Category: Worldwide

Steve Lacy is no overnight sensation, but he has been experiencing a greater level of success than ever before thanks to his new album, Gemini Rights, and its surprise hit single “Bad Habits.” You’d think that’d be a good thing — and it is — but with the increased attention comes increased aggravation, as well. Lacy, who’s currently on his Give You The World Tour supporting the album, ended a recent show early after fans repeatedly threw objects on the stage, even after he asked them to stop — something artists like Baby Keem have been having trouble with all year.

He taught one fan an important lesson personally, though. After pleading with the audience to stop throwing things on the stage, someone in the crowd thought it’d be funny to immediately pelt him with a disposable camera. Perhaps, in their exuberance they thought they’d get a cool photo from on the stage. After all, Lacy’s audience generally trends pretty young. It’s possible it was that fan’s first show ever, and they really haven’t been taught the etiquette of front row behavior yet. However, there’s really no excuse for chucking anything at another person, performer or no.

Steve impressed this on the fan by asking for the camera back after it hit him and bounced back into the crowd. The fans obliged, only for Lacy to immediately (and rightly) throw the camera at the ground with all his might, completely smashing it before walking off the stage.

Look, I’m with Steve on this one: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. This behavior is totally unacceptable, just like crashing the stage. It’s a risk to the artist, who could trip over a fallen object or get hit in the face, it’s a distraction during the performance, and it’s inconsiderate to other fans should the artist decide (again, rightly) to pack it up and leave rather than be treated like a monkey in a zoo (also, do not throw things at monkeys in zoos. Just don’t throw things at all, kids.). Sometimes, it’s also gross. Besides, a disposable camera is 25 bucks; not the most expensive lesson but costly enough that no one will be willing to just throw that money away.

Sam Smith has hit a new stride. As they prepare for the January 2023 release of Gloria, their newly-announced fourth studio album, the singer has achieved the biggest hit of their career thus far. The project’s lead single “Unholy” — a scandal-driven pop hit featuring Kim Petras that debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to a anticipation-stirring TikTok pre-release campaign — is the highest-charting debut of their career. Having lingered between the chart’s second and third slots since its release, the record hit No. 1 just four weeks after its release. It’s Smith’s first release to top the chart, surpassing even the success of their 2014 breakthrough single “Stay With Me,” and the first No. 1 single from publicly non-binary (Smith) and transgender (Petras) artists.

Over a decade into their career, Smith is playing hardball in the pop arena in a way that they have never before. Until this point, they have been known for heartbreaking ballads about yearning, unrequited love, and the lasting aftermath of emotional damage — from “Lay Me Down” on their debut album In The Lonely Hour to “No Peace” and “To The Lovers That I Lost” on The Thrill of It All and Love Goes, respectively. Smith’s endeavors into rhythmic pop on singles like “Dancing With A Stranger” featuring Normani and dance pop on their Disclosure collaborations “Omen” and “Latch” have been career highlights for a performer whose evolution process occurs more gradually than many of their peers.

But even as they enter this new era, which thus far has found them playing narrator to scandalous things that go bump in the night, Smith has already constructed an arsenal of hits and deep cuts alike that make a case for their essential placement among the defining musicians and songwriters of their generation. A look back at their discography through the lens of 20 of their greatest songs informs not just where Smith has been, but where they have the undeniable range to go next.

20. “My Oasis” (Love Goes, 2020)

Released as one of the lead singles from Love Goes, “My Oasis” became an immediate stand-out record in Sam Smith’s catalog. Most of Smith’s collaborations appear on ballads, but the single finds them instead teaming up with Nigerian superstar Burna Boy. Together, they whipped up a silky, mid-tempo ode to physical touch at a time when lockdown protocols made that kind of connection slightly difficult. “My Oasis” is rooted in a sense of surrender, finding both Burna Boy and Smith embracing the desire they’ve kept at bay, singing: “There’s nothing I can do when it comes to you.”

19. “Leave Your Lover” (In The Lonely Hour, 2014)

Sam Smith may be a true romantic, but that doesn’t mean that their search for love hasn’t been colored with a few selfish moments. On the somber piano ballad “Leave Your Lover,” they put it all on the line, pleading for the person they want to choose them instead. But they aren’t trying to tempt anyone with promises they can’t fulfill. Admitting that there isn’t much they can offer beyond their deepest devotion, Smith proposes: “I will give you all of me.” If that isn’t enough, they’re willing to walk away knowing they took the difficult step onto that ledge on the unknown.

18. “Unholy” (Gloria, 2023)

Sam Smith hit the ground running with the lead single to their forthcoming fourth studio album Gloria. For most of their career, their massive career-defining hits have usually fallen somewhere in between Adele-esque ballads and mid-tempo rhythmic anthems. But on “Unholy,” Smith made a declaration that they’re ready to enter the competitive ring of pure pop radio smashes. Recruiting Kim Petras to accomplish the feat, they created a theatrical narrative-driven hit that succeeds in its ambitions — showcasing Smith’s unmistakable vocal range while dressing it up in a new sound that pushes the boundaries they’ve comfortably remained within — without swallowing itself whole.

17. “Omen” (Caracal, 2015)

The more Smith and Disclosure work with one another, the stronger their collaborative connection becomes. On their third team-up with the production duo, Sam Smith recounted an ominous story of love doomed to fail over a pulsating dance club beat. As they sing, the moment of realization that their relationship was built to fail comes into focus. “I’m feeling something, something different,” Smith notices, later piecing the puzzle together with newfound clarity: “My mind would rule my heart / I didn’t pay attention to the light in the dark / It left me torn apart / But now I see you tears as an omen.”

16. “One Last Song” (The Thrill Of It All, 2017)

As much as Sam Smith knows how to make the most out of their heartbreak, they also recognize when it’s time to let go and complete the healing process. On “One Last Song,” Smith delivers just that: a reminiscent farewell to a past lover. In a range-showcasing chorus, they recount the ways in which the aftermath of the relationship lingers with them. In their goodbye, they offer a tender parting message, singing: “In case you hear this, then know you’re the love of my life.” Ultimately, they decide it is truly better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

15. “How Do You Sleep?” (Love Goes, 2020)

On their debut album, Sam Smith penned a song about the struggle of being knowingly cheated on, but unable to let go — almost willing to endure the pain. Fast forward two albums, Smith revisits the topic on “How Do You Sleep,” embarking on a self-assured mission to stand up for who they are and how they deserve to be treated. “Oh no, how did I manage to lose? / I am not this desperate, not this crazy,” they begin to remember. Their growth shines shortly after, when they decide: “There’s no way I’m sticking ‘round to find out / I won’t lose like that, I won’t lose myself.”

14. “Scars” (The Thrill of It All, 2017)

Until The Thrill Of It All arrived, most of Sam Smith’s songs were pointedly directed at a particular “you” who had broken their heart or was going to. But on “Scars,” the singer speaks directly to their mother and father in a moving dedication to their resilience in choosing themselves. To them both, Smith offers reassurance with a sense that they have also learned from the decisions their parents made that shaped their upbringing. “How you’ve come so far / Your love has fixed all or our broken hearts,” they share warmly. “It’s a lifelong lesson and I’m not pretending then I say, you cleared up my scars.”

13. “I’m Not The Only One” (In The Lonely Hour, 2014)

On “I’m Not The Only One,” the fifth single from In The Lonely Hour, Sam Smith added cheating to the arsenal of relationship tropes presented throughout their growing discography. The record’s narrative is told from the perspective of someone in a relationship who knows their partner is being unfaithful, but begins questioning themselves in the face of not being able to let go. “I have loved you for many years / Maybe I am just not enough,” Smith admits with a sense of sadness, already weighing the aftermath. “You’ve made me realize my deepest fear / By lying and tearing us up.”

12. “Burning” (The Thrill Of It All, 2017)

The first thirty seconds of “Burning” represents one of the most arresting moments in Sam Smith’s discography. “I’ve been burnin’, yes, I’ve been burnin’ / Such a burden, this flame on my chest / No insurance, to pay for the damage / Yeah, I’ve been burnin’ up since you left,” they sing completely acapella, sonically painting an image of a large room empty except for the presence of a lone singer reeling from heartbreak and confusion. Even when the simple piano melody enters and builds throughout the song into a layered choral experience, Smith’s vocal performance remains front and center.

11. “For The Lover That I Lost” (Love Goes, 2020)

Sam Smith initially penned “For The Lover That I Lost” with StarGate and cut a demo that eventually landed in the hands of Céline Dion, who recorded the official version of the song for her 2019 album Courage. Wanting to give it another go, Smith cut another recording of the record for Love Goes. “For The Lover That I Lost,” which essentially hosts a burial for the singer’s past relationships, takes on new life when delivered by its original writer, building a more intimate connection to the music through their personal experience with its source material.

10. “Fire On Fire” (Love Goes, 2020)

Despite their masterful approach to heartbreak, Sam Smith communicates the all-consuming power of love with expert precision on “Fire On Fire.” Particularly when separated from the context of the Netflix adaptation of Richard Adams’ Watership Down, in which the song was featured, it’s an emotionally overwhelming dedication to releasing all inhibiting doubts to allow destiny to intervene, even when a relationship seems unsustainable on paper. “Fire on fire would normally kill us / But this much desire, together, we’re winners,” Smith sings in an orchestral dreamland, never having sounded more deeply in love. “They say that we’re out of control and some say we’re sinners / But don’t let them ruin our beautiful rhythms.”

9. “Pray” (The Thrill Of It All, 2017)

The second single from The Thrill Of It All functioned as an introspective songwriting exercise for Sam Smith. At 25 years old, they became hyper-aware that 99 percent of their discography was about love and heartbreak — and themselves. At the time, in 2017, many artists were turning to music to make sense of the global shifts happening before their eyes. Smith’s own reflection focused on a need for something — anything — bigger than themselves, a thematic narrative elevated by the use of a grand choir. “I’m broken, alone, and afraid,” they admit. “I’m not a saint, I’m more of a sinner / I don’t wanna lose, but I fear for the winners.”

8. “Stay With Me” (In The Lonely Hour, 2014)

Nearly a decade since its release, “Stay With Me” remains the quintessential Sam Smith single. While “Latch” represented most of their audience’s first introduction to them vocally, “Stay With Me” established their foundation as a leading artist. The record reflected their yearning to communicate the individuality of specific emotions with a sense of unspoken relatability — giving form to the feelings that aren’t often spoken out loud. “This ain’t love, it’s clear to see,” they sing on the unmistakable pop ballad, loathing the feeling of waking up alone after a one-night stand. “But darling, stay with me.”

7. “The Thrill Of It All” (The Thrill Of It All, 2017)

If Sam Smith had any deep anxieties about the pressures of sharing their highly-anticipated sophomore album, they don’t show in the music — and especially not in the title track “The Thrill Of It All,” which encapsulated all of the brooding emotions they skillfully communicated across the record. Smith once described the intense piano ballad as a goodbye letter to the era of their debut album and all that came with its success, both their fame and the relationship they immersed themselves in so deeply. They even call back lyrically to “Stay With Me,” the song that started it all: “Even though we weren’t in love / It was far from lust.”

6. “Too Good At Goodbyes” (The Thrill Of It All, 2017)

Three long years after the release of their Grammy Award-winning debut album, Smith returned with “Too Good At Goodbyes” — an introduction to their highly-anticipated sophomore record and proof that they hadn’t lost their golden touch in the time they were away. The track’s minimal production knows the precise moments it needs to swallow the space — stacking vocal harmonies, layering strings, and snapping its rhythm into place — all while centering their vocal performance without distraction. Becoming an instant classic in Smith’s discography, the single acknowledges the singer’s deep familiarity with heartbreak. Over the course of their romantic endeavors, they’ve wrapped themselves in rock-solid armor and it’s going to take an incredible amount of effort for them to bring it down.

5. “Dancing With A Stranger” Feat. Normani (Love Goes, 2020)

In the past, Sam Smith has been hyper-vocal about their love for the now-disbanded girl group Fifth Harmony. While recording their sophomore album The Thrill Of It All with StarGate, Smith ran into Normani at a recording studio where she was working with the production team and invited her to sing on “Dancing With A Stranger,” the sultry R&B duet about letting go and moving on. Having listened so intently to the body of work the group released during their time together, Smith developed an understanding of the ins and outs of their vocal performances — including where Normani was underutilized — and made a point to tap into her wealth of talent alongside their own. When her voice enters on the second verse, it soaks into the track like melted butter. All the while, Smith wields faux blame and resentment with ease: “Look what you made me do, I’m with somebody new.”

4. “Lay Me Down” (In The Lonely Hour, 2014)

Sam Smith released “Lay Me Down” first in 2013 as the lead single from their debut studio album, then re-recorded and shared it again two years later as the record’s sixth single release. The song as we know it now is a representation of Smith at their best, feeling all of the complicated and weighted emotions of love all at once with a sense of pleading that borders on obsession. “Yes, I do, I believe / That one day I will be / Where I was right there / Right next to you,” they breathe out at the start of the song, almost like a mantra they’re repeating to themself. The orchestral backdrop of the track builds like the climax of a film, exploding into the introduction of a deeply intense string session and marching drums. “Lay Me Down” in its final form remains a gold standard within the realm of modern pop ballads.

3. “Love Goes” (Love Goes, 2020)

The title track on Sam Smith’s third studio album begins with a dazzling piano progression dotted with percussive undertones that persists for an entire minute. When a voice finally does emerge, it isn’t their own. Rather, the first lyrics are uttered by singer, songwriter, and producer Labrinth: “I hope you understand that I have to send you away.” He’s one of two narrators in the song, countered by Smith as they deliver a conversational manifesto that reflects the lessons they have learned about love, loss, and sacrifice up to this point in their life. “You’re broken, we know that / And if you knew it, you won’t fight me when I say farewell,” Smith delivers in their grand send-off to a doomed relationship. The instrumentals on “Love Goes” tell a story all on their own, one that communicates freedom by way of a final departure culminating in an ethereal trumpet fanfare.

2. “No Peace” (The Thrill Of It All, 2017)

Leading the second half of Sam Smith’s sophomore album, “No Peace” sets the bar exceedingly high. The hauntingly beautiful ballad recruits powerhouse singer Yebba for a duet of epic proportions. Over an anguished piano melody, Smith and Yebba plead for any sense of release from flashbacks of the past that haunt their every waking moment. When they ask, “Will you show me the piece of my heart I’ve been missing / Won’t you give me the part of myself that I can’t get back / Cause I’d kill for you / And darling you know that,” the pair sounds genuinely held hostage by their emotions, but they aren’t pleading with desperation. There’s a mature sense of resolve and familiarity with the pain that they’re communicating, adding layers of depth to the unspoken elements of the lyrical story driven forward and contextualized by the enveloping production.

1. “Latch” (Settle, 2013)

Sam Smith had been working as a bartender in London when they were first introduced to the EDM duo Disclosure by songwriter Jimmy Napes in 2012. Locked into their first session together, they struck gold beyond measure with “Latch,” the R&B and pure pop-infused dance track that set itself apart in both the EDM and pop scenes that it catapulted its leading artists into after a two-year slow burn on the charts. Much like the commercial success of the song itself, “Latch” takes its time, embracing a smooth simmer in place of a rush to a major drop. With tiny details hidden beneath their voice, “Latch” achieved a sense of timelessness by leaving something new to discover with each listen, even a decade later. The richly atmospheric production on the track wraps itself within layers of pristine vocals as Smith delivers an intoxicating account of falling in love, dragging out its sentiments: “Feel so enamored, hold me tight within your clutch.”

On Monday, video of two referees chasing down Bucs star receiver Mike Evans in the tunnel and asking him to sign (or write down) a piece of paper went viral and launched an NFL investigation into what went down.

Officials aren’t supposed to ask players for autographs and that was certainly what appeared to be happening, and in a league where fans are constantly convinced there’s a conspiracy within the officiating of an opposing team, anything that looks like officials acting as fans is a bad look. On Tuesday, the league announced there wouldn’t be any punishment for the refs because they weren’t asking for an autograph, but they were reminded of the optics of it all.

That begs the question, what exactly were they doing? They were clearly getting him to write something down and it’s hard to imagine what that possibly could be if not an autograph. The apparent answer, per Tom Pelissero, is funnier than you could imagine.

Listen, you are free to believe whatever you want but I’m going to be honest, I have a hard time believing that a referee who went to the same school as a player is getting his number after the game in order to connect him with a local golf pro for lessons in the offseason. That said, it’s such a dumb excuse that it might just be true because I can’t imagine coming up with that on the fly, and we do have visual evidence of Mike Evans needing golf lessons.

Hopefully this golf pro in Texas can get him right.

Midterm elections in the United States are just weeks away, and despite being nearly two years in the past, there are many politicians still dwelling on the 2020 election that Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden. It’s kind of remarkable to consider, but some of Trump’s most die-hard supporters still think he didn’t actually lose by millions of votes to Biden. They have spent the last two years searching for evidence of a massive conspiracy that stole a second term of office from him.

That kind of rhetoric led to the January 6 insurrection in Washington and a second impeachment of Trump before he left office. And yet, in states like Arizona, there are other elected officials still rallying support and investigating election conspiracies. And fresh off challenging an Arkansas politician about the state’s anti-trans laws, Jon Stewart‘s latest interview for The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV goes right to the heart of election nonsense.

In a new episode, Stewart sat down with Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich and grilled him about continuing to prop up Trump’s baseless claims that millions of votes were stolen from him. When Brnovich pointed out that millions of people think the election was stolen regardless of the evidence, Stewart fired back.

“There are people that believe in angels, but that doesn’t mean you launch an investigation that angels changed ballots,” Stewart said, calling the logic a “bit of a tautology.”

“When you have a president spreading rumors to his supporters. For instance, Trump can say,” Stewart continued, looking down to recite exactly what Trump has misleadingly told people about the election since 2020 while Brnovich actually laughed. “Now, the truth is none of that is real.”

Brnovich argued that people expect him to look into things and they’re getting investigations “to ground,” but Stewart pressed him on whether, after all of the investigations and lack of evidence, any statement claiming Trump was lying will ever come out of it.

“And when you get it to ground will you come out and say Donald J. Trump is wrong?” Stewart asked. “The election in Arizona was fair, not stolen, and not fradulent.” Brnovich said that he’s “always been a straight shooter” but said that while he’s declared, “Donald Trump lost Arizona,” he held back on saying Trump is wrong about his election lies.

“The fact is, the election in Arizona was well-run, not fraudulent, and not stolen from Donald Trump, according to even your investigation,” Stewart says, interrupting Brnovich at one point to ask, “Why is it so hard to just say yes to that?”

The full episode will hit Apple TV on Friday, if you feel like watching Stewart grill an elected official a bit more to no real avail.

This article originally appeared on 04.24.18

Around 1 a.m. on April 24, semi-truck drivers in the Oak Park area of Michigan received a distress call from area police: An unidentified man was standing on the edge of a local bridge, apparently ready to jump onto the freeway below.

Those drivers then did something amazing. They raced to the scene to help — and lined up their trucks under the bridge, providing a relatively safe landing space should the man jump.

Fortunately, he didn’t.

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The impressive line-up wasn’t a coincidence — the drivers were prepared for exactly this sort of situation.

Sgt. Jason Brockdorff of the Huntington Woods Police Department told The Detroit News that the response was something local police and truck drivers had actually trained for. But what was unusual was the sheer number of drivers who responded to the call.

“That’s a practice we use if we have a jumper,” Brockdorff said. “We try to do it every time, to lessen the distance someone would travel if they were to jump. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.”

The incident lasted nearly four hours, into the early morning. However, once the trucks were in place, the police were able to more comfortably negotiate with the unidentified man.

Eventually, the man walked off the bridge on his own and is currently receiving medical help.

In a pair of tweets, the local police department called attention to the incident to remind people in similar situations of the importance of seeking mental health services (emphasis mine):

This photo does show the work troopers and local officers do to serve the public. But also in that photo is a man struggling with the decision to take his own life. Please remember help is available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

You can also call a loved one, member of the clergy or 911. There are so many people that can help you make the choice to get help and live! It is our hope to never see another photo like this again.

Working together, the police and everyday strangers saved a life.

Ordinary people heeded the call of service to help a fellow person who was struggling. It’s a powerful image that’s impossible to ignore, and a reminder of humanity at its best.

Believe it or not, pit bulls used to be one of America’s favorite dogs, a trusted family pet with a great temperament. People are often shocked to find out that the block-headed pups deemed as aggressive by society actually score really well on the temperament test, landing at 87.4%—only two tenths away from the score of golden retrievers. Yet for the past 50 years or so, they’ve been in a battle for their lives due to bad press and misinformation. But it looks like their luck is turning around.

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Pit bulls have essentially been victims of a half-century-long smear campaign that they didn’t sign up for. These extremely affectionate dogs are the product of cross-breeding bulldogs and terriers for the purpose of capturing and restraining livestock. Of course, eventually some not-so-nice humans decided this breed could serve as a money-making endeavor and began to breed them to fight and train them to be aggressive, though those traits are not inherent.

Basically pit bulls are much like any other dog—if you train it to be aggressive, it will do what it’s trained to do. If you train it to give you its paw and sit pretty for a treat, it will.

The problem with the information circulating about pit bulls being aggressive is that many dogs who are not pit bulls are labeled as such due to their features, according to the American Pit Bull Foundation.

Recently there has been a counter campaign for the breed and it seems to be showing promise. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who has owned a pit bull, affectionately known by their owners as “pibbles,” to say anything bad about the dogs. Aside from some chewed-up shoes and being bombarded with kisses while they snuggle in your lap like a Pomeranian, pit bull owners speak highly of the breed.

Nowadays, the breed has a lot more advocates, from organizations and shelters to soccer moms. Villalobos Rescue Center helped to catapult the dogs back into the spotlight, helping to change the narrative with the docuseries “Pit Bulls and Parolees.” The show even documented the stricter laws and misunderstandings around the breed in California, which forced the rescue organization to flee to New Orleans to continue its work.

It’s thanks to shows like “Pit Bulls and Parolees” as well as shelters and veterinarians combating the negative stereotype that more pit bulls are ending up in homes snuggling on couches than euthanized. Though some states still have strict laws on the books essentially banning the dogs, advocacy groups and pibble owners have been fighting back in court.

Breed discrimination certainly isn’t new. Other breeds such as Dobermans, Rottweilers and German shepherds have all done time on the “bad dog” list due to bad press. But the discrimination against the pit bull seems to have taken an exceptionally long time to turn around.

These dogs deserve a chance just like any other dog. All dogs require responsible humans to train and care for them and an entire breed shouldn’t get a bad reputation and possible death sentence because a few people decided to be irresponsible. National Pit Bull Awareness Day is October 29.

Matthew Perry almost appeared in last year’s divisive climate change film, Don’t Look Up, if it wasn’t for one small problem: His heart stopped for five minutes. Writing in his upcoming memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry opened up about missing out on a chance to star in the Adam McKay film. According to Perry, he was cast as a Republican journalist and was set to have at least three scenes with Meryl Streep. Perry even flew to Boston to meet with McKay who loved his “on-the-fly pitches” so much that they reportedly made it into the film.

However, things went south while Perry was getting surgery at a rehab in Switzerland. The actor, who’s been open about his years-long battle with addiction, was getting “some kind of weird medical device in my back” to help him deal with abdominal pain.

The procedure did not go well. Via Rolling Stone:

“I was given the shot at 11:00 a.m.,” he writes. “I woke up eleven hours later in a different hospital. Apparently, the propofol had stopped my heart. For five minutes. It wasn’t a heart attack — I didn’t flatline — but nothing had been beating. I was told that some beefy Swiss guy really didn’t want the guy from Friends dying on his table and did CPR on me for the full five minutes, beating and pounding my chest. If I hadn’t been on Friends, would he have stopped at three minutes? Did Friends save my life again?

“He may have saved my life, but he also broke eight of my ribs,” he adds.

The heart-stopping incident wasn’t Perry’s only brush with death. He reportedly was given a “two percent chance to live” after years of opioid abuse caused his colon to burst. He spent weeks in a coma and five months in the hospital. The incident was a wake-up call that led to him now being “safely sober” and able to write a memoir to help others battling addiction.

(Via Rolling Stone)

Move over, Pitbull. Perhaps the Mr. Worldwide title belongs to BTS as a whole.

As BTS’ Jin is on his way to Buenos Aires to perform with Coldplay for the debut of his solo single “The Astronaut,” it looks like another BTS member may have something in the works.

Making rounds on the internet in the last 24 hours, the youngest member of the supergroup, Jungkook, was spotted on the streets of Doha filming during the day. Fans are claiming it could be a sort of promo or a music video.

ARMY on Twitter, as well as Korean netizens, are calling Jungkook royalty, king, prince, or Aladdin as he touched down the streets of Doha wearing all-white with a whole entourage of security and staff.

According to those who’ve witnessed the Jungkook sightings, the Korean artist arrived yesterday and left just hours ago right after wrapping up his shoot.

As mentioned before, though there is no confirmation of what was being filmed, it wouldn’t be surprising if it could possibly be another collaboration, or even better – a solo project. After all, the group is slowly releasing their individual projects. This year, so far, members J-hope and Jin have announced their respective releases.

(House of the Dragon spoilers will be found below.)

The first season of House of the Dragon wrapped up this week and the last handful of episodes effectively laid the groundwork for its second season, but not before giving viewers some, uh, unsettling scenes to remember during its hiatus.

In the penultimate episode, Alicent tries to get information out of the very nasty Larys Strong, who requires her to show off her feet before helping her. Obviously, she (and the rest of the world) was disgusted by the notion but had to go through with it in order to protect her family. But that didn’t mean actress Olivia Cooke liked it one bit!

While speaking with Variety, Cooke explained the power dynamics that made the unfortunate foot scene necessary. “She knows what Larys can do, how powerful he is and how he won’t stop shy of killing his entire family in order to progress in this court. The dynamic shifts slightly all the time over the scene. He probably holds more weight. It’s difficult, because she has no choice but to go along with a lot of the things that he does. She needs the information. Ultimately, she knows how she’s going to get it.”

Cooke added that there was really no choice but to let him look at her feet, which resulted in one of the grossest scenes in the show (right up there with those pesky maggots). But it was vital for her character to play into the act. “If she doesn’t have the information, it could result in her death or in her usurpation or in her children’s death. I don’t think any of this is taken lightly. It’s just an absolute necessity, unfortunately. I don’t think there’s any manipulation going on. It’s just she needs the information, and this is how she gets it.”

She continued, “It’s disgusting, it’s demeaning, it’s assault. But she’s not really left with any choices. She’s surrounded herself with psychopaths and murderers. There’s no one else to turn to. Maybe she thought she could turn to Talia, but she’s turned out to be a spy.” Despite Alicent’s various schemes and powerplays, it seems like she will only get more powerful as the series goes on.

Earlier this week, Cooke opened up about the struggles she faces when seeing herself on screen and in the media, so playing an uncomfortable scene like that might have been tough. But she handled it like a champ, and at least she has Emma D’Arcy to lean on in times of distress or whenever they both need a Negroni Sbagliato.

(Via Variety)

Lil Baby remains adamant that he never dated fellow rapper Saweetie — even with all the evidence seemingly pointing in that direction. In November of 2021, some fans noticed that an outfit that Baby posted on Facebook seemed to perfectly match that of an unidentified man Saweetie posted on her own social media. In a cleverly cropped photo, Saweetie sits on the man’s lap, turning over her shoulder to get a selfie in the mirror.

At the time, Baby responded to the rumors in a tweet reading, “Baby not dating NO ONE!! I’m Single!” However, Saweetie’s ex, Quavo, seemingly responded to the rumors as well, writing on Instagram, “Ain’t trippin we can swap it out.” Saweetie herself seemed to fuel the rumors as well with a new song, “Don’t Say Nothin’,” she teased at Rolling Loud.

Now, with the incident resurfacing due to some apparent lyrical references in both men’s recent musical releases, fans’ interest in learning the truth is higher than ever. Revolt’s Big Facts podcast will address the rumors head-on in an upcoming episode, and in a preview clip, the hosts ask Baby straight-up about whether it was him in the photo or not.

“Nah!” he replies. However, he seems to accept the situation philosophically, understanding that he could be in the headlines for other, less savory reasons.

Of course, fans will probably continue to speculate, as they have done since Quavo’s verse on “Messy” seemingly referred to a homie-hopping ex. Listeners decided the line in question was about Saweetie, which, according to the previous rumor, meant it must also be about Baby. Baby also seemingly replied to Quavo’s “swap it out” proposition on his own new song “Stand On It,” rhyming, “I don’t want your bitch, we can’t swap out.”

However, Baby has since denied that he has any beef with Migos or Quavo and neither has commented on the rumors directly. This looks like just another case of hip-hop fans wanting to see some drama.

Saweetie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.