What a no good, very bad week for Drake. Last Sunday, Kendrick Lamar won Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year at the Grammys for “Not Like Us,” his generational diss track against the “First Person Shooter” rapper. This Sunday, he performed the song with a diabolical grin on his face in front of 70,000-plus people inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, and over 120 million more watching around the world.
The in-stadium reaction to “Not Like Us” — in particular the “Why you trollin’ like a b*tch? Ain’t you tired? / Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor” line — sounded loud on TV, but it was deafening for those in attendance. “can confirm: that a-minor was nasty in the stadium,” @bre_style wrote on X, along with video evidence shot from the stands.
Back in November 2024, Lamar explained to SZA (who joined him during the halftime show) what “Not Like Us” means to him. “Not like us? Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent. Now, if you identify with the man that I represent…” he said. “This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering. He’s a man who can recognize his mistakes and not be afraid to share the mistakes and can dig deep down into fear-based ideologies or experiences to be able to express them without feeling like he’s less of a man.
Lamar added, “If I’m thinking of ‘Not Like Us,’ I’m thinking of me and whoever identifies with that.”
It’s impossible to know Netflix‘s most expensive movie, but don’t be surprised if it’s The Electric State. The film, which reunites the directors (Anthony and Joe Russo) and writers (Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely) of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, has a reported $300-ish million budget. That’s, uh, quite the chunk of change, but it’s money well spent if The Electric State ends up being the level of hit it almost assuredly will be.
Here’s everything to know The Electric State, including plot details, the cast, and release date.
Plot
Set in an retro-futuristic version of the 1990s, The Electric State follows Michelle (played by Millie Bobby Brown), a young woman who is traveling west across the United States in search of her brother who she thought was dead. She’s joined by a catchphrase-speaking robot and, along the way, a smuggler named Keats (Chris Pratt) and his robot sidekick. There’s lots of robots.
As per the Netflix synopsis:
“As they venture into the Exclusion Zone, a walled-off corner in the desert where robots now exist on their own, Keats and Michelle find a colorful group of new animatronic allies — and begin to learn that there may be something even more sinister afoot.”
The Electric State is inspired by the acclaimed graphic novel of the same name from Simon Stålenhag, who said he was “blown away by the movie. It was an amazing experience watching things that I have drawn come to life this way. What resonated most with me was the emotional core of the movie, which is the need for family. Even though the movie has changed genre from the book a bit, that main core is still the same and has been expanded on beautifully.”
The robots (including Mr. Peanut!) will get the attention of sci-fi fans, but there’s a human element to the film, too, that moved Pratt to tears.
“It’s not the kind of thing that typically gets made to be a blockbuster style movie like this. It’s so original, it’s a huge swing,” the Parks and Recreation star said during New York Comic-Con. “I thought that these types of movies might be my last opportunity to be in a big movie like this. I have to look at every opportunity like that. And I did. It’s just such a great story. I was moved to tears reading.”
Pratt being in a Russos-directed movie makes sense — he’s Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bobby Brown had a different connection to the filmmakers. “I had the privilege of going to set on Avengers to watch the Russos direct when I was 13,” she explained. “I was filming Stranger Things and they invited me. I remember watching them and thinking, ‘I want to be an actor, I want to work with them, that was so cool.’ I made that my goal.”
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Cast
The Electric State cast is led by frequent Netflix star Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, who play Michelle and Keats, respectively.
There’s also Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan as Dr. Amherst, Stanley Tucci as Ethan Skate, Woody Norman (the kid from C’Mon C’Mon) as Christopher, Martin Klebba as Herman, Jason Alexander as Ted Finnster, and Giancarlo Esposito as Colonel Marshall Bradbury. The various robots are voiced by Anthony Mackie as Herman, Alan Tudyk as Cosmo, Woody Harrelson as Mr. Peanut, Brian Cox as Pop Fly, Jenny Slate as Penny Pal, and Hank Azaria as Perplexo.
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Release Date
The Electric State premieres on Netflix on March 14.
Trailer
Check out the trailer for The Electric State below.
It was a tough night for the Kansas City Chiefs and their supporters yesterday (February 9): After a scoreless first half in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles, the team ended up losing 40-22, unable to pull off a third consecutive Super Bowl victory. It was also a bit of a weird night for Taylor Swift, at least for a minute.
Swift was in attendance to support Travis Kelce, of course, and when she was shown on the big screen, Philly fans showered her with boos. Swift, somebody who’s not used to getting that kind of reaction from massive crowds, looked around with a confused look on her face before cracking a smile and seemingly asking somebody near her, “What’s going on?” (Here’s a video.)
Swift, of course, has some history with Philadelphia and the city’s Lincoln Financial Field, given that she was raised in Pennsylvania and her father is an Eagles fan. After performing at the venue on The Eras Tour in 2023, Swift wrote in a post on social media, “Philly was a dream, honestly. Playing three nights in the stadium I used to see on tv when my dad watched Eagles games every Sunday. The most magical 3 hometown shows a girl could hope for.”
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival debut of Magazine Dreamsdrew critical accolades for Jonathan Majors’ portrayal of a troubled (to put it mildly) bodybuilder who pushes himself to the brink of emotional and physical destruction. The film won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award at that lauded festival, and Searchlight Pictures acquired distribution rights with the movie being lauded as a breakout role for Majors that would take him beyond the MCU. That was before the Kang actor was found guilty of recklessly assaulting and harassing ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. Months after Searchlight dropped the movie from its release schedule, Majors received probation and 52 weeks of a domestic violence intervention program.
Several months later, Magazine Dreams has a new release date, so let’s circle back on what to expect from Majors’ turn as a bodybuilder.
Plot
Majors portrays Killian Maddox, a troubled and volatile amateur bodybuilder obsessed by his ambition to become a fitness icon. His all-consuming regimen propels him further into emotional isolation and self destruction. Aside from his self-punishing gym sessions (and steroid use), he juggles therapy sessions, his grocery store job, and sparse familial obligations while falling further into emotional isolation.
As heavy as those themes are, Majors’ journey to become jacked for this role is (of course) what made headlines from the movie’s press junkets. As Majors told Variety, he trained for “two hours, two times a day for the movie and a third time after wrap. Meanwhile, you eat six times a day. Lots of chicken. Lots of elk. That’s just for me. I like it.” From the movie’s synopsis:
Killian Maddox is consumed by his dream of becoming a world famous bodybuilder and one day gracing the cover of fitness magazines. He lives a lonely, regimented life, and his relentless drive for perfection only pushes him deeper towards self destruction, but beneath his tenacious pursuit of superstardom lies a desperate, aching need for human connection. As he battles both the limits of his physical body and his own inner demons, MAGAZINE DREAMS explores the lengths one man will go in his haunting quest for recognition in a world that often overlooks him.
Trailer
“Intense” barely begins to describe this full trailer released by Briarcliff Entertainment.
Cast
Jonathan Majors stars as Killian Maddox. He is joined by Harrison Page, Taylour Page, Haley Bennett, and Mike O’Hearn.
Release Date
Magazine Dreams arrives in theaters on March 21.
Trailer
Since we’ve already included the trailer, here’s Majors telling Variety about his copious workout and diet regimen to prep for this role.
While the NBA All-Star rosters are set at 24 players, 12 from each conference, we typically see at least 25 or 26 players end up with All-Star honors each season due to the unfortunate reality of injuries taking players out of the midseason festivities.
This year, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will have to select an injury replacement for a player in each conference, as Giannis Antetokounmpo is dealing with a calf injury and Anthony Davis suffered an adductor injury in his Mavs debut. Both stars will be out through the All-Star break and it will be up to the commissioner to fill their spots. Given this year’s mini-tournament format, the two teams getting replacements will be Team Shaq (Davis) and Team Barkley (Giannis), but the replacements will still come from the conference pool of candidates.
Typically, Silver goes with the player who was the last man out in the reserve voting from the coaches, but since the coaches’ voting is information not made public, we are left to wonder who that will be. The commissioner also does not have to replace them with frontcourt players if a guard is deemed more deserving, and that could come into play in both cases. Here, we’ll look at the players that figure to have the best case for an All-Star replacement selection.
EAST
Trae Young
If position doesn’t come into play, Young could be the guy to get the nod. He’s leading the league in assists (11.4 per game) by a large margin and is averaging 23.5 points per game scoring to boot. The Hawks fell off at the wrong time for reserve voting, but they’re still clinging to a Play-In spot in ninth in the East, in large part due to Young.
Tyrese Maxey
It’s probably between Young and Maxey if position doesn’t matter, as the Sixers guard has been unbelievable of late for a Philly team still clawing and fighting to get into the Play-In picture. He’s averaging 28.1 points and 6.2 assists per game and, like Young, is having to carry a huge offensive load for his team.
Franz Wagner
If Silver decides to go for a frontcourt-for-frontcourt swap, things get trickier due to other injuries in the East. Wagner has the best statistical case, averaging 25.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in Orlando, but the question is whether playing just 34 out of 54 games due to an oblique injury earlier this year is enough in the eyes of the commissioner.
Jarrett Allen
If Wagner hasn’t played enough, then Allen could get the nod as the fourth Cavalier in the game. The NBA always likes to reward winning and while Allen’s 13.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game don’t scream All-Star, he’s a vital part of the league’s best team going into the break.
WEST
Domantas Sabonis
I don’t think it should be as difficult a decision in the West, as you can make a big-for-big swap and bring in a guy with a clear All-Star case in Sabonis. He’s averaging 20.5 points and leading the league with 14.5 rebounds per game on pretty crazy efficiency for a Kings team holding strong in the West’s Play-In race at the break.
Kyrie Irving
That said, it’s not always as easy as it seems and if Silver looks for other options there are three guards all with very similar resumes that could be considered. The first is Davis’ new teammate in Dallas, as Irving is averaging 24.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game on strong efficiency and is a perennial All-Star, which probably shouldn’t come into play but can factor into the decision.
De’Aaron Fox
The second is Sabonis’ now-former teammate, who is now in San Antonio playing with Victor Wembanyama. Fox is averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game, and if the league really wants to drive Kings fans insane, it’d pick Fox over Sabonis right after the former got traded.
Devin Booker
The final option is another All-Star staple of recent years, and Booker is once again posting solid averages of 26.4 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. The Suns’ general dysfunction has been a major story all year, but they’re still a .500 team in the Play-In picture despite how terrible the vibes seem in the desert. All three of Irving, Fox, and Booker have very similar statistical profiles on Play-In hopefuls right now, which is why I think Sabonis is the much simpler choice.
Anthony Davis made his Dallas Mavericks debut on Saturday and was sensational, particularly in the first half, as he led the Mavs to a win over the Houston Rockets. However, there was cause for concern as Davis left the game late in the third quarter with what the team simply called a “lower body injury”.
Given Davis’ injury history and he was just making his return from an abdominal injury, it was an inauspicious way for his first game with his new team to come to an end. After the game, Davis spoke with reporters and said he thought he’d be “fine,” noting he was struggling to get his leg to loosen up between his quadricep and groin. Unfortunately, Davis’ self-diagnosis was a bit more optimistic than the actual one, as Shams Charania reported he was expected to miss multiple weeks with an adductor injury, while Marc Stein reported he could be out indefinitely with further tests to come to determine if he will require surgery or not.
Whatever the case, it’s a significant blow to the Mavericks and will not help alleviate the pressure and frustration from fans after the Luka Doncic trade. The first half against Houston gave brief hope that, perhaps, Dallas’ vision of building a team around Davis and Kyrie Irving and leaning on their defense would make them a contender. Now they are going to be without Davis for at least a chunk of time, making it unlikely they’ll be able to make a real push into the West playoff picture. At 28-25, the Mavs are currently 8th in the West, 1.5 games ahead of the Kings and 1.5 back of the Clippers.
If there is a silver lining, it’s that there will be a week without games during the All-Star break. Davis will join Giannis Antetokounmpo as All-Stars sidelined with injuries during the festivities in San Francisco, with Adam Silver making injury replacement selections for both some time this week.
Well, those changes did not happen quick enough for some fans. After being swamped with messages, the “Saturn” singer threatened to forgo all updates. But ultimately SZA gave in, and now she has shared four new tracks to the extended version of Lana (SOS Deluxe).
The latest additions include songs “Joni” featuring Don Toliver, “Take You Down,” “Open Arms,” and “PSA.” Online there appears to be some confusion surrounding “Open Arms.” Initial reports stated SZA was the only credited vocalist on “Open Arms.” However, on Apple Music, Travis Scott is listed as a guest feature. Either way SZA supporters are grateful for the new records.
Continue below to view the tracklist for SZA’s extended version of Lana (SOS Deluxe).
Tracklist
1. “No More Hiding”
2. “What Do I Do”
3. “30 For 30” with Kendrick Lamar
4. “Diamond Boy (DTM)”
5. “BMF”
6. “Scorsese Baby Daddy”
7. “Love Me 4 Me”
8. “Chill Baby”
9. “My Turn”
10. Crybaby”
11. “Kitchen”
12. “Get Behind Me (Interlude)”
13. “Drive”
14. “Another Life”
15. “Saturn”
16. “SOS”
17. “Kill Bill”
18. “Seek & Destroy”
19. “Low”
20. “Love Language”
21. “Blind”
22. “Used” featuring Don Toliver
23. “Snooze”
24. “Notice Me”
25. “Gone Girl”
26. “Smoking On My Ex Pack”
27. “Ghost In The Machine” featuring Phoebe Bridgers
28. “F2F”
29. “Nobody Gets Me”
30. “Conceited”
31. “Special”
32. “Too Late”
33. “Far”
34. “Shirt”
35. “Open Arms” featuring Travis Scott
36. “I Hate U”
37. “Good Days”
38. “Forgiveless” featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard
SZA
Lana (SOS Deluxe) is out now via Top Dawg Entertainment/RCA Records. Find more information here.
Kendrick cheekily teased it in the middle of the show and then came back to it as the penultimate track, giving the camera an incredible smirk during the “Hey Drake” line and performing the song almost in full. Now, unlike at The Pop Out, Kendrick didn’t run it back over and over and over again (although, I’m sure he could’ve just done that as his full show and the crowd would’ve loved it), but much like his performance at The Forum, he did have a Compton sporting legend on the stage with him.
In Los Angeles, it was Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan who joined him to dance around on stage during “Not Like Us,” but for the Super Bowl he went even bigger by getting Compton native and tennis legend Serena Williams (who was once rumored to have had a relationship with Drake) to dance during the performance.
Williams was one of just a few special guests for the halftime show, joining Samuel L. Jackson, SZA, and DJ Mustard as the lone celebrity cameos during the show, as Kendrick kept things very focused. I’m not sure anyone imagined they’d see Serena Williams crip walking on stage at the Super Bowl, but the lopsided Drake-Kendrick beef continues to be the gift that keeps on giving.
During his performance (viewable here), Kendrick Lamar delivered a blend of his discography (including 2024’s GNX, 2017’s DAMN., and a track from Black Panther soundtrack with the help of special guests SZA, Mustard, Serena Williams, and the performance’s narrator Samuel L. Jackson. Given Drake’s pending litigation against UMG centering around the record, fans wondered what Kendrick’s setlist would include his multiple Grammy Award-winning diss track “Not Like Us.”
At the same time, a promotional clip for the performance hinted that the song would be played. Following all the chatter on whether Kendrick Lamar would or would not perform the song, he decided to give viewers what they wanted, and users online are beyond thrilled that he did.
Continue below to view Kendrick’s full Super Bowl LIX setlist below.
Kendrick Lamar’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show Setlist
1. “GNX (Teaser)”
2. “Squabble Up”
3. “HUMBLE.”
4. “DNA.”
5. “Euphoria”
6. “Man At The Garden”
7. “Peekaboo”
8. “Luther” with SZA
9. “All The Stars” with SZA
10. “Not Like Us”
11. “TV Off”
I’m not sure when else you’d see a Pulitzer Prize winner performing the halftime show at Super Bowl LIV, but 2025 owes us one, apparently. And so, Kendrick Lamar (who also won five Grammys at last week’s ceremony) hit the stage along with “unexpected” guest SZA — to perform 15 minutes of his biggest hits as the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs hit their locker rooms to prepare for the second half.
Themed “The Great American Game,” the performance was introduced by Samuel L. Jackson (in the guise of Uncle Sam), and took place on a stage designed to look like a game board. Kenny started the performance atop the titular GNX, from which emerged a truly unrealistic number of dancers as he rapped an unreleased track. Then, “Squabble Up” set things off before Sam returned to criticize him for being “too loud, too unruly, too ghetto.” But all that did was prompt a magnetic performance of “Humble.” “DNA” followed as the performance spread across the field right before he launched into Drake’s second-worst nightmare, “Euphoria.” He revamped “Man At The Garden” as a doo-wop number under a streetlamp, then went into “N95.”
SZA’s appearance came during “Luther,” with the singer clad in red leather, offering a powerful contrast to K. Dot’s cerulean ensemble. She stuck around for the performance of “All Of The Stars,” to the approval of Sam… who was immediately disgusted to hear the familiar strains of “Not Like Us,” complete with an C-walking appearance from Drake’s rumored ex, Serena Williams. Just before starting the song, Kendrick addressed his nemesis’ latest misstep: “I want to play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.” MUSTAAAARRRD popped out for the finale, “TV Off.”
Ahead of his performance, Kendrick got some helpful advice from Usher. Last year’s Super Bowl performer addressed the Compton rapper on The Jennifer Hudson Show, saying, “The one thing that I would say is savor the moment, because you get obsessed in trying to build the best performance, but you don’t realize that it’s really about enjoying it, right? It might not be perfect, everything may not go exactly the way it’s supposed to, but if you are in your mind and stuck trying to make something perfect, you’re not going to look up and smell the flowers and realize, ‘Wait a minute, I’m here, and I get a chance to have this moment, and I’m not going to get it again, I’m not going to get this moment back.’”
“So, my encouragement to him is to really be present,” he continued. “I hope that he uses the moment well. There’s a lot that could be said, there’s a lot to be said for where hip-hop has come from. There’s a lot to be said for that young man and how he’s completely been an incredible benchmark for what it is to be an artist.”
Watch Kendrick Lamar’s Apple Music Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show performance above.
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