It looks like Lana Del Rey may have found herself a new romantic interest.
As The Cut notes, Del Rey has recently been spotted with Jeremy Dufrene, who works as an airboat alligator tour guide in Louisiana. Over the past few days, the two have been seen holding hands backstage at Leeds Festival in the UK on August 25 (as captured in this TikTok video), shopping at Harrods in London, and eating at a local pub.
The public connection between the two goes as far back as 2019, when Del Rey went on one of Dufrene’s tours, and she shared photos of the adventure on Facebook. Del Rey went on another tour earlier this year and posted about it on Instagram, tagging Dufrene in the post.
As The Daily Mail notes, Dufrene has worked at Arthur’s Air Boat Tours “since at least 2015,” and he has previously given tours to stars like Kate Hudson, Emma Roberts, and Glen Powell.
Meanwhile, Del Rey recently spoke about her upcoming album Lasso, saying, “All my albums are somewhat rooted in Americana, unless it’s an album like Honeymoon which has a jazz flair, so I don’t think it will be a heavy departure. If anything, it will just be a little lighter lyrically, and more pointed in a classic country, American, or Southern Gothic production — which again, so many of my songs already are.”
On Wednesday morning, August 28, Capitol Records and THEBLACKLABEL jointly announced the signing of MEOVV, a five-piece K-pop girl group. MEOVV was officially unveiled with this clever animated video showing five black cats scaling the Capitol Records Tower.
MEOVV is the first-ever girl group from THEBLACKLABEL, which was founded by Teddy Park, who has produced bona fide K-pop gold for Blackpink, 2NE1, BIGBANG, and G-Dragon.
“I remember nothing, but the destination I was heading to,” the YouTube description for Ella’s trailer reads. “Which is why I just got here.”
Gawon’s YouTube description reads, “If I were to choose between the two, I already know my answer.” The anticipation continued to build in the descriptions for Sooin (“I think we are friends”) and (“I will pick up the phone at the convenience store tonight”).
The final member of the group will be revealed on Thursday, August 29. Before releasing a single piece of music and publicly completing the formation of the group, MEOVV has attracted 338,000 Instagram followers and 207,800 TikTok followers.
“With the story continuing to unfold, the MEOVV takeover has only just begun,” a press release teased.
On Wednesday evening, August 28, Carpenter posted across her social media accounts, “Surprise [kiss mark emoji]. Short N’ Sweet The digital album w/ bonus track ‘Needless to Say’ is available now for 24 hrs only!”
The digital album is available here for $4.99. According to various posts on X (formerly Twitter), an email will be sent confirming purchase with an option to download the bonus track digital artwork. “Audio will be delivered via email on August 29, 2024,” it reads.
Of course, Short N’ Sweet is anchored by “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” which peaked at Nos. 3 and 1, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100. “Please Please Please” is Carpenter’s first No. 1 Hot 100 single of her career.
Short N’ Sweet is Carpenter’s first LP release since 2022’s Emails I Can’t Send, which debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 and spent 48 weeks on the chart.
On June 21, Max premiered a two-part documentary entitled Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood exploring the implications of Braun owning Swift’s masters as a byproduct of buying Big Machine Music Group in 2019. The acquisition covered Swift’s first six albums, leading to her revolutionary re-recorded releases.
Anyway, Braun finally got around to watching Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood and wrote on his Instagram Story, “I finally watched it.” Braun’s very next Instagram Story post was a screenshot of TMZ’s exclusive on Swift’s recently thrown birthday party for Blake Lively in Rhode Island. “How was I not invited to this?!? #LaughALittle,” Braun wrote.
Predictably, Braun’s joke did not go over well online. Almost assuredly, Swift was not amused.
“With the Scooter thing, my masters were being sold to someone who actively wanted them for nefarious reasons, in my opinion,” Swift told Time last year. “I was so knocked on my ass by the sale of my music, and to whom it was sold. I was like, ‘Oh, they got me beat now. This is it. I don’t know what to do.’”
In November 2020, Swift posted an in-depth update on her attempts to “regain ownership of my master recordings.”
“My team attempted to enter into negotiations with Scooter Braun,” she alleged at the time. “Scooter’s team wanted me to sign an ironclad NDA stating I would never say another word about Scooter Braun unless it was positive, before we could even look at the financial records of BMLG (which is always the first step in a purchase of this nature). So, I would have to sign a document that would silence me forever before I could even have a chance to bid on my own work.”
Since then, Swift has released Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Each re-recorded album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Reacher‘s second season turned out to be a brilliantly simple ride that was as enjoyable as the show’s debut with one downside: no Roscoe Conklin.
Willa Fitzgerald’s no-nonsense Margrave PD spitfire hails from the Killing Floor book, and part of the appeal of the Reacher character is that he is a wanderer and a loner, so their TV romance was a fleeting one. Now, Roscoe did get mentioned in second-season passing (Neagley brought her up to Reacher, and Dixon was quick to probe without results), but Fitzgerald’s character wasn’t seen, although first-season Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) somehow popped up for a brief scene. However, this Prime Video/Amazon show’s writers don’t shy away from book-to-screen changes, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility for them to change their minds on Roscoe (as with Neagly now being a common thread between seasons). Viewers wouldn’t be mad to see it happen.
So, is a Reacher comeback ever in the cards for Willa Fitzgerald? The Fall of the House of Usher actress is promoting her current horror film, Strange Darling, and she sounds (maybe) willing to make another appearance but insists that there’s nothing in the works. Fitzgerald made these remarks to Forbes:
“I don’t have any insider knowledge about whether there will be more Roscoe or not,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m as much in the dark as anyone else, but I love playing that character and I loved getting the chance to help initiate the Reacher television universe… It was a lot of fun to take on and I have a lot of respect for Nick Santora, the showrunner, and I still watch the show,” Fitzgerald added. “I love watching the show and am excited to see where it goes from here.”
As for when Reacher will return for his third season of body-wrecking fights, Amazon hasn’t confirmed a date yet. However, a 2025 arrival should be in the cards, based upon the previous cadence (Feb. 2022 and Dec. 2023) of the series. Until that time, those Tom Cruise movies are out there for the taking, too.
Olivia Rodrigo is apparently having the time of her life on her Guts Tour, despite near-wardrobe malfunctions and being so exhausted she’s sleeping half the day away between shows. The “Bad Idea Right?” singer acknowledged as much in a letter she shared with fans to thank them for the tour’s successes as she completes the first North American leg and prepares to move on to Asia and Australia.
The letter, delivered by email with a subject line reading “It’s not goodbye, it’s see u soon!!!” reads, “I just wanted to send a little note to say thank u so much to everyone who has attended the GUTS world tour so far. I am having the time of my life singing my heart out with u guys every night. I have a few weeks off before the tour heads to Asia and Australia, but I wanted to share a few random pics I took the past few months before I do (I’m so bad at taking photos!!!)”
The photos include shots of her guitar and a toy horse, along with a selfie.
The Asian leg of the tour begins in Bangkok, Thailand on September 16, and will include dates in Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tokyo, while she’s got four shows in Australia lined up.
One of the most unexpected collaborations of 2024 has turned out to be one of the most successful, as Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s “Die With A Smile” debuted in the top five of this week’s Billboard Hot 100. That’s a good thing, too, as Bruno allegedly has so much gambling debt that he’ll be working Vegas until the city becomes a seaside resort.
Or, at least, that’s what fans joked, despite an MGM Resorts rep refuting that particular rumor shortly after it spread online. Never forget that on the internet, jokes > facts… but at least this time, the star at the center of the rumors appears to be in on the joke. While retweeting fans’ posts about the new collab, which include fanart of scenes from the video, crafted figurines of Bruno, and even some truly spectacular nail art, he didn’t bypass a TikTok/Reel of a fan dancing with a caption reading: “Lady Gaga on her way to get Bruno Mars out of debt.” You can check it out below.
The two stars had been teasing the duet since June, when Bruno told Las Vegas Review a song with Gaga was on his bucket list. Then, in early August, Gaga herself threw fuel on the rumors, first posting a video of herself playing piano wearing a Bruno Mars T-shirt, then confirming not only the collab’s existence, but also its placement on her upcoming seventh album.
It has been over 35 years since Michael Keaton debuted his otherworldly entity known as Beetlejuice, and he didn’t really know if people wanted to see the character again.
“The only thing I worried about was, should we have left it alone? You know?” Keaton told Entertainment Weekly ahead of the premiere. “Should we have just said that: ‘Don’t touch it. Just walk away. Go make your other movies,’ which we did.” But still, Tim Burton and Winona Ryder were on board for a sequel, and it came to life thanks to the addition of Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe. All they needed was another supply of white face powder and some intense eyeliner to bring him back to the world of the living.
In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Ortega stars as Astrid, Winona Ryder’s stubborn daughter who unintentionally calls for Beetlejuice to return, which he does happily. The sequel seems to have hit a sweet spot with critics who agree that, hey, we didn’t need this, but it’s still kind of nice to have it anyway. Here is what the reviews are saying:
Tim Burton allows the cast of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to have fun, even if they’re all off in separate movies that barely overlap. Its story is intentionally robbed of dramatic weight, but this makes way for the goofy, imaginative practical effects of Burton’s early days, resulting in a small-scale legacy sequel that doesn’t take itself too seriously (because it doesn’t need to).
The first Beetlejuice in 1988 captured imaginations because it was new, unlike anything else and deliciously tasteless while being, to be honest, pretty clunky. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is not clunky. Yes, there are plenty of animation joins that haven’t been smoothed over by CGI. Some of the props look like tat Burton bought in a flea market. But it also has a proper plot, full of twists and turns; a terrific cameo characters supporting the impeccable main cast; a meticulous spoof Italian horror film in the middle of it all; and a climactic musical number in which key cast members mime to Richard Harris’ 1968 pop hit “Macarthur Park” while dancing around a giant cake with icing the exact green of snot.
When it steps back from reality and plumbs the depths of the afterlife, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a lot of fun. The final 10 minutes are tremendous (and tremendously ridiculous) while finally giving Betelgeuse his due, and Burton finds a pitch-perfect ’60s song to resurrect in glorious effect. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice possesses a lot of what has made the original movie a bonafide classic, even if the script forgets that too often.
The film is strongest when it remembers it’s a Tim Burton film and has licence to get weird. While it’s slicker and less homemade-feeling than the 1988 vintage, there are still flashes of B-movie brilliance: a stop-motion animation sequence, some delightful shrunken-head prosthetic effects, and two demented birth scenes with the most ghoulish prosthetic baby this side of American Sniper. It’s moments like this, when Burton lets his freak flag truly fly, that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice earns its stripes.
The faint scent of intellectual property looms a little too large over Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to call it a true return to form for Tim Burton. But it’s unmistakably a return to joy for a legendary director, and that goes a long way in making this film stand out in a sea of ill-conceived sequels
There’s a lot of plot windup before Beetlejuice, the “trickster demon,” as Lydia describes him, shows up. But when he does, it’s like greeting a decrepit, kvetching old friend, the kind you keep around just for entertainment value. Michael Keaton clearly adores this character; once again, he pours pure love into Beetlejuice’s maniacal, depraved soul.
For a film very much anchored in the dominant Hollywood model of undead IP buried in legacy and lore, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has an appealingly throwback quality – not just for the welcome return of long-missed techniques, but for a sensibility and sense of humor that doesn’t try to keep with the times.
Few would mistake “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” for a confessional or particularly self-revealing work, but it does hew closer to that original artistic spark that dimmed once the director became a trademark.
The Guardian‘s Xan Brooks was a little less excited:
For all its spilling intestines and head-spinning demon babies, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice feels underpowered and throwaway. It’s a likable exercise in nostalgia; a joyride through old haunts. Burton’s underworld caper contains plenty of second-hand spirit; what it craves is fresh blood. What it needs is some substance.
If you feel ready to take on Beetlejuice, you know what to do: just say his name a few times and see if you can get Michael Keaton to show up. He probably will!
Who is ordering the salad at Olive Garden aside from the people who get the Endless Soup, Salad & Breadsticks meal, and are therefor forced to get salad? Seriously, when the server asks “Would you like soup or salad?” with your order the answer is always soup. Always.
It’s an easy answer too because the Olive Garden salad leaves a lot to be desired (its best ingredient is cheese), I mean c’mon, iceberg lettuce? Why?!
But we aren’t here to roast the Olive Garden salad. That would be too easy. We’re here to talk about the soup, and considering each of the soups has something to offer, choosing between the four can be tough. Each soup is so different that it might take you longer to decide on which soup to order than it took to choose which pasta dish you want.
So we’re taking some of the guesswork out of the equation for you. We’re here to rank each of the Olive Garden soups and lay out why and when you should order each.
I won’t lie, ranking these soups was hard work because I think all four are delicious, but some soups are better as a side, and some are better as a meal (something Jerry Seinfeld would disagree with). Let’s soup!
4. Minestrone
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
This was a tough one for me because the Olive Garden Minestrone is my go-to. It’s light, healthy and the only soup on the menu that is vegan-friendly. The soup features fresh veggies like squash, carrots, onion, celery, and tomato with white and kidney beans, and pasta shells in a tomato-based broth.
The flavor is this wonderful mix of vegetal flavors with a blast of bright umami-forward tomato notes, some sweet onion savoriness and a whole lot of texture. Elevating this soup is pretty easy, add fresh cheese, and a few cracks of pepper and you’ve got a soup with a lot of depth and character.
So where does it fall short? It’s just not as indulgent as the three other soups. But sometimes you’re not looking for that out of your soup! So it’s a viable option.
When To Order It:
When you’re ordering a heavy dinner. This is the only soup that really works as an appetizer to your meal. If you’re ordering a heavy pasta dish, get the minestrone so you don’t get too full before the main course arrives.
3. Pasta e Fagioli
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The Pasta e Fagioli tastes very similar to the Minestrone, only, you know, fun. Rather than that tomato-based broth, this soup goes with a savory beef broth and packs a mix of ground beef, white and red beans, tomatoes, and a good handful of tubetti pasta. It has this wonderful beefy rich flavor. It’s hearty, almost stew-like, and with a bit more heat could come across like a straight-up chili. And you could push it more in that chili territory by asking for some crushed red peppers, which many don’t know Olive Garden has on hand.
Definitely add the red peppers and have the server pile the cheese on high for extra decadence.
When To Order It:
As an accompaniment to a fish or chicken dish, or anything with white sauce. This soup will work as a nice hearty counterbalance to your main dish.
2. Chicken & Gnocchi
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The way this ranking is falling might make it seem like I have a preference for cream-based soups — that’s not really the case when it comes to soup in general, but at Olive Garden the creamy soups are the way to go! I’m a bit torn on the Chicken & Gnocchi though, because I think what works in this soup really works, but it has one fatal flaw: the chicken.
The chicken comes across as pretty low quality and under-seasoned. In fact, I think the best way to enjoy this soup is to actively avoid the chicken as much as you can. That’s a pretty big flaw, but the creamy broth, spinach, and potato dumplings? Perfection!
This soup is so rich and creamy and the spinach adds a nice touch of bitterness. But the clear highlight is the gnocchi. It’s soft and perfectly pillowy and soaks up the rich broth perfectly, causing an explosion of savory flavor in your mouth with each bite.
When To Order It:
During a round of Endless Soup, Salad & Breadsticks. This is Olive Garden’s heaviest soup, which means it’s an absolute meal killer if you’re also ordering a full-sized pasta dinner. That makes it a great option for Soul, Salad, & Breadsticks unless you’re cool with taking home a lot of leftovers.
1. Zuppa Toscana
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
When I said this ranking was tough, what I meant was it was hard to place numbers 2-4. The Zuppa Toscana was always the obvious winner. It’s not only the best tasting soup at Olive Garden, it’s the most versatile and easy to pair with any main dish, from light to heavy.
The Zuppa Toscana features spicy, fennel-forward Italian sausage, kale, hearty potatoes, and a light but creamy broth. It’s not as heavy as the Chicken & Gnocchi, but just as rich. The sausage in this soup is perfect, it has this spicy and licorice-like depth to it, while the kale brings in some earthiness, counterbalanced by the buttery flavors of the stewed russet potato.
Every component of this soup works in perfect harmony here, and while I think cheese and black pepper help to elevate the dish a bit (and I wouldn’t turn down red pepper flakes either), this is the only soup you can eat without any alteration whatsoever. It’s that good.
When To Order It:
With anything. It’s rich enough that a couple of bowls could make a meal, but light enough that it won’t totally ruin your heavy pasta main course. The Zuppa Toscana pairs great with everything on Olive Garden’s menu. It’s the quintessential soup and one of Olive Garden’s best dishes, period.
Anderson .Paak and Cordae‘s third J. Cole-produced single, “Summer Drop,” is a nostalgic ode to the year’s warmer months — and the easygoing joys they brought in simpler times. The three rappers previously collaborated on “RNP” from Cordae’s debut album, The Lost Boy, while 2023’s “Two Tens” saw them reunite and tease that they had enough songs for a full EP. However, the release of “Summer Drop” brought something even more exciting with it: The announcement of Cordae’s third album, The Crossroads. While no release date was given, it’s expected to be out this year.
“Summer Drop” constitutes Cordae’s second single from the upcoming album, after he released “Saturday Mornings” in July. That song featured another older rapper, Lil Wayne, with whom he reunited after trading bars on “Sinister” from his second album, From A Bird’s Eye View. The Maryland native also tag-teamed with the late Juice WRLD on “Doomsday” from Lyrical Lemonade’s album, All Is Yellow, which dropped in January of this year. He also appeared in the video for “Doomsday 2” by his hero Eminem from the same album, creating something of a full-circle moment for him after his initial breakout with a freestyle over Eminem’s debut single “My Name Is.”
You can listen to Cordae and Anderson .Paak’s “Summer Drop” above.
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