The annual Stand Up For Heroes charity event has been running since 2007, and Bruce Springsteen has been a regular presence at the shows. Sure enough, he turned up at yesterday’s (November 11) event, where he played an acoustic four-song set featuring “The Power Of Prayer,” “Land Of Hope And Dreams,” “Dancing In The Dark,” and “Long Walk Home.”
Given the comedic nature of the event, Springsteen typically regales the crowd with jokes between songs, and this year, he busted out a couple of sex jokes.
One was about a couple at a doctor’s office:
“Guy and his girl go to see the doctor, and the doctor says, ‘Congratulations, she’s pregnant.’ Guy gets a moment alone with the doctor, he says, ‘Doctor, that’s impossible. I am religious about safe practicing safe sex. I always use protection, never had a rip or a tear,’ you know. Doctor says, ‘Son, son, let me tell you a story.’
‘There’s a hunter. The hunter carries his gun everywhere he goes. One day, he gets up and decides to take his umbrella instead of his gun. On that particular day, a lion leaps out of the bush and stands right in front of him. By instinct, he raises the umbrella. It goes, ‘Bang!’ Lion falls over dead.’
Guy says, ‘Doc, Doc, that’s impossible. Some other guy must have shot the lion.’”
Springsteen’s other joke was about a woman bringing her husband to a strip club, so check out videos of both jokes below.
It’s “Sexiest Man Alive” season for People, and Benny Blanco has been part of the rollout, as he got a featured article and photoshoot of his own. This drew a loving reaction from girlfriend Selena Gomez.
Sharing one of the photos on her Instagram Story, Gomez wrote (as Billboard notes), “Not only do you love me unconditionally.. You always get me my Taco Bell Mexican pizza.” In a second post, she tagged Blanco and shared a poem from William C. Hannan, which reads, “I still haven’t figured out how to sit across from you / And not be madly in love with everything you do.”
For People, Blanco spoke about times he cherishes with Gomez, saying, “I’m a real morning person. It’s my favorite time to spend with Sel, because we both wake up really early. It’s like our moment before the rest of the world wakes up. I have a true best friend that I get to do everything in the world with, and every day is the best day of my life.”
He also discussed their dating life, saying, “I go all out for every date. We go all out for each other. One time Sel was like, ‘Oh, I want to take you on a date.’ We drove somewhere and she had rented out a whole botanical garden for me. She also likes something so simple. For Valentine’s Day, I got her Taco Bell, I made her movie-theater nachos, I found her favorite pickles from Texas and I deep-fried them for her. Then [I had] all her candies and Hot Cheetos. It doesn’t mean spending your entire bank account. The No. 1 thing you need to do on a date is just listen to what the person’s saying. Don’t talk about yourself the whole time. No one cares.”
Over the summer, SNL cast member Bowen Yang was asked to name the “worst SNL host behavior” he’s seen during his time on the show. “This man who — this person, this host — made multiple cast members cry on Wednesday before the table read because he hated the ideas,” he said, adding that he was “terrible.”
“OK, I just saw some news article about Elon Musk being like butt-hurt over SNL and his impression, but I’m like you’re clearly watching the show, like what are you talking about?” she said in a since-deleted TikTok video. “And I’m like, you know what? I’m gonna come out and say at long last that I’m the cast member that he made cry. And he’s the host that made someone cry.”
Fineman initially wasn’t going to say anything, “but I’m like, no, if you’re gonna go on your platform [X] and be rude, guess what? You made I, Chloe Fineman burst into tears because I stayed up late writing a sketch. I was so excited, I came in, I asked if you had any questions and you stared at me like you were firing me from Tesla and were like, ‘It’s not funny.’” She continued:
“I waited for you to be like, ‘Ha ha, jk.’ No, then you started pawing through my script, like flipping each page, being, like, ‘I didn’t laugh once, not one time.’” Despite the absence of laughs, the sketch made it on the Musk-fronted show, “and it was fine,” she added. “I actually had a really good time and I thought you were really funny in it. But, you know. Have a little manners here… sir.”
Elon wasn’t being a jerk. He was, uh, going method as Wario.
Coldplay is currently making its way through Australia and New Zealand on the Music Of The Spheres tour. The band generated a bit of attention for their November 10 performance, when they unexpectedly busted out a brief rendition of Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps,” with Chris Martin calling it his favorite of Scott’s songs (here’s a video).
The moment made its way back to Scott, who seems to have enjoyed it: He shared the clip and wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “This got it. [goat emoji].”
Scott has long had reverence for the band, going as far as to reference Coldplay on multiple songs. On 2016’s “Way Back,” he says, “Hopped in the Bronco, skrrt off like OJ / Flew with that sound, n****, got that Coldplay.” He again nodded to the band on last year’s “Til Further Notice”, saying, “I been bumpin’ more Coldplay, the world cold as sh*t / I know one thing ’bout the old one, can have more fun with it.”
In other Music Of The Spheres tour news, Martin recently had a bit of an on-stage gaffe, when he fell into a hole in the stage. He played it off, saying, “That’s, uh, not planned. Thank you for catching me, so much, thank you guys. Holy sh*t, that’s going to be a YouTube moment.”
But that hasn’t put a damper in Doja Cat’s spirits. In fact, she has already begun to tease new music on X (formerly Twitter). Yesterday (November 11) that streak continued, this time with a collection of unreleased song titles.
In a screenshot captured by Pop Crave (viewable here), Doja Cat listed thirteen records; “Cards,” “Break My Heart,” “Take Me Dancing,” “Anything,” “Acts Of Service,” “Ain’t News,” “Make It Up,” “Turn The Lights On,” “Slow Burn,” “Wood Holly,” “Did I Lie,” “Crack,” and “Appreciation.”
It is unclear if these records are Scarlet leftovers, previously vaulted tracks, or the complete tracklist for her next body of work. However, did confirm that tracks were a cohesive collection. “Songs are in no particular order,” she wrote. “Starred my favorites.”
Those lucky tracks include the songs “Cards,” “Acts Of Service,” “Make It Up,” “Did I Lie,” and “Crack.” Of which, “Crack” appears to be at the top of Doja’s like list as it was playing at the time of Doja’s screenshot.
If past actions serve as a barometer, Doja Cat’s next album may not drop until mid 2025. As far back as March 2023, Doja Cat began sharing breadcrumbs about Scarlet, which wasn’t officially released until September 2023.
However, now that some time as past since Eternal Atake 2 hit streaming platforms, Uzi diehards have begun to overanalyze why the body of work’s arrival. According to a viral fan theory (viewable here), Lil Uzi Vert only dropped Eternal Atake 2 to fulfill their contractual obligations to Atlantic Records. Today (November 11), Lil Uzi Vert seemingly confirmed that online speculations with the help of Frank Ocean.
In their Instagram stories (viewable here courtesy of NFR Podcast), Uzi wrote “CFO” on top of a photograph of Frank Ocean performing at 2017 Parklife Festival in Manchester, UK. The upload wasn’t by happenstance.
Back in 2016, Ocean shook the industry with a groundbreaking Apple Music deal, which allowed him to exit his Def Jam contract and retain creative freedom while becoming eight figures richer (hence the “Chief Financial Office” or “CFO” caption).
Now, Lil Uzi Vert has been known to troll from time to time. So users online have taken their post with a grain of salt. However, Uzi’s previous remarks about their dissatisfaction with their label in the past has made this fan theory hard to ignore.
Eternal Atake 2 is out now via Generation Now/Atlantic Records. Find more information here.
Today (November 11), during a sit-down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Chalamet discussed his commitment to the role. As the pair talked about how he prepared for the portrayal, he revealed that he trained with a harmonica coach for five years.
“What I did for Bob [Dylan] started during COVID,” he said. “Learning all the songs. The Bob songs I know how to play, 20% of which are in the movie so that was the first education.”
He continued: “For the movie I had to learn thirteen songs. But in total I can probably play thirty. So, Tim Monich was the dialect coach that who I worked with for years on this. I [also] worked with a harmonica coach for five years and then worked with Polly Bennett who is a movement coach.”
Although the forthcoming film is anchored around Bob Dylan’s legendary performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, from Chalamet’s rundown it appears he trained for any possible career ears of the revered musician.
Watch the full interview above.
A Complete Unknown is set to hit theaters on December 25. Find more information here.
Eminem is the self-proclaimed Rap God, but Grammy Award-winning emcee’s acting abilities. Well, Adam Sandler surely hasn’t.
According to The Sun, Eminem is reunite with Sandler onscreen by way of Happy Gilmore‘s highly anticipated sequel. Although the extent of Eminem’s forthcoming appearance has been disclosed, the outlet claims Em will play “a comedic role, and he really had fun with it.”
An insider spoke with the platform about Eminem time on set, saying: “Em is a big fan of the original movie, and he was a total pleasure to work with. He was just super low-key, he didn’t have a big entourage, and was just an absolute delight.”
Given that filming has already begun, a source said Eminem shot his scenes in New Jersey on November 6. Last month, Kid Cudi confirmed being cast in the picture on Instagram, writing: “It’s been a long time dream of mine to work w Adam, he’s my favorite, and his movies and comedy made up my childhood. Another dream come true.”
Eminem hasn’t confirmed or denied his involved in the upcoming flick. But, this wouldn’t mark Eminem and Adam Sandler’s first time appearing in a film together. Back in 2009, the duo worked together for Funny People, which starred Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann.
Karol G, Feid, and DFZM’s latest song “+57,” which features Ovy On The Drums, J Balvin, Maluma, Ryan Castro, and Blessd set out to be a beacon of hometown pride for the Colombia natives. Instead, the international music stars are facing a heap of backlash after unintentionally platforms a regional issue.
Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (the local government agency) accused the collection of reinforcing “the sexualization of children” of Colombia in a statement to Rolling Stone En Español over its controversial lyrics. Today (November 11), Karol G has responded to the pushback by issuing a remorseful apology in her Instagram Stories.
Read Karol G’s remarks below.
As artists, we are exposed to public opinion, and to the individual interpretations of people who like us and people who differ with what we do. I feel a lot of frustration for the misinformation that has been given, about the false posts that I have supposedly made and deleted from twitter, an account that I have not used for more than six months. In this case, unfortunately, the lyrics of a song, with which I sought to celebrate the union between artists and put to shine my people … were taken out of context. None of the things said in the song have the direction they have been given, nor was it said from that perspective, but I listen, I take responsibility and I realize that I still have a lot to learn. I feel very affected, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.
The lyrics in question, “A mamacita since 14 / When she walks into the club, you can feel her energy / Baby, I’m taking these shots for you / She’s got a lot going on below, the outfit barely holds it,” is initially sang by Feid and later repeated by Maluma.
The Cleveland Cavaliers came into the 2024-25 season with plenty of pressure, as this felt like a make-it-or-break-it season for their Core Four. They re-signed Donovan Mitchell and gave contract extensions to Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, while Darius Garland is entering the second year of his own 5-year deal. A ton of money has been committed to this group, with the expectation that they would take another step forward as a real threat in the Eastern Conference under new head coach Kenny Atkinson.
While they can’t fully answer whether they’ve done that until May and June, the Cavs have made an emphatic statement to open the season, as they are the NBA’s last remaining unbeaten at 11-0. That hot start is the byproduct of confidence and trust in their group, something they’ve built over the years but had to fortify by figuring out how everyone can play to their strengths. One of the difficult tasks of building confidence as a unit is that each player has to first have that confidence in themselves. The story of the young season for Cleveland has been strides in that area by the two youngest members of their core, as Garland and Mobley are playing some of the best basketball of their careers.
For Garland, he’s bounced back after a difficult 2023-24 campaign that saw him suffer a broken jaw early in the year and never get fully back to his peak level. As he explained to DIME over the weekend, after missing a third of the season, he wasn’t too interested in vacations this summer, instead opting to get in the gym and build back the strength, confidence, and wiggle that had been missing at the end of last season.
“It’s a total difference. It’s a big difference,” Garland said of how he feels starting this season compared to the second half of last year. “I’m in a good head space right now. I’m fully healthy — some little nicks, but nothing too major right now. And yeah, just came in with a lot of confidence over the summer, put in a lot of work. Especially after last year, I didn’t play a lot of games, so wasn’t a lot of vacations for me this summer, or a lot of hangout time. It was really just strictly in the gym trying to get better, trying to put some more weight and some more muscle on that I lost from last year, from having to jaw surgery. And yeah, trying to get my confidence back, trying to get my wiggle back, and my ball handling and just trying to stay consistent with it.”
Garland’s summer in the gym helped him remember how much he loves the game. One of the lasting images from the end of last season for Garland and the Cavs was Donovan Mitchell on the bench putting his arm around Garland and saying “I believe in you,” as Garland was mired in the midst of a shooting slump. It was a touching moment between teammates, but also telling of how difficult things were for Garland, who had lost his perpetual smile and was finding it difficult to have that same sense of belief.
This season, his confidence is back, as is his infectious smile, and Garland is looking to spread that positivity beyond the court as well. For Veteran’s Day weekend, that means welcoming a pair of Gold Star families from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to the Cavs’ games against the Nets and Bulls, as Garland is helping honor a pair of families of fallen veterans from his hometown of Gary, IN.
“It’s super cool just to have some veteran families around me,” Garland said. “My grandfathers were veterans, so just trying to show some love and support for some of the families, and show that they’re loved and that they mean a lot to us, and we know how it is battling some things that they’ve gone through and that they’ve been through. So yeah, just to have their backs and just show that they’re loved and that we really appreciate it.”
Both families have ties to Garland, as his mother went to high school with both of the fallen service members. He wants to take the opportunity his platform provides to show them love and do his favorite thing: put a smile on someone’s face.
“I try to do it a little bit more often now, especially to kids and those with special needs,” Garland said. “I was one of the kids growing up looking up to Kobe, LeBron, Dame Lillard, Steph, so when I was growing up and they were giving back to younger kids and other people, I just always wanted to do the same. I know that it’ll just make their whole day and change the way that they look at things. So, trying to do it often and just try to put a smile on somebody’s face. That always means a lot to me, because I always wear a smile on my face.”
The way the Cavs have played so far this season has put an awful lot of smiles on faces in Cleveland, and Garland credits their hot start to the connectivity of the group and the confidence that’s instilled up and down the roster. This is the third year together for the Core Four, and many of their reserves have also been part of the team for at least a year or two. That familiarity has created a culture of accountability, with Garland noting that from players to coaches to the training staff, there’s a camaraderie that allows for honest conversations that make everyone better.
The newest face in the room is head coach Kenny Atkinson, as he took over for JB Bickerstaff (now in Detroit) with aspirations of taking this group to the next level. Garland, like everyone else in Cleveland, has been impressed with how Atkinson hit the ground running with the Cavs, and highlighted the way he instills confidence in everyone as the biggest thing he’s brought to the team.
“He was a player, so he knows what it’s like playing a lot of games, and just having that confidence out on the floor — I mean, when you have that confidence, I think you just get boosted a little bit more,” Garland said. “You think that you can do anything and make any kind of shot, and that’s what our team has right now. We’re shooting the ball with confidence, making plays with confidence, and we’re doing it on both ends of the floor, and I think that’s where he’s just instilling us. Even at film, when we don’t shoot a shot we’re wide open, he’s going to get on us about shooting the ball, because that might be the only good shot that we have in that possession. So he wants us to shoot every ball with confidence, shoot every open one and just keep continuing to play hard and trust each other.”
Garland has always been a good shooter, but last season, that confidence in his shot waned a bit, particularly in the postseason. That gave Garland plenty of motivation this summer, where he stripped his game back down to the basics and built it back up with a focus on the little details that go a long way in the games.
“Just trying to pay attention to details,” Garland said. “Just try to do all the little things to make me a better scorer, make me a better shooter. Literally the smallest things, like getting my feet ready, staying down low before I even get the ball. I mean, just literally everything, all the little things. I really went back from square one, from when I started basketball and just worked my way up until I could really start moving and going full speed for the entire summer. So I really went back to the basics this summer, and just tried to clean everything up and just try to polish everything, and getting some of the results back right now.”
The results are the best shooting percentages of his career from every level, with splits of 53.8/47.5/95.0 through the first 11 games. He’s finishing better than he ever has at the rim, a byproduct of the strength he added over the summer, and he’s shooting threes at a higher rate and making more of them than he ever has as a pro. That’s a lethal combination, and he certainly seems to have found that wiggle off the bounce once again, helped by his decisiveness and confidence with the ball as both a shooter and driving to attack the defense.
Garland is far from alone in having a strong start, as the Cavs are finding a way to feed off each other and recognizing how each of them can make the others better. Along with Garland’s return to All-Star form, Mobley has become a bigger part of the offense and is a big beneficiary of that boost of confidence Atkinson has provided. Mobley playing with more force and freedom on both ends of the floor raises their ceiling, and Garland is quick to note how his play opens up so much of the floor for everyone else, calling him “our catalyst.”
“He gets us going on both ends of the floor, and he can do so many things, especially on offensive side of the ball,” Garland said. “We can set a 1-5 pick and roll with him, and I go set a pick-and-roll, or Don go set a pick-and-roll for him, and let him just work off that screen. And when he gets downhill he’s a great decision maker, so he’s going to make the right read. We really have a lot of trust in him. We just want him to continue to be confident in his game, want him to shoot some more threes, which is getting better over the years. And yeah, just to be the leader on both ends of the floor, especially defensively. Hopefully he’s All-NBA or Defensive Player of the Year this year, which he’s super capable of, and especially him and JA back there, it’s really tough to get anything at the rim.”
The grind of the NBA regular season is impossible to avoid, but the Cavs have found an early comfort in leaning on their depth. At the top, they can play to the hot hand among their stars, but they’re finding an ability to be more adaptable as a roster to change their approach and lineups as needed based on matchups and game flow. With Mobley and Allen, they’ve always been able to go big, but against Brooklyn on Saturday, they closed with a four-guard lineup and showed how they can succeed going small, with Caris LeVert and Ty Jerome stepping in and playing well to close out their 11th win to start the season.
As Garland explains, their experiences together, the highs and the lows, have taught them a lot about how they need to play, particularly in late game situations where slowing down and getting stagnant to let one player operate can be tempting, but ultimately plays into the hands of the defense.
“We have so much talent on this team and a lot of depth, so we just have a lot of confidence in everybody, and we’ve been in these situations before. Like I said, we’ve been around each other for a couple years now, so we know what to do. We’ve seen all different scenarios, from being in regular season or the playoffs, so when it’s late game situations, I think that we’re starting to get pretty good at it. And even with our depth last night, Ty Jerome and Caris, they ended the game with us. And, I mean, they made a difference when we went four guards and Evan at the five. It’s just so many different things that we can do because of because of our depth. And we got so much talent. I mean, you really have to just pick and poison, either you’re gonna give up a wide open three or a layup or a floater or something.”
Garland and the Cavs know there are no banners to be hung for a fast start to the season, but for a team that just never seemed to hit their stride a year ago, this stretch is a reminder to both themselves and the rest of the league that they do have the kind of ceiling where they can beat anyone. There are still 71 games left in the season, but building the confidence and trust internally early on figures to pay dividends down the road.
For now, the Cavs will look to prolong their winning streak as long as they can, but as Garland notes, they have “bigger plans in May and June” and hope to keep putting smiles on faces in Cleveland deep into the spring.
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