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We are three days away from the release of NBA 2K23, as the flagship game of 2K Sports hits stores and consoles this Friday, September 9. This year’s game features a number of cover options and special editions, from Michael Jordan to J. Cole to Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird to Devin Booker, and we know some of the features that will make this year’s game different.

The Jordan Challenges from 2K11 are back, with some updates and additions, a fitting tribute to the man who made the No. 23 famous for 2K23. The MyCareer mode this year will get rid of all the pre-NBA backstory aspects that have been part of previous games, instead having you simply choose the team that drafts you, with one catch — everyone hates the pick. There’s an expanded WNBA mode, as well, but all of those additions come to a game that, for the most part, has a similar look and feel every year.

Being release week, there’s plenty of attention being paid to player ratings, as some have started to leak out, and on Tuesday morning the folks at 2K decided to post some of the biggest stars in the game’s ratings to their official page. We’ll have to wait to find out complete ratings, but this gives fans an idea of the tiers of stars based on rating, with Giannis earning the top spot just ahead of three perennial contenders for the highest rating.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: 97
LeBron James: 96
Stephen Curry: 96
Kevin Durant: 96
Jayson Tatum: 93
Devin Booker: 91

It’s hard to argue Giannis’ place there, and it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the top players shake out, with there surely being arguments to be had about who deserves what, who is overrated, and who is underrated by the game once the full list is revealed.

Back in April, Golden Era rap veterans Nas and Wu-Tang Clan teamed up to announce their NY State Of Mind Tour, which is set to close out summer and ride through the beginning of October. Obviously, old-school hip-hop fans were excited to see the two trailblazing acts on the co-headlining tour, but attendees at the first four shows were dismayed to learn that Wu-Tang was missing a key member: Method Man. Apparently, in posting about their disappointment, a few crossed the line, prompting the man himself to offer an explanation for his absence on Instagram Live.

To put it simply: It’s because he’s filming a movie during the same window as the tour and one had to take precedence. Since Wu-Tang’s portion of tour proceeds has to be split eight ways among the band’s surviving members, he probably stands to make more from the film. In August, Deadline announced that Method Man would join the cast of the action-thriller Shadow Force along with Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Kerry Washington, and Omar Sy; this could be the role keeping Meth from joining his band on tour. He’s also cast in One The Come Up, which drops 9/23 on Paramount+ and for which he’ll probably need to do press, as well (incidentally, Randolph also appears in this one).

On Instagram Live, Meth said:

I’ma say this one last time. I’m one of the nicest mothaf*ckers in the world, but I am not a pushover. I have sacrificed so much over the years to satisfy the fans, and I’m pretty sure that’s vice versa, and that’s why I love y’all. That’s why I don’t hesitate to go all-out for y’all. But to be dissatisfied or to even blame me for your experience is unfair. Very f*cking unfair. My brothers are super duper talented, with or without me. And I know a lot of people, or a few people, have paid their money to see me perform, but that bill said Wu-Tang Clan. And you know, these things happen and dudes do have to feed their families. Albums don’t sell the way they used to, I’m pretty sure you guys know that. So in order to preserve my lifestyle and to feed my family, I had to have alternative means of doing that. And I’m glad to say at 50 years old, I have options. Not everybody can say that. Everyone cannot say that they have options.

I f*cking love Wu-Tang, wish I could have been on that tour with them. The booking came at a bad time – I was already booked to do a movie. Only reason why I’m coming back saying this is because of my love for my fans, okay. The real fans. Not the ones that’d jump in your DMs and curse you the f*ck out all call you all kinds of bitches.

You can check out the full video below, and for 5011th time, please stop mistreating entertainers just because you think you have access to them.

If you were a 78-year old man who had spent half his life taking on America’s most ruthless criminals — most notably, New York City’s five families — then leading the world through the rebuilding of Manhattan in the aftermath of 9/11, you’d probably deserve to let loose every so often and live out your golden years as a true American hero. Unless, in addition to those things, you also helped in attempting to violently overthrow democracy as we know it (to say nothing of marrying your cousin). Unfortunately for Rudy Giuliani, he’s in the latter group — of which he is currently the sole member.

While Rudy is currently the target of a criminal election fraud probe in Georgia, where he was recently brought kicking and screaming to testify about the part he played in Donald Trump’s scheme to baselessly overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election just because Trump didn’t like the results (spoiler alert: he lost), that didn’t stop Rudy from living it up in Times Square over the weekend. Or, as Page Six put it, “Rudy Giuliani hit da club for a birthday party.”

Giuliani was spotted at Haswell Green’s, a Broadway cocktail bar and live music venue known for its weekend drag brunches, for a birthday party for podcaster Lauren Conlin. According to a source, Page Six reported that Giuliani was with Dr. Maria Ryan, his rumored girlfriend — and alleged former mistress.

Perhaps even more surprising than Rudy being a welcome guest, well, anywhere, is that people seemed downright delighted to see him! As Page Six wrote:

“People were actually excited about him,” says a gobsmacked onlooker. “It was a little jarring. There was kind of a commotion when he arrived and then once someone asked him for a picture, a whole load of people wanted a picture. I think it probably felt like the old days for him.”

Another source tells us that someone even told him he should run for office again.

Onlookers also reported that Rudy was even seen dancing.

(Via Page Six)

Mila Kunis makes oodles of money voicing Meg Griffin on Family Guy. Possibly because of that, and because she’s busy raising millions to help the people of Ukraine, the actress really only stars in one movie a year. In 2022, that honor belongs to Luckiest Girl Alive, a mystery based on author Jessica Knoll’s New York Times bestselling novel.

In the trailer above, Ani (Kunis) is getting married and has her dream job (but not the most “amazing” job ever) at the New York Times. “I am this close to the life no one thought I deserved,” she says. But when she runs into a filmmaker who’s making a documentary about “the incident” that happened to her during high school, her seemingly perfect life begins to unravel. Did I mention The Luckiest Girl Alive also stars Scoot McNairy? The lucky ones were the Scoots we made along the way.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

Based on the best-selling novel, Ani FaNelli (Mila Kunis), a sharp-tongued New Yorker appears to have it all: a sought-after position at a glossy magazine, a killer wardrobe, and a dream Nantucket wedding on the horizon. But when the director of a crime documentary invites her to tell her side of the shocking incident that took place when she was a teenager at the prestigious Brentley School, Ani is forced to confront a dark truth that threatens to unravel her meticulously crafted life.

Luckiest Girl Alive hits Netflix on October 7.

Ahead of her upcoming 10th album, Fossora, Björk has shared the album’s first song, “Atopos.” Over ominous horns, thumping drums, and haunting strings, the Icelandic pop star longs for connection, warning us that avoidance will only lead to our downfall.

“If we don’t grow outwards towards love / We’ll implode inwards towards destruction / If my plant doesn’t reach towards you / There’s internal erosion towards all / Pursuing the light too hard is a form of hiding,” she sings.

In the accompanying video, directed by Viðar Logi, Björk is seen dancing in a jungle, dressed as a mushroom, joined by several other instrumentalists as they engage in fungal festivities.

In an Instagram post, Björk revealed that while the shoot for “Atopos” was rather tough, she and Logi were up for the challenge.

“Thanks for all your [joyous] celebratory energy and for being up for taking on all the challenges i threw at you !!,” said Björk in the post’s caption. “You transformed all of them into a Viðar Logi vision, I couldn´t possibly have had a better visual partner in the pandemic.”

Further into the post, she teased more collaborative projects, which we will see throughout the Fossora era.

“I can´t believe the amount of things we´ve done in the last 3 years!!,” she said. “Can´t wait to share it with the world!!”

Check out “Atopos” above.

Fossora is out 9/30 via One Little Independent. Pre-save it here.

As if Middle-earth didn’t have enough of a troll problem, Elon Musk has entered the discourse surrounding Amazon’s commitment to diversity in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Despite the new series racking up stellar reviews, Musk joined the predictable backlash to seeing diverse characters in the franchise that, until now, has overwhelmingly featured white male characters.

Here’s how The Hollywood Reporter writer Richard Newby described the online reactions he’s been witnessing since the series premiere. As Newby points out, the show has been getting “review bombed,” which has caused Amazon to tighten the review process on its platform:

I could very easily be discussing Middle-earth, but I’m not. What I’m discussing is our very real world, and social media as an extension of that world. For the past week, I’ve been bombarded with messages of hate, called the N-word, told to go back to Africa, and called on to be executed. The reason? The Lord of the Rings. It would almost be laughable if it wasn’t so profoundly sad. A wealth of stories, and a willingness to believe in wizards, Balrogs, giant spiders and magical swords. But allow people of color to exist in Middle-earth? Well, that is an affront to all that’s good and decent. At least that’s the primary argument for those ruinous trolls apparently review bombing and harassing fans of color over Amazon’s Rings of Powers series.

Keep in mind, the racist backlash to Rings of Power had been trending over the holiday weekend, and Musk is a well-known Twitter addict. (Hence his attempt to buy the whole site.) So when the Tesla CEO fired off his thoughts on Labor Day evening, he knew what he was doing.

“Tolkien is turning in his grave,” Musk tweeted. “Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.”

However, the situation quickly went south for Musk as he found himself being ruthlessly dragged in the replies and quote tweets for predictably siding against “woke-ness.” Twitter users did not hold back as they called out Musk’s clear lack of knowledge about The Lord of the Rings and suggested maybe he should be more concerned with the real world carnage caused by his electric cars.

You can see some of the reactions below:

The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

(Via Elon Musk on Twitter)

There were many guests at this past weekend’s massive Taylor Hawkins tribute concert, but it was Oasis’s Liam Gallagher who had the honor of opening the show, joining Foo Fighters to perform two Oasis songs. The experience apparently left a good taste in Gallagher’s mouth, as he has now taken to Twitter and offered some substantial praise for Dave Grohl.

Earlier today, Gallagher tweeted, “If I want entertaining I watch a film go to a gig football or boxing or talk to myself certainly don’t look for entertainment in politics get behind that black door and dont come out till you’ve sorted the country out you Hilarious f*ckers LG x.” A Twitter user responded, “Liam who inspires you to put yourself out there? Noel apparently said David Bowie inspired him recently.” Gallagher answered, “Dave Grohl is the most inspiring musician person on the PLANET tday.”

Gallagher has a history of showing love to Grohl. In 2019, he declared Grohl is his “favorite musician in the US.” Earlier that year, Foo Fighters used a set at the Reading festival to campaign for a Oasis reunion. Gallagher later tweeted, “Not even the mighty Dave Grohl can get me and the squirt back together bless him for trying.”

Showtime’s American Gigolo opens with a tight close-up of Julian Kayne (Jon Bernthal). He’s staring blankly at a wall, unable to process what’s about to happen to him. Detective Sunday (Rosie O’Donnell) enters the room – although the camera remains close on Bernthal’s distinct, sweaty face. Sunday asks him how he’s doing, if he’s hungry, and Bernthal answers in whispers, his face barely moving. As Sunday begins to tell Julian why he needs to plead guilty to murder, Bernthal squeezes his face and sobs. He mumbles and puts his hand over his face. He looks down and tries to defend himself, but he’s so distraught that he stutters. “I’m just really – really … scared,” he says softly. Then he screams at the top of his lungs, but still with soft body language: “I don’t remember! I don’t remember!” It’s the kind of guttural scream you can feel in your bones.

American Gigolo, a present-day retelling of the Paul Schrader 1980 film of the same name starring Richard Gere, follows male escort Julian Kayne after he’s released from prison. Julian served 15 years on a wrongful conviction. Upon his release, Julian’s past immediately comes back to haunt him, despite his resistance to stay out of it. Julian reflects on his past and a past relationship with Michelle (Gretchen Mol). Detective Sunday (O’Donnell) is hell-bent on figuring out exactly who committed the murder Julian went to prison for and, unfortunately, even more, murder follows, unleashing a mysterious conspiracy surrounding a seemingly innocent Julian. The series was developed by David Hollander (Ray Donovan) and is executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The series premieres on Sunday, September 11 on Showtime, with new episodes available via streaming and on-demand every Friday.

Unfortunately, American Gigolo never quite lives up to its explosive introduction, failing to deliver on the raw intensity it so confidently introduces immediately. The series is so stylish that any substance is invisible or rushed. The series respects its source material but doesn’t try to mimic it. Rather, it incorporates 80s elements in its outlandish, glossy, color style. The opening credits, set to Blondie’s “Call Me” – a little on the nose but reflective of 80s cheese – are a montage of Julian’s work life: shots of him sleeping with women, getting in and out of shiny cars in bright, idealistic Los Angeles locations. Bernthal, as evidenced by his television performances this year alone (We Own This City, The Bear) has an uncanny ability to be two things at once: he is everyman and completely singular at the same time. On American Gigolo, he is mysterious and more transparent than air. Perhaps Bernthal is so good that the rest of the show feels like a disappointment because it just can’t live up to him. Bernthal, who thinks he is ugly, anchors the show, but it’s not enough to keep it interesting when he’s off-screen.

Beyond Bernthal, the show’s strength lies in its supporting characters. As Detective Sunday, O’Donnell isn’t given much to work with, but she acts as if her life depends on it. Her scenes with Bernthal in particular showcase her best work, despite the flatness of the character. O’Donnell gives the character, who is like so many detectives we’ve seen before, more individuality. Wayne Brady, who plays Lorenzo, a work colleague of Julian’s, is not in the series nearly as much as he should be (Showtime provided the press with the first three episodes), and his extremely Wayne Brady performance gives the show a necessary levity. The show is at its most compelling in its quieter, reflective moments, especially in the developing friendship between Julian and his landlord, Lizzie (Yolanda Ross). The actors are completely in sync with the way they perform, and the dynamic between the characters gives the story an essential authentic emotional weight, despite the relationship having almost nothing to do with the central plot.

The highs, however, don’t save the lows. American Gigolo relies on flashbacks, as Julian looks back on his childhood and teen years, having been groomed from an early age by his pimp. The series also follows Julian’s ex, Michelle, whose teenage son is embroiled in a situation that mirrors (not exactly, but almost) Julian’s. This part of the story – that is, the part that is essentially a crime show – feels like a low-tier procedural, and kills the momentum along with the flashbacks. Some context is great, especially when learning about new characters in the first season of a television series. But there is such a thing as too much context. If American Gigolo can recognize its strengths – performances and character building – it has potential, but for now, it’s incomplete.

American Gigolo premieres Friday, September 9 via Showtime’s streaming service. The first episode will then also air on Showtime on Sunday, September 11 at 9 p.m. ET.

Life in Ukraine is a horror show these days, but life in Russia ain’t no walk in the park either. Beyond frivilous matters like the non-McDonald’s situation, economic matters are dire following an unceasing stream of sanctions meant to put the screws to Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, it’s not unheard of for a prominent oil exec to mysterously fall to his death after criticizing Putin’s imperialistic attacks on Ukraine, and Putin’s own troops are reportedly shooting themselves to earn a ticket out of Hell.

The Daily Beast now reports, though, that the Kremlin’s pretending like everything is great. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declared (to RBK TV via the Beast) that “2022 is the year of unity in our society,” and although opinions run rampant on the war, he predicts “[t]he absolute consolidation of our society around President [Vladimir] Putin.” However, the citizenship of Russia’s largely opposed to Putin’s invasion, which has led to Russian citizens being arrested while protesting the brutal, civilian-killing conflict. Meanwhile, The Daily Beast reports that Russians are leaving the country while the getting is good, and the exodus is notable:

His comments seemed to be all the more jarring in light of a new report by Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service that warned of a massive “outflow” of Russians since the beginning of the year. In the first half of 2022, a total of 419,000 Russians left the country—more than double the exodus seen a year earlier in the same period, according to Rosstat data. The population size has thus shrunk to 145.1 million.

Six months have passed since Putin first waged war on Ukraine. The Russian president’s troops have been candid about being in the dark regarding their mission, and some of them even went into mutiny mode while threatening to blow away their commander as the war kicked off. And there’s also still no sign of Putin locking down the war as a whole with President Zelensky’s country coming together in real unity against “those Russian sh*ts,” although as time has worn forth, it’s becoming clearer that even Russian troops want nothing to do with this war.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Lil Nas X has a new apple of his eye (or perhaps an existing one that he now has the opportunity to publicly yearn for): Roger, the wise-cracking alien from long-running animated series American Dad.

Yesterday, a post from the perspective of Roger shared on the American Dad Twitter and Instagram accounts read, “Save a horse, ride the guy who wrote Old Town Road or however the song goes. [cowboy emoji] Who else is planning their perfect fit for #Montero? #AmericanDad.” That captioned an image of Roger holding a Lil Nas X concert ticket and admiring a poster of the shirtless rapper.

Nas shared that and wrote, “i’ve finally peaked in life. i’m tryna bring roger backstage ngl [drooling emoji].” On the Instagram post, he wrote in three separate comments, “oh my god [crying emoji] [hearts emoji],” “pleaseeeee,” and, “roger please let me smash.”

Now is a great time for American Dad to be receiving this sort of attention, as yesterday (September 5), it just returned with its first new episode since March. The show, which debuted in 2005, is one of the longest-running scripted prime time television series in US history; The latest episode is the series’ 330th.

As for the Long Live Montero Tour, that kicks off tonight (September 6), so check out the dates here.