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HBO’s The Last of Us has given fans a terrifying new possibility when it comes to world-ending events. Forget zombie outbreaks and viral pandemics, the most devastating destroyer comes might come in the form of a fungus that infects human brains and turns bodies into flesh-covered puppets.

The Cordyceps strain is an actual breed of fungi that does exactly what the ominous-sounding doctor describes in the show’s season premiere. That first episode of The Last of Us gave us a 60s-era talk-show primer to how the Cordyceps Brain Infection could happen — by fungus mutating to survive rising temperatures caused by climate change. While it’s a bit more complicated than that in real life, on the show, it quickly becomes a horrifying reality.

And, thanks to episode two’s “Infected,” we now know exactly how the infection started.

Jakarta, Indonesia

In the premiere episode, the show teased the origins of the infection — which technically isn’t a virus since it’s fungal in nature — early on. As Sarah, Joel, and Tommy were having breakfast, sans pancakes since Joel forgot to buy a box mix, a radio report was detailing chaos in the city. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment was primarily a chance for Sarah to school the adults on their less-than-stellar geography knowledge but it also teased how the pandemic had already taken root overseas.

When episode two opens, creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann dive further into the mythology of their imagined apocalypse. We meet an elderly woman having lunch in a cafe before she’s picked up by government officials and taken to a lab. She’s a scientist, a renowned one thanks to her work with different types of fungal infections, and she’s presented a slide that shows the Cordyceps strain infecting human cells. Naturally, she’s a bit skeptical because fungus can’t survive in temperatures as high as our natural operating ones. But Cordyceps has evolved and she quickly discovers just how disastrous that mutation is for mankind when she examines the corpse of a woman infected with the fungus.

Fungi Beginnings

After splitting open the bit site on the woman’s leg only to find fungal spores have built a nest underneath her skin. She then goes to pry living tentacles out of the victim’s mouth, ones that move as if in search of a new host to latch onto. It’s all disgusting, blood-curling stuff, but it gets worse when the doctor is asked for her help in creating a cure, or a preventative to fight the spread. Because it has spread.

The woman on the morgue table was just one of many workers in the city’s biggest flour mill that were bitten. According to the authorities, a woman came to work, began acting erratically, bit four co-workers, and had to be put down by police. When the people she bit started exhibiting symptoms, they too were executed, but one might have gotten away before the military’s quarantine efforts could bear fruit. After that incident, 14 more workers were unaccounted for, causing officials to suspect they too had been infected somehow.

Unfortunately for Jakarta, which now seems like ground zero of the CBI pandemic, the doctor gives a grim prognosis. There’s no cure, no vaccine for a fungal infection like this. Their best chance? To bomb the city and everyone in it. We now know those explosive containment protocols were too little too late, but it’s a chilling scene made all the more tragic because, unlike in the video games, the show dedicated plenty of time to let it play out.

The Cowboys and 49ers played in what can only be generously described as a defensive struggle on Sunday night, as neither team produced much in the way of explosive plays, but it was the Niners that were able to make fewer offensive mistakes, as Brock Purdy did just enough to help out his stellar defense in a 19-12 win to punch a ticket to the NFC title game against Philly.

The same could not be said for Dak Prescott, who, a week removed from arguably his best game as a pro, struggled mightily with just 206 yards on 23-of-37 passing with one touchdown and a pair of brutal interceptions. The final Cowboys drive served as a microcosm of their game, as poor decision-making and execution collided to send them out of the playoffs with a whimper.

The series started with Prescott almost taking a safety and then almost throwing a pick on the first play, which really set the tone for the last gasp effort at a game-winning or tying drive. From there, Dalton Schultz, who likewise starred a week ago, didn’t get out of bounds going forward, allowing the clock to wind, and then failed to get a second foot down on a catch with five seconds left that would’ve put them on the edge of Hail Mary range. At that point, the Cowboys needed a miracle, and the play Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore dialed up was, well, certainly unique, as Ezekiel Elliott (yes, the running back) served as the center on what amounted to a 8 yard hitch route that got blown the hell up.

I have watched this a number of times and I have yet to figure out what the plan was on this. When Kavontae Turpin catches the ball, there is no one for him to pitch it to immediately. If the plan was for him to catch and throw it back to the sideline, it was a terrible thought process because there’s no time for him to do anything as he gets lit up immediately. Also adding to the hilarity is Zeke trying to block after the snap, as he gets driven straight back into Prescott, only adding to the hurried nature of the play.

There isn’t a good play to run needing a touchdown from your own 24, but I am confident in saying this is a bad play call for that situation. At least the Cowboys gave us a laugh on their way out, although the Dallas faithful probably won’t see the humor in it all just yet.

Despite a runaway win over the Bucs in the Wild Card round, one of the biggest talking points coming into the Divisional round for the Cowboys was their kicking situation. Brett Maher missed four extra points to start the game in Tampa — after missing his last extra point of the regular season — as we appeared to be watching someone get the yips in real time.

Dallas chose not to hold kicker tryouts on the short turnaround before facing the San Francisco 49ers on the road, backing Maher and hoping he could shake off the worst kicking performance in league history. All of that set the stage on Sunday night for the most anticipated first half extra point in NFL Playoff history, when Maher stepped up after a Dak Prescott to Dalton Schultz touchdown put Dallas up 6-3. Maher’s attempt didn’t get past the line of scrimmage, thumping into a lineman’s hand to make for his sixth missed extra point in his last seven tries.

What makes it even more incredible is that it sure looked like this kick was going left from the beginning anyway, as Greg Olsen points out on the broadcast that Maher was kicking from the left hash and the block came from the left side of the snapper, which indicates this was hooking wide of the uprights whether it got hit or not.

It is genuinely one of the most incredible things to watch happen to someone in real time, as it feels like a slow-motion trainwreck where the Cowboys just refuse to do anything to stop it, continuing to trot Maher out there for kick after kick. He was struggling in warmups, to the point where Jerry Jones went out there to give him a pep talk, which doesn’t appear to have fixed anything.

Jones rather famously backed Maher after the Wild Card win in Tampa, but he may be regretting that loyalty as he watches the Cowboys leave more points on the board against a much better opponent. We’ll see if Dak Prescott gets his wish to “go for f*cking two” every time from here on out.

The Buffalo Bills entered Sunday afternoon as 5.5-point favorites against the Cincinnati Bengals, as the two teams got set to battle in the snow in Orchard Park for a chance to play Kansas City for the AFC Championship.

It became quickly apparent that the Bengals were the superior team on Sunday, as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead and, while the Bills would twice trim that lead to 7 in the late second and early third quarters, they never mounted much of a challenge to Joe Burrow and Cincinnati. While the Bengals carved up the Bills secondary through the air, with Burrow completing 23-of-36 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns, the Bills struggled to replicate that same success — particularly when it came time to push the ball down the field on key downs.

On a few occasions, Josh Allen missed open receivers, as the ball seemed to be sailing on the Bills quarterback, notably on the first third down of the game when he missed Stefon Diggs for what would’ve been a big play to answer Cincinnati’s opening drive TD. Instead, they had to punt and were down 14 when they got the ball back, and Allen just never got into rhythm, going 25-of-42 for 265 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.

Diggs finished the game with just 35 yards on four catches, and by the end of the game, his frustration started to boil over on the sidelines. After the last real chance for Buffalo ended with Allen missing Gabe Davis on fourth down in the end zone, Diggs made his displeasure with Allen not looking his way known on the sideline, with the star QB simply tuning him out and keeping his head down on the tablet.

That frustration from Diggs was shared by Buffalo fans and backers, as it felt notable how much Allen struggled while Burrow excelled — particularly early in the game when the Bengals took control of the game after a 9-for-9 start by Burrow — in the snowy conditions that Allen typically has an advantage in. On this afternoon in western New York, it wasn’t Allen’s nor the Bills day, and this offseason will likely bring some changes as the expectation in Buffalo is now to win, and a second round exit is no longer considered progress.

Electronic pop duo Sylvan Esso may be gearing up to hit the road for their No Rules tour this summer, but before they do, they stopped by CBS’ Saturday Sessions to practice their set. The Grammy-nominated act (comprised of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn) continues to find success in dance music thanks to the songs “Sunburn” and “Your Reality,” and their latest album, No Rules Sandy, cements their impact on the genre even further.

Backed by a six-piece band featuring Jenn Wasner (Flock Of Dimes and Wye Oak), drummers Joe Westerlund and TJ Maiani, and guitarist Mason Stoops, Sylvan Esso performed a melody of their songs “Didn’t Care,” “Your Reality,” and “Look At Me.”

Their performance is a wave of musical experimentation heard across their discography as Meath and Wasner sing, “I didn’t care / And I couldn’t feel it in the air / I didn’t know / When I met you how it would go,” listeners are taken on that journey.

When we talked with the pair about the writing process that went into their critically acclaimed album Free Love, Meath said, “You almost have to prove it to yourself instead of it being an intuition. You have to put into words what you’re reaching for.”

Watch their performance of “Didn’t Care” above and “Your Reality” and “Look At Me” below.

There have been a ton of jokes about George Santos, and rightfully so: After all, he’s given comedians so much material to work with. For their first episode of 2023, SNL led with a sketch partially about the truth-impaired new GOP lawmaker. When it came time for the latest installment of Weekend Update, you better believe they led with him, too.

Co-host Colin Jost started with one of Santos’ more bizarre lies: that he was a volleyball champ at Baruch College, which he never attended. For Jost, it wasn’t so much that he lied so much as the thing he lied about.

“Now that is a fine thing to be but an insane thing to pretend to be,” Jost joked. “Like, that’s his fantasy? It’s like asking a kid what do they want to be when they grow up and they’re like ‘I don’t know, assistant manager at Kohl’s.’”

Jost then turned to his sartorial choices, which consist of a lot of sweaters under suit jackets over top dress shirts.

“This guy is well dressed?” an exasperated Jost exclaimed. “He looks like he’s trying to steal clothes by putting them on over what he wore into the store.”

Co-host Michael Che got in the Santos fun, too, choosing to dwell on one of the more recent allegations about him.

“A drag queen who claims she performed with George Santos said the George did not have the glamour to be a professional,” Che said about claims Santos has sort of denied. “But she said another drag queen in Congress is absolutely slaying as the character Marjorie Taylor Greene,” he joked, alongside an image of one of the House’s kookiest characters.

You can watch Weekend Update — which also featured a nice little Parks and Recreation reunion — in the videos above and below.

50 Cent is never one to back down from a fight, but it looks like he’s turned down a new path.

The OG hitmaker has decided to head to mediation instead of trial with the penis enlargement company and its founder Angela Kogan, whom he sued last September. The business, Perfection Plastic Surgery, allegedly used a picture of the TV producer and rapper for promotional purposes on a social media post. The “What Up Gangsta” rapper was not going for it and immediately hit the surgery company with a lawsuit. However, there seems to be some sunshine on the legal horizon.

AllHipHop reports that court documents show that 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, and his legal team have filed a motion requesting mediation. According to the paperwork, the motion was granted, and all parties will convene on February 28.

The entrepreneur and his legal team not only sued Kogan in September 2022 but also pointed the finger at the gossip website, The Shade Room, which the rapper is also suing.

“By publishing the article and falsely stating or implying that Jackson had received plastic surgery procedures from Kogan or MedSpa, or the penile enhancement or other procedures described in the article, TSR committed a clear act of defamation,” his legal team said in a recent statement.

If the mediation between the two parties fails to resolve the lawsuit, the case will go to trial in July 2023.

Grammy Award-nominated rapper Tobe Nwigwe may be up against some steep competition in the best new artist category at this year’s ceremony. Still, there’s no comparison to his ability to perform live. Instead, the West Houston representor stopped by The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon to put his talent on full display for the voting commitment who are still unsure about casting their ballad for the first-time nominee.

Dressed in matching mint-colored clothing, seated on stage next to his pregnant wife, Fat, the pair performs “Fye Fye,” a breakout song of their album moMINTS. With each performance, Nwigwe breathes new creative life into a song. Instead of their signature high-energy stage show, the couple opted for a softer, more ethereal approach. As their adorable young daughters freely join in, mouthing the words to the song in the background, the pair exchange energy to heighten the song’s overall message, family despite what social media says.

Tobe praises his wife in the stanza, “I done been blessed with a woman that pray heavy, but turn a freak on the liquor, uh / She keep the devil off me like the Cherubim / She make it clear to h*es that we ain’t sharing him.” Then shares his promise to his young daughters in the line, “I told my baby girl she gon’ have more in her head than just product and bundles.”

He continues speaking on his love for his family in the bars, “If you book me for a show and I can’t bring my wife and my babies, I’m leavin’ / Big daddy energy speakin’.”

While Fat ensures that as his wife, she will never lead Tobe astray, rapping, “And I ain’t Kim (What that mean?), Tobe can’t ever go Kanye.”

Watch the full performance of “Fye Fye” above.

After Beyoncé‘s dazzling private performance at The Royal Atlantis hotel in Dubai on Saturday night — her first time headlining a show in almost four years — there have been talks that she might be gearing up for a performance at the 2023 Grammys.

Variety reports, show producers have shared with them that the Grammy record holder might have a possible onstage appearance. Unfortunately, the “Break My Soul” singer didn’t perform any hits from the recent project for the attendees at the private show. So, fans are hoping this is why Queen Bey has been holding onto the visuals for her Reinassance album, which was released last July.

Guests for the private affair included other celebrities, several journalists, and influencers. While there was a strict “no phone or video” policy in place — guests were given pouches for their devices — to no surprise, leaked footage began circulating on the internet. In one of the clips, Bey shared an adorable moment on stage with her eldest daughter Blue Ivy performing a rendition of “Brown Skin Girls.”

It was also revealed that Beyoncé was paid a whopping $24 million for her private gig.

Throughout the private concert, Beyoncé performed some of her biggest hits, including “Halo,” “Naughty Girl,” “Drunk In Love,” and more.

There have also been reports that Bey was recovering from foot surgery, which may be the cause behind her not releasing the visuals of her recent album.

The Weeknd continues his record-breaking streak on Spotify with his latest distinction. The Canadian crooner has become the first artist to cross 96 million listeners on Spotify, breaking his own record from a few weeks prior. Earlier this month, the “Heartless” hitmaker reached 94.73 million listeners across the streaming platform.

“.@TheWeeknd becomes the first artist in history to cross 96 million monthly listeners on @Spotify,” Pop Crave tweeted on Saturday (January 21).

But these stats shouldn’t be surprising. The “Blinding Lights” singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has become a commercial juggernaut over the past few years. He has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including four Grammy awards and a slew of other awards.

He’s the voice behind chart-topping hits like “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills” from his second studio album, 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness, which catapulted him into fame. The musician went on to release three more hit albums after that, including Starboy (2016), After Hours (2020), and, more recently, Dawn FM (2022).

The singer has been quite busy these days — from earning an Academy Award nomination for his song “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” which was used as the theme for Avatar: The Way Of Water, and staying atop the Billboard charts to breaking Spotify records, and now, possibly releasing new music.

In a recent interview, Weeknd revealed that he has been in the studio and begun working on new music.

“I’ve definitely been inspired,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve been in the studio.”