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Halloween is still over a month away, but that’s not about to stop the Hallmark Channel from announcing its upcoming parade of holiday films that will take fans of seasonal appropriate romances all the way into the New Year. However, this year, Hallmark is branching out by diversifying its Christmas movies and dabbling in a few other holidays.

Starting October 21, the Hallmark Channel will roll out 40 new movies as the station becomes a 24/7 holiday marathon. A few of those titles will be major firsts for Hallmark as it expands beyond the traditional yuletide offerings by debuting its first LGBTQ movie, The Holiday Sitters. There’s also a Hanukah movie in the mix, which feels like it should have happened a lot already. Via Variety:

Hallmark Media will celebrate the culture of Chinese Americans in two films, “A Big Fat Family Christmas” and “Christmas at the Golden Dragon.” Meanwhile, the Festival of Lights will be celebrated in “Hanukkah on Rye,” while “Holiday Heritage” is the network’s first-ever movie celebrating Kwanzaa.

For the first time, a Hallmark holiday movie features an LGBTQ couple as the focus in “The Holiday Sitter,” featuring Jonathan Bennett and George Krissa.

Is it coincidental that Hallmark’s move to diversify its content happened right after Candace Cameron Bure left the network? Not at all. Bure followed former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott out the door to help him launch the more conservative Great American Family network. Abbott notably left the company shortly after the network caved and restored an ad featuring a same-sex couple that was initially pulled. He and Bure plan to air more “traditional” Christmas films on Great American Family while the Hallmark Channel is clearly embracing that everyone celebrates the upcoming season differently.

(Via Variety)

There are very few celeb cameos that are actually meaningful. Sure, you might see a Jonas Brother stopping by The Righteous Gemstones, or Captain America briefly making an appearance in Free Guy, but it’s rare that a celebrity cameo really makes a viewer stop in their tracks. Enter: America’s favorite orange fluffy monster.

After scoring multiple wins at this year’s Emmys, Abbott Elementary returned for its sophomore season with a bang. “I managed to get the only celebrity that matters to come and surprise our kids on the first day of school,” Quinta Brunson’s character Janine says at the start of the episode. “America’s favorite orange furry sweetheart: Flyers mascot Gritty!” And the crowd went wild! Except for Gregory.

Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty (who celebrates a birthday on September 24th, just a heads up) enrolled in Abbott for the premiere episode, and it honestly seems like royalty graced the set. “Gritty, to me, is such a beautiful representation of Philadelphia,” creator Brunson said of the big orange guy. “The way he looks, the way he is joyful, the way he feels, the way he is.”

In the premiere, Gritty agrees to come to greet the students on their first day. Which doesn’t work out quite as planned. Classic sitcom hijinks. “There are a lot of people who might be iconic in Philadelphia, there are a lot of people that might be loved in Philadelphia,” Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph said in a behind-the-scenes clip. “None of them come close to the love and admiration that is given to Gritty.”

Obviously, he was a huge hit both on the show and off. It’s amazing he never breaks his character! Perhaps he’s into method acting.

You can catch Abbott Elementary on Hulu and Wednesdays on ABC.

One moment sticks out about everything else in the eventual parting of ways between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers. It came in Simmons’ last game with the team, a home Game 7 loss in the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks, and with less than four minutes to go in a tense matchup, Simmons passed up a layup to give the ball to Matisse Thybulle, who split of pair of free throws as the Hawks would go on to knock off the 1-seed.

Simmons received a ton of criticism for the moment from fans and Joel Embiid, and he has not played in a basketball game since, whether that’s for the Sixers or his new team, the Brooklyn Nets. Ahead of his expected return to the floor this season, Simmons made a cameo on former Philly teammate J.J. Redick’s podcast, The Old Man and the Three, to discuss that moment.

“In the moment, I just spun, and I’m just assuming Trae is gonna come over quicker,” Simmons said. “So I’m thinking he’s gonna come full blown, and I see Matisse going — you know, Matisse is athletic, can get up, so I’m thinking, ok, quick pass, he’s gonna flush it, not knowing how much space there was.”

Simmons went on to say that he didn’t think much of it at the time, with his mindset being that he and the Sixers had to “go make another play.” He also said he did not realize how big of a deal it was, and that when he sees it now, he says to himself, “man, I should’ve just punched that sh*t.”

“But it didn’t happen, and I was ok with that, I can live with that, I can live with — everyone’s trying to kill me over one play, like, does everyone wanna watch film with me?” Simmons said. “Like, the whole arena? I can dissect everything, if you guy want, but that’s not realistic.”

Simmons did not play in another game for the Sixers after this moment, and was traded to Brooklyn for James Harden at the trade deadline.

Halfway through its first season, House of the Dragon is poised to do something almost unheard of in the world of television. The show hasn’t shied away from accelerating its timeline when certain storylines called for it, but the next time jump scheduled to happen in episode six’s “The Princess and the Queen” is 10 years in length.

Skipping ahead a decade means the show is swapping out two of its fan-favorite leads, aging up a handful of notable supporting characters, and introducing the younger generation of Targaryens who will one day have a dragon in the fight (or should we say dance?) between Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen.

To help fans keep track of who’s who before House of the Dragon’s latest episode drops, we’ve created a character guide to the faces you need to get familiar with (and fast).

Rhaenyra Targaryen

Milly Alcock’s performance as the future Queen-to-be has been one of the highlights of House of the Dragon so far, and naturally, we’re devastated to see her go. She’s played young Rhaenyra as confident, brash, a bit entitled, and wholly capable of ruling the Seven Kingdoms – plus she speaks High Valyrian like a pro. But book readers know that Rhaenyra’s character goes through some trials during the 10-year time jump and aging up the actress who plays her makes sense when it comes to covering those plot points. Enter Emma D’Arcy. The actor (whose pronouns are they/them) has the tough job of marrying our previously understood version of who Rhaenyra was as a teenager with the woman she’s become after years of frustrating politics and court rivalries — not to mention motherhood — have changed her. D’Arcy will also go toe-to-toe with the grown-up version of Rhaenyra’s childhood frenemy, Alicent Hightower, which should be dramatically delicious to witness.

Alicent Hightower

Speaking of, Emily Carey’s young Alicent was decidedly less-liked by fans than her bestie-turned-stepdaughter, but no matter what your feelings are toward the young Queen, we can all agree that the actress playing her did a bang-up job of trying to make her more empathetic. With Carey gone and Olivia Cooke taking the reigns, that last shred of likability seems to have vanished and Alicent, now fully embracing her villain era, has rivaled her House against that of her husband. Not only is this older version of Alicent more manipulative and ambitious, but she also seems to have nurtured a decades-long grudge against her childhood friend for a one-night stand that had absolutely nothing to do with her. So we guess we can add petty to her list of terrible character traits, too.

Laenor Velaryon

Sweet Laenor Velaryon deserved more than a dead lover and an arranged marriage but that’s exactly what he got by the end of House of the Dragon’s fifth episode. The character has already been aged up once, but when we meet him in episode six, he’s a grown man and the husband of the future Queen. John Macmillian will play this version of Laenor and, based on clips released ahead of this week’s episode, we can surmise that while his preference still seems to be “goose” (sorry to daddy Corlys who thought it might just be a phase), he’s developed a close bond with his wife and their children. Or should we say, her children? Their parentage is a big point of contention between Rhaenyra and Alicent in the books, and it looks like the show is wading into the paternity debate this season.

Laena Velaryon

Another member of House Velaryon that’s enjoyed a couple of glow-ups since episode one is Laena. Initially, she was intended to be King Viserys’ child bride before he fell in lust with someone who was *checks notes* just a few years older than her. We saw Laena again, this time as a teenager, when House Targaryen paid a visit to Driftmark to arrange a union between Rhaenyra and Laena’s brother, Laenor. She attended the couple’s doomed wedding feast, making quite the entrance and even flirting with a sour-faced Prince Daemon before Ser Criston Cole beat a man’s face to a pulp. When we meet her again, she’s being played by actress Nanna Blondell as an older, wiser version of the character, who is now married to Daemon and has twin daughters with him.

Aegon II Targaryen

It sounds like the next generation of Targaryens are going to be playing pivotal roles in the last half of season one, which might be why the show has already aged up Aegon II. Last we saw him, Aegon was a cherubic-faced potential usurper who had the backing of his grandfather and a handful of sexist lords when it came to inheriting the Iron Throne. For now, he’s being played by Ty Tennant, but Aegon might be aged up again since actor Tom Glynn-Carney is also set to play the character sometime this season. So, more time jumps?

Helaena Targaryen

Aegon’s sister and Alicent Hightower’s only daughter, Helaena, has a big role to play later in the series. For now, she’s simply another pawn at her mother’s disposal. Evie Allen will play young Helaena though there will likely be a jump at the end of the season that sees a different actress taking her place.

Aemond Targaryen

We’ll say this now: Aemond Targaryen is the absolute worst. Described as a crueler, less charming version of Prince Daemon in George R.R. Martin’s book, the young prince is being played here by Leo Ashton. We know that Aemond suffers a terrible injury as a child, something we’ll likely see in the coming episodes, and that turns him into a bit of a murderous psychopath going forward. The Last Kingdom star Ewan Mitchell will play an older version of the character, so he’s likely to be the actor that bears the brunt of the audience’s disgust.

Jacaerys & Lucerys Velaryon

Despite her misgivings as a young girl, Rhaenyra does eventually become a mother to three boys while she is wed to Laenor Velaryon. Following an agreement between King Viserys and Corlys Verlaryon, the boys adopt the last name of their father’s House. Jacaerys is the eldest and he shares the same dark features that his brothers will inherit, most likely from Ser Harwin “Breakbones” Strong, who becomes Rhaenyra’s lover later in her life. Lucerys and Joffrey Velaryon are the final two children that Rhaenyra has with Ser Harwin Strong, but as Joffrey is still a baby when we meet him in episode six, the only one you need to watch out for is Lucerys. Child actor Harvey Sadler will play the youngest version of the character, but it’s a good bet he’ll be aged up again by the end of the season.

Baela & Rhaena Targaryen

Baela and Rhaena Targaryen are the twin daughters of Laena Valeryon and Daemon Targaryen and we’re set to meet them in episode six. Baela has been described as the Targaryen version of Arya Stark, so we’re already putting money on her becoming a fan favorite by the end of the season. Her sister, Rhaena, is quieter and more reserved. Shani Smethurst and Eva Ossei-Gerning will play the younger versions of the twins.

HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ airs on Sunday nights at 9:00pm EST.

A recent poll found that the “worst” words in the English language include pus, phlegm, and seepage. Also, splooge. Can’t forget [shudders] splooge. “Warm,” “wet,” and “wild” did not make the worst-words cut, because apart, they’re not that bad. Who doesn’t love a warm day at the beach, or a Buffalo wing? But collectively, the trio of w-words are prone to gross people out, as evidenced by Wednesday’s episode of Wheel of Fortune.

The category was “Same Letter.” After a few spins of the wheel, contestant Tanino elected to solve the puzzle. “Warm Wet & Wild,” he answered, correctly. He won $3,800 and a California trip worth $7,650 (and later, the Bonus Puzzle), but he also lost, through no fault of his own, because he grossed everyone watching at home out.

It’s been an eventful week for all things Wheel: a photo of host Pat Sajak posing with white nationalist event-attender Marjorie Taylor Greene went viral over the weekend. “The undated photo appears to have been taken earlier this month,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “[He’s] flanked by the Republican Greene and Right Side Broadcasting Network reporter Bryan Glenn. RSBN is known for promoting right-wing views, and Greene, among other things, makes a hobby of harassing mass-shooting victims and thinks that Sandy Hook massacre denier Alex Jones got a raw deal in court.”

Now that’s the real “ew.”

(Via iHeart)

Beyoncé’s Renaissance was one of the biggest albums of the year. The LP reached No. 1 and sent the internet into a collective frenzy of discussion and funny memes. The “Love On Top” singer hasn’t yet brought the songs to audiences on a tour, but that might change soon.

Page Six has reported that Renaissance will finally be taken on the road soon, according to multiple inside sources that told the magazine. One revealed that Beyoncé is booking stadiums around the world for next summer, and another divulged that an announcement will be made in the coming weeks. Fingers crossed!

Of course, planning a massive tour while the pandemic isn’t quite over is not an easy feat. The pandemic even impacted her process of writing the album, for better or for worse, as she said in her statement before releasing Renaissance: “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.”

Over the course of the past 10 years, the way we consume music has evolved. In the past, an artist would traditionally drop a single, generate hype, drop a follow-up track or two, then release a full-length album. In the case of Rebbeca Gomez, better known as Latin music superstar Becky G, her full-length debut album Mala Santa didn’t arrive until 2019, nearly 7 years after making her major label debut as a featured artist.

Her first major label contributions came in the form of Cody Simpson’s “Wish U Were Here” while her first single as a solo artist was the will.i.am-assisted “Problem” in August 201. Her first entry onto the Billboard Hot 100 would come by way of Cher Lloyd’s “Oath,” just two months later. Though it only reached No. 73 on the charts, it was the first of many hits for Becky, who, at the time, was poised to be a pop star with her spunky, rap-singing vocal stylings, and her flashy, colorful wardrobe.

Becky G has gone from a promising viral pop act to one of the biggest names in Latin music. While her trajectory has been incredible to watch, Becky, 25, is only getting started.

At the time of the release of “Oath,” Becky had developed a small fan base from her YouTube channel, on which she shared covers of Frank Ocean’s “Novacane” and Jay-Z & Kanye West’s “Otis,” the latter of which caught the attention of producer Dr. Luke, who signed her to a joint deal with Kemosabe and RCA Records. But she was relatively unknown in the pop landscape.

Still, she maintained her ambition to become a household name, hopping onto remixes of songs like Kesha’s “Die Young,” and creating her own versions of iconic hits.

In 2013, Becky released a single called “Becky From The Block,” which was a more family-friendly rework of Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny From The Block” from 10 years prior.

“I won’t stop till I get to the top / Always had a little, but I want a lot,” she sings, emulating the original artist.

In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Becky revealed that she aspired to be the next Jennifer Lopez.

“She’s honestly one of my role models,” Becky said, “one of my idols, like somebody that I’ve looked up to since I was very little, since I watched Selena.”

Becky released her debut EP Play It Again in July that year, on the title track of which, she raps, “I’m a creature, I ain’t lyin’, not a cheater, I’m a lioness / They sayin’ that I’m the best and I ain’t drop an album yet.” As she began gaining more traction in the pop landscape, the anticipation for a full-length album was high. Surely, the following year would prove to be more promising.

In April of 2014, Becky released “Shower,” a bubblegum pop track about young love, which became a viral hit on Vine. With the song’s relatability and its catchy “la-di-la-da-la-da” adlibs, “Shower” reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Many listeners were instantly hooked on “Shower” upon first listen. In an Interview with Time, Becky said she knew she had a banger on her hands but wasn’t sure where it would lead her.

“We listened to it all the way through and all of us couldn’t say anything,” said Becky of hearing ‘Shower’ for the first time. “We just were quiet and looking at each other and smiling. I think we all had that little spark in our eyes and that little feeling it was going to be something special. We didn’t know what it was going to be, but we knew it was going to be special.”

While this seemed like an opportune time to begin an album rollout, Becky was still finding her footing as an artist. Her songs were undoubtedly taking off, but she was still searching for the right sound. Later that year, she released “Can’t Stop Dancin’,” which contained a less poppy sound and headed in a more Latin-inspired direction. A remix of the song featured a then-up-and-coming J Balvin.

The following year, she would collaborate with Thalia, who is often referred to as the Queen of Latin Pop, on a song called “Como Tú No Hay Dos.” It was clear in her voice and enthusiasm on the songs that she was a natural for these Latin dance records, however, it seemed as though her label was set on making her a pop star, as she would release Latin collaborations in tandem with the Dr. Luke-produced “Lovin’ So Hard” and “Break A Sweat,” the latter of which was rumored to be for Demi Lovato.

Toward the latter-half of the 2010s, she would begin releasing strictly Latin music, beginning with “Sola,” on which, she celebrates her freedom after leaving a toxic relationship. Her breakthrough came in 2017 in the form of the Bad Bunny-assisted “Mayores,” on which sings of her affinity for older men. This song reached No. 1 On Billboard’s US Latin Airplay chart, as well as No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

Becky would continue to rise in the realm of reggaeton and Latin pop with her sensual anthem, “Sin Pijama,” which features Natti Natasha. The song contains an infectious chorus of female sexual empowerment, on which the two sing back and forth, “Si tú me llamas / nos vamos para tu casa / Nos quedamos en la cama / sin pijama, sin pijama,” which translates to “If you call me / We’ll go to your house / We’ll lay in bed / Without pajamas, without pajamas.” The song reached No. 1 on Billboard’s US Latin Airplay chart and No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

Both songs appear on Becky’s 2019 debut album, Mala Santa, which arrived after years of standalone singles, guest contributions, and viral moments.

This May, Becky released her sophomore album, Esquemas, which contains the Karol G collaboration, “Mamiii,” an empowering break-up anthem which features the superstars cutting ties with the unappreciative men in their lives. The punchy reggaeton single topped the Billboard US Hot Latin Songs and US Latin Airplay charts, and reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it both artists’ highest charting songs.

As of now, Becky has reached new highs in her career, and only plans to continue rising.

Earlier this month, Becky released a new single called “Amantes,” with Daviles De Novelda, just months after the release of Esquemas. The song marks Becky’s first dabble in bachata music, showcasing her effortless versatility.

Proven by her decade-long career, Becky is not afraid to experiment with new sounds, nor does she play by anybody’s rules. In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, she said she only plans to grow as an artist and continue to be a voice for her community.

“I’m a student of life, man,” Becky said. “I may have 10-plus years under my belt of being in this industry, but one of my favorite quotes is, ‘If it’s not growing, it’s death.’”

Olivia Wilde seems to be choosing her words very carefully while promoting Don’t Worry Darling, which arrives in theaters this weekend after what feels like several years of press tours, though it’s actually been more like a month and a half. The director/ former The OC actress was on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to promote the movie (does it really need more promo?) when the various controversies surrounding the film came up.

Though she didn’t mention the leaked video of her asking Shia LeBouf to stay with the project, she did insist they were private messages that were never supposed to be seen.”There were private messages released without context to try to make a situation look like something that it wasn’t,” Wilde explained to Colbert.

“Early on in the process of making the film, as the director, I tried to mediate a situation between people to try to see if they could work together happily,” Wilde continues, referencing LaBeouf and lead actress Florence Pugh’s alleged tension. “Once it became clear that it was not a tenable working relationship, I was given an ultimatum. I chose my actress, which, I’m very happy I did.”

When asked directly if she fired LaBeouf, the director carefully responded without actually mentioning the word “fired.” “We had to replace Shia. He is a fantastic actor, but it wasn’t going to work. When he gave me the ultimatum of him or Florence, I chose Florence, and that was him feeling he was stepping away, and me feeling like we were moving on without him. He didn’t want to be part of the production we were making in the way I like to make productions, and so he moved on, we moved on and replaced him, and ended up with a cast that I’m so proud of and a movie I’m really thrilled about.” Wilde also mentioned the “click bait” aspect of Spitgatte, also known as the most exciting 8 hours on the internet in recent memory. Maybe this movie will become a classic after all?

(Via EW)

Ser Criston didn’t expect the sex scene in House of the Dragon‘s so-called “Hot Girl Summer” episode to happen. The actor (Fabien Frankel) who played him, however, knew well in advance and even spent nearly two-thirds of a year preparing. Disrobing on camera is quite one thing, and surely, Frankel paid mind to his physical condition, but even more than that, he (and Milly Alcock) did emotional and mental prep work.

As Frankel told Entertainment Weekly, the scene was “something we talked about over seven months.” He wanted to ensure that the scene wasn’t “another gratuitous, sweat-glistening-off-their-back sex scene,” and yes, there were plenty of nuances involved. That includes Criston’s struggle to abandon his vow of chastity, which he apparently settled by the next episode while he proposed marriage to Princess Rhaenyra. Then when she rejected him in favor of her duty-bound marriage, he lost it and went ballistic, pummeling the life out of Laenor’s gay lover, Joffrey. But before that happened, Frankel wanted to ensure that the sex scene was believable and not automatically graceful because onscreen intimacy (and real-life intimacy) is awkward stuff:

“I just remember back and forth texts, back and forth phone calls, back and forth meetings between Clare, myself, Milly, and our intimacy coordinator. But particularly me, Clare, and Milly going, ‘How do we make this human?’”

From there, Frankel addressed how difficult it would have been for Ser Criston to shed that armor in a real-life scenario. “These are the things I really cared about,” Frankel said by stressing that he wanted the scene to feel authentic. “For even a world-quality squire, you’ve got 10 minutes to get the armor off… There’s no way Rhaneyra and Cole are gonna take that armor off in 10 seconds.” All that hard work went into a worthy scene, although the aftereffects weren’t so great for Westeros or the House of Targaryen.

This week, we’ll see the followup to an episode that was (rightfully or not) compared to the famed Game of Thrones “Red Wedding,” which ended with Criston and Queen Alicent forming an alliance. Ten years later, we’ll see whether that still stands.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

In 2013, Kanye West infamously launched a longstanding meme during an interview with Shade 45 radio host Sway Calloway when he exploded on the host after being questioned about his fashion ambitions. “You don’t have the answers!” he roared when Sway suggested that he produce his Yeezy clothing line independently. But today, it appears he’s changed his tune after dealing with protracted disputes with apparel manufacturing partners Adidas and Gap for the better part of the summer — and really, almost since the start of those partnerships.

In a new interview with ABC News excerpted on Good Morning America, Kanye admits, “You know what? I will go ahead and say Sway had the answer,” grinning sheepishly. “I know people on Twitter are gonna be like, ‘No!’”

Kanye declared his plans to go it alone after sending notice of intent to cut his deal with Gap short earlier this month. The deal, which was to run through to 2030, became unsatisfactory to him when he alleges the company did not follow through on its end, which he says included plans to build brick-and-mortar Yeezy stores and make his designs available in its own stores by 2021. Over the past month, he’s expressed his dissatisfaction with both Gap and Adidas in a series of needling posts on Instagram, including sharing a draft from his legal team summarizing the details of his licensing deals with both companies.

As Kanye (and Sway) are likely sure to learn soon, producing at the scale that Kanye foresees for himself isn’t quite as easy without a global partnership; perhaps, in a few years, a more humble Ye will also admit that he didn’t really have the answers either.

For fun, you can check out Kanye’s original interview with Sway below.