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The Denver Nuggets are one win away from yet another trip to the Western Conference Finals after picking up their third win in a row over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their Game 5 win was the first time a home team won in the series, and they now send things back to Minnesota, where the atmosphere will be tense.

Game 5 was a Nikola Jokic masterclass, as the three-time MVP put up arguably his best playoff performance ever with 40 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and zero turnovers. The Serbian star seemed to delight in giving Rudy Gobert work all night, hitting him with every move you can imagine and never doubling up, showing the four-time DPOY something different on every possession. It was truly incredible to watch and there really wasn’t anything for Gobert to do differently, as Jokic just kept tossing, flipping, floating, and scooping the ball in the basket over, under, around, and through him.

Even though there are no answers for Jokic when he’s cooking like that, the entire point of having Gobert is that he’s supposed to keep the other team from dominating inside. When that doesn’t happen, he is going to shoulder a lot of blame. On Inside the NBA after the game, Draymond Green and Vince Carter were sitting in for Shaq and Charles Barkley, and Green has never been happier to have been called into work in his life than getting to sit on that desk and critique Gobert and the Wolves.

Green saying “the big Frenchman is sitting on that podium, speaking his native language, ‘we, we, we need to do this.’ You, you, you need to get a stop,” is an all-timer. He also called out that Karl-Anthony Towns’ body language leaving the court, limping heavily after playing most of the game (and showing few ill effects visually) after banging knees in the first half, and saying that told him everything he needed to know about Minnesota’s belief in themselves.

There’s an argument to be made that Gobert was one of the two best Wolves on the court in Game 5, as he had 18 points and 11 rebounds (with two steals and two blocks) on 7-of-7 shooting. However, that doesn’t really matter when you’re getting torched on the other end — at halftime, Green borrowed Shaq’s line, calling it “BBQ chicken”— and your reputation is as the best big in the league at keeping teams from scoring at the rim. We’ll see if the Wolves can find something deep down inside to challenge the Nuggets in Game 6, but as Green pointed out, the excuses were already being concocted and he doesn’t expect this series to return to Denver for a Game 7.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Since the last update of this weekly R&B column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists.

Here are some new releases from the past week that you’ll enjoy:

Ravenna — “Pluto”

Two years after Asha’s Awakening, Raveena is back with “Pluto.” The blissful record shines thanks to Raveena’s vocal runs that decorate the track that the singer says is “so inner child for me.” She added, “It’s a song about loss, but woven into the most joyful soundbed.”

Andra Day — Cassandra (Cherith)

For her first project since her 2021 The United States Vs. Billie Holiday soundtrack, Grammy winning singer Andra Day is back with her third full-length project, Cassandra (Cherith). Through 16 songs, Day guides listeners through a cleansing journey where she discards the dysfunctional and toxic relationships in her life to make room for things that bring her peace.

Kaash Paige — Catch Me While I Care

Dallas singer Kaash Paige is proudly independent nowadays, and her new project Catch Me While I Care is proof of that. Its 13 songs capture an extremely confident artist to shine in any storm. Paige also brings on Onlybino!, The Big Hash, and SSGKobe as collaborators.

Tink — “Huh”

With Winter’s Diary 5 still en route, Tink drops off her latest single, “Huh.” The emotive single captures Tink’s frustrations with an inconsistent lover. One moment they’re all for the singer, and the next they’re doing something to jeopardize the relationship. “Huh” follows “Charged Up” and arrives ahead of Tink’s gig as an opening act for Jhené Aiko’s The Magic Hour Tour.

Isaiah Falls — “Diva”

Florida singer Isaiah Falls reached new heights thanks to his breakout record “Florida Baby.” Now he’s looking to level up further with his new release, “Diva.” The track is both playful and sultry as Falls employs his smooth guy persona to persuade a woman into a night of fun loving.

4Fargo — Express&B

Extending the momentum he gained thanks to the success of “She’ll Be Okay” in 2023, Georgia singer 4Fargo returns with this debut EP Express&B. Named after his music being “an expression of me,” 4Fargo puts his artistry on display through eight songs and features from K Camp, Honey Bxby, and Jacquees.

SAFE — Tell It Like It Is

Toronto singer SAFE returns with Tell It Like It Is, his third project in two years. Following 2022’s Get Home SAFE, Pt. 1 and 2023’s GHS Pt. 2, SAFE gets straight to the point through 10 songs as he handles all the vocal responsibilities and opts for no features.

Jordan Rakei — The Loop

For his first project since What We Call Life, New Zealand singer Jordan Rakei checks back in with the self-produced The Loop. It’s 13 songs are dreamy, delicate, and intimate, descriptors that have followed Rakei for much of his career.

Otis Kane — “Morning Sun”

If you’re still watching Grey’s Anatomy in its gajillionth season, then you may have caught wind of LA singer Otis Kane’s new single “Morning Sun.” The feel-good record blends pop and soul for a sweet anthem that captures the feeling of new love.

Devvon Terrell — “No Commitment”

Since the end of February, Brooklyn singer Devvon Terrell has continuously delivered new music with weekly drops leading up to this week’s release, “No Commitment.” The synth-driven effort with a rattling bass captures Terrell’s struggles to lock down a woman he’s fallen for. He tries his best to persuade her, but she seems unmoved and determined to move at her own pace, something Terrell gets closer to accepting by the end of the song.

Amaka. — How’s Your Head?

Nigerian-born, Toronto-bred alternative R&B signer Amaka. offloads her second EP with How’s Your Head? The singer describes its seven songs as a “labor of love” and a “test of my patience,” but it was all worth it as How’s Your Head? is a truly elegant and ethereal experience.

The Royal Family has certainly been through a lot in the last year or so. After Queen Elizabeth II passed in 2022, Charles stepped up to the symbolic plate as King in 2023, just before revealing he was being treated for cancer in February of this year. There was also the whole tampon thing… but we’ll get back to that.

So, The Royal Family finally revealed King Charles’ official portrait. And you know what? It’s not very optimistic. The painting, made by artist Jonathan Yeo, features a very… vibrant King Charles descending out of an intense red tint. You can see where this is going, right?

The internet never forgets, of course, so everyone was quick to make the same Tampon Gate joke, referencing Charles’ infamous phone call in which he joked about becoming a tampon, a joke he will never live down.

Of the painting, the artist said, “When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed.” It’s even more puzzling when you look back at his other royal works, which are not at all like his blood-red portrait.

Besides the obvious comments, the real question here is….why? Especially when all of Queen Elizabeth’s portraits were exceedingly normal. But it seems to work in the context of the family.

For more information on TamponGate, you can watch The Crown season five now on Netflix!

A music video filming for rapper Lil Baby was put on hold yesterday (May 14), following shooting in Atlanta. Fox 5 is reporting that three men were shot and injured at the Atlanta location after the shooting broke out.

The shooting reportedly took place near a commercial strip on Verbena Street. Shots were reportedly fired around 4:50 p.m. At the time of the shooting, two victims were visibly struck — a 24-year-old man who was shot in the arm, and the second was a 27-year-old man who was shot in the back. A third victim was later discovered — a 23-year-old man, who was shot in the neck. According to reports, the third man had attempted to drive himself to the hospital following the shooting.

The three victims are said to be “alert, conscious, and breathing.”

According to reports, Lil Baby was not harmed or injured in the shooting, nor was the shooting in connection to Lil Baby or his crew.

“The people who were shot were not part of the video production team, but there may have been individuals involved in the totality of the production,” said Atlanta mayor Ralph Woolfolk.

At the time of writing, an arrest has not been made, nor has a suspect or motive been identified.

If Sydney Sweeney was a Taylor Swift song, she would be “Mastermind.”

The actress engineered — and even encouraged — the affair rumors about herself and Glen Powell while they were making Anyone But You, a romantic-comedy with low box office expectations that ended up grossing over $200 million worldwide. “I was on every call. I was in text group chats. I was probably keeping everybody over at Sony marketing and distribution awake at night because I couldn’t stop with ideas,” Sweeney told the New York Times last month. “I wanted to make sure that we were actively having a conversation with the audience as we were promoting this film, because at the end of the day, they’re the ones who created the entire narrative.”

Powell further discussed Sweeney’s marketing prowess with Vanity Fair.

“We leaned into the chemistry, we leaned into the fun, we leaned into all of it — and the movie benefited. The fun part with Syd was figuring out what’s going to be noisy and sticky. People talk about TikTok as a thing that is cannibalizing the theaters, and what we saw is that they feed into each other: It becomes more eventized and more fun,” he said. “Glen, the person, would not have been comfortable with that a year and a half ago. Now I can put myself in a different place and be a character.”

Powell’s upcoming characters include an undercover hitman in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man; a yee-haw tornado chaser in Twisters; and more likely than not, the return of “Hangman” in a third Top Gun movie.

Anyone But You is streaming on Netflix.

(Via Vanity Fair)

Bridgerton is still going strong on Netflix and will soon debut its third season of courtship for viewers to swoon over. This season, expect to see the usual abundant sex scenes, although this show always makes sure to take the road less traveled on that note. And there’s a question on every Lady Whistledown reader’s mind right about now…

What Time Will ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3, Part 1 Come Out On Netflix?

Netflix will debut this season on Thursday, May 16 at 12:00am PST and 3:00am EST. There’s a catch, however.

The streaming service has decided to go halvsies on this season, so expect four episodes on the above date. The rest of the season (four more episodes) will arrive on Thursday, June 13. Yes, that means more waiting time, but this season’s central pair — Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) — should get especially randy, if that helps the news go over any better out there. Coughlan has even confirmed reports that furniture was broken during the making of these episodes, which should provide many opportunities to meme those scenes into oblivion.

Meanwhile, the show remains Duke-less after Regé-Jean Page made good on his decision to not return after the first season. However, don’t worry about the second-season central couple — Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) — doing the same because they’re still getting down in the same residence (Lady Whistledown is not scandalized).

A Community movie was announced back in 2022, much to the delight of fans and community college students around the country. Since then, the cast has been slowly but surely providing updates regarding production, but for some reason, Donald Glover has become the person to blame for the wait.

Glover confirmed that the film is on the way, despite some road blocks. “It’s happening but I don’t know when. I swear, it’s happening,” the actor told Deadline earlier this week.

While the delays are probably due to the busy schedules of the large cast, for some reason, everyone is quick to assume Glover is the one holding up production. He added, “Everybody is hating on me on the internet and it’s not me! They’re like, ‘We know that you’re the reason.’ Maybe I was last year — maybe — but not this time.”

While Glover takes the blame, in reality, the Community crew have all been busy over the last two years. Glover starred in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, while Alison Brie had a role in Hulu’s Apples Never Fall. Meanwhile, Joel McHale has been busy with his sitcom Animal Control, and Ken Jeong has been unmasking singers. Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Jim Rash and Yvette Nicole Brown are all also expected to return… as soon as Glover is done with his Simba duties.

(Via Deadline)

HBO has released the first images from season two of the Emmy-winning series The Last of Us. In one photo, Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, has longer hair than we’re used to seeing him with (he kind of looks like his Strange Way of Life co-star Ethan Hawke?); in the other, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is holding a gun while dressed in winter clothing. There’s no looks at any of the new characters — including Kaitlyn Dever as ever-polarizing Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, or Young Mazino as Jesse — but I’ll take any The Last of Us I can get.

You can see the images below.

Previously, Ramsey discussed the heightened expectations heading into season two, which adapts the brilliant The Last of Us Part II video game. “I know that that’s like the big fear, that all of us working on the show, and probably the rest of the world have, is that season two isn’t going to be as good as season one,” she told LAD Bible. “But I have a lot of faith in the creators… So I think I think we’re going to do great. I think we will top it.”

One of those creators is Craig Mazin, who has read your internet theories about season two. “I’ve been monitoring things on the internet a little bit, people are very clever, they like to see where we’re shooting and then they have all these brilliant theories about what it means,” he said on his Scriptnotes podcast. “I wish I could put my arm around each one of them and say, ‘No.’ Most of the theories are incorrect, some of them are halfway correct, some of the conjecture is like 28 percent correct.”

The Last of Us season 2 premieres on HBO and Max in 2025.

Canadian alt-jazz band BADBADNOTGOOD has been dropping a relatively steady stream of collaborative EPs over the past year, releasing sets with collaborators both unusual (hardcore band Turnstile) and apropos (soul crooner Baby Rose). Today, they added to this growing collection with a more self-contained EP release, Mid Spiral: Chaos, which hearkens back to some of the band’s more improvisational, jazzy material.

“If this music makes your ears we thank you very much,” the band shared via Twitter (which will never be called by “X” under this particular byline). “We have new friends playing over the whole record with us and this is an exciting and fun chapter. Peace!” Those friends, according to a separate tweet, include Felix Fox-Pappas, Kaelin Murphy, Juan Carlos Medrano, and Tyler Lott.

Mid Spiral: Chaos arrives in a busy year for the band. Not only did they release their EP Slow Burn with Baby Rose just a month ago on April 12, but they have also played Coachella and recently been announced as one of the performers on Aminé’s brand-new Portland festival, The Best Day Ever. All this is coming off a year in which they opened for Daniel Caesar on tour.

You can listen to Mid Spiral: Chaos below.

Last night (May 14), Megan Thee Stallion kicked off her much-anticipated Hot Girl Summer Tour. Her stop in Minneapolis has proven to be a hell of a show, and looks to be one of the most promising concerts of the summer. With an extensive setlist, as well as stunning choreography, and a fun time with fans all around, ticketholders are going to want to remember this night. Thankfully, each show will offer the opportunity to buy merch to do just that.

The Merch Available At Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour

A fan who was in attendance at the Minneapolis show shared an image of the available merch via Reddit.

Within the merch collection are a black t-shirt with an image of Meg by a pool wearing a thong, a tye-dye yellow t-shirt, a long-sleeved red-shirt featuring Meg in a bikini, a white t-shirt with a print image of Meg in a pool, and hoodies with the Hot Girl Summer World Tour text with the tour dates listed on the back.

Fans can also purchase GloRilla merch, which includes a t-shirt featuring the cover of her new Ehhthang Ehhthang mixtape.

Most of the t-shirts go for $45, per the fan-shared photo.