Bronny James officially made his debut as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, as he and first round pick Dalton Knecht met with the media alongside GM Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick. James will reportedly sign a multi-year guaranteed deal with the Lakers to be part of the team’s complete roster, and unsurprisingly many of the questions he faced at his intro presser focused on him playing with his father, LeBron James.
Bronny noted that he “never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad,” and said it wasn’t a “main focus” as he went through the Draft process.
Bronny James was asked if LeBron still being an active player had anything to do with him entering the 2024 draft:
He later was asked about the pressure placed on him because of his name and the fact that he’s now playing with LeBron, and he noted that he’s seen all of it, with people saying he doesn’t deserve his place. He also pointed out that it’s nothing new and that he’s dealt with it all of his life, although it is “amplified” now that he’s in the league.
“I’ve been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. It’s nothing different… I’ll get through it.”
After his presser, Bronny sat down with the Spectrum Sportsnet crew and talked about his upcoming appearances in Summer League, as the plan is for him to play the Cali Classic in San Francisco and then in Las Vegas, and Bronny noted he wants to showcase his skillset and “proving myself to the doubters.”
He’ll get his first chance to do that on Saturday, July 6 when the Lakers face the Kings at 1:30 p.m. PT on the first day of the Cali Classic. His Las Vegas Summer League debut figures to be Friday, July 12 when the Lakers play the Rockets at 4:30 p.m. PT.
Easter eggs come in many forms– sometimes they appear as characters in the background in a movie, sometimes they come in song form, and other times the eggs are graciously carried by James Marsden. But when it comes to dragon eggs…you know where to look.
In season two, episode three of House of the Dragon, there is a brief easter egg in the form of some dragon eggs that are connected to the original Game of Thrones series. In the episode, as Rhaenyra is sending her children away to protect them from the ongoing chaos, she tasks her step-daughter Rhaena with protecting four coveted dragon eggs on their journey. She explained that “should all come to ruin here, you will bear our hope for the future.” It might seem like some regular dragon eggs, though they are actually some Easter eggs. It’s hard to see the difference!
Episode 3 director Geeta Vasant Patel confirmed that the eggs were intentional because they did in fact belong to Daenerys. “Those are Daenerys’ eggs,” Patel confirmed to Mashable. “All of us who work on this show are big Game of Thrones fans, so it was very exciting to shoot that scene.”
Of course, these eggs won’t get into Daenerys hands for about a century, but it just confirms that Rhaena is excellent at her egg protector job! It also leaves the mystery of the fourth egg unsolved, as Daenerys only receives three.
Besides the eggs, Patel also says the scene is integral to Rhaena’s character. “The other part of [the egg scene] is Rhaena saying goodbye and giving up her family in order to be a leader,” Patel explained. If you can guard some dragon eggs, you can really do anything.
There are two types of people in this world – those who panic and fill up their cars with gas when the needle hits 25% or so, and people like me who wait until the gas light comes on, then check the odometer so you can drive the entire 30 miles to absolute empty before coasting into a gas station on fumes.
I mean…it’s not empty until it’s empty, right?
But just how far can you drive your car once that gas light comes on? Should you trust your manual?
Now, thanks to Your Mechanic sharing this information in a recent post, you can know for sure. Of course, they also want to warn you that driving on a low fuel level or running out of gas can actually damage your car.
These are, of course, approximations that depend on several factors, including how you drive, your car’s condition, etc. So don’t automatically blame Your Mechanic if you find yourself stranded on the side of the road.
Belinda Hankins and her 13-year-old daughter, Bella, seem to have a great relationship, one that is often played out over text message.
Sure they play around like most teens and parents do, but in between the joking and stealing of desserts, they’re incredibly open and honest with each other. This is key, especially since Melinda is a single parent and thus is the designated teacher of “the ways of the world.”
But, wow, she is a champ at doing just that in the chillest way possible. Of course, it helps having an incredibly self-aware daughter who has grown up knowing she can be super real with her mom.
Case in point, this truly epic text exchange took place over the weekend while Bella was hunting for tampons at the store.
“THIS was the highlight of my parenting week. Sending my 13-year-old daughter into the store for (whispers) ‘feminine hygiene products,’ and having the following text exchange.”
Let’s give this the fanfare it deserves.
Act 1: The “right” aisle.
Every woman, whether she’s 13 or 30 has said or thought “THEY’RE NOT HERRREEEEEE” while standing in an aisle, desperately searching for period products. It’s like they’re trying to make it a scavenger hunt for which we did not sign up.
Act 2: Everything is a lie.
Act 3: Success! Well, sort of.
That’s right, Bella. Vagina, like Voldemort, is a word some people refuse to invoke because they’re terrified what great, untamed powers doing so might unleash.
Act 4: The truth.
Only a truly great mom could put this in such a way that inspires laughter and fist-pumping agreement at the same time.
Act 5: Smash the patriarchy!
A brilliant conclusion, mom/daughter solidarity AND an accurate map that illustrates what women encounter on a daily basis? If this exchange were a stage play, it would receive five stars.
And many others have agreed; the Facebook post has already been shared over 57,000 times in just two days.
So hip-hip-hooray for moms like Belinda who are candid with their kids on issues big and small and teach them how to be strong using humor and real talk.
The more hilarious conversations like Belinda’s and Bella’s about vaginas and the patriarchy that there are in the world, the better.
If we’re being honest, we all make assumptions about other people, right?
We look at their skin, their clothes, and their car, and we make guesses about them that we don’t even realize we’re making. Everyone does it.
You ask a pregnant female coworker if she’ll keep working after the baby is born — but you wouldn’t think to ask that question of a guy who was about to become a dad.
You ask that nice girl behind the counter at the bagel shop whether she’ll ever go to college so she can get a better job — only to learn that she’s an underemployed Ph.D.
You ask a hipster-looking guy on the subway whether he’s into artisanal pickles — but he just happens to be a bad dresser who has no idea what you’re talking about.
The fact is, though, that people of color deal with other people’s assumptions constantly.
Research shows that other people’s expectations can have a profound effect on us. They can determine our success or failure. And black women deal with this nonsense more than others. In a recent study, nearly half of the female black and Latina scientists polled reported being mistaken for janitors or administrative staff.
(Possible spoilers for The Boys will be found below.)
Way back in 2020, The Boys‘ second season briefly introduced Cindy as a massively powerful and incredibly dangerous Supe. The character appeared only in the sixth episode, “The Bloody Doors Off,” and was last seen hitchhiking away from Vought’s Sage Grove psychiatric facility after (somehow) being kept under lock and key until being set loose during the Lamplighter chaos. The audience then witnessed telekinetic powers, which — along with the hairstyle — were not unlike those of Seven on Stranger Things. Cindy can also pop people’s heads and is invulnerable to bullets. Could they rival Homelander in strength? Probably.
Since Cindy’s escape from the facility, however, actor Ess Hödlmoser has not been seen onscreen, and questions have persisted since you’d think that Vought would want to capture Cindy or use those powers as an asset. What gives? Following the second season finale, GamesRadar noted that showrunner Eric Kripke did a Q & A session where he fielded questions on Cindy’s whereabouts, and Kripke did not shy away: “Cindy’s out there, man.”
He wasn’t done yet: “Look, when you’re running a show it’s just always smart to just plant little landmines everywhere that you can go back to and use, and Cindy will return.” When will this happen? “I’m not entirely sure when, but before this show is over you will see Cindy again.”
Well, Cindy didn’t surface in The Boys third season or Gen V, and the show is now in the thick of a fourth season. This Supe has not, however, been forgotten by viewers, who have been airing their curiosity over whether Cindy was possibly a head-popping “scapegoat” to cover for Claudia Doumit’s antics or a mere “red herring” that has been abandoned after a single outing. Another Redditor isn’t buying a simple disappearance: “You mean to tell me one of the most unstable and powerful Supe in the series has been forgotten about by both Vought and the Boys huh?”
Of course, some viewers joked that Cindy has been busy filming the final season of Stranger Things, which has been taking forever, so give this Supe a break. In short, there is no shortage of fans who would like to see this character come back and wreak some havoc.
At the moment, however, there is plenty more of The Boys to come (three more fourth-season episodes and an entire fifth season), and Kripke hasn’t indicated that he will reneg on his promise to return this “little landmine” to the screen. As the wait continues, we can look forward to the next episode, “Dirty Business,” which will arrive late evening on Wednesday, July 3.
At the moment, BTS is officially on a hiatus as group members fulfill their service obligations in South Korea’s military. Still, between the various solo projects that have emerged from the band, BTS fans haven’t been left wanting.
Now, they have something else to look forward to on August 8: Today (July 2), BTS shared a 12-second teaser video that shows off a series of photos of two people in a variety of settings.
While the teaser doesn’t officially reveal much, fans think they know what’s happening: A good portion of the responses to the post are fans excitedly declaring/speculating that a travel show starring the group’s Jimin and Jung Kook is on the way.
Jung Kook discussed the idea in a 2023 conversation with Suga (per The Indian Express), saying that Jimin had the idea a while ago, and for a long time, they weren’t able to make it happen.
Jung Kook explained, “On a shoot with Jimin years ago, he said that it would be fun to do a travel variety show with me, and I agreed. But it didn’t go anywhere from there. Then, suddenly, they set up a shoot, and it got even funnier after Jimin hyung joined. It was a total mess.” Suga added, “There is something about Jimin that tugs at your heartstrings.”
Gracie Abrams notched her first-ever No. 1 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart with The Secret Of Us, her sophomore LP that also just debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The discourse should be that Abrams and Audrey Hobert, her best friend since fifth grade, made a courageous, intimate, and resonant album welcoming listeners into their living room and adding authentic layers to Abrams’ public persona. And those conversations are happening. But the headlines largely center around Abrams’ most famous friend, Taylor Swift, her neighbor on the Billboard 200 and UK’s Official Albums Chart with Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Oh, and Abrams entered this week’s Billboard Artist 100 at No. 2, behind only Swift.
Abrams, 24, comes by the “nepo baby” label honestly as the daughter of acclaimed director and producer J.J. Abrams (Star Wars, Lost, Alias) and political aide-turned-producer Katie McGrath. With iHeartRadio in July 2022, Abrams acknowledged she enjoyed “a privilege” in growing up around the industry but dismissed any negative connotation as a product of “the internet [being] a funny place for people to call anyone names.” In 2024, proximity to Swift is perhaps the all-powerful “nepo baby” subcategory. Case in point: My mom, the anti-pop culture aficionado, only knows Abrams in association with the viral “Us” backstory involving Swift clumsily putting out an apartment fire.
Every Swiftie knows how maniacally intentional Swift is about everything she does, so to think that doesn’t extend to who receives an invitation into Swiftian lore would be an ill-advised take. If Swift were divvying her co-signs based upon her favorite film and television creators, then Ellen Pompeo, Mariska Hargitay, and Guillermo Del Toro would be tearing up the pop charts. On Sunday, June 30, Swift used her final Dublin The Eras Tour show to laud an in-attendance Stevie Nicks for befriending female artists “just to be a guiding hand,” and Swift makes a concerted effort to pay that forward, regardless of their family crests, as best evidenced by her diverse cast of The Eras Tour openers.
Abrams and Swift debuted “Us” — a rare instance of Swift offering her services as a featured artist and, more significantly, signifying Swift passing her Track 5 baton to Abrams’ The Secret Of Us — during The Eras Tour in London, a familiar stage for Abrams. Swift empowered Abrams as one of the original The Eras Tour openers, beginning shortly after Abrams dropped Good Riddance, her February 2023 debut studio album produced by Aaron Dessner, who also produced The Secret Of Us. Dessner owes his two Grammys to producing Swift’s 2020 sister albums Folklore and Evermore, and Dessner has produced both of Abrams’ albums — the former springing Abrams’ first Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2024.
So, yes, Dessner acts as an invisible string tying Abrams to Swift. Sure, “Us” helped The Secret Of Us reach more people. But Swift’s handling of a fire extinguisher in Abrams’ now-viral “Us” video is the least impressive part of their achingly beautiful duet’s spontaneous 2 a.m.-to-6 a.m. birth. Anybody could use their surname to score a hang with an A-list celebrity — and there is no evidence Abrams ever did that, to be clear — but it takes someone special to earn the respect of this generation’s definitive songwriter. Abrams’ pen is her sharpest sword to cut down hollow industry plant allegations.
“Us” has over 20.5 million streams on Spotify alone. Swift’s name will do that. But that’s fewer than Abrams generated with “Risk” (56.4 million) and “Close To You” (46.3 million). Abrams injected The Secret Of Us with organic intrigue weeks before “Us.” “Risk,” co-written with Hobert, impressed upon impact as the album’s manic, melodic lead single that houses one of the year’s best scream-sing hooks, “God, I’m actually invested / Haven’t even met him / Watch this be the wrong thing, classic.” Abrams and Hobert followed that with “Close To You,” another wonderfully extroverted daydream that became Abrams’ first-ever Billboard Hot 100 entry, debuting at No. 49, after fans first clamored for its release as a demo seven years ago. (“Us” and “Risk” debuted at Nos. 36 and 94 on this week’s Hot 100, respectively, while “Close To You” bumped to No. 60).
But even “Risk” and “Close To You” didn’t happen in a vacuum. For years, Abrams has been steadily forging an organic fan base by holding dearly the “say the quiet part out loud” oath taken by every lasting songwriter. Abrams laid the foundation with “Mess It Up,” “Feels Like,” or “I Know It Won’t Work” before “Risk,” “Close To You,” or “Us” could breach a different pop stratosphere.
Ultimately, the proof is always in the fandom. Abrams’ fans are anything but passive. In mere hours, Abrams’ upcoming headlining The Secret Of Us Tour sold out entirely, including four nights at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and three nights at Radio City Music Hall. Buying concert tickets based solely on six degrees of separation? In this economy? Please.
“I don’t really think about how I want to be remembered, but this album shows a different side of me, and I like the idea of being known,” Abrams recently told Uproxx for this profile. “Not widely known, but known better. If anything, I would be thrilled for people to know me better through this album.”
Beyond the hits, Abrams repeatedly shows palpable growth as an anecdotal storyteller and vulnerable songwriter throughout The Secret Of Us. If this is what she mined with just 16 months to work with between Good Riddance and The Secret Of Us, Abrams’ songs should soon be ubiquitous enough — on the radio, in the grocery store, et al — for my mom and suburban moms everywhere to recognize her on merit. As is, to fully immerse in Abrams’ young yet enriched discography is to already know better than to reduce her to industry ties. The secret of Gracie Abrams is that there is no secret. She’s just damn good.
Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green represented the Warriors homegrown trio that won four championships together, altering the franchise’s trajectory, turning them from a perennially mediocre squad into a model franchise that was a constant threat to win it all. Thompson and Curry were particularly close, as The Splash Brothers became the most formidable shooting tandem in NBA history. Their ability to bomb away from deep gave the Warriors a dynamic that no team could ever quite match, and at the peak of their powers, they wrecked havoc on opposing defenses with the way they flew around off the ball and forced defenses to stretch their efforts well beyond the arc.
Curry has been quiet this summer, letting the Warriors handle their business, but a day after news broke of Klay’s departure to Dallas, Steph unloaded a ton of photos of the Splash Bros (and Draymond) onto his Instagram story as he was clearly processing the news and remembering the great times they shared together in the Bay.
Pam has a little brother, who recently learned that he is actually her half-brother.
Of course, half-siblings are still very much siblings, but Pam’s brother doesn’t quite grasp the concept yet and seems upset about having to part with 50% of his sister.
So when she came home recently, she found this letter he’d written. It will make you cry, so have off-brand tissues on hand:
OMG.
As if this letter isn’t enough to turn your heart into a soft pile of oatmeal, he also left her some of her (presumably) favorite snacks, like Chips Ahoy and Takis (excellent choices!).
Pam, being a human with a soul, was deeply moved and tweeted out a photo of her little brother’s letter:
My little brother found out Iu2019m not his fully sister and I came home to this.. Iu2019m crying..pic.twitter.com/DAC0yUUBt4
I was introducing my kids to my new wife and stepson. When I explained that she was their new Stepmom, My Stepson (5) said to my kids Mom “Well if my Mom is going to be their Stepmom, you’re going to be my new Stepmom!”
Remember this next time you get into a fight with your sibling. Half or whole, doesn’t matter. Love/hate is love/hate!
This article originally appeared on 11.04.22
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