Category: Worldwide

It’s happening, this is not a drill: New Rihanna music has officially been announced.

It’s not her long-awaited new album, though: Today (February 6), the trailer for the Smurfs movie, in which Rihanna voices Smurfette, was shared. At the end of the trailer, it’s revealed that the soundtrack includes new music from Rihanna, as well as the song “Higher Love” by Desi Trill featuring DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania, and Subhi. The trailer also includes some of a Rihanna cover of Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is A Place On Earth.”

The movie hits theaters on July 18, so the soundtrack will presumably also be released around then.

While it’s not a proper Rihanna album, it’s also not nothing: Pharrell and Justin Timberlake have both had No. 1 hits from animated movies soundtracks (“Happy” from Despicable Me 2 and “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” from Trolls, respectively), for example.

The official synopsis for the film reads, “When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.”

It also reveals a stacked voice cast that includes James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, and Kurt Russell.

Check out the trailer above.

Ariana Grande had one of the best and most memorable Saturday Night Live episodes of 2024, thanks to elements like her spot-on Celine Dion impression and the viral “Domingo” sketch. Another highlight was the “Charades With Mom” sketch, which sees Grande get unexpectedly aggressive during a family game night and accuse her son’s boyfriend of having a “tiny pecker.”

Well, it turns out that was based on a true story.

Grande was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night (February 5), Grande recalled how an actual game night with her family inspired the sketch, saying:

“It was based on a true event. We were having a game night and, you know, my family is very… they love games very much. I just love to play them, but certain other family members love to win them. It’s life or death, and one of my brother’s husband’s brothers made a joke, or was winning and was like, ‘Haha, we’re really winning,’ you know, that kind of thing. And my mom was like, ‘What, you got a tiny dick or something?’ And I was like [pantomimes holding a phone], ‘Bowen, we have to write a sketch.’ I was like, ‘There’s something here.’”

Grande previously recounted this story on an episode of the Las Culturistas podcast in November.

Check out the full interview above.

The Brat era won’t officially be over until the culmination of the Brat Tour in August, but Charli XCX is already thinking about her next album.

Brat co-writer and co-producer Finn Keane told Grammy.com that Charli has “a desire” to “do the complete opposite thing again, which is very in keeping with her ethos.” He continued, “Some of the conversations we’re having and music we’ve been playing around with the last couple of months have been completely the opposite. I love that spirit. It’s the iconoclastic impulse to rebuild something completely different, to show that you actually could do this other thing.”

He added, “It’s been really funny, in the months after finishing the remix album, any other musical discussion that has taken place has been kind of anti-Brat. I doubt that’ll stick, but that’s been a really interesting thing to observe and makes me very optimistic and excited about [what’s next].”

What’s immediately next for Charli, other than the aforementioned tour, is starring in a ton of movies. That includes A24’s The Moment, which the “360” singer is also producing. If you want to appear in the film, and you’re able to do a “standard American accent” or play a late 30s British manager or a “strikingly beautiful, poised” woman in her 40s-60s, now’s your chance.

A Super Bowl promo that aired a few days ago seemed to suggest Kendrick Lamar will perform his recent No. 1 hit “Not Like Us” during the halftime show. That sounds obvious on the surface, but the relevant additional context here is that the song is currently at the center of some defamation accusations.

Still, it looks like Lamar is indeed planning on showcasing the track during one of the biggest nights in North American pop culture: TMZ reports that per “sources connected to him, the network and the league,” there’s “no doubt” that the song will make the setlist. The publication also notes, “What the lawyers [for FOX and the NFL] have to decide is whether to broadcast the lyrics that allegedly defame Drake, and risk a potential lawsuit.”

Meanwhile, Top Dawg Entertainment’s Punch recently offered an explanation for why Lamar didn’t include “Not Like Us” on his recent album GNX, writing, “Integrity. That record was for the battle. The album was a separate thing. Could have put it on there to boost overall sales but choose to leave it for what it was. Integrity.”

The Super Bowl is set for February 9, so we’re just a few days away from seeing just what Lamar does on one of music’s biggest stages.

When the Lakers shocked the NBA world on Saturday night by acquiring Luka Doncic from the Mavs for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and their 2029 first round pick, one of the first basketball questions people had after the initial shock wore off was what would the Lakers do to fill a major hole at center after trading away Davis.

In Doncic’s introductory presser, Rob Pelinka said he didn’t expect to make an all-in move with the rest of the Lakers draft assets, and most anticipated a stop-gap veteran center to end up in L.A. Steven Adams and others were connected to Lakers interest, but late Wednesday night the Lakers pulled off another surprising trade to bring Mark Williams in as their center of the future from the Hornets for most all of their remaining tradable assets, per Shams Charania.

Lakers get: Mark Williams
Hornets get: Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, LAL 2031 unprotected first round pick, LAL 2030 first round pick swap rights

It is pretty wild that, even factoring how good Anthony Davis is, the Lakers gave up more in the way of draft assets in a deal for Mark Williams than they did for Luka Doncic. The Lakers desperation for a center likely played a role in them getting squeezed a bit, but it was surprising to see how much they gave up for Williams. To be clear, Williams could be a phenomenal fit with Doncic and LeBron James, as he is a terrific defender at the rim and a very good pick-and-roll lob threat. I imagine the Lakers envision him serving in a similar role to Dereck Lively II in Dallas, who immediately became one of Doncic’s favorite teammates upon being drafted.

The problem with Williams is not what he can do when he’s on the court, it’s how little he’s been able to stay on it. He has played in just 84 games in his 2.5 seasons in the league. This season he has only appeared in 22 games for the Hornets due to a foot injury, but when he’s been on the court of late he has been very impactful. On the season he is averaging 16.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, and if he can stay on the floor, it’s easy to see how this could work well. The Lakers are banking a lot on his health, trading most of their best assets to Charlotte in this deal.

For the Hornets, this is good asset management as they certainly liked and believed in Williams, but the aforementioned injury concerns meant they had to be willing to listen to an offer of this magnitude. Getting an unprotected pick, even if highly unlikely to be a high one, is good work (same with the pick swap) but they also get a young wing in Knecht who will give them a pretty potent offensive trio alongside Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball next season. With Miller out for the year, Knecht should get plenty of reps as a leading option to end this season in Charlotte which should be good for his development.

With Jimmy Butler, De’Aaron Fox, and Zach LaVine all getting traded early on deadline week, as Thursday approached, one of the last remaining known stars looking for a trade was Brandon Ingram. The former All-Star wing hasn’t played since December 7 due to an ankle injury, but has been on the trade block for more than a year as he is seeking a long-term extension at or near max money, which the Pelicans have not been willing to give him.

Entering Wednesday, there were two teams creating buzz with talks on Ingram, as the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks had both discussed deals with the Pelicans. Late Wednesday night, Chris Haynes reported the Raptors were in “advanced discussions” on an Ingram trade, with Bruce Brown assuredly part of the deal as a large expiring contract. Just before midnight, Shams Charania broke the news of the full trade having been agreed upon, with Brown and Kelly Olynyk going to New Orleans along with draft compensation (with the pick details coming from Jake Fischer).

Raptors get: Brandon Ingram
Pelicans get: Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, 2026 first round pick via IND, and a second round pick

Unlike what LaVine did in Chicago, Ingram was not able to boost his trade value with a strong first half of the season, but the Pelicans still managed to get some draft assets and didn’t have to take on any long-term money in return. Opting for expiring deals allowed them to get some picks and will give them a chance to reset some this summer as they figure to do some serious evaluation of who is going to be part of their foundation going forward. They also will probably explore options to move Brown and Olynyk in separate moves (or adding other teams to this deal) to try and add more assets.

For the Raptors, they add a scoring wing alongside Scottie Barnes and make it clear that they do not plan on going through a full-scale rebuild in Toronto. Ingram is eligible to be extended immediately for up to three years and 120% of his current salary (just over $36 million), and if the Raptors are giving up real draft assets in the deal, one figures they plan on signing him to a new deal.

A titan of the hip-hop community and one of the genre’s greatest pioneers, Irv Gotti, has died at age 54, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The cause of death has not yet been announced, but THR noted that the music impresario had suffered a stroke last year.

Born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., Irv Gotti is most widely known for founding Murder Inc. Records, which fostered the careers of artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti. Lesser known, but just as important, was his role in stumping for rap legends like Jay-Z and DMX early in their careers (the label took its name from an unrealized group project featuring DMX, Ja Rule, and Jay-Z). He brought all three rappers to Def Jam Records, leading to the pioneering label’s resurgence in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

Gotti was a hit producer who contributed to platinum songs like “Always On Time,” “I’m Real,” and “Ain’t It Funny” by Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez, and “Foolish,” “Rain on Me” and “Mesmerize” by Ashanti. At the height of Murder Inc.’s dominance, the label’s success was derailed by an FBI investigation into Gotti’s connection with Queens drug lord Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff.

More recently, he produced television series like BET’s Tales, an anthology show in which each episode was inspired by a hit hip-hop song (examples include Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story” and The Roots’ “You Got Me”). He was also working on a DMX biopic. In a statement, former Def Jam CEO and Global Head of Music at YouTube Lyor Cohen, who presided over Gotti’s time at the label, said, Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers who was hip-hop. When we were on bended knee, he brought the heat and saved our asses. He comes from a very tight beautiful family from Queens and it’s an honor and a privilege to have known him. Irv, you will be missed.”

While the NBA world is buzzing from three blockbuster trades happening this week — with Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine, and Jimmy Butler all changing teams — there are still games going on every night, which is part of what makes NBA deadline week so fascinating.

In Detroit, the Cavaliers were facing the Pistons in a game without any major trade buzz around either team in a matchup of the East’s best team and the East’s biggest surprise playoff contender. The game was tight throughout and looked to be heading for overtime when Cade Cunningham knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game with five seconds to play and the Cavs without any timeouts. Darius Garland, however, had other ideas.

The in-and-out dribble at midcourt to create the space to even get a shot off is filthy, and Garland rises up from the Pistons logo and buried a game-winner at the buzzer. Garland finished the night with 25 points and five assists in a game where he and Evan Mobley (30 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists) carried the load with Donovan Mitchell sitting out with a shoulder contusion. On the other side, Cunningham was spectacular with 38 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, but the Pistons came up just short of a win against the league-leading Cavs.

The Chicago Bulls were known to be sellers coming into the 2025 NBA trade deadline and began that work over the weekend by trading Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings as part of the three-team trade that sent De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs.

The question that remained for the Bulls was who else they’d look to move off of in an effort to continue gathering future assets. Nikola Vucevic is their best remaining veteran and figures to be on the move before Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, but they also have some younger players that could command a first rounder in return and also had a decision to make on Lonzo Ball, who can be a free agent this summer.

After listening to offers on the veteran guard, the Bulls chose a different option and signed Ball to a two-year, $20 million extension, per Shams Charania. The second year of the deal is a team option, per K.C. Johnson of CHSN. Ball has had a solid 2024-25 campaign to this point, averaging 7.2 points, 3.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game in 30 appearances for the Bulls. In a vacuum, those numbers don’t stand out, but given Ball missed more than two full seasons with a knee injury that created genuine concern he may never play again, they are fairly remarkable as he knocks off rust.

The extension makes plenty of sense on both sides. Given his injury history, Ball seeking out some financial stability is more than understandable. For the Bulls, they keep a respected veteran on the roster as they shift their attention towards a youth movement, and no matter his play on the court, the Bulls clearly value what Ball brings to their locker room. If Ball continues to work his way back into his previous form, that contract will be quite a value and anything you’d get for him now (and probably more) would be available in a year or two.

Jimmy Butler is now a member of the Golden State Warriors, and he will not just be half-year rental. As part of the 5-team trade that saw the Jazz, Pistons, and Raptors all got involved to make the financials work between the Warriors and Heat, the Warriors got Butler to put pen to paper on a 2-year, $121 million extension, per Shams Charania, that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2026-27 season.

Butler will decline his player option for next year as part of the new agreement, meaning his new money will kick in next season. It’s a substantial amount of money for Butler, who will make just north of $60 million per season, but the Warriors avoid some risk by not extending him for the long-term deal he was initially seeking with the Heat. It is a fascinating contract but certainly signals the Warriors are going to commit their resources to one more run with Stephen Curry.

What will be more interesting is what Golden State does this summer after making this move and committing that much money to Butler. They’ve signaled more of a willingness to move some of their youngsters — particularly in their failed pursuit of Kevin Durant — but the formerly untouchable Jonathan Kuminga is going to be a restricted free agent this summer and the Warriors will have to figure out how, exactly, to navigate negotiations with him. They traded away this year’s draft pick in the Butler deal, so any additions to the roster will need to come via trades and free agency, and they’ll see how Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green work together over the next few months before figuring out exactly what they need to maximize the two years to come.