Category: Trending

The New York Giants first drive of the 2023 NFL season was a dominant one, as they leaned on the Cowboys for nearly seven minutes, running it down the field deep into Dallas territory. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley were able to gash Dallas for big runs over and over, but once they got into the red zone, the drive stalled out.

After a bad snap on third down pushed the Giants back to their own 27, they had to settle for a field goal that got blocked clean by Juanyeh Thomas and scooped up by Noah Igbinoghene and returned all the way for a touchdown.

It was an incredible job by Thomas to leap between two Giants blockers to get a free run into the backfield and easily block the ball off of the foot of Graham Gano, and then it bounced perfectly up to Igbinoghene, who had nothing but open turf in front of him, working his way down the sideline for the score. After such a beautifully executed drive by the Giants, it had to be extremely deflating seeing it end not only without them putting points on the board, but giving Dallas a 6-point lead themselves — the Cowboys would have their own kicking issue, missing the extra point.

New York’s second drive did not go nearly as well, as they went 3-and-out, with a Micah Parsons sack punctuating things on third down, leading to some serious frustration from the Giants faithful at MetLife Stadium.

The third drive got even worse, as a checkdown on 3rd and 19 to Saquon Barkley resulted in a pick-six after Trevon Diggs put his helmet on the ball as Barkley pulled the ball in and it popped up directly to Daron Bland, who jogged in for the Cowboys second non-offensive touchdown of the first quarter

The final day of the 2023 WNBA regular season brought clarity to the playoff picture, as the eight teams that clinched playoff berths are now able to prepare for their first round series.

The Aces secured the top-seed in the playoffs, with the Liberty in the 2-seed on the opposite side of the bracket with the wide expectation being that the two superteams will meet in the Finals. However, to get there, they will each have to win two series, starting with a Best of 3 in the first round and then a Best of 5 in the semis (and Finals). The Aces will open up against the 8-seed Chicago Sky, while the Liberty will face the 7-seed Washington Mystics (who beat them on a buzzer-beater on Sunday).

The other two matchups will feature the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream in the 4-5 matchup, while the Connecticut Sun will face the Minnesota Lynx, and each of those squads will have designs on spoiling a Liberty-Aces playoff series. While there isn’t as much variance in the early rounds now that the first round is a 3-game series rather than a 1-game playoff, it’s still a short enough series that one loss can bring an awful lot of pressure as it means the higher seed will have to go on the road for Game 3 and inspire a lot of belief in an underdog.

The full TV schedule for each series is also out, with ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 carrying each game.

1. Las Vegas Aces vs. 8. Chicago Sky

Game 1: Wednesday, Sept. 13; 10:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 2: Sunday, Sept. 17; 3:00 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 3: Wednesday, Sept. 20; TBD (ESPN)

4. Dallas Wings vs. 5. Atlanta Dream

Game 1: Friday, Sept. 15; 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Game 2: Tuesday, Sept. 19; 9:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 3: Friday, Sept. 22; TBD (ESPN2)

2. New York Liberty vs. 7. Washington Mystics

Game 1: Friday, Sept. 15; 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Game 2: Tuesday, Sept. 19; 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 3: Friday, Sept. 22; TBD (ESPN2)

3. Connecticut Sun vs. 6. Minnesota Lynx

Game 1: Wednesday, Sept. 13; 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 2: Sunday, Sept. 17; 1:00 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 3: Wednesday, Sept. 20; TBD (ESPN)

Aaron Donald is entering his 10th season in the NFL, but the Rams defensive tackle has already cemented himself as one of the NFL’s all-time greatest defenders. The 7-time All-Pro and 3-time Defensive Player of the Year has been terrorizing opposing offenses since his arrival to the league in 2014, helping lead the Rams to a Super Bowl title two years ago.

This year, the Rams come into the season with very different expectations after a rather disastrous 2022, but Donald is still there (despite flirtations with retirement) and that means their defensive front still must be given the utmost respect. Opposing quarterbacks know that you have to always be keenly aware of where No. 99 is on the field at all times, because there is nothing worse than seeing him bearing down on you.

Geno Smith knows that and on Sunday afternoon we all learned that even NFL starting quarterbacks have the same terrified reaction that we all would in that situation, as the field mics in Seattle picked up Smith yelling “OH MY GOD” before hurriedly throwing a ball away to avoid getting planted by Donald in the backfield.

This is some truly great television and the NFL is the absolute best when it comes to having mics picking things up on the field. Donald turns the corner on that stunt up front and has no one between him and Smith, and as soon as Geno sees that 99 in free space he can’t help but blurt out what all of us would (well, either that or “oh shit”) and wisely dirts the ball to preserve his health.

Last week, some four months after being found guilty of two cases of sexual assault, actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison. But that’s not the end of the story. In the wake of the sentencing, it was made public that Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, his fellow That ‘70s Show alumni, had written letters of support for him. What’s more, it prompted someone to dig up a damning old clip.

As per Insider, the clip is taken from a 2002 appearance Kunis and Kutcher made on The Rosie O’Donnell Show. During the chat, Kutcher said he was 19 when That ‘70s Show started. Kunis, meanwhile, was all of 14. Kutcher had been told that the two of them would be “making out,” despite how young Kunis was. “And I’m like thinking this is slightly illegal, right?” he said.

But Masterson had an idea. “Danny goes, ‘Dude, I’ll give you $10 if you French kiss her,’” Kunis recalled. Kutcher interjected, saying she was making it sound worse than it was.

Still, Kutcher said he’d take the bet. Alas, Kunis remembered that she wouldn’t “let him,” adding, “He never got his tongue in my mouth.”

Kunis also said this happened during the first week, saying, “I was a 14-year-old little girl and I was extremely scared for my life.”

The story was told as a typical comical talk show anecdote. Jump some two decades later and it’s gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

Kunis and Kutcher have been under fire for both their letters in support of Masterson and for a video in which they responded to the backlash, which was seen by some as not unlike a “hostage video.”

(Via Insider)

Rapper Nas has been on a musical run lately, thanks partly to his collaborative partnership with producer Hit-Boy. The pair’s latest work, Magic 2, hit streaming platforms in July and was quickly met with fans’ praise. But, a cryptic video shared on Nas’ official Instagram page now has fans wondering if their streak is ending.

The video uploaded on Friday, September 8, has fans questioning whether or not Nas is thinking about officially retiring from rap. In the short visual, after the scenes transition from a static-filled screen, the words “The Finale” scroll into the frame before fading to black. With no other context given, the upload’s empty caption section and Nas’ recently cleared profile, supporters were sent into a frenzy. They rushed to the comment area to seek further information.

“The finale?!? Of this chapter? This book? Don’t play with my life like this, Nasir,” wrote one fan.

“Nas & Hit-Boy Finale. One of the greatest runs in hip-hop history! Bar none. Six albums in four years…,” another exclaimed.

While another person flat-out begged, writing, “Bruh, please do not retire.”

Some else chimed in to speculate that the clip was referring to Nas closing out his previous album series. “It’s the finale to ‘King’s Disease.’ The G.O.A.T. is going to be rapping until he’s carried by six,” penned the users.

In 2021, during an interview with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden, Nas spoke about his bond with Hit-Boy, who’s played a pivotal role in his past few musical releases. “He was able to play music for me that would conjure up these thoughts and these feelings, and I give it to him, man. Just the encouragement that he gave me was really good. It was really something that I needed, especially because he’s younger than me and he’s recording records for multiple artists. In the studio, he’s got this room working, he’s got that room, and I’m meeting different artists, and he’s doing it, but he’s still focused on me, but he’s still working,” said Nas.

The truth is unclear, but if fans ruled the world, Nas would be rapping until he could no longer pick up a microphone.

The Baltimore Ravens didn’t look as sharp as they might’ve liked in Week 1 of the 2023 season, but they were able to cruise to a 25-9 win over the Houston Texans in their opener to start 1-0.

The concern for Baltimore exiting the game is the health of some key offensive players, as running back J.K. Dobbins was helped to the locker room in the third quarter and offensive linemen Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum each left the game with leg injuries. While Stanley and Linderbaum will be monitored going forward, unfortunately Dobbins’ season is over after he suffered a torn achilles, as head coach John Harbaugh confirmed after the game.

Dobbins had eight carries for 22 yards and a touchdown in the game prior to the injury, and was hopeful to carve out a big role alongside Lamar Jackson in the backfield in Todd Monken’s offense. Unfortunately, the former Ohio State star will miss yet another full season after sitting out all of 2021 with a torn ACL, as the young running back has been snakebitten by injuries to start his career.

For the Ravens, they’ll lean on Gus Edwards and Justice Hill in the running game in the immediate, while potentially looking outside their current roster for some additional help in the backfield. The offense wasn’t particularly crisp in the opener, as Houston played well on defense in DeMeco Ryans’ head coaching debut, and with some health questions now about the offensive line and Dobbins being done for the year, they will have some work to do heading into a Week 2 showdown with the Bengals.

Joe Biden loves an old-timey insult. He’s the guy who brought “malarkey” back. A number of years ago he dropped one that’s way more over-the-top: He’s called those allergic to the truth “lying dog-faced pony soldiers” (!!). On Sunday he busted it out again, this time to describe climate change deniers.

As per Mediaite, Biden was in Hanoi to wind down his visit to the G20 summit, which was held in New Delhi, India. He was asked a question about the phasing out of fossil fuels, about which the 20 participating nations have yet to reach a consensus. That inspired him to bust out a story about his brother, Francis, who liked to quote what he said was a John Wayne movie where he plays a Native American scout dealing with Native Americans and the Union soldiers who claim they’ll help them.

But the Native Americans are skeptical. One of them, Biden said, “looks at John Wayne and points to the Union soldier and says, ‘He’s a lying, dog-faced pony soldier.’”

Biden thought the line also applied to some other people. “Well, there’s a lot of lying, dog-faced pony soldiers out there about — about global warming,” he said. “But not anymore. All of a sudden, they’re all realizing it’s a problem. And there’s nothing like seeing the light.”

Granted, Republicans have still not widely admitted that this summer’s alarming weather has caused them to do a 180 on climate change.

Biden has never named the John Wayne film he’s quoting. But when he used the “lying, dog-faced pony soldiers” line back in 2020, a Slate article deduced that he’s probably referring not to a John Wayne picture but the Tyrone Power-starring Pony Soldier, from 1952, in which a Native American chief says, “The pony soldier speaks with a tongue of the snake that rattles.” But, to quote another John Wayne movie, print the legend.

It’s another recent instance of Biden being punchy. Last week he dragged Donald Trump, pointing out that he “didn’t build a damn thing” during his lone term in office.

(Via Mediaite)

Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker has reportedly been suspended without pay two weeks into his third season in East Lansing amid an investigation by the school into allegations he sexually harassed Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor who runs a non-profit Tucker worked with to educate athletes about sexual violence.

A report from Kenny Jacoby of USA Today detailed the allegations, with the bombshell being Tucker admitted to investigators he masturbated during a phone call he had with Tracy. Tucker alleged it was consensual phone sex, but Tracy denied that being the case and detailed her horror at the experience, saying it only served to reopen the trauma of her past. The full report from Jacoby details the working relationship between Tucker and Tracy, how things arrived at the phone call at the center of the school’s investigation, and how Tucker and his attorney tried to stop the investigation.

On Sunday, the school’s president and athletic director called a 5 p.m. press conference. Brett McMurphy initially reported they will announce that Tucker has been fired, but Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press reports he will be suspended with pay pending the final outcome of the investigation, which has hearings set for October, and, per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, he has not been fired (at least yet).

Tucker signed a massive 10-year, $95 million fully guaranteed contract after going 11-2 in his first season, but it does include language that terminates that guarantee if he is fired for cause — which this would certainly fall under. The university will face questions about how long it took to arrive at this decision and the timing of it all, only moving to discipline him after the news became public

There likely aren’t many good answers, as there rarely are in a situation like this, but it’s clear the investigation by Michigan State yielded enough concern about Tucker’s actions and the veracity of the allegations to remove him from the program until the full process has been completed.

The 50th anniversary of hip-hop has inspired a host of award show tributes, dedications to the genre’s unsung heroes, and a look back at fashion across the decades. Even the White House has taken a moment to highlight the cultural phenomenon. On Saturday, September 9, Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a special concert at her home in Washington, DC, to celebrate the milestone.

Although the lineup was jam-packed with several heavy hitters within the space, Lil Wayne’s performance is all users on social media can talk about, thanks to a clip from The Hollywood Reporter.

The song that has viewers quite literally laughing out loud is his 2008 song “Mrs. Officer.”

As the video starts, Lil Wayne grooves out to the chorus before rapping, “Yeah, doing a buck in the latest drop / I got stopped by a lady cop / She got me thinking I can date a cop / ‘Cause her uniform pants are so tight / She read me my rights / She put me in a car, she cut off all the lights / She said I have the right to remain silent / Now I got her hollering, sounding like a siren.”

When Lil Wayne originally recorded the song, it seemed to be a way to put a spin on his relationship with the law. However, given VP Harris’ past as a prosecutor and then a district attorney, on top of Wayne’s previous legal entanglements, many couldn’t help but find the humor in that song selection.

“I feel like the world right now is just one big episode of the Boondocks at this point ,” wrote one person.

Another applauded Lil Wayne for his comical foresight, writing, “This had to have been intentional. Too on the nose…it’s giving Veep parallel universe, lol. I need the camera to cut to the aids looking at each other, stunned .”

“The irony is too good,” chimed another.

Based on the crowd’s reaction, another person questioned if the joke was lost on those attending the event. “I wonder how many people at the event caught what Lil Wayne did by performing this specific song at the residence of this specific Vice President ,” they wrote.

“Between Harris being an ex-prosecutor and Weezy avoiding prison on a gun charge by endorsing Trump in exchange for a pardon, this is pretty f*cking funny,” posted another.

On the final day of the WNBA regular season, the New York Liberty were looking to enter the playoffs on a 9-game winning streak and give themselves a chance to match the Las Vegas Aces for the WNBA’s best record. To do that, they would need to take down the Washington Mystics at home, but found themselves in a tight game late as Brittney Sykes (20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and Natasha Cloud (17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) each had big games for Washington to keep pace with the high-powered Liberty offense.

Tied at 88-88 in the closing seconds, the Mystics got the ball to longtime star Elena Delle Donne, but the former MVP wasn’t able to get a game-winning attempt to the rim because Breanna Stewart got a hand on it and blocked it out of bounds with 0.5 on the clock.

That set up an inbounds that would require an immediate catch-and-shoot for the Mystics to have a chance of winning in regulation, and they dialed up a beautiful play to get Sykes free in the lane, lobbing it to the guard who caught it and shot it all in one motion while hanging in the air.

It’s a great play drawn up by the Mystics and terrific execution, as the lob gets just over the outstretched arms of Stewart, who Sykes rises over to catch and finish. The win improved the Mystics to 19-21, moving them into a tie with the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream for the league’s fifth best record as the playoffs arrive, although both teams hold tiebreakers over them. Still, it’s an impressive win and only boosts the Mystics’ confidence as they get set for postseason play, rallying from an 0-6 start to the season to finish strong and reach the playoffs.