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The 2021 MTV VMAs are right around the corner and the host will be none other than the 2020 VMAs standout Doja Cat, according to Variety. After announcing Doja would be one of this year’s performers alongside Lil Nas X, Machine Gun Kelly, and Olivia Rodrigo, the show’s producers evidently wanted more of Doja’s quirky, electric energy on stage, perhaps believing her “go-with-it” attitude could help keep a handle on any unexpected shenanigans.

Doja’s proved pretty good at rolling with unusual occurrences, turning a recent fall into some impromptu choreo, so having her host could come in handy should the VMAs’ penchant for unscripted antics rear its head. She’s also proved to be immune to being canceled, joking that she’s survived fan backlashes “maybe 350 times,” which gives more support to her case.

The hosting selection caps an eventful year for the rising star, who released her third album Planet Her in June after performing her breakout hit song “Say So” at the 2021 Grammys. The album turned out to be her highest charting one to date, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, spending four weeks at that position. She previously performed “Say So” at last year’s VMAs, impressing with an intergalactic rendition of the track blended into a medley with “Like That.”

The VMAs are set for September 12 at the Barclay’s Center in New York.

As Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, Brie Larson seldom gets the chance to show off the muscles that she must maintain for the gig (so as to better hop from planet to planet and even rescue Tony Stark). Still, however, they exist underneath the suit, and Larson is not opposed to posting the customary social media photos to show off her hard work. On Wednesday, the Oscar winner did just that with a notable caption: “My hobby appears to be taking up new hobbies.”

Larson then posted two photos of herself enjoying some archery, and her back muscles are looking mighty ripped.

She certainly comes by the accomplishment honestly. One of Larson’s most popular Instagram posts shows off this painful looking maneuver (below). Yeah, it’s no wonder she could go up against the Mad Titan like no other Avenger (not even Thor).

Speaking of other Avengers, however, responses to Larson’s day of archery led to a lot of remarks about Clint Barton/Hawkeye. Granted, there’s some fun that could be had with this association, since Disney+’s new Hawkeye series is coming soon with Hailee Stanfield on board as Kate Bishop and Florence Pugh bringing Yelena Belova to liven up the party. No one has suggested, yet, that Captain Marvel will be making an appearance, and it’s worth noting that Larson called archery a “hobby,” not work prep. Sometimes, photos are only photos! Still, the Hawkeye jokes rolled into her replies.

Spike Lee has been on a roll the last few years, finally (finally!) winning an Oscar, having mid-pandemic streamer hits with Da 5 Bloods and American Utopia, and once again becoming a staple of commercials and the like. But the esteemed filmmaker and personality ran into some trouble recently when journalists revealed that the final episode of his new documentary series NYC EPICENTERS 9/11➔2021½ has some, shall we say, questionable content. Namely, it features quite a lot of conspiracy theorists floating wacko theories about the September 11 attacks. The furor has been such that Spike is doing something he’s never done before: He’s going back and re-working his work.

As per The New York Times — which ran the interview that inspired the controversy — Spike dropped a note on HBO’s press screener platform. “I’m Back In The Editing Room And Looking At The Eighth And Final Chapter Of NYC EPICENTERS 9/11➔2021½,” he wrote, using the capitalization-happy style he likes to use on social media. “I Respectfully Ask You To Hold Your Judgment Until You See The FINAL CUT.”

As per NYT, the final episode “prominently featured members of the conspiracy group Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, who push the debunked idea that the towers of the World Trade Center were brought down by a controlled demolition, not by terrorists who flew jetliners into the Twin Towers.”

Spike also included scientists and other non-conspiracy theorists who refuted those claims. But people accused him of giving them too close to equal time, on top of offering conspiracists a prominent platform — and in an episode that was scheduled to air on the 20th anniversary of the attack.

The filmmaker himself defended the inclusion of 9/11 “truthers,” even seeming to agree with some of their positions, including the debunked line about melting steel. “My approach is put the information in the movie and let people decide for themselves,” he said only two days before reversing course. “I respect the intelligence of the audience.”

(Via NYT)

The Jump, ESPN’s daily basketball talk show hosted by longtime network personality Rachel Nichols, came to its unceremonious end on Wednesday. The news of its cancelation was reported by John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, which included a quote from ESPN producer David Roberts confirming that there’s now a hole in the network’s Monday to Friday afternoon schedule.

The report noted that Nichols could be done at the Worldwide Leader entirely, with her contract keeping her at ESPN for another year but the expectation being that she won’t appear on television. Whatever is next for Nichols is still very much up in the air, but shortly after the SBJ report dropped, she took to Twitter and celebrated the show as it reached its conclusion.

We do know that ESPN’s early plan is to put another basketball show in the spot formerly occupied by The Jump, which had been on air in recent weeks but saw Malika Andrews take over hosting duties. The difference would be in the format, as Andrew Marchand of the New York Post noted that ESPN wants it to look more like NFL Live.

Nichols is in the midst of her second stint with ESPN, having been with the company from 2004-13 before returning in 2016. She has come under fire in recent months as audio from a hot mic that Nichols had on during the NBA’s Orlando Bubble caught her saying that now-former colleague Maria Taylor got the opportunity to host ESPN’s Finals coverage due to the network’s poor record with diversity.

What If…? (Disney+ series) — We’re in the multiverse, baby. The MCU’s officially launching headfirst into that realm after Loki‘s season finale, and this show’s Twitter account clarified official participation as well. And that sounds about right. I’ve been looking forward to these alternate-reality scenarios since catching D23 footage a few years ago, and Disney+ will show us a wealth of scenarios that stand separate from the existing canon (thus far). Last week, Agent Carter took the serum and became Captain Carter, and then T’Challa materialized as Star Lord. This week, expect Black Widow, Nick Fury, and Loki’s stories to revolve around a murder mystery, and for whatever reason, Tony Stark eats a donut.

Clickbait (Netflix series) — Adrian Grenier plays a loving family man who mysteriously disappears, only to surface in a viral internet video that accuses him of being a domestic abuser who will be killed after a certain number of views. No one’s sure whether this is a confession or a threat, and yikes. This promises to be (according to the synopsis) a “high stakes thriller that explores the ways in which our most dangerous and uncontrolled impulses are fueled in the age of social media,” but it sounds awfully stressful.

Archer (FXX, 10:00pm) — Season 12 begins with an identity crisis after the gang halts a nuclear catastrophe, and the only reward is a stay at a rat-infested hotel. Then a team-building exercise doesn’t go as planned for The Agency.

Evil: Season 2 (Paramount+ series) — A skeptical psychologist and a Catholic priest in training team up in a bit of an X-Files dynamic that’s exclusively focused upon unsolved mysteries within the church. Expect an examination of true evil as scientific and religious perspectives face off.

Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes (Netflix series) — A small Norwegian town takes center stage due to its stagnant death rate, which is causing a family-driven funeral home to suffer. One of those family members, Live Hallangen, dies and wakes up on a forensic table, and she’s dying of hunger. This leads her to quite a conundrum: will she help the family business survive by helping herself survive, and by sacrificing the lives of the town’s residents? Dark stuff.

Riverdale (CW, 8:00pm) — Following a bizarre time jump and, uh, literal war, Season 5 sees Archie attempting to sort out his Army-induced trauma while Eric struggles with his own PTSD. Elsewhere, the gang’s taking up the case of the Lonely Highway killer with Betty and Tabitha taking the lead.

American Horror Story: Double Feature (FX, 10:00pm) — A struggling writer moves to an isolated town to buckle down for winter. Sound familiar? Well, this story takes place in a beach town, not the Overlook Hotel, and there are “residents” in the town that won’t lie low.

Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (Comedy Central, 10:00pm) — Awkwafina’s semi-autobiographical series returns for a second season, in which she gazes into the future with starry eyes. In the present, however, Nora and Melanie are mourning the NYC that used to be while Grandma receives a visitor.

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Bradley Whitford, Lorde.

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Michael Keaton, Teyonah Parris, Chris Stapleton

In case you missed this streaming pick from last Wednesday:

Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu series) — Nicole Kidman’s one of several A-listers who’ve made themselves at home on the so-called “small screen” in recent years, and after a few Emmys and a Golden Globe for Big Little Lies and a Globe nomination for The Undoing, she’s not done yet. She portrays a wellness guru that might remind you of certain celebrities who shill bizarre products and claim that they’ll change your life with a dash of snake oil. Yes, the Paddington villain is here to shake up your little world again.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is widely considered to be the least-great Star Wars movie (it’s still a Star Wars movie, so it’s not that bad). Donald Glover is a fun Lando Calrissian; the White Worms are a cool weird alien design; and the train heist is a genuinely thrilling set piece. Of course, the sequence would be a lot more fun if Val, played by Thandiwe Newton, didn’t die at the end for no reason. This was not the original plan, however.

“I felt disappointed by Star Wars that my character was killed. And, actually, in the script, she wasn’t killed. It happened during filming,” the Westworld actress told Inverse. “And it was much more just to do with the time we had to do the scenes. It’s much easier just to have me die than it is to have me fall into a vacuum of space so I can come back sometime.” The scene in the script had her falling “and you don’t know where she’s gone. So I could have come back at some point.” But that proved to be too complicated and expensive, “so they just had me blow up and I’m done.” Newton continued:

“But I remembered at the time thinking, ‘This is a big, big mistake’ — not because of me, not because I wanted to come back. You don’t kill off the first Black woman to ever have a real role in a Star Wars movie. Like, are you f*cking joking?”

The only women of color with lead roles in the 11 Star Wars movies are Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico (who was sidelined for much of The Rise of Skywalker), Newton as Val (who died), and Naomi Ackie as Jannah (who had little to do in Rise). Newton’s right: that is a big, big mistake, one that needs to be rectified in future Star Wars projects.

(Via Inverse)

When Saints Row first released it was a bizarre, but albeit mediocre, Grand Theft Auto clone. However, there was one part about it that separated it from GTA and would go on to become the bread and butter of the franchise. It was incredibly over the top. Not that GTA was ever known for being tame, but Saints Row took everything up another level whether it was the hit missions that required beating up people in hot dog suits, or throwing yourself into traffic to commit insurance fraud. The game was a relative success, with everyone praising the more absurd aspects of it, and every game afterward built on what made the first game work.

Once we reached Saints Row IV and Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell the development team had really run out of options. They gave their characters superpowers, blew up the earth, and tackled God. For a franchise that had been built on absurdity, there was nowhere else to go. This is why it wasn’t really all that surprising to find out that they were planning to reboot the game.

After teasing the reboot on social media for a few days, Saints Row was officially announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live. The trailer featured a group of friends getting ready to ambush a deal gone wrong so they could steal their weapons. However, mid-theft they’re caught and are chased all across a town that is a less than subtle nod to the American southwest. Amidst the trailer, we get to see some of that classic Saints Row absurdity before it ends on a shot of the main character.

This was a fun way to announce the revival of the Saints Row franchise. It’s been six years since the last game and fans have been anticipating a new one for quite some time. We were lucky enough to see the game early and we can say that, while it will feel familiar, this is still going to be a very different Saints Row game.

Let’s start with the new. The biggest difference being the Southwest America setting that the game is going to be taking place in. The fictional town of Santo Ileso is something like a weird mix of Las Vegas and New Mexico. This is a big change from the previous two games which were set in the metropolitan Stilwater and Steelport. While the world itself has been advertised as the largest they’ve ever built, there’s a different feel to this setting compared to the previous cities. The previous games were dominated by an urban setting that featured skyscrapers and alleyways. This setting helped contribute to the larger-than-life feeling that the game’s previous protagonists all lived with.

The new Santo Ileso setting, at least from early video and screenshots, doesn’t give off quite the same vibe. They have promised an urban setting, but anyone that’s ever been to Vegas can confirm that there’s much more to the American Southwest than just the Vegas Strip. It feels more enclosed. Buildings aren’t quite as big. Looking off in the distance shows mountains and desert. This helps everything feel more packed in and assists with the more grounded story the developers are trying to tell.

“Saints Row is a reboot.” said CCO of Deep Silver Volition, Jim Boone. “This is a chance for us to go back to our origins and get back to that more contemporary crime angle, that we love and what Saints Row is known for. It was a great opportunity for us to tell the story we wanted to tell and most importantly tell a story that is contemporary that we think the people will relate to.”

Creating a story that is meant to be contemporary is obviously a stark difference from previous games where the idea of the main character being a murdering psychopath was played off for laughs. The way they made sure nobody ever felt weird about that fact was by making sure everything around the character was even more over the top than them. Villains? Somehow even more murderous. The setting? Yeah sure gang fights are going to take place and that’s just a part of life. By the third game, the Third Street Saints were pop culture icons. This was a world that matched the characters in it and the reboot will need to do the same if a contemporary setting is going to work.

One way they’re trying to emphasize how this game is different is that, during the presentation, none of the developers ever called the player group a “gang” but instead chose to call them a business. Members of the business were “employees” and not gang members. This implies a game that is trying to move away from the street gang origins of the original and move into something a little different.

While the setting and characters may be new, this is still a Saints Row game and that means there are going to see familiarities. For example, the city has been divided up into three different groups all with different personalities and quirks. Each group owns a different portion of the city and the player will be battling them for territory throughout the game. That was the original Saints Row formula and it is nice to see it returning. However, unlike previous games, instead of just throwing opposition groups into random districts they’re meant to reflect the personalities of the areas they reside in.

“This is the most variety that we’ve ever packed into a Saints Row game.” said Frank Marquart, Art Director at Deep Silver Volition. “Rancho Providencia has a grittier, weathered identity to it that reflect the Panteros home turf. The El Dorado district is grime mixed with glitz, with colorful and illuminated nighttime displays competing for attention. And in contrast Monte Vista offers pools and parties. Home to gated communities of the rich and powerful.”

There will of course be side-missions to complete and this is where we are going to find the most of that old Saints Row feeling. Even if the main story is going for a more grounded feel that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun throwing ourselves into traffic. These side missions have always been the heart and soul of the Saints Row franchise and it just wouldn’t be the same without them.

Gemma Colón was dining at Local 92 in the East Village in New York City when she witnessed a wonderful sight—a man eating dinner with his dog. Now, it’s not uncommon to see a dog hanging out on an outdoor dining patio but this pooch was perfectly perched on a seat and looked more civil than most humans.

“I was presented with one of the most unexpectedly heartwarming views,” Colón told The Dodo. “I noticed this dog seated across from his owner, perched upon a chair, acting like an absolute proper gentleman.”

In the video, the man can be seen politely sipping on a glass of red wine, enjoying a crossword puzzle while his dog enjoyed a bowl of water. We’re unsure whether the dog’s water was bottled, sparkling, or New York tap.

The image of a man eating with his dog shows how wonderful our bond with our pets can be. It’s also a tribute to whoever trained this magnificent dog. Most dogs would be running around trying to grab an appetizer off someone’s plate.

According to Colón, the sighting wasn’t a one-time occurrence. “I heard a waitress comment on how good the dog was at one point, and the man replied saying he brings the dog with him everywhere,” Colón said. “It definitely seemed like a very pleasant date, with lovely company.”

Khalid’s career is off to a hot start: After establishing himself as one of the most promising up-and-comers with his 2017 debut album American Teen, he had his first No. 1 album with 2019’s Free Spirit. Now he’s working on his third album, Everything Is Changing. That album was given an approximate release window of this fall, but now it appears that may be in jeopardy.

On Twitter today, Khalid revealed that he’s feeling “overwhelmed” trying to finish the album, saying, “I only wanna be the artist I want to be, because creating is what keeps me from losing my my mind but my passion goes away a little more every day. I just want to finish this album and it’s really driving me crazy at this point.”

He went on to suggest that the album may be released later than initially anticipated (without explicitly announcing a delay), writing, “I’m gonna refocus, finish this album without stress, and put out something that I truthfully believe in. I’ma be me at the end of the day, that’s all I can be.”

Find Khalid’s tweets below.

“I only wanna be the artist I want to be, because creating is what keeps me from losing my my mind but my passion goes away a little more every day. I just want to finish this album and it’s really driving me crazy at this point. I ain’t even wanna come on here ranting but I gotta get this out of me lol.

I’m really sorry to keep you guys waiting for this album because I want it to be out more than anyone, so much that finishing it has became overwhelming and I need to find that joy again. I started this album and I felt free, like creativity was pouring out of me. I have some songs on here I know will change my life. I need to get back to making music how I want to make. the people who have gotten to know me over the years, I have faith that you’ll feel this music because it’s been authentic to me.

from American Teen until now I’ve made it my initiative to remain authentic to myself and who I am as an artist/person even when I had no idea what I was doing, I always trust my intuition. I write all this music from my soul, and will continue to do so. The only album I’m putting out is an album that I’m 100 percent in love with. I just can’t change myself to please anybody, I gotta live with myself at the end of the day so ima do what I want to do. when it gets to the point that the music I want out comes out… I got so much faith that it will resonate with you guys.

I’m gonna refocus, finish this album without stress, and put out something that I truthfully believe in. I’ma be me at the end of the day, that’s all I can be. I LOVE YOU GUYS. coming on here and speaking to you guys reminds me how much love we mutually have for each other. Thank you for supporting me because none of the success was possible without you guys holding me down. and that’s why ima keep doing this sh*t!”

Just as the NBA Finals were getting set to begin, a bombshell story emerged about internal dysfunction at ESPN that dated back to the Orlando Bubble when Rachel Nichols made comments on a live mic to a PR exec about Maria Taylor, claiming she only got her role hosting Finals coverage because she was Black and ESPN had issues with diversity.

The fallout from that was swift, as Nichols was removed from sideline duty for the Finals, with Malika Andrews taking her place, while Taylor eventually left ESPN for NBC as soon as the Bucks won the NBA title. Nichols offered an apology on her first episode of The Jump following the story becoming public and hosted the show through the Finals, but has not been on the airwaves recently, with Andrews hosting the show’s schedule release special, raising some questions about Nichols’ future with the network.

On Wednesday, ESPN confirmed that Nichols would not be returning to their NBA coverage this coming season, with The Jump being cancelled and a new NBA afternoon show taking its place — although there are no specifics on that show in terms of format or host at this time. ESPN’s David Roberts confirmed the news to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal in a statement.

“We mutually agreed that this approach regarding our NBA coverage was best for all concerned,” ESPN Senior VP/Production David Roberts said in a statement emailed to SBJ. “Rachel is an excellent reporter, host and journalist, and we thank her for her many contributions to our NBA content.” Roberts took over as the production exec overseeing ESPN’s NBA coverage two weeks ago, and this marks his first big move to reset how the network covers the NBA. Many more changes are coming, particularly on the studio side, sources said.

It is a major shift for ESPN’s NBA coverage, as Nichols has been one of the faces of the network’s NBA coverage for years and will now be off TV completely, likely through the remainder of her contract which has one year remaining, per SBJ. What comes next will be fascinating to see, as there will be an entirely new NBA studio show created in the next couple months, which one would anticipate launching just prior to the new NBA season tipping off in October, and as Ourand notes, a number of other changes to come as they still need to replace Taylor on the NBA Countdown desk and more.

Per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, the new NBA show is going to be modeled after NFL Live.

As for Nichols, her future seems very much in doubt as it seems likely she’s done at ESPN after her contract runs up and where she goes from there remains to be seen.