Category: Viral

Spoilers for House of the Dragon will be found below.

A decade passed in Westeros, and the first Game of Thrones spinoff (and prequel) picks back up with those bad vibes from the Green Wedding still in high gear. A chilly set of relations between Princess Rhaenyra (now portrayed by Emma D’Arcy) and Queen Alicent (played by Olivia Cooke) continues to be passive aggressive, at best, with the latter being forced to cart her (incredibly) newborn child across the castle for the latter’s viewing pleasure. It’s an episode filled with scandal, partially involving Rhaenrya’s children almost 100% not being fathered by her actual husband, Laenor Velaryon. Alicent surely couldn’t resist dragging this mess in front of him.

Still, Laenor initially seemed like a pretty chill (and attentive) husband because he has his own arrangement, even though it’s rather odd to name one’s third (legal, at least in a Westeros sense) child after one’s dead gay lover (Joffrey), who happened to have been murdered (by Ser Criston) at Laenor and Rhaenyra’s wedding feast. And speaking of Joffreys, one of King Viserys I’s and Alicent’s children is absolutely the worst. This teenager, Aegon (played by Ty Tennant, son of David), is being called out for exuding a Joffrey Baratheon aura right away.

Some people were wise to Aegon’s vibe ahead of time, given this still.

The bratty kid also helped to give his sister, Aemond, a pig instead of a dragon, and he mocked her while everyone laughed. Then there was that scene where he pleasured himself in a window that appeared to be the same place where Tommen killed himself. Right away, the tweets began: “WTF IS THIS AEGON SCENE, Y’ALL KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT.”

In the space of less than 20 minutes, Aegon became a much maligned character on HotD. That’s an accomplishment, considering Criston’s continued awfulness. Let the pile on begin.

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

As training camp gets set to open around the NBA, there are plenty of teams that are trying to integrate new additions into their current roster, but two of the most fascinating situations involve players returning to teams they were once thought to be on their way out of.

One is in Brooklyn, where Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both dabbled in seeking out a trade only to return to the Nets, and the other is in Los Angeles, where the Lakers tried in vain to find a trade that would send Russell Westbrook somewhere else. As such, the Lakers come into training camp with Westbrook still on the roster alongside a pair of offseason additions in Dennis Schröder and longtime Westbrook rival, Patrick Beverley.

As such, it’s not a guarantee that Westbrook is in the plans to be the starter in Los Angeles, as there are a number of potential lineup combinations for new head coach Darvin Ham, depending on how they want to balance defense and shooting — two things Westbrook struggled with a year ago. Given Westbrook’s reported pushback to the idea of a role change a year ago, it was fair to wonder if he’d be willing to accept a potential bench role this season if that’s what the Lakers choose to do.

For now, it appears the answer is yes, as Westbrook told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski he’s “all-in” on doing what’s needed for the team to win.

Maybe that’s as a starter or maybe it’s off the bench. “I’m all-in on whatever it takes for this team to win,” Westbrook said. “I’m prepared for whatever comes my way.”

This, of course, is easier to say in late September when games aren’t happening than it is in mid-October when the season starts, but Wojnarowski notes there’s been a pretty constant dialogue between Westbrook and Ham as the new Lakers coach looks to mend some fences and get Westbrook to understand his vision for how he can be best used, in a variety of possible roles. The biggest thing of note in this quote, to me, is that what Westbrook sees as what is best for the team to win and what the Lakers see may not be aligned, and getting Westbrook on the same page may be more difficult if he’s not seeing the rest of the point guard rotation as being better for the team than him.

For now, Westbrook and Ham, at the least, have said all the right things to get their tenure together off on the right foot. Whether that continues and whether they can be successful is a much bigger question.

Don’t Worry Darling is the number one movie in America, grossing more than double the re-release of the biggest ever moneymaker (not adjusted for inflation, of course). Did it do that thanks to all the bizarre gossip and social media nonsense surrounding it? Probably, at least in part. But just as “spitgate” turned out to (almost certainly) be bunk, crew members of the ‘50s-set psychological thriller are claiming all that the same can be said about all that on-set drama that’s filled tabloids.

Forty members of the film’s crew and production team signed a statement sent to People, disputing some of the more lurid claims about a tumultuous set. One of those involves star Florence Pugh getting into a shouting match with director Olivia Wilde, who, a source told Vulture, “would just disappear” from set with co-star/maybe paramour Harry Styles. Not so, said the statement.

“As a crew, we’ve avoided addressing the absurd gossip surrounding the movie we’re so proud of, but feel the need to correct the anonymous ‘sources’ quoted in a recent article,” the statement begins. “Any allegations about unprofessional behavior on the set of Don’t Worry Darling are completely false.”

That includes the claim that wound up published by Vulture. “There was never a screaming match between our director and
anyone, let alone a member of our cast,” the statement reads.

The signed crew also praised Wilde, calling her “an incredible leader and director who was present with and involved in every aspect of production,” and that she “ran this set with class and respect for everyone involved.”

Their denials were backed up by Miri Yoon, a producer on the film. “Rumors of screaming matches between our director and leading lady on set are completely unfounded,” Yoon told People. “We truly hope you enjoy the movie.”

As Don’t Worry Darling went from highly anticipated to unexpectedly controversial, it’s been hard to tell where the truth lies. When Pugh abruptly pulled out of the press tour, heads turned. They turned again when she took to social media to gush about the film. Still, at least everyone had fun turning a video clip of Styles purportedly (but probably not) hocking a loogie into fellow cast member Chris Pine’s lap into the most examined footage since the Zapruder film.

(Via People)

The Phoenix Suns were among the teams that many felt could make significant changes to its roster this offseason after their disappointing and rather stunning second round exit to the Dallas Mavericks.

However, after being unable to put together a package to acquire Kevin Durant and eventually just re-signing Deandre Ayton after he was dangled in sign-and-trade rumors for a month, the team looks mostly the same as training camp approaches. That won’t be the case for too much longer, though, as Jae Crowder’s name has popped up in trade rumors and the Suns’ desire to move the veteran forward is apparently so significant that the team will not have him report to camp as they try to find a trade for him, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Crowder made his own statement on the situation on Twitter shortly after the Suns made the news official.

Crowder started 67 games for the Suns last year, averaging 9.4 points and 5.3 assists per game, and has been a key part of the Suns rotation since arriving ahead of the 2020-21. It seems Phoenix wants to shuffle up its roster and likely seeking some backcourt depth, as they need point guard help behind Chris Paul and have plenty at the four spot with Dario Saric returning from injury and Cam Johnson likely to step into the starting rotation. Crowder is an elite irritant and figures to be a welcome addition for other contenders needing to add more toughness and defense (and some shooting as he’s become a strong spot-up shooter), but the Suns are ready to move on and shuffle the deck a bit.

Pink Floyd founding member Roger Waters has canceled concerts planned in Poland amid outrage over his stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine. Waters was set to perform at Tauron Arena in Krakow in April of next year, however, Polish media outlets have announced that he has pulled out of the planned dates, as reported by NPR.

A representative from Tauron Arena was quoted by Polish outlets saying, “Roger Waters’ manager decided to withdraw … without giving any reason.”

The cancellation of the shows follows an open letter Waters published this month addressed to the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, in which he urged Zelenska and her husband, president Volodymyr Zelensky, to “seek a different route” in regards the Russian war against Ukraine.

“If by ‘support for Ukraine,’ you mean the West continuing to supply arms to the Kiev government’s armies, I fear you may be tragically mistaken,” Waters said. “Throwing fuel, in the form of armaments, into a fire fight, has never worked to shorten a war in the past, and it won’t work now, particularly because, in this case, most of the fuel is (a) being thrown into the fire from Washington DC, which is at a relatively safe distance from the conflagration, and (b) because the ‘fuel throwers’ have already declared an interest in the war going on for as long as possible.”

Elsewhere in the letter, Waters said, “If I’m not wrong, please help me in my honest endeavors to persuade our leaders to stop the slaughter, the slaughter which serves only the interests of the ruling classes and extreme nationalists both here in the West, and in your beautiful country, at the expense of the rest of us ordinary people both here in the West, and in the Ukraine, and in fact ordinary people everywhere all over the world.”

The Dolphins and Bills met on Sunday in a battle of undefeateds looking to break an early tie atop the AFC East. Early on it looked like we were headed for a shootout, as it was 14-14 in the second quarter, but from there the defenses locked in and the offenses for both teams looked rattled.

Miami would take a 21-17 lead in the fourth quarter, and after getting a stop on 4th and goal, just needed one first down to ice the game as Buffalo had two timeouts. Instead, they took almost no time off the clock and lost yardage, throwing an incompletion on third and 11 to set up a dicey situation having to punt from backed up on the goal line. The result was one of the funniest things you’ll see as an objective football viewer, as the Dolphins punter kicks it straight off the butt of his personal protector and out the back of the end zone for a safety.

The slow-mo replays show how the punt absolutely rockets off that man’s butt and, luckily for Miami, skied out of the end zone.

This set up a scenario in which the Bills needed just a field goal to win, rather than a touchdown, and Josh Allen had the ball with no timeouts and 90 seconds to play. The Bills would push the ball to midfield, but a disastrous mistake after an incredible effort from Allen to get the ball to Isaiah McKenzie saw the clock bleed out while Buffalo scrambled to the line after McKenzie tried to get upfield rather than prioritizing the sideline.

Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey handled this ending as well as one would’ve expected.

The Dolphins got a rather stunning win, while the Bills will feel like they let the game slip away, and on Miami’s side they can laugh about the Butt Punt instead of having it go down in infamy as the reason they lost.

The Detroit Lions are far more fun and competitive than most anyone outside of Michigan expected this season, as they went into Minnesota on Sunday and took a 24-14 lead late in the third quarter on their divisional rival.

It was an impressive performance, backing up a strong showing a week ago when they beat the Commanders, and as has often been the case this season, it was the offense carrying the load. Amon-Ra St. Brown, D’Andre Swift, and Jamaal Williams have been quite the skill position triumvirate to start the season in Detroit, and on Sunday both St. Brown and Williams continued their strong start with some big plays to set up scores.

Williams scored his second TD of the day in the third quarter to push the Lions ahead by 10, breaking a run around the edge from 13 yards out.

After the score, Williams celebrated with some hip action, to the delight of his offensive line, but earned a flag for excessive celebration because, as everyone knows thanks to Key & Peele, you get two pumps, not three, and Williams had four thrusts to earn him a flag.

Hingle McCringleberry is somewhere nodding knowingly, and Williams learned the hard way that life often imitates art, and these were not just jokes from Key & Peele, but sage advice.

Rihanna and the NFL have seemingly confirmed that the Bajan pop star will perform at next year’s Super Bowl halftime show. Earlier today, Rihanna shared a picture of a football on Instagram, which the official NFL account liked.

Shortly after, the NFL shared a tweet with the same picture, tagging Rihanna, Apple Music, and the NFL on Fox Twitter account.

Rihanna was reportedly offered to perform at the Super Bowl in 2020, however, turned down the opportunity due to the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick.

Fans of Rihanna are also eager for new music, as she’s been teasing her ninth studio album for more than six years. The Super Bowl halftime show seems like the perfect opportunity to share new songs.

This past May, Rihanna and ASAP Rocky welcomed their son. While it may seem she has her hands tied, as a new mom, an artist, and a business woman, Rihanna said in a recent interview with Vogue that she doesn’t feel restricted or hindered in any way.

“I think I even say yes to more now,” she said, “because I know it will be different on the other side of this. At first, I expected some magical change, but really I remain who I am.”

She continued, saying, “none of the dials are turned down.”

Donald Trump has spent a lifetime avoiding comeuppance, but right now there’s multiple chances for him to get it. On top of the brouhaha over government documents, and the Jan. 6 committee, and his failing Twitter clone, there’s the lawsuit brought upon him, his company, and three of his adult children (not Tiffany, of course) by New York attorney Letitia James. Should he challenge that — and should he lose it — Trump may be so cash-strapped he’ll have no choice but to sell off the only things making him real money: his New York City skyscrapers.

As per Raw Story, Trump’s biographer and Bloomberg journalist Tim O’Brien went on MSNBC Sunday and revealed how screwed he might be by James’ lawsuit. Host Alex Witt pointed out that while the lawsuit isn’t criminal in nature, and therefore wound land him in jail, it would bar the Trumps from doing business in Donald’s home state, thereby unraveling the Trump organization. O’Brien said it’s possible, especially because, as his former attorney Michael Cohen has claimed, he doesn’t really have a ton of wealth hoarded.

“Michael is completely right that he has never had a lot of cash on hand, he’s almost a debt addict, he has always heavily mortgaged the properties he owns,” O’Brien said. “Most of his wealth is tied up in a handful of skyscrapers in New York City.”

That’s why the New York State lawsuit is such a big deal.”Tish James is seeking to bar him from doing business in the state of New York, so he’ll have to unload those if he gets convicted,” O’Brien explained. “And that is a fire sale, which means everyone who’s a buyer will know they won’t have to pay top dollar because he needs to get out of the property.”

James, O’Brien pointed out, has made two criminal referrals in her case: to the IRS and to the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York. “So that is now hanging over his head,” O’Brien said. “I think the family’s legacy is in New York, everything that Donald Trump stands on was built by Trump in New York. Trump has put those holdings in peril twice, the first time in the early 90’s when he gorged on debt and couldn’t repay the banks and again now when he has gotten on the wrong side of the law.”

He added, “I think this is an existential threat to his business and his financial well-being.”

There’s so much bad news for Trump, but at least he has a coping mechanism: employing a team that runs around reading nice tweets written about him — at least as long as he can still afford them.

You can watch O’Brien’s MSNBC appearance below.

(Via Raw Story)

The Miami Dolphins have been one of the NFL’s most pleasant surprises through two weeks, as they dominated the Patriots and then made an unbelievable comeback against the Ravens to get to 2-0 headed into a showdown with the Buffalo Bills for first in the AFC East on Sunday.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the first half, ending at 14-14, but there was significant concern for the Dolphins after their final drive of the half saw Tua Tagovailoa get injured and leave for the locker room. After a pass over the middle, Tua got pushed to the ground late by Matt Milano and the back of his head slammed into the turf.

When Tagovailoa stood up, he was very wobbly and fell back to a knee after trying to walk, which thankfully alerted the rest of the Dolphins to alert the medical staff and get him taken out of the game and into the locker room for evaluation.

It is a scary looking injury and he was officially ruled “questionable” to return with a head injury. However, to the surprise of most, Tagovailoa returned to the field with his helmet for the second half after, apparently, clearing concussion protocols which raised eyebrows given how bad he looked immediately after the hit.

Hopefully he truly is alright, but it was a scary looking situation and the Dolphins will hopefully continue monitoring him closely.