Category: News

Spoilers for House of the Dragon will be found below.

This week’s episode of the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, was a whopper. Not only did King Viserys I continue to decline, but the show bid farewell to two lead actors with a time jump coming before next week. This means that Rhaenyra will no longer be portrayed by Milly Alcock but by Emma D’Arcy, and Allicent’s baton will pass from Emily Carey to Olivia Cooke. Will the younger versions ever return in flashback mode? One can only hope, but for the moment, we’re here to talk about Episode 5, “We Light The Way,” and how the episode ended in a way that’s being compared to a key Game of Thrones episode. That would be Season 3, Episode 9, “The Rains of Castamere,” which is the famed “Red Wedding” episode, where Robb Stark lost his life and that of his unborn child, his betrothed, his mother, and much of his army.

Alright, so are the comparisons fair? In scale, they seem like an exaggeration (and this isn’t even the first Red Wedding comparison that has been made about this spinoff), but in terms of vibes and political fallout, the two events are comparable. Ser Criston ended up going ballistic upon Rhaenyra’s announced marriage to Laenor Velaryon. She rejected Criston’s proposal and suggested that they continue their carnal affairs, since she and Laenor had an agreement, but Criston wasn’t having it. During the lead-up to Rhaenyra’s wedding, Criston ended up beating the living hell (and life) out of Laenor’s gay lover. And this presumably led to Rhaenyra and Laenor skipping past the planned week of feasting and taking their vows straight away.

Our own Jessica Toomer has much more to say (including how wedding feasts are a bad idea in this universe) about the possible ramifications of this devastating turn of events, but one wonders what Allicent is plotting. Also, will Ser Criston’s actions jeopardize Rhaenyra’s ascent to the throne? And is it odd that Daemon’s murder of his wife is somehow not the most dynasty-devastating event of the week? Let’s get down to the “Red Wedding” comparisons on social media.

Some called it early from the promotional stills.

Yet when events began to play out (with heavy vibes), people couldn’t handle the stress.

It’s not exactly a promising start to a marriage, but that’s Westeros for you.

HBO’s House of the Dragon airs on Sundays at 9:00pm EST.

When the Dallas Cowboys lose, there is one thing you can always be certain of, and that is that Stephen A. Smith will post a reaction video taunting Cowboys fans.

There is no more preeminent Cowboys hater than Smith, who loves nothing more than to throw on his cowboy hat, pop a cigar in his mouth, and strut around making fun of the Dallas football team’s incompetence. This has been a running bit for years on ESPN’s First Take, but now they have someone who can match his energy from Dallas’ point of view in the form of Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.

Irvin has become a permanent fixture on Monday editions of First Take opposite Stephen A., and after last week’s debacle against the Bucs he had to sit there and watch Smith dance on the Cowboys grave after just one game. This Sunday, with the Bengals in town, Dallas was a touchdown underdog with Cooper Rush under center as Dak Prescott will miss several weeks after thumb surgery, and few had high hopes for a Cowboys win. However, Rush looked solid and the Dallas defense dominated again, leading the Cowboys to a rather shocking 20-17 win, allowing Irvin to turn the tables with his own reaction video targeted at Stephen A.

There are few people more excitable than Irvin, who loves nothing more than to get fired up about how Cowboys (or his Miami Hurricanes). This was the perfect spot for Irvin to strut his stuff and deliver a rather hilarious monologue about the “team of miracles” digging deep “when all hope is gone,” and making clear that he’s going to put on a show Monday morning opposite Stephen A. — who was not happy to see Dallas prosper.

Sunday was all about fourth quarter road comebacks in the NFL, as three teams blew double-digit leads in rather shocking fashion in the final quarter of play. The Browns blew a 13-point lead in the final 90 seconds to the Jets, of all teams, as Joe Flacco carved them up, with a successful onside kick inbetween Flacco TD passes to shock the Cleveland faithful. The Ravens joined their AFC North rivals in melting down late, as they saw a 21-point fourth quarter lead evaporate as Tua Tagovailoa went nuts, throwing four of his six touchdown passes in the final 15 minutes to lead Miami to a come from behind win.

The final fourth quarter melt came courtesy of the Las Vegas Raiders, who were dominating the Arizona Cardinals all game, leading 20-0 at one point, before seeing a 16-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter thanks to some Kyler Murray magic. Murray, who struggled most of the game, came alive in the fourth to lead a pair of touchdown drives and convert two two-point conversions to tie the game and send it to overtime, including a scrambling TD on 4th down and goal as time expired, followed by a rocket to AJ Green on the two-point try.

From there, the Cardinals won the toss and moved it across the Raiders 40 on their opening possession of overtime, but had a big play taken away by a sensational hit from Duron Harmon, who popped Hollywood Brown on what should’ve been a big completion inside the 15 for the Cardinals, jarring the ball loose.

It was the Raiders turn to cross midfield and inch closer to field goal range, needing just a kick to win, and after barely recovering a fumble by Hunter Renfrow to get them into Cardinals territory, Renfrow once again got popped right on the ball by Isaiah Simmons and dropped it, with Byron Murphy eventually corralling it on the sideline and taking it all the way to the house for the game-winning touchdown.

There was a lengthy review on the play afterwards, not because there was any doubt about the fumble, but because Murphy came very close to pulling a DeSean Jackson and throwing the ball through the end zone before he got to the goal line.

It appears he was right there on the goal line when he threw it and there wasn’t a down the line angle (because why would there be a camera at that end zone when Arizona was on defense) to determine either way so the play stood as called and it was a walkoff touchdown for the Cardinals in the most improbable of fashion.

After winning both games at home, the Las Vegas Aces went on the road needing one win in Connecticut to lock up their first championship in franchise history, dating all the way back to their days as the Utah Starzz in the late 90s.

However, Game 3 proved it would be anything but easy as the Sun blew them out to force a Game 4 and avoid the sweep, and early on it was clear the game was going to be played at Connecticut’s preferred pace, as the two teams played slow and physical to a 30-28 halftime score, with the Aces on top.

In the third quarter, the Aces would push that lead to four, but could never fully pull away from the Sun, who continually clawed their way into the game with an answer to Vegas’ runs. The biggest of those came in the fourth quarter with a five-point possession to cut what was a 67-61 Vegas lead down to just one after Kelsey Plum was called for a flagrant foul for stepping under DeWanna Bonner on a three, giving her three free throws, which she made, followed by a bucket from Jonquel Jones to make it a one-point game.

Courtney Williams would then give the Sun a two point lead and it looked like the Aces might have been deflated by that sudden swing, until one of the more unlikely stars of the game, Riquna Williams, caught fire and carried Vegas to the win. Williams hit back-to-back threes to give the Aces a lead, followed by a tough long two to push the advantage to four with 53.2 seconds to play.

From that point, the Sun were unable to come up with an answer, as A’ja Wilson came up with a big steal on the ensuing inbound from Connecticut and Kelsey Plum put the dagger in on a turnaround in the paint to push the lead to six. Ultimately, the Aces would win with a 78-71 final score, and the celebration was on in Connecticut.

Chelsea Gray was deservedly awarded Finals MVP, averaging 18.3 points per game as she was consistently dominant, including a 20-point outing in Game 4 to help clinch the series. Plum had 15, including that dagger and some big fourth quarter buckets, Wilson had 11 points and 14 boards, and Young chipped in 13 points, but no one provided a bigger lift than Riquna Williams with 17 points off the bench including the eight straight in the closing minutes to keep the Aces in front.

For the Sun, it was a tough way to finish out another terrific season, but they were just outgunned by the team that had the WNBA’s Coach of the Year (Becky Hammon), Most Improved Player (Jackie Young), and MVP and DPOY (A’ja Wilson). The Aces were the story of the season in the WNBA and, fittingly, end the year on top, and now the question moving forward is who will challenge them next year to prevent a repeat from a deep, talented squad.

Five years ago, Arizona State made the rather stunning decision to hire former Jets head coach and, at the time, ESPN NFL analyst Herm Edwards as their head coach, promising a “new leadership model,” with Edwards acting as the CEO-type head coach overseeing the program.

Early returns were surprisingly positive, but recent years have been rather dreadful in Tempe, with the most recent result being a 30-21 home loss to Eastern Michigan in which the Eagles were the clearly better team on Saturday night. That was the final straw that sent Edwards packing from Arizona State for good, as was reported on Sunday evening (timed beautifully with the start of the Cardinals game).

Edwards leaves Arizona State with a 26-20 record, an NCAA recruiting scandal under his watch, and general uncertainty about where the program goes from here (despite never having a losing season until this 1-2 start). What comes next for Arizona State’s program is anyone’s guess, as they have plenty to figure out beyond just the head coach, but it’s not a job that’s impossible to succeed at and with uncertainty in the Pac-12 moving forward as USC and UCLA leave for the Big Ten, there’s plenty of reason to try and get this next hire right, right now.

The question is who will be the right fit and what their competition will be on the coaching market. We know Nebraska is looking to fill an opening and other Power Five programs will join them, with Auburn and Georgia Tech almost assuredly having vacancies during or after this season. Matt Rhule’s NFL tenure may come to an end and he’ll be a hot name, as would Kliff Kingsbury if the Cardinals continue to bottom out as he sits on the hot seat — and he wouldn’t even have to move to take over the Sun Devils.

The New York Jets have been one of the NFL’s worst teams in recent years, going through a number of head coaches and quarterbacks in vain trying to find a winning formula.

A game into his second year, Robert Saleh was already sparring with the media, promising to keep receipts of those who doubted the Jets and wrote them off after a dismal effort in Week 1 against the Ravens. While they were more competitive in Week 2, it appeared they would once again fall short and be outmanned by the Browns in Cleveland, particularly after Nick Chubb ran in a touchdown to put the Browns up 13 with under two minutes to play and the Jets out of timeouts.

However, the Jets were starting Joe Flacco, who entered Sunday with a 17-3 lifetime record against Cleveland, spending much of his career torturing Browns fans while in Baltimore. With 90 seconds to play, the Browns decided not to cover Corey Davis, allowing a 76-yard touchdown to bring the Jets within six.

Still, New York needed an onside kick to have a chance, and with the current rules in place, those are exceedingly difficult to pull off. Unless you’re going against the Browns, that is, as the Jets executed a gorgeous onside kick, giving themselves sudden life in Cleveland.

New York marched it down the field, ultimately setting up a game-winning touchdown pass from Flacco to rookie Garrett Wilson, as the Ohio State product hauled in his second touchdown of the day in his return to Ohio.

It was as stunning a collapse as you’ll see in the NFL, as a two-touchdown advantage with 90 seconds to play and no timeouts is nearly (but not totally) impossible to pull off, as this stat shows.

What makes it even more insane is that it was the Jets of all teams that pulled it off, but what shouldn’t be a surprise is that the Browns managed to be the franchise to allow this to happen to them.

The 2022 Emmys weren’t anywhere near as chaotic as the 2022 Academy Awards, apart from some awkward moments where the DJ tried to play off winners mid-speech. And then there was this: Jimmy Kimmel did a comedy bit that backfired spectacularly. The late night host pretended to be dead while Quinta Brunson accepted an award for Abbott Elementary. But why on earth would he do that?

Earlier in the ceremony, Kimmel’s show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, lost for Best Variety Talk Series to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. No biggie. But Kimmel decided to pretend he was more upset than he was, as a joke. He claimed he had been knocking back skinny margaritas, so by the time he and Will Arnett were presenting the award that would go to Brunson, he was pass-out drunk.

Problem is, he kept the bit going while Brunson stood over him, accepting the award. Arnett even had to drag Kimmel off the stage.

The whole thing did not go over well, with Kimmel roasted on social media and even scolded by Abbott Elementary actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. As it happened, Brunson was scheduled to be on Kimmel a mere two days later, during which he apologized.

“I’m sorry I did do that, actually,” Kimmel told Brunson on-air. “And also, the last thing I would ever want to do was upset you because I think so much of you. And I think you know that — I hope you know that.”

Brunson accepted Kimmel’s apology, saying, “It is very kind of you to say that.” Then Kimmel jokingly blamed it on Arnett, to which Brunson said, “Screw Bojack Horseman.”

The San Francisco 49ers made the decision this offseason to turn the team over to second-year quarterback Trey Lance, having taken him third overall in the 2021 Draft and having him sit a year behind Jimmy Garoppolo.

After a rocky start in the opener in disastrous weather and field conditions in Chicago that resulted in a loss to the Bears, the Niners were looking forward to seeing Lance play under normal conditions at home at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday against the Seahawks. On the first drive of the game, he worked them inside the 5 before the drive stalled, leading to a 20-yard field goal, and on the second drive he again pushed the Niners into plus territory before a catastrophic injury on a quarterback run up the middle where his right leg got caught under him as he went to the ground and got hit.

Trainers immediately came out to tend to Lance, who would be carted off the field with an air cast on his lower right leg.

The hit was just the unfortunate timing of a hard collision with Lance leaning backwards and his right foot appearing to get trapped underneath him. His lower leg appeared pretty gruesome in the shot of him laying on the field after the hit, as can be seen here (WARNING: it is a graphic looking injury).

The Niners will now turn back to Garoppolo, who they signed to a one-year restructured deal to be Lance’s backup this season, and the hope is that the young star can make a full recovery whenever he’s able to return, although the fear is that might not be until 2023.

It seemed as though the Ravens would cruise to a win, particularly after Lamar Jackson broke a 79-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter to put Baltimore up 35-14.

However, the Dolphins would start chipping away, with Tagovailoa starting to deal. The young star QB hit River Cracraft for a short touchdown with just over 12 minutes to play to make it 35-21, and from there things got real interesting. The Ravens offense began to sputter, getting stuffed on a 4th and 1 at the Miami 40 on their next drive to put the ball back in Tua’s hands, who responded swiftly with a bomb to Tyreek Hill for a touchdown.

With just over five minutes to go, a botched coverage left Hill wide open again down the sideline, making for the easiest touchdown pass Tua will make all season to tie the game as the Ravens rookie corner blew an assignment, assuming he had safety help over the top that was not there.

After the Ravens took the lead back on a 51-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, Tagovailoa had two minutes to orchestrate a tying or winning drive and marched the Dolphins down into the red zone. With under 20 seconds to play, Tua found Waddle once again for the game-winning touchdown, going up high to find his favorite target, putting Miami up four with 14 seconds to play.

It was an unbelievable comeback (one of two on the day, along with the Jets), and left the Ravens crowd stunned as what had been a showcase for Lamar and the Baltimore offense became the best game of young Tagovailoa’s career. Tua threw for 469 yards, six touchdowns, and two picks on 50 passing attempts, as Mike McDaniel let him loose to sling it down the stretch as they clawed their way back into it. His performance overshadowed Jackson’s tremendous outing on the other side, has he threw for 318 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, to go along with 119 rushing yards on nine carries and that long touchdown.

Miami improves to 2-0 with the win, while Baltimore drops to 1-1, and Dolphins fans will be fully Tua-pilled after this game if they weren’t already.

Last month, following a lengthy period of disturbing behavior, Ezra Miller announced they were seeking help for what they described as “complex mental health issues.” They had been repeatedly arrested in Hawaii. They had been busted for theft. There had been claims that they had started a cult. That may all be behind them now, but a new Vanity Fair piece made public some more alarming claims about what they’d been up to.

The publication spoke to more than a dozen people who had either lived with or were still living at Miller’s secluded Vermont compound, which they call “The Mountain.” There, Miller lords over what was described as a “court harem” that was a kind of “patriarchal dictatorship” in which “Ezra controls all the sex as the man, and plays the women against each other, screams at them, belittles them in front of the others.”

During a trip to Iceland, Miller reportedly befriended a 55-year-old Native spiritual adviser named Jasper Young Bear, who would tell Miller they were “the next Messiah and that the Freemasons were sending demons out to kill [them].”

Those living at the Mountain claim that when Miller returned to the Mountain, he was prone to “grandiose speechifying.” They would refer to themselves as alternately Jesus or the devil, and they’ve hatched a bizarre narrative in which they and Tokata Iron Eyes, the 18-year-old non-binary person he’s alleged to have groomed, form a “union” that is “supposed to bring about the apocalypse.” What’s more, Miller has spoken about how the Flash, their DCEU character, is the Jesus of the DC’s multiverse.

There’s also reportedly lots of weapons and ammo, as well as an altar made of “bullets, weed, sage and Flash figurines.”

Speaking of the Flash, it was reportedly the role that got Miller to seek help. The notion that their role as Barry Allen was at risk was a wake-up call,” their rep told Vanity Fair. Indeed, as Miller’s antics filled the news, there was lots of speculation about how Warner Bros. Discovery would handle their $200 million Flash solo movie, which they stood by even as they buried another DC movie featuring Michael Keaton returning as Batman: Batgirl.

And yet Warner Bros. Discovery is sticking by The Flash and by their star, even reportedly offering plenty of NDAs in what three sources described as a “whack-a-mole style legal strategy of paying off alleged victims.” Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports about how seriously Miller is taking his treatment.

You can read the whole shocking Vanity Fair piece here.