GoneTrending

No game was more highly-anticipated during the group stage portion of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup than the showdown between Canada and France. A pair of international powerhouses that have legitimate aspirations of winning a gold medal, the Canadians and the French were put together in Group H and were expected to play one of the games of the tournament on the first day of the competition.

It looked like that would happen through one half, as Canada took a 43-40 lead into the locker room at halftime. And then, the Canadians took over, as they turned some absolutely stellar defense into offense en route to a 25-8 edge in the third quarter. By the time the final horn sounded, Canada had wrapped up a stunning 95-65 win that served as a statement of intent for the rest of the field to recognize.

Unsurprisingly, the man at the center of everything for Canada was Oklahoma City Thunder standout Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. An All-NBA First Team selection last year and arguably the best player at the tournament, Gilgeous-Alexander was nothing short of magnificent for his country, going for 27 points on 9-for-19 shooting with 13 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a turnover in 27 minutes of work.

Gilgeous-Alexander was hardly the only NBA standout for Canada to perform well on the day, as Kelly Olynyk scored 18 points, while Dillon Brooks and Nickeil Alexander-Walker both pitched in 12. But Canada’s hopes on making a run for gold revolve largely around Gilgeous-Alexander playing like one of the best basketball players in the world, and through one game at the World Cup, it certainly looks like he’s ready to rise to the occasion.

Canada will return to action on Aug. 27 against Lebanon in a game that tips off at 5:30 a.m. ET. France, meanwhile, will look to bounce back against Latvia on the same day at 9:30 a.m. ET. Both games will be aired in the United States on ESPN+.

The college football season is finally upon us, with Week 0 bringing us seven games to warm us up for when the full slate begins in Week 1.

As is often the case, Week 0 is not exactly filled with tantalizing matchups and is a good test for just how starved you are of college football. There are two ranked squads in action and both are three touchdown favorites, while the most compelling games are those pitting teams likely to be on the outside looking in come bowl season. Still, it’s college football and we haven’t been graced with its presence for eight long months, so it’ll be nice to return to the warm, comforting embrace of the couch on Saturday.

Here, we’ll go through the admittedly thin Week 0 schedule and highlight the games we’ll be watching in each TV window.

Navy (+20.5) vs. Notre Dame (in Ireland), 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

Notre Dame will once again kickoff its season in Ireland as part of their Shamrock Series, this time facing Navy as the Midshipmen exit the Ken Niumatalolo era. Navy is still running the triple option, but with new offensive coordinator Grant Chesnut coming in from Kennesaw State, the expectation is for a bit more of a run-pass balance than Navy’s had in the past. Still, the Irish are heavy favorites for a reason, as they look to take a step forward offensively with Sam Hartman coming in at quarterback after starring at Wake Forest for the past few seasons. We’ll find out if Hartman has the weapons around him to bring the offense to life, as that is the big question for Notre Dame after star tight end Michael Mayer left for the NFL. For years, Navy has been a team capable of tripping up opponents and playing them closer than the experts think (to steal Lee Corso’s favorite line), but we still need to find out if this Navy team has that kind of juice in them after a dreadful 2022.

UTEP (-1) at Jacksonville State, 5:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)

The Gamecocks are making their FBS debut after making the transition to Conference USA and will host UTEP in a near-coin flip game at the sportsbooks. Jacksonville State has long been an FCS powerhouse, going 9-2 last year (but weren’t eligible for the playoffs because they were transitioning to FBS this year), and their move up also means former West Virginia, Arizona, and Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez is now back in the top level of college football. UTEP will be a bit of measuring stick for the Gamecocks, as the Miners went 5-7 last year and are a middle of the pack C-USA squad. A win will establish Jacksonville State as an immediate threat for bowl eligibility, while a loss will show there’s some room to grow before finding similar success at the FBS level they had in the FCS.

Ohio (+2.5) at San Diego State, 7:00 p.m. ET (FS1)

The absolute sickos will also keep an eye on New Mexico State-UMass on ESPN in this window as well, but I can’t recommend that beyond “it could be funny.” I do think this will probably end up being the best game of the day, as it pits last year’s MAC runners up, Ohio, against a San Diego State squad looking to bounce back from a disappointing 7-6 campaign. The Aztecs are, typically, a physical team that leans on its defense to win, but last year they were prone to getting leaky on that end and didn’t have the offense to pick up the slack. The Bobcats will be a good early test of whether the SDSU defense has taken some strides back to being one of the best Group of Five units, or if there’s still issues on that end, because Kurtis Rourke is back under center for the Bobcats and can sling it. This will be a fun game of contrasting styles for two good non-power programs.

San Jose State (+30.5) at USC, 8:00 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)

The other Power Five program in action at this time is Vanderbilt, as they host Hawaii after blowing the doors off the Rainbow Warriors last year on the road, but of the two, this is the game with the most national intrigue. It’s not college football season until you’re trying to figure out how to watch a game being broadcast on the Pac-12 Network (which, let me offer a preemptive RIP for next year). The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams, will begin his season at home against the Spartans with dozens able to watch on TV. The selling point for this game is seeing exactly how dominant the USC offense looks out of the gates without Jordan Addison. There are still questions for USC on the defensive side of the ball, but Williams is such a dynamic talent that he’ll give them a chance against most anyone. San Jose State doesn’t figure to have the athletes to hang with USC so we won’t learn all that much on either side of the ball, but it will be a chance to see what playmakers are the early top targets of Williams and just how easily USC carves up the Spartans will be an indicator of how they’re operating early in the season.

FIU (+11) at Louisiana Tech, 9:00 p.m. ET (CBSSN)

My main pitch for this game is that games tend to get weird in Ruston. Last year these two teams played a 42-34 OT thriller in Fort Lauderdale and the Bulldogs will be looking for revenge here to open the season. I don’t foresee a ton of defense being played by either side, and that should make for a pretty entertaining nightcap, even if it’s not especially good football.

Russian state media pundits are doing their best to convince viewers that the explosion responsible for downing a private jet carrying Wagner Group founder Dmitry Utkin and its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, was not the work of President Vladimir Putin. And by “doing their best,” we mean tossing up ridiculous conspiracies blaming NATO, Ukraine, and even the weather.

The Wagner Group is a state-funded military organization — labeled by the United States as a “transnational criminal organization” — comprised of mercenaries with previous training in Russia’s special forces. Prigozhin was a long-time pal of Putin who was often thought to do his dirty work at home and abroad. Putin’s attack on Ukraine strained the pair’s relationship which ended with Prigozhin attempting a coup, marching his troops on Moscow just two months ago, only to abort the whole thing at the last minute. According to CNN, the rebellion marked the biggest challenge to Putin’s rule in 23 years. Now, with news of Prigozhin’s death, the world is speculating that Putin organized the plane crash as revenge for his old friend’s uprising.

And Russia’s on-air TV personalities are in full-on panic mode trying to point the finger at literally anyone else.

The most famous of these, Vladimir Solovyov, has resorted to shouting insults at viewers who question the Russian president’s involvement in the “accident,” and concocting absurd theories about who might want the head of the Wagner Group dead. After claiming Prigozhin represented “no threat” to Putin, Solovyov reminded audiences of the deal the two struck when the Wagner warlord tried to invade Moscow saying, “I’m trying to figure out who might have benefited from it. The very last person it would benefit is Putin! Putin gave a word, he forgave all of them… Putin was never known not to keep his word! He is a man of his reputation… all about the laws.”

Solovyov then tried to shift focus to Ukraine, alleging the country was celebrating Prigozhin’s death on the internet and that he was “target number one” for their military. When an audience member challenged him by theorizing that Ukraine didn’t have the means to pull off such an intricate plan, Solovyov lost it, calling her a “fantastic fool,” other audience members “degenerates,” and ranting, “How hard is it to sneak a bomb on board? It is the simplest thing there is… I’m so sick of fools writing to me! I hate cretins! I just hate them!”

In the end, Solovyov blamed everyone from the United States to NATO to France for the explosion that took Prigozhin’s life but it was his fellow anchor who gave the most compelling theory. Despite video of the crash showing relatively clear skies on the day the plane went down, meteorologist Evgeny Tishkovets said he blames the weather for the tragedy.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Flowers hold a distinctive place in our lives. They’re there when we want to express love, celebrate milestones, or simply add a touch of beauty to our everyday life. A vase filled with colorful blooms isn’t just a decorative accent; it’s a mood booster, a conversation starter, a breath of fresh air. It’s the delicate balance between nature’s wild beauty and a gardener’s careful attention. And
BloomsyBox is a service that doesn’t merely deliver flowers but curates joy, beauty, and nature’s elegance right to your doorstep.

This isn’t your standard flower delivery; it’s a sustainable flower subscription service that pairs the magic of blossoming petals with a commitment to ethical sourcing and eco-friendly practices. It serves as your personal gardener, delivering this extraordinary beauty straight to your home every week, every two weeks, or once a month. BloomsyBox makes it possible with flexible subscription plans designed to cater to your lifestyle or gifting needs.

Whether you’re a lover of roses, a fan of orchids, or someone who adores a mix of seasonal blooms,
BloomsyBox has you covered. And the best part? Every bouquet you receive is a surprise, a new chance to discover an exotic variety or reacquaint with a classic favorite.

What Is BloomsyBox?

Let’s dive deeper into what sets BloomsyBox apart from other flower delivery services – its commendable commitment to sustainability. The ethos of BloomsyBox is deeply rooted in conscious consumption and ethical sourcing. Each bouquet is wrapped in paper, not plastic, significantly reducing waste. But the eco-friendly approach doesn’t stop there. Even the farms they partner with share the same philosophy, focusing on sustainable farming practices that respect and protect our precious environment.

BloomsyBox takes pride in partnering with farms from every corner of the world. This global outreach brings you the most vibrant and unique flower varieties. And through their collaboration with Rainforest Alliance-certified growers, BloomsyBox chooses farms that prioritize fair wages, safe working conditions, and sustainable farming practices. This ensures that every bouquet is a step towards a better world. When you open a BloomsyBox, you’re not just receiving a collection of beautiful blooms but participating in a global initiative for ethical and sustainable farming.

When it comes to blooms, freshness is king, and BloomsyBox reigns supreme. They ship flowers directly from the farms where they are picked, meaning your flowers are just 2-5 days post-harvest when they arrive at your door. And here’s the delightful twist – the flowers arrive in bud form, giving you the unique pleasure of watching them unfold and bloom. This doesn’t just extend the life of your bouquet; it makes you a part of the blossoming journey, brightening your world one bloom at a time.

How It Works

The journey to add more color and fragrance to your life starts by signing up for a BloomsyBox subscription. Customizing your plan is a breeze, making it as unique as you are. You can choose from weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery options to perfectly fit your lifestyle. The process is designed to be as flexible as needed, giving you total control over when and how often you’d like to receive your fresh bouquet.

Once you’ve picked your plan,
BloomsyBox gets down to making your floral dreams come true. This involves a meticulously detailed process of selecting, handpicking, and packing your flowers with utmost care. From rare orchids to classic roses, each bouquet is a stunning display of variety, chosen for their beauty, freshness, and uniqueness. It’s not just a box of flowers; it’s a box of stories – each flower comes with a tale of its journey from a far-flung corner of the world.

The finishing touch to the BloomsyBox experience is their reliable and flexible delivery. You don’t have to fret about logistics; they bring your blooms straight from the farm to your doorstep. Catering to various lifestyles and needs, BloomsyBox ensures that your flowers arrive when you want them to, offering a freshness guarantee that surpasses any grocery store bouquet. It’s like receiving fresh air and a burst of colors delivered right to your home just in time to brighten your day.

What’s In The Box?

As the old adage goes, it’s what’s inside that counts. This certainly rings true with BloomsyBox. Upon receiving your box, you’ll find a bouquet and a hand-tied arrangement of the finest global flowers curated just for you. Every delivery holds a surprise – from exotic orchids to romantic roses and cheerful sunflowers; the bouquet you receive depends on the season and the most exceptional blooms handpicked from the farms. Wrapped in eco-friendly paper and not plastic, these flowers come with comprehensive care instructions specific to the floral varieties in the box. This ensures you know precisely how to maintain your blooms for the longest possible vase life.

The Perfect Gift

Considering a gift that keeps on giving? Whether it’s a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation, or even just because a BloomsyBox subscription is the answer. Each delivery feels like a personally crafted surprise, opening up a world of floral beauty and wonder for your loved ones. It’s not just a gift but a recurring burst of joy, a celebration of life’s vibrant hues and sweet scents, a reminder that they are cherished, month after month.

But what’s a gift without a personal touch? With
BloomsyBox, each delivery can be accompanied by a heartfelt note. Maybe it’s a fond memory, a motivational quote, or a simple ‘I love you’ — whatever your message, it adds a beautiful human touch to the fresh bloom delivery, making it a gift they won’t soon forget.

Order Now

In an increasingly chaotic world, BloomsyBox brings a breath of fresh air, quite literally, with its vibrant, sustainably-sourced blooms. This flower subscription service isn’t just about delivering nature’s finest creations to your doorstep. It’s about embracing ethical practices, promoting sustainability, and ensuring the quality and freshness of every stem that goes into your bouquet. With a focus on customer satisfaction, BloomsyBox has revolutionized how we gift, celebrate, and enjoy flowers.

So, why wait for a special occasion? Transform your space into a natural sanctuary, or share this joy with your loved ones.
Click here to discover the magic that is BloomsyBoxiscover the magic that is BloomsyBox today. With their vast variety of subscription plans, there’s something for everyone. Experience the thrill of having the rainforest delivered to your living room, one bloom at a time. Trust us, once you start, you’ll never want to go back to the tired, dull grocery store bouquets again.

Toro Y Moi makes a sonic departure and a spiritual return on his new EP, Sandhills, which he released today. According to the story on the project’s Bandcamp page, the EP is a love letter to Toro’s South Carolina hometown, Columbia, which he recorded after making a pilgrimage to the locales of his past. Rather than the chillwave and synth-funk of his past projects, Sandhills is a folk-pop project marked by banjos and other homages to small-town Americana — without the weird politics. Here’s a quote from Toro’s Bandcamp:

Toro y Moi’s ‘Sandhills’ is both a tender love letter to Chaz Bear’s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, and a poignant, bittersweet acceptance that one can never really go back home. Recalling Sufjan’s ‘Seven Swans’ or Karen O’s soundtrack work for ‘Where The Wild Things Are,’ these loping folk-pop songs are themselves a sort of Saturn return, reminiscent of Bear’s first handmade CD-Rs as Toro y Moi. Bear gave them out to friends in the earliest days of the moniker, the releases stuffed in the Case Logic visor of their cars, and each listen brings a little more of that detail to life: the mall after which ‘Sandhills’ is named; the teenaged friends spending aimless hours there, full of big ennui and bigger dreams; the late-capitalist decline and empty big box stores of Sandhills today.

The EP is also accompanied by a short film produced by Toro’s high school photography teacher, Katherine Perry, and directed by her husband Steve Daniels, who worked with Toro on a video for his high school band. The film also features his school’s football team and local artist Ernest Lee (aka Chicken Man), who also created the cover art. Sandhills follows Toro’s collaboration with SBTRKT, “Days Go By,” and his 2022 album Mahal, which spawned its own short film co-starring Eric Andre. Toro Y Moi is billed to appear at Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in LA in November.

Watch Toro Y Moi’s Sandhills short film up top (as of writing, it premieres in one hour) and get his EP here.

Ariana Grande recently revealed that she had a week full of celebrations planned for the 10th anniversary of her beloved debut album Yours Truly.

The agenda included fun surprises for fans such as a Q&A session and a merch capsule. However, the most exciting part by far was the announcement of a special digital deluxe edition of Yours Truly, featuring live recordings of some of the original Yours Truly tracks she performed in London.

It’s out today (August 25), and the live versions of “Honeymoon Avenue” and “Daydreamin’” come with videos. The singer dons blonde curls and a blue two-piece, the bottom being a sprawling skirt that sways as she performs emotively, commanding the attention of the room with her ethereal soprano.

There’s also a version of “The Way” that has the late rapper Mac Miller, who the singer famously dated for several years. It serves as the album’s final track, a bittersweet note to leave on. It displays their cosmic chemistry, immortalized in this hopeful, sweet song as their voices intertwine.

A special vinyl edition of Yours Truly will be available on Monday (August 28).

Listen to “Honeymoon Avenue (Live from London)” above and “Daydreamin’ (Live from London)” below. Find the album stream below that.

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

Lil Yachty’s Field Trip Global Tour will kick off on September 21. But before hitting the road, the eccentric rapper has decided to treat fans to a flurry of singles including “Solo Steppin’ Crete Boy,” “Slide,” and appearing on Miguel’s “Number 9.” He’s not done there. As he teams up with producers MitchGoneMad & WessGoneMad, the musician dropped the new track “Tesla.”

The song isn’t at all sanctioned by the company’s head honcho, Elon Musk, but it is just as erratic as the businessman. Yachty isn’t letting fame stop him from letting the public know that he’s not above getting his hands dirty, rapping, “He get tough, on four pills, he get killed / Send that b*tch home, actin’ goofy, my cup spilled / B*tch, you for real? ‘Kay, damn / B*tch, we the new Beatles, shoot a film, Regal / In the air, eagle, I don’t want it if it’s legal / Throwback this Tesla, throw back that mmm.”

Of course, Lil Yachty isn’t going to let the song go without an official visual. Yachty will reconnect with Lyrical Lemonade’s Cole Bennett for the supporting video to bring the off-kilter track to life with vibrant coloring, dramatic editing, and more. Yachty’s longtime friend Drake’s new music may not have dropped, but that isn’t holding him back from doing his own thing.

Sean Hannity wants to make it clear that he is still very much Team Trump. While the former president and Fox News have been increasingly at odds thanks to Donald Trump publicly snubbing the network by skipping the first GOP debate to sit down with Tucker Carlson, who was fired by Fox, Hannity continued to carry water for his old pal.

While breaking a Fox News alert on Trump’s mugshot, Hannity accidentally said the image is Joe Biden before catching himself and then leaning into the mistake with a joke for the MAGA crowd.

“You are looking at Joe Biden’s– oh, I’m sorry, Donald Trump’s official mugshot. Joe Biden will be soon enough,” Hannity quipped. “Anyway, moments ago, the 45th president walked into the notorious Fulton County, Georgia jail.”

It didn’t take long for people on social media to question the authenticity of Hannity’s slip-up. Several people accused the moment of being a bit, and a lame one at that. While others couldn’t help but notice that Hannity seemed visibly pained while reporting on what is now Donald Trump’s fourth arrest.

The former president is reportedly nervous that the numerous defendants in the Georgia indictment will flip on him, and he’s no doubt shared those concerns with Hannity who has remained in constant touch with Trump.

You can some of the reactions to Hannity’s flub below:

(Via Acyn on Twitter)

On Thursday evening, ex-President Donald Trump surrendered at the Fulton County Jail on a basket full of serious RICO charges. He proceeded to self-report his own weight (he somehow gave identical measurements to many fine athletes), and from there, he posed for an angry-looking mugshot, but before that happened, a fake mugshot went viral.

Trump was in and out of the jail in a jiffy, and then he proceeded to pass on deranged memes that referred to himself as the most wonderful president of all time. However, Trump surely as confident in being proven innocent as he appears while boasting about his alleged awesomeness. It seems that 45 is worried about his assets, specifically Mar-a-Lago, which he referred to as the “Winter White House” (being seized by the feds). A listing on Zillow curiously corresponds to Trump’s Palm Beach address, and there’s an aerial view of a property supposedly sold for $422 million on August 4. The Zestimate, however, is listed at just over $24 million.

Newsweek the legwork to verify that this property’s previously most recent sale date corresponds to the date Trump originally bought what would become The Mar-a-Lago Club:

The listing also mentioned that the last time that the property was sold was on April 6, 1995—the exact same date when the former president turned the residence, which he purchased in 1985 for $2 million, into The Mar-a-Lago Club. At the time, Zillow said the property was acquired for $12,000,000.

While Zillow does not provide details about who bought the property, the website SunBiz said that the current owner of Mar-a-Lago is a company called Mar-a-Lago Inc., owned by the former president’s eldest son.

Nothing about the transfer outwardly appears to be illegal, although you never can tell what will pop up when it comes to the Trump family. As far as anyone knows, Donald intends to keep living at his private residence on the property, which is the same place where he stored classified documents in a bathroom and allegedly showed them off for bragging rights. As the kids say, what a clown show this is turning out to be.

(Via Newsweek & The Express)

There’s a substantial enough community of foot enthusiasts online that they maintain the website wikiFeet, an impressively thorough collection of photos of celebrities’ feet. Dua Lipa is well aware of what’s going on here, and she’s even taken the time to check out her wikiFeet profile.

As Entertainment Weekly notes, this topic came up on a new episode of Lipa’s At Your Service podcast, during which she chatted with comedian Ziwe about her new book Black Friend. In one of the book’s essays, Ziwe write about discovering her wikiFeet profile, and Lipa noted, “I read that essay. And I have to confess, I went on wikiFeet to just look at… I looked at both of our ratings. Your rating’s gone up since you wrote the essay. It’s a horrible website, by the way. I hate feet. So while I was reading your essay I was very… I felt seen. Anyway, let’s not talk about feet.”

Lipa later added, “While I was looking at your feet, I was like, ‘This is way more research I’ve ever done for any of my podcast guests.’”

Here’s Lipa’s wikiFeet profile if you want to check it out (it’s safe for work, unless your workplace prohibits foot photos). Her profile has 2,846 total votes, and of those, 1,730 are “beautiful,” 449 are “nice,” 348 are “OK,” 187 are “bad,” and 132 are “ugly.” All in all, there are 891 photos of Lipa’s feet on the site. The feedback in the comments section is mixed: One commenter wrote, “She’s special Damn,” while another said, “She might be the most beautiful singer/actress/celeb in the world, she’s incredible, but these feet are atrocious, they look like hands, the toes are all over the place, they’re really bad, and it’s unfortunate because she’s an amazing person, it’s just her feet are hideous.”

Check out the At Your Service episode with Ziwe above.

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