Month: January 2025

2024 was a breakout year for Chappell Roan, and aside from her beloved music, a significant part of that was her willingness to speak her mind in situations when many other artists in her position wouldn’t. That said, Roan thinks there are times when her outspokenness might actually hurt her.

In a new interview with BBC, she explained:

“I think, actually, I’d be more successful if I was OK wearing a muzzle [laughs]. If I were to override more of my basic instincts, where my heart is going, ‘Stop, stop, stop, you’re not OK,’ I would be bigger. I would be way bigger… And I would still be on tour right now.”

Roan turned down the idea of extending her 2024 tour for physical and mental health reasons, crediting that sense of her resolve to her late grandfather, saying, “There’s something he said that I think about in every move I make with my career. There are always options. So when someone says, ‘Do this concert because you’ll never get offered that much money ever again’, it’s like, who cares? If I don’t feel like doing this right now, there are always options. There is not a scarcity of opportunity. I think about that all the time.”

Read the full interview here.

TikTok was just banned in the US, then, about half a day later, it was back. While access was still down, though, one troll called Cardi B a “TikTok female rapper,” but Cardi came through with receipts to show she’s anything but that.

The X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “now all the tik tok female rappers gotta find real jobs [crying laughing emojis] you first! @iamcardib.” To that, in a now-deleted tweet (archived by 2Cool2Blog), Cardi responded, “Babe I’m getting 7million dollar offers to do my own vitamins I can retire you from your flipping burger job by tomorrow.Thank me tho I been helping you get your 8.99$ twitter checks [kissing emoji].”

She also shared a screenshot of a text conversation discussing the multi-million offer.

Meanwhile, also while TikTok was down, Cardi enjoyed how content was going on X at the time, tweeting, “Today gotta be the funniest day on twitter y’all are literally killin me… when did y’all get this hilarious???”

When the app came back online for US users, Sexyy Red posted a widely shared reaction to the short-lived TikTok ban, comparing it to the scene from SpongeBob SquarePants where SpongeBob and Patrick are locked in a jail cell for just a few seconds.

It has long been a point of pride for Elon Musk that he’s exceptional at video games, to the point that in some games, he’s one of the world’s best players. He recently claimed that one of the highest-ranking characters in the game Path Of Exile 2 is his. However, after seeing the billionaire seemingly struggle with simple aspects of the game during a livestream, some people have doubts about how good Musk actually is, and if the exemplary character really belongs to him.

Well, Grimes recently put aside tensions between her and Musk, the father of her three children, to defend his gaming abilities.

Over the weekend, Grimes tweeted, “Just for my personal pride, I would like to state that the father of my children was the first american druid in diablo to clear abattoir of zir and ended that season as best in the USA. He was also ranking in Polytopia, and beat [game producer Felix af Ekenstam] himself at the game. I did observe these things with my own eyes. There are other witnesses who can verify this. That is all.”

Musk came through in the replies with gratitude for Grimes, writing simply, “Thanks.”

However, another user responded, “I respect Elon’s past gaming record but there are reasonable suspicions that he had help with Path of Exile 2. There’s no shame in that because its insanely hard and hes very busy, but he should be honest. My lightning arrow ranger is 100% all mine.” Grimes replied, “I agree.”

The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills met on Sunday afternoon in the most anticipated game of the NFL Playoffs, as the two leading MVP candidates, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, were set to battle for the right to go to Kansas City and try to stop the Chiefs quest for a three-peat.

Early in the game, it was advantage Allen, as he led three Buffalo touchdown drives, using his legs as effectively as he used his arm. On the other side, Jackson’s playoff woes continued with a pair of horrific turnovers that contributed to the Bills 21-10 first half lead, first on an interception that was nowhere near his intended target and the second on a fumble where he was trying to do a bit too much while being sacked and simply dropped the ball.

In the second half, the Bills offense stalled out and the Ravens were able to claw their way back into the game on the ground, as Derrick Henry got rolling to cut the deficit to two going into the fourth quarter. After a Bills field goal made it 24-19 early in the fourth, the Ravens looked like they were going to march down the field again, as Jackson found Mark Andrews on a big third down conversion. And then, Andrews decided to try and go sideways and turn a big play into a huge one, but instead made it a game-breaking play for the Bills, as they punched the ball out for their third forced turnover of the game.

The Ravens were able to hold the Bills to a field goal on the ensuing drive and had a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion. Jackson, facing a legacy drive that would undoubtedly determine how people discussed him all offseason, accomplished the first goal with an incredible strike to Isaiah Likely to pull them to 27-25. On the two-point try, they got Andrews outside the defense and Jackson threw the ball slightly behind Andrews (but partly had to in order to keep him inbounds) and the former All-Pro tight end dropped it as he fell into the end zone (video in the third slide below).

It was Andrews’ second drop of the game, as he hadn’t had a drop since Week 6, and the fumble was his first in five years, as he had the worst possible game a tight end can have. For someone that has been so integral to the Ravens success over the years, it was shocking to watch Andrews not be the sure-handed option for Jackson. He and Jackson will both spend a lot of time over the long offseason thinking about their miscues, as the playoff failures continue to mount in Baltimore.

Sadly, the Los Angeles County wildfires continue to rage on in the region. While many events (including dozens of pre-Grammy programming) has been cancelled, others have gone on. One of those notable shows include Justin Timberlake’s recent The Forget Tomorrow World Tour stop.

Yesterday (January 18), the “FutureSex/LoveSound” singer took a “moment to recognize” and acknowledge the tireless local relief efforts during his stop at Anaheim, California’s Honda Center.

Read Justin Timberlake’s full statement below.

I want to take a moment to recognize what’s going on in LA. I want to give a shout-out to the first responders, firefighters, citizens of the community, all that you gave. I’m sure so many of us in this room know someone, or is related to someone, or has heard about someone so close to us being affected by this devastating incident. And so many of us onstage either live there and in the crew know people who live there, and we just came from there, and it truly is devastating.

I just wanted to recognize how beautiful it is, how well everyone has responded in that area. And I just wanted to say: Keep your thoughts and prayers with LA. Donate if you can — if you can — but thoughts and prayers with LA. Thank you so much, Anaheim.

As a member of the notorious Ball Family and a former NBA player, G3 (better known as LiAngelo “Gelo” Ball) is used to receiving criticism. However, following the success of his latest single, “Tweaker,” things have only intensified.

Yesterday (January 18), LiAngelo Ball had his debut performance the viral track during the Detroit Lions versus the Washington Commanders playoff game (viewable here). Unfortunately, it does not appear Ball received the reaction he might have hoped for.

Users online have flood X (formerly Twitter) with disparaging remarks about Ball’s performance of “Tweaker.” Even fellow rapper Freddie Gibbs and NBA retiree Nate Robinson chimed in.

“This why they lost ,” wrote Gibbs on X.

Robinson echoed the same statement in Sports Center‘s Instagram comment section.

Others on X, picked G3’s performance apart in other ways.

“Poor boy ain’t even write the song so he can’t remember the lyrics lmao,” penned one user.

“Does he know the words,” asked another.

“Bro is probably baffled at how he got here so fast ,” joked one user.

“He hardly performed,” stated another user.

With several weeks until G3’s scheduled performance at Rolling Loud California 2025, he has plenty of time to work to sharpen his show and shut any remaining haters down.

Today (January 19), the ban of TikTok was slated to go into effect. Instead of waiting for midnight, the beloved application went officially went dark late last night.

Prior to the ban, many musicians including Kesha and Dua Lipa joked about the platform’s demise. But to the shock of many, mere hours after TikTok’s ban in the US, the platform was restored. Now, users and entertainers alike have turned the saga into one huge laughing matter.

Over on X (formerly Twitter), Sexyy Red and Cardi B shared their hilarious reaction to Tik Tok being restored. “This how da TikTok ban went
,” wrote Sexyy referring to a comical scene from SpongeBob SquarePants.

Just like TikTok, Spongebob and his best friend Patrick are temporarily detained before being released.

Cardi B, on the other hand, laughed off how others would soon flood X with jokes at TikTok’s expense. “Today gotta be the funniest day on Twitter,” she wrote. “ y’all are literally killin me… When did y’all get this hilarious??? ”

As for the platform’s restoration, in a new statement (viewable here), TikTok credited the act to last minute negations with president-elect Donald Trump. “In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” wrote a representative. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”

Back in October 2024, GloRilla released her debut studio album, Glorious. Since, then the “I Luv Her” rapper has been “on a mission.” Yesterday (January 18), that quest landed GloRilla on the stage of Saturday Night Live.

As the evening’s special musical guest, GloRilla treated the New York City’s beloved late night show to a serving of Memphis’ hype sound. After being introduced by the episode’s host Dave Chappelle, the Grammy Award-nominee kicked off her first performance of the night, “Yeah Glo!”

Paying homage to her path to stardom, GloRilla set the performance from within a makeshift jail. After that she made her way to her childhood porch, where she contrasted her affirming bars to a time when she couldn’t have imagined how her future would shape out. For the final set change, GloRilla takes control over the brightly lit stages she now commands.

For her second (and final) performance of the night, GloRilla mindfully created a medley of her two currently rising tracks, “Whatchu Kno About Me” and “Let Her Cook.” For this mashup, GloRilla turned the SNL stage into her own personal club where twerking is a requirement for admission. GloRilla’s time touring (on her own and alongside Megan Thee Stallion) as well as her personal training session has certainly paid off. Despite how low Glo dropped it with her dancers, she didn’t miss a note or a step.

Watch GloRilla’s performance of “Whatchu Kno About Me” and “Let Her Cook” above. Check out GloRilla’s performance of “Yeah Glo!” below.

Glorious is out now via CMG/Interscope. Find more information here.

Tomorrow (January 20) marks the second inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump. But, this Inauguration Day’s festivities are attracting attention for a number of contrasting reasons. One of the most hotly debated points of discussion surrounds the day’s featured entertainment–which includes rappers Nelly and Snoop Dogg.

Across X (formerly Twitter), thousands of hip-hop heads expressed their disappointment and frustration to see the two rap titans on Trump’s lineup. Yesterday (January 18), Nelly addressed fans’ anger behind his decision to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration. During an appearance on Willie D Live, the “Hot In Herre” rapper cited the reasons he agreed to take the stage.

“I’m not doing this for money,” he said. “I’m doing this cause it’s an honor. I respect the office. It don’t matter who is in office. The same way our men and women, our brothers and sisters who protect this country, have to go to war and have to put their lives on the line for whoever is in office. So, if they can put their lives on the line for whoever is in office, I can damn sure perform for whoever is in office.”

He went on to pushed back against critics about Trump, saying: “I would ask them to show me where he’s a white supremacist.”

Nelly isn’t the only performer to issue a statement regarding their scheduled performance. Carrie Underwood also dismissed backlash, saying: “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”

Watch Nelly’s full appearance on Willie D Live here.

Lovers and anti-lovers of Valentine’s Day are in for a real cinematic treat this year from Sony Pictures Entertainment and producers from Spyglass Media Group (Scream, M3GAN). Between this project and Companion (starring Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher), February is full of tongue-in-cheek programming.

Heart Eyes looks bonkers, too. Let’s dig into what to expect from this slasher-romcom movie.

Plot

“Stay single – stay safe.” That is the simple tagline behind the film’s full trailer, which we have to discuss first because it’s killer promo:

Sold? Audiences already appear to feel that way from the reaction around the Internet, and this looks like one of those truly communal movies involving hollering at the screen. That is, if this trailer hasn’t revealed the goriest and most shocking kill scenes. The setup involves Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding having a meet-cute at a coffee shop. They’re working their way through the bases when a killer (with a silhouette that vaguely resembles Paul Dano’s Riddler from The Batman) is revealed to be lurking in a bedroom closet. From there, mayhem unfolds, and god help those characters who aren’t single.

This movie, directed by Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) and written by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy, is clearly having a ball with the Rules For A Surviving Horror Movie (as stated in the first Scream film), the first of which is “you can never have sex.” That rule goes way back, and the “Heart Eyes Killer” of this movie has a real problem with a violation.

The film’s description remains simple: “For the past several years, the ‘Heart Eyes Killer’ has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. This Valentine’s Day, no couple is safe.” Man, watching this movie is much better than acting depressed while standing in line at the grocery store with chocolate and a sad bouquet at 5:14pm on 2/14.

Cast

Who is behind the Heart Eyes mask? That remains a mystery for now, but the killer will terrorize central couple Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding along with Jordana Brewster, Gigi Zumbado, Devon Sawa, and Michaela Watkins.

Release Date

Heart Eyes will get you in the Valentine’s Day mood (or not) on February 7.

Trailer

As previously revealed last Halloween, this teaser trailer (the full one has already been discussed above) looks like sheer fun at the movies: