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Finally (or maybe it’s too soon?), the first Game of Thrones spinoff is upon us. House of the Dragon (which is already known as HotD by the internet) debuted on Sunday night, and people were… skeptical. Some were excited, yes, but there’s a certain amount of trepidation involved after how the flagship series ended. For that matter, the entire eighth season left people sour, given what the writers did to Daenerys Targaryen (the Khaleesi, the Unburnt Breaker of Chains, etc. etc.). She unleashed “Dracarys” all over King’s Landing, and now, viewers can visit this place afresh, as it stood over a century before the events of Game of Thrones.

Surprise, surprise, this spinoff is actually pretty darn good, at least when it comes to the handful of episodes screened for critics. We’ve got a ton of Targaryen wigs, obviously, but the pilot does a marvelous job of setting up the various players and houses (with the dragon riders obviously being the main focus). We got to meet Paddy Considine as King Viserys I and Matt Smith as the salty Prince Daemon, who’s already rather randy, and Matt Smith wasn’t joking about how he probably could have stood fewer sex scenes.

Of course, people love the dragons (which look bloody awesome), and they were definitely here for “the script” (meaning those fire-breathing beasts) Also, people were thinking a lot about Dany and how “Valyrian is their mother tongue.”

And now we’re getting to the character (Daemon) whose ambition and presumption that he’s getting that throne is, well, possibly wrong. But he has more going for him, including this “Tony Hawk” maneuver.

Yet then there was the first Daemon Targaryen sex scene, which put a confusing spin on the “HotD” moniker. Here we go, or not? As it turned out Daemon had a hard time focusing, or completing, or something. He was perhaps experiencing “an existential crisis while in the middle of an orgy.”

His bedchamber companion even had to offer to bring someone else in to help. It wasn’t great! And Twitter went a little nuts over how Daemon’s a “lousy lay,” but they still somehow have the “HotD” for him. Yep, it wouldn’t be Westeros without a ton of sex!

“I don’t want to see DrWho’s a$$” might be the most perplexing tweet about Daemon, but I am giggling over it.

We’ll have much more House of the Dragon coverage for you soon. The spinoff airs on Sunday nights at 9:00pm EST.

Game 1 of the Mystics-Storm first round series was an instant classic, with Seattle managing to comeback late in the fourth quarter to win thanks to a big close from Jewell Loyd, which was just enough to take down an incredible individual effort from Elena Delle Donne.

In a first round that’s featured a number of blowouts, the 4-5 series was the one most were hoping would provide drama, but Game 2 didn’t follow the same script as the depth of Seattle proved to be too much for Washington in what became a XX-XX Storm win to advance them to the playoff semifinals.

Seattle came out hot, led by Loyd and their longtime star Sue Bird, as the Storm backcourt got busy early, pushing Seattle out to a 10-point advantage after the first quarter with five combined threes (and some slick passing too).

The Mystics would fight back early in the second quarter, going on a 15-4 run led by Natasha Cloud and punctuated by a three from Alysha Clark to push them in front briefly.

Seattle would edge back in front by two at the half, as Loyd and Cloud dueled from distance and it seemed like we might get another incredible showdown.

However, the Storm had other ideas as Breanna Stewart, who struggled to score early, started to find the basket from outside and in, while also setting a career-high in assists to push Seattle back in front by 10 going into the fourth quarter.

Early in the fourth it started to feel like the Storm had taken full control, with Loyd lacing her fifth triple of the night and Seattle opening up their biggest lead of the game at 16 points.

The Mystics would keep fighting, with Cloud knocking down five threes of her own and Ariel Atkins chipping in three, but with Delle Donne not able to find the same form as Game 1 (5-of-14 from the field for 12 points), Washington just didn’t have the firepower to keep up and the Storm pulled away to a 13-point victory, punctuated by Sue Bird, who had a steal and score followed by her fourth three of the night as she finished with 18 points and 10 assists.

All five Storm starters finished in double figures, as their depth continues to shine. Stewart filled up the stat sheet with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists as she overcame that rough shooting start for a dominant performance. Loyd had 19 points (including those five threes), while Gabby Williams and Tina Charles had 14 and 12 apiece.

For Washington, it’s a disappointing end to a terrific season that saw the welcome return of Elena Delle Donne to playoff basketball. As for Seattle, they now head to Las Vegas for the semifinals for a highly anticipated best of 5 series with their Western Conference rivals in the Aces, with two of the most stacked rosters in the league going head-to-head in a series W fans will be very excited to see.

Rudy Giuliani sacrificed it all for Donald Trump, and considering he’s still carrying his water, he apparently thinks it was worth it. His reputation? In tatters. His bank account? In danger of being surrendered from a billion dollar lawsuit. His law license? Suspended in New York and D.C. He’ll likely never gain the first two back, but he’s not above begging for the third one.

As per Raw Story, the ever-Clouseau-esque former NYC mayor went on his curiously-titled WABC radio show Uncovering the Truth, which he co-hosts with Dr. Maria Ryan, to whine about making himself unable to make serious money from his longtime profession.

“Do you think I like being suspended from the practice of law?” Giuliani fumed. “You think I like being suspended from the practice of law for the ridiculous idea that I’m a danger to the country? What but a fascist state of New York accepts the notion that I should be suspended from the practice of law because I’m going to cause a riot?”

He then seemed to accidentally acknowledge one reason he lost said license in the first place. “And it’s been a year and a half and I haven’t caused any riot,” Giuliani said, perhaps a little nod to him calling for “trial by combat” from already fuming Trump supporters soon before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

In the meantime, he’ll have to turn to others for legal representation with his other headaches, including being targeted by investigators over possible interference in Georgia during the 2020 election.

(Via Raw Story)

Kate Bush‘s 1985 single “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” has had a big resurgence this summer, following the fourth season of Stranger Things. The song was featured prominently throughout the season, giving it new life among a younger generation.

Since the premiere of Stranger Things season 4, “Running Up That Hill” has reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and No. 1 on the UK Singles charts, with streams rising on platforms like TikTok and Spotify.

During Coldplay’s fifth of six shows for their Wembley Stadium series in London, the band covered the song, as an acoustic, guitar-driven ballad. Coldplay was joined by comedian Steve Coogan, who appeared in character as Alan Partridge from his various sketch shows.

Earlier this summer, Bush spoke with BBC Radio 4 to discuss the song’s resurgence and how she feels about its newfound success nearly 30 years after its original release.

“I think they’ve put it in a really special place,” said Bush. “I mean the Duffer brothers created the series, and… I was actually already familiar with the series. I thought, what a lovely way for the song to be used, in such a positive way, as a sort of Talisman for Max. Yeah, I think it’s very touching actually.”

Check out the cover above.

Coldplay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Donald Trump has always been able to raise money off his cash-strapped supporters, but he doesn’t always spend it the way he should. Sometimes he spends it on himself. His Save America PAC has been seeing record donations since the FBI searched the resort he now calls home. But a new report reveals that he’s actually been using it in some odd ways.

As per Insider, a financial disclosure made public Saturday shows that Trump’s PAC has spent $4 million of its riches. What on? Well, for one thing, he’s spent it on subscriptions to those news publications he’s long dubbed “Fake News.” He peeled off $17 for a subscription to The New York Times, and a whopping $100 on The Washington Post. There were more subscriptions, presumably so he can read the news before he asserts they’re false.

Perhaps the strangest donation was a mysterious, unexplained $650,000 to the Smithsonian. The least surprising was the nearly $1 million he spent on legal consultations — almost double what he shelled out for such services in June. Reasons for the massive uptick are unknown, but he sure does have plenty of legal woes, and he’s having trouble finding decent representation, in part because of his long history of stiffing contractors. But now we know at least some people are getting paid.

Donations are also going to the salaries of some top Trumpworld figures, including creepy-voiced Stephen Miller. Save America, indeed.

Trump’s PAC has spent about $25 million in 2022 so far, and it’s managed to raise $99 million through July. That’s a lot of money, but, according to Bloomberg, Trump can only spend $5,000 of it on his campaign per election. That means if he does announce a third presidential campaign, he’ll have to start from scratch — and may have to do so from jail.

(Via Insider)

Brittney Griner has been in Russian custody since February after being charged with having hashish oil cartridges in her luggage after flying into Moscow. After a lengthy detention prior to finally receiving her day in court, the WNBA star pleaded guilty to the charges in order to expedite the process, leading to a nine-year prison sentence.

That all had to happen in order for negotiations to begin in earnest for a potential prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia, which is made increasingly more difficult by the current war in Ukraine that has led to heavy sanctions on Russia from the U.S. and other countries, causing additional strain to an already tense diplomatic relationship. While government officials are optimistic about the potential to get Griner and fellow American Paul Whelan back in a swap that would send a Russian arms dealer back to Moscow, the Kremlin has reportedly insisted that negotiations be done in private after that news got out.

The latest update on this story comes from a rather unlikely source — and one that probably isn’t particularly helpful to the entire “keep negotiations private” effort — as Dennis Rodman claims he has received permission to go to Russia to try and push for Griner’s release, per NBC News.

“I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl,” Rodman told NBC News at a restaurant in D.C. “I’m trying to go this week.”

That is the entirety of the quote, which leaves an awful lot of questions still to be answered. Is the permission coming from the United States to act as an informal diplomat? Or is the permission simply that of Russia to enter the country? Who is Rodman even planning on speaking to? Would he be welcomed in those conversations by either side?

Rodman certainly isn’t new to inserting himself in world affairs, as he’s rather famously been friendly with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and claims to have aided in the return of an American prisoner from North Korea. The biggest hope is that Rodman’s involvement is, at worst, a net neutral should he make his planned trip, and that this doesn’t cause any hindrance to the more official diplomatic channels being operated.

While the idea of having beef with someone who technically doesn’t exist may sound strange, hip-hop fans are sparking several conversations about the state of the genre following the signing of FN Meka to Capitol Records. FN Meka has one billion views and 10 million followers on TikTok. He is also a product of artificial intelligence.

Upon the announcement of his record deal, many have taken to social media to vocalize their chagrin, some saying that this is a result of labels not wanting to set aside big budgets for artists.

“Stupid f*cking precedent has been set,” said Twitter user @Louslocker. “Attack on artists. Labels wanna be cheap and not have to pay real artists so they’re making bots [so] they can keep 100% profit. This sh*t is gross.”

Others have argued that this is unfair to real-life artists, many of whom have spent years working behind the scenes without the support of a major label, only to passed over for what’s technically a robotic entity.

“So you’re telling me Capitol records just gave an AI robot named FN Meka a rap deal before any of my clients????,” said producer D. Shim in a tweet. “He’s not even a human being and got 10 million followers on tik tok. What is the world coming to? Will AI robots replace human creation? I need answers. Like right now.”

Some people would even posit to say that this is a rip-off of other bands and artists who have done something similar.

“Gorilliaz did it first,” said Twitter user @Romoface

If you must, you can check out FN Meka’s new single, “Florida Water,” with Gunna and Clix here.

The Miami Heat have had a quiet offseason after earning the 1-seed in the East a season ago. They saw PJ Tucker leave for the Philadelphia 76ers, while retaining Victor Oladipo, Dewayne Dedmon, and Caleb Martin, and to this point have made no significant upgrades to the roster to offset the departure of Tucker.

There will be plenty wondering if they’ve done enough to stay near the top of a crowded East, particularly after the Celtics and Sixers each made some quality additions. Miami, as they often do, are banking on their guys and their culture as being enough, and there is no one they view as more important to the latter part of that equations than Udonis Haslem. The longtime Miami veteran hasn’t played much in recent years — he hasn’t appeared in more than 16 games since the 2015 season — but every year he re-signs to maintain his presence with the organization.

This summer there was some wonder as to whether Haslem would return, but that got answered on Sunday when he announced at a youth camp he was indeed signing on for a 20th NBA season in Miami.

Haslem’s presence on the roster is not unanimously favored by Heat fans, some of whom would prefer if he moved to a formal coaching role rather than being a de facto coach who takes up a roster spot. Still, the Heat insist he should remain on the active roster and keep offering him veteran minimum deals, and he’ll be back for Year 20, which may be his last (or could be just the latest).

Megan Thee Stallion is not shy about her love of anime and Japanese television and film. This weekend, at Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo, Megan took the stage dressed as Sailor Moon, performing many of her hits, including several tracks from her latest album, Traumazine.

Since she first stepped onto the scene, Megan has been vocal about her love of anime, and has grown more in love with the art as adult. In a 2020 Instagram Live session with Tim Lyu of anime studio Crunchyroll, she said, “Being an adult and watching anime, I really like the storylines. You see a character who might not be the strongest. You grow with that the character…you meet new people along the way as they try to be the hero / become the person they need to be.”

Elsewhere in the chat, she revealed that while she had watched Sailor Moon, she initially couldn’t quite get into it.

“Every time there’s a fight, her boyfriend comes to save the day,” Megan said.

Regardless, she certainly slayed her outfit, and even more so, her performance, which she said received a large positive reaction from her Japanese fans.

“This whole stadium in JAPAN was going UP for me,” said Megan in a tweet. “You can’t fake thee love…im grateful.”

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

After Game 1, it seemed like the Connecticut Sun would cruise to the second round after a 25-point win over the Wings in which Dallas, who entered the series without their top-scorer in Arike Ogunbowale, looked overmatched and overwhelmed by the Sun’s defense.

However, the script was flipped in Game 2, as Dallas was the team that came out playing stifling defense, taking a 22-7 lead after the first quarter and never relinquishing that advantage. The Wings would go on to a 89-79 win that looks tighter than the game was for most of the afternoon, dominating the Sun on both ends to force a decisive Game 3 in Dallas, where the 6-seeded Wings will have a chance to advance to the semifinals on their home floor.

Marina Mabrey and Allisha Gray got things started for the Wings, as they took on the challenge of having to create more in Ogunbowale’s absence and brought the pressure to the Connecticut defense rather than the other way around.

While the Sun would settle in a bit in the second quarter, the Wings continued to maintain their lead thanks to their improved pace, pushing the ball in transition to avoid having to go at the Sun halfcourt defense every time down, like this Veronica Burton to Kayla Thornton push off a Connecticut miss.

That theme continued in the third, as Thornton continued to run hard off changes of possession, with the Sun not having any answers for the Wings going to a small ball lineup that applied more pressure on both ends of the floor.

At one point in the fourth quarter, Dallas held an 80-50 lead before a 22-2 run by the Sun made things briefly interesting and forced the Wings to put some starters back in the game for the final two minutes to close things out. Dallas was led by Thornton’s 20-point outburst, but she wasn’t alone as Gray had 15 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals, Mabrey had 14 points and six rebounds, and Teaira McCowan added 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. It was an impressive performance and one would expect the smaller lineup will be back for Game 3 after the success they had playing with tempo in this one, with Dallas finally breaking its playoff win drought with its first in 13 years (back when the team was the Detroit Shock).

For the Sun, they’ll need to find ways to punish the Wings better for going small, namely crashing the offensive boards more effectively to limit those runout opportunities. Handling the ball pressure of Dallas will be vital as well, as eight of their ten turnovers were live-ball varieties on Wings steals, leading to more runout chances to avoid Connecticut’s set defense.