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For the last year, the New York Liberty have been focused on getting some revenge on the Las Vegas Aces after last year’s WNBA Finals loss. New York got beat in four games by the Aces, as Las Vegas completed its repeat bid, with the Liberty learning firsthand what it would require to get to the mountain top.

While they didn’t get their rematch in the Finals as many expected, the two teams met in the playoff semifinals, and on Sunday the Liberty completed their year-long quest to beat the Aces in the postseason, winning Game 4 in impressive fashion, 76-62, to win the series 3-1 and punch their ticket to the Finals for the second straight year. As has been the case all year, it was Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart leading the way for the Liberty, as Ionescu led all scorers with 22 points, while Stewart had a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double in the win.

Ionescu got going early with three makes from downtown in the first quarter, quickly shaking off a rough Game 3 shooting performance to get the Liberty out to an early advantage, while Stewart also got off to a strong start herself.

New York’s defense gave the Aces fits (as it had at home in Games 1 and 2) early, and the story of the game was Vegas’ inability to consistently create good looks. Everything looked hard on offense for the Aces, as they shot just 32.8 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from deep. The league’s MVP, A’ja Wilson, had 19 points and 10 boards, but was not able to get to her spots as easily as usual and the Liberty were able to limit her shot attempts (13) and ask the rest of the Aces to beat them.

That was not a task the rest of the Vegas squad was up to, as Kelsey Plum had 17 points (but on 5-of-16 shooting) and Tiffany Hayes was the only other player on the Aces to get into double figures with 11 points. Vegas was able to mount a challenge in the middle quarters to keep things close thanks to their defense, as Wilson lorded over the paint with five blocks.

However, they just could not make enough shots to reel in the Liberty, as New York pulled away thanks to some timely buckets down the stretch, led by Ionescu’s fifth three of the afternoon.

With the win, the Liberty move on to the Finals where they will be the favorites over either the Lynx or the Sun (Minnesota can punch their ticket with a win on Sunday evening in Connecticut). With Ionescu and Stewart playing at the level they are, and the kind of supporting cast around them, headlined by Jonquel Jones (14 points, six rebounds) and rookie Leonie Fiebich (11 points, seven rebounds), it will take an incredible effort to beat this Liberty squad.

That was not something the Aces could do, as they seemed off throughout the series, with the exception of Game 3 when they showed some terrific resolve to ensure they wouldn’t get swept. The Liberty were able to bother them with length on offense, as the Aces seemed determined to pass up good shots to create great ones, but rarely were able to do so. The result was an offense that looked stuck in the mud, a strange sight after they spent the last three years mowing down opponents, and now they’ll head into the offseason with some things to figure out for the first time in a few years — where perhaps they won’t be as “distracted” as Becky Hammon lamented they were after Game 2.

The New York Giants have had a dreadful start to the season, in large part because their offense cannot consistently put the ball in the end zone. Aside from the bright spot of rookie Malik Nabers making some incredible catches, the G Men have struggled to put points on the board through four weeks of the season.

On Sunday afternoon in Seattle, they got off to a promising start, marching down the field on their opening drive deep into the red zone, but stalled out on the goal line, needing a fourth and goal from inside the 1. They handed it off to Eric Gray who tried to knife his way across the goal line, but Seahawks defender Rayshawn Jenkins popped out of the pile with the football and ran it 101 yards for a touchdown the other way.

There wasn’t a down the line shot they could get on review, with the only angle other than the broadcast being from behind the end zone that showed the ball clearly came out. What wasn’t indisputable was whether he’d crossed the goal line or not with it (it looked very close), meaning the ruling on the field stood as called of a touchdown for Seattle. That’s obviously a wild swing, as the idea with going for it on 4th and goal from inside the 1 is typically the worst case scenario is you get stuffed and the other team takes over backed up on their own goal line. At no point are you thinking with a running play called that you’re going to give up a touchdown the other way, but the Giants found a way to pull that off and will suddenly have to play from behind.

Whether you know him as a YouTube prankster or humorous rapper, Uproxx cover star DDG doesn’t find anything funny about his split from Halle Bailey. On October 3, the “Way Too Petty” musician announced that after two years together, he and Bailey had officially broken up and would “remain best friends” as they raise their son, Halo.

While many fans still question the validity of DDG’s announcement, given his past antics, Joe Budden expressed his excitement about the news. So, yesterday (October 5), DDG took to X (formerly Twitter) to slam the rapper-turned-podcaster.

“‘Pump It Up’ went gold after 20 years u old b*tch,” he wrote. “Joe Budden, I’m on u .”

He continued, writing: “N**** got 30 years MAX of life left and speaking on a relationship of people the same age as your son you ain’t take care of. I hope u forget to take your magnesium pills today u old b*tch, Joe Budden .”

DDG also sent a message out to other men with negative opinions about him. “I don’t be tripping bout the girls saying sh*t cuz I’m used to it,” he wrote. “It’s all love. But you n****s wit platforms gonna get a response fasho.”

So, what did Joe Budden said to earn such a fiery response from DDG. During a recent episode of The Joe Budden Podcast (viewable here), he joked about being happy for the split so he won’t see DDG’s name anymore. Read Joe Budden’s commentary below.

The question to my distinguished panel is a question that I’ve been asking myself for quite some time. Who the f*ck is DDG? And why am I supposed to care about his thoughts on anything?… I’m very happy that they have broken up so I don’t have to keep seeing this n****s’ name attached to this girl’s name when I don’t know his for nothing as the standalone. And for me, it’s important to know people based on their own name, merit, and what they have done. I don’t even know enough about her. Like, I’m not her demo either. But every time I see his name, it’s attached to hers, and it is typically in some type of clout chaser fashion. So, that makes me look at him a different way. And hopefully I get to look at him a lot less now that they’ve broken up.

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens got back on track the last two weeks with wins over the Cowboys and Bills in national spotlight games, which brought them back into the contender conversation for many coming into Week 5 against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

While the defense did not make the trip to Cincy, giving up 38 points in regulation, the offense certainly did for Baltimore as Jackson led a comeback to force overtime at 38-38 by making some outrageous plays. His best (or, at least, wildest) came on a 2nd and goal from the 7 where he dropped the snap, picked it up, stiff-armed Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard to the ground, and threw back across his body to Isaiah Likely while getting hit on the sideline for a touchdown.

Doing any of these things would’ve made for a ridiculous play, but Jackson showed off everything that makes him such a unique quarterback on this play. He had the athleticism to pick up the ball and get out of the pocket rather than just falling on it, the strength and balance to throw off Hubbard, and then the arm strength and vision to pull off a throw that no coach would advise to find Likely in the end zone.

Unfortunately, the next time Jackson dropped a snap in overtime, he couldn’t bail himself out as the Bengals scooped it up and put themselves in field goal range.

However, the Bengals played for a 53-yard field goal and missed it on a bad hold, which the Ravens punished with a 50-yard run by Derrick Henry to set up a game-winning kick by Justin Tucker.

Tyrese Haliburton has been nothing short of spectacular since being traded to Indiana, as the former King was given the keys to the Pacers offense and put together back-to-back All-Star campaigns averaging 20 points and 10 assists per game in each season.

Last year, Haliburton and the Pacers enjoyed some playoff success for the first time, making a rather stunning run to the Eastern Conference Finals before ultimately losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics. With that success on the court, Haliburton has become a bigger name off of it as well. He’s made appearances in the WWE ring and picked up a number of endorsement deals, but his biggest move yet is in the sneaker world, where he has made the move from Nike to Puma to become the new face of the brand, per Nick DePaula.

Puma currently has three players with signature sneakers, as LaMelo Ball and Scoot Henderson have their own shoes, while Breanna Stewart is the face of their women’s division with her own signature shoe. It would certainly seem as though Haliburton will be in line for his own shoe, if the plan is for him to be the face of the brand, and Puma is banking on this just being the beginning of a long run of stardom from Haliburton in Indiana.

Not to age her, but Mariah Carey has been a household name since before I was born. Still, the “Always Be My Baby” singer never seemed to express any disdain with her global notoriety.

During a sit down with AP, Carey discussed her continuous domination of the holiday season. But when asked about thoughts on Chappell Roan expressing her frustrations with fame, Mariah Carey shockingly agreed.

“Well, I have been through my share of dramas,” she said. “It’s not fun because you grow up thinking, ‘I want to be famous.’ I mean, really with me, it was always, ‘I want to be a singer. I want to write songs.”

Carey then went on to admit that she was exactly opposed to obtaining fame. “But ‘I want to be famous’ was right there with it,” she said. “I feel like it was probably because I didn’t feel like I was good enough on my own because of the things I went through growing up. And that’s not a good way to feel, you know?”

Although Carey has found a way to balance life both with everyone watching, Chappell Roan hasn’t quite mastered that same skill. On September 27, Chappell Roan decided to cancel her appearance at All Things Go Festival 2024, citing being “overwhelmed” as the reasoning.

This year, Drake has faced tons of career highs including smashing tour and singles sold records. However, the “First Person Shooter” rapper’s arguable rap beef loss to Kendrick Lamar has tipped the hip-hop scales out of his favor.

At the height of the tension, several of Drake’s former collaborators including Rick Ross, The Weeknd, and Nav seemed to turn their back on him. Yesterday (October 6), Drake used his surprised appearance Toronto’s annual party, Nostalgia, to take shots at anyone against him. In between song breaks, on the microphone Drake slammed “fake friends” while encouraging others to put themselves first. View the clip here (courtesy of NFR Podcast).

“People you thought were friends, they might switch up,” he said. “They might stab you in the back, they might do a lot of things to you. You’ll come to that realization … it’s you and you alone by yourself.”

Most of the Rebel nightclub crowd appeared to empathize with Drake heading his advice. However, users online were split on Drake using the moment in his hometown to focus on a fizzled feud rather than soaking up the love attendees had to offer him.

But, supporters are holding out hope that Drake will return to Toronto soon enough for another OVO Fest installment. Maybe then, he can offer a more upbeat speech.

Madonna is allegedly in deep mourning. According to reports, the “Like A Prayer” singer has faced yet another death in her family after losing her stepmother Joan Ciccone. Today (October 6), TMZ revealed that Madonna’s younger brother and former creative collaborator, Christopher Ciccone has died at the age of 63.

An insider told the outlet that Ciccone officially passed way on Friday, October 4 in Michigan. The same source claimed that Christopher’s cause of death was cancer.

Longtime fans of Madonna will immediately recognize Ciccone from his past contributions in his sister’s early career. At one point, Christopher served as a backup dancer for Madonna. He then worked as Madonna’s show designer, backstage dresser, art director for the Blonde Ambition World Tour, and The Girlie Show tour director.

Outside of his work with Madonna, Christopher directed music for the late Tony Bennett and Dolly Parton. However, many may know Christopher from his illustrious career as a commercial interior designer. His furniture designs for Bernhardt Furniture were used in the New York City office of former president Bill Clinton.

Although Madonna hasn’t released a public statement, supporters of the singer have flooded platforms including X (formerly Twitter) to penned touching notes about Christopher.

After a rift in their relationship, which was outlined in Christopher’s 2008 biography Life With My Sister Madonna, the famous sibling rekindled things in 2012.

On Starz, 50 Cent’s rotating Power shows keep that universe rolling on a consistent basis, but the Outlander realm has felt shockingly empty for over a year. The flagship series has, of course, been delivering a historical-fantasy-romance mashup since 2014, and Season 8 will be its final tour. That last detail hasn’t been a surprise to fans, who seem far more frustrated at waiting over a year for the seventh season to deliver its back half.

Until now, readers of Diana Gabaldon’s novels tuned in for the “bodice-ripping” vibes and have stuck around for the show’s genre-blending delivery of a feminist romance, but will the wait for more episodes turn this loyal audience away? We will find out when more Outlander returns along with a Blood of My Blood prequel series that will look back at the love affairs that spawned Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser and made this whole saga possible. First, let’s resist thinking about that trip back in time and look at what to expect in the next Outlander episodes.

Plot

Season 7, Part 2 will pick up with Claire and Jamie getting the hell out of dodge (i.e. the U.S. Revolutionary War era) and return to Jamie’s ancestral stomping grounds of Lallybroch in Scotland. Young Ian ^^^ will be along for that voyage, too.

Sadly, the homecoming will not be as positive as hoped. A ton of Fraser family drama will be in store for the leading couple, and star Sam Heughan recently told Entertainment Weekly that an “emotional rollercoaster” will be afoot: “It’s not an easy time for the Fraser family, that’s for sure. But there’s so much for the book fans to look forward to, and if you don’t know the books, prepare yourself for a really emotional rollercoaster.” This will include Claire clashing with her sister-in-law, Jenny, and as Caitriona Balfe revealed, “Both her and Claire have a tendency, especially when they’re in pain, to lash out… Jenny is in a very painful situation and she wants Claire to really do something miraculous, and it’s not within Claire’s capability. There’s a lot of anger there that is maybe misplaced.”

To further complicate matters, Balfe admitted that Claire will also “quickly [have] to leave again” because “[s]he is needed back in the colonies… the wonderful surgeon she is.” This could will spell trouble in romantic paradise: “When the Frasers are not together, things don’t always go very well. This is not good. Claire believes an event happens, which is devastating.”

[Cue dramatic pause.]

Executive producer Maril Davis previously warned that this homecoming is a “sad” one because “[h]ome is never the home you knew. It’s never going to be the same.” This synopsis sums up the forces that are threatening to tear the Randall-Frasers apart:

Coming off of the first half of ‘Outlander’ season seven, viewers find Claire, Jamie and Young Ian leaving the colonies and arriving in their beloved homeland: Scotland. The perils of the Revolutionary War force them to choose between standing by those they love and fighting for the land they have made their new home. Meanwhile, Roger and Brianna face new enemies across time, and must battle the forces that threaten to pull their family apart. As loyalties change and painful secrets come to light, Jamie and Claire’s marriage is tested like never before. With their love binding them over oceans and centuries, can the MacKenzies and Frasers find their way back to each other?

Also, Starz has provided a peek at the Season 8 sets if you want more teasing.

Cast

Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe began their onscreen romance 10 years ago, so they are going nowhere yet. John Bell returns as Young Ian with Richard Rankin as Roger and Sophie Skelton as Brianna. The cast also includes Charles Vandervaart (William Ransom), David Berry (Lord John Grey), Joey Phillips (Denzell Hunter), and Izzy Meikle-Small (Rachel Hunter).

Release Date

The seventh season will finally return for eight more weekly episodes beginning on November 22. Then the wait for the final season shall begin. Since Blood of My Blood and the eighth Outlander season have been simultaneously filming, there’s no way to predict which will air next.

Trailer

A full trailer is still in the wild, but this teaser trailer will work for now.

WWE Bad Blood served as an ode to Atlanta, with current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes leading the way for local heroes to be recognized throughout the evening. Shortly after Triple H announced the new WWE Crown Jewel Championship, Gunther, the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, made his way to the ring to praise himself as a future legend.

Gunther confronted Goldberg, one of the many Atlanta legends in attendance, first downplaying his wrestling ability, then telling his son he hopes he was a better father than he was a wrestler. This caused Goldberg to jump the barricade and go after Gunther before security intervened. While Sami Zayn successfully attacked the champ, Goldberg made his way into the ring and told the camera, “You’re next.”

During the Bad Blood press conference, we asked Triple H about the possibility of seeing Goldberg wrestling another match in WWE, after he’s been quite vocal about his desire to have a retirement match.

“Atlanta loves Bill Goldberg, and that’s why he was here tonight. He was with his wife and his son, always going to get a huge reaction here enjoying the show,” Triple H said. “Things get said. I can tell you when Bill came back, he was not too happy with Gunther and we’ll see. The further you go, time catches up with all of us. The further you go, the talks get further and further away from reality. But I don’t know, I saw Bill earlier in the day and it was great. And I saw Bill later in the day, and there was a different look on his face and a spark in his eye. So I would say never say never.”

Goldberg last wrestled at the Elimination Chamber in 2022 against Roman Reigns.