On Monday, June 3, Carpenter revealed that she would release Short N’ Sweet, her sixth full-length studio album, on August 23.
“I am so excited to announce my brand new album Short N’ Sweet coming in August,” Carpenter said in a statement. “This project is quite special to me, and I hope it’ll be something special to you, too. I also have a surprise coming for you on Thursday night so keep an eye out.”
To that end, a press release confirmed that “new music” is due out on Thursday, June 6, which probably explains Carpenter’s teaser video from yesterday, June 2. The 25-year-old pop supernova posted a 14-second video across her social media accounts showing her kissing the camera and leaving lipstick marks on the lens before a groovy instrumental plays.
Vince Staples just dropped his new album, Dark Times, to widespread critical praise. His final album under Def Jam, its release signals a new chapter for the Long Beach rapper, who also just announced the renewal of his Netflix series, The Vince Staples Show, for a second season. Now, he’s hitting the road to promote it on the Black In America Tour, which he announced today. He’ll be supported on the tour by singer Baby Rose.
Running from mid-October to early November, it’s not the longest tour, sticking mainly to major cities, but if you can get to one, it’s sure to be one hell of a show. If not, there are always his performances at a slew of festivals this summer, including Lollapalooza, Flow Festival, and more.
Tickets for the Black in America Tour go on sale Friday, June 7th at 10AM local time. Pre-sale begins Tuesday, June 4th at 10AM local time. You can find more information on VinceStaples.com.
10/14 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern*
10/18 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5**
10/20 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner*
10/21 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall*
10/23 — Toronto, ON @ History*
10/24 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem*
10/26 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral Theatre*
10/28 — Minneapolis, MN @ Palace Theatre*
10/30 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom*
11/02 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo*
11/03 — Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom*
11/05 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield*
11/06 — Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall*
There was a time before Robert Downey Jr. was a former Marvel icon-turned Oscar winner, if you can even believe it. The actor has starred in plenty of movies over the years, but none of them highlight the beauty of dysfunctional families quite like Jodie Foster‘s Home For The Holidays.
Foster directed the classic 1995 family drama, which starred a young RDJ as Holly Hunter’s younger brother Jack and Dylan McDermott as Jack’s friend Leo who arrives for the holidays. In Variety‘s recent “Actors on Actors” series, the two colleagues chatted about their on-set experience 30+ years ago.
The Iron Man actor asked Foster if she remembers putting the two young actors “in check” during rehearsals, which Downey described as “so out of control.” She didn’t, but that’s because she’s a professional!
Foster explained, “I don’t [remember]. But I was used to working with children, so that’s something I do well. I say to them, ‘If you move, I’m going to step on your foot really hard.’” There is nothing like the light threat of violence to ensure child actors that they do their jobs. The best part is that Downey Jr was actually 29 at the time, a full-grown adult. But that’s showbiz!
She continued, “You have a big mouth and a crazy mind that loves the freedom of being in the moment, which is not who I am, but who I wish to be—somebody that’s free like you.”
Despite his on-set behavior, Downey still had a great experience with Foster. At the time, he was in his late twenties and was no stranger to Hollywood. “I was pretty out of my mind the whole time we were shooting, but I remember it feeling like one of the most relaxed performances in the history of cinema,” he said. It’s a stark contrast (get it??) to his most recent role as the least-relaxed man in the history of the world.
“I’m Proud of Alexander,” Cher wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, June 1, and yes, Cher’s erratic capitalization remains unedited for effect. “He Didn’t Start The fight Against 2 Men,… He finished it, Gotta Love Him.”
I’m Proud of Alexander. He Didn’t Start The fight Against 2 Men,… He finished it, Gotta Love Him
TMZ reported the physical altercation, complete with grainy video footage, and cited unnamed witnesses who claimed that Edwards “was the instigator, as he ran up on stage and initiated physical contact” with Scott at Richie Akiva’s annual amFAR The After party on May 23. Last week, TMZ caught up with Edwards at Los Angeles International Airport, where Edwards (sort of) clarified what actually happened.
“Shout-out Southside,” Edwards said. “That’s my n****. I know he was defending his boy and doing what he was supposed to be doing as his boy. I don’t got no hard feelings. It is what it is. It went how it went. That’s it.”
Edwards explained that he “doesn’t wanna fight” and denied initiating but acknowledged “I’m gonna protect myself and my people.” He also assured any concerned fans that Cher was not upset, using Future and Metro Boomin’s “GTA” as a reference point when describing Cher’s reaction: “Like Future say, ‘Whatever I’m with, my b*tch with it, too.’ My woman, but the lyrics are the lyrics.”
TMZ’s original report relayed that “the fight started after both Travis and Tyga were on stage behind the DJ booth,” and Scott appeared to become upset after Richie Akiva told the crowd, “We got T-Raww, AE, and Travis in the building” — “possibly a Kylie Jenner exes thing.” Edwards is a close friend of Tyga’s.
With the release of his new single “Houdini” in the rearview, Eminem fans are now looking forward to the release of his upcoming album, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). Em announced the album in late April after teasing fans with a phony album announcement to start the month — April Fools!
So, when is Eminem’s new album, The Death Of Slim Shady, scheduled for release?
Although no formal release date has been given as yet, Eminem did give a release window, “Summer 2024.” That means that the album could be out as early as this month, and as late as September. However, Eminem has made the album available for pre-order for “one week only” as a limited-edition digital release with an exclusive bonus track. You can pre-order the album on Eminem’s website.
In addition to releasing his twelfth studio album this year, Eminem had previously announced plans to produce a documentary about stan culture — although it seems that it’ll be specifically about Eminem fans rather than the larger phenomenon. Fans looking for new music from their hero received a new song, as well, in the form of “Doomsday 2,” which appeared on the Lyrical Lemonade album, All Is Yellow, with a video featuring a slew of artists he’s inspired over the years, including Big Sean, Cordae, Denzel Curry, JID, and Teezo Touchdown.
Usually, when you read a story about people being confronted in a grocery store parking lot, it’s bad news. But not this time. Back in November of 2023, Portland, Oregon-based photographer David Frazier had an uplifting experience in the parking lot of a New Seasons market after being approached by a female admirer.
He later told the story on TikTok in a video that received over 3.4 million views.
While making a quick run to the store, Frazier parked next to a woman driving a Tesla. He noticed she was eating, hanging around and “vibing,” so he flashed her a smile and went into the store, where he picked up a bite to eat.
Upon returning to his car, the woman was still there. She rolled down her window and asked Frazier, “Hey, are you single?” Frazier was taken aback by the question and replied: “Sadly, yes, I am. Um, also very gay, though.”
Dear New Seasons Parking Lot Girl, you’re so cool and ily ❤️ #fyp #portland #parkinglot #xoxo
He told the woman he was flattered and that asking never hurts. “You’re just so handsome,” she replied. Frazier returned the compliment, calling her “pretty,” and the two shared a laugh and went their separate ways.
But the interaction stuck with Frazier. He thought it took real “guts” to tell a stranger you think they’re attractive. He also felt that it was “kind” and “flattering” for her to compliment him. “She seemed like such a genuine and kind and earnest” and “cool” person, he said in the video.
He hoped the TikTok video he made would eventually reach her somehow. “You have uplifted me in a way that I didn’t know I needed, and it made me feel amazing, and I just wanted to say thank you and I hope you have such an incredible weekend,” Frazier told the woman through his post.
He also invited her to get a “friend coffee.”
Five weeks after Frazier posted the video, it successfully reached its intended audience of one. It was seen by Tifanie Mayberry, the woman driving the Tesla. She shared a reaction video where she watched Frazier’s original post. The video received over 11 million views.
#duet with @David #fyp WOW!! Never expected for this to come back around like this. OMG. The internet is internetting and I LOVE it!!
Mayberry followed the reaction video up with another, explaining that her behavior in the parking lot that day was a perfect example of where she is in life. She’s 35, single and ready to settle down and have kids. If that means she has to be a little forward in approaching men, so be it.
“So what you’re witnessing is me just being like no BS and being ‘like okay if I see me a good one, I just like to lasso them, and reel ’em in’ and be like ‘Hey, I’m interested,’ and that’s just kind of where I am in life. And apparently, this one got back to me in a very unexpected way,” she said.
Mayberry added that she has yet to speak with Frazier but is looking forward to meeting him. She hopes that one day he’ll even make it to her wedding.
Well its been a very funny ending to 2023, and I have to say it ended things on such a great note for me 🥹❤️✨ Thanks TikTok!! @David – Coffee in the New Year?!
On Sunday, June 2, Carpenter posted a 14-second video across her social media accounts showing her confidently strutting toward a camera and kissing the lens, leaving ambiguous lipstick marks. The 25-year-old actress-turned-pop star smiles, flips her hair over her shoulder, and walks away while a groovy instrumental plays.
Of course, this could mean literally anything. Carpenter did not caption the video, making this all the more mysterious. The instrumental snippet at the end would seem to indicate that Carpenter is preparing to drop a single. This could also be the beginning of an album rollout, considering Carpenter last released Emails I Can’t Send in July 2022. Who knows? Carpenter has repeatedly proved, especially by ad-libbing the “Nonsense” outro, that she has no problem expressing her unfiltered thoughts. Rest assured that, in due time, she will make it explicitly clear what this video foreshadows.
Carpenter is scheduled to perform at Governors Ball Music Festival 2024 next Saturday, June 8, at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York City. It might be worth noting that Carpenter’s “Espresso” release coincided with her Coachella 2024 set, so it’s possible that a song drops around Gov Ball.
Cam’ron and Mase’s It Is What It Is podcast has taken its fair share of shots at various athletes over the years, particularly NBA players like Jordan Poole and now, Anthony Edwards. Cam’ron targeted the latter with a few lines in a freestyle over the beat from Black Rob’s hit single “Whoa!” to open the latest episode.
Decked out in a Dallas Mavericks jersey (heh), Cam goes in on the 22-year-old NBA star, rapping, “Go ‘head and grandstand, no style can cramp Cam’s / P**** on a handstand, but f*ck wrong with Ant Man? / Gave him his props, homie got love from me / New commercial, y’all ain’t got love for me? / He shot a jump shot and said, ‘f*ck buddy’ / The receipt reader lookin’ like your f*ck buddy.”
So, what’s got Cam’s knickers in a twist? It seems Ant’s Adidas ad rubbed him the wrong way with its use of one of Cam’s tweets to make a point about Ant proving his haters wrong. The ad includes a printer for Edwards’ “receipts,” which spits out tweets from various celebrities questioning whether the young Minnesota Timberwolves guard is ready to be “the face of the league.”
The tweets are read to Ant by a friend as he takes practice shots, and when he hears that Cam’ron says he’s “an All-Star, but not a superstar yet,” Ant indeed gives a dismissive response and chucks another jumper. The ad’s being celebrated for its simplicity and directness, but clearly, not everybody appreciates Ant’s unfiltered demeanor.
Anyone who’s spent any time around hoopers knows that many of them — especially the best — are crazy petty and take anything less than unadulterated adulation as the saltiest criticism, so his response isn’t exactly surprising. But for the past 25 years, Cam’ron has been an equally petty performer in his own industry, so his response shouldn’t surprise anyone either.
But before anyone goes taking this super serious and demanding guns drawn at dawn, try to remember: it’s all in good fun. Talking sh*t is part of these guys’ livelihoods, so they both know there’s no ill intent. And if/when they see each other at the next All-Star Game, it’ll probably be all love.
You can watch Cam’s freestyle (and his explanation for the clap back) at the top of the episode above.
On a cold February day this past winter, an “immersive” Willy Wonka exhibit was hosted in a warehouse in Glasgow, which already sounds risky enough, but nobody knew that the events of that day would permanently alter John Stamos’ IMDB page forever.
The unofficial event was expected to have candy, colors, and some good old-fashioned family fun, but families were met with the exact opposite. The ordeal quickly made the rounds on the internet, so it was only a matter of time before a musical about it was made. Who knew it would be so soon, though?
A live musical titled Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Parody Musical,is in the works, and a demo of one of the songs featuring John Stamos was released today. Clearly, all those years of Beach Boys hangs has impacted him positively.
The opening number traces the downfall of civilization back to the infamous event in Glasgow, obviously. “After playing Willy Wonka in concert at the Hollywood Bowl, I was happy to join in when that event’s director, Richard Kraft, asked me to record a demo of the opening number to his upcoming stage show, Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Parody Musical, spoofing the Wonka rip-off fiasco in Glasgow,” Stamos said in a statment. “Any opportunity to sing a batsh*t crazy song about The End of Days and to be pelted by candy is something to savor,” he added.
The number features lyrical gems like “Having no fudge meant humanity’s judgment” and “the world was wiped clean thanks to two jellybeans” so you can get the vibe they are going for here. Music and lyrics for the title track were written by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. The musical is set to debut at Edinburgh Fringe Fest at the Pleasance King Dome from Aug. 9-26th. Check out Stamos’ track below:
The Boston Celtics have been the most consistently good franchise in the NBA since 2017. No team has gone as far in the postseason as often as Boston over that period, as they’ve reached the conference finals seven times in eight years and sit four wins away from adding another championship banner to the TD Garden rafters.
Despite all of their recent success, this version of the team has come up short in its quest to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. Boston has lost five times in the Eastern Conference Finals and, in its one previous trip to the Finals, the team lost in six games to the Warriors after taking a 2-0 series lead. As such, the Celtics have been the victims of their own consistency in terms of how people talk about them. There was nothing they could do in the regular season to answer the questions many skeptics had about them as a team, and with the way the Eastern Conference playoffs shook out — all three teams they faced had stars go down due to injuries — there wasn’t anything they could do in the first three series, either.
Celtics fans have bristled at the way the team and its stars have been covered this year, feeling overlooked and underdiscussed given they had the league’s best record. The real problem for Boston is that no one had any doubts about whether they’d be one of the East’s best teams. That’s been the case for nearly a decade. Every question about this team and every interesting conversation to be had about them from an outside perspective could only really happen once they got to the NBA Finals.
After last year’s stunning ECF loss to the Heat, the Celtics went about reshaping their roster. Kristaps Porzingis was added to give them a different dynamic offensively late in games, while providing much-needed rim protection on the defensive end. Jrue Holiday’s sudden appearance on the trade market offered a perfect opportunity to recoup what was lost on defense in trading Marcus Smart, while adding another facilitator on the offensive end. The results in the regular season were excellent, as evidenced by a 64-win campaign. That’s continued through the first three rounds of the playoffs, as they’ve dropped just two games en route to the Finals despite Porzingis missing the last two rounds due to injury.
However, beating banged up versions of the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers isn’t the kind of run that changes anyone’s perception of this team. That they had to scratch and claw their way through some of those games, particularly against the Pacers, only adds to the skepticism of some that this Boston team is really all that different.
The way we talk about playoff paths often revolves around beating other stars. Last year’s title run by the Denver Nuggets saw them face two 8-seeds, a 7-seed, and a 4-seed, but they had to beat Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo to get to the mountaintop. Beating those players and doing it in fairly emphatic fashion eliminated any of the chatter about the difficulty of their road to a title.
The Celtics — who, it must be said, have put up a better net rating (10.8) through the first three rounds of the playoffs this year than Denver did through the first three rounds of their run to the title (8.0) in 2023 — haven’t had that same opportunity just yet. The Heat were without Butler, the Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell by the end of that series, and the Pacers had Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the final two games, while all three teams had other injuries (Terry Rozier, Jarrett Allen, Bennedict Mathurin) to prominent rotation players, as well. The truth is, you play who is in front of you, and Boston deserves credit for not letting those series drag out longer than they needed — even if they played with their food at times in all three series. That said, anyone with questions about this Boston team won’t be sold just yet.
So, here we are at a place where, 96 games into their season, the Celtics have seven games to finally put to rest any skepticism. Boston will have a worthy opponent for the first time all postseason in the NBA Finals as they meet the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving provide the star power to create a fascinating matchup with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the Dallas defense has been the story of the playoffs, with the Mavs becoming a dominant force on that end.
Boston will get the chance they’ve been waiting for all series to quiet the doubts — both internally and externally — about whether they can win a championship with this group. They built the team with this stage in mind, and have tried desperately to prepare themselves. Their series with the Pacers saw them win three tight games, building that confidence in their late-game execution — even if, at times, it felt that Indiana collapsed down the stretch. Tatum has been a willing facilitator, making the right reads when teams send help at him. Brown has been dynamic as a scorer, offering a needed lift as teams have looked to limit Tatum’s looks. Derrick White has been a tremendous third option, giving the team needed floor-spacing around their stars and offering secondary creation when asked. Holiday is in the midst of the best shooting postseason of his career, while also providing the stout defense we’ve come to know from him. All of this has happened while Porzingis, who has been outstanding this season, has watched from the bench.
Now, the real test arrives in the form of a Mavs team that presents some major challenges for Boston. In the same breath, it’s an opportunity to prove that all the work from last offseason to now has truly created a new Celtics team that isn’t just a flawed contender, but a complete championship squad.
Dallas has thrived in the kinds of late game situations that have caused the Celtics problems in the past, and if they’re to win this series, one would expect it would be because they show this is no longer an issue. On defense, they’ll be tasked with solving the riddle that is Irving and Doncic, who have been sensational this postseason creating for themselves and others. Those two play off each other brilliantly and have kept defenses off kilter with the way they’ve been able to strike a balance between their play styles. Doncic, plodding and methodical, picks apart defenses, while Irving slashes through them.
There is no stopping Dallas’ stars, and even making life difficult isn’t always enough, as they’re two of the best tough shot-makers in the NBA. The real challenge will be staying disciplined and not creating easy buckets for the others by over-reacting to Doncic and Irving making difficult shots. A big that wanders too far out to help will get punished by a lob over his head to Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II. A wing that lingers in help for too long will get back cut to death by Derrick Jones Jr. The addition of Porzingis back into the lineup will be vital, as his length and rim protection is a must against this Dallas team, and he will know better than anyone how Doncic looks to pull bigs into no-man’s land to render them useless.
Boston will likely look to test Jones Jr. and PJ Washington as three-point threats, which is probably the best strategy, but if they get hot, will the Celtics be willing to adjust? Or will they risk a similar fate to last year’s Miami series, when they insisted the Heat’s shooters couldn’t keep hitting threes? Joe Mazzulla has always preached patience and a trust in the team’s system and approach, but in a 7-game series, small-sample outliers are enough to swing the result. With one playoff run already under his belt, his ability to recognize when he needs to be adaptable will be critical.
On offense, the Celtics face a Dallas team that has walled off the rim throughout their playoff run. Boston will bomb away from deep, of that we can be assured, but how they create their three-point looks will be determinative in whether they’re successful or not — the Mavs have been pretty good at taking three point attempts away from opponents, too, as they’ve allowed the sixth-fewest per game during the palyoffs. Tatum, Brown, and White must be able to beat the Mavs at the point of attack to get into the paint and kick out to open shooters, rather than settling for swinging the ball around the perimeter into hurried, late-clock shots over contests. Porzingis’ re-entry into the lineup also should help add stress to Dallas’ defense, forcing Gafford and Lively to step outside and make tough choices on helping down low or sticking with Porzingis as a shooting threat. With how well Holiday and White have shot, Jason Kidd would be taking a major risk if he put a big man on one of them with the hopes that they could help in the paint and leave either of those two open.
The advantage Boston has that Dallas’ last two opponents haven’t is their secondary on-ball creation. The Wolves and Thunder were heavily reliant on a single shot-creator in Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, respectively, and the inability of a consistent secondary on-ball threat to emerge was a large part of each team’s downfall. The Celtics should present more issues for the Dallas defense in terms of being able to move the ball and attack the Mavs in rotation. Tatum’s willingness and ability to make the right read quickly against doubles and aggressive shows of help will need to continue, as will the decisiveness of Brown, White, and Holiday to go quickly when the Mavs defense is even slightly out of shape.
The Celtics will have to embrace the physicality of the matchup, as Dallas has thrived on defense under the officiating adjustments that have allowed for more contact in the second half of the season and the playoffs. That was a similar tactic used by the Heat to disrupt Boston’s preference of a beautiful, flowing offense, dragging them into the mud and tempting the Celtics to embrace their worst instincts to try and play in isolation.
For all the discussion about Boston’s easy path to the Finals, a win over this Mavericks team would be an accomplishment worthy of any championship squad. That won’t stop all of the chatter, of course, but it should quiet it from reasonable minds. To hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy, they’ll have to overcome many of the challenges that have tripped them up in the past, and the 96 games prior have been preparation for this seven-game final examination that will define their season as a success or failure.
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