Month: November 2024

With Halloween 2024 behind us, most people have already begun putting up their holiday decorations. Next month, those folks will have a televised musical soundtrack to further set the festive mood.

Music icon Smokey Robinson and legend in the making Halle Bailey are set to serve as the host of A Motown Christmas. The two-hour holiday special presented by NBC will shine a light on the lasting impact the label, its artists, and signature sounds has had over the decades.

On December 11 at 9 p.m. Eastern, the network is schedule to air the multi-hour performance featuring sets by hosts Robinson and Halle, Ashanti, Andra Day, BeBe Winans, Jamie Foxx, JoJo, Jordin Sparks, MGK, October London, and Pentatonix.

But the lineup doesn’t end there, former label acts Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and the Temptations are also listed as special entertainment.

In addition to those acts, A Motown Christmas will feature a world exclusive performance from the Broadway company of MJ The Musical. Rickey Minor has been taped to lead the 11-piece live band.

Viewers should expect to hear songs such as The Jacksons’ “ABC,” Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Martha Reeves & the Vandellas’ “Dancing in the Streets,” Gladys Knight & The Pips’ “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”, The Temptations’ “My Girl”, Four Tops’ “Reach Out (I’ll be There)” and Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown”, The Supremes’ “Stop (In the Name of Love),” and Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”

In a statement, Jen Neal, the Executive Vice President of Live Events & Specials at NBCUniversal Entertainment expressed their excitement for the special. “Motown’s timeless hits have played as a soundtrack for American families for the last six decades,” said Neal. “NBC is honored to spotlight the iconic legacy of Motown with a festive celebration for the holiday season.”

NBC will air A Motown Christmas on December 11 at 9 p.m. The following day (December 12), the special will be available to stream on Peacock. A Motown Christmas is produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill. Find more information here.

According to Olivia Rodrigo, she’s “having the time of her life.” Most of that joy can be attributed to the monumental success of her sophomore album Guts and supporting world tour. But it could also have something to do with her blossoming relationship with Louis Partridge.

But their growing love, didn’t stop Olivia from thinking back on her past dating experience. During a sit down with Netflix (viewable here) to celebrate the Guts World Tour film, Olivia Rodrigo revealed that her dating red flags and fans believe it is a hilarious yet unintentional jab at Elon Musk and his SpaceX efforts.

To weed out who Olivia would continue to date, she asks about their thoughts on space adventures. “This is a very oddly specific question that I ask guys on first dates,” she said. “I always ask them if they think that they would want to go to space. And if they say yes, I don’t date them.”

Olivia went on to explain the line of questioning, saying: “I just think if you wanna go to space, you’re a little too full of yourself. I think it’s just weird.”

Overwhelmingly, fans agreed with Olivia Rodrigo’s hot take.

“Is this Elon Musk shade? ,” jokingly asked one user.

“Oh, she clocked Elon hard,” wrote another.

Others questioned if Olivia was subtly addressing Ariana Grande’s now viral lie detector test results.

“Is she trying to low-key shade Arianna,” asked one user.

Olivia Rodrigo hasn’t addressed the public reactions to her comments.

Goldberg is finally going to get his sendoff match in the WWE, he announced on Saturday morning ahead of Georgia-Florida.

Goldberg’s return to the WWE comes after he was confronted by World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther, at last month’s Bad Blood live event. Gunther downplayed Goldberg’s wrestling ability, then told his son he hopes he was a better father than he was a wrestler. This caused Goldberg to jump the barricade and go after Gunther before security intervened. While Sami Zayn successfully attacked the champ, Goldberg made his way into the ring and told the camera, “You’re next.”

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

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

Goldberg last wrestled at the Elimination Chamber in 2022 against Roman Reigns. There’s no current word on the time, date, or location of Goldberg’s final match. It will, however, seemingly coincide with John Cena’s retirement tour.

Next to a parent’s love, the bond of siblings is also nearly unbreakable. Today (November 2), one person learned this lesson the hard way. In a now viral video, Jason Kelce came face-to-face with a troll. Given that the former Super Bowl champion announced his retirement in March, the hate wasn’t exactly aimed at him.

Outside of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions’ game, Jason was surrounded by fans. As many hoped to snag a selfie with the former professional footballer, one person can he heard hurling insults at Jason about his brother Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s budding romance. In the video captured by an onlooker, the person yells, “How does it feel that your brother’s a f****t for dating Taylor Swift?”

Shocked by the use of the homophobic slur, the filmer lowered their camera. Once the camera panned back up (viewable here courtesy of Pop Crave), you can see Jason slamming a cell phone to the ground.

Now, users online have jumped to Jason’s defense. “Jason is so real for this… no brother would hear such remarks against his own brother and his gf btw,” wrote one user.

“We need more men like him,” penned another.

“Oh, he put him in his place real quick, King ,” chimed another.

“That’s disgusting and unacceptable behavior. No one deserves to be harassed or insulted like that,” added another.

In the past, Jason has expressed his fondness of his brother Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s relationship after spilling the beans.

Fans of Drake and Future’s reconciliation celebration parade was short-lived. According to Uproxx’s Elliott Wilson the former collaborators mended their friendship.

During The Bigger Picture‘s latest episode (viewable here), Wilson claimed that the hip-hop heavy weights’ feud was official over. “I have it on good authority that Drake and Future have at least gotten on the phone and resolved their differences,” he said.

However, shortly after HipHopDX posted the confessional clip (viewable here), another industry figure came out to refute the remark. On his own platform, online commentator Akademiks shared insider knowledge to the contrary. “I’ve spoken to extremely credible sources on both sides, and Drake and Future have not been on the phone,” he said (viewable here courtesy of NFR Podcast).

Both Wilson and Akademiks have deep ties to rappers and their close affiliates. So, this has quickly become a case of he said, he said. Users across X (formerly Twitter), have expressed their frustration with these opposing recounts.

“See now this is what we aren’t gonna do, have two different stories over and over again. We need answers,” wrote one user.

Others have begun to question why Drake and Future were at odds to begin with. Hip-hop fans can understand Drake’s disdain for Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lamar, and Asap Rocky. But the supposed tension between Drake and Future has some stumped.

Dave Grohl’s marriage to Jordyn Blum could be on the rocks. But according to recent reports, the “Show Me How” musician is working to mend their union.

Back in September, Grohl revealed that he fathered a daughter outside of his marriage to Blum. In a note share online, Grohl expressed his intention to serve both as a great father to the girl and rebuild his marriage.

“I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness,” he wrote. “We’re grateful for your consideration toward all the children involved, as we move forward together.”

Now, according to People, Grohl’s plans are panning out. In the outlet’s latest report, Grohl has called off his divorce attorney.

An insider claims, Grohl is “no longer working with a divorce attorney.” The same source said he wants to “work things out with his wife.”

Another source said Grohl “loves his family” and has been diligently working to “prioritize” them during this time. “He knows he messed up,” said the insider. “It’s one of those situations where you don’t realize what you have until you’re about to lose it. He doesn’t want to lose his family.”

Grohl and Blum wed in 2003. The couple share three daughters (18-year-old Violet, 15-year-old Harper, and 10-year-old Ophelia).

Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming TV slate appears to know no end. Tulsa King‘s second season finale lands this month with a spin off in the works. Lioness is currently delivering its own second season like no other Sheridan show out there. The explosive Landman series will soon debut, and Yellowstone will supposedly be coming to an end as a series.

Next year, 1923 will air its final season, and after that? The mythical 1966 series lingers on the horizon, but much sooner (and on a more concrete note), The Madison will arrive with a new set of stars to continue a new leg of the Yellowstone saga, so let’s get to it.

Plot

The Madison is the series that was long presumed (because Sheridan tends to lean into year-based titles) to be called 2024. The series will be contemporary, which makes it a convenient followup to Yellowstone even though Paramount Network hasn’t completely ruled out a sixth season focusing on Beth and Rip. Additionally, 2024 was the show that was rumored to involve Matthew McConaughey, but he appears to be entirely out of this picture.

The show’s very simple logline has described The Madison as a “heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana.” Neither Paramount nor Sheridan has updated with details on how long this NYC family has been residing within Montana, or if they even permanently live there at all, or if that “grief” is connected to any other Yellowstone universe characters.

Through casting announcements (below), more hints are coming together.

Cast

Michelle Pfieffer (The Fabulous Baker Boys, Scarface) and Matthew Fox (Lost, Party Of Five) will lead the series with Pfieffer portraying a matriarch with multiple daughters who have been entrenched in the NYC lifestyle.

Of those daughters, Firefly Lane‘s Beau Garrett picked up the role of Abigail Reese, who is a resilient New Yorker and a divorced mom. Her eldest daughter will be portrayed by Amish Miller. Elle Chapman (Florida Wild) will portray Paige McIntosh, a spoiled New Yorker and wife to Russell McIntosh, an investment banker portrayed by Suits star Patrick J. Adams.

Fox’s character, meanwhile, has been referred to as “a self-reliant bachelor who loves the outdoors.” Hold onto your cowboy hats for him, surely.

Release Date

Yellowstone‘s “final” season will pop off this month with Lioness continuing and Tulsa King winding down its second season. 1923 will likely arrive in mid-2025 with The Madison surely on the Yellowstone agenda next, although Paramount+ hasn’t revealed an exact date at this time.

Trailer

With no trailer in sight yet, here’s a Paramount+ interview with Sheridan reflecting on his growing TV universe.

Back in May 2023, Ed Sheeran vowed to be “done” with music if he were found guilty in his Marvin Gaye estate plagiarism lawsuit.

Well, exactly a year later, fans of the “Plastic Bag” singer were relived when he was found not liable in the matter. But the intellectual property battle between Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and Ed’s “Thinking Out Loud” wasn’t over yet.

However, according to Billboard, Ed can but it all behind him now. The outlet claims that a panel also ruled in Ed Sheeran’s favor in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Yesterday (November 1), the appeals court supposedly rejected Structured Asset Sales, a minority stake owner of Gaye’s song, infringement lawsuit against Ed. In the decision written by the judges panel, they wrote: “The four-chord progression at issue—ubiquitous in pop music—even coupled with a syncopated harmonic rhythm, is too well-explored to meet the originality threshold that copyright law demands. Overprotecting such basic elements would threaten to stifle creativity and undermine the purpose of copyright law.”

The court’s decision allegedly also called out the lack of similarities in other areas, writing: “Neither the melody nor the lyrics of ‘Thinking Out’ Loud bears any resemblance to those in ‘Let’s Get It On.’ Undeniable and obvious differences exist between them.”

Cardi B has had a change of heart. After vowing to never publicly support a politician, yesterday (November 1) the “Enough (Miami)” rapper delivered an endorsement speech at Vice President Kamala Harris‘ rally in West Allis, Wisconsin.

In front of the packed Wisconsin State Fair Park Exposition Center crowd, Cardi B detailed why she decided to endorse Harris (viewable here). This show of support came as a surprise after the Grammy Award winner announced that she would not vote in the 2024 presidential election. The reasons for Cardi B’s support of Harris is women’s rights, the economy, healthcare and his distrust of former president Donald Trump.

“[Harris] changed my mind completely,” she said. “I did not have faith for any candidate until she joined the race and said the things that I wanted to hear — things I want to see next in this country. I believe in every word that comes out of her mouth; she’s passionate, she’s compassionate, she shows empathy, and most of all, she is not delusional.”

Back in 2020, Cardi endorsed President Joe Biden. However, in recent years, she’s been vocal about her disappointment in him. When Biden elected to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, Cardi B reminded her supporters of her stance.

Cardi B used a part of speech to slam Trump, saying: “Donny Dump, if your definition of protection is making sure our daughters have fewer rights than their mothers, then I don’t want it.”

Pixar has made some of the greatest animated films of all-time, including Toy Story… and Toy Story 2… and Toy Story 3… and Toy Story 4. WALL-E, Finding Nemo, and Monsters Inc. aren’t too shabby, either. But now the animation studio is turning the Luxo Jr-like spotlight towards television.

Win or Lose is Pixar’s first long-form original series (I’m guessing the pre-Disney acquisition Buzz Lightyear of Star Command doesn’t count because it was episodic?), and it’s coming to Disney Plus very soon. But how soon?

Here’s everything you need to know about Win or Lose, including plot details, the voice cast, and the release date.

Plot

Win or Lose follows a co-ed middle school softball team, the Pickles, in the week leading up to their championship game. Every episode is told from a different perspective. The players, their parents, and the umpires all get center stage, revealing “their funny, emotional, and always relatable point of view in a unique visual style,” according to the official logline.

The series is created, written, and directed by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, who both worked on Toy Story 4. That’s where the idea of Win or Lose was formed. “Me and Carrie were officemates on Toy Story 4 and a lot of times we would come out of a meeting with different impressions of how that meeting went,” Yates told Cartoon Brew. “That was something that really fascinated us. It’s interesting that you can both be in the same room and experience something completely different.” Hobson added, “[We] wanted to explore the idea that everyone has a different perspective in life, so what if you could walk in someone else’s shoes?”

Hobson also talked about their love of animation as a medium.

“We just love working with our animators, because it’s about the performance, the feeling that you relate to them. We wanted to make sure that we had characters that could be expressive and that our animators could have fun with, and you feel like it’s a caricatured sincerity. So, it’s not just cartoony. It’s cartoony with intention.”

Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter called Win or Lose “a major, first-of-its-kind tentpole series, one that really showcases what I think makes our studio great: bold, imaginative storytelling; laugh-out-loud humor; and characters that we can all relate to.” I was in the building when Win or Lose debuted at D23 in 2022, and I was impressed by the footage I saw. It was funny and charming, which is what you want from a Pixar production. Well, that, and a scene that will make you uncontrollably weep.

Cast

The voice cast of Win or Lose is led by the always funny Will Forte as Coach Dan. There’s also Ian Chen (Fresh Off the Boat), Izaac Wang (Good Boys and Raya and the Last Dragon), Jo Firestone (Joe Pera Talks with You), Milan Ray (The Wonder Years), Josh Thomson (the Australian version of The Office), Erin Keif (Hello from the Magic Tavern), and Rosie Foss.

Release Date

Win or Lose comes to Disney+ on February 19, 2025. It’s unclear whether every episode will be released at once or spread out over the course of eight weeks.

Trailer

Check out the trailer for Win or Lose below.