Taylor Swift is gonna tell Scooter Braun and Big Machine what's up ... by performing her old songs at the American Music Awards ... at least according to the oddsmakers.
The cyber-gambling site, SportsBetting.ag, is offering tons of prop bets on this Sunday's AMAs ... and bookies are banking on Taylor to sing the hits owned by BM, and for Swift to take home Artist of the Year over Ariana Grande.
The odds of Taylor singing stuff like "Shake It Off" are 1 to 5, meaning you gotta wager $500 to win $100. That's a pretty heavy favorite. The odds of Taylor eschewing songs from Big Machine are 3 to 1, meaning a $100 wager pays $300.
As you know ... there's some debate over Taylor's choice of songs for her big AMAs performance. She's angry at Scooter and BM over ownership of the masters from her first 6 albums. Taylor claimed BM was withholding permission for her to sing her old hits, but the label says she can perform anything she chooses during the live broadcast.
Of course, we've reported Taylor might not have enough time to rehearse her old songs. The jury is still out.
Taylor is the favorite to win Artist of the Year -- her odds are even -- while Ariana is second with 2 to 1 odds. Halseycomes in at 3 to 1, Post Malone is 7 to 2 and Drakeis 4 to 1.
Taylor's also expected to go after Scooter and Big Machine during her acceptance speech for Artist of the Decade, and the odds of her saying "Big Machine" on the broadcast are 3 to 2, meaning a $200 wager pays $300.
Looks like Taylor's still making other people rich!!!
Episode three of The Mandalorian season one is called “The Sin” and as the episode proceeds, and the Mandalorian does some heinous stuff, the meaning of the title seems to change. That shift is probably going to be the defining moment for this character. His choices at the beginning and end of this episode are everything.
As the episode started I felt anxious. Was the Mando really going to bring Baby Yoda back to the Client? After all that they’d been through, didn’t you hope he would fly away and raise him on his own? Was the story really going to be so mean to this hugely significant character? It didn’t help the episode began with the maddeningly adorable, and important, moment where the baby removed the chrome top from the lever.
Soon after landing, we see the first “Sin” which was the Mandalorian doing exactly what we hoped he wouldn’t. He brings the baby right back to The Client and gives him up. And guess what? You hate him for it. The shots of the baby looking back at him as he leaves the room are gut-wrenching. You kind of get it, though. He’s a bounty hunter, he needs money, and he’s about to get a lot of it. Still, as he walked out of that room without the baby, I was ready to truly hate this character.
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From the Mandalorian’s point of view though, it seems like the safe play. He has no idea what that baby means or how important it is. Plus, he just got a “camtono” full of beskar steel, just as The Client promised. (A camtono is the ice cream maker from The Empire Strikes Back. We wrote all about it a few months ago.)
New beskar means a trip to the secret, underground Mandalorian hangout and a trip to The Armorer. In episode one, he just had a single piece of armor made. Now, since his armor got destroyed by the Mudhorn and he’s flush with the precious metal, he decides to craft a whole new suit.
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The Armorer scene in episode 3 is crucial.Photo: Lucasfilm
There’s a ton to unpack in the sequence, like the moment where Mando tells the Armorer about Baby Yoda, but describes it as an “enemy” who saved him in battle. An enemy who didn’t know he was his enemy. That’s how the Mandalorian justified giving up the baby, by thinking of him as an enemy, and you can really sense the conflict in him during the exchange.
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Next, there’s how all the beskar attracts the rest of his fellow Mandalorians and the scene evolves from an armor making montage into a short history lesson about Mandalorian culture. It seems like in addition to the purge of Jedi started by Order 66, there was also a “Great Purge” where the Empire wiped out most of the Mandalorians. It’s not clear if these Purges are the same but it’s definitely why seeing a Mandalorian out and about is such a big deal and why the majority of them are in hiding. Plus, it seems, this beskar with the Imperial insignia is just a reminder that the Empire stole from a whole race of people and why tensions are high when it returns.
Finally (yes, still talking about this one scene), I hope you didn’t spend too much money on Mandalorian toys on Triple Force Friday. Because it’s episode three of the show and he’s already got a full new set of armor. From the greens and browns of his first suit, now the Mandalorian is chromed out Phasma-style. Covered in beskar, he’s basically inviting people to hate him because of the flashy show of wealth.
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New suit of armor and Mandalorian history lesson acquired, Mando heads back to Greef to get a new job. Greef can’t believe Mando wants to go back out. Instead, he suggests a trip to the “Twi’lek healing baths,” which sounds less “bath” and more brothel. Mando doesn’t care, though. He wants more work and picks out a bounty on a royal Mon Calamari male that’ll take him far, far away.
Again, no episode 3 photos just yet but here’s the Mando working on his suit.Photo: Lucasfilm
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Arriving back to the Razor Crest, that’s when it happens. The Mandalorian is about to head off and he notices the knob missing on the lever. He misses Baby Yoda. He’s unsure what’s going to happen to him. And at that moment, he makes the choice to go against everything he believes. To break all the rules of bounty hunting. He’s going to make the second and true “Sin” referenced in the episode’s title—a violation of his code as a bounty hunter. He’s going back and rescuing Baby Yoda.
Before going in, Mando hears the Client asking to extract the “necessary material” from the baby. He’s gotta be talking about midichlorians, right? Could they be trying to duplicate midichlorians to make more Force-sensitive beings? Unfortunately, we don’t find out. What we get is Mandalorian sneaking his way into the complex fairly easily, especially since Stormtroopers after the fall of the Empire are still as useless as Stormtroopers at the height of the Empire. Once the Mando finds Dr. Pershing and Baby Yoda, Pershing is worried the Mando is there to kill the baby, not rescue it. Why would that be? So many questions.
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Still, Mando gets Baby Yoda and escapes fairly easily, thanks to the “Whistling Birds” the Armorer crafted for him. Then the beeping begins. It’s the sound of every bounty hunter in town being alerted that there’s a new bounty that needs to be brought in: The Mandalorian himself.
Mando is in deep you-know-what now.Photo: Lucasfilm
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Chaos ensues. Every bounty hunter is blasting their way through town trying to capture the Mandalorian, even good ol’ Greef Carga. Trapped in the back seat of a speeder, it seems all is lost. But then, something happens. The other Mandalorians come out of hiding and fight by the Mandalorian’s side. He knows that means they will have to relocate to another planet but it doesn’t matter. “This is the way,” they say as they cover him and he narrowly escapes, after nearing killing Greef Carga in the process.
And so episode three ends, with The Mandalorian now a wanted man, carrying the most valuable bounty of his career with him, wearing a brand new suit of armor, probably completely clueless of how to get out of this.
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Deborah Chow directed “The Sin” and, if you don’t know who that is, she’s the person directing the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. After watching “The Sin”, it’s obvious that the show is in great hands. Chow has an excellent eye for action, suspense, and peppering in just the right amount of exposition. She directs the hell out of this episode.
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So now, the hunter has become the hunted. And with Baby Yoda now under his full protection at the expense of his livelihood, we have a true emotional connection to this character and his cargo.
Great to see Greef finally get in on the action.Photo: Lucasfilm
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Assorted musings:
Though we have yet to meet Gina Carano’s Cara Dune after three episodes (she should be in next week’s episode), it was cool to see Greef Carga get into the mix a bit. Carl Weathers rules. The way he says “Mando” with an emphasis on the “O” is incredible and it’s fantastic that he’s now being set up as an adversary.
There was lots of talk in “The Sin” about the bounty hunter guild. How asking about the baby was against the guild and how going back was against the guild. Where is this guild, who is in charge, and will we learn more about it?
I appreciate that in all three episodes, the Mandalorian has used his flame thrower a lot. I always loved that Boba Fett had a flame thrower on his arm but he didn’t get to use it much. Here, Mando is flame thrower obsessed. He literally runs out of gas he uses it so much.
Why do none of these planets have names? Even the original Star Wars organically worked the name of the planet into the dialogue. However, I think, so far, we haven’t heard a peep. (Though know Kuiil’s planet is Arvala-7 via the Star Wars website). Is there a reason?
While getting his armor made, Mando had another flashback to his youth. In it, we see several Super Battle Droids, which were used by the Trade Federation during the Clone War era. That basically tells us when he grew up and what he’s lived through.
Where are these Mandalorian foundlings who keep getting beskar saved for them? That must play a role coming up at some point, right?
Great emphasis is put on the importance that Mandalorians never take off their helmets. It’s part of their deepest beliefs. Which, of course, means Mando is totally going to do just that at some point, right? Maybe at the very end of the season?
“I’ve got to get one of those,” Mando says when he sees a fellow Mandalorian with a jetpack. We hope he gets one too.
Finally, one of the most important moments in the episode is in the bar when Greef suggests to Mando he can take his issues up with the New Republic and Mando says that’s a joke. You have to wonder if that’s the popular opinion of the time or not. Do people not care about the new government being formed? And if not, maybe it’s a tiny piece of retcon to explain why there’s no real fallout from its destruction a few years later in The Force Awakens.
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The celebrity spotlight has been shining brightly on Pete Davidson since his whirlwind romance with Ariana Grande. The Saturday Night Live star charmed the pint-sized singer, and they quickly entered an engagement that ended in catastrophe. Grande may have a song on her album dedicated to Davidson, but he’s since moved on with multiple other girlfriends since then. And it seems he’s currently dating supermodel Kaia Gerber.
Gerber is only 18 years old, but she’s already making frequent appearances in New York City to meet up with Davidson. And the two of them appear to be very happy together. Gerber’s recent Instagram post has some concerned, however, as it may indicate she’s experiencing some stress from all the attention she’s getting from the relationship.
Kaia Gerber and Pete Davidson are taking their romance public
Kaia Gerber (L) and Cindy Crawford attend the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai annual luncheon | David Livingston/Getty Images
Davidson was recently dating Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star Margaret Qualley, but shortly after that breakup, he was seen hanging out with Gerber. Davidson and Gerber were first spotted together in New York City at the end of October.
As for how the two met, it’s all thanks to their modeling careers. The 18-year-old is already an accomplished supermodel and walks international runways. Davidson made his runway debut in June 2019 for Alexander Wang, and Gerber was a part of this show as well.
While Gerber and Davidson seemed to keep their romance under wraps for awhile, they’ve since made several public displays of affection. They’ve been caught holding hands in a grocery store, and even more recently, they were spotted kissing at a concert they attended together. As one concertgoer told Page Six, “They were very touchy and seemed very happy. Pete was a gentleman and was holding Kaia’s black coat.”
Many are warning Gerber to stay away from Davidson
Pete Davidson poses in the press room at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards | Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Davidson doesn’t have a good track record with his girlfriends. He appears to move quickly from one woman to the next, and fans have growing concerns for Gerber.
Another wrote, “I read about Kaia dating that guy who has dated everyone. Don’t remember his name. But he has an impressive resume. I was think…..no Kaia, don’t!!!!!”
Davidson promises he treats his girlfriends respectively, however, though he admits he can certainly be overbearing. “My love language, when I’m in a relationship, is I treat the person I’m with like a princess,” Davidson told PAPER Magazine. “Sometimes when you put so much on someone, it overwhelms them, and then they don’t know if they could come close to that. … So, it’s very off-putting to some … It’s something I had to learn in a past relationship, which sucked to learn through that person, but it makes you better.”
Her latest Instagram post is troubling
Gerber’s been in the public eye since childhood thanks to her supermodel mother, Cindy Crawford. And she already has a serious Instagram following thanks to her own model status. But it seems dating Davidson is bringing her a lot of new attention she might not have anticipated.
Gerber posted a screenshot of Matthew Perry’s Chandler Bing shoveling ice cream into his mouth from the sitcom Friends. And she captioned the post, “moral support.”
Many reacted to the post with laughing emojis, and others wondered if all the media attention on her relationship is the reason she posted a stressed-out photo of the character.
“Only you know what is best for you. Love you. And just know you have our support dear,” one fan commented.
Another wrote, “What did Pete do.”
We’re not sure if Gerber’s post has anything to do with Davidson, either — and hopefully, their relationship is going strong. We’ll have to wait and see how it all pans out.
After Brenda Song claimed she was told her "image was basically not Asian enough" to audition for Crazy Rich Asians, the film's director, Jon M. Chu, took to Twitter to address the allegations.
"??Nope," the 40-year-old filmmaker tweeted after a follower shared the article in which Song made the comments. " I love @BrendaSong and that sucks if anything of that nature was ever communicated. It's gross actually. The fact is, obviously I know who she is and didn't need her to audition. I'm a fan of hers! Nothing more nothing less. Bums me out she thought it was anything but."
Chu reiterated this notion after seeing multiple outlets report on Song's claims, as well.
"Would these words ever come out of my mouth?" he tweeted. "Nope. Makes no sense. I feel horrible she thinks this is the reason. The fact is I love Brenda Song and am a fan. I didn't need her to audition because I already knew who she was!"
He also resurfaced a 2018 article about the movie's open casting call.
"One of my favorite memories of making #CrazyRichAsians was when we opened the auditions to anyone in the world with our open call," he tweeted. "We watched hundreds &hundreds of videos from very talented people from all around the world. Made us tear up many times."
Song made the comments during a recent interview with Teen Vogue. While she said she's a fan of the Kevin Kwan book and asked her managers if she could set up an audition, she said she "never got to read," for a part in the project.
"Their reasoning behind that, what they said was that my image was basically not Asian enough, in not so many words," she told the magazine. "It broke my heart. I said, ‘This character is in her late to mid-20s, an Asian American, and I can't even audition for it? I've auditioned for Caucasian roles my entire career, but this specific role, you're not going to let me do it? You're going to fault me for having worked my whole life?' I was like, ‘Where do I fit?'"
The Disney Channel star, who played London Tipton on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, said she then decided to take some time off to travel.
"I got myself together and said, ‘Brenda, there is only one you, and you can't change who you are. You can't change your past,'" she said. "I am so grateful for every job that I've done. All I can do is continue to put good auditions out there, do the best that I can—that's all I can ask for."
Ahead of the launch of its new album, "Everyday Life," Martin said the group wants to take time over the next year or two to consider how future tours can be "sustainable" and also "actively beneficial."
"How can we harness the resources that our tour creates and make it have a positive impact?" Martin told the BBC.
Speaking from the Jordanian capital Amman, Martin said: "All of us, in every industry, have to just work out what the best way of doing our job is."
He admitted that "the hardest thing is the flying side of things."
The dream, he said, was to have a show with no single-use plastic and for it to be largely solar-powered.
Martin said it was a question of "just accepting that you have to do your best" and not be overly critical of others.
He also expressed optimism that others will "catch up... if you prove that it's easy to do it the right way."
Coldplay's last album tour, "A Head Full of Dreams," finished in November 2017.
The British band will give two performances in Amman Friday to mark the release of its new double album "Everyday Life."
The shows will be streamed live on YouTube.
Next week, the band will perform at the Natural History Museum in London.
According to the group's official website, all proceeds from the concert will go towards ClientEarth, a charitable organization which uses the law to protect the environment.
