Following the much-hyped release of Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance, the artist faced backlash over the use of the word “spaz,” which has been referred to an an ableist slur, on “Heated.” Now, Beyoncé has listened and is set to alter the song.
In a statement shared with Variety today (August 1), Beyoncé’s team said, “The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced.”
While much of the immediate reaction to the album was focused on the high quality of the music, there were those who wondered why Beyoncé chose to include the word in “Heated,” especially since Lizzo used the term in her track “Grrrls” in June and promptly changed the song after becoming aware of the word’s controversial nature.
Notably, Hannah Diviney, the writer and disability advocate who brought much attention to the word after Lizzo used it, published an opinion piece in The Guardian today in which she notes that Beyoncé’s artistry and focus on Black issues “doesn’t excuse her use of ableist language – language that gets used and ignored all too often.” She continued, “Language you can be sure I will never ignore, no matter who it comes from or what the circumstances are. It doesn’t excuse the fact that the teams of people involved in making this album somehow missed all the noise the disabled community made only six weeks ago when Lizzo did the same thing.”
The word is derived from “spastic” and “spasticity,” a condition marked by involuntary muscle movements, experienced by people with nervous system issues like stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury, or multiple sclerosis. According to Benjamin Zimmer, editor for American dictionaries at Oxford University Press, in the 1960s, usage of the word in the US shifted “from its original sense of ‘spastic or physically uncoordinated person’ to something more like ‘nerdy, weird, or uncool person.’”
It’s been a while since Star Wars fans got a good look at Andor, the new prequel series set before the events of Rogue One. The first teaser debuted back in May during Star Wars Celebration, and since then, it’s been mostly quiet as the Diego Luna-led series neared its release date. Not anymore.
Disney+ has just dropped the official trailer for Andor, and if fans of Rogue One are hoping the series will match the aesthetic of the film, they’re going to be very happy. Along with the compelling presence of Stellan Skarsgärd, the epic trailer shows Luna’s Cassian Andor and the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance take on a Galactic Empire that has grown fat, greedy, and too arrogant to release the Rebel threat inside its walls.
The trailer also revealed that Andor has slightly tweaked its release schedule. Originally set to drop its first two episodes on August 31, the series will now premiere three episodes on September 21.
Here’s the official synopsis:
The Andor series will explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
Andor will release its first three episodes on September 21 for Disney+.
New Orleans rapper Mystikal, best known for his run of early 2000s hits including Danger “Been So Long),” “Shake Ya Ass,” and “Bouncin’ Back (Bumpin’ Me Against The Wall),” has been arrested for first-degree rape and false imprisonment according to local news. It’s the third time he has been accused of rape; in 2003, he pled guilty to sexually assaulting a hairstylist, spending six years in prison, and registering as a sex offender. Meanwhile, in 2017, he avoided charges of another assault in Shreveport when they were dropped and was released from jail on a $3 million bond.
Among the charges he currently faces are first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery, false imprisonment, and simple criminal damage to property. He was arrested on Sunday and has not posted bail as of press time.
Before his legal troubles began, Mystikal had a moderately successful career as a member of Master P’s No Limit Records, but reached the peak of his success in 2000, when he released Let’s Get Ready on Jive. It was his only album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the Neptunes-produced “Shake Ya Ass” became his signature hit. He also featured on Ludacris’ “Move Bitch,” another runaway hit. More recently, he recorded with blog rap favorites like Trinidad James and Lil Dicky in 2016 and went viral for a radio freestyle that was revived last year thanks to some security footage of a man repelling a bear from his backyard.
Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” has perhaps the most famous music video ever, or at least the most famed of the internet era thanks to the famous bait-and-switch “Rickroll” prank. The gag, which involves sharing links that unexpectedly lead to the video, has led to the 1987 visual being one of the most-viewed music videos in YouTube history. Simon West, the video’s director, says that even he’s been Rickrolled and he’s not a fan.
In an interview with Metro, West — whose directorial credits also include movies like Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Black Hawk Down, and The Expendables 2 — noted it’s happened to him “three or four times.” He said, “People are sensitive to it [but] people who know me really well know that I’m not gonna go ballistic. But when it happens, it’s the worst thing! You think they’re gonna send you a cool video about surfing or something and up it comes.”
West also said that he didn’t think much of the quickly and cheaply made video at the time, but that it “haunted” him both after the song’s release and after its internet-fueled resurgence:
“It was one of those things that haunts you! But it didn’t haunt me for many years afterwards. It was one of those shoots that was very cheap, very quick, did it one night. Rick was lovely, but I thought I’d done much bigger and more impressive stuff than that. But of course it’s the one that goes to No. 1 across the world. I’d be shooting in Australia and it would come up. I’d go to Canada, and the thing just follows you around. And then it dies down for 20 or 30 years, and then Rickrolling comes around, and the damn thing comes back again! And starts haunting you again.”
John Oliver got in a surprise jab at Dr. Oz during the latest episode of Last Week Tonight. While going deep on the current state of mental health care, Oliver slipped a solid burn at the TV doctor and his long-documented history of medical quackery. The moment came when Oliver played a black-and-white clip of nurses being told to put makeup on female patients to “swing the balance between despair and recovery.” It was horrible advice, so naturally, it reminded Oliver of the New Jersey doctor who he once shared a studio with.
“I don’t know what is more alarming there, nurses being forced to take on the skills of a Sephora brand ambassador or the fact that “Can Makeup Cure Sad?” sounds like an episode that Dr. Oz definitely did,” Oliver quipped via HuffPost.
Of course, getting burnt alive is something Oz should be used to by now. He’s currently trailing far behind John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s senate race thanks to a non-stop barrage of brutal social media posts highlighting the fact that Oz isn’t even from the state. Fetterman even enlisted the help of Jersey celebrities Snooki and Steven Van Zandt to help him call out the carpetbagging doctor.
The situation in PA has gotten so bad for Oz that Donald Trump has been whining to Sean Hannity about it. Trump helped Oz just barely squeak out a win in the Republican primary, but now, he’s tied to the TV doctor as he continues to get his ass handed to him on a daily basis. If there’s one thing Trump hates, it’s losing. Just ask the January 6 committee.
Schnauz acknowledged the feedback to “Nippy” in a tweet hyping tonight’s episode. “This is my last episode of #BetterCallSaul. Ever. I hope most of you like it. I hope a small portion of you (and you know who you are) are bored senseless by it and consider it the worst episode ever,” he wrote. The Comic Book Guys of the world are ready.
At the unveiling of the Walt and Jesse statues at the Albuquerque Convention Center over the weekend, creator Vince Gilligan had this to say about tonight’s Better Call Saul: “Spoiler alert, everybody. You’re hearing it first; no one else knows this yet. This coming Monday night, if you happen to be watching the AMC network — and thanks to them as well — you might just see these two on the next Better Call Saul.” I still think it would be extremely funny if Bryan Cranson and Aaron Paul showed up as two new characters, not Walt and Jesse. That would go over well with the fanbase.
You can watch the preview for “Breaking Bad” (the episode, not the show) below.
The dozens of allegations against Watson came after a trade request from the Texans and led to him sitting out last season (with Houston also settling civil suits with many of the women because of their role in enabling him by providing him with an NDA to get signed and letting him take a massage table from the facility). The Cleveland Browns were among the teams willing to overlook the allegations and not only trade for him but sign him to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal, that was purposefully structured so he wouldn’t lose much money if he was suspended for the entire first year, as the NFL was reportedly pushing for an indefinite suspension that would last at least one season.
However, the NFL and NFLPA battled over Watson’s suspension, taking it to the league’s third party disciplinary officer, former judge Sue Robinson, to preside over the decision. Ultimately, Robinson landed on six games as the suspension for Watson, without any further fine on top of it — with Watson only losing $333,333 because of the way the Browns structured his contract — as she claimed that while “egregious” his actions weren’t violent and as such didn’t merit an indefinite suspension.
Judge Sue L. Robinson’s decision says Deshaun Watson’s “pattern of behavior was egregious,” but notes that behavior was “nonviolent sexual conduct” in explaining the decision to suspend him six games, per source.
The league will have three days to appeal the ruling and one would expect that they will, as the six games is far fewer than they were pushing for and also makes them look extremely bad in the eyes of many, who will see Watson get six games for sexual misconduct and Calvin Ridley get 17 games for gambling on NFL games and see it as another example of football not caring about women.
Along with the six game suspension, Watson will be disallowed from receiving massages outside of the Browns facility as part of the ruling, but this situation seems far from over with the appeal process looming.
Sylvester Stallone has been making headlines for his dragging of Rocky producers, who he called “pathetic” and “moronic” over their plans to film a Drago spinoff amid continuing success of the Creed movies. Stallone has formally left the franchise building and won’t be back for Creed III, and he’s subsequently felt free to rain fire upon Irwin Winkler over ownership stakes in the iconic films. Speaking of fire, the man who embodied John Rambo has had a bit of a hellish experience this summer.
Stallone’s been in Oklahoma to film Paramount+’s Tulsa King series, which has been on location in the city proper and in the OKC area. Locals not-so-affectionately refer to that as the “biggest truck stop in the world,” which is beside the point. Like much of the U.S., Oklahoma has been freaking hot lately. Regional patron saint/weather dude Travis Meyer has guided residents through an unprecedented number of consecutive 100+ degree days, and let’s just say that Stallone is feeling the burn. While showcasing his mob capo character’s love for tiny cups, he got real with an Instagram comment.
KJRH, a local CBS affiliate, spotted a Stallone reply to Andrew Dice King’s affirmative comment: “Can Tell it’s Gonna Be Great !!!” And then came Stallone’s response: “Being in Oklahoma has definitely prepared me for a lifetime in hell if I ever got sent there!”
Well, he’s not wrong, but watch out, Sly. You’ll miss these days when you’re filming a wintery Season 2, which I’m just gonna title as Tulsa King: The Ice Storm Where Power Went Out For Nine Days.
In Tulsa King (which arrives from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan), Sly plays a mafia boss who leaves prison and gets shipped off to Oklahoma, where he’s totally out of his element and must build his mob army or something. Details have been scarce, thank goodness. That’ll make it all better to experience a sweaty Stallone when Tulsa King streams in November.
In recent years, there has been much talk about BTS’ mandatory military service: In South Korea, able-bodied men between 18 and 28 years old are required to serve in the military for around two years, depending on the branch of military. Some politicians think the group should be able to skip the service. The time is coming for action to be taken on this front, though, as per a revised law in 2020, K-pop stars can delay their military service until they’re 30 years old, and Jin, the group’s oldest member, turns 30 in December.
Now, a South Korean government official says that even if BTS members end up being required to join the military, they could still perform during that time.
According to News1 (as translated by NME), at a National Defense Committee held by the South Korean National Assembly today (August 1), South Korean defense minister Lee Jeong-seop noted, “I believe BTS could enlist in the military and still be given time to practice and perform overseas.”
He also said, “The Ministry Of National Defense has reviewed [the issue of BTS’ enlistment] in consideration of maintaining fairness, equity, and military service resources, and they could be able to continue performing for national interests. […] As many people highly value [artists serving] in the military, that may help boost their popularity even more.”
The heat won’t stop in August, and luckily for all of us, our TVs will be almost as full of steam at the end of the month. The greatest July offerings shall be followed by Dragons. Lots of them. And Targaryen wigs aplenty. That means that the first Game of Thrones spinoff is upon us, but there’s so much more if you’re feeling wary of diving into another epic series. There’s a returning black comedy and a new psychological thriller and sports documentaries (one of them starring Ryan Reynolds and Rob Rob McElhenny) and the return of some Indigenous mayhem with those Reservation Dogs.
In addition, Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman springs to life on the small screen, and lemme tell ya, the high anticipation factor for that show might turn out to be both a blessing and a curse. Another 1990s creation (and a very different one at that), Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head, promises to rustle up the best type of mindless nostalgia, and if that’s not enough, a few new Marvel Cinematic Universe shows and much more are coming your way. Here are the must-see shows for August.
Industry: Season 2 (HBO and HBO Max series streaming 8/1)
Think about a mix of Euphoria and Succession, and you’ve at least nailed the vibe of this finance drama. It’s not as commanding as those two HBO shows, but the group of ambitious, young Wall Street types is nonetheless compelling; watch this ensemble get truly cutthroat at a breakneck market pace. Expect some sexual tension and drug use and returning stars Sarah Parish, Ken Leung, David Jonsson, Nicholas Bishop, Mark Dexter, Sagar Radia, and Caoilfhionni Dunne. Finance never looked so sensual.
Reservation Dogs: Season 2 (FX series 8/2)
This show’s a favorite around here, and not only for the frybread recipe. It’s a show that you would probably like, and it’s a rip-roaring ride through Indigenous rural life in America. And the show’s also Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s love letter of a rambling portrait of rascals who live a comically low-stakes life of troublemaking. It’s a tremendous display of not only representation but also the beauty in the stories that these characters come together to tell. Rez Dogs also has a fantastic time taking back ownership of how Indigenous characters have traditionally been portrayed in pop culture projects since the dawn of Hollywood.
Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head (Paramount+ series streaming 8/4)
Decades after the fact, it’s still a grand pleasure to revisit these two buttmunches who have gone nowhere at all, and ain’t that a shame and a treat at the same time. Hopefully, we’ll get plenty of inane commentary on music videos because there’s a lot of catching up to do, and we’d better get some episodes with Cornholio right off the bat. Mike Judge’s original brainchild simply won’t stop, even though it’s still one of the silliest things that you’ve ever seen. Please let them tell us where the “olio” is, too.
The Sandman (Netflix series streaming 8/5)
Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic book series finally lands on the small screen (while the successful Audible epic keeps lugubriously pushing forth). The story picks up with Morpheus (the King of Dreams) angry as hell and for good reason. He takes vengeance against those who have imprisoned him, and he moves through space and time and dimension on an often mind-bending cosmic trip. In the end, the story weaves a miraculous tapestry of fiction and drama, infused with mythology for the ages. Let’s hope this show is worth the extensively long wait. Peachy keen!
I Am Groot (Disney+ series streaming 8/10)
Well, if Hawkeye got his own show, then you gotta give one to the most adorable twig who’s ever graced the MCU. He won’t have many words for us, but hopefully, he’ll do some dancing. This shall be a series of five shorts, rather than full-length episodes, and you know what? That’s alright, and the short runtime will make up for some of those times when you desperately needed to pee at the theater but didn’t want to miss Captain America whooping Thanos’ ass.
Resident Alien: Season 2 (SYFY series streaming 8/10)
This offbeat sci-fi show (and adaptation of the Dark Horse comic) returns Alan Tudyk to us in freaking alien form. He’s still hell bent by his true desire (to murder mankind) while masquerading as a small-town doctor, but at some point, he decided to help solve a murder. Very little about this show makes sense, and that’s part of the beauty of it all.
Locke & Key: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 8/10)
Joe Hill’s best-selling Locke and Key horror comic will bring its TV adaptation home with one final season. That spirit called Dodge is still a total pain in the ass, and yes, there are still literal keys, and maybe, just maybe, that ancestral house will actually start to feel like home. There’s love and loss and spooks and a devoted fanbase who will drink up the last drops of the story.
Tales Of The Walking Dead (AMC and AMC+ series streaming 8/10)
Even though the principal series has nearly come to an end, the spinoffs and sequels (and maybe Rick Grimes movies) shall continue. This anthology season presents six different new individual stories from the same universe. Expect to see Samantha Mathis’ Alpha as she used to be, along with apparently returning characters still portrayed by the original actors (Steven Yeun, Jon Bernthal, and Michael Rooker) plus more all-star editions including Terry Crews and Olivia Munn. Let the backstories and assorted stand-alone episodes flow.
Never Have I Ever: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 8/12)
Mindy Kaling’s brainchild (one of many, that is) returns for more coming-of-age shenanigans, and this season, Devi ends up achieving one of her goals (romance), but relationships end up being a lot more work than expected. And more drama, too, when it comes to family, friendships and romance. The story still feels absolutely fresh, and this show’s a reminder that inclusion and representation often yields some of the most original and celebrated new shows out there.
Untold: Volume 2 (Netflix series streaming 8/16)
The streaming service brings back this critically acclaimed docuseries with four new weekly epic stories. Expect to explore the expected (football and basketball) as well as the more offbeat (streetball) while the narrative takes you far beyond the media portrayal of each case. There’s grit and comedy and pathos and a “Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist,” which delivers one heck of a lesson about public relations, especially where it involves Hawaii native Manti Te’o, who deals with a great tragedy after entering college as a star player.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Season (Disney+ series streaming 8/17)
Allison Brie didn’t get to portray the “Allison Brie type” role, but hey, we’re getting Orphan Black‘s Tatiana Maslany, who appears to tackle the CGI-accentuated (and very green, 6’7″) MCU lawyer part by storm. Mark Ruffalo will be on hand as Bruce Banner, and hopefully, we’ll get to see him be cute with tacos again. Or show the Hulk Butt like he did in Thor: Ragnarok. Admit it, that’s on your wishlist, too.
House Of The Dragon: Season (HBO and HBO Max series on 8/21)
If you’ve ever wanted to see Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, and Emma D’arcy in Targaryen wigs, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. This prequel takes place hundreds of years before Game of Thrones, and George R.R. Martin wants everyone to know that he’s not here for the “toxic f*cking internet” opinion regarding the eighth season of the franchise’s flagship series. Martin is onboard as co-creator but also co-showrunner, so we might not ever see Winds of Winter, but at least we’re getting this show and a Jon Snow “Knows Nothing” standalone series. And dragons! Let’s face it, that’s what’s really important here, along with the story of this house before it fell, and Martin previously let it slip that Daenerys was unique, and the rest of the Targaryen clan isn’t impervious to fire.
Kevin Can F**K Himself: Season 2 (AMC and AMC+ series on 8/22)
This show’s as dark and bleak as one can expect, but all of those Kevin James-starring shows had it coming. This season, Annie Murphy’s long-suffering wife will (maybe?) finally do the deed of taking Kevin out. Murphy is fantastic as always, and Mary Hollis Inboden doesn’t get enough credit for playing the sidekick that every fed-up, possibly homicidal (yet still sympathetic) sitcom wife has needed, throughout all of TV history.
Welcome to Wrexham: Season (FX series streaming 8/23)
As recent legend has it Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny just kind-of decided to buy a soccer team, and then they decided to make a documentary series about the endeavor because why not. Expect some Ted Lasso feels to shine through, intended or not, and perhaps Reynolds will be able to keep a straight face for a few onscreen moments.
The Patient (Hulu limited series streaming 8/30)
The Americans producers bring the world Domhnall Gleeson like you’ve never seen him before: as a serial killer (Sam) who’s terrorizing Steve Carell’s therapist character (Alan). Sam ends up taking Alan prisoner, and in the course of trying to help a killer stop killing, Alan’s own repressed memories rise to the surface, and clearly, both men have a lot of work to do. Expect plenty of twists and turns, of course, and maybe some topsy turvy behavior from the producers, since surely, you’ve seen their work already.
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