansive cast. By all indications, Sutter has been cranking hard on the series and was frequently Instagramming from the set. Yesterday, he even posted a stunning view of “1851” “Oregon Territory” from the show, and suddenly, he’s now reportedly left The Abandons.

Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva reports that filming is nearly finished, but budget cuts and a trimmed episode count caused friction on a storytelling note, and those classic “creative differences” were ultimately to blame:

The departure is believed to stem from creative differences over the direction of the big-scale production as it is wrapping filming and headed into post. I hear an alarm went off at Netflix when the initial cut of the dense first episode, which sets the scene and introduces the large group of main characters, came in at 1 hour and 40 minutes. Cutting that down to an hour proved impossible, so a decision was made for the episode, written by Sutter and directed by Bathurst, to be split into two. That required creating a cliffhanger in the middle of the episode with additional scenes on both ends to wrap the premiere and kick off Episode 2.

Well, damn. Although Deadline reveals that “executive producer/director Otto Bathurst and co-exec producer Rob Askins will oversee the rest of filming — including reshoots,” this will still arrive as a gut punch to fans of the Sutterink banner. Kurt had even previously hinted that he had plans for Billy The Kid to arrive in a future season, but there’s no predicting whether The Abandons will continue after this initial season is released.

From the show’s plot synopsis:

“As a group of diverse, outlier families pursue their Manifest Destiny in 1850s Oregon, a corrupt force of wealth and power, coveting their land, tries to force them out. These abandoned souls, the kind of lost souls living on the fringe of society, unite their tribes to form a family and fight back. In this bloody process, ‘justice’ is stretched beyond the boundaries of the law. The Abandons will explore that fine line between survival and law, the consequences of violence, and the corrosive power of secrets, as this family fights to keep their land.”

The Abandons will presumably debut in 2025 without Kurt Sutter.

(Via Deadline)

We’re a month into the NFL and college football seasons. While the race to win the Super Bowl or a national title are in full swing, we’re starting to get our first major bits of information on something near and dear to every football fan’s hearts, the NFL Draft. This year, there’s a ton of volatility in the NFL standings through one month — for example, as of today, the Dolphins would be drafting second — and there’s no clear-cut QB1 in this collegiate class.

That makes this year’s Draft fascinating, because it’s very easy to just plug in a bunch of quarterbacks and build everything out from there. Today, we decided to take on that challenge by building out a mock based on what we think would happen right now. By the yime we get through the NFL season, the order of teams will likely look much different, and perhaps someone is able to establish themselves as the no-doubt best quarterback prospect in the country. But for now, here’s how we think things should shake out.

(Note: Current order via Tankathon)

1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado

The Jags are just totally lifeless on both sides of the ball. If they’re drafting No. 1 overall, they can inject some life into their receiver room or their defensive backfield with Hunter, a total joy who is elite on offense and defense. Figuring out his long-term future is tricky, and I doubt he plays every single snap on both sides of the ball like he does at college, but he’s a special football player who would give (presumably, if they’re drafting here) a new coach a remarkably versatile superstar.

2. Miami Dolphins – Kelvin Banks Jr, OT, Texas

If Miami is picking here, you can probably assume Tua Tagovailoa’s health was a big issue. Maybe that pushes them to go QB (and, subsequently, look to move on from a guy they just paid), but instead, we think they shore up their line with Banks, who is going to keep their QB safe for years. He’s allowed two sacks in his collegiate career despite playing exclusively at LT, and while his path to getting on the field might be at RT, he will give Miami a succession plan for Terron Armstead whenever that day comes.

3. New England Patriots – Will Campbell, OT, LSU

Drake Maye isn’t playing right now in part because New England’s OL is horrible, so they work to fix that with Campbell, a stud from LSU who will protect Maye’s blind side for the next decade. They badly need receiver help, too, but for now, Campbell is the no-doubt pick and they can look for receiver in Round 2.

4. Cincinnati Bengals – Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

I’m open to the idea of Graham being better at playing DT than any player is at their position in this class. He’s big and strong and explosive with fantastic technique, and is the exact player that Cincinnati should hope it can land in this draft. They do not want to be drafting here, and they’ll have to consider a WR if both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins leave, but dropping Graham into the middle of their defense would be a gigantic win.

5. Cleveland Browns – Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Deshaun Watson cannot be Cleveland’s QB after this year — I know it would cost a ton of money, but he’s lost his fastball and the situation with the Browns just looks like it’s getting worse and worse every week. Sanders is a smart, accurate, and competitive QB who will feel like a breath of fresh air in Cleveland, and while I think this is a touch high for him, there’s almost always a QB run in the top 10 and a new coach (if they go in that direction) will love being able to build around a guy like him.

6. Tennessee Titans – Cam Ward, QB, Miami

Like Sanders, I think this is a little high for Ward, but I can’t deny that he’d be a big upgrade on Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. He believes in his arm and his ability to make plays with his legs, which led to turnovers in the past but hasn’t been as big of a deal with the Canes. Letting him sit wouldn’t be the worst idea, but the Titans need their QB of the future and can take a swing here.

7. Carolina Panthers – Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia

There’s a big hole off the edge in Charlotte that was left when Brian Burns got traded to the Giants. We’ll take them at their word that they do not want to move on from Bryce Young just yet — even if we are a bit skeptical — so for now, they bolster their pass rush with Williams, a toolsy Georgia product who is going to be a star if it all clicks.

8. Los Angeles Rams – Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

The Rams have been ravaged by injuries this year, but even then, their secondary could use an alpha dog. That is exactly what Johnson is, as he’s maybe the best overall player in the Draft and someone who should be able to lock down receivers for quite some time. Rookie edge rusher Jared Verse looks like a guy who will get after QBs for a long time, and getting to build around him and Johnson would be a terrific start for L.A.

9. Arizona Cardinals – James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

The little voice in my head wanted to give them Arizona WR Tet McMillan, which would give Kyler Murray the best 1-2 punch at receiver for a decade with him and Marvin Harrison Jr. Instead, the Cardinals do something sensible and bolster a defensive front that really needs it with Pearce, who looks the part and is able to get after quarterbacks.

10. New York Giants – Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

With no clear-cut QB to go in this spot unless you really believe in Quinn Ewers or Jalen Milroe, the Giants add another playmaker to an offense that desperately needs to add talent. Malik Nabers is awesome, but Wan’Dale Robinson is overextended as a WR2. McMillan would not be, as he’s huge, wins 50/50 balls, and can help Nabers stretch the field.

11. Indianapolis Colts – Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

The Colts have to get better in the secondary, and whether they go with Starks or Benjamin Morrison here, bolstering the back of their defense is critical. We’ll pencil in Starks here, as he’s a big time playmaker who can be used all over the field and has been an important piece of the puzzle for Kirby Smart’s defense.

12. Los Angeles Chargers – Luther Burden, WR, Mizzou

If Jim Harbaugh had his way, we think he’d try to win every game 7-0 with one rushing touchdown. However, that is (probably!) not possible, and as a result, Justin Herbert needs guys to throw to. Colston Loveland, who played TE under Harbaugh at Michigan, is a fun option here, but Burden is a big time playmaker who can kill you after the catch or by stretching the field — Herbert would love throwing deep shots to the Mizzou star.

13. New Orleans Saints – Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

The Saints need to improve their pass rush, and while Carter has had his ups and downs since switching from LB to edge, the flashes are special. He’ll get better with reps, and would give the Saints some much needed juice when it comes to pressuring the quarterback.

14. Dallas Cowboys – Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky

Ashton Jeanty is a popular pick here, and with good reason, because the Dallas backfield is shambolic. But they could really use a player like Walker in the trenches, as he’ll bring size (6’6 and 345 pounds) and athleticism to a defensive line that could really use a guy like him. He’ll help them stuff the run and free up guys like Micah Parsons with 1v1s, as he’s a great pass rusher, too.

15. Chicago Bears – Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota

Caleb Williams spends his Sundays running for his life. The Bears absolutely have to get this fixed during the offseason, and they do that by going after Ersery, who has been a standout in the Big Ten along Minnesota’s offensive line. Whether he lines up at LT or RT, Chicago needs to get him and plug him in as early as possible to get the best out of the 2024 No. 1 pick.

16. Green Bay Packers – Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia

If Rashan Gary’s slump to start the year doesn’t get figured out between now and the end of the year, don’t be stunned if the Packers go with a pure edge rusher. But we think he’ll be ok, and as such, let’s give them Walker, who is a crazy athlete (he’s going to tear up the Combine) and can play off ball or as an edge, depending on what the Packers want to do with him.

17. San Francisco 49ers – Emery Jones, OT, LSU

Jones gives the Niners someone to shore up the right side of their offensive line, and if they want to have a succession plan in place for whenever they need to replace Trent Williams, he can do that once he gets some more experience. We know San Francisco is comfortable putting a rookie along the line, too, as last year’s third-round pick Dominick Puni starts at RG.

18. Baltimore Ravens – Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

The Ravens have built their entire enterprise on being the best at running the football. I understand there could be some defensive considerations in this spot and there’s the constant desire to pair Baltimore with a receiver in the draft, but with Derrick Henry only under contract for one more year, what if they just took the best running back in college football? Jeanty is the kind of physical runner the Ravens love and has big play ability. He could split carries with Henry for a year before becoming the lead back next to Jackson and make that transition seamless.

19. Philadelphia Eagles – Nic Scourton, DE, Texas A&M

The Eagles are at their best when they are able to get after the quarterback at an elite level, and right now, they’re just not able to do that. Scourton is huge, physical, and plays with an edge, which checks all the boxes that Philly could use at the position.

20. New York Jets – Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

Getting weapons for the final year or two of Aaron Rodgers is going to be important in New York, and Loveland — the best tight end in this class — is the best pass catcher on the board. If they can use other draft capital to acquire Davante Adams and take Loveland here, then the Jets would suddenly have one heck of a group of pass catchers in the waning years of Rodgers’ career.

21. Las Vegas Raiders – Carson Beck, QB, Georgia

Since we’re not projecting trades, Beck falls, but I cannot fathom this actually happening. The way he bounced back after a disastrous first half in Georgia’s loss to Alabama was impressive, and while he doesn’t have one elite skill, he does everything well, as he’s poised, accurate, smart, and can move. The Raiders would be doing backflips if they could get him to be their QB of the future — and very well may be in a spot to get him or one of the other QBs much earlier in the draft once it’s all said and done.

22. Denver Broncos – Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss

Denver absolutely has to add playmakers to its offense. Maybe they end up moving on from Sean Payton and decide Bo Nix isn’t the QB of the future, but no matter what, they desperately need to add guys who can just make plays. Harris is one of those guys, as he wins 50/50 balls and knows how to use his 6’3 frame to bully defensive backs. Whether it’s Nix or someone else, he’d turn into a favorite target for the person under center in Denver.

23. Atlanta Falcons – Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College

Atlanta has not had someone record double-digit sacks in a single season since 2016. The team has recorded four sacks, total, through four games this year. They have to get better at rushing the passer, and our hunch is Raheem Morris will try to fix that in the Draft. Keep an eye out on Ezeiruaku, who is a little undersized but bendy and just knows how to get home.

24. Detroit Lions – Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

The Lions could keep bolstering it’s OL here, but this is a team that needs to get better on defense. If Kenneth Grant is still on the board here, putting him in the middle of the defensive front to help fellow Wolverine Aidan Hutchinson would make a lot of sense.

25. Washington Commanders – Shavon Revel, CB, East Carolina

Washington will be a team connected to receivers with how well Jayden Daniels is playing as a rookie, but they also need a lot of help on the other side of the ball. Corner is still a position of need for Washington and if Revel is available he could be a steal in terms of value. The ECU standout tore his ACL recently so he might not be a full-go to start next season, but he has the build and skills to be a really good CB at the next level.

26. Buffalo Bills – Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame

Buffalo could also look WR here, but they too need some secondary help. This year’s corner class is quite deep so they could add some real talent late in the first round with Notre Dame’s top corner. The 6-foot corner has terrific coverage skills and will be coming out of a ND scheme that has lended itself well to guys making the transition to the NFL level.

27. Seattle Seahawks – Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama

Seattle has to keep building its offensive line in front of Geno Smith and Kenneth Walker. Booker is a big, physical mauler inside who figures to be in play as the top guard in this year’s class. He’s one of Alabama’s leaders up front for a group that has dominated early this season, and would be a helpful addition for the Seahawks.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

Isaiah Bond is typically going to be the next WR off the board in most drafts, but I think Egbuka fits more of what the Steelers need in the form of a reliable possession target opposite George Pickens. For one, Egbuka is used to working as a No. 2 at Ohio State and he is really good working the middle of the field as a QB friendly target. Pittsburgh also needs some reliability at WR more than another big play threat, and Egbuka could be a really solid WR in the NFL for a long time.

29. Houston Texans – Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

Houston needs to add running back depth and you could go Hampton or Quinshon Judkins here, depending on your preferred flavor of back. I think Hampton is a stud, even if this year the UNC offense has taken a step back around him, and he’d be a nice fit in Houston with their explosive passing attack.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas

Is Baker the long-term guy in Tampa? He’s been good for them, but if there isn’t a crazy run on QBs early, perhaps the Bucs could decide to go ahead and get their heir apparent at QB in the back half of the first round. Ewers has tons of talent and has gotten steadily better at Texas (when healthy). A year or two watching Baker would be a good thing for him, and eventually he could take over without the Bucs needing to hit a full reset.

31. Minnesota Vikings – Harold Perkins, go get the passer, LSU

What position does Harold Perkins play? That’s the question everyone, including LSU, has tried to figure out since he arrived on campus and dominated as a freshman. He’s out for the year with an ACL so he may be out of sight out of mind, but if there’s a DC I would love to pair Perkins up with, it’s Brian Flores. What Flores could do moving Perkins around and using him to terrorize quarterbacks from all over the defensive front – and using his athleticism to drop in some of his exotic coverages – would be so much fun to watch.

32. Kansas City Chiefs – Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State

This is a very popular mock pairing already, and with good reason. The Chiefs will want to bolster their defensive front alongside Chris Jones and have a succession plan for whenever the future HOFer wants to call it a career. In the meantime, Williams could slot in alongside Jones and learn a thing or two about playing DT at the NFL level, and you can never have too much depth in the trenches.

Bye weeks arrive in full force in NFL Week 5, slimming the volume of games for the handicapping public to dive into. While that is, of course, limiting to some degree, we found our footing a bit in Week 4 and actually produced positive results. It did not come without challenges, including a maddening pick-6 from Jacoby Brissett to doom the underdog Patriots, but we press on.

Before diving into the Week 5 slate, let’s take stock of a slow start to 2024 that we’ll be trying to climb out of for a while.

• Week 4: 3-1-1
• 2024 Season: 6-13-1

Come get these winners.

Atlanta Falcons (-2.5) over Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Widely Available

I generally don’t love giving out the Falcons as a lifelong Falcons fan, but this is a good spot. The Bucs are banged-up from an injury standpoint. It’s a short week for everyone, and I tend to lean toward home teams on Thursdays, especially with Atlanta not traveling between its win on Sunday and now. In addition, Tampa Bay has run quite well to begin the season, and I tend to lean toward Atlanta as the better team on a neutral field despite a one-game deficit through four weeks.

TEASER: Cincinnati Bengals (+8.5) over Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks (-0.5) over New York Giants – Widely Available

If anything, I’ve felt low on the Bengals all season, but this is a good spot for an advantage teaser leg. Cincinnati finally righted the ship a bit in Week 4, and they’re catching points at home against a Ravens team that admittedly looked great against Buffalo in a game we backed them. I think Cincy is live to win outright, and I like +2.5 in its normal state, but I’m favoring a teaser to pair with Seattle. The Seahawks take care of business at home against New York.

Buffalo Bills (-1) over Houston Texans – Widely Available

I’m not sure the Texans are good. They aren’t bad by any means, but Houston hasn’t impressed in any of its wins and the team’s one loss was quite ugly. Buffalo was smacked back to some level of reality last week, but I rate the Bills as the solidly better team. This opened around pick’em, and I wouldn’t go much higher than -1, but I do like it.

Jacksonville Jaguars (-2.5) over Indianapolis Colts – BetMGM or FanDuel

I regret to inform you that we are at it again. To be fair, we had both of these teams last week and both covered, but I do understand that the Jags are winless. Indianapolis has injury uncertainty, and I’m going to have to be proven that Jacksonville is as bad as this line foreshadows. Lay the tiny number.

New England Patriots (-1) over Miami Dolphins – Widely Available

Since the moment Tua went down, there is nothing to suggest that the Dolphins can be trusted in a virtual pick’em spot against any team in any venue, much less in a division game on the road. The Patriots burned us last week, but we’re going back to the well. I’m going to fade Tyler Huntley here against a solid-ish defense.

As Sabrina Carpenter famously declares on her hit single “Espresso,” “I’m working late ’cause I’m a singer.” Lately, though, there’s been some speculation that she is not, in fact, a singer… or at least that she’s not always singing when she claims to be.

Some fans have accused Carpenter of lip-syncing during the recently launched Short N’ Sweet tour. In a TikTok video, one fan asks (as Pop Base notes), “Does she ever sing live?” Another responded, “Hate to say it but 30% lip [syncing] 30% backing track 40% singing [single tear emoji].”

Carpenter fired back, though, commenting, “i sing live every show 100% would you like to speak to my audio engineers.”

One thing that Carpenter is definitely not likely to be singing on her tour, though, is her iconic “Nonsense” outros, which see her humorously or suggestively changing the song’s lyrics to fit her current situation. In a recent interview, she explained, “The extreme ‘it’s over forever’ is just not in my repertoire. Maybe I’ll feel random one day and bring it back. [But] that was for that album, for that era. You’ve got to keep a thing good.”

She also spoke about how “Espresso” becoming her signature song has changed her approach to the beverage, saying, “I’ve intentionally stopped myself from getting them now.”

Daredevil: Born Again has gone through some stuff. That’s an understatement, but it’s also no secret that, aside from Deadpool and Wolverine (who are newly inducted), that the MCU went through a “blip” of its own after the Thanos phase concluded. Kevin Feige admitted that lessons were learned following flagging box-office returns after the universe had oversaturated its audience with too much “homework”: too many TV shows, too many movies, and too much “multiverse” meant that an overhaul was in order. Who knows whether the supposed Blade reboot will survive these changes, but Marvel Studios did prioritize a substantial retooling of Matt Murdock’s (Charlie Cox) return to TV with rewrites, reshoots, and the works.

As a result, Netflix’s former Daredevil series was declared official canon, although it’s not crystal clear whether the same will apply to the troubled Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), who will still appear in this rewritten MCU series, after The Punisher Netflix series took a bizarre and softer turn in its own second season. But hey, look ^^^ at those photos of Cox and Bernthal filming in New York City earlier this year. It’s happening, so let’s figure out what to expect from the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen or Hornhead, or whatever the kids are calling him these days.

Plot

Disney+ subscribers already saw Charlie Cox returning to the MCU as Matt Murdock/Daredevil in an Echo fight scene after Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk/Kingpin circled back to the universe in the Hawkeye series. He, too, will return, but on that action note, Marvel Studios streaming chief Brad Winderbaum recently told Entertainment Weekly that this series will contain “some of the most brutal action we’ve ever brought to the screen is coming in Daredevil: Born Again, which isn’t a horror show, but really it packs a lot of power and there’s a lot of visceral action.”

As for the rewrites, the retooled story will be grittier than the nixed version, which Hollywood Reporter described as follows:

Sources say that [Matt] Corman and [Chris] Ord crafted a legal procedural that did not resemble the Netflix version, known for its action and violence. Cox didn’t even show up in costume until the fourth episode. Marvel, after greenlighting the concept, found itself needing to rethink the original intention of the show.

“Cox didn’t even show up in costume until the fourth episode”?

That wouldn’t fly for sure, but now, Daredevil: Born Again will be considered a continuation of the Netflix series. Fingers crossed that Jessica Jones could eventually receive the same treatment, as long as that effort isn’t rushed, but it sounds like Frank Castle/The Punisher will be a prominent part of this new series, which is happening on Disney+, so let that sink in. Zero hints have dropped on whether Castle will appear like his first season Netflix incarnation rather than what ended his show.

For that matter, Disney+ has kept their lips zipped on too many plot details, other than (thankfully) to expect an end product like we saw from Daredevil on Netflix.

Cast

Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle are the main attractions. Additionally, two returning faces include Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin and Wilson Bethel as as Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye. Later breaking confirmed comebacks include Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page and Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson. The cast also includes Margarita Levieva, Arty Froushan, Michael Gandolfini, Nikki M. James, and Sandrine Holt.

Release Date

Daredevil: Born Again will “be coming exclusively to Disney+” in March 2025.

Trailer

In case you missed Charlie Cox returning to the MCU in Echo, have at it:

Now, it’s Frank Castle’s turn.

The Austin City Limits Music Festival has arrived!

For the next two weekends, October 4 to 6 and October 11 to 13, the festival takes over Zilker Park in the Texas capital with headliners Dua Lipa, Tyler The Creator, Chris Stapleton, Blink-182, Sturgill Simpson, Pretty Lights, Khruangbin, and Leon Bridges. There’s also Chappell Roan, who isn’t technically a headliner, but you wouldn’t know it from the size of her crowds.

Curious about who to see and when? You can see schedule highlights below, and find the full set times here.

Austin City Limits Festival Set Times For Friday, October 4, 2024

ACL 2024 has a strong first day with Dasha at 2:45 (all times are p.m. and local) on the American Express Stage, Mannequin Pussy at 3:40 on the Miller Lite Stage, Foster The People at 6:10 on the Honda Stage, Leon Bridges at 6:30 on the American Express Stage, Porter Robinson at 7:10 on the Miller Lite Stage, The Marías at 7:30 on the T-Mobile Stage, Blink-182 at 8:10 on the Honda Stage, and Chris Stapleton at 8:30 on the American Express Stage.

Austin City Limits Festival Set Times For Saturday, October 5, 2024

The day 2 can’t-miss sets include Something Corporate at 2:10 on the Honda Stage, Lola Young at 2:20 on the American Express Stage, Spinall at 3:20 on the IHG Hotels & Resorts Stage, Teddy Swims at 4:10 on the Honda Stage, Benson Boone at 6:10 on the Honda Stage, Khruangbin at 6:20 on the American Express Stage, Vince Staples at 7:20 on the IHG Hotels & Resorts Stage, Reneé Rapp at 7:20 on the T-Mobile Stage, Pretty Lights at 8:10 on the Honda Stage, and Dua Lipa at 8:20 on the American Express Stage.

Austin City Limits Festival Set Times For Sunday, October 6, 2024

The Sunday lineup features Flo at 1:40 on the Miller Lite Stage, Petey at 2:00 on the IHG Hotels & Resorts Stage, Flipturn at 2:45 on the American Express Stage, Orville Peck at 4:25 on the Honda Stage, That Mexican OT at 5:45 on the T-Mobile Stage, Mike. at 6:25 on the Honda Stage, Chappell Roan at 6:45 on the American Express Stage, Kehlani at 7:25 on the Miller Lite Stage, Dom Dolla at 7:45 on the T-Mobile Stage, Sturgill Simpson at 8:25 on the Honda Stage, and Tyler, The Creator at 8:45 on the American Express Stage.

The weekend 2 lineup is largely the same, but not entirely. See the changes here.