Month: October 2024

The end is near for Coldplay: Chris Martin recently reiterated something he’s been saying for a couple years now, that Coldplay will stop making new albums after their 12th. This means we only have a few Coldplay LPs left, as the band is hours away from releasing Moon Music, their 10th album.

When Will Coldplay’s New Album Moon Music Be On Spotify?

Moon Music is set for release on October 4. So, the album should be made available on Spotify and other platforms beginning at midnight ET on the 4th.

Martin said of his mindset behind the band’s new album, “It’s really important that we have that limit. First of all, there’s only […] eight Harry Potters, or seven Harry Potters. There’s only 12-and-a-half Beatles albums. There’s about the same Bob Marley, so all of our heroes. And also having that limit means that the quality control is so high right now, and for a song to make it, it’s almost impossible, which is great. And so where we could be kind of coasting, we’re trying to improve.”

Check out some more info about the album below.

Coldplay’s Moon Music Album Cover Artwork

Coldplay’s Moon Music Tracklist

1. “Moon Music”
2. “Feelslikeimfallinginlove”
3. “We Pray” Feat. Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna, and Tini
4. “Jupiter”
5. “Good Feelings” Feat. Ayra Starr
6. “[rainbow emoji]”
7. “Iaam”
8. “Aeterna”
9. “All My Love”
10. “One World”

Moon Music is out 10/4 via Parlophone/Atlantic. Find more information here.

Last January, one week before Cody Rhodes became the last man standing at the Royal Rumble, the American Nightmare returned home to Atlanta.

He hadn’t yet earned a guaranteed title shot at WrestleMania, and The Rock wasn’t quite in the public picture just yet, but the audience gave him a hero’s welcome as if he’d already slayed the Bloodline. As he stood in the ring after Smackdown wrapped, Rhodes called his shot and made a bold promise to bring the WWE Championship back home.

“As a performer, as a wrestler, as an athlete, we speak with confidence. Joe Namath calling what was going to happen. We speak with confidence often,” Rhodes tells Uproxx Sports.

But this proclamation felt different. Some parts confidence, some parts destiny, the journey for Rhodes to finish his story has been a long, winding tale that didn’t quite culminate at WrestleMania.

Make no mistake, winning the title was always the primary goal. But Rhodes’ ties to Atlanta and bringing the belt home — back to his hometown where The Omni once stood, near the CNN Center and the WCW offices where his father and Tony Schiavone would spend time recording commentary together — is a unique part of his story.

On Saturday night, Rhodes will hold the belt high with a promise fulfilled when he walks into State Farm Arena to partner with his long-time foe, Roman Reigns, against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, in what’s expected to main event Bad Blood.

“Here’s this Crockett kid, this Georgia Championship Wrestling, WCW kid, and I’m going to take from the World Wide Wrestling Federation, the original WWWF title, now the Undisputed WWE Championship,” Rhodes says. “In regards to, ‘Hey, I told you I was coming back and I told you I was bringing this,’ it’s the best feeling on earth. I said I was going to do this. I did. And now I get to share this, not just with WWE fans, but with WWE fans in my home.”

Returning as “the quarterback” of the WWE is a special moment for Rhodes and his family.

“My family for years was brushed aside, comp tickets, put up in the bowl. Just the treatment that they get to receive now since I came back to WWE and even furthermore, now being WWE’s champion. To see Mama Rhodes, my sister, Teal, my wife, Brandi and the people who were family to me, to see them regarded as like dignitaries,” Rhodes says.

“I know that sounds ridiculous and it probably sounds selfish, but that’s a good feeling to see your mom get the respect, to see someone like DDP get the respect of, ‘Hey, we’re here on Cody’s behalf,’ and WWE is going to let you know Cody’s a big deal now. That just really makes you feel good that the family can get that. And they’ve received that throughout this new tenure of Nick Khan and Triple H.”

Winning the title at WrestleMania was a lifelong journey completed. But it’s not one Rhodes has been able to sit and reflect on. From media appearances to photo sessions and back on television, being the champion means an absolutely loaded schedule from the night the belt hit his hands.

As Rhodes reflects on the last six months and how his expectations differed from the reality of becoming champion, he recalls the pressure and adversity he felt in that next phase.

“Roman is going away, Seth Rollins, who is such a huge part of WWE, is going away. Rhea Ripley, unfortunately, is injured. The Rock is saying goodbye for however long all of that was happening. Leaving me,” Rhodes says. “I’m the type that I’m up for the challenge. Give me the challenge. But also in the back of my mind, I’m thinking, I hope it’s okay. I hope I can deliver.”

Rhodes met the challenge head-on, continuing WWE’s record-breaking business in Lyon, France, and in recent months ahead of Reigns’ return to television. As Rhodes prepares for his big return home, he’ll share the spotlight with Reigns as part of their tag team main event. It’s not bittersweet, he says, rather unexpected that they’d find themselves partners at this stage of their journey.

While Reigns was the outright top star in the first two years since Rhodes’ return, they’ve create a unique bond and an indescribable connection in the ring, at the very least as equals. Both Reigns and Rhodes contend that each of them hold ownership over Atlanta — Reigns played college football at Georgia Tech — and to a larger extent, the WWE as a whole.

“Every now and then, you find somebody that you stand across from the ring, whether you love them, hate them, know nothing about them, know everything about them, that there’s a spark, there’s a magic,” Rhodes says. “He brings something out of me. When I look at nutrition. When I look at dialing in, when I look at focus, when I look at the structure of a wrestling match, when I look at a premium event, whatever it might be, he brings something out of me that I don’t think I knew was there. I would hope I do the same for him. Cause there’s a lot of great stories to be told 30 years from now when we’re old and gray about record business being done.”

Reigns’ return and Rhodes continued inclusion in the Bloodline story doesn’t appear to be slowing anytime soon. Many of the main characters have yet to be folded into the latest wrinkle, like Paul Heyman and The Rock, who have been absent from television entirely, or Jey Uso, who has been doing his own thing on Monday Night Raw.

What Rhodes appreciates about his link to the ongoing Bloodline story, which he calls, “one of the best stories in all of entertainment,” is that he gets to be in the proximity of a talent the likes of Heyman.

“I think in another lifetime, I would have made a really great Paul Heyman guy. I have an unflinching respect for Mr. Heyman not just what he did for my dad, but his own story,” Rhodes says. “Even if I’m the guy that beats the Bloodline, even if that’s my role in all this. I like to be in the orbit of Mr. Heyman because there are very few super geniuses as we call them in Sports Entertainment and he’s one. If you’re on set and you get the chance to work with a Scorsese, for example, it’s as a wrestler to be in that orbit, to have those conversations, that’s something I enjoy about it.”

Whether that opportunity presents itself for Rhodes to align himself with a talent like Heyman on Saturday remains to be seen. What he is intrigued about in this next phase of his story is for someone to “have your back” and advocate for you in every sense of the word.

“It’s great when someone has your back on screen, that’s cool. But to have somebody who has your back off screen, it plays out differently when you’re out there. To have that uniformed manager, truly a manager. Something about this looks fun because you get to feel and hear a crowd and have that moment, share that moment. For me, everyone’s at a distance. I don’t know, maybe something down the road, any type of person who can be there to support me behind the scenes,” Rhodes continues.

“I always like when they have a connection to my roots. Or particularly, that’s one of the reasons I liked using Arn (Anderson) when we had Arn at AEW was just because he was my dad’s adversary, like a nemesis, and to be able to get his perspective versus just what I would have gotten from my father was really unique. I don’t see it happening by any means, but gosh. If you’re watching modern WWE, anything can happen at any point. Triple H, just doing it, just cooking as the kids say.”

We’re in the first few days of October right now, so there’s still plenty of time for people to get their Halloween costumes sorted out before the end of the month. If you’re a Drake hater (or a Drake lover, even, depending on how you want to interpret it), Fashion Nova has the Halloween costume for you.

Technically, it’s an accessory, not a full costume: Fashion Nova has a new item listed, and the listing is titled “BBL Booty Butt Pad Costume Accessory – Nude.” The accessory straps around the wearer’s waist and, when paired with the right outfit, gives the appearance of a large butt.

The listing has no direct mentions of Drake. But, it’s so clearly about him. Aside from the obviously “BBL Drizzy”-inspired product name, the model they got to show off the costume is wearing a hoodie that says “Papi,” grills in his mouth, and rainbow-colored hairclips that are similar to the ones Drake sported during the For All The Dogs era.

As for what “BBL Drizzy” means: The term stems from accusations that Drake has had a Brazilian butt lift surgery. It especially took off earlier this year, when Metro Boomin shared an instrumental beat titled “BBL Drizzy.”

At present, some current TV series and a movie based upon fantasy author Neil Gaiman’s writing seem to be sitting in limbo. This isn’t the case for Netflix’s second season of The Sandman, but the streamer did recently unveil a three-minute behind-the-scenes video in which Gaiman is not mentioned, heard, or seen. Whereas in the first season counterpart video, he was a main attraction. This conspicuous omission arrives after Netflix cancelled Dead Boy Detectives, albeit likely due to not-so-great streaming numbers.

Then Disney paused work on their Graveyard Book movie adaptation, which (like the above-mentioned Netflix promo video) happened in the wake of sexual assault allegations that are reportedly tied to an ongoing investigation (in New Zealand) concerning multiple women as reported by Tortoise Media about Gaiman, who has denied the accusations against him.

In September, Deadline reported that Gaiman offered to “step back” from Good Omens‘ third and final season, for which he is creator, showrunner, and screenwriter. This naturally caused viewers to wonder whether the season would happen at all, a subject that has not been addressed in public by Amazon, which had reportedly paused production (also according to Deadline) in Scotland amid “discussions about possible production changes.”

What does this do for putting a bow on Earth-bound drama between angelic Aziraphale (Martin Sheen) and the devilish Crowley (David Tennant)? Honestly, we don’t know, but let’s talk about what we can expect if the show continues:

Plot

Sadly, the plot seems secondary (tertiary, even) to questions surrounding whether Gaiman will still be involved in this season or whether another shelving is in the cards. In December 2023, however, the third season renewal had become official, and in a Prime Video/Amazon statement, Gaiman did declare, “I’m so happy finally to be able to finish the story Terry [Pratchett} and I plotted in 1989 and in 2006. Terry was determined that if we made Good Omens for television, we could take the story all the way to the end.” He continued with a brief summation of his plans:

“Season One was all about averting Armageddon, dangerous prophecies, and the End of the World. Season Two was sweet and gentle, although it may have ended less joyfully than a certain Angel and Demon might have hoped. Now in Season Three, we will deal once more with the end of the world. The plans for Armageddon are going wrong. Only Crowley and Aziraphale working together can hope to put it right. And they aren’t talking.”

Who else might not be talking to each other? Page Six recently reported that Gaiman skipped his usual attendance of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ “top secret Campfire literary retreat,” although this has not been confirmed or denied by any involved party. What could this mean for existing plans on delivering a more satisfying series ending than the second season finale turned out to be? Until we hear more, your guess is as good as ours right now.

Cast

Michael Sheen and David Tennant would wrap up the series as Crowley and Aziraphale, respectively. Jon Hamm revealed to TV Insider that he’s not sure whether Archangel Gabriel will return, but as of May 2024, he declared, “I think that there might be something happening, but I don’t want to get too far out over my skis and I don’t want to spoil anything. But Neil’s a very good friend, and I think if there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ll put it that way.”

Release Date

Looking at this through rose-colored glasses is perhaps not wise. With Gaiman possibly pulling away from production, the best-case scenario is that filming will run longer than expected, probably through next year. Add in post-production time, including for (at times intentionally bad) special effects, and release time could hit 2026-2027, if the season still happens.

Trailer

No dice here, either, but in this TV Line interview clip, Michael Sheen and David Tennant discussed that kiss. You know the one.

Kylie Minogue just dropped “Lights Camera Action,” and the song’s title was even more instructive than it seemed.

On Thursday morning, October 3, the Australian pop icon announced 2025 North American dates for her Tension Tour, which a press release confirmed “is set to be Kylie’s biggest tour since 2011.”

“North America, it’s your turn!” Minogue cheerfully said in this Instagram video. “I’m coming to a city near you next spring for my Tension Tour.”

The 16-date North American leg will begin on March 29 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Minogue will hit New York City’s Madison Square Garden on April 4 and several other famed venues before wrapping at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on May 2.

As per press release, American Express Card Members will have access to the Amex Presale from 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, October 8, to 10 p.m. local time on Thursday, October 10. The Artist Presale is scheduled for Wednesday, October 9, at 10 a.m. local time, which fans can sign up for here. The general onsale will begin on Friday, October 11, at 10 a.m. local time.

Minogue is appropriately kicking off her Tension Tour at home in Australia, with opening night scheduled for February 15 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Australian dates stretch into March before Minogue visits Asia and the UK. See all dates here, but keep in mind that “more countries and dates to be announced over the coming weeks, including Europe and South America,” as per press release.

Minogue released Tension in September 2023 and will release Tension II on October 18.

Check out Minogue’s North American Tension Tour dates as well as her Tension II album cover artwork and tracklist below.

Kylie Minogue’s 2025 North American Dates: Tension Tour

03/29/2025 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
03/30/2025 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
04/02/2025 — Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena
04/04/2025 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
04/08/2025 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
04/09/2025 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
04/11/2025 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
04/13/2025 — Orlando, FL @ Kia Center
04/14/2025 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
04/17/2025 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/19/2025 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
04/22/2025 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
04/25/2025 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
04/26/2025 — Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum
04/29/2025 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
05/02/2025 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

Kylie Minogue’s Tension II Album Cover Artwork

Kylie Minogue’s Tension II Tracklist

1. “Lights Camera Action”
2. “Taboo”
3. “Someone For Me”
4. “Good As Gone”
5. “Kiss Bang Bang”
6. “Diamonds”
7. “Hello”
8. “Dance To The Music”
9. “Shoulda Left Ya”
10. “Edge Of Saturday Night” With The Blessed Madonna
11. “My Oh My” With Bebe Rexha & Tove Lo
12. “Midnight Ride” With Orville Peck & Diplo
13. “Dance Alone” With Sia

Tension II is out 10/18 via Kylie Minogue/Darenote & BMG Rights Management. Find more information here.

The start of October means that the beginning of the NBA season is right around the corner. Teams are in the middle of training camp right now, with the start of the preseason right on the horizon. And before you know it, it’ll be Oct. 22, and the New York Knicks will be in Boston for the Celtics’ ring night, and the months-long grind that is the 2024-25 NBA regular season will be underway.

Coming into the season, NBA fans have a pretty good idea of who the best players are going to be on a given team, and which players are going to be the most important if a team wants to go where they aspire to go. The much more difficult thing is identifying which players are going to break out, in large part because defining what a breakout means in the context of each specific team is different. Some need a guy to take a leap into stardom, some need a guy to become a star in a given role, some just need a guy who will patch over a gigantic hole and empower stars to be the best version of themselves.

Today, we decided to look at all 30 teams and identify which player is in line for a huge breakout. Again, that means something different on every team, but at the end of the day, these are the players who will be critical for their team’s success.

Atlanta Hawks: Jalen Johnson

Johnson made a big leap last year and he should be an even bigger part of the Hawks offense this season with Dejounte Murray gone from the roster. The super-athletic forward made major strides with his shot in ’23-24, knocking down 35.5 percent from deep, and if he can keep up that kind of shooting efficiency while taking on a bigger role as a secondary creator alongside Trae Young, he could be in for a monster season in Atlanta.

Orlando Magic: Anthony Black

The Magic bolstered their guard rotation this summer with the signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but with Markelle Fultz gone, they are going to need second-year guard Anthony Black to take on a bit of a bigger role behind Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony at point guard. Black shot it well (39.4 percent from three) in limited action last year, but for a team in need of floor-spacing, he could make the Magic even more dynamic on offense if he can maintain that with an increased workload.

Miami Heat: Nikola Jovic

The Heat need their young guys to be good if they’re going to make any noise in the East this year. Jaime Jaquez Jr. is on the watch list for Most Improved Player for many, but Jovic might be more important to the Heat given their need for production from the four-spot. Jovic played pretty well in 46 appearances last year and had another good summer playing for Serbia in the Olympics. Now, there’s a chance for him to establish himself as the floor-spacing four the Heat need in their starting lineup.

Charlotte Hornets: Brandon Miller

Miller had a spectacular rookie season, he just happened to do so in a year with Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren also on the ROY ballot. It’s not always easy backing up a big rookie year with a leap in year two, but if LaMelo Ball can stay healthy, I think there’s a chance for Miller to become a full-on monster in Charlotte with some high-level point guard play to help elevate him. I’m not particularly high on the Hornets as a team, but Miller has a chance to be in the All-Star conversation this in January.

Washington Wizards: Bilal Coulibaly

Even with the Wizards starting the season with Jordan Poole at point guard, Coulibaly is the guy Washington has to hope takes a leap this season. He showed flashes last year, but the Wizards are still trying to figure out if they have anyone that’s firmly part of their future core. The young Frenchman figures to get plenty of burn (as will rookie Bub Carrington), and if he can start to turn those flashes into sustained good play, Washington will feel a bit better about how it’s progressing.

Boston Celtics: Baylor Scheierman

The Celtics are running it back with everyone from the top 10 spots on their roster from a year ago, and a couple of those guys already broke out last year to become useful rotation players on a title team (see: Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard). With their roles not likely expanding, I’ll go with the Celtics rookie as the best candidate for a “breakout” season, as Scheierman’s shooting could get him on the floor some and a rookie providing anything to the league’s best team would qualify in my eyes as a breakout performance.

Brooklyn Nets: Noah Clowney

On the opposite end of the spectrum from the Celtics are the Nets, where there are a lot of options, but I’ll go with the second-year forward out of Alabama. Clowney played just 23 games as a rookie, but shot it pretty well in a small sample and with the Nets fully in evaluation mode this year, he ought to get an opportunity to show his value as a versatile, floor-spacing big.

New York Knicks: Deuce McBride

The Knicks center rotation is their big question mark and perhaps at the end of the season we’re looking at Jericho Sims as the actual answer, but my choice here is at backup point guard. McBride had a very good postseason run for the banged up Knicks, and after New York thinned out some of their depth in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade by sending out Donte DiVincenzo, he figures to play an important role on the fully healthy squad this season with his ability to bring some scoring punch off the bench. Remember, he signed a 3-year, $13 million extension right after the OG Anunoby trade, which is pretty great value for New York.

Philadelphia 76ers: Ricky Council IV

The Sixers changed over a lot of their roster this summer and have gone veteran heavy in their quest to win a title. Even so, they will need to establish some wing depth and find some shooting from their bench unit, and the second-year man out of Arkansas provides an intriguing option. He only appeared in 32 games a year ago, but shot 37.5 percent from deep on a small sample and could get some looks as a down-the-bench option.

Toronto Raptors: Gradey Dick

The Raptors need Gradey Dick to be A Guy this year. Toronto was 27th in the NBA in three-point shooting a year ago and lost their best volume shooter, Gary Trent Jr., to free agency this summer. Dick should have an increased role for the Raptors this season, and they need him to become a big threat from beyond the arc in order to create some space for this offense.

Chicago Bulls: Ayo Dosunmu

The ’23-24 season wasn’t particularly fun in Chicago, but it did produce two positives in the form of leaps from Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. White’s was the most notable, as he took over for the injured Zach LaVine and played the best basketball of his career. Dosunmu’s play was a bit quieter, but he likewise enjoyed the best season of his career. With DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso gone, there are some minutes on the wing to be had, and Dosunmu has a chance to build on his excellent season to cement himself as a quality player.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Evan Mobley

Mobley is already considered one of the best defenders in the NBA, but the hope with Kenny Atkinson arriving is that he takes a leap on the offensive end and puts himself in the All-Star conversation in the East. We saw late in the playoffs that he’s got more in the tank on that end of the floor, but the question is whether you can get that out of him while playing alongside Jarrett Allen. That’s the task of Atkinson, but if he can unlock Mobley as an offensive threat, that’s the way this Cavs team can take another step forward as a whole and go from a reliable regular season team to a potential contender in the East.

Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey

I’m still a believer in the former Purdue standout, and I think J.B. Bickerstaff’s success getting Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to play well together in Mitchell’s first year in Cleveland (before Garland’s injury issues) bodes well for getting more out of Ivey alongside Cade Cunningham. Having some adults on the roster on the wing should help as well, and even if this is a bit of a make it or break it year for Ivey, I feel like he’s due to take a leap forward under his third coaching staff in three years.

Milwaukee Bucks: AJ Green

The Bucks are going to be led by their veterans, but they really could use some positive impact from their younger bench unit this year. I think the guy most likely to crack Doc Rivers’ regular rotation is AJ Green, as Milwaukee needs some more floor spacing and he hit 40 percent of his threes (on three attempts per game) last year even in limited action.

Indiana Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin

The Pacers want to follow-up last year’s surprising run to the conference finals and prove that wasn’t just a fluke, and to do so they’re going to have to be even better given how the East got stronger around them. The player who has the most room to grow on this roster is Bennedict Mathurin, who had a good ’23-24 campaign before getting hurt and missing the playoffs. Mathurin finding a way to build on last year when he took strides in scoring efficiency to give the Pacers another dynamic on offense is the kind of thing they need to keep pace in the crowded East playoff picture.

Denver Nuggets: Julian Strawther

The Nuggets desperately need at least one of their young guys to step up, whether that’s Christian Braun, Julian Strawther Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, Jalen Pickett, or Hunter Tyson. For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll go with Strawther, who flashed last year and will have a chance to show he can be a 3-and-D guy now that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is gone.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Naz Reid

Easy one here, as Reid is an awesome player who is now going to have to scale up his game as a floor-spacing big man with Karl-Anthony Towns going to the New York Knicks. His game fits alongside Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert in a clearer way than that of Julius Randle, and we expect him to reward any and all faith the Wolves place in him.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Chet Holmgren

Another easy one, as Holmgren was awesome as a rookie on both ends of the floor and has room to get better as one of the faces of this era of Oklahoma City basketball. He should be an elite defensive player regardless, but we’re interested in seeing how his offensive game grows as he gets more opportunities, which should hopefully come this year. It’ll be tough to make it, but he could be in the All-Star conversation in the Western Conference.

Utah Jazz: Keyonte George

George was a rookie guard on a bad team last year, which is to say he struggled mightily — he shot 39.1 percent from the field. The flashes were good, though, and he came into the league with a ton of promise as a talented young guard who has the potential to be a starter in the NBA. He should have the ball in his hands a ton during his sophomore year, and if all goes right, he’ll take a big step forward.

Portland Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson

You can basically copy and paste everything we said about George into here, as Henderson went through many of the same growing pains on a bad team. Still only 20, Henderson has plenty of time to develop (particularly as a shooter), but betting on his work ethic and feel should carry him a long way in the league.

Dallas Mavericks: Dereck Lively II

The idea of Lively is that he can, essentially, be a big man in the Tyson Chandler mold who protects the rim, can switch defensively, and finishes lobs from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. As a rookie, we saw that he’s more than capable of doing that, and during his second year in the league, it seems like a safe bet that Lively will build on all of that and establish himself as one of the best young bigs in the league.

Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Edey

He’s one of the only rookies on the list, but it’s for good reason. Not only is Edey an older rookie (he turned 22 in May), but his size, strength, rebounding, rim protection, and touch around the rim are all NBA ready. Perhaps most importantly, Memphis has a hole at center that he is going to get a chance to fill, and his ability to do that could be the difference between the Grizzlies being good and the Grizzlies being one of the best teams in the West.

New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Murphy III

Murphy is awesome, but figuring out his future is tricky. He’s slated to hit restricted free agency this offseason — will the famously cheap Pelicans give him the gigantic deal he deserves to bring him back? How is his future linked with Brandon Ingram’s? They’re interesting questions, but on the floor, Murphy just keeps getting better and better, and there’s no reason to think that will change this year.

San Antonio Spurs: Devin Vassell

All the talk this offseason in San Antonio is how their main veteran additions — Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes — should help Victor Wembanyama. But after being overextended the last few years, keep an eye out for how these guys help Vassell, too. With Paul at the point and Barnes providing another option on the wing, we think Vassell can thrive in a souped up 3-and-D role where he occasionally shows off his on-ball and playmaking chops.

Houston Rockets: Jabari Smith Jr

The Rockets have a bunch of potential options here, but there is just something about Smith as a huge forward who can really shoot the ball that we just can’t quit. He took a step forward as a scorer during his second year in the league, and at only 21 years old, there’s still plenty of time for him to keep developing his all-around game.

Phoenix Suns: Tyus Jones

The Suns are a very difficult team for this exercise since their team is largely made up of vets. Still, we’ll go with Jones, who is good and should give them some much-needed point guard help. We don’t think he’ll make an All-Star team or anything, but he could be in line for the best season of his career, which would provide a gigantic boost for Phoenix.

Los Angeles Lakers: Max Christie

The Lakers gave Christie a $32 million deal this offseason despite the fact that he’s never scored more than 14 points in a single game. We can assume, then, that the team believes he has a bright future, as his name always comes up when the Lakers talk about developing young talent. Him turning into a reliable wing option alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James would make new coach JJ Redick’s life a whole lot easier.

Los Angeles Clippers: Terance Mann

The Clippers are kind of like the Suns in that they’re a team built around a bunch of guys with NBA experience. Still, with Paul George gone, Mann seems ripe for a bigger role, as he’s been in L.A. forever and has flashed time and time again during his time with the Clippers.

Golden State Warriors: Brandin Podziemski

Golden State clearly loves Podziemski, who was not moved this offseason in an effort to get more immediate help. His basketball IQ and willingness to do whatever it takes to support Steph Curry makes him an invaluable piece of the puzzle for the Warriors, and he’s primed to build on an impressive rookie year with an even better sophomore campaign as he slots into the starting lineup for Klay Thompson.

Sacramento Kings: Keegan Murray

For the Kings to go where they want to go this season, Murray has to be a perfect fit alongside their trio of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and offseason acquisition DeMar DeRozan. His defense, in particular, will be crucial, as will knocking down the open looks those three generate for him.

Cinnabon Gene was almost Hot Topic Gene.

Breaking Bad writer and Better Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould shared on BlueSky that he found an early draft of the script for “Granite State,” the penultimate episode of the original series, that revealed a different post-Albuquerque job for Jimmy McGill. “Cinnabon? Not just yet!” he wrote.

In the script, Jimmy / Saul / Viktor St. Claire tells Walter White, “Listen, I’m a civilian now. I’m not your lawyer, I’m nobody’s lawyer. Fun’s over. From here on out, I’m Mr. Low Profile — just another douchebag with a job and three pairs of Dockers.” That’s mostly the same as the aired version, but then: “I mean, a month from now, best case scenario, I’m managing a Hot Topic in Omaha.”

So why the change from Hot Topic to Cinnabon? “We found out that Hot Topic was carrying #BreakingBad stuff and we didn’t want to make it look like a cheap promo,” Gould explained. “So Cinnabon it was! (And they had no idea about it until the episode aired).” He also said “the Cinnabon folks were super-generous to us.” (The free treats for the finale helped.)

There should be a What If?-style episode of Better Call Saul where Jimmy actually works at Hot Topic. Mostly because I want to see emo Bob Odenkirk in a Five Nights at Freddy’s shirt.

I love Family Feud. You love Family Feud. Waiting rooms in doctor’s offices really love Family Feud. Everyone loves Family Feud, because the survey-based premise is easy to understand and contestants are allowed to display more personality than on other game shows. Even the celebrity edition is fun.

But let’s face it, the real draw is host Steve Harvey‘s stone-faced reactions.

“The show is tailor-made for what I do,” Harvey — one of the original kings of comedy — told Today earlier this year before revealing the “secret” to why he thinks Family Feud is so popular. “I say what I know the people at home are thinking,” he explained. “All these answers, you know they’re not on this board… Your answer was dumb enough to not be on nobody’s board.”

Below, you’ll find some of the dumbest and wildest answers in Family Feud history. Two notes: 1) I’m only including the question in the text, and not the answer, because it’s more fun to watch the clip than read it, and 2) I tried to restrict the number of penis-based answers, because there are a lot of them out there (enough for an entire compilation). Survey says… enjoy!

“If Captain Hook was moonlighting as a handyman, he might replace his hook with what tool?”

“Where does a kid get a tattoo so their strict parents don’t see it?”

“Name something a man might be willing to go to prison to get away from”

“Name a part of your body that’s bigger now than it was when you were 16”

“Tell me another way people say ‘mother’”

“What’s the last thing you stuck your finger in?”

“Name something a burglar would not want to see when he breaks into a house”

(This one is worth watching the entire seven-minute clip. There’s a reason Steve Harvey called it “the greatest television that won’t be seen”)

“Some politicians belong in the White House, others belong in the what house?”

“Name something specific of Leonardo DiCaprio’s that you’d like to hold”

“Name something that follows the word pork”

Welcome to another installment of Ask A Music Critic! And thanks to everyone who has sent me questions. Please keep them coming at [email protected].

I have a friend who is completely obsessed with ’80s music. But his obsessions with ’80s music goes beyond just being his favorite decade of music over the 45-plus years of his life. It’s almost as if all music ceased to exist after 1989 and he will forever be content listening only to albums that were made during this period. This leads me to my question: If you were told that you could only listen to music from one decade for the rest of your life, what decade would it be? —Dan from Westchester, NY

Hey Dan, with all due respect to your friend: This sounds like an insane way to live! Many people reach a point in their listening lives where they stop following new music and stick with their comfortable favorites. This is sad and unfortunate, from a music critic’s perspective, but also common and relatively normal. But listening to music from only one decade — when it has never been easier to hear anything from any period you wish — seems severely self-limiting. I like the 1980s as much as the next Gordon Gekko wannabe, but at some point don’t the ears grow tired of gated drums, fake-sounding horns, and all the other sonic signatures of the period? How does one not yearn for a little adventure, and occasionally venture to, say, 1979 or 1990? Is it fair to assume that your friend loves Bleach but has not delved into Nevermind or In Utero? When it comes to television, does he swear off The Sopranos and Mad Men in favor of the first several seasons of The Cosby Show? Does he plan to cast a vote for Michael Dukakis in November? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Setting all of that aside: Your question is an interesting one, hypothetically speaking. For most people, the preferred musical decade question is easy — you go with the time period that coincides with your teens and early 20s. This is the music to which people tend to be instinctively loyal as they age. Isn’t it amazing and sort of miraculous that the epoch of musical achievement in the modern age always seems to coincide with the exact years when we are between the ages of 14 and 22? Just an incredible coincidence!

On some level, we all know this isn’t literally true. But the emotional veracity of this belief is widespread and unquestioned. And it’s not just “normal” listeners who feel this way. Each new generation of music critics comes along and is determined to displace the previous generation’s favorites with their own as the new “best” and “definitive” music.

Not this music critic, however. I am the rare rock writer with the unique ability to set aside my own personal biases and assess music with unassailable objectivity. For instance, being that I’m a 47-year-old man, one might assume that my choice for “best” musical decade is the ’90s. I was 12 when the decade started, and I was 23 when it ended. It was, obviously, the most formative decade of my life. But it is not the “best” decade, in my opinion. Now, I love ’90s music. And I love thinking and writing about ’90s music. (I wrote two books on two of the biggest rock bands of the decade.) And this era has inevitable nostalgic appeal for me, even the albums that evoke some of the worst years of my life. (I was in junior high from 1990 to ’92, a stretch of time I have often referred to as “Vietnam,” and there are some incredible records from that time.) But my personal affection for the ’90s doesn’t blind me to the weaknesses of the time. The late ’90s, for instance, were pretty awful, and no amount of revisionism from TRL-reared millennials will ever convince me otherwise. As we age, our brains edit out the bad stuff and leave only the good, at least when it comes to music. But as a professional music pundit, I have forced myself to remember The Verve Pipe’s “The Freshmen” and Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch” and countless other crimes against art.

So, what is my objective choice for best musical decade? The 1970s.

To me, it boils down to variety. If you had to stick with one decade, you want to draw from a time with the widest variety of great music. And I don’t think any decade can touch the ’70s. Just look at rock music at that time. You had arena-level superstars operating at their peak: David Bowie, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, the Rolling Stones, and the list goes on and on. And then you have scores of subgenres that were either coming into their own or being invented on the spot. That includes glam (T. Rex, Mott The Hoople, Sweet), prog (Yes, King Crimson, Genesis), metal (Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden), southern rock (the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd), jazz rock (Steely Dan, Traffic), punk (The Ramones, The Clash), new wave (Talking Heads, Blondie), and goth (Joy Division, The Cure).

And that’s just scratching the surface. Think of all the incredible R&B and funk of the ’70s. The following artists were in their primes: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, George Clinton, the Isley Brothers, Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, and Michael Jackson. The ’70s were a great decade for country music — give me all those wonderful records by Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Linda Ronstadt, and Townes Van Zandt. And the ’70s were awesome for jazz, particularly if you like fusion and Miles Davis’ most coked-out work. And let’s not forget about the pioneering electronic records from Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, and Tangerine Dream. Or krautrock. Or disco.

If I had to stick with one decade, I think I could listen exclusively to records that came out in the 1970s and run the lowest risk of ever feeling bored. The choices seem limitless, even though there is a clearly delineated limit. However, I am glad that I don’t have to do this. The world is big. It’s nice to experience as much of the bigness that you can.

This week Pitchfork published their list of the best albums of the 2020s so far, and it made me think about the column you wrote earlier this year where you speculated on what critics would pick for their mid-decade lists. I feel like your predictions were fairly (though not completely) accurate. What are your thoughts on this? — Clare from Springfield, Missouri

Hey Clare, thanks for remembering that column! For those that don’t remember, here are the 10 albums I expected to be in contention, given their praise at the time of release, listed in alphabetical order:

Alvvays, Blue Rev (2022)
Fiona Apple, Fetch The Bolt Cutters (2020)
Beyoncé, Renaissance (2022)
Boygenius, The Record (2023)
Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher (2020)
Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee (2021)
Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (2021)
Rosalìa, Motomami (2022)
Taylor Swift, Folklore (2020)
Tyler The Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost (2021)
SZA, SOS (2022)

Now, I didn’t include any albums from 2024, as this column dropped in January. (Or pre-Brat summer.) But I still think I did well. Four of these records ended up in Pitchfork’s top 10: Fiona Apple (their No. 1 pick), Beyoncé, Rosalìa, and SZA. That means I’m batting .400. I’m practically Ted Williams! As for the other predictions: Alvvays landed at No. 15, Phoebe Bridgers came in at No. 44, Taylor Swift was at No. 67, and Tyler The Creator squeaked in at No. 92. As for Boygenius, Japanese Breakfast, and Olivia Rodrigo — sorry, there was no mid-year list love for you here.

What are my thoughts? My first thought is that this is one website, and I suspect that some of these artists will do better on other lists. Particularly Bridgers and the Boygenius crew. (Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker didn’t make Pitchfork‘s list at all, which was mildly shocking.) I wasn’t a fan of the last BG record, but I recall feeling pretty lonely about that in the critical community. The Record was easily the most universally adored indie-adjacent record of the decade thus far. Pitchfork was among the outlets treating it like an event, lavishing Boygenius with a “Best New Music” rave and a follow-up concert review and podcast interview.

And now … nothing. Really? Even putting Punisher — certainly one of the most influential and emblematic records of the 2020s, whether you love it or not — far outside the top 20 feels pointed, like the BG-mania of last year (yes, it really was just last year) already seems like a distant (and slightly cringe-y?) memory.

That’s the thing with these lists: They mark a moment in time. This is how critics feel, right now. But time always marches forward. New lists loom on the horizon. And what they mark will almost certainly be very different from the current normal.

Domantas Sabonis is entering his ninth year in the NBA and third with the Sacramento Kings, as the three-time All-Star big man has become a foundational piece of what the Kings hope is a contending core. After snapping the league’s longest playoff drought in his first year in Sacramento, Sabonis and the Kings fell short of making the postseason in back-to-back years after finishing ninth in the West and being unable to make it through the Play-In.

To provide some support for the upcoming season, the Kings added DeMar DeRozan as their big free agent signing, hoping he can be the wing scorer the Kings have needed between Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox. Adding another high-level scorer to the roster is something Sabonis is extremely excited about, and prior to training camp opening in Sacramento, the big man was down in L.A. working out with DeRozan to get some early reps so they can hit the ground running. While in L.A., Sabonis also went to the premiere for Netflix’s new NBA series, “Starting 5”, as he is featured alongside LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, and Jimmy Butler, all of whom were followed by cameras throughout the 2023-24 season.

Ahead of the Oct. 9 release, we got to sit down with Sabonis and talk about seeing his personal life on screen, his thoughts on last season with the Kings, lessons they have to learn to get back in the playoffs this year, his workouts with DeRozan, and more.

To start, you got to go to the premiere. You’re used to seeing your professional life play out on TV playing in the NBA. But what was it like seeing your personal life on screen, and having that kind of show up at your house with your family and seeing that part of your life now?

Yeah, I don’t know. Watching it live with everyone in theater, I was like, melting into my seat at first. You know, that’s something I haven’t shown to people. So it was — it’s definitely different, but definitely an honor to be part of that show, Netflix and the “Starting 5” group. So it’s really cool. I’m very excited for it, and the two episodes are really good. I really enjoyed it.

When they approached you about doing this, was it an immediate “Yes”? Were there longer conversations you had to have with your wife and everything about are we going to let these cameras in and do this thing?

Yeah, well, with my wife, it was almost like an immediate yes, because it was such a cool experience. Netflix, they did “Quarterback,” they did the tennis, the golf. So we’re like, wow, this is really cool. This is sick. But at the same time, it was like some feeling inside, like, are we sure? But once we decided quickly on the “yes,” everything moved so quickly. Next day, cameras in the house, and then it was every day for the season.

What do you hope fans can kind of learn about you off the court? Obviously, like you said, this isn’t something you’ve really let people in on in the past.

People that know me personally, they obviously know I’m a whole different person than on the court. But if you just know me from the court, I’m aggressive, I’m loud, running around, getting into it with the refs, players. So they might think, you know, I’m not the nicest guy, but with this show, hopefully that changed it around. I’m a dad, I’m a husband, all I do is care about my kids and my wife, and just put all my effort into basketball and my family. And I think you’re going to see that contrast of me on the court being me — talking, being vocal — and then off the court, being a completely different guy.

What has it been like becoming a father and playing in the league? What has changed for you in terms of routine and what you’ve learned about striking that balance between being the dad you want to be and being the player you want to be?

Definitely changed a lot, 360 for me. I was always more of a sleep in to the last second, big naps as much as I can, just on my own schedule. And now with kids, everything changes. Our naps got to sync, so I can rest at the same time. Spending a lot of time with the kids, I was always like, taking care of my body, not trying to get out as much. And I found the balance where doing stuff is actually better for me, instead of just sitting on the couch and like, watching shows or doing whatever it may be. So I found the balance that, like, going out to the park with the kids, walks, playing with them, and also learning how to now manage my time better. Making sure, okay, once the kids go to bed, then I have more time to focus, go back in the weight room, or whatever it may be, and really plan out my days, which has really helped me throughout my on court stuff.

Yeah, I was gonna ask, does that help you? Do you feel like you’ve become more focused in the work because you have kind of a finite amount of time that you can put it in?

I feel like I was always focused. It’s just I was maybe too excessive before I had kids. I was too much and thought more was better, whereas now I found that balance that works really well. Cause if you do too much, you kind of get burned out mentally early in the season. And with my kids, it’s like, I come home and no basketball. I just, I forget completely. And then when they go to bed, I’m like, Okay, now I can think a bit about basketball. And it’s refreshing. It’s helped me a lot.

Has there been anybody you’ve been able to lean on — other dads in the league, teammates you’ve had that have gone through it — that you’ve kind of been able to lean on with becoming a father?

My last year before I got traded in Indy, we had a bunch of — I mean, the whole starting five was having kids or were one year in, and my wife was pregnant. So they were telling me everything that they went through, and I was honestly there to experience it while my wife was pregnant, and we’re hanging out with thier kids, so I was kind of getting some tips.

On the court, what was last year like for you? And where have you felt, since getting to Sacramento, you’ve been able to kind of grow as a player?

Last year was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. I feel like we had a great season, it just didn’t end the way we wanted. You compare the two seasons from my first year, there’s only a couple of wins difference and you’re a third seed or a ninth seed. It was just a lot of ups and downs. We would beat the best teams in the league, and then next day lose against the lower seeds. And that kind of ended up putting us in a situation where we had to play the Play-In and that cost us the playoffs.

But I thought we were definitely better than our first year. Just, you know, things didn’t go right, the West was more competitive. And as me coming here, I just feel like more of a leader. They traded for me to basically change the franchise, be the leader, be me. And you feel that confidence as a player when you get it from the owner, the GMs, everyone in the front office, and then leading all the way down to the coaching staff. So that definitely changes your perspective. You have more — a bigger purpose — which, as a competitor, you love a challenge, and you just, you want that.

You mentioned how thin the margins are. What are the lessons that that as a team, you can take away from last year? Because, like you said, statistically, it was pretty close. You got better on defense. Offense took a minor step back, but it wasn’t a huge step back or anything. What are the lessons you learned as a team coming into this year to get back in that playoff picture?

The biggest thing we learned was just everyone has to be focused. Focus all year round. Like I said, we can’t have those loops where we lost — we probably lost like 10 games against, like, the worst teams in the league last year, and just winning two of those would have changed our record. Having DeMar, veteran presence, Hall of Fame career, is going to help us. He’s here for the right reasons. He’s here to win, and I feel like having that veteran presence is going to get us locked in. And us doing what we did last year, I feel like everyone has realized this summer that we can’t just mess around and play when we want to play. We got to go in and treat every game like it’s important, because we experienced it last year what happens at the end.

DeMar is new on the team, but he was there with you at the red carpet and he seems to already be trying to get himself in with the team. What has that been like, having him come in and already making sure that he’s a presence?

It’s been felt, you know, especially by me. I was in L.A., he came and we basically got together for a couple weeks, worked out at USC, tried starting to learn our games, made sure he made an effort to come and see me at the premiere. So you definitely feel that bond already close. We felt it first on the court, and then with these little things showing up, we start feeling it off the court. So, yeah, he’s big. Everyone’s excited for him, you know, and the facility is a good vibe right now.

What has been your biggest focal point this summer in the work that you’re putting in and the things that you’re trying to do to accomplish those goals next year?

Basically the usual. I kind of try and work on and improve everything. I love to be consistent and be there for my team and just work on the things that I’m basically put in those situations. And now with DeMar, it could be completely different, because the attention has to go away from me and Fox because you got to stop that guy. So, you know, that’s why it was important for me to get with him and learn his game. Because a lot of times it might just be me and him playing pick and roll, or handoffs, or with Fox, you know, in situations where we kind of play off each other and basically make the best reads. And with his IQ is just going to make everyone get easier shots.

What is the process in adding somebody who has that much talent and has kind of his own unique offensive game? In a way, he kind of operates sometimes in similar spots that you do — what was that feeling out process and what did you learn from him in those workouts that has you particularly excited or you didn’t necessarily know about him?

It was good, you know, I thought I was gonna step on his toes or something, be in the way. But as we played, he explained everything to me in how he sees the game. And he’s like, you just be you. You be you, I got you. I’m trying to get you guys open. I’m trying to manipulate the game. If I need a bucket, I’ll get a bucket. But it just worked out very seamlessly, I don’t know how to say it. It was a great couple weeks, just working out, and it worked good.

You’ve played in different situations, for different coaches, and been asked to do different things in your career. Do you think that helps you when a situation like this arises when you get to when something like this happens and you’re going to have some adjustments, you can fall back on things knowing you’ve done this before and been able to find success doing different things?

Definitely, that’s why I’m not scared, I’m excited. I mean, if it wasn’t for Mike Brown, I probably had a different coach my last four years, different systems. And I try to stay consistent in my game and figure it out. So going into year three with the same coach, same system, makes it easier for me. Now we got a new player, his IQ is off the charge, so I feel like it’s just gonna fit in just right.

You’ve been one of the most reliable guys in the last couple years in terms of being on the court. How much do you pride yourself in that availability, even when, I know you had the wrist thing a year ago and still finding ways to be effective and be impactful for your team and be on the court? And how much pride do you take in the work that it takes to getting to that point?

Yeah, like you said all summer, I also make sure my body’s right. Working out, maybe not, not the cutest things in the weight room, but the things that are going to keep my knees, my ankles, my body healthy throughout the season, especially how I play. I love the game. Like this part coming forward, training camp, I don’t want to do that. I want to go straight to the games. So just being on the sideline watching your teammates play, not being able to help them, that kind of burns a fire in me. So the more I can be healthy and ready to perform. Also have a high a big responsibility for the franchise. They trusted me to come over and be who I am and change it. So I can’t be out there missing games and stuff, I got to be there for my teammates.