Category: Worldwide

Militarie Gun is taking their signature “ooh ooh” to the ring.

The Los Angeles-based punk band, who released one of the best albums of 2023, provided a new lyric-free song as Post Malone‘s entrance music for the WWE 2K24 video game. “Gun Under The Gun (MFG)” has the trademarks of a Militarie Gun stomper, including a killer riff and, yes, a “ooh ooh.”

You can listen to the song above, and watch Post Malone’s entrance video below.

Militarie Gun singer Ian Shelton talked to New Noise Magazine about how the collaboration with Posty (who’s a fan of the group) came to be.

“I focused on finding iconic elements and figuring out how to make it my own. A wrestling intro needs to start big and iconic, get more aggressive, and then go heavier. That’s how the song ended up — starting big and spacey, then more aggressive, and finally half-time for a total beatdown,” he said. “It’s such a strange crossover and an even stranger song to accompany such a crossover. It’s a very fun thing to put out into the world and see what people think.”

As for why Malone didn’t use one of his own songs as his entrance music, Shelton thinks it’s because “he wanted something that sounded like a wrestling intro, something aggressive, which his own catalog doesn’t necessarily have. He gave us the shot because he believes in us.” Maybe Militarie Gun can join him on the F-1 Trillion Tour?

Kendrick Lamar fans are convinced they found a J. Cole-related Easter egg in their replays of Kendrick’s Pop Out — Ken & Friends concert. You may remember that at the outset of the titanic conflict between Kendrick Lamar and his longtime rival Drake, J. Cole was actually the one who took up the gauntlet thrown down by Ken on “Like That” first. However, Cole bowed out relatively quickly, leaving the other two stars to battle it out over the course of several increasingly vitriolic diss tracks, including the megahit, “Not Like Us.” So…

Did Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out Concert Have A J. Cole Reference?

According to some fans, yes. During the intro to Kendrick’s 2015 anthem “Alright,” fans swear they noticed an ad-lib that isn’t on the original, meaning that the backing track played during the show was likely taken from “Black Friday,” a double single released by Kendrick and Cole in 2015 on which they rapped on each other’s beats (Ken used Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive track “A Tale Of 2 Citiez.”

Now, as for why Ken’s DJ would throw on that version of the backing track… who knows, really, other than Kendrick and his DJ? Maybe in pulling together the instrumentals for the performance, they dropped the wrong song in the folder. Or perhaps it was a nod and a wink to J. Cole himself, acknowledging him for withdrawing from the fight for his own personal reasons. Honestly, it was such a tiny moment (heck, it took people a week of rewatches to notice it in the first place), maybe it means nothing.

But the way the battle between Drake and Ken played out shows that the Compton native is nothing if not supremely calculating, so there probably is a reason… he’s just not going to tell us about it.

In February, Killer Mike scored three wins at the 2024 Grammys, but his celebration was interrupted. The Hollywood Reporter‘s Chris Gardner posted footage of Killer Mike being taken away in handcuffs, causing confusion and speculation as to why the Atlanta icon had been put in handcuffs. TMZ eventually reported Killer Mike was “booked for battery on a citizen’s arrest […] after he allegedly got physical with a security guard at the venue.” Shortly thereafter, Killer Mike’s lawyer confirmed to Variety that he had been released and “will be celebrating his sweep tonight.”

Now, Killer Mike can firmly put it all behind him.

On Wednesday, June 26, TMZ exclusively reported that Killer Mike won’t face any charges from the peculiar incident.

“Prosecutors in the L.A. City Attorney’s Office tell us they will not be filing charges against Mike for his confrontation with an event security guard, back in February, which led to his citizen’s arrest,” TMZ relayed. “We’re told he successfully completed his city attorney hearing … after which he agreed to do some community service with a non-profit organization of his choice. That said, the City Attorney’s Office added the Grammy winner needs to stay out of trouble for the next year, or they could reopen the case.”

One week after the 2024 Grammys, Killer Mike appeared on The View and downplayed his arrest, as seen in the clip below.

The third season of The Bear just dropped, and just as has been the case with previous seasons, the new one is being touted for its use of music. In particular, they called upon some music score heavy-hitters for the season premiere: As BrooklynVegan points out, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross created the score for the episode.

The score hasn’t been released yet, so as of now, the only way to hear it is to watch the episode.

Elsewhere in the season, the show’s connection to Pearl Jam leader Eddie Vedder is strengthened: The second episode opens with Vedder’s cover of The (English) Beat’s 1982 favorite “Save It For Later.” Pearl Jam’s “Animal” and “Come Back” were used in previous The Beat episodes. Vedder has shared his “Save It For Later” cover outside of the show, check it out:

Taylor Swift, who was become a plot point in the show, makes an appearance via song, too. In the season’s fourth episode, swift’s “Long Live” from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) can be heard.

Meanwhile, the duo of Reznor and Ross received acclaim earlier this year for their score to Challengers: Uproxx recently named a remixed version of it one of 2024’s best albums so far.

Natalie Portman appears to be, like other Oscar winners, happily reaping the pluses of the streaming realm. She recently popped over to Netflix for May December, and now, she’s stepping onto Apple TV+ for the adaptation of one of Laura Lippmann’s most popular novels, Lady in the Lake.

Lippmann’s books tend to dip into modern noir in an irresistible way (Sunburn, which pays homage to Double Indemnity, will not be leaving my head anytime soon), and with Lady in the Lake, Apple TV+ is adding to its collection of suspense-thriller adaptations. It goes without saying that this is the way, so to speak, to harnessing an enthused audience. Let’s get down to business on what to expect from this limited series.

Plot

The series follows Natalie Portman as a seemingly privileged 1960s housewife, Maddie, who leaves her lackluster marriage and starts poking around in the unsolved murder of a Black woman. The series’ full trailer, as with the book, suggests a metaphorical echoing of Maddie’s struggles in the case of Cleo Johnson (portrayed by Moses Ingram), who went missing (in the novel, of which Stephen King was a fan upon release) after a date. Her body went undiscovered for at least a full season before becoming known as the “Lady in the Lake,” due to Maddie’s investigative efforts.

It remains to be seen how closely the series will adhere to the book’s setup, which can be distilled as a crime story if a reader squints hard, but the stills provided thus far suggest ghostly dives into the past and a willingness to lean into the surreal.

Apple TV+ has billed this series, directed by Alma Har’el, “as a feverish noir thriller and an unexpected tale of the price women pay for their dreams.” That hits hard, and here’s more from the series synopsis:

When the disappearance of a young girl grips the city of Baltimore on Thanksgiving 1966, the lives of two women converge on a fatal collision course. Maddie Schwartz is a Jewish housewife seeking to shed a secret past and reinvent herself as an investigative journalist, and Cleo Johnson is a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family. Their disparate lives seem parallel at first, but when Maddie becomes fixated on Cleo’s mystifying death, a chasm opens that puts everyone around them in danger.

Cast

Natalie Portman will portray Maddie Schwartz, and Moses Ingram picks up the mantle of Cleo Johnson.

Release Date

This series will debut on July 19, 2024 with two episodes with weekly one-episode drops thereafter.

Trailer

The next few minutes begin in unsettling-mystery mode, and then somehow, fish tanks start exploding. Looks riveting!

Zendaya has now appeared in more Jeopardy! clues than episodes of Euphoria since the end of 2022.

During Tuesday’s episode of the game show, the $1,000 clue in the “Stars In The Making” category read, “Before somehow making tennis steamy in 2024, this single named star guested on Disney Channel’s Good Luck Charlie.” Contestant Staci Gardner, a teacher from Chicago, correctly buzzed in “who is Zendaya?” but fans watching at home didn’t love the phrasing of the clue.

They had no issue with the “steamy” reference — it’s an accurate description of Challengers — but rather, the second part. It’s true Zendaya “guested” in a single episode of Good Luck Charlie, but she was the star of Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover. Why not go with one of those shows instead? The phrasing of the clue seemed to throw people off, even though it’s technically correct.

“@Jeopardy just said Zendaya was on Good Luck Charlie?? The one crossover episode?” one user on X wrote, while another incorrectly claimed, “jeopardy just falsely stated that zendaya starred in good luck charlie.”

Again, it’s important to read the clue closely.

This is the objectively correct way to respond:

Following a busy first half of 2024 where she starred (not guested) in Dune: Part Two and Challengers, Zendaya doesn’t have anything on the schedule, other than possibly Euphoria season 3. But there’s no guarantee it will actually happen.

From divorce rumors to a canceled tour, Jennifer Lopez has definitely faced some downs in 2024. Well, the saga continues.

A few days ago, TMZ shared photos and video of Jennifer Lopez on a commercial flight from Naples to Paris. The footage shows Lopez occupying a window seat, a bodyguard taking the aisle seat, and an empty seat between them.

Reactions to the situation have been mixed. There are those who decided to mock of criticize Lopez. TMZ themselves joked in their headline, “Jenny from the Cabin.” In the comments of their Instagram post, some users saw Lopez’s chosen mode of transport as a plea for attention or relatability. One user wrote, “PR team working overtime trying to make seem relatable.” Another said, “She wants to regain likability. No one likes her anymore because of her persona. Pure Marketing.” Somebody else wrote, “Oh please !! This is just to pretend she is humble !! But naaaah ! We know we know , SHE IS NOT.”

However, some came to Lopez’s defense. One user wrote, “Do random people really be taking photos of her and selling it to tmz? Damn.” Another said, “Leave this woman alone!” Another person wrote, “but if she flew a private jet ppl would be roasting her for killing the environment.. these celebs can never win.”

The dad shows are strong on Apple TV+, and there is also plenty of room for addictive spy shows on the streaming services elsewhere. Fortunately, Slow Horses has been cranking out seasons in rapid succession, so that we have been having a steady supply of not only Gary Oldman’s farts but also his grumpfests.

Can you blame spymaster Jackson Lamb for being cantankerous? He’s running the joint where British intelligence agents go to serve their career purgatory, and life for them is filled with the dullest of administrative tasks, until, well, it isn’t. These agents inadvertently end up tending to matters that are of the utmost importance to the fabric of society, and the fourth season will follow Mick Herron’s fourth Slough Horses book, Spook Street. Now for the most important question.

When Does Slow Horses Season 4 Come Out On Apple TV+?

The series returns on September 4, 2024 with two episodes. Then weekly arrivals will take place until the season finale on October 2. According to Apple TV+, “This season opens with a bombing that detonates personal secrets, rocking the already unstable foundations of Slough House.” Sounds like a banger, and I’m not talking about the farts.

Slow Horses co-stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Olivia Cooke, Jack Lowden, Rosalind Eleazar, Saskia Reeves, Jonathan Pryce, Steven Waddington, and Paul Higgins.

The final Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, came out 13 years ago. Does anyone have a Time-Turner handy? Because I feel ancient. Despite author J.K. Rowling turning into a real-life villain, Harry Potter remains remarkably popular (Universal’s magical The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a big reason why), especially among millennials. But HBO wants younger generations to feel the same thrill current 30-somethings did when Hagrid showed up at 4 Privet Drive for the first time, so Harry Potter is being turned into a TV show that will be a “faithful” take on Rowling’s books.

Here’s everything we know so far about HBO’s Harry Potter series, including plot details, a release date, and whether Rowling is involved.

Plot

The Harry Potter series (which does not have an official title yet) will “dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years” and be a “faithful” adaptation of the source material, according to HBO and Max content chief Casey Bloys. There were early reports that each season would cover a different book — i.e. seven seasons, seven books — but Bloys said the show would run for “10 consecutive years,” so some stretching might be involved. This is good news for the weirdos who are still upset that the S.P.E.W. plotline was cut from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie.

The key names involved with the series so far include Succession veterans Francesca Gardiner, who is on board as showrunner, and director Mark Mylod, as well as Rowling herself. She’s listed as an executive producer.

“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” Bloys said in a statement. “Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new [original series] will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.”

Here’s the full logline: “The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years. Each season will bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic, and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”

Cast

Here’s who won’t be in it: Daniel Radcliffe.

“I don’t think so,” the actor who portrayed Harry Potter in all eight films before finding his true calling (playing “Weird Al” Yankovic) told E! Online. “I think they very wisely want to [have] a clean break. And I don’t know if it would work to have us do anything in it. I’m very happy to just watch along with everyone else.” This presumably means Radcliffe’s co-stars Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) aren’t making cameos, as well.

It’ll be a brand new cast, but no one has been announced yet.

Release Date

HBO has penciled in a 2026 premiere date for the Harry Potter series, which was originally being developed as a Max original series. But it’s now an HBO original (along with the It prequel Welcome to Derry), a small but important distinction that ensures the show will air on HBO, not just stream on Max.

Trailer

Nothing yet. Instead, please enjoy the first trailer for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or, yes, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, as it was called in the United States). John Williams’ score still goes hard.

[This post contains spoilers for The Bear season 3]

The Bear‘s soundtrack is often dad-rock focused, but a memorable moment from the show’s second season is when Richie (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach) fully embraces the power of Taylor Swift. Is the “Love Story” scene the best use of a Taylor Swift song in any television show ever? Possibly! Swift herself certainly enjoyed it.

Is There A Taylor Swift Song In The Bear Season 3?

Can Swifties expect any more needle drops in season 3 of The Bear, which premiered late Wednesday? Yes, indeed. Midway through episode 4, “Violet,” Richie drops his daughter Eva off at Frank’s house. Who is Frank? He’s the fiancé of his ex-wife Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs) played by suddenly-everywhere Josh Hartnett. When Frank opens the door to meet Richie and Eva, “Long Live” from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) can be heard playing in the background.

Earlier in the episode, we also see Eva’s Taylor Swift blanket.

“I’m not, like, an anti-Taylor Swift person, I just never really got into her. I was nervous about that because I had to learn the lyrics — I wasn’t familiar with the song,” Moss-Bachrach told Variety last year about the Swift scene in season 2. “We had also been shooting something the night before, and my voice was completely torched. So it’s a very hoarse rendition. I would have liked to have tried to sing it beautifully, and you got a pretty rough version.” The Bear should release “Love Story (Pretty Rough Version)” on streaming.

The Bear season 3 is now streaming on FX on Hulu.