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The Phoenix Mercury’s push for one of the final playoff spots in the WNBA amid a tumultuous season got even more difficult on Monday. The team announced a hardship signing of Yvonne “Vonnie” Turner after an injury to Diana Taurasi, somewhat burying the lede that Taurasi’s quad strain that had caused her to miss the last two games would officially end her season.

Taurasi has averaged 16.7 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game this season in 31 games with the Mercury, playing in all but two contests so far. Her 16.7 points per game is the second-most on the current roster behind All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith, whose status as the Mercury’s primary option will only increase in Taurasi’s absence. For a team that is currently tied for 7th in the WNBA standings with the Atlanta Dream at 14-19, this is a considerable loss and will only make their efforts to hold onto a playoff spot tougher.

Phoenix is just a half-game up on the ninth-place New York Liberty (13-19) and one game up on the Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx, both of whom are 13-20, with three games remaining (four for New York). Phoenix close the season with three straight home games against the Lynx on Wednesday, where a Minnesota win would draw them even with the Mercury in the standings, and then the 6th place Dallas Wings and the Chicago Sky, who own the league’s best record.

You’d think MSNBC frontwoman Rachel Maddow would absolutely loathe Fox News poster boy Tucker Carlson. One is a progressive journalist who presents fact-based, heavily-researched news segments intent on educating viewers, the other just suggested on national TV that we rename Monkeypox “Schlong Covid.” Clearly, these two TV personalities are not the same.

But, surprisingly, Maddow has nothing but nice things to say about her former boss who used to have his own show on MSNBC before he jumped ship to spew nonsense about the benefits of “testicle tanning” to throngs of Trump supporters. In fact, in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Maddow complemented her political rival on his show’s ratings success.

“Tucker’s doing great right now,” Maddow told the magazine. “Look at Tucker’s career. The first show I worked on was his 11 o’clock show on MSNBC that nobody remembers. But he was always kicking around the business and has always been talented. It just — this turned out to be his moment.”

Maddow doesn’t mention how Tucker decided to blame women for the rise in mass shootings committed by men. Maddow went on to praise Carlson’s ability to stand out in a crowded news landscape, comparing watching him host to watching a *checks notes* professional baseball player … baseball?

“It doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate whatever they’re doing in terms of, you know, where they put their shortstop in order to give them a better defense. There’s a sort of, like, respecting the game, in terms of people who are doing well and people who are good at it,” she continued.

Of course, she also took a second to recognize how dangerous Carlson’s rhetoric is, but even then, she found a way to compliment him When Vanity Fair quizzed Maddow on a New York Times piece that investigated his style of “reporting,” Maddow seemed to brush over the effects that Carlson’s devoted airtime to ridiculous conspiracy theories have on his viewers.

“More than the issue of, you know, how dangerous are Tucker’s ideas, and how do they interact with the growth of the authoritarian right in the Republican Party — more so than that question, which is obviously what the central thrust of the reporting was about, I was interested in how they deconstructed why it works.”

It’s a take, alright.

(Via Vanity Fair)

Ever since Top Gun: Maverick singlehandedly saved the movie industry (a slight exaggeration) and secured its spot on the highest-grossing movie list, Paramount has been looking for more ways to get fans involved (and to buy more tickets because why not?).

For their Top Gun Fan Appreciation Weekend, fans are encouraged to see Tom Cruise fly through the skies once more in theaters, with exclusive content and behind-the-scenes footage airing before the movie at participating theaters. The movie also features Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, John Hamm, Glen Powell, and that one Lady Gaga song.

Fans can head to theaters this weekend to see the long-awaited sequel (again). As per the official press release:

“This Friday, August 12th, marks the return of Top Gun: Maverick to some of the most immersive cinema formats at participating theatres. From Friday through Sunday, August 14th, before the movie presentation begins at all participating theatres, attending fans will experience exclusive content featuring a behind-the-scenes look at shooting onboard the USS Roosevelt with Tom Cruise and the cast to see what it takes to operate, film, and live on an active warship.”

But wait! There’s more: a Top Gun: Maverick collectors print will also be available at select theaters while supplies last. While they did not release any images, it’s probably a large poster of Tom Cruise and a plane. Just a hunch! Check out movie times and participating locations at the official Top Gun website here.

Ready for the most pawsitive story of all time? Have we got some uplifting mews for you.

The video game Stray (released by game company Annapurna Interactive in July 2022) is unsurprisingly mega popular among feline fans. What cat lover wouldn’t love the thought of traipsing through an abandoned post-apocalyptic city as a scrappy orange tabby, unlocking clues and scratching up carpets?

Stray – State of Play June 2022 Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

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Turns out, the indie video game taking over the internet with memes and general stray cat fandom is doing much more than providing kitty-centric entertainment to humans—it’s doing some real good for cats IRL. AP News announced that Annapurna Interactive used livestreams of the game on Twitch to raise money for multiple animal shelters and cat-related charities.

Cat people are a different breed, no question. It’s never a passing interest, only an all-consuming adoration, bordering on obsession. So it’s no wonder really that Stray became the fourth “most watched and broadcast game” on the Twitch platform the day it launched.

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In addition to setting up charity livestreams, Annapurna Interactive also offered copies of the game to Nebraska Humane Society as part of a raffle. Participants needed to pay only $5 for a chance to win the normally $30 game.

We’re teaching these kittens how to turn on a PlayStation so they can play Stray, the new cat adventure game from @HKdevblog and @A_i! 🎮

Wanna play with them? Donate $5 to the shelter and you’ll be entered to win a code for the game! Donate here: https://t.co/FGJhY9HNae pic.twitter.com/BFLZJCxslX

— Nebraska Humane Cats (@NHSCats) July 15, 2022

Marketing specialist Brendan Gepson told AP that within a week, the organization was able to raise $7,000 because of the giveaway, which he added was especially notable because the vast majority of those donations were from people who had never donated before.

Though the drawing has already been made, you can still donate to the Nebraska Humane Society campaign here.

New Yorkers truly got the ultimate experience, when Annapurna Interactive partnered with NYC cat cafe and adoption agency Meow Parlour for a weekend. Visitors got to play the game for free for 20 minutes, all while being surrounded by the cafe’s adorable kitty residents and maybe even go home with one! This is the stuff dreams are made of, people.

The @A_i cat cafe Stray Meow Parlour pop-up was amazing and every games industry event should be held in a room full of kittens, no exceptions. pic.twitter.com/xhh5DrBAi0

— Jules Engel (@ghoulsengel) July 24, 2022

This extra support comes at a particularly crucial time for our feline friends—”kitten season.” According to the ASPCA, “kitten season” typically takes place between March and October, though it varies across the country. Of the millions of cats that enter shelters each year, a huge majority are at-risk kittens that come in during this time period and approximately 860,000 are euthanized.

Unsurprisingly, the creators of Stray are notably cat people. The game’s website states the development team is “mostly made up of cats and a handful of humans,” and the beloved orange tabby protagonist is based on an actual adopted stray named Murtaugh. Murtaugh is so famous he even got his own interview. What a legend.

However, it’s one thing to have feline fondness. Annapurna Interactive came up with a truly purrfect way to put love into productive action. Never thought I’d see the day where playing a video game could help save thousands of cats nationwide, but here we are. What a time to be alive.

Be responsible, folks. Consider adopting from a shelter, be sure to spay/neuter your cat and of course, go play Stray.

Apparently, Monday is Classic Edition Jersey day throughout the Pacific Division. The Golden State Warriors unveiled their Run TMC Era look Monday morning and the Los Angeles Lakers have followed suit with their own retro announcement Monday afternoon.

Do I get considerable UCLA vibes from these? Yes. Shout-out former Bruin and current Laker, Russell Westbrook. Do I think these are a slam dunk (ha, get it?) and find myself delighted by them? More importantly: also, yes.

The white backdrop complemented by sky blue and golden-rod yellow trim is a great trio of colors. The old-school Nike logo is a splendid touch. It’s clean. It’s simple. It’s gorgeous. When I was a freshman and sophomore in college, I developed a passion for retro basketball jerseys and amassed an extensive collection. Transport me back to that era of my life and I’d be quickly shelling out my next pay check to snag one.

A lot of the retro jerseys debuting the past few years throughout the NBA have rocked. I like these ones a lot. The Houston Rockets’ navy blue pinstripe kits whip. The Memphis Grizzlies’ Vancouver jerseys are top-tier. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ royal blue look last year, a nod to the Kevin Garnett Era, was superb. There’s a lot to like out there these days. Hopefully, Nike and the NBA keep delivering.

Olivia Newton John, who rose to fame as the star of Grease and gained international acclaim as a singer (who racked up four Grammy wins and another 12 nominations), has died at 73 after a decades-long struggle with breast cancer.

The singer’s estate shared the news of her passing on social media on Monday, detailing first in a Facebook post that Newton John died at her ranch in Southern California.

TMZ reported that a source indicated Newton-John had died of breast cancer complications, though the initial Facebook post did not offer a cause of death. As The Hollywood Reporter detailed, Newton-John had to cancel a singing tour in recent years due to complications from her battle with breast cancer:

Born in England and raised in Melbourne, Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, and she announced in May 2017 that after 25 years in remission the disease had spread to her lower back. The singer in August 2018 canceled a two-date tour just three weeks after announcing it; she was to reminisce about her career with an interviewer in Melbourne and Sydney.

A country-pop and soft-rock sensation in the 1970s and ’80s with girl-next-door appeal, Newton-John sold more than 100 million albums and had nearly 40 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 during her five decades in music.

Following news of her death, fans shared some of their favorite moments from her film career, including one of the most famous scenes from Grease, which is currently making the social media rounds.

At last, Britney Spears’ musical comeback is officially on the way, as her rumored collaboration with Elton John has officially been announced.

Today, John shared a pre-save link for “Hold Me Closer,” the art of which features a rocket emoji (in reference to John’s classic “Rocket Man”) and a rose emoji (in reference to Spears’ regular use of it on Instagram). Neither the post nor the pre-save links mention Spears at all, but while Spears has yet to make any sort of public mention of the song, Variety notes both John and Spears’ teams sent announcements confirming the song today.

The pre-save link doesn’t include much more info about the track, but its ASCAP registration credits John, longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, Andrew Watt, and Cirkut, the latter of whom has in recent years worked with Kanye West, The Weeknd, and many others.

This news follows reports that the collaboration is a duet of John’s “Tiny Dancer” they pair recorded during a recent session with Watt. Earlier this month, Spears pal Paris Hilton revealed she had heard the song, saying, “It’s going to be iconic. I just heard it a couple days ago in Ibiza and it is… it’s insane.”

If Bad Bunny isn’t the most famous native of Puerto Rico at the moment, he’s at least got a legitimate claim on the title; his album Un Verano Sin Ti has spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this year, surpassing the Encanto soundtrack as the most popular album of 2022. He’s got the whole world looking to the island nation and now, along with Adidas and its Confirmed app, he’s giving a select group of fans the chance to visit his home country alongside him before accompanying him to his August 27 concert in New York at Yankee Stadium.

Fans who sign up for the experience via Confirmed will have the opportunity to board a custom private jet, spending the night in Puerto Rico before flying to the Bronx for Bad Bunny’s show. Winners will be announced on August 18, and you can sign up now on Confirmed via Adidas.com.

Bad Bunny’s Yankee Stadium show is part of his World’s Hottest Tour, which kicked off Friday in Orlando, Florida and will continue through December 9 in Mexico City. That tour picks up where his El Último Tour Del Mundo left off earlier this year, demonstrating his rising popularity as he goes from arenas to stadiums to contain the massive crowds clamoring to see his perform his inescapable hits live.

Well, that was quick. Following the embarrassing news that Alex Jones‘ lawyer accidentally sent the entire contents of his phone to the opposing counsel representing the Sandy Hook families, the January 6 committee immediately pounced on the opportunity and requested the incriminating texts.

“I’m not standing between you and Congress,” Judge Maya Guerra Gamble told Sandy Hook lawyer Mark Bankston last week when Jones’ lawyer attempted to block the request. “That is not my job. I’m not going to do that.”

According to CNN, the House select committee now has two years worth of texts from Jones’ phone, which could provide insight into the plotting of Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally that ended in a deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol building:

Jones was a central player on January 6. He was on restricted US Capitol grounds that day, riling up protesters, though he did not enter the building itself. He has rejected any suggestion that he was involved in the planning of violence, and claims he tried to prevent people at the Capitol from breaking the law.

Jones testified before the January 6 committee earlier this year, but he later said on his show that he repeatedly asserted his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent during the closed-door deposition.

Needless to say, Congress getting ahold of his text messages is the last thing Jones needs right now. He’s currently on the hook for over $50 million to the Sandy Hook families from the disastrous trial that ended last week. However, that hasn’t stopped from peddling conspiracy theories. On Monday, he stopped by Steve Bannon’s radio show and suggested that Barack Obama would orchestrate some sort of terrorist attack to flip the midterm elections to the Democrats. Considering Congress has him underneath a microscope, it’s probably not the best time for Jones to be openly revealing ways to overturn an election like he’s thought of them before. Not great, bud.

(Via CNN)