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By now you may have heard the song “Victoria’s Secret” by Jax, who wrote the song for a young teen girl she babysits after the girl tried on bathing suits at the famous clothing store chain.

The teen’s experience was less than ideal, as she was brought to tears over mean comments about her body from other girls. In response, Jax quickly cranked out a song about what she considers the potential self-esteem harm caused by the lingerie giant and uploaded it to TikTok where it went crazy viral with more than 39 million views. It has become such a cultural phenomenon, that it even crossed over from TikTok to the Billboard charts. So, it’s no surprise that the song caught the attention of Victoria’s Secret PINK CEO Amy Hauk.

Girls and women have been perusing the racks of Victoria’s Secret for decades. The yearly fashion show that depicted tall, thin models donning enormous angel wings was something to look forward to for millions of people. But for others, it was a reminder that their body type didn’t fit the mold of what was deemed “beautiful” by one company’s standards. That insecurity-inducing impact in advertising is exactly what the song is about and why it resonated with so many people online.

The virility of the catchy summer bop is what catapulted the song to the attention of Hauk, who then reached out to Jax about finding a way to be more inclusive. In response, Jax turned to her 11 million followers to encourage them to put their suggestions in her comments.

Jax said in the video, “I don’t feel comfortable speaking on behalf of an entire generation in a manipulative, non-inclusive marketing culture.” The songwriter went on to say, “Since Victoria’s Secret is paying attention to my account, I’m asking anyone who feels like they never had a voice, or ever had a say in the matter to comment on this video.” She tells her followers to let the company know what they “need to feel safe and represented, and comfortable and beautiful in today’s society.”

@jaxwritessongs

My response to Victoria’s Secret. The floor is yours…. #victoriassecret #inclusivity #speakyourmind

The women did not disappoint. They came in, flooding Jax’s comments section with suggestions on what they’d like to see. Shoelover99 commented, “We want REAL WOMEN! scars, stretch marks, tattoos, we want ALL WOMEN to feel beautiful in the product & with size inclusive.”

TikTok user Heysquirrelfriend said, “How about the “older” ladies in the world? We like to feel loved and accepted too! Because our age is over 50 doesn’t mean we don’t feel young inside.”

The overall comments section was filled with women asking for inclusivity in sizes. I’m not sure if it’s Jax’s song, the comments section or something that has been in the works, but a press release went out announcing more inclusive bra sizes by partnering with Elomi, an inclusive lingerie company. It includes band sizes from 34 to 46 and cups from DD to O. With this very new development, it certainly seems as if the brand is paying attention to the desires of the people wearing its products. Women everywhere are hoping the new blip of inclusivity from the brand isn’t short-lived.

It’s been 15 years since Superbad was released and high school friendships around the world were changed forever. Suddenly, it was okay to be a nerd as long as you had a super nice best friend by your side who would get a really bad fake ID with you and almost get arrested while buying a specific brand of vodka for your crush. High school, man!

Though it might seem like everyone involved in making the classic early 2000s comedy was really close, that wasn’t the case. During the audition process, things were not so friendly between Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who played Seth and the mononymous icon McLovin.

“Jonah immediately hated [Christopher]. He was like, ‘That was f*cking with my rhythm. I couldn’t perform with that guy,’” Seth Rogen explained in a new Vanity Fair piece celebrating the movie’s 15th anniversary.

It seems like that was the goal, as producer Judd Apatow told Hill that he wasn’t supposed to like him. “Jonah said, ‘I don’t like that guy. I don’t want him doing it.’ And I said, ‘That’s exactly why we’re hiring him. It couldn’t be more perfect. The fact that it bothers you is exactly what we want.’” Apatow said that at his third callback audition, Mintz-Plasse was getting on his nerves, just as his character would. “[He] attacked Jonah and did improvs insulting Jonah.”

Mintz-Plasse ended up getting the role, even though he didn’t think he was going to. ” I was just, like, a scrawny kid. I was super stoked to be there. I had Seth and everyone sign my script because I didn’t think I was going to get the part.” It seems like being annoying in his first audition ever certainly paid off for him.

(Via Vanity Fair)

Public speaking is never easy, but one thing we can definitely recommend is do not premiere a new HBO series by jokingly calling one of the franchise’s biggest stars a “short, dumpy girl.” Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Foxtel CEO Patrick Delaney did during the Sydney premiere of House of the Dragon. More wildly, the quip was aimed at Emilia Clarke, who is easily one of the more beautiful people on the planet.

Via Crikey, which we swear to God is an actual Australian news site:

The long-time Foxtel executive retold how he was late to start watching Game of Thrones. “I was like, ‘What’s this show with the short, dumpy girl walking into the fire?’” he said.

According to two attendees, the response to the comment was cold. “It felt like he was expecting us to laugh along but people in the room were obviously shocked by it,” one said. “There was a bit of a gasp,” another said.

Needless to say, Foxtel quickly scrambled to address their CEO publicly calling a famous actress a “short, dumpy girl.” According to a spokesperson, Delaney meant for his introduction to be “self-deprecating and light-hearted” even though he notably didn’t call himself short and dumpy. Excuses aside, the company did apologize for the remarks.

“The aim was to convey that for him, Games of Thrones was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognised and most-loved actors in television and film,” a spokesperson told Crikey. “On behalf of Mr Delany, the Foxtel Group apologies if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offence.”

(Via Crikey)

ASAP Rocky was arraigned in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning on two charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Accompanied by his lawyer, Sara L. Caplan, Rocky quickly entered a not guilty plea to both charges and was placed on a $550,000 bond. If convicted, the rapper could face up to nine years in jail. These charges stem from an altercation with ASAP Relli where Rocky allegedly shot Relli. Relli is also suing Rocky for assault and battery, negligence, and emotional distress.

The case at hand claims that on November 6th, 2021, ASAP Rocky asked ASAP Relli to meet him in Hollywood. But as Relli’s lawyers contend, this wasn’t just a meet-up that Rocky had planned, but the rapper instead had a premeditated purpose of shooting Relli. He allegedly did and struck Relli in the hand. Months later, Rocky was arrested at LAX airport in April, his house was raided and police say they found surveillance footage of the incident, but can’t produce the weapon used in the assault.

While ASAP Rocky is out on bail, Caplan asked the judge if he’d be able to travel for work. Per a Rolling Stone report, the judge said that he’d have to “clear dates” ahead of time to do so. This makes it seem like the rapper should be able to perform his headlining set at Rolling Loud New York on September 24 while out on bail.

A preliminary hearing for ASAP Rocky on the two assault charges is set for November.

After weeks of games trickling out, the NBA released the entirety of its schedule for the 2022-23 season Wednesday afternoon. As part of that announcement, it unveiled a new aspect to the schedule, “NBA Rivals Week,” which will run from Jan. 24-28.

Some of these matchups are absolutely rivalries that fit perfectly into the NBA’s vision for the week, namely Lakers-Celtics, Grizzlies-Warriors, and Knicks-Nets. Others have recent playoff history and should be both good teams again next season, such as Celtics-Heat, Grizzlies-Timberwolves, and Suns-Mavericks. Clippers-Lakers will overflow with starpower. Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid’s rivalry is manufactured by outsiders (they are seemingly good friends), but they’ve finished 1-2 in MVP voting the past two years and play the same position for a pair of title contenders. That’s a sweet battle and presumably mirrors the spirit of the week.

Not all are hits, though. Lonzo Ball vs. LaMelo Ball seems a couple years late, given this is their third year in the league together. That game could feature prolific offenses, with Chicago and Charlotte, at least. Warriors-Raptors doesn’t make sense. The majority of Toronto’s championship core from when it faced the Warriors in the 2019 Finals is no longer on the team. Golden State’s is intact, sans Kevin Durant, but the franchise is in a new era as well.

Nets-76ers could be fun if Durant is around and the Ben Simmons angle is relevant, for sure. I worry that game might pit two teams in vastly different tiers against each other, but I’m nitpicking here. Regardless, this is a pretty cool and nifty idea from the league to help spice up the middle of the season when things can grow stagnant.

NBA teams can take two approaches to schedule release day. One is they can decide to play it straight — this isn’t boring, necessarily, but it’s a pretty safe option. The full schedule is posted on social media, some cool graphics get made, maybe fans learn about the fun promotions that are on the calendar for their next year. There is basically a zero percent chance of this flopping.

And then there is the riskier option, which is doing something cool and fun. The possibility of this backfiring exists, but fortunately for the New Orleans Pelicans, the cool and fun thing they did to announce their 2022-23 schedule was extremely good. You might remember a report from last year that indicated team executive David Griffin played the piano for Zion Williamson in his hotel room in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble, which led to Williamson saying “I’m not letting a grown man come to my room and play piano for me.”

Well apparently, that lingered for a bit, and on Wednesday, the Pelicans had Griffin sit at a piano and play a tune to announce some of the biggest games on the calendar.

Zion showing up around the 50-second mark and saying “you get used to it” really is a spectacular touch. We give this a 10/10.

The 2022-23 NBA schedule has finally been officially released, and while we’ve known about the opening night slate on TNT and the Christmas Day schedule on ESPN and ABC for almost a week, we now can start to look at what teams we will see the most on a national scale.

Unsurprisingly, this year’s national TV schedule heavily features the league’s biggest stars and best teams, as the reigning champion Warriors, reigning East champion Celtics, Lakers, Bucks, Sixers, Suns, and Clippers all find their way onto the ESPN and TNT schedule for nearly 25 percent of their seasons. However, there are some up-and-coming teams that are also cracking into the ranks of national TV regulars, with the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Pelicans all getting a number of national spotlight games.

The Warriors lead the way with 30 combined games on ESPN, ABC, and TNT, while the Lakers (27), Celtics (26), Sixers (23), Bucks (23), Mavs (22), Suns (22), and Clippers (20) all feature 20-plus appearances. All 30 teams get at least one major national TV game (with NBA TV also carrying 107 national games this year, albeit with some blackout restrictions and not on as big of a network).

ESPN/ABC games

Warriors: 18
Celtics: 17
Lakers: 16
Mavs: 15
Bucks: 14
Sixers: 13
Suns: 13
Grizzlies: 11
Clippers: 10
Knicks: 10
Nuggets: 9
Bulls: 8
Nets: 8
Heat: 7
Timberwolves: 6
Hawks: 5
Pelicans: 5
Cavs: 4
Raptors: 2
Blazers: 2
Hornets: 2
Wizards: 1
Pacers: 1
Rockets: 1
Kings: 1
Spurs: 1

TNT games

Warriors: 12
Lakers: 11
Clippers: 10
Sixers: 10
Celtics: 9
Suns: 9
Bucks: 9
Mavs: 7
Grizzlies: 7
Nuggets: 7
Pelicans: 6
Nets: 5
Heat: 4
Timberwolves: 3
Knicks: 3
Hawks: 3
Bulls: 3
Raptors: 2
Cavs: 2
Jazz: 1
Magic: 1
Pistons: 1
Blazers: 1
Hornets: 1
Wizards: 1
Thunder: 1

Rap’s always had a minor obsession with brands and brand names, which at the best of times gives it a deeper connection with pop culture. On the other hand, by tapping into cultural touchstones, rap has occasionally run afoul of the civil side of the law. From rappers being forced to change their names (Remy Ma, who once went by the more recognizable Remy Martin, which also sued 50 Cent over his competing cognac) to copyright infringement suits (Tyga and Lil Nas X were both recently sued over sneaker collaborations), rap’s propensity for name-checking has gotten more than one artist into trouble.

Now, the brands that associate with rappers are feeling those effects too. According to Reuters, the Rap Snacks potato chip brand is being sued by toy manufacturer Mattel over its new Nicki Minaj-themed flavor. Spinning the flavor’s name off from Nicki’s self-derived Barbie nickname, Barbie-Que” Honey Truffle — and its logo, which borrows the original logo of Mattel’s long-running, beloved doll line — Rap Snacks has drawn the ire of Mattel’s legal department, which filed suit last week, alleging unfair competition and false designation of origin, trademark dilution, and unfair competition violation.

Mattel argues that the logo’s use creates customer confusion and false association with the actual Barbie brand. The logo’s use wasn’t authorized and Rap Snacks “purposely” misled customers, allegedly refusing to “correct the misimpression it foisted on the public.” Nicki Minaj, who has long used the Barbie terminology and aesthetic, even calling her fans “Barbz” and herself “Harajuku Barbie” (oof), is said to have deferred to Mattel, obtaining at least tacit permission to continue using the moniker, even having her own doll made in 2011.

Mattel not only wants Rap Snacks to discontinue its “Barbie-Que” flavor but also wants it to cancel its trademarks for Barbie-Que and hand over all of the profits made from its sales. Rap Snacks, which also has flavors based on Cardi B, Lil Durk, Migos, and Moneybagg Yo, has not made a public statement as of press time.

Over the past couple years, Jason Isbell has expanded his presence in the world of TV and movies, guesting on an episode of Billions last year and landing a role in the upcoming movie Killers Of The Flower Moon (as did Sturgill Simpson, by the way). Consequently, Isbell has rubbed shoulders with some big-time cinematic figures. That includes Flower Moon co-star Robert De Niro, who Isbell wished a happy birthday today (the actor’s 78th) with a funny message about his own natural way of talking.

Taking to Twitter, Isbell wrote, “Happy birthday to De Niro who I’m pretty sure thought I was pulling some goofy method bullsh*t for a few days until he realized I actually talk this way.”

Yesterday, Isbell shared another delightful nugget that apparently stemmed from his time on the Flower Moon set. A Twitter account about movies posted the classic “You talking to me?” scene from Taxi Driver and noted, “The script for TAXI DRIVER just said ‘Travis talks to himself in the mirror’ and ROBERT DE NIRO improvised one of the most famous lines in cinema.” Isbell shared that and noted, “And Scorsese was sitting at his feet egging him on.”

He added in a follow-up tweet, “Got that story from the source.” In this case, “the source” could have been either De Niro or Taxi Driver director Martin Scorsese, who also directed Flower Moon.

This fall, Welsh band Mclusky will tour North America for the first time since 2004.

Known for songs like “To Hell With Good Intentions” and “Collagen Rock,” Mclusky formed in the late ’90s before releasing their first album, 2000’s My Pain And Sadness Is More Sad And Painful Than Yours. They gained wider attention with their second LP, 2002’s Mclusky Do Dallas, which led to the debut album getting re-issued in 2003. They released their third (and so far, final) album, The Difference Between Me And You Is That I’m Not On Fire, in 2004 before disbanding in 2005.

In an interview with The Guardian, Mclusky lead vocalist Andrew Falkous said the band will return with the same fervor they had two decades ago.

“I don’t believe in half-conviction,” Falkous said. “If you’re not going on stage to be the best band of the night, one that renders all the other acts irrelevant, then don’t even get up there. Wanting to be in the best rock band in the world is still part of it. But it has also become about having a nice time with my friends. Sometimes I see people in big bands, and there are songs they have to play, which everybody likes, but they have grown to despise. We don’t play often enough for that to happen. So it always feels special.”

Check out the tour dates below.

09/16 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
09/17 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club
09/20 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
09/21 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
09/22 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw
11/30 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
12/01 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
12/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
12/04 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
12/06 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
12/07 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch
12/09 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
12/10 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
12/12 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
12/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell)
12/14 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
12/16 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat