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It’s not an especially big surprise that Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news of James Harden’s trade to the Los Angeles Clippers. Wojnarowski is usually pretty good at being first on things of this magnitude, and on the most recent episode of The Woj Pod, he broke down the extremely unpleasant work that went into reporting this one out.

You see, Wojnarowski sent out a tweet at 2:01 a.m. EST saying the trade happened, so he was obviously up extremely late working on this one. But as it turns out, in order to get the word of this one out there, he had to spend far far far far far too much time at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey.

“They were grinding through this, really got into it on Monday night,” Wojnarowski said at the 5:09 mark of the pod. “I was at Newark Airport, I was getting ready to fly to L.A. to go out and be out with our NBA Countdown crew this week and NBA Today, and was suggested to me to not get on a plane, that you might be … it’s always my worst fear with this job, is you’re in a plane, and the wireless is spotty, and you can’t get to what you need to do. So, I sat in Newark Airport, watched the place close down and then almost start to reopen again. So, from like 5 p.m., they threw me out of the concierge lounge — or the United lounge, I should say — at around 10:30 p.m. when it closed, and then I just went and sat downstairs until I left about 3:30 in the morning.”

Wojnarowski said at that point he just went home, and at the time of the episode getting published, he was still figuring out when he’s getting on a flight to Los Angeles. He also compared this deal to the one that the two teams worked on in 2019, where the Clippers sent Tobias Harris to the Sixers in the very early hours of the morning.

Now, as someone who is from the great state of New Jersey, my jaw hit the floor when I heard this story, as I do not think there is anything I would dislike to do more than spending nearly 12 hours — many of them during the overnight hours — sitting in the Newark Airport because of a work thing. But there is a reason that Woj is much better at his job than I am at mine, so ultimately, I salute him and hope he’s not stuck at the airport nearly as long the next time he makes his way to Newark.

[h/t Awful Announcing]

The Simpsons predicted Donald Trump becoming president. It’s predicted Olympic events. It even predicted the Disney-Fox merger. (It didn’t, however, predict 9/11.) What if its latest prediction also came true? Fans of what was once called Twitter may hope so, because it involves Elon Musk.

Per Yahoo!, Sunday’s episode — the fourth in its 35th season, entitled “Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story” — concerned a young Silicon Valley hopeful voiced by Elizabeth Banks. She was clearly modeled on the incarcerated Theranos honcho Elizabeth Holmes, and she tries to woo Mr. Burns into funding her dream project. At one point Mr. Burns tells her he got her a little gift.

“A Twitter gift card?” she asks, in an episode clearly made before that controversial name change.

“No, I bought you Twitter, the whole company!” Burns replied. “It was a bargain, the previous owner had to sell it after his self-driving Mars rocket crashed into the international space station.”

The Simpsons has been on the air since the Bush I administration, and in that time most of its jokes and references haven’t come true. Still, that didn’t stop some from seeing a glimmer of hope that the world’s most popular social media service may one day be rid of its chaos agent of an owner.

As it happens, Musk himself is a Simpsons guest voice alum. Back in 2015 — long before he’d prolifically damage his own brand, to say nothing of Twitter — he provided his own voice in the episode “The Musk Who Fell to Earth.” Clearly that didn’t stop the writing staff from making him the target of their famous soothsaying.

(Via Yahoo!)

Kelly Clarkson is always showing love to younger artists. With over 20 years in the game, Clarkson has become an icon in her own right, but still has admiration for future generations of singers and songwriters. Today (October 31), in a special Halloween episode of her daytime talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show, Clarkson performed a haunting cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s hit single, “Vampire” during the episode’s “Kellyoke” segment.

The stage was lit up in ominous red lights, with wilting tree branches, fog, and smoke throughout. At the piano was a man, donning an all-black outfit, and wearing white makeup. Clarkson appeared on stage, also wearing all black with pale white makeup and painted teardrops under her eyes.

Musically, Clarkson delivered a stripped-down rendition of Rodrigo’s No. 1 hit, diving deep into her vocal range and reaching high notes, highlighting the pure emotion Rodrigo embeds into her lyrics.

This isn’t the first time Clarkson has covered a Rodrigo song. Back in 2021, Clarkson performed Rodrigo’s breakthrough single “Drivers License,” and then a year later, performed the Sour fan-favorite cut, “Traitor.”

You can see the performance of “Vampire” above.

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

Megan Thee Stallion may be the founder of Hot Girl Summer, but she’s also winning Spooky Season. Over the course of the past weekend, the “Bongos” hitmaker slayed in a variety of Halloween costumes, some of which, she wore to her annual Hottieween party. It’s hard to keep up with the iconic figures and characters she nailed this year, but we put together a nifty guide to Meg’s uncanny recreations.

What are Megan The Stallion’s 2023 Halloween costumes?

This year’s Hottieween party was reportedly Tim Burton-themed, and Meg dressed as a flower from Burton’s 2010 adaptation of Alice In Wonderland. In this adaptation, the flowers are colorful plants, with human-like faces and characteristics.

Later on in the weekend, Meg took her Halloween talents to Instagram, where she shared a set of photos of herself dressed as Death The Kid from the anime and manga series, Soul Eater. Meg is an outspoken lover of anime, and the ambitious, driven Death The Kid matches her energy.

In another photo, Meg dressed as Greta from the movie Gremlins. Greta is character known for her allure, as well as her femininity and unapologetic seductive nature.

This Friday (November 3), Meg will drop “Cobra,” her first single since parting ways with 1501 Entertainment.

Over the summer, something unlikely happened at the movies: Two non-franchise movies gobbled up a ton of money. Barbie’s success wasn’t too surprising. Oppenheimer’s was, a bit. It’s a Christopher Nolan movie, and the throngs tend to flock to his work, even when they don’t feature millionaire crime fighters. But it’s also a three-hour downer epic about the father of the atomic bomb. Despite the length and grim subject matter, it killed at the box office, including on IMAX. Some months after opening, it’s coming back to the biggest big screens.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. is re-releasing their super-sized non-biopic on a select number of IMAX screens. By select, we mean six (6) — four in California and New York City, one in London, and the last in Melbourne. The reissue will only last one week.

Since opening in mid-July, Oppenheimer has grossed nearly a billion bucks worldwide. Of that lofty sum, $183 million came from IMAX screens, some of which — as at New York City’s AMC Lincoln Square — exhibited on 70mm film.

In an age when even the biggest movies hit on-demand mere weeks into their theatrical runs — or, in the case of the new Five Nights at Freddy’s, on the same day — Oppenheimer has been an outlier. It will only hit on-demand streaming on November 21 — months after its release date buddy Barbie crossed over to home video. But starting this Friday, lucky viewers in four cities will get a chance to see it big, as Nolan intended.

(Via THR)

Trick-or-treating is probably a practice you retired many a Halloween ago. Or a few Halloweens ago. Or in 2022.

Let’s face it, a full-grown adult — in a costume — is supposed to be at a bar, or at the very least a house party getting sloshed, not going door to door asking for candy. Yet, many of us likely have fond memories of meeting up with our friends and marauding around the neighborhood, demanding free candy. It was the best sort of tradition for so many of us.

We’d plot our courses carefully in those halcyon days. We knew which houses had the straight dope and who was giving out toothbrushes or, gasp, apples. More often than not, the candy was single servings of Jolly Ranchers or Hershey’s Minis or Tootsie Pops. You know, the one-off bites of candy that no one loves but no one really hates either. But there was always one house where they were giving out full-sized candy bars. Maybe they’d just made a Costco run or perhaps they simply understood that passing out full-sized candy bars would make them legends. Either way, scoring a real candy bar on Halloween made you feel like Indiana Jones, snagging an Incan idol — you’d been through the shitstorm of toothbrushes and peppermint pinwheels and, now, you’d found Halloween gold.

This week, we’re going back to look at some classic American candy bars and ask the ultimate question: Which full-sized candy bar is not only the best but which would you be most stoked about getting while trick-or-treating?

12. 3 Musketeers

The Bar:

Even on a good day, a 3 Musketeers is kinda boring. It’s “filling” covered in chocolate. That filling is a light chocolate fluff that’s basically egg whites and milk chocolate which creates a very subpar nougat.

Bottom Line:

It sort of feels like seeing a full-sized candy bar going into your bag would be exciting. Then seeing it’s a 3 Musketeers would elicit a big ol’ ‘meh’ on the excitement meter.

11. Butterfinger

The Bar:

Hear us out. The actual flavor of a Butterfinger is rad. It’s a burnt creamy peanut buttery delight covered in chocolate.

Bottom Line:

But where this one falls down is the “crispy” consistency. Has anyone ever not been pissed off by how long it takes to clean your teeth after eating a Butterfinger? Exactly.

[Editor’s note: Fuck that, still worth it.]

10. Baby Ruth

The Bar:

Oh, the famous candy bar every thinks is named after infamous baseballer Babe Ruth. It’s named after a President and holder of the most 19th-century name ever Grover Cleveland and his daughter Ruth, for what it’s worth. The bar is a pretty satisfying treat. It’s a more substantial nougat with a layer of sweet caramel and then covered in salty peanuts and enrobed in chocolate.

Bottom Line:

It’s kind of a mess of a bar — the peanuts have exactly zero uniformity — but it’s actually pretty tasty. It’s one of those bars you kinda forget exist, then enjoy finding at the bottom of your trick-or-treat bag.

9. Almond Joy

The Bar:

Imagine a Mounds, but good. It’s amazing what a single almond can accomplish. The coconut base needs that almond-y crack to go along with the chocolate coating. Plus, there are two morsels in each package, which is a big win.

Bottom Line:

The best win though was when you snagged an Almond Joy with two almonds on one piece. Those were the days…

8. Mars Bar (Milky Way)

The Bar:

Here we have that fluffy nougat again. But the addition of caramel makes this bar light years beyond a 3 Musketeers. In this case, that milk chocolate nougat is a bit denser and was originally made to mimic a malted Milky Way milkshake, which was popular back in the 1920s.

Bottom Line:

It’s a pretty good bar, even if that fluffy nougat leaves you a bit wanting.

7. Caramello (Caramilk)

The Bar:

This one shouldn’t work as well as it does. It’s just Cadbury chocolate filled with runny caramel. That’s it! Yet, it’s in that barebones simplicity that this candy bar rises above the rest.

Bottom Line:

Let’s just say it’s great for what it is. Is it the best? Well, no, we’re only at number seven after all.

6. Crunch Bar

The Bar:

Nestlé Crunch bar > Hershey Krackel. Part of that is the simple fact that Nestlé uses better chocolate than Hershey in this case. Both bars contain a genius matrix of rice puffs that give the bar an airy crunch — so we are kinda splitting hairs here.

Bottom Line:

What we’re saying is that a chocolate bar with rice puffs is a pretty good candy bar to score. At the very least you won’t have to eat ten minis to get the same high.

5. 100 Grand

The Bar:

Now, take that Crunch bar and stuff it with sickeningly sweet caramel until it blows up. The crunch from the puffed rice mixed with the chocolate and caramel works a magical alchemy of sweet and savory delights.

Bottom Line:

It’s the perfect candy bar in many ways and the only reason it’s this low is that the rest are too classically great to deny.

4. Twix

The Bar:

The last four really come down to personal preference and the mood we’re in at the time. Twix hits a lot of nails square on the head. Two pieces in each package. Check. Chocolate and caramel. Check. A crispy and slightly savory cookie. Check.

Bottom Line:

It’s a perfect triad of flavors and textures: chocolate, sweet, savory/soft, gooey, and crunchy. Did we mention you get two in every package?

3. Kit Kat

The Bar:

This English candy bar is a global juggernaut. The thin wafers covered in milk chocolate are almost perfect when it comes to candy. The thin wafer and chocolate creme bring a soft and crunchy texture to the smooth chocolate coating. Plus, there are four bars, technically. There’s an interaction with the medium that makes a Kit Kat an outlier in the candy bar world. Breaking off the bars is part of what makes this candy bar so great.

Bottom Line:

Or, you can just bite into the whole bar and watch the world burn.

2. Snickers

The Bar:

Did you know Snickers was named after the Mars family’s favorite horse? Yes, Mars is an actual American family who makes candy (and billions of dollars) — it’s not just a company name. A Snickers is a satisfying candy bar all around. The nougat base is far more substantial than that of a 3 Musketeer for starters. Then there’s a good layer of caramel topped with a uniform row of salty peanuts mixed into the caramel. Then the whole thing’s enrobed with milk chocolate.

Bottom Line:

It’s basically the best parts of a Milky Way, Baby Ruth, and 3 Musketeers done in their best possible form in one candy bar.

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

The “Bar”:

Are peanut butter cups candy bars? Maybe. Maybe not. But, let’s face it, getting a full-sized package of two Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is the biggest win of the night. If it’s a pack of the Big Cups, then you’ve officially won Halloween. The creamy chocolate and peanut butter are hard to beat. Mostly because peanut butter filling is better than any faux American nougat.

Bottom Line:

So, call it nostalgia or call our love for the legitimately transcendent pairing of chocolate and peanut butter. But this is hands down the winner.

Lil Yachty has done it all. Rapping, singing, acting, and now podcasting, the Atlanta native built quite an impressive resume. Since launching his podcast, A Safe Place back in June, Yachty, along with his cohost MitchGoneMad has brought in several exciting guests, including Kai Cenat, Arrogant Tae, and Sexyy Red. Earlier today (October 31), the “Drive Me Crazy!” hitmaker teased an upcoming guest on the podcast with an image of a figure in a silhouette, as he does with all the guests. Since then, fans and listeners have been sharing theories as to whom the mystery guest could be.

Will J. Cole be on Lil Yachty’s A Safe Place podcast?

The obscured figure features a person wearing dreadlocks, who also appears to dribbling a basketball. The figure certainly does look like J. Cole. Not to mention, Cole is a basketball player, who has an active contract with the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

Back in 2021, Cole also played with the Rwanda-based Patriots Basketball Club in the Basketball Africa League.

Primarily a rapper, Cole has had a promising run of features this year, including Drake’s “First Person Shooter,” which would later earn Cole his first chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100. Cole and Yachty also collaborated on a song called “The Secret Recipe” earlier this month.

Therefore, it’s not unlikely that the mystery guest is, in fact, Cole.

According to the Instagram post, the new episode will drop at some point tomorrow on YouTube and Podcast streaming platforms.

It’s Halloween, and it’s a Tuesday night, which means that the Inside the NBA guys are on TNT for some NBA action in costume. While no one on set went quite as far as Giannis Antetokounmpo did one day prior when he dressed up like Hulk and did his best Hulk voice, the fellas still managed to lean into their respective bits.

The star of the show was, without a doubt, Shaquille O’Neal. The former NBA champion with the Miami Heat decided to pay tribute to another member of the Heat, as he threw on a t-shirt, a wig, a lip ring, and a nose ring as part of an Emo Jimmy Butler costume.

Kudos to Shaq for realizing that the best Halloween costumes are the ones that don’t require going too far over the top — the man is getting away with wearing a t-shirt to work for the evening! As for the rest of the team, Charles Barkley wore a completely ridiculous hat as part of his bus driver costume, while Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson turned to movies for inspiration, with Smith dressing like Iceman from Top Gun and Johnson dressing like Vito Corleone from The Godfather.

It is unclear if the guys will change out of their costumes as the night goes on, but at the very least, I hope Shaq does not.

Alec Baldwin has had a rough last two years. In October of 2021, the actor was involved in the accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while shooting the Western Rust. The aftermath has been dizzying, with stories pointing to a disorganized set. There’s even a chance Baldwin could be recharged for involuntary manslaughter, months after the same charge was dropped. Considering his future is very much up in the air, it’s perhaps a bit surprising to learn he’s thinking of starting a reality show.

Per Entertainment Tonight, Baldwin appeared on Kelly Ripa’s podcast Let’s Talk Off Camera, during which he broke the news that he and his wife Hilaria are considering making a show about their gigantic family, partly for practical reasons.

“Everything’s about my family. I have really tried in the last several years, once we had five and then six, and then seven kids. I can’t go anywhere for any length of time,” Baldwin told her. “In the old days I’d jump on a plane and go to L.A… It was easy to pick up and go… I need 12 plane tickets — nannies, kids, my wife, I need, like, 11. They don’t even have 11 seats in the business class section of the plane.”

Baldwin revealed that after temporarily moving his entire brood from their home in New York to Los Angeles for a job he was doing, he realized that after all the expenses he was simply going to “break even.”

“Somebody said, a famous TV producer who I won’t name, said to me, ‘Come do a series with me in Vancouver.’ And I was like, ‘I’m not going to Vancouver for five months. That’s not happening,’” Baldwin explained. “So everything we did and then shows we have considered and pitches we’ve heard, and even one or two pitches we’ve made about our family and that reality show has all been so we could stay home and just work from home. I’m desperate to try to work from New York.”

It’s not clear how far into the planning phase his threatened reality show is, but perhaps he wants to wait a bit, see how things pan out. Otherwise Todd and Julie Chrisley won’t be the only reality show stars behind bars.

(Via ET)

Bad Bunny has had an exciting spooky season. Earlier this month, the Puerto Rican superstar released his fifth studio album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana. He also appeared on Saturday Night Live, as a host and musical guest. As Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana continues to be one of 2023’s buzziest releases, Bunny has shared with us the latest offering from the album — a horror-themed new visual for “Baticano” — which arrives just in time for Halloween.

In the cinematic visual, a Frakenstein-esque scientist, played by the illustrious Steve Buscemi, creates a terrifying monster out of Bunny. Bunny is later set free, arrives at a graveyard, where corpses and ghosts deliver a haunting dance routine.

The “Baticano” video is just the latest example of Bunny demonstrating his on-screen talents. Last year, he starred in the thriller Bullet Train, and this year he had a role in the biographical drama, Cassandro. He also stole the show during his appearance on SNL, keeping the audience in stitches throughout the night.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Bunny teased that we may soon see him in more onscreen projects in the future.

“You could say that I have been investing a little bit more of myself in acting,” he said.

In the meantime, you can see the video for “Baticano” above.