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Some of the funniest stuff on Inside the NBA happens when the guys are just trying to get to the end of the show so they can go home, as it is past 1 a.m. on the east coast. We got the latest example of that on the early hours of Wednesday morning when Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal saw Boston Celtics guard Derrick White’s hairline and did their thing, going as far as to compare White to Stephen A. Smith.

Earlier in the day’s NBA slate, the Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks, 119-106, in large part to the brilliance of White. While filling in for Robert Williams in the starting lineup, White had 26 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and a steal, which led to him talking to the media after the game. The guys at the desk saw that clip, which … well, you’ve probably seen what happens when the Inside crew (particularly Shaq and Chuck) find something funny, which led to the two dudes on the ends of the desk riffing for a solid two minutes while they were cracking up.

Chuck joyously saying “damn, Stephen A, he play for the Celtics!” is the high point, for me. But apparently, this did not sit well with Smith, who Barkley said texted him over the segment. Smith then took the Twitter and reacted to the whole thing, promising that he’d get some revenge on the two Hall of Fame inductees.

Just a hunch, but this is going to come up on First Take on Wednesday morning.

Frank Ocean’s highly-anticipated return to Coachella over the weekend didn’t quite pan out as most fans had imagined. To be fair, Justin Bieber thought he did a great job. However, shortly after the event ended, rumors began circulating on social media about what caused the disconnect. Well, now a hockey podcast, Empty Netters, is spilling the tea about what it was like behind the scenes at Coachella on the day of the singer’s headlining performance.

Hosted by former hockey players Dan and Chris Powers, the duo held nothing back regarding the chaotic set. Both gentlemen were slated to appear on stage with the “Pyramids” singer after being referred to Ocean’s creative team by former New Jersey Devils’ player-turned-Hollywood scout Chris Nelson.

Dan shared that for nearly a month, Chris, himself, and several dozens of skaters had rehearsed for the performance. “We’ve been hanging with Frank. We’ve been hanging with the other skaters. Hanging with these hanging figure skaters. Going through this whole process, it’s this huge ordeal.”

The commentator also revealed that rehearsals continued until the Tuesday before Coachella. But as it relates to the day of, Dan confessed that after the set pickup and call time for wardrobe and makeup was pushed back multiple times; he knew that “The wheels started to fall off.”

“We get to this hotel, and we’re told to be there by 12 noon. Then get a text that the runner’s not going to come until 1 pm,” said Dan.

Chris chimed in to say, “Then it was 2:15 pm. Then 3 pm.”

However, by the time they arrived at the designated area for wardrobe, “It was a nightmare.”

“At this hotel, we run into the figure skaters. The Olympic figure skaters, mind you, and they have disgruntled looks on their faces. And they mention to us that they’ve been cut from the show,” said Dan.

“We start to hear rumblings allegedly that Frank has been in an accident that has given him an ankle injury. So, people are saying, F’rank’s not in a good head space,’ and they. ‘don’t know what’s going on.’ And we’re sitting there, and it is becoming clear that things are not going well with this show.”

Eventually, the hosts are told the ice surface part of the set was scraped. They were asked to get in costume and walk around the stage, to which they responded, “F*ck no. No, thank you. I’m out of here.”

Chris interjects to say, “To be fair,r we both know how show business works in a lot of ways. Production is a mess in everything, all the time, but I will say it was a worthy experience if it had gone off correctly. But, I would say there were a lot of sunk time for the participants.”

He continued, “He really cares about the production. He had a very clear vision, and even though that vision changed a lot, he was always on us. Helping us. Making sure everyone hit what he was pitching in his mind.”

To which Dan pushed back to add, “It’s not like this fell apart, and he was, ‘Oh no.’ He was actively like, ‘I don’t want to f*cking do this anymore.’ Those figure skaters got cut not because there was an ice issue. Not because something went wrong. There was no malfunction. He was straight up like, ‘F*ck this. I’m not doing this anymore.’”

Watch the full podcast episode above.

The Sacramento Kings held serve in impressive fashion this week, opening a first round series against the Golden State Warriors with back-to-back home wins. The Game 2 victory arrived on Monday evening and, in addition to Sacramento’s stellar play, a great deal of chatter emerged surrounding Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis. Green was ejected from Game 2 after stomping on Sabonis’ chest, and Sabonis earned a technical foul for grabbing Green’s ankle at the start of the incident. Following the game, both Green and Sabonis underwent X-rays, heightening the drama, but some NBA insiders notably believed that Green might avoid a suspension in favor of a fine.

However, those reports ended up being premature, as the NBA announced on Tuesday evening that Green will be suspended for one game without pay for “stepping on the chest” of Sabonis. That suspension will be served in Game 3 on Thursday and, in an interesting twist, the NBA acknowledged that “the suspension was based in part on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts.”

As that language would suggest, this is far from Green’s first rodeo. He was most prominently suspended for a game during the 2016 NBA Finals, with many believing that suspension cost the Warriors a championship. Green is one of the league’s best defenders and his on-court impact is measurable, but he often tip-toes the line when it comes to behavior, and this particular action will have a real impact on Game 3.

The Warriors now face a virtual must-win situation in San Francisco, and they do so without a defensive leader and offensive fulcrum as a passer. Golden State has been a different team, in a good way, at home this season, but the Kings are playing at a high level, and this is ill-timed for both player and team to say the least.

Fresh off of their Coachella weekend one performance, supergroup Dinner Party headed over to Jimmy Kimmel Live! to deliver yet another powerful set, this time for the fans at home.

Comprised of saxophonist Kamasi Washington, multi-instrumentalist Terrace Martin, DJ/producer 9th Wonder, and keyboardist Robert Glasper, the musical powerhouse’s self-titled debut album showcased just how much further the industry veterans could push themselves. On their latest project, Enigmatic Society, they are looking to outdo themselves.

Joined by singer Ant Clemons, Dinner Party demonstrated their growth with an intimate performance of the single “Insane.” As Clemons sings, “Hella glad you made it / Shot a clock, I’m faded / Be my designated / Call your driver, baby / ‘Cause that body drives me crazy,” the listener is hocked in with the buttery smooth lines.

The oozing swagger of the song’s lyrics is heightened by the musicians’ homely stage set up on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Dinner Party and Clemons hold an effortlessly soulful jam session blending together areas of each musician’s areas of expertise, from jazz to jazz and every element in between.

Watch the full performance of “Insane” on Jimmy Kimmel Live above.

Enigmatic Society is out now via Sounds Of Crenshaw/Empire. Find more information here.

On Tuesday, Fox News managed to avert a no doubt destructive and humiliating (and utterly riveting) trial by settling with Dominion Voting Systems. They even talked them down to about half of what they were seeking! And they never have to even apologize or acknowledge on air! Good for them! Of course, that also means their reputation is dog poop to all but their most loyal viewers, with there now being proof that they knowingly lied to their public. Even some alumni weren’t too happy with them. That includes Bill O’Reilly, a man who knows Fox News settlements.

In a lengthy statement posted on his site, the network’s former superstar — who, incidentally, was fired in the early Trump era after the company had to settle multiple sexual misconduct settlements involving him — trashed them for their “foolish coverage of the 2020 election.”

Although he noted that the “usual far-left loons are disappointed” by the settlement and lack of trial, most of his ire was for his former employer, who he noted are not out of the woods yet. “Going forward, Fox News faces a similar lawsuit from the Smartmatic Company and perhaps thousands of lawsuits from Fox shareholders,” he wrote, adding, “What a disaster.”

He continued:

This is what happens when money becomes more important than honest information. Since I left FNC, the template changed from “Fair and Balanced” to “tell the audience what it wants to hear.” And millions of Trump voters, to this day, want to believe the 2020 election was rigged.

Good for Bill O’Reilly for coming out against the voter fraud nonsense Trump, his cronies, and his enablers in rightwing media have been peddling for over two years now. Bill O’Reilly — a man so principled, so devoted to taking down crooks and liars that he went on a disastrous speaking tour with [checks notes] Donald Trump months after he tried to overturn democracy.

For what it’s worth, O’Reilly’s various settlements cost Fox News quite a lot less than their devotion to Donald Trump did.

(Via Raw Story)

The Japanese House’s forthcoming sophomore album, In the End It Always Does, is said to feature some of the biggest names in indie music, including The 1975’s Matty Healy, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, and Muna’s Katie Gavin. Her single “Boyhood” was released last month, and now the musician has popped out with a new song to give fans a taste of what’s to come.

Co-produced by George Daniel and Chloe Kraemer, “Sad To Breathe” is a refreshingly crisp look at romantic yearning. In the accompanying video, directed by Sheila Johansson, the band opts for a straightforward display of musicianship. Despite being in a room full of superbly talented musicians and singers, The Japanese House makes it feel as if she’s all alone as she lets her heart bleed out onto her guitar strings.

When discussing the song’s growth, the singer shared, “[Sad To Breathe] is one of the oldest songs” on her upcoming album. “It was very different back then. It’s gone from being solely electronic to what it is now, mostly live/acoustic instrumentation.

“[The song is] about that desperate feeling when someone leaves you and the disbelief that they could,” she added. “It’s funny you could have those kind of insane dramatic thoughts that feel so real at the time but can, by some miracle, look back in fondness to your entire life being ruined. It all circles back around.”

Watch the full video above.

In the End It Always Does is out 6/30 via Dirty Hit. For more information, click here.

On Tuesday, what was supposed to be a wild — and, for conservative media, potentially gutting — trial ended in a surprise 11th-hour settlement: Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems, who had accused the news giant of slandering them on-air with knowingly false info, about half of what they had asked for. Reaction was mixed. On one hand, at $787.5 million, it’s the largest defamation settlement in history. On the other, Fox News doesn’t even have to apologize or admit fault on-air, effectively forking over money to get away with it.

But perhaps you forgot about Smartmatic, another voting machine company who’s also suing Fox News for the same thing. Their lawsuit is even larger. Dominion sought $1.6 billion. Smartmatic wants $2.7 billion. In case that one slipped your mind, the company put out a statement telling Fox News to get ready.

“Dominion’s litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign,” a spokesperson said, as per The New York Times. “Smartmatic will expose the rest.”

In its complaint, Smartmatic alleged that Fox News aired over 100 false statements. The day after the suit was filed, the network cancelled Lou Dobbs’ show.

No trial date has yet been set, but perhaps they have even more dirt than the ones Dominion made public. Ditto the two lawsuits filed on behalf of former producer Abby Grossberg, who alleges a sexist, manipulative workplace, and has some not nice things to say about Tucker Carlson.

In the meantime, Fox News was caught admitting they lied, further ruining a reputation that was already clearly low amongst other news networks (and leading to the usually detached Jake Tapper to lose it on air). But since they don’t have to admit as much on air, their viewers will probably never know.

(Via NYT)

Michael Jackson was known as the King of Pop, but was he secretly the King of Petty? According to hip-hop media titan Benzino, that might be true. Many stories about the musician have emerged, including how the “Bad” singer was almost run over by actor Jason Bateman on a bicycle. Now, Benzino is sharing one of his own.

During his appearance on The Gauds Show podcast, Benzino revealed that Michael Jackson fully supported his feud with rapper Eminem.

“I knew Mike. I met Mike through Teddy [Riley]. He called me, and he thanked me,” said Benzino. As for what the call was about, he revealed Jackson called him, “Because when Eminem dissed him with the fire situation, in the [‘Just Lose It’] video, Mike called — and I remember his assistant put him on the phone — and I sat there and listened to him. And he thanked me.”

The “Just Lose It” video was released back in 2004. In it, Eminem poked fun at Jackson on several fronts, including his 2005 child molestation trial, rumored plastic surgery, and his hair catching on fire on the set of the infamous 1984 Pepsi commercial.

The feud between Benzino and Eminem is still going strong to this day. Strangely, the former’s daughter, rapper Coi Leray, has said she’s on the side of her dad’s foe.

George Santos may have been caught repeatedly and creatively lying during his House election campaign, but will that stop him from running for a second term? Of course not. Only problem is the serial fabulist’s campaign is already in the red. Luckily there’s a House group set up to help cash-strapped members with this very problem. Unluckily they’re turning their back on the erstwhile Kitara Ravache.

As per Politico, Protect the House, a fundraising committee that helps vulnerable candidates keep their seats, and according to paperwork filed Monday they were ready to dump cash on a number of New York representatives. Santos’ name was not on the list.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, a member of the committee, was asked whether he would support Santos’ re-election campaign. He responded with a laugh, then added that he would “wait and see.”

McCarthy has never formally denounced Santos, but others on the committee have. Santos has tried to spin his infamy, claiming he was an outsider and not an untrustworthy sort who lies about his mom dying in the World Trade Center attacks.

Last week, first quarter fundraising data for Santos’ campaign was released and it was not pretty. In the first three months of 2023, he raised a mere $5,333.26. Worse, he had to refund over $8,000 in donations, meaning his campaign has a net loss of about $3,000. Best of luck with that and with that Nicki Minaj bill.
(Via Politico)

Love Is Blind viewers thought they’d never see the footage of the live reunion special. It was later revealed that this was due to the extreme technical difficulties faced by Netflix. But reality television enthusiasts aren’t the only ones anxious about the streaming giant. A short clip of the show featured in Ye’s (formally known as Kanye West) 2022 Netflix documentary Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy is at the center of a new lawsuit, according to TMZ.

A Chicago woman named Cynthia Love is seeking $30,000 in damages from the three-part series directors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah as well as Netflix. Love, who had appeared in the video for Ye’s breakout single “Through The Wire,” which was also directed by Simmons, claims in the lawsuit that the extended version of her used in the series shows her in an “altered state” in which she “was not capable of providing consent.”

The defendant alleged that when the footage was first captured, she was compensated $20. Her appearance in the music video was minor as she is seen dancing in what appears to be a restaurant while not in a right state of mind. Love shared that use of the extended footage shows her “dark past” from which she’s worked nearly two decades to escape.

Love insists that she was not personally contacted for consent to use the extended footage, claiming Simmons told her son “he assumed she was dead” instead of trying to contact her before the documentary was released.