Category: Worldwide

Over two years ago now, there were reports that Jay-Z’s Tidal streaming platform falsified some of their streaming numbers; Specifically, for Kanye West and Beyonce. In January of 2019, though, a Tidal representative denied that the platform was under investigation. Now it looks like either that wasn’t true or the situation has changed since then: Norwegian financial publication Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reports that Tidal is in fact under investigation for data fraud in Norway.

DN notes that the formal investigation, which was first launched last June, has been approved by the Norwegian Supreme Court Appeals Committee. The initial allegations first came to light through a DN investigation, in which the publication alleged they obtained access to Tidal hard drives and discovered that listening stats for Beyonce’s Lemonade and Kanye’s The Life Of Pablo had been inflated, which could have an affect on royalties paid to artists.

A Tidal representative said in 2019, “Tidal is not a suspect in the investigation. We are communicating with Økokrim. From the very beginning, [Dagens Næringsliv] has quoted documents that they have not shared with us in spite of repeated requests. DN has repeatedly made claims based on information we believe may be falsified. We are aware that at least one person we suspected of theft has been questioned. We cannot comment further at this time and refer to our previous statement, which still stands.”

Colombian pop singer J Balvin released his concept album Colores back in March and the singer continues giving his fans new content through an array of videos. So far, Balvin has released visuals accompanying seven of the ten tracks on the record. Now, Balvin takes a different approach with an animated visual to his song “Azul.”

In the 3D-animated visual directed by Colin Tilley, J Balvin experiences heartbreak at the hands of an imaginary girlfriend. The singer orders a life-sized doll that he promptly falls in love with, only to discover she is cheating on him with another. Balvin undergoes grief and heartache but eventually puts effort into becoming a better version of himself for her.

With Colores, Balvin purposefully opted out of features on the majority of the tracklist and instead opted to shine as a songwriter. In an interview with Apple Music, Balvin detailed how he managed to whittle a list of 40 songs down into a 10-track album: “What we’d do was we’d play the song and close our eyes, and each one of us would name the color that the song made us feel,” J Balvin said. “The color that prevailed, that was the song’s name.”

Watch J Balvin’s “Azul” above.

Colores is out now via Universal. Get it here.

In an interview with Pistons media as Detroit wraps up its season officially, Blake Griffin said he doesn’t believe he’s finished and has been back on the court working out during the NBA shutdown.

Lingering knee injuries kept Griffin out of all but 15 games this season, leading some to believe he could be a candidate for a disabled player exception, effectively ending his career. Griffin’s words on Thursday should put a stop to those theories.

Griffin has been on the court since May and told Pistons media he could escalate his training in a pinch should Detroit organize a mini-camp or participate in scrimmages, as has been rumored.

“If I’m on the Detroit Pistons, I’m doing everything I can to help them,” he said.

On the topic of organizing some sort of scrimmage or exhibition contests this summer, Griffin he understood the urgency to play, but worried about the risks of something that would have no material value in the standings.

Griffin, 31, has two years and nearly $76 million left on the maximum contract he originally signed with the Clippers in 2017. The rebuilding Pistons are in a dicey situation, recently announcing they would begin the search for a general manager while also still having Griffin’s monstrous contract on the books. They can add around young pieces like Sekou Doumbouya, Christian Wood, and Luke Kennard, but are a long way from competing.

Previously on the Ins and Outs of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite: An injured Dr. Britt Baker DMD showed us why she’s a “roll model,” Cody Rhodes managed to retain the TNT Championship despite headbutting a wall, and Orange Cassidy declared himself the Baddest Man On The Planet.

If you’d like to keep up with this column and its thinly veiled Best and Worst format, you can keep tabs on the Ins and Outs of AEW Dynamite tag page. You can keep track of all things All Elite here.

Follow With Spandex on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow me on Twitter, where everything and everyone is terrible.

And now, the Ins and Outs of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite for June 10, 2020.

All In: Blood Oranges

There are probably more important moments to talk about from this week’s Dynamite, but I want to lead with Orange Cassidy scoring the win for his team in a six-man tag against the Inner Circle and being beaten within an inch of his life by Chris Jericho and a gigantic bad of oranges from under the ring. So many questions. So many.

Jericho returns to commentary this week, which is a great idea beyond AEW suddenly having a four-man announce booth. It’s also worth noting that it makes an announce team of four white guys, including a 68-year old, a 62-year old, and a 49-year old. I know they don’t want to send any of them to the unemployment line considering that Jim Ross is a wrestling legend, Tony Schiavone is an all-time great as well, and Excalibur’s the only guy out there trying to accurately call matches, but I think All Elite could really benefit from either rotating the crew around on a weekly basis, or just cutting their losses and deciding who should permanently call what. I personally loved the Jericho and Schiavone team, but nobody in wrestling history’s a better straight man than JR. Certainly not among people who are still around. I think it’ll be easier when the inevitable AEW Thunder starts up and you can spread them out a little more.

I’m way off track. The important thing here is that Chris Jericho beat down Orange Cassidy with a bag of oranges like the world’s biggest asshole, and I love it. Leave it to Chris Jericho to decide a man named “orange” should get hit with oranges. If QT Marshall doesn’t get concussed by a bushel of apples sometime soon, what are we even doing here? Jericho vs. Cassidy is exactly the kind of feud we need in wrestling right now to make us smile, and I hope they lean into the “Blood Orange” thing and give Orange a violent, rage-fueled alter-ego a la Kishin Liger. My only disappointment is that he bled blood instead of juice.

Side note: Jericho watching Jake Hager fight Orange Cassidy and say it looks like Hager’s beating up the 15-year old version of himself is his new funniest commentary moment. How is that even possible on the same episode where he declared, “He’s the butcher for a reason. He cuts meat!”

All In: For The Record

Me watching The Revival win a 10-minute tag team match on Wednesday night prime-time cable television using nothing but teamwork, timing, and rigid rule-following.

I missed you guys so much. Supplementary Bests also go to FTR hitting a spike piledriver in front of both Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, the Shatter Machine being renamed to the WILDLY superior “Goodnight Express” — that should just be their team name, for real — and the post-match interaction with the Elite, wherein Hangman Page’s beautiful country ass shows up dressed like a picnic and ready to drink.

The former Revival being faces because they love wrestling and respect the rules, the Bucks being heels because they’re flamboyant and self-obsessed — just listen to them talk about solely carrying tag team wrestling for the past 15 years and how they’re the best tag team in AEW despite never being tag champs here and losing in the first round of the title tournament — Kenny Omega being helpfully oblivious as always, and Hangman Page being the only guy in that circle of friends who understands the dynamics. That’s a good blueprint for a killer triple threat Tag Team Championship match that subverts our modern expectations of heels and faces and continues slowly, slowly returning AEW to its upright and locked position. Team “rules are cool and The Elite is secretly evil” represent.

All Out: Elitism

Speaking of The Elite being (barely) secretly evil, boo to former hair collecting cultist Brandi Rhodes for suggesting Allie shouldn’t be allowed to wear a Nightmare Family jacket. You guys have given your dog a dozen t-shirts, QT Marshall’s girlfriend can wear your colors whether she’s secretly plotting to kidnap him and chop him up into little pieces or not.

All In: Here He Is, Doing Everything He Can

One of this week’s best developments is skateboarding legend Tony Hawk going from “famous person who noticed what you were doing because you had a skateboard” to “famous person doing a cameo on the wrestling show in support of the skateboarding wrestler.” The next step is figuring out how to get Darby Allin into the Tony Hawk Pro Skater remake as a hidden character.

If nothing else, Darby should discover a hidden VHS tape the next time he considers jumping off something high and hurting himself.

Okay, the next next time.

All In: Joey Janela And Sonny Kiss Are Officially A Tag Team

Tag team name, “Sonny Boy.”

Janela and Kiss are great on Dark, but I’m relieved to see them not only address their on-screen character histories (through Janela wondering how he went from main-eventing to oblivion, which is a valid question), but get to do it on Dynamite proper. I’m very ready for actual weekly Sonny Kiss content, especially if they go full Raven and Kanyon with it and have them hang out in a gated community and do fashion shows.

All IN: Britt Baker, A Wrestler For Our Times

“Let’s talk about struggles. I have probably the most struggles!” I can’t get enough of Dr. Britt Baker as White Privelige: The Wrestler. Fucking hilarious.

All In: Cult Cabana

There’s a good story happening here with Matt Hardy trying to appeal to Sammy Guevara’s better nature by comparing his career to Sammy’s, and putting him over as a guy who keeps getting knocked down, but keeps getting back up. I’m telling you, in addition to The Elite being secret heels, The Inner Circle are secret babyfaces. Except for Hager. Hager’s character could be “volunteers every weekend at the children’s hospital” and I’d watch him like, I hate your guts, Hager.

Yes, there’s a good story happening, but let’s talk about how Colt Cabana might actually end up successfully recruited by the Dark Order. Sadly one of our readers beat me to the joke about how if he put on the mask he’d be “45,” but it’s too funny to leave out. Honestly all I want from Colt Cabana in AEW is for him to join this incel cult and reboot his podcast as a pro-Dark Order conspiracy theories show. That’s basically what Chris Jericho’s doing already.

Also On This Episode

Party At The Turner Mansion

Cody Rhodes defending the TNT Championship against Marq Quen wasn’t the total banger I wanted it to be, but that’s to be expected when you consider Quen hasn’t wrestled a singles match in like three years. It’s still really good, though, and Quen got a HUGE spotlight in which to shine even if the winner was never in doubt. I still appreciate Cody winning some of his matches with secondary moves and basic submission holds, like here, when he counters a moonsault into an ankle lock and then transitions to a sort of ankle lock with his feet. It was more or less a “deathlock” without anything being locked.

The thing that takes the match from “All In” to “Also On This Episode,” however, is Jake Hager. That’s Cody’s TNT Championship opponent for Fyter Fest, and if Cody can get even a watchable match out of Hager at this point I’ll consider him a miracle worker. Even the match with Dustin went too long and found a way to involve nagging conservative wives and forced kissing. I just kinda wish that if they’re that into keeping Jack Swagger on the roster they’d keep him as a completely silent third man in trios matches and stop trying to make him happen as a singles star. There’s a shit-ton of men and women on the AEW roster who are fighting desperately for a spot on the show, and fucking Jake Hager gets repeated main events and title opportunities despite his matches being about as entertaining as a colostomy. It’s just frustrating is all, especially after having watched the same shit happen in WWE and Lucha Underground.

Whom Is Greater And Whiter?

I could go the rest of my life never hearing Bill Ass refer to himself as a, “great white,” but points to MJF for the line, “I’m shocked you’re not too busy trying to get another one of your scumbag talentless sons a job here.” I’m telling you, as soon as they abandon Maxwell’s apparent desire to be the heeliest heel that ever heeled and aiming his venom at the company’s other bad guys, they’re going to have a dangerously over “hero” (so to speak) on their hands. Although frankly I’d cheer a dirty pile of laundry if it was positioned against Billy Gunn.

HIDDEN MACHINES

Jon Moxley gets jumped by Brian Cage because he wisely thought he’d be safe turning his back to a huge, empty parking lot while Cage’s manager got really close to his face and distracted him. I feel like you probably should’ve seen that coming, man. Cage finishes sending the mechanical message by bodyslamming Mox into the back windshield of a Chevy Cruze with “AEW” license plates. Did they buy a whole car just to break part of it? Between this and FTR’s entrance truck, AEW really wants us to buy Chevrolet® brand automobiles.

Penelope Ford Has Pinned The Women’s Champion!

You’ve got to think that puts her in line for a possible future title opportunity, Corey.

I probably like Penelope Ford more than most people who do what I do for a living and am happy to see someone new being positioned to challenge for the AEW Women’s Championship, but I’m still patiently waiting for the women’s division to get a few more character pieces and operate beyond the rankings system that rarely seems to inform any of the matches are stories. MJF was right when he talked about how he’s been undefeated for ages and has been the number one contender for three straight weeks but hasn’t gotten a shot at either of the singles championships. Jungle Boy and Marq Quen are getting those matches instead. I’m not saying we should be listening to MJF, but it continues to be absurd to have rankings, brag about how your rankings matter, and then only bring them up when you don’t have any better ideas. People are still mostly just getting title shots by decree, or like we see here, pinning the champ in non-title matches.

Shida vs. Ford will be a nice little program while Britt Baker heals up and prepares for her inevitable run as AEW’s first Women’s Champion with a character beyond [*waves*] or [*screams*]. Not that I don’t love Hikaru Shida, because I do. She’s just about what happens in the ring, and very rarely what happens outside of it. Ford’s character is just “wears sunglasses, constantly cheats for her significant other,” which Kip Sabian also uses when the roles are reversed. The matches are good, I’m just confident enough in AEW’s ability to learn and grow that I don’t want to sit here typing abject praise and imply that “good” is all it can be. Maybe I should. Promotions seem to like that in their critics. Have you heard about The Greatest Match Ever, happening this Sunday?

All In: Top 10 Comments Of The Week

Mr. Bliss

If Colt does join the Dark Order, does he become 45?

editor’s note:

Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer

A dejected Colt Cabana watches the monitor in Mr Brodie Lee’s office as his Chevy Cruze gets vandalized

Jae-Su

Watching the Misery Index is a firm Jake Hager.

HVO-Jetfuel

I’m liking Taz and Cage as the Earth-2 versions of Heyman and Lesnar

AshBlue

Please let that Sonny/Janela bit turn out like the time Wayne Brady picked up Dave Chapelle.

Daniel Valentin

Cody’s chyron is in the TNT title’s colors.

I swear, there must be a guy in the AEW payroll whose job is simply to think up tiny details that make the show more awesome.

AddMayne

me watching FTR matches

Endy_Mion

Missed opportunity for Mox to recruit FTR in his war against Cage. If anything, they know how to Shatter, Machine.

JayBone2

Colt is easily swayed by those with a certain cult of personality.

The Real Birdman

Private Hardy was right there, Schiavone

That about wraps it up for this week’s column. Dynamite continues to put out good effort after good effort at a time when they could be doing nothing (or, as WWE is doing, next to it), and I want to reiterate that any criticisms I’m levying here are done with great love for an attempt at WCW Monday Nitro 2020 and the hope that a positive, communicative fandom can help mold it into something approaching a perfect weekly wrestling show. Or we just complain our way into being ignored like 99.9% of The Internet and they do whatever they wanna do. Worst case scenario, maybe we get fewer Jack Swagger pay-per-view matches.

Thanks for reading about Dynamite! Leave us a comment below, give the column a share on social media, and make sure you’re here next week. See you then!

In the summer of 2019, Dixie Chicks stirred up hope that they would have a new album out by the end of that year. Fans know that this did not come to pass, but that disappointment was short-lived, as Gaslighter was then given a May 1 release date. Again, that date was not met, as the trio delayed the album due to the coronavirus pandemic. That delay did not come with a new release date, but finally, the group has offered one with a fun announcement.

Taking to Instagram, the group shared a trio of images of their heads edited onto the bodies of figure skaters. All three are wearing sashes, and together, they read, “July 17, 2020.” The background of all images also features the album’s title, Gaslighter, repeated. The group also shared a combined version of the images on Twitter.

The delay of Gaslighter earlier this year came just days before its scheduled release. Still, fans shouldn’t mind waiting a bit longer, as they’ve already been patient for a while now. It’s been a long time since a Dixie Chicks album was given to the world, as their most recent full-length effort is Taking The Long Way, which dropped way back in 2006.

It was only a few years ago that Pete Davidson was playing unnamed characters in other’s people romantic-comedies — now he’s a legit leading man.

Following his underrated performance in Big Time Adolescence, the SNL star is New York royalty in The King of Staten Island (out Friday), Judd Apatow’s first film in five years. Davidson was also cast in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which finished shooting before the global shut-down, although it’s still unknown who he’s playing.

The comedian didn’t give anything away while promoting The King of Staten Island, but he did drop some hints. “I was in a big, uncomfortable costume,” he told Yahoo!. “I think that would be a big difference. I got to hold Glocks and stuff like that.” Hm, so he’s in a comic book movie playing someone in a costume with weapons. That narrows it down to basically everyone but Harley Quinn (she’s taken) and Joker (tried that already).

“[The King of Staten Island and The Suicide Squad] were both really fun to work with, everybody was really open and honest and the cast and crew was just so much fun”

The Suicide Squad, which also stars Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Nathan Fillion, Storm Reid, and Taika Waititi (pretty good cast you got there), is scheduled to come out on August 6, 2021.

(Via Yahoo!)

Shortly after the bombshell dropped that HBO Max will officially Release the Snyder Cut of Justice League, news broke that Henry Cavill will return as Superman in future DC Comics films. Considering the actor played a surprise part in the Snyder Cut announcement by showing up to chat with fans during the quarantine watch party for Man of Steel, it certainly seemed like Cavill was returning to the fold.

However, news of Cavill’s return was already tempered by Deadline‘s initial report that he would not be starring in Man of Steel 2, but would merely be filming cameos in yet-to-be determined DCEU films. Another bigger, wetter blanket arrived just a few days later when sources for The Hollywood Reporter said that Cavill is “not in any negotiations for any cameo,” which began raising the question of whether he’s even returning as Superman at all.

And now to complicate the matter even further, there is a report from Heroic Hollywood that throws even more cold water on the Cavill situation. According to their sources, Warner Bros. is not prioritizing Man of Steel 2 because of its deal with J.J. Abrams, which has long been rumored to involve him putting his own take on a Superman film.

“If your plan is to attract an A-list filmmaker like J.J. Abrams to direct such property, like Superman, they’re going to demand they cast who they want in the title role,” the insider said.

While this information makes the prospect of Cavill fulfilling his dream of starring in Man of Steel 2 look even dimmer, the likelihood of future cameos might not be completely off the table. The actor told Men’s Health back in January that he’s “not given up on the role.” Whether that means he’s willing to settle for brief appearances in the Shazam and Aquaman sequels is up in the air.

(Via Heroic Hollywood)

K-pop supergroup BTS has taken the world by storm. BTS became the first K-pop group to ever go Platinum in the US earlier this year and their influence is far-reaching. The group has garnered an “army” of fans which recently matched a $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter, even persuading John Cena to do the same. Now, BTS are catering to other factions of their global audience and recording their second Japanese language album.

BTS announced the record Map Of The Soul: Journey Thursday. The album is a collection of songs from their most recent effort, Map Of The Soul: 7, which the group re-recorded in Japanese. The album boasts two original Japenese tracks as well, “Stay Gold” and “Your Eyes Tell.” The record marks the second Japanese language record from the Korean boyband following their 2018 effort Face Yourself.

Check out BTS’ Map Of The Soul: Journey album artwork and tracklist below.

1.. “Intro: Calling”
2. “Stay Gold”
3. “Boy With Luv (Japanese Version)”
4. “Make It Right (Japanese Version)”
5. “Dionysus (Japanese Version)”
6. “IDOL (Japanese Version)”
7. “Airplane Pt.2 (Japanese Version)”
8. “Fake Love (Japanese Version)”
9. “Black Swan (Japanese Version)”
10. “On (Japanese Version)”
11. “Lights”
12. “Your Eyes Tell”
13. “Outro: The Journey”

Map Of The Soul: Journey is out 7/14 via Big Hit Entertainment. Pre-order it here.

Following the success of The Last Dance, ESPN’s 10-part docuseries on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, questions have popped up about which basketball legend would get some sort of similar treatment. We already know that a project based on Kobe Bryant is being kicked around, and on Thursday, we learned that another Los Angeles Lakers legend will get the documentary treatment sometime in the future.

According to a release, Magic Johnson will be at the center of a documentary that’s slated for release sometime in 2021. The project, which is being put together by XTR, H.wood Media, NSV, and Delirio Films, promises to have “unprecedented access” into the life of Johnson, who has been among the sport’s most prominent personalities from the moment he entranced basketball fans during his time at Michigan State.

“Growing up, we viewed Magic Johnson not only as an NBA Legend, but as a man who transcended the sport and became one of the most celebrated and accomplished businessmen of our lifetime,” Jordan Fudge and Jeremy Allen of NSV said in a statement. “We are honored that we are able to assist in bringing to life the story of a man who has opened so many doors and inspired millions.”

Johnson, of course, has received acclaim for more than just his career on the court, where he has the distinction of being one of the greatest players to ever live. He’s had a lucrative post-playing career as a businessman, while he’s used his experience as a person living with HIV to advocate for those who battle the virus. There is no word on a release date or a title for the project.

NASCAR’s only black driver, Bubba Wallace, told CNN on Monday that the league should ban the Confederate flag. “No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race,” he said. “So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them.”

Wallace drives the No. 43 car with Richard Petty Motorsports.

On Wednesday, NASCAR released a statement saying that it had banned the flag. It’s believed that Wallace’s statement pushed NASCAR to finally do what it had been considering for years.

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“The presence of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry,” it wrote.

“Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community it creates is what makes fans and sport special, the statement continued, “The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”

The ban comes a few days after the sport had a dramatic display of solidarity with the black community.

On Sunday, during its pre-race routine at Atlanta Motor Speedway, drivers stopped their cars on the track for a statement by president Steve Phelps who called upon Americans to listen to black people’s calls for change after the death of George Floyd.

He also said, “Our sport must do better. Our country must do better.”

During the race Wallace wore a shirt that said “I can’t breathe” and had “Black Lives Matter” painted on his car.

“Our team brought that idea to me and I jumped all over it,” Wallace said according to Sports Illustrated. “Why not dive in straight to the root and put #BlackLivesMatter on the car?”

Wallace’s stance on the flag and willingness to stand for racial justice in NASCAR is a bold statement to say the least. NASCAR is a favorite sport among American conservatives in the south and the flag is a familiar site at NASCAR races, dotting the infield atop RVs or being waved by fans in the grandstands.

The 26-year-old Alabama native wasn’t always bothered by the sight of the flags but had a chance of heart.

“What I’m chasing is checkered flags, and that was kind of my narrative,” Wallace said, “but diving more into it and educating myself, people feel uncomfortable with that, people talk about that — that’s the first thing they bring up.”

For the past five years, the sport has had an uncomfortable relationship with the flag. It called for fans to stop beginning it to events in 2015 after a after a white supremacist murdered nine black people at a Charleston church in 2015.

But the request did little to limit its presence.

Before Wednesday’s race, Wallace said NASCAR made the right call.

“Bravo,” he said while clapping. “Props to NASCAR and everybody involved,” he said. “There’s a lot of emotions on the racetrack and off the racetrack that are riding with us. Tonight is something special. Today has been special. Hats off to NASCAR.”