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In many ways, March is the dead zone in the NBA. The league takes a step back in the national consciousness as college basketball zooms to the forefront and, with the stretch run on the way, teams are simply trying to reach the finish line after an 82-game grind. That can lead to weird results, off-the-charts individual performances, and defensive numbers that are ugly around the league, and most results must be evaluated with a skeptical eye. However, the Phoenix Suns continue to coast above the fray, to the point where the squad’s dominance is being underplayed, if anything.

The Suns are 58-14 with 10 games to play, holding a nine-game lead on the entire NBA field. Phoenix has the best home record (30-8) and the best road record (28-6) in the league this season, posting the NBA’s best net rating (+8.4) and top-three marks in offensive efficiency (114.5 points per 100) and defensive efficiency (106.1 points allowed per 100). The Suns haven’t had perfect health either, as Chris Paul has been sidelined since the All-Star break. On cue, Phoenix is 10-4 in his absence, winning the last five games in a row, and Devin Booker has stepped up to the tune of 30.4 points and six assists on 55/41/100 shooting during the winning streak.

With the top overall seed all but sewn up at this stage, Phoenix could afford to coast. Instead, the Suns just keep rolling. In addition, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported this week that Paul is “likely to return even sooner” than his earliest projected date of April 3, giving the Suns ample time to reintegrate the future Hall of Fame guard before the playoffs begin. Phoenix likely won’t push at a 100 percent clip all the way to the April 10 regular season finale, but having the opportunity to get the band back together, even for a week or 10 days, could do wonders to prepare the Suns for the marathon second season that awaits.

Overall, the discussion around the Suns is highly interesting, as there is a certain respect level for what Phoenix has done, all without the level of favorite status that one might expect from a group that has performed to this level. There is only one thing Phoenix can do to answer any lingering questions but, at the moment, it is more than fair to say the Suns occupy a tier by themselves across the NBA landscape.

Phoenix lands in the top spot, once again, in our DIME power rankings this week. How does the rest of the field shake out? Let’s explore the studio space.

1. Phoenix Suns (58-14, Last week — 1st)

The schedule is pretty tough for the Suns in the next two weeks, with road games against Golden State, Denver, Minnesota, and Memphis wrapped around a home date with Philadelphia. Fortunately, the results don’t really matter for Phoenix the rest of the way, other than for the historical precedent of potentially winning 65-plus games.

2. Boston Celtics (45-28, Last week — 7th)

Boston is 9-1 in March with a +13.7 net rating. Even before February was over, the Celtics were clearly playing at an elite level over a growing sample, and they haven’t slowed down at all. It’s fair to point out that they aren’t close to the top of the standings, but ignoring Boston’s progress would be silly.

3. Miami Heat (47-25, Last week — 3rd)

Miami still has the inside track at the coveted No. 1 seed in the East. Of course, that might not be the best position to be in if the Nets end up at No. 8, but the Heat can’t really worry about that. They did lose in Philadelphia to end the week, but Miami’s full-season profile isn’t really in question.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (49-23, Last week — 4th)

March basketball is weird, and Friday’s loss by Memphis was a great example. The Grizzlies, riding high and playing well, went into Atlanta and lost by 15 points to the Trae Young-less Hawks. They’re also 5-1 in the last six games and that doesn’t bite them, but it was a weird one.

5. Milwaukee Bucks (45-27, Last week — 5th)

The Bucks are 9-2 in the last 11 games, and Milwaukee absolutely bludgeoned Chicago on Tuesday. That singular win doesn’t erase all context, but if all else fails, deferring to the reigning champions isn’t the worst strategy. Brook Lopez made a few plays on Tuesday that reminded us how he changes their team, too.

6. Dallas Mavericks (44-28, Last week — 6th)

It wasn’t perfect, but the Mavericks just navigated a very difficult five-game stretch at 3-2. Dallas knocked off Boston and Brooklyn on the road with a home win over Minnesota, and there is no great shame in losing to the Sixers or Hornets in road games. The Mavs are 8-3 in March and still rolling.

7. Brooklyn Nets (38-34, Last week — 9th)

Brooklyn has won six of the last seven games, and the only loss came by two points at home to Dallas. Of course, the Nets are the only team in the NBA that has a reason to be worse at home than on the road, but Brooklyn still took care of business against Utah in its last matchup. Brooklyn is pretty scary when Kevin Durant plays. Who knew?

8. Golden State Warriors (47-25, Last week — 2nd)

It isn’t breaking news to suggest that the Warriors are keyed by Stephen Curry. He’s out right now, and Golden State is on a three-game skid with losses to San Antonio and Orlando. It’s a shame that the Warriors were without Draymond Green for an extended period, and now they have to navigate life without the offensive centerpiece.

9. Denver Nuggets (43-30, Last week — 8th)

There are enough wild Nikola Jokic stats to fill an entire column, but here’s another one. In every game since March 6, Jokic has led the Nuggets in points, rebounds, and assists. That is, of course, insane, and he’s averaging 30.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists while shooting 59 percent.

10. Philadelphia 76ers (44-27, Last week — 10th)

Philadelphia is 8-3 when James Harden plays, including a very nice win over Miami on Monday. There have been hiccups along the way, but the development of Tyrese Maxey has been notable in the No. 3 role, and we’ll have two nationally televised opportunities to monitor the Sixers in Los Angeles this week.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves (42-31, Last week — 12th)

The Wolves have been the best team in the NBA, at least on paper, for the last three weeks. Minnesota is 10-2 since Feb. 28, beating up on opponents by 15.5 points per 100 possessions. There is a loss to the Magic (yikes) in there, but it’s been a remarkable push from the Wolves.

12. Utah Jazz (45-27, Last week — 11th)

It’s a League Pass game, but the most intriguing matchup of the upcoming week might be Utah at Boston on Wednesday. The Jazz still have tremendous metrics, but they just lost in Brooklyn (meaning Kyrie didn’t play) and there have been too many shaky performances.

13. Toronto Raptors (40-32, Last week — 13th)

It wasn’t the best week for the Raptors with a 1-2 record and a home loss to the Lakers. In zooming out, Toronto is still 6-2 in the last eight games and in perfectly fine shape. Toronto also has the next four games at home with a clear opportunity to keep it rolling.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers (41-31, Last week — 15th)

Cleveland is just 6-8 since the All-Star break with the No. 20 net rating in the NBA. To be fair, there have been roster challenges along the way, but the Cavs face an interesting set of games this week against Toronto on the road and Chicago at home.

15. Chicago Bulls (42-30, Last week — 14th)

Only the Blazers and Thunder have been worse than the Bulls since Feb. 26. Chicago is 3-9 with a -8.2 net rating and, even as they get healthier with the return of Patrick Williams, the Bulls can’t seem to avoid issues elsewhere, as evidenced by Lonzo Ball’s delay.

16. Charlotte Hornets (37-35, Last week — 17th)

When Charlotte’s offense is good, they are very good. The Hornets are on a five-game winning streak, scoring almost 1.3 points per possession in the process. That keeps Charlotte ahead of Atlanta for the No. 9 spot, and the Hornets have another home game against New York to begin this week.

17. Atlanta Hawks (36-36, Last week — 16th)

There is nothing more on-brand for the 2021-22 Hawks than what happened over the weekend. Atlanta, without Trae Young, stunned Ja Morant and the Grizzlies on Friday, turning in arguably the team’s best defensive performance of the season. Forty-eight hours later, the Hawks lost to the Brandon Ingram-less Pelicans at home. Atlanta’s entire season has been an enigma, but they did follow that up with a win at MSG on Tuesday.

18. Los Angeles Lakers (31-41, Last week — 23rd)

LeBron had quite a night in Cleveland on Monday, and that helped the Lakers pick up a good win. It would be accurate to say they are playing better basketball recently, but Los Angeles does have a very stiff test against Philadelphia on Wednesday.

19. New Orleans Pelicans (30-42, Last week — 19th)

The Pelicans did what they needed to do this week, going 2-1 on the road. That leaves the Pelicans with a two-game lead for the No. 10 spot and only a one-game deficit behind the Lakers for No. 9 in the West. Now, they face a three-game homestand this week, including a matchup with the Lakers.

20. New York Knicks (30-42, Last week — 22nd)

What a roller coaster. The Knicks began February with a 1-11 stretch, then won three in a row, lost two in a row, won two in a row, and now have lost two in a row again. New York had a real chance to pull an upset over Atlanta at MSG on Tuesday and just couldn’t hold on down the stretch. That loss probably slammed the door for good on the play-in with a six-game deficit and only 10 games left.

21. L.A. Clippers (36-38, Last week — 18th)

Even with a four-game losing streak, the Clippers still have a four-game lead on the field for the No. 8 seed. That doesn’t mean L.A. is playing well, though, and the next four games are against Philadelphia, Utah, Chicago, and Milwaukee.

22. Washington Wizards (30-41, Last week — 20th)

Washington is technically alive in the play-in race, but the team’s recent slide probably closed the door. The Wizards are 1-7 in the last eight games, and Washington is 5.5 games behind Atlanta for the No. 10 spot.

23. San Antonio Spurs (28-44, Last week — 21st)

The Spurs are two games out of the No. 10 seed, and this is a big week if they want to close the gap. San Antonio has road games against Portland, New Orleans, and Houston, and the matchup with the Pelicans could directly decide the final play-in berth.

24. Indiana Pacers (25-47, Last week — 26th)

Indiana isn’t exactly putting the pedal to the floor at this point in March, but they are on a two-game winning streak. The Pacers beat the Rockets and Blazers to end the week, but Indiana has one of the ten toughest remaining schedules in the league. That should quell the winning spree.

25. Sacramento Kings (25-48, Last week — 24th)

The Kings did take the Suns to overtime in their last game, and that isn’t something to sneeze at. Sacramento is still 1-6 in the last seven games, though, and the Kings are No. 28 in the NBA in defensive rating. Domantas Sabonis is dealing with a knee issue, and there isn’t much to play for at this point with a 5.5-game gap between Sacramento and the No. 10 seed.

26. Orlando Magic (20-53, Last week — 28th)

It wasn’t a shock that Orlando beat Oklahoma City over the weekend, but the Magic beating the Warriors on Tuesday was more of a stunner. Granted, Steph Curry didn’t appear for Golden State, but the Magic played quite well in that matchup. Now, they get a rematch in OKC on Wednesday that could be big for lottery purposes.

27. Portland Trail Blazers (27-44, Last week — 27th)

Portland stays put after beating Detroit on the road on Monday, but the numbers for the Blazers since the All-Star break are awe-inspiring. Portland is 2-10 overall with a -20.9 (!!!) net rating since flipping the switch. On the bright side, the Blazers begin a five-game homestand on Wednesday.

28. Detroit Pistons (19-53, Last week — 25th)

Detroit had a very frisky 6-2 stretch in late February and early March, but the Pistons are just 1-6 since then. The win featured a 51-point outburst from Saddiq Bey, but Detroit just lost at home to a Portland team that has packed it in with vigor.

29. Houston Rockets (18-54, Last week — 30th)

Behind a 39-point, 10-rebound game from Christian Wood, the Rockets picked up a win over Washington on Monday to escape the basement. Houston still has the worst record and the worst net rating (-8.9) in the NBA this season, but the Rockets have been a bit more competitive than at least one team lately.

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-52, Last week — 29th)

There is a new No. 30, and the Thunder earned it. OKC hasn’t won since March 2, losing ten games in a row, and the Thunder allowed more than 1.24 points per possession for three weeks. That is hideous, and OKC’s injuries have made the roster situation tenuous.

We all know the story about Nicolas Cage‘s money problems. Lavish spending on castles and dinosaur skulls, which coupled with the 2008 crash and a string of flops, landed him in hot water with the IRS and creditors. To dig himself out, Cage embarked on a marathon film-making run starring in sometimes as many as four VOD movies a year. While Cage himself will readily admit that some of those movies didn’t work, the actor recently revealed that despite claims to the contrary, he “never phoned it in.”

While sitting down for a lengthy profile where he claims to have the “liver of a 13-year-old choir boy,” Cage revealed that his VOD strategy actually worked, and as of last year, he’s now debt-free thanks to his most recent film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Cage also opened up about the circumstances that landed him in financial trouble, and how he refused to file for bankruptcy.

“I’ve got all these creditors and the IRS and I’m spending $20,000 a month trying to keep my mother out of a mental institution, and I can’t. It was just all happening at once,” Cage told GQ:

Cage was adamant that he would never file for bankruptcy, even when people kept telling him to press that button. And he wants to clear up a misconception about the work he took on to prevent that from happening. “When I was doing four movies a year, back to back to back, I still had to find something in them to be able to give it my all,” he says. “They didn’t work, all of them. Some of them were terrific, like Mandy, but some of them didn’t work. But I never phoned it in. So if there was a misconception, it was that. That I was just doing it and not caring. I was caring.”

While Cage’s career seems to be on an upswing, don’t expect to see him in National Treasure 3. When the topic of the third film potentially happening came up, Cage waved it away and called out Disney for being a “fair-weather friend” that left him in the dust after The Sorcerer’s Apprentice flopped.

(Via GQ)

Days away from his sixth studio album, Mainstream Sellout, rapper-turned-rockstar Machine Gun Kelly recalls the first time he ever wrote music with his late father. While his upcoming album boasts contributions from Willow, Lil Wayne, and Bring Me The Horizon, he says the seal of approval that meant the most to him was that of his father.

Kelly’s father kicked him out of the house after high school. In an interview with Billboard, Kelly remembers writing his first song on guitar with his father, shortly before his death in 2020.

“In that moment, when he acknowledged my music and we bonded over a song, it gave me the richest memory I’ll ever have,” Kelly told Billboard. “To me, that was the ultimate success. And everything else that preceded that in our relationship didn’t matter because we had finally made it.”

Kelly’s father died on July 5, 2020, the one-year anniversary of his fourth album Hotel Diablo.

Later in the interview, Kelly admitted that he cringes watching old interviews of himself, noting that he was putting on an “exoskeleton of arrogance and cockiness.”

“I’m overcompensating so much for how I actually was inside,” he says. “I was scared to be myself.”

Mainstream Sellout is out 3/25 via Bad Boy/Interscope. Pre-save it here.

When Pusha T shared his Arby’s-championing new song “Spicy Fish Diss” earlier this week, needless to say, some fans were thrown for a loop by the admittedly silly corporate partnership. Not only was the coke rap connoisseur rhyming sincere, wordplay-laced bars about a fast-food sandwich but he was also throwing jabs at another fast-food giant, McDonald’s, after claiming responsibility for its inescapable commercial jingle. But it looks like the Virginia rapper is getting the last laugh after all after a new report claims his track was worth more than $8 million in advertising exposure for Arby’s.

Upon catching wind of the impressive statistic, Pusha gave a characteristic boastful response, quoting himself to celebrate the achievement. “Critics he’s out of his mind/Haters he’s outta his prime” he wrote. “…yet, always where the money’s at like lottery signs.”

Part of the reason it seems Pusha has held a grudge against McDonald’s all this time is that he resents not negotiating for songwriting credits on the chain’s “I’m Lovin’ It” ads, telling Rolling Stone, “I did it at a very young age at a very young time in my career where I wasn’t asking for as much money and ownership. It’s something that’s always dug at me later in life like, ‘Dammit, I was a part of this and I should have more stake.’”

Weirdly enough, this isn’t even the first time McDonald’s has been directly dissed by a competitor in the medium of rap. In 2018, Wendy’s released a mixtape titled We Beefin? based on months of Twitter jabs that also took aim at Burger King and Dairy Queen.

If you didn’t know by now, Bridgerton is not like the other girls (and by “girls” we mean Regency-era romance dramas). And sure, that comes across fairly early on in how diverse its cast is and how generous its writers are with explicit sex scenes, but the show’s biggest weapon is, actually, its music.

Far from the sometimes-stuffy classical compositions that lull audiences to sleep in the background of the ball scenes and country dances and third-act climaxes used by its predecessors, Bridgerton’s choice in music cleverly bridges the gap between the past and the present. Translating bangers from Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande into stringed-out symphonies that harmonize with the most emotionally-loaded, pivotal plot points, the show gained a reputation after the success of its debut season.

It was a period piece that slapped.

And, as the show readies to launch another installment focused on a new Bridgerton sibling (hello Jonathan Bailey) and a fresh love interest in Simone Ashley’s fiercely independent Kate Sharma, its choice in music is more important than ever. Especially since, this time around, fans are paying attention.

We chatted with Bridgerton’s showrunner Chris Van Dusen and music supervisor Justin Kamps to nail down exactly how they landed on this season’s soundtrack – one filled with Madonna, Nirvana, and Miley Cyrus covers – that Bollywood nod, and approval from Sir Harry Styles.

The string covers were such a hit in season one. Did that influence any choices you made this time around?

Chris Van Dusen: As far as the music, there are more covers this season than last. I think that’s because it worked so well the first time around. The whole intention with these songs is that I want our audience to feel the very same way our characters feel onscreen. So when the Sharmas walk into a ballroom and hear this amazing classical rendition of “Material Girl,” I want the excitement they’re feeling in the moment to translate to the audience, too. I think it’s incredibly immersive and effective, and it’s definitely one of the things I love most about this show.

You’ve both talked about the trial-and-error process of the pop covers in season one. What was the process for season two like?

Justin Kamps: We start early on matching these covers with the type of dance that our choreographer, Jack Murphy, is planning for the ball — which includes tempo, time signature, just general feel, and everything. And then as the show comes together in post, we take another look at these sequences that have sometimes been newly edited together into an actual scene. And [sometimes] we need to look at a different song because maybe it’s been edited in such a way that the song we used for choreography doesn’t fit or there’s a different vibe now that it’s been put together. That’s when we start looking at different covers in the post process and seeing what really fits that moment and that sequence.

So do the lyrics of these pop songs come into play more in post-production then?

JK: Yeah, when it’s into post is where we start having more of the thoughts of like, “Okay, what would make the most sense here? What are the characters feeling? What’s happening in the scene? What’s the subtext? What can we be cheeky with?”

CVD: There are some songs I’ll find in post, but there are also times when I’ll write a scene to a specific song. I wrote one particular scene in the season two finale to a cover of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.” It captured the exact emotion I wanted that scene to convey so beautifully. Usually, we end up replacing whatever song we use during shooting, but that was an exception. I asked our choreographer to choreograph a dance to that version of the song. Our onscreen musicians actually played to it on the day, too. The result is magical.

JK: Yeah, for me, that really encapsulates Kate and Anthony and their relationship — how they’re meeting each other and how that blew up everything in their lives.

When choosing which songs to cover, which carries more weight, the lyrics vs. the melody?

JK: There is some room to take a song that maybe the lyrics don’t completely fit, but the melody and the way the strings are performed really works for the scene, but I do feel it is a bit 50-50. Even if you’re not literally hearing them, these are songs that most people know and recognize — you’re hearing the lyrics in your head maybe as the song is happening. So we’re still aware that we can’t totally disregard the lyrics.

CVD: The actual song we’re covering has to make sense for us both emotionally and lyrically. “Dancing on my Own,” [by Robyn] for example, manages to be both beautiful and painful at the same time. It’s the kind of song that makes you lean into your screen. The lyrics are relevant too, especially when you think about what’s really happening in the scene it scores. It’s angsty and bittersweet and soul-stirring. It’s a transcendent moment.

Does the popularity of a song or an artist come into play when choosing which tracks to use?

JK: I do think it’s important. In general, the music that I am pitching down to the show that the producers and Chris gravitate towards are songs that are recognizable. There could be a song that I totally love, and it’s like, “Oh, this is a beautiful string cover of this song that no one’s heard,” but then if no one knows the song, it would play in the show as just score potentially. It would just go by and no one would notice. So the whole reason to use covers in the first place is that it is a song that people recognize and when it comes up, it creates this instant connection between the characters, these characters in the past and the audience in the present.

But this season you did experiment a bit more with how old a pop song could be to still have that reaction when fans heard a string cover of it.

JK: Yeah, we did expand back into some older classics — “Material Girl,” we got Nirvana in there as well. I think that’s just a testament to Chris’ taste and his interest in songs from all eras because again, creating a string quartet version of them levels the playing field. Maybe the original song itself is old, but now this cover is being heard. The audience is now experiencing these songs as a new thing even if they were released in the eighties and nineties.

You’ve both said that the Harry Styles track was the hardest license to get this season. How do you convince artists to hand over their music? Do you have to send them a script, show them the scene?

JK: It depends on the artist. Sometimes artists understandably are protective of their songs. Because this is their creative endeavor and their work and they want make sure that it’s being used appropriately. So yeah, sometimes we do have to show the artist and their team the clip. Other times we just give a detailed description of what’s happening and some people are okay with that. It kind of depends but this season, yes, we did have to show a couple of people.

The show has changed the Sharma’s ethnicity and cultural background this season and a lot of fans are excited for the Bollywood track that’s been included. Why was that such a big deal to cover that song?

JK: I’m personally very proud of the Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham cover. That was another one I was really excited about because when we were looking into including a Bollywood song in the show this season, there was lots of trepidation about Bollywood being a tough clear because they’re very protective of… Those films are a very important part of their culture. I’m just really excited for people to hear it.

CVD: The song itself is about family and the bonds that hold them together. When I heard the original song, I fell in love with it — and I thought it was perfect for a scene featuring all of our Sharma ladies — who have just arrived in London from India. So it’s a nod to that family’s heritage. My writers and I wanted to honor the culture of this new family and weave certain elements of their South Asian heritage into the series.

JK: There’s already been lots of fan excitement. And I actually saw an article with one of the composers that I guess his son told him how popular Bridgerton was, and he was very excited about the song being considered and used in the show. So that warms my heart. And I’m just excited for people to hear this song. I think it’s important that we got that one in there.

Speaking of changes from book-to-screen, were there any that were particularly challenging to make?

CVD: I wanted Edwina to be a multi-dimensional character in terms of having her own wants, needs and desires in the show. It’s always the goal to be writing characters who are fully-realized, complicated, and flawed. And then of course I was always interested in further expanding the beautiful, multi-ethnic world that was set up in the first season. Introducing the Sharma family was very much a part of that.

Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ returns on March 25.

Marvel’s own Falcon AKA Sam Wilson AKA actor Anthony Mackie is opening up his new production studio in his hometown, New Orleans. The actor, who has starred in five Marvel movies and his own TV series, reportedly purchased a 20-acre site in New Orleans East which he will reportedly use as a production studio, East Studios LLC.

The timing is pretty good, as production companies are looking to churn out content after the pandemic halted several projects over the last two years. According to Louisiana Entertainment’s site, there are over a dozen films and TV shows that are slated to be filmed in and around New Orleans over the next year.

While the actor has yet to speak about the studio, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell confirmed the news on her Twitter account, saying the incredible news will bring a handful of new jobs and economic growth to the area.

Mackie was born and raised in the area and attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts before going to Julliard to pursue his acting career. He is slated to star in the upcoming Captain America movie based on the Disney+ series The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Maybe the studio will be the next Marvel hotspot?

The Godfather trilogy’s getting a 4K release, which is actually kind-of a throwback to a time when three-hour movies were not the norm. In fact, they were hellaciously difficult to get made, as the first trailer for Paramount+’s The Offer (which we’re also getting soon) demonstrated. Throughout 10 episodes, as well, the Paramount+ limited trailer shows how Frances Ford Coppola (Dan Fogler) wasn’t the only one went through the paces to bring the saga of the first (1972) installment by author Mario Puzo (Patrick Gallo) to life.

Along the way, of course, plenty of colorful characters grew involved. Miles Teller picks up the role of legendary producer Albert S. Ruddy, who fought like hell, not only against the mob (Giovanni Ribisi portrays crime boss Joe Colombo) but also cinematic powers that be. All of this will be encapsulated within about 10 hours, which is also roughly the time that it would take to binge the entire The Godfather trilogy (give or take the recovery time for hearing Andy Garcia bizarrely ride in on a horse, fire a gun, and yell, “Zasa!”).

Also Justin Chamber will stuff cotton in his cheeks to star as Marlon Brando, who was not a preferred candidate for the gig, as this trailer reveals. Expect to see Juno Temple, Matthew Goode, Burn Gorman as Charles Bluhdorn, and Colin Hanks as well. The plan is to for three episodes to debut in the initial show drop with seven more consecutive weekly episodes to follow on Thursdays.

Paramount+’s The Offer debuts on April 28. Enjoy this key art as well.

Over the past year, The Tonight Show has been periodically sharing installments of a web-exclusive video series called The (Getting Back To) Tonight Show. The videos are a few minutes long and offer behind-the-scenes looks at what goes into making the show. The latest installment was shared yesterday and in it, Jimmy Fallon talks about playing a recurring game with Taylor Swift called “Box Of Lies,” in which Fallon and Swift each described an unusual item in front of them, perhaps truthfully or perhaps not, before the other player guessed if they were being honest. This happened back in November 2021 and looking back on it now, Fallon says he enjoyed seeing Swift lie.

Fallon said, “We played ‘Box Of Lies’ with Taylor Swift and I don’t know her as a deceptive person. She’s pretty straightforward and honest all the time. And so it was pretty fun to see what she’s like if she lies and what would she be like playing poker. It’s like playing poker, really.”

Elsewhere, the video offers an illuminating look at what goes into making that game as well as “Can You Feel It,” in which Fallon and his guest reach into a box and guess what’s inside it. For fans of late-night TV, the other videos in the The (Getting Back To) Tonight Show series are also an insightful watch.

Watch the video above and revisit the original “Box Of Lies” segment with Swift below.

Just before the end of 2021, Nas and Hit-Boy — who have become quite the dynamic duo lately — surprised fans with their latest collaborative project, Magic. The album was a welcome inclusion to the rap partnership’s growing catalog of collaborative projects, which already included King’s Disease and King’s Disease II. One of the benefits for Nas of working with Hit-Boy was the inclusion of younger voices to Nas’ list of collaborations, which helped to reverse the narrative the rap vet was out-of-touch with contemporary hip-hop.

One of the voices included on Magic is that of ASAP Rocky, who appears on the Max B shout-out track “Wave Gods” along with a thrilling turntable performance from DJ Premier. Today, Nas and Rocky released the song’s video, a love letter to the gritty New York streets from which both men hail. Rather than showing off tourist destinations like Times Square, though, they display the New York they know, from housing projects to crowded subway cars, as both Nas and Rocky portray a variety of characters from the dice rolling residents of the high-rises to the homeless vagrants who populate bus stop benches.

Watch Nas and Hit-Boy’s “Wave Gods” video featuring ASAP Rocky and DJ Premier above.

Alex Jones may have to try a little bit harder the next time he attempts to put off testifying in the lawsuit filed against him by the Sandy Hook families. Jones was an infamous pusher of conspiracy theories that the 2012 shooting was a false flag operation pulled off by “crisis actors,” which has potentially landed him on the hook for millions as the families of the very real children who died during the tragic incident were allowed to sue him for defamation.

However, Jones is doing in everything in his power to duck going on the record. In his latest move, the conspiracy theory peddler claimed he was too sick to appear at an upcoming deposition and even cited an illness that required immediate emergency care. And his plan might’ve worked had he not gone and recorded his InfoWars show in the studio for hours. Real smooth. Via The Daily Beast:

A lawyer for Jones provided the court with a doctor’s note claiming Jones was recovering from home. But Jones was still able to record his four-hour show, apparently from his studio, on Monday afternoon—when he was supposedly under the doctor’s care. The lawyers noted that the only doctor he was near at the time, InfoWars guest and prominent ivermectin booster Dr. Ben Marble, didn’t appear to be treating Jones for anything.

To the surprise of no one, Jones’ gambit didn’t work. According to Patch, Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis denied the request to delay the deposition, which is scheduled for Wednesday.

(Via The Daily Beast)