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No NFL team has ever had to deal with the emotions the Buffalo Bills have this week after seeing Damar Hamlin collapse on the field in Cincinnati, requiring CPR on the field to restore his heartbeat. After that game was cancelled, the Bills were solely focused on the health of their teammate, waiting and praying for some kind of positive update after the terrifying scene on Monday night.

Happily, those positive updates came rolling in late this week, as Hamlin improved dramatically, first starting to show signs of being neurologically intact, then being able to ask who won the game, and eventually having his breathing tube removed so he could FaceTime with his teammates this weekend and post updates on social media. All of that built up to an unbelievable atmosphere in Orchard Park, NY for the Bills’ Week 18 game against the Patriots on Sunday, where the 2-seed would be theirs with a win, but more importantly they could pay tribute to and celebrate the positive updates on Damar Hamlin.

The team all had patches with Hamlin’s No. 3 on their uniforms, and the stadium erupted before the game to give a standing ovation when asked to show Hamlin how much he is loved in Buffalo.

After all of that, it was time for kickoff, which produced an all-time moment when Nyheim Hines took the opening kick all the way for a touchdown, sending the Bills crowd (and Hamlin watching from the hospital) into a frenzy.

It’s as cool a moment as you can get in sports, and an incredible way for the game to start. The Bills sideline was almost in disbelief at what Hines had pulled off given the moment and the emotion was overwhelming, as Hamlin was still very clearly front of mind for all of his teammates.

(SPOILERS for this week’s BMF episode will be found below.)

BMF fans were in for a long-awaited treat this weekend as the show finally returned for its second season. The season two premiere arrived a little over a year after the show’s inaugural season came to an end in the fall of 2021. Season one concluded with the deaths of Kato and Lamar (or so we thought) as well as Meech and Terry’s split which the former continuing in the game while the latter resorted to a car-ride service with his father Charles. There’s a whole lot in store for season two, and with that, comes some changes to the weekly schedule of new episodes for BMF.

If you recall from season one, new episodes of BMF came out Sunday at midnight on the STARZ app before being available to watch on the STARZ channel at 8 PM EST. For season two, BMF has shifted new episodes to premiere on Fridays under the same release plan: the new episode is available to watch on the STARZ app Friday at midnight before it premieres on the channel that same day at 8 PM EST. This gives viewers the chance to watch an episode or two during the weekend before the responsibilities of the work week pull them away from the TV screens.

The first episode of season two premiered on Friday (January 6), and it’s available to watch on the STARZ app. You can also check out our recap of that episode here.

Howard Stern and Donald Trump used to be buds. They were two powerful, cocky New York guys who liked to publicly talk about sex and how successful they were (or, in Trump’s case, how successful he claimed to be). Then the big guy had to go and run for president. Stern, who describes himself as a “normal conservative,” has never shied away from trashing the stupid, destructive turn Trump’s life took. It’s frankly unbelievable that the infamously thin-skinned Trump hasn’t returned fire more often, though that’s what he did on Saturday.

“I have been noticing the fact that Howard Stern’s show has gone to Hell, and so few people are listening—Used to be great, now it rates less than fair,” Trump wrote on his rinky-dink Twitter clone. “It’s a sad thing to watch. When he loved ‘Trump,’ it was ‘hot,’ when he decided to go with Crooked Hillary, his ratings world collapsed. Can’t believe they pay him so much money, but I hope he gets it!”

Stern doesn’t just go after Trump. He’s no fan of his supporters either, or what’s left of them these days. Last fall he called the MAGA crowd a “nation of nincompoops,” saying, “Their freedoms have never really been threatened and they have no idea what it would be like to live under a different type of system other than democracy. And they don’t get it. They are morons. They think somehow that the world would be better under a guy like Trump.”

He then offered some advice to put things in perspective: “You should go live in Russia, all you f*ckers out there.”

Trump’s not doing so hot these days, but he is still technically running for president, even if it seems like he’s not. Will Stern make good on a threat he made in 2021 and run against him in 2024? Wilder things have happened.

(Via Mediaite)

Ever since the league year officially began on July 1, there has been a bit of a standoff between the Lakers and their star, LeBron James. It wasn’t enough to keep LeBron from signing a two-year extension with the Lakers, but it’s been fairly clear that there is some tension in the air when it comes to his relationship with Rob Pelinka and the team’s front office.

That exists because while the team has been actively shopping Russell Westbrook, they have been reluctant (or outright refusing) to put their two future first round picks on the table (2027 and 2029) to make a splashier trade. After a woeful start to the season, there were reports the front office was unsure there was even a trade to be made that could fix things this year, indicating the team was not going to pursue anything approaching a ground-shaking move unless things changed considerably on the floor. An upswing was followed by Anthony Davis’ foot injury that seemed to only add further to L.A.’s reluctance to go all-in with this team, as they went 2-5 in their first seven games without their All-Star big man.

Since then, the Lakers are 5-0, with LeBron playing the best ball of his career, and if the early season struggles were the chance for the front office to put their concerns out into the public, this recent hot streak by James has allowed him to return fire with his desire to see reinforcements arrive. While James refuses to say so directly (despite plenty of questions asking him to do just that), he offered Sam Amick of The Athletic a parting quote after the Lakers win on Saturday night against the Kings that was his strongest on the record statement yet.

But how’s your patience level? Is that aspect (of this situation) tugging at you?

They’re doing what they feel is best for the franchise.

How do you feel about that?

I’m doing what’s best for my guys in the locker room. That’s all I can worry about. I’ll let y’all …

A brief pause as he walks away, and one final, unmistakable comment that was shouted from nearly 20 feet away …

Y’all know what the f— should be happening. I don’t need to talk.

James is well aware of his perception as LeGM, and he’s taken it upon himself to try and push back on that by insisting he doesn’t have constant dialogue with the front office and isn’t part of personnel decisions. Part of the problem in this instance is the Lakers also see an issue with how people view who is actually in charge, and what seems to be playing out is a power struggle between James (and, more broadly, Klutch Sports Group) and the Lakers brass after years in which they signed players that seemed to come with LeBron’s stamp of approval.

The failure of the Russell Westbrook trade, when they scrapped a Buddy Hield deal to land Westbrook at the behest of James and Davis, seems to have been the moment the relationship shifted and since, the Lakers have seemed determined to do things on their terms. The problem is, the roster they’ve constructed makes just as little sense as the one put together a year ago, and upgrades need to be made. James has made his peace with the failure of the Westbrook trade to have the desired effect, even if Russ is playing better in a bench role this year, but the Lakers aren’t quite ready to go all-in again.

So, as the trade deadline approaches in a month, the Lakers find themselves in an internal standoff, and until that is resolved, it seems there won’t be much done externally to fix their issues.

Skip Bayless has long made a career out of being a provocateur, but sports media’s biggest heel learned this week that there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed when talking about sports and has been in the crosshairs of just about everyone because of it.

Bayless sent a remarkably tone deaf and insensitive tweet wondering how the NFL could postpone Bills-Bengals while the entire football world simply wanted to know if Damar Hamlin was going to live after going into cardiac arrest on the field on Monday Night Football. Since then, he’s made a weak non-apology on air, gotten blasted by his co-host Shannon Sharpe when the Hall of Famer returned to the air on Wednesday, and been the target of more mockery by Charles Barkley (and just about everyone else).

On Sunday, FOX analyst Michael Strahan became the latest to rip Bayless, calling him out (without even saying his name, just “someone here at this network”) for being “inhumane” and noting that “sensible people and sensible human beings have a heart” and understand when something is more important than football.

You can hear the rest of the FOX NFL Sunday desk agreeing with Strahan, and it’s notable in that you don’t often hear this kind of direct condemnation of something Bayless (or any other talking head) says by someone else on a network. However, in this instance, it was absolutely important for Strahan to do so because Skip is such a big name and FOX has made him one of the faces of their network. When he crosses that line, someone has to call him out and also has to distance everyone else from that statement to ensure everyone knows that’s not the belief of anyone else.

Super Bowl LVII will be held on February 12 in Glendale, Arizona, and for this year’s halftime show, billionaire and pop icon Rihanna is scheduled to perform. Ahead of her performance, the singer decided to tease her forthcoming halftime performance with a “Super Bowl-inspired” Savage x Fenty collection, according to Vogue.

On Sunday (January 8), Rihanna’s lingerie line Savage x Fenty released a limited-edition collection of football-inspired styles. Titled “Game Day,” the sports-themed line features an assortment of 17 sporty styles, including varsity jerseys, hoodies, sweatpants, boxers, and more. The special issue Super Bowl-inspired fashions will be available in various sizes, ranging from XXS to 4X, and are priced between $25 and $90, Vogue reports.

One of the most notable (and probably the most highly coveted) pieces is the brown LVII cropped jersey, which is presumably inspired by the color of a football. Additionally, the “Lift Me Up” singer will launch a special three-day “Game Day” pop-up shop, where customers can participate in Super Bowl-style photo ops and giveaways in Los Angeles from January 27 to January 29.

The singer reportedly has a documentary about her comeback performance with Apple TV+ in the works.

“There is a massive appetite for everything to do with Rihanna, especially as this will be her major return to the stage for the first time in years. She will be recorded during rehearsals and meetings in the lead-up to the big night and give an insight into what her life is really like now she is returning to pop as a mum,” a music insider told The Sun.

Republicans used to duke it out with Democrats. Nowadays they fight themselves. As Donald Trump’s star appears to wane, the party is torn between those who want to at least appear to be sensible — and therefore get re-elected — and the DGAF extremists more than willing to play saboteurs. They couldn’t even elect a Speaker of the House without it descending into chaos. Marjorie Taylor Greene has unexpectedly squabbled with her former besties. Now she’s found herself another enemy.

As per Mediaite, Mike Lindell, the pillow salesman-turned-incorrigible conspiracy theorist, appeared on a podcast published on Telegram on Thursday, during which he let slip that he doesn’t think so highly of the lawmaker who had to be educated about the Holocaust in middle age. He was singing the praises of the MAGA politicians who “have made promises to the grassroots, they’ve made promises to the people.” Then he started naming names.

“Matt Gaetz is not going to break his promise,” Lindell said. “I’m very surprised that the one, I won’t name her name, but it’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, she broke her promise.”

Lindell then realized he’d blurted out her name a mere second or two after claiming he wound’t. “Oh I did name her name. Oh, I let it slip out,” Lindell said. “Now the media can say ‘Mike Lindell bashes Marjorie Taylor Greene!’”

And here we are.

Lindell did try to backpedal a bit, though he didn’t make much sense. “You know, I just think that she, I mean, it’s her choice. But obviously, she was promised something,” he said. “And I don’t know if that promise helps the people, you know what I mean?”

Lindell has been busy, not only doing what he usually does — making wild and unprovable claims of voter fraud — but also gunning to be head of the RNC. That hasn’t been going well either.

(Via Mediaite)

Usually naming a new Speaker of the House is a dull affair. Not this year, not with this iteration of the House GOP. Not only do Republicans have a narrow majority in the chamber, they also have a small faction of MAGA extremists willing to gum up the works. Kevin McCarthy eventually, after four days and 15 votes, got the job, but they did their best to sabotage him. Things got so hectic that a fight almost broke out. Some thought that made the GOP look like clowns. Not Jim Jordan.

The Ohio representative was not one of the extremist faction who repeatedly humiliated McCarthy, but he wasn’t horrified by what went down. Far from it. He thought that George Washington et al. would have wanted Matt Gaetz to almost be coldcocked by one of his colleagues.

“Kevin McCarthy got the same number of votes that Pelosi got,” Jordan said on Fox News on Sunday. “She had the same majority number, 222, that we have this time. So sometimes democracy is messy. But I would argue that’s exactly how the Founders intended it.”

He added, “They wanted real debate, real input from all people and then you get a decision.”

Perhaps Jordan’s right: The Founding Fathers might have thought Republicans looking like a bunch of childish morons prone to in-fighting and drama was in the nation’s best interest. Buckle up, it’s gonna be a bumpy two years.

You can watch Jordan’s Fox News appearance in the video below.

(Via Raw Story)

Donald Trump’s been down so long he must forget what it’s like to be up. For months the former president, who’s never really had to pay the consequences of his actions, has been stepping on endless rakes à la Sideshow Bob. He’s been largely blamed for the GOP’s failed “red wave” at the midterms; he was caught dining with anti-Semites; his business was found guilty of fraud; his tax records were released; he nabbed a criminal referral from the Jan. 6 committee. The big guy needs a win. And now he’s at least claiming one.

In the wee hours of Saturday morning, after four days and 15 votes, Kevin McCarthy was finally elected to the Speaker of the House. McCarthy himself thanked Trump, who stumped for him from Mar-a-Lago. That was enough to inspire Trump to take a much-needed victory lap on his rinky-dink Twitter clone.

Over nearly a dozen posts (or “Truths,” as they’re called over there), Trump mostly posted articles from far right joints like Fox News, Breitbart, and Newsmax, crediting him with McCarthy’s comically protracted win. He was so moved that he did what he never does: He actually thanked journalists.

“The Fake News Media was, believe it or not, very gracious in their reporting that I greatly helped Kevin McCarthy attain the position of Speaker of the House,” Trump wrote. “Thank you, I did our Country a big favor!”

It’s worth noting that Trump’s influence didn’t exactly speed up process that took so long that it turned the GOP into a laughing stock. Moreover, McCarthy’s win is perilously close to a Pyrrhic Victory. Republicans only scored a narrow majority, while a rogue faction of MAGA extremists, like Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert, are bound to turn every vote into a headache. But you know what? Trump’s been a crap magnet for so long, and given all the legal and financial troubles he’s facing, his fortunes may not improve. Let’s let him have this.

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Violent Night (Universal Pictures film on VOD)

Christmas came and went, but David Harbour will last forever. Or so the legend goes, especially when he’s playing a bad-boy Santa that (arguably) makes Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa look like dust in the wind. This version of St. Nick isn’t about to let some mercenaries ruin a family’s holidays, and as a must-see bonus, this film will help you get an Edi Patterson fix while we wait for more Righteous Gemstones shenanigans. Did I mention that this film hails from the minds behind Deadpool 2, John Wick, and Nobody? There’s another reason to keep your Christmas “cheer” going.

TIE: 10. Fleishman Is In Trouble (FX series on Hulu)

This show begins with a meltdown before giving way to a slow burn about what may have happened to Claire Danes’ Rachel, who is painted as a nightmare Type-A wife to Jesse Eisenberg’s awkward hepatologist, Toby Fleishman. The camera literally turns on its head at many points during this season, which tells us not to make assumptions. What I’m saying is this: yes, this begins as a “divorce story” that claims to also be a “Eisenberg-as-Hot-Single-Dad show,” but there’s plenty of sleight of hand here. Author Taffy Brodesser-Akner adapts her own novel with Toby’s best pals portrayed by Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody. Their insight is everything.

9. Alice In Borderland (Netflix series)

This undeniable streaming hit lands in a post-Squid Game realm, where audiences can’t seem to get enough of dystopian Asian shows. However, this franchise springs from a survival manga series, in which a rabid gamer suddenly finds himself in Tokyo, but it’s not his Mama’s Tokyo. Rather, this is a ghost town that’s punctuated by survival games with mysteries piling upon a rag tag group’s head while reality may or may not still exist back home.

8. White Noise (Netflix film)

This adaptation already had its work cut out for it, given that Don DeLillo’s mid-1980s book isn’t the easiest subject matter to absorb or get excited about reading. As well, Noah Baumbach films tend to be an acquired taste, laden with irony and ennui, which it may or may not subscribe to while roasting those tendencies. Yet wait for when the great catastrophe hits in this generally faithful adaptation.

7. The Witcher: Blood Origin (Netflix series)

Although this prequel hasn’t received the same fanfare as the O.G. series, completists will appreciate the back story about the Elven golden age, as guided by Michelle Yeoh’s swordmaster. In addition, the first Witcher prototype’s creation takes center stage, even though there’s not nearly enough of The Bard, who is (as usual) captivated by himself. This limited series bobs and weaves and doesn’t always make sense with the various clans, but that’s part for the course with this franchise. Henry Cavill’s final run as Geralt will be coming soonish, so catch up before that happens.

6. Slow Horses (Apple TV+ series)

A whole lot of Gary Oldman farts will be had in this series, which is now in the thick of season 2. Yet don’t let that frequent display distract you from the failed spymastering of his group full of of British intelligence f*ck-ups. Olivia Cooke and Jack Bowden co-star, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll move past their collective “slow horse” reputation through a series of crises. Yet mainly, it’s nice to see an espionage-focused TV show that puts a fresh, and bumbling, spin on the genre with all those super Krasinski-spies running rampant on streaming.

5. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix film)

Netflix gave this Rian Johnson followup a brief run in theaters, but if you were busy during all of that holiday madness, you can already watch it in your living room. Gather ’round as Daniel Craig gleefully resumes his reign as Benoit Blanc with Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn on hand for more murder business. An endless stream of delightful cameos also awaits (including Hugh Grant and Ethan Hawke), and a very special appearance from one of TV’s finest investigators might grab you in the feels. The third round is on the way, and hopefully, we’ll receive another iconic item of clothing on par with Chris Evans’ sweater and Dave Bautista’s speedo.

4. Emily In Paris (Netflix series)

There’s no escaping this show, as I’ve found while begrudgingly admitting that it’s actually rather enjoyable. That’s how Emily is winning over Parisians, too, long after Brigette Macron tossed a “like” her way. Emily is portrayed as being very career focused this season, but the show always invests plenty of time in that love triangle. Emily and Hot Chef Gabriel already got a room, and they’ve been dancing around their love since then, but somehow, they’re both stringing along other people. Ugh, make it stop, but give me more.

3. Kaleidoscope (Netflix series)

The ever-elusive perfect heist is the name of the game for this choose-your-order show inspired by Hurricane Sandy fallout. In this limited Netflix series, a gang of thieves actually plotted for decades while hoping to pull off a similar situation regarding $7 billion in bearer bonds, and showrunner Eric Garcia has a blast playing with the sequence of events while betrayal and various other stumbling blocks rear their heads. Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul, The Boys) and Tati Gabrielle (You, Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina) lead the cast amid dizzying twists that won’t stop.

2. The Menu (Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios film on HBO Max)

People only thought satire might be dead after the most recently concluded U.S. presidency of our time, but somehow, brilliant minds keep delivering the goods. Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and Ralph Fiennes star in this foodie-horror comedy that’s not only cooked to the right degree but has sparked theories about that damn cheeseburger. Hoult plays an obnoxious a-hole among other obnoxious a-holes who have traveled far and wide for an exotic culinary experience, and Fiennes is so Voldemort here that it hurts. I’d like to see his psychopathic chef team up with Joel McHale’s character from The Bear. Happy streaming!

1. 1923 (Paramount+ series)

This prequel and Yellowstone proper are off to mid-season hiatus land, but ratings and streaming numbers have been through the roof for this and the rest of Taylor Sheridan’s current TV creations. As well, A-listers can’t stop signing onto these shows (Nicole Kidman joined Lioness this week), and here, Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford are out on the range. The television landscape continues transforming, and Sheridan’s universe is one of the main focal points while also sparking a Western resurrection. Natural and historical obstacles rear their heads for the Duttons during the series, but unlike the Targaryens, we know that they survive.