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HBO’s first Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, will officially be upon us on August 21. The show dives into the land of Targaryen wigs before the dynasty’s fall, and as the title indicates, there will be plenty of fire-breathing creatures. And the showrunners are eager to avoid some of the blunders of its predecessor, like that Starbucks cup, and George R.R. Martin has been out there, trying to reassure people that the franchise and this prequel series aren’t “more misogynistic than real life.”

Martin also previously took a swing at “the f*cking toxic Internet.,” but let’s see how star Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown, and that Morbius dance) feels about things. Smith, who portrays Prince Daemon Targaryen, is now forecasting how this show doesn’t shy away from showing skin. That’s no surprise, but via Rolling Stone, Smith actually sounds like he could have done without so many sex scenes:

“You do find yourself asking, ‘Do we need another sex scene?’” says Smith. “And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we do.’ I guess you have to ask yourself: ‘What are you doing? Are you representing the books, or are you diluting the books to represent the time [we’re living in]?’ And I actually think it’s your job to represent the books truthfully and honestly, as they were written.”

So Daemon has his share of bedchamber scenes is what you’re saying? “Yeah — slightly too much, if you ask me,” he laughs.

From there, Smith indicates that not only does Daemon get down with humans, but he’s also got a “very strong connection” with his dragon, Caraxes. “He’s a bit of an avatar of Daemon,” Smith offered. “[H]e’s grumpy, sardonic, insular, volatile, chaotic.” IGN further reveals that the series will feature nine dragons, each with a different personality, so that should be fun for the show to explore. And hopefully, the dragons’ various flights will not veer anywhere near this vibe from the O.G. series.

(Via Rolling Stone & IGN)

Here’s a fun fact: The NFC East has not had a team repeat as division champion since 2004. The division always seems to have something weird up its sleeve, as the Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants pass around the title of the NFC East’s best and play six ultra-tense games against one another every year.

Heading into the 2022 NFL season, Dallas has aspirations of breaking that streak and heading into the postseason with the distinction of being division champs. While New York probably won’t have anything to say about that (although you never know!), both Philly and Washington will shoot to knock the Cowboys off of their perch. With the NFL season starting in about a month, we took a look at the biggest question facing each team in the division.

New York Giants: Can Brian Daboll save their wretched offense?

The Giants were just awful on offense last year. Some numbers: 32nd in offensive DVOA, 31st in yards per game, 31st in passing yards per game, 31st in points per game. There will be times when numbers and the eye test do not line up. This is absolutely not one of those cases, as New York looked hapless on that side of the ball. Head coach Joe Judge was fired and replaced with Brian Daboll, the former offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide and, more recently, Buffalo Bills who has played a major role in both offenses being among the best in their respective leagues. He’s taking over right as starting quarterback Daniel Jones and starting running back Saquon Barkley, both of whom were taken high in back-to-back NFL Drafts, are one year away from hitting free agency. Barkley staying healthy and the team’s offensive line going from “very bad” to “passable” would help, but getting an answer on whether or not Jones is capable of being the team’s starting quarterback going forward is going to set the tone for Daboll’s entire tenure in New York.

Philadelphia Eagles: Can Jalen Hurts take another step forward as a passer?

The group of pass catchers in Philadelphia is quite good. A.J. Brown is now in the City of Brotherly Love after a trade with the Tennessee Titans, DeVonta Smith had a solid rookie season, Quez Watkins was a nice under-the-radar story last season after going in the sixth round of the 2020 Draft, and tight end Dallas Goedert signed a 4-year extension during the season last year. Now, it’s Jalen Hurts’ job to take another step forward as a passer. He was markedly better during his second year in the league than he was as a rookie, completing 61.3 percent of his passes for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Those are generally okay numbers, and his ability to run the ball (139 carries, 784 yards, 10 touchdowns) gives him an added dimension that other signal callers don’t have, but there is plenty of room for him to grow — his QBR of 48.5 was 19th in the league among qualifying players and the second-lowest among QBs on playoff teams last year (only Ben Roethlisberger, who retired, was lower). The same is true of his passing touchdown percentage, which was 24th in the league and the lowest of all non-Roethlisberger playoff quarterbacks. With the added bonus of being in his second year with head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, things are setting up quite nicely for Hurts this season.

Dallas Cowboys: Can they finally get over the hump in the playoffs?

On Jan. 7, 1996, the Cowboys beat the Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round to earn a spot in the conference championship game. They’d go on to win the Super Bowl that year. In the two and a half decades since then, the Cowboys have won exactly zero Divisional Round games, competed for zero NFC Championships, and of course, lifted zero Lombardi Trophies. Last year’s squad crashed and burned in the Wild Card round, losing 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers. Their vaunted offense generated 307 total yards and had one of the worst end of game sequences I’ve seen in my entire life. Having said that, Dallas should still be very good on that side of the ball this year, even with Amari Cooper getting traded to Cleveland, while the team was excellent on defense last season, coming in second in defensive DVOA.

There is so much talent on this roster — guys like Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, Micah Parsons, and Trevon Diggs are considered some of the best at their respective positions — and they should win a ton of games in the regular season, but will that matter if they get to the postseason and lose before the NFC Championship Game? If not, Mike McCarthy might be out of a job.

Washington Commanders: How long until Chase Young is 100 percent?

At his best, Chase Young has already established himself as one of the league’s most fearsome defensive linemen. His 7.5 sacks as a rookie were the second most on a very good Washington defensive line, and while he entered his sophomore campaign with a ton of excitement, something just seemed off for much of the year. And then, during the second quarter of their Week 9 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Young tore his ACL. As of this writing, he is on the PUP list and has already been ruled out for Week 1 this year while he works his way back from surgery — head coach Ron Rivera has already said he expects Young to miss some time this year. Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, and Daron Payne are a fearsome group up front, and if Young can return and get up to speed quickly, this is going to be a very tough defensive line for opposing teams to play against. If he can’t, this might be a long year in the nation’s capital, especially if Carson Wentz is unable to give them the kind of QB play they’ve lacked since Kirk Cousins was in town.

Yesterday’s (August 4) news was not good for Brittney Griner: The WNBA star was found guilty on drug charges in Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison. Ever since the basketball player was first detained in March, there has been outrage about the situation, with a new wave of it coming after yesterday’s ruling. Boosie Badazz in particular had a passionate reaction, in which he pointed fingers.

In a video shared after the news broke, Boosie implies race is an issue when it comes to the United States’ efforts to free Griner, using a Taylor Swift comparison to make his point. He says, “How the hell this girl get nine years for a weed pen… and the USA ain’t doing nothing about it? You tell me that! If that was Taylor Swift, it’d be a peace treaty right now! They’d be drafting to go to war!”

He then set his sights on Vice President Kamala Harris, continuing, “What that show for Black women in the United States?! And the Vice President: as a Black woman, you supposed to be on the front line! You supposed to be on the front line to get that Black woman out of jail! Nine damn years! Y’all f*cked up in this world!”

Check out the video above.

Back in 2017, Calvin Harris had a slight change in direction in his career thanks to his fifth album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. While the project featured just 10 songs, it recruited a talented roster of artists to bring their talents for groovy and dance-worthy anthems. In total, Frank Ocean, Migos, Schoolboy Q, PartyNextDoor, DRAM, Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Future, Khalid, Travis Scott, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Big Sean, Kehlani, Lil Yachty, and Jessie Reyez all showed up on Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. The album was praised from all corners of the industry and fans begged for Vol. 2, and finally, after five long years, Calvin Harris delivered just that.

Here Are Some Early Reactions To Calvin Harris’ ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2’

At long last, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 is here for the world to enjoy. It’s a bit longer than the first installment, but Calvin made sure to call up the industry’s best names for his last body of work. Through 14 songs, listeners will catch appearances from 21 Savage, Dua Lipa, Young Thug, Tinashe, Offset, Normani, Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, Halsey, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Chloe Bailey, 21 Savage, Latto, Charlie Puth, Swae Lee, Stefflon Don, 6lack, Pusha T, Donae’o, Lil Durk, Shenseea, and Jorja Smith.

With all the excitement that was behind the project leading up to its release, it’s no surprise that some were quick to share their thoughts about it on social media.

Some loved what they heard on the new album:

A lot more people were critical of it:

And, of course, you have your jokes:

Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 is out now via Columbia Records. You can stream it here.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group

Top Gun: Maverick has been shattering box office records ever since it barrel rolled onto the big screen before the Memorial Day weekend. The Tom Cruise sequel gave theaters and Paramount a much-needed win as the film industry revs back to life following the pandemic. But, with most of the summer almost over, the big question is when can audiences start streaming Top Gun: Maverick at home? Well, there’s good news and bad news on that front.

As the pandemic threw release dates into chaos and caused some studios to start doing streaming releases, Cruise used his considerable clout to insist that Top Gun: Maverick be kept on ice and not be released on Paramount+. Obviously, Cruise’s instincts were right as evidenced by the sequel crushing box office records left and right. It also appears that Cruise’s devotion to a traditional release went further than just eschewing a streaming release.

While other Paramount films have been hitting the streaming service after a 45-day window, Top Gun: Maverick still does not have a release date for Paramount+ as of this writing. However, the sequel will be available for digital VOD purchase on August 23, which means Top Gun: Maverick was given a 90-day theatrical window. Thanks to the pandemic, those have become increasingly rare these days, but it tracks with Cruise’s demands to go hard on the theatrical experience. In other words, expect to wait a bit until Top Gun: Maverick arrives on Paramount+.

Top Gun: Maverick will be available for VOD purchase on August 23.

Better Call Saul has been fast approaching the Breaking Bad timeline (and literally so in the most recent episode that’s actually titled, “Breaking Bad”), at least as far as Jimmy/Saul is concerned. The timing of certain pivotal details remains slightly dicey, but what’s important here is that we’re down to penultimate and final series episodes. We’ve already seen Walter White and Jesse Pinkman make their prequel-spinoff debut (along with Buzz from Home Alone), and people have had plenty of Jesse memes to offer in response.

Where does the show go in the few episodes left before we lose sight of Bob Odenkirk in this franchise? Well, we do know that Kim Wexler left the building prior to antepenultimate time, although her true fate (is she really in Florida?) remains murky. Let’s just say that Redditors had plenty to say about the season as it’s been ticking off boxes (a lot of people hoped Lalo Salamanca would somehow survive — and that a belt buckle turns out to be very important — despite not physically appearing in Breaking Bad, but Lalo obviously did not make it). And this won’t be a completist list of the theories, but it will touch upon the most compelling ones. Let’s get down to business.

Not like The Sopranos or Mad Men, but more like… ? It doesn’t seem likely that this show would abruptly cut to black or with Gene, like, meditating or with the equivalent of a Coke commercial, so will this show follow in the face of any other iconic endings? This is a fun/sad one with one Reddit user hypothesizing that Jimmy/Saul/Gene’s story will end in the manner of Bojack Horseman. This would suppose that there’s no wonderful reconciliation with Kim Wexler, and Jimmy will be haunted by all of his cons and ill deeds, along with the deaths of both Chuck and Howard. This theory equates Gene’s furious phone call with Bojack’s sister cutting ties an equally “we don’t know exactly what transpired in that conversation” sort of way. And this theory would dovetail with everyone who believes that Slippin’ Jimmy ends his story behind bars. Also, this would be fitting because it would give Jimmy a different ending than Walt (dead) or Jesse (escape), and let’s face it, Jimmy always had some legal retribution coming.

Marion’s laptop will be the downfall of Gene/Saul/Jimmy: Carol Burnett’s character (Jeff’s mother) was almost guaranteed to be more than a mere cameo, and the setup here seems too logical (for some) to be ignored. She’s gonna dig around in that laptop and look at cat videos on YouTube and maybe stumble upon one of Saul’s ads, thereby potentially being the person to bring Gene’s true identity to light? Then boom, goodbye to freedom, Gene. Never underestimate the power of someone with too much time on their hands who isn’t thrilled about her son’s friends. It could be a fitting twist after all of Jimmy’s con work alongside the elderly, although it wouldn’t come without some mixed feelings since Jimmy truly did seem to care for (at least some of) his clients.

The man with cancer is a red herring: This theory posits that, yes, Gene is not doing the smartest thing in the world by heading to this guy’s house and breaking in, but that the man will be a reality check or a sounding board for Gene/Jimmy/Saul. It further follows that Gene and the man (who would miraculously be awake after developing a hell of a tolerance to pain pills) could simply talk, thereby allowing Gene to bare his soul and all of his misdeeds to a man who’s suffering from cancer, meaning that he’s a bit of a stand-in for Walter White. Yes, it’s all far-fetched but not out of the realm of possibility. Who else does Gene really have to talk to, and what better than to do it with someone who could soon be dead or so hopped up on painkillers that telling him everything wouldn’t even matter?

The universe’s timeline will come to an end with Gene: This might not be the most flashy theory of all (heck, it might seem like common sense), but it’s an important one, especially for people who like to put a nice bow on things. This theory suggests that Gene’s timeline will complete the full Breaking Bad universe story, and there will be no extension of the universe past the Saul finale. It further follows that the Cinnabon scenes took place about a year after Jimmy assumed the Gene role and began growing that ‘stache. Granted, there’s no guarantee that this is the case, but it would allow the universe’s focus (in retrospect) to remain on Walt and Jesse’s deeds. And it doesn’t overrule the possibility of another spinoff or limited series or movie, just that this movie won’t move further in time than Gene’s timeline.

Something bad for Kim Wexler: Theories (and these are somewhat outdated) abound on how Kim has possibly been dead for quite some time (unbeknownst to Jimmy), which would mean that she’s not truly in Florida or working for whatever front-company, and that Gene’s ending involves him being sad as hell (the penultimate episode will be called “Waterworks,” though I doubt that refers to Gene dissolving into a pool of tears, that’s too obvious) and alone forever after he finally realizes that she’s dead. And further theories have her alive and well and keeping tabs on Jimmy all along. How does that angry phone call factor into this theory? There’s no telling.

Kim Wexler is doing just fine: This isn’t a Reddit theory, it’s my own, and I’m sticking with it. I want her to walk into view (angry as hell, or happy to see Jimmy and go forth to pull off more cons, it doesn’t matter) and for the world to turn to color. And then I want AMC to announce that Kim’s getting her own limited series and that Rhea Seehorn will make a billion dollars. There’s your ending!

Jennette McCurdy was one of the biggest Nickelodeon stars of the late 2000s, early 2010s. She appeared in numerous shows on the kid-friendly network, including iCarly and Sam & Cat (with Ariana Grande). Those series share a creator in Dan Schneider, who left Nick following accusations of misconduct, including “that he could be verbally abusive at times to coworkers, with tantrums and angry emails a part of the claims,” Deadline reported. He also allegedly requested “shoulder and neck massages” from his young stars, and had a “habit of texting child actors outside of work hours.”

In an excerpt obtained by Vanity Fair from her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy doesn’t mention Schneider by name. But she does refer to an older boss who pressured to her drink while she was underage as The Creator.

“Come on, take a sip.”

“No thanks.”

“Come on.”

“I’ve never had alcohol before. And I’m only eighteen. Couldn’t I get in trouble?”

“No one’s looking, Jennetter. You’re fine.”

“I dunno.”

“The Victorious kids get drunk together all the time. The iCarly kids are so wholesome. We need to give you guys a little edge.”

Later, McCurdy — who claims in the book that she was offered $300,000 to not speak publicly about her time at Nickelodeon; she rejected it — writes that The Creator volunteered to give her his jacket. “He takes his coat off and drapes it around me. He pats my shoulders and then the pat turns into a massage,” the excerpt reads. “My shoulders do have a lot of knots in them, but I don’t want The Creator to be the one rubbing them out. I want to say something… but I’m so scared of offending him.”

McCurdy described her time on Nickelodeon to the Washington Post as half “so cheesy and so polished and so glossy and so fake” and half “so painful and real and raw and hurting,” including being photographed in a bikini by an “(unnamed) intimidating figure” at a wardrobe fitting. “That part was going completely unseen,” she added.

I’m Glad My Mom Died is available on August 9.

(Via Vanity Fair and the Washington Post)

Singer Niki is prepping for the release of Nicole, her sophomore album out next Friday. The anticipation has been growing as she unleashed compelling singles that show off her incisive songwriting, including “Before” and “Oceans & Engines.” Today, she’s giving another preview into the LP with the new song “High School In Jakarta.”

“High School In Jakarta” watches Niki use details to her advantage, reflecting on her life with such specificity and casualness that it feels like she’s talking to a friend: “Didn’t you hear Amanda’s moving back to Colorado? / It’s 2013 & the end of my life,” she sings, opening the track by immediately throwing the listener into her life without warning. Through conjuring tangible characters, Niki portrays complicated dynamics and themes of youth: “I still hate you for making me wish I came out smarter / You love/hate your mother, so do I.”

When announcing Nicole, Niki said, “This project is without a doubt my most favorite thing I have ever made as an artist. It’s where younger me and current me meet and hang and have a fucking blast together.” This track shows this meeting together of her two selves, and it’s mesmerizing to watch.

Watch the video for “High School In Jakarta” above.

Nicole is out 8/12. Pre-order it here.

A couple days ago, Kelis shared an Instagram post showing off her hair and outfit. The post had nothing to do with her beef with Beyoncé over sampling “Milkshake” on Renaissance cut “Energy,” but the comments section quickly became all about it.

Responding to comments from fans and detractors, Kelis declared she “won” by Beyoncé removing the sample and also called the Beyhive “a joke.” Beyond that, she also responded to an interesting point.

A fan mentioned how Bia referenced the “Milkshake” lyrics in her 2021 song “Can’t Touch This,” writing, “Not here to cause problem but genuinely concerned why you ain’t say nothing when @bia did ‘can’t touch this’ and took the whole ‘my milkshare brings all the boys to the yard’ ?” To that, Kelis answered, “like I’ve said, it’s all a problem. Every single time. But this was personal on many levels which people don’t understand and I didn’t care to go further into. But yes. It is all a problem that I am going to fix .”

On a related note, another fan commented, “Why can’t we as sisters ever settle anything behind closed doors without giving others the satisfaction of making it look like a feud? I’m so curious to know and understand.” Kelis answered, “it’s bigger then that.”

One of those aforementioned levels is presumably related to Pharrell and Chad Hugo (who produced “Milkshake” as The Neptunes), as she called them out last month. A hater took to the comments to bring them up, writing, “If the Neptunes were so bad to you how come everything you did after you left them flopped? They gave you your big break and your biggest singles which allow you to still tour 20 years later but you’re acting like they stole something from you. You owe everything you have to them be grateful.”

In response, Kelis wrote, “that’s funny cause right after I left them I did bossy and many of my biggest songs were not Neptune produced. And I never said they weren’t talented . I said they are bad people. And further more I made them as much as they made me. Do your homework dumb dumb.”

Find Kelis’ original comments below.

Earlier this week, Twitter user Dani Grier Mulvenna shared a photo of her daughter, Cora, and cracked a joke about she looks exactly like Woody Harrelson and you can definitely see the resemblance to the Venom: Let There Be Carnage star. Little did Mulvenna know that Twitter would go head over heels for the comparison, and the tweet quickly racked up nearly half a million likes and over 29,000 retweets. People were here for the Woody Harrelson baby.

“Cora says, thank you all so much for the likes and retweets and also that she doesn’t always look like Woody [Harrelson], it’s just that when she does… she really really does,” Mulvenna wrote in a follow-up tweet.

The situation got even more surreal when Harrelson himself caught wind of the viral tyke and wrote her a poem on Instagram, which doesn’t happen every day:

Ode to Cora-
You’re an adorable child
Flattered to be compared
You have a wonderful smile
I just wish I had your hair

Obviously, Mulvenna was floored by the poem and also highly amused by the headlines that it started generating like, “Woman shocked after giving birth to baby that looks just like Woody Harrelson.”

“This is my favourite headline so far,” Mulvenna tweeted. “Like I was just there in hospital with a little Woody Harrelson in a blanket screaming WHHHHHHYYYYYY”

Mulvenna would also appreciate an edit button after realizing there’s a glaring typo in her now-viral tweet. “Oh my god, it took me two days and 445k likes to realise my phone corrected Harrelson to Harreslon,” she wrote.

(Via Woody Harrelson on Instagram)