Category: Viral

The Minnesota Lynx will play for a WNBA championship. The Lynx played host to the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of their semifinal series on Tuesday night at the Target Center, and thanks to a dominant first half performance, Minnesota was able to defend its home court and pick up an 88-77 victory that will send them to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017.

While the Sun came out and held a 5-point lead in the opening moments of the game, the Lynx were dominant throughout the first quarter. Whether it was their crisp, efficient performance on the offensive end of the floor or their usually stingy defense, Minnesota looked like a team worthy of competing for a championship, as the team closed out the first on a 27-9 run to take a 31-18 lead into the second.

In particular, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams used the first quarter to set the tone they wanted to set in a win-or-go-home Game 5. The former scored 10 points and knocked down a pair of threes in the opening frame, while the latter had nine points and three assists.

The second quarter was much of the same, as Minnesota continued to take it to Connecticut behind the three-headed monster of McBride, Williams, and Napheesa Collier. In particular, the Lynx’s ability to turn the Sun’s mistakes into points led to easy buckets that built up their lead to as many as 21 points — Minnesota scored 12 points on 10 first-half turnovers, while Connecticut failed to score a single point off of the four turnovers they generated.

As a result, the Lynx went into the locker room flying high, holding onto a 53-34 lead that seemed nearly insurmountable. Williams led all scorers with 15 points, McBride had 14, and Collier nearly had a double-double with 13 points and seven rebounds. For Connecticut, Marina Mabrey led the way despite hurting her ankle during the first half, scoring eight points in 12 minutes off the bench.

With their backs fully against the wall, the Sun came out of the locker room at halftime and, despite some issues scoring from the field, were able to get to the free throw line and cut into the lead. They started the third quarter on a 7-0 run, with five of those points coming from the charity stripe. But while it took them nearly four and a half minutes to get their first bucket of the frame, Minnesota took advantage of Connecticut being cold from the field by ripping off 12 straight points and extending their lead to as many as 24.

The Lynx did not score a point on either side of that run, but their defense was able to limit the Sun to only 14 points in the third — they closed the period on another 7-0 run, but were unable to cut into the lead any more, which meant that Minnesota went into the fourth holding onto a 65-48 lead. And while Connecticut’s offense had, by far, its best quarter in the fourth, the team was just not able to put together enough stops to get the deficit down to single digits.

Collier put forth a monster effort to lead her team, going for 27 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and a steal. Williams was likewise brilliant with 24 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block, while McBride went for 19 points. For Connecticut, four players scored in double figures, with Dijonai Carrington (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Brionna Jones (16 points, 10 rebounds) registering double-doubles.

With the win, Minnesota earned a spot in the WNBA Finals for the seventh time, which is the most in WNBA history. They will take on the 1-seed in the postseason, the New York Liberty, which earned a spot by taking down the Las Vegas Aces in four games on Sunday. The Lynx and the Liberty faced off three times in the regular season, with Minnesota coming out on top twice. Additionally, the two teams went head-to-head in the Commissioner’s Cup championship, which the Lynx won, 94-89.

Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals will take place on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Limp Bizkit and the band’s frontman Fred Durst are reportedly gearing up for a rough legal battle. According to The Wrap, the “Break Stuff” musicians have filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).

In documents supposedly filed today (October 8) in Los Angeles, California, Limp Bizkit accused UMG of rescission, violating a contract recording agreement, fraudulent concealment, breach of fiduciary duty, intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation and copyright infringement. Along with co-plaintiffs, Fred Durst’s Flawless Records, Limp Bizkit claimed that the music titan owed them $20 million in unpaid royalties. However, based on their calculations once every allegation is tallied up, they believe the damages could “easily surpass” $200 million.

Within the paperwork, Limp Bizkit alleged that UMG falsified financial records to hide what the group was supposedly owed. “Plaintiffs have discovered that, contrary to these claims, not only did UMG never have any intention of paying Plaintiffs, it designed and implemented royalty software and systems that were deliberately designed to conceal artist’s royalties and keep those profits for itself,” read the filing.

Limp Bizkit claimed that although UMG fronted the band millions to record new projects, they eventually recouped the advance. Despite that, UMG alleged still withheld royalty payments. A representative for UMG allegedly told the group that they actually were $43 million away from breaking even.

After reaching out to the label the band initially signed with, Flip Records (before their Interscope deal), Durst was alleged told that Limp Bizkit earned millions through a profit-sharing arrangement with UMG. But Burst claimed they haven’t seen a dollar of that sum.

If the lawsuit plays out in court, Bizkit has requested a jury trial. As of today (October 8), Universal Music Group has not yet responded to the filing.

If Mariah Carey is the unofficial “Queen of Christmas,” then Megan Thee Stallion is Halloween’s fan-crowned princess. Although the “Neva Play” rapper was born after Valentine’s Day, her favorite holiday is Halloween.

Later this month, Megan Thee Stallion will put her love for spooky season on full display. Today (October 8), Megan Thee Stallion took to her official X (formerly Twitter) page to announce the 2024 installment of her annual Hottieween party. On Halloween Day (October 31), Megan and the Hottie are slated to take over Chicago, Illinois for a good cause.

Hottieween is BIGGER than ever this year,” she wrote. “CHICAGO HOTTIES we had so much fun together at ‘Thee Hot Girl Summer Tour,’ so I hadddd to come celebrate Hottieween with y’all.”

The devilish video sets the mood for what’s to come. Every year, Megan Thee Stallion go above and beyond for her costume, which debuts online by way of an elaborate photoshoot head of the event.

At this time, the venue has not yet been revealed. However, in Megan Thee Stallion’s upload she promised that ticket sales will start this Friday, October 11. Hottieween 2024 is sponsored by Nando’s, NYX, True Religion, and more.

While Hottieween is indeed a party, all proceeds from the event go to Megan Thee Stallion’s Pete & Thomas Foundation. The P&T’s mission is to “seek to catalyze resources for women, children, senior citizens, and underserved communities.”

Charli XCX’s brand has become synonymous with neon green. The “Talk Talk” singer’s minimalist Brat album cover took off like wildfire. Since the project’s release, it has been replicated all over the place including the set of a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Even Charli has carried the design into other messaging (the Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat promotional billboards for example). But the cover wasn’t dreamed up as an elaborate concept for virality. Today (October 8), Charli XCX told Zane Lowe during an intimate sit down that it was all just to save money from the body of work’s overall budget.

When asked about the creative vision for the now pop culture phenomena of the album’s neon green background with slightly blurred, low cased text, Charli XCX thanked fans for their reception to it. But when on to discuss its origins.

“I was home,” she said. “The actual first idea of doing a text cover came from wanting to save money. Because I was like, this album is not going to appeal to a lot of people. I think I thought maybe I’d do a press shoot and then save on the album cover and maybe it’s like cool. Seriously. But I’ve also been on every cover of mine apart from ‘Vroom Vroom.’ So it punctuates that pattern in quite a nice way. Also, handy because it’s going to be a lower spend.”

However, not everyone was on board for the design choice. Charli XCX’s manager, creative director, even friends told her to rethink it. “Then everyone was like, that’s the stupidest idea ever,” she said.

Good thing Charli XCX stuck to her guns because it has paid off very well for her bottom line.

Watch Charli XCX’s full interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music above.

Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat is out 10/11 via Atlantic. Find more information here.

The Boys will air for a fifth and final season in 2026. Gen V will air a second season in 2025, and at some point, Vought Rising will detail the origin story of the Compound V-hawking company that caused all of this ruckus. There hasn’t been any word lately on the animated Diabolical series receiving a second season, which is fine. That felt like an appetizer between main courses (and a pandemic tide over, really), but what of those The Boys: Mexico reports?

Previously, Variety reported that Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna would produce (and possibly appear within) that Latin America-based spin off, but The Boys Showrunner Eric Kripke told Entertainment Weekly that this spin off remains far away from being greenlit. It’s still on the table, though:

“They are still making the deal with the writer for the pilot. He has an amazing pitch, and we all giggle and think about how fun it would be. But there are a lot of hurdles for that show before it’s a real show. He’s got to write an amazing pilot, he’s probably got to write an amazing episode 2. I think he can and he will, but we’re a while away from truly starting to drop in the Easter eggs and the setups and stuff.”

Do not despair. Between the two currently running spin offs and one in the works, Supe watchers should be set for at least three years. Prime Video/Amazon will also bring us at least two more Invincible seasons, so corrupt superheroes will not be going away in the near future. Whew.

(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent Love Is Blind episode will be found below.)

While many of you may know that love is not blind, Nick and Vanessa Lachey and Netflix are still adamant in proving otherwise. The Lacheys returned to host a seventh season of Netflix’s Love Is Blind series, which kicked off its seventh season last week weeks after the inaugural Love Is Blind: UK season ended. This season, the Love Is Blind crew is in Washington D.C. where couples from the nation’s capital took a chance on love through emotional connections only — nothing physical until they’re engaged. The first six episodes were released last week and three more are coming this week.

The first six episodes of Love Is Blind revealed seven couples that got engaged in the pods: Garrett & Taylor, Tyler & Ashley, Stephen & Monica, Tim & Alexandra, Nick & Hannah, Ramses & Marissa, and Leo & Brittany. Only six of those couples are still together at this point in the season as Leo and Brittany ended their relationship after a trip to Miami. Now that you’re up to speed on this season, here’s when you can watch the next episodes.

When Do Love Is Blind Episodes 7, 8, and 9 Come Out?

Episodes 7, 8, and 9 of Love Is Blind season seven are available to stream on Netflix on October 9 at 3am EST/12 am PST. This follows a weekly release schedule that began with episodes 1-6 premiering on Netflix back on October 2. After this week, episodes 10 and 11 will arrive on Netflix on October 16 while episode 12, the season finale, will premiere on October 23.

‘Love Is Blind’ season 7 is now streaming on Netflix. Episodes 1-6 are out now.

Even those TV junkies who haven’t watched The Walking Dead can guess that Daryl Dixon is not the most touchy-feely guy. Not that he is completely opposed. He has given the best hugs to those who he truly trusts, but he is more concerned with survival (somebody’s gotta do it) than getting too close to too many people. Sure, there is a rather devoted contingent of fans that is aching to see him get frisky with Carol, but seriously, this doesn’t seem like it would ever happen. Don’t viewers want these two to have a more enduring relationship (like staying best friends)? Come on, y’all.

Daryl has also been ‘shipped with The Walking Dead‘s Connie but only had one romance during the flagship show’s eleven seasons. That would be Leah, and even that didn’t last. With that said, Daryl did have an onscreen kiss on this past Sunday’s episode of TWD: Daryl Dixon: The Book Of Carol, and maybe some of us (i.e., me) found it amusing that Daryl was kissing a nun. (Maybe I even texted that fact to somebody while watching the scene. Who knows?) But Isabelle hasn’t worn that nun habit for awhile, and she also kind-of fell into nun-dom due to circumstance, and this is post-apocalypse, so I doubt that the rules are as tight for nuns when walkers are afoot.

My reaction? Good for Daryl and Isabelle. Social media’s reaction? Not as pleased that, you know, Daryl wasn’t kissing Carol. Norman Reedus’ reaction? He thinks it doesn’t means too much (and he certainly wasn’t moaning like somebody(s) else), via an Entertainment Weekly interview:

“I think it was an experiment. It was, ‘What is this?’ It wasn’t a ‘This is it!’ It’s a ‘What is this? And what would that look like and how does that feel?’ I don’t think there was an intention to get to second base. I think it was more of scarily parting these curtains to look at the idea of it … I’ll tell you my interpretation of it … He’s been running and fighting his whole life, and is asking himself: Have I been doing this wrong? Should I have just found someone and settled down in a farm and just had those moments of life before I die? Or is the fighting and fighting the way I’m supposed to go? He’s questioning the whole big picture.”

Hopefully, Isabelle is on the same page and also thinks the kiss was only a kiss, rather than the start of a grand romance. Still, Reedus acknowledged, “I know how fandom works,” so he expects people to expect things to get sexy, but yeah, it was only a kiss. For now, at least.

Additionally, showrunner David Zabel recently asked Reedus (also via EW) whether Daryl “loves Laurent,” and Reedus simply answered, “No.” When prompted, he added, “I don’t think Daryl’s so easy to love anybody. I think it’s an earned thing,” and even a “puppy would have to earn my love.”

So there. Now, “Dog” on the other hand, that’s different:

Just when it seemed the legal drama between Nelly and St. Lunatics couldn’t get any weirder, a new twist has entered the case. According to Billboard, three of the four members of the group listed as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Nelly for back pay have demanded to have their names taken off the suit, which they say was filed against their wishes.

The lawsuit, filed in September by Ali, City Spud, Kyjuan, and Murphy Lee, alleged that Nelly never properly credited his bandmates on hit songs such as “Country Grammar,” “Steal the Show,” “Thicky Thick Girl,” and “Wrap Sumden.” According to the suit, they were entitled to royalties from those songs they never received; they supposedly waited over 20 years to file suit due to their longstanding friend with Nelly.

On Sunday, October 6, however, friction within the group was thrown into doubt when Kyjuan, Lee, and Spud joined Nelly onstage at the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special to perform the group’s standout songs like “Air Force Ones” and Lee’s “What Da Hook Gon Be.” Nelly even joked about it on Instagram, writing, “STL INVADES @amas …!!! An anyone who has a problem with that ‘Sue’ me…!!!”

Per Billboard, Nelly’s attorney N. Scott Rosenblum, wrote back to the lawyer who initially filed the suit, Gail M. Walton, to inform her that the three members of St. Lunatics “informed me that they did not authorize you to include them as plaintiffs… They are hereby demanding you remove their names forthwith.” Complying would leave Ali as the sole remaining plaintiff.

It’s probably just a coincidence that the suit was filed after Nelly sold half of his publishing for $50 million last July. We’re sure that has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Each year as training camp begins, NBA.com’s John Schuhmann sends out a survey to all 30 general managers in the league asking them a variety of questions about the upcoming season. This year, the GM survey features 50 questions, ranging from who will win the title to who the best passer in the league is, and while a lot of them are unsurprising (spoiler: the Celtics get 25 of the 30 votes for who will win it all), there are always some intriguing insights into how the most powerful front office personnel view the league.

Here, we will highlight the three most interesting things we learned from the GM survey, starting with how Boston views the East thanks to the process of elimination.

Who does Brad Stevens see as the biggest threat in the East?

The expectation from GMs is that the Finals will be a Celtics-Thunder series, as Boston got 97 percent of the votes (29 of 30) to win the East. Given the rules of the survey are you can’t vote for your own team/player, that means the lone other first place vote belonged to Brad Stevens, who, perhaps surprisingly, picked the Cleveland Cavaliers as the team most likely to win the East other than his Boston squad. That Stevens’ pick is the Cavs over the Knicks or Sixers, who were the most frequent picks for second and third, is pretty interesting, and you could look at it one of two ways. It is either a pretty strong vote of confidence that Kenny Atkinson is going to get this Cavs team all on the same page this coming year to hit their full potential, or a little jab at the two teams most consider the closest to Boston in the East after busy offseasons.

The rest of the league is very high on the Thunder

The Thunder come up a lot in the survey, as it’s clear other GMs believe OKC’s run to the 1-seed and the second round last year was only the beginning. In the West, OKC got 80 percent of the votes (24 votes), with Denver, Dallas, and Phoenix all getting two votes each, and they got 4 votes to win it all. Going along with the expectation they’ll be the best in the West, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned the most votes (12) for MVP honors, beating out Luka Doncic (9) for the status as the front office favorite for the award. Jalen Williams narrowly led the selections for breakout player this year (4 votes), while Alex Caruso was picked as the most underrated addition this summer (7 votes) and the Thunder topped the Knicks and Sixers in voting for who had the best offseason (11 votes). That last point is particularly interesting as New York and Philly made huge splash moves, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges heading to the Knicks via trade and Paul George signing with the Sixers. Even so, the Thunder being able to add Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso without giving up a single rotation player to do so earned OKC the majority of the votes for best offseason.

Reed Sheppard is the rookie the rest of the league believes in

This was not a particularly well-regarded rookie class at the top, but the name that stood out from this year’s polling of the league is Houston’s pick at No. 3 overall, Reed Sheppard. Sheppard got 50 percent of the vote (15 votes) for Rookie of the Year and 43 percent of the vote (13 votes) for who will be the best player from this rookie class in five years. That’s a pretty significant margin for a guy who went third in the Draft, and I’m sure most all of these GMs saw Sheppard in person at Summer League where he looked phenomenal. It also, for me, adds to the intrigue of Houston who has the deepest roster of interesting rookie contract guys in the league but finding minutes and roles for all of them isn’t obvious. That said, clearly the rest of the NBA figures Sheppard will find pretty firm footing in Houston’s rotation and do so quickly, as that’s a must if he’s going to win Rookie of the Year.

The women’s basketball boom shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, as the popularity of the WNBA and women’s college hoops is at an all-time high, and the stars at both levels are starting to get the kind of endorsement opportunities off the court that have often been reserved for their male counterparts.

Sneaker deals, in particular, are on the rise in women’s hoops. Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have popular signature sneaker lines with Puma and Nike respectively, and Nike is soon to add signature sneakers for A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark as they expand their women’s basketball footprint. The competition in the sneaker space and the race to sign stars of the future has given some serious leverage to stars like Clark and Wilson, as other brands like adidas (now led by Candace Parker) and Curry Brand have chased hard to try and get a new face of their brand’s women’s line.

The next stars up are Paige Bueckers and Juju Watkins, who both have Nike deals, with Bueckers getting the first college PEs for any Nike women’s athlete this upcoming season. The question has been whether Nike would be willing to invest enough to keep all of their women’s stars, and on Tuesday we got an early answer when they signed Watkins to a long-term contract extension that, per Shams Charania of ESPN, will give her “one of the richest sneaker deals in women’s basketball.” The details of the deal, in terms of both money and promises for a future signature sneaker, are unknown, but given Caitlin Clark’s deal is worth a reported $28 million over 8 years, to be “one of the richest” it would stand to reason that this is worth seven figures per year.

Watkins is getting set to begin her sophomore season at USC, which means she still has a few years before even reaching the WNBA, but she’s now able to take advantage of NIL rules that allow her to cash in on her status as a star in the sport years before she would have previously. As a freshman, Watkins was sensational and she certainly looks like she is going to be one of the faces of the sport for years to come. Nike recognized that and made sure to lock her in to a sneaker deal early that keeps other brands from trying to poach her away.