Author: lehang1

Contentious Fever-Storm ending fuels Caitlin Clark ‘jealousy’ talk

Caitlin Clark is at the center of debates about how her star power impacts fellow WNBA players again.

The Fever rookie had a brief run-in with Storm veteran Skylar Diggins-Smith on the court after Indiana beat Seattle 92-75 on Sunday.

Clark — who recorded nine assists to break the WNBA record for total assists by a rookie with 225 —  circled the court while waving her arm as the Indiana crowd cheered, when she collided with Diggins-Smith, who was walking over to the Seattle bench.

ESPN personality Shannon Sharpe, who previously defended Clark when she got similar attention in June, described it as a moment of jealousy on his and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson’s “Night Cap” podcast on Sunday.

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Shannon Sharpe says Skylar Diggins-Smith sped up to bump into Caitlin Clark after the Fever beat the Storm on August 18, 2024.YouTube

Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) reacts in front of Seattle Storm’s Skylar Diggins-Smith (4) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, in Indianapolis.
“They gotta stop this foolishness,” Sharpe said after watching a replay video of 22-year-old Clark and Diggins-Smith, 34.

“Ya’ll see her speed up… Caitlin Clark is getting the crowd going and y’all see Skylar Diggins speed up to make contact with her. Stop this!

“Y’all [are] mad because that corn fed Iowa girl [is] busting your ass. Y’all said she’s too weak. ‘She can’t do this.’ She’s leading the WNBA in assists. She’s cooking. Let her cook! Let her cook!” Sharpe yelled repeatedly.

Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever celebrates in the second half of a game against the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 18, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.Getty Images

Clark was seen hyping up the Fever’s home crowd after Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn seemed upset with Indiana head coach Christie Sides during an animated conversation in the final seconds of the game.

Diggins-Smith was also seen exchanging words with Sides, but it’s unclear what exactly was said.

Quinn said the two were having a spirited conversation when she addressed it her postgame press conference.

Veteran Seattle guard Jewell Loyd bypassed a question about Clark during her postgame press conference with Diggins-Smith.

“I’m gonna talk about our rookies,” Loyd said before complimenting Nika Muhl, Seattle’s second-round pick in the 2024 WNBA draft and Jordan Horston, who was selected by the Storm with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft.

“Nika’s been great. She’s been awesome, putting her work in. I think our Jordan has been phenomeal too [in] the second year of her growth,” Loyd said.

Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever is bumped by Skylar Diggins-Smith #4 of the Seattle Storm after a second half timeout at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 18, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.Getty Images
“Our focus is on our team and what we need to do as a unity to be better. So I feel like what this group has in the locker room has made us better and that’s the biggest importance for us.”

After Sunday’s game, the X account @WNBAStormChaser wrote, “I asked Jewell Loyd what growth she’s seen from Caitlin Clark from the beginning of the season until now. She had no interest in talking about that and praised Nika Mühl and Jordan Horston instead.”

Clark, who finished with 23 points and five rebounds, received a technical foul in the third quarter when she punched the backboard base of a basketball hoop in frustration.

“I got a technical for basically being mad at myself,” Clark told reporters after the game. “I missed a three and went and hit the backboard and (the referee) told me it was ‘disrespectful to the game of basketball.’”

Clark added that that referee fired her up “to continue to play a lot harder,” and thanked him.

Clark has been at the center of attention — and heated debates about how her star power has impacted the WNBA and its players — since Indiana selected the Iowa product with the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.

In June, NBA commissioner Adam Silver discussed the Clark being in the spotlight, and said although she needs to earn her place in the league, she should also be allowed to evolve as a player.

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Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd bypasses a question about Caitlin Clark after the Fever beat the Storm on August 18, 2024.X
“I think Caitlin [Clark] knows, she’s ultimately got to prove it on the floor, and you can’t anoint stars in this league,” Silver said during an appearance on ESPN’s pre-game show, “NBA Countdown,” before the Celtics’ Game 3 win over the Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

“.. I believe she’s going to deliver. She seems to have the character and the drive and the will and the talent. But let her evolve as a player. I want to take the pressure off her, not put more pressure on her.”

Clark became a household name at Iowa during her senior year with her shooting prowess and elite passing — and she led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA championship game in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024.

The Hawkeyes came up short to LSU and South Carolina, respectively.

Clark’s popularity played a major role in the dominance of women’s college basketball, and her transition to the WNBA has helped increase the league’s revenue and attendance.

The Indiana Fever have also seen massive growth across social media, revenue and attendance since drafting Clark.

The Gatorade athlete has a (NIL) valuation of $3.4 million and endorsement deals with Wilson and State Farm, among many other brands.

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Did Justin and Hailey Bieber Welcome Their 1st Child? Fans Speculate ‘Baby Has Been Born’

Did Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber welcome their first child already? Fans suspect that the couple have already become parents after they were spotted separately over the weekend.

The Rhode beauty founder, 27, left her home on Saturday, August 17, to get a smoothie with her bodyguard but did not leave the vehicle. Meanwhile, Justin, 30, was spotted solo at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Hailey was believed to be six months pregnant when the couple announced they were expecting their first child together in May — which would mean her due date landed around August 9.

The A-lister announced the news in a retro-style video that featured Hailey wearing a form-fitting lace gown that showed off her pregnant belly. A rep later confirmed that the expectant mama was already more than halfway through her pregnancy at the time.

The baby bombshell followed months of split speculation after Hailey’s dad, Stephen Baldwin, shared an Instagram Reel to his IG Story in February that left fans concerned about the Biebers. “Christians, please when you think of Justin & Hailey, take a moment to offer a little prayer for them to have wisdom, protection and to draw close to the Lord,” the reel read. “There are special challenges that folks in high visibility positions face.”

Hailey quickly slammed the rumors in early March, telling her TikTok followers that most of the rumors she sees in the media are usually “100 [percent] wrong.”

“Made out of thin air… come from the land of delusion,” she continued. “So I know it may be fun feeding into these stories, but just know they’re always false, xx sorry to spoil it.”

At the time, a source exclusively told In Touch that Hailey also “confronted her father” about his comments and warned him to “refrain from further comments if he wishes to maintain a role in her and Justin’s lives.”

Despite appearing to be on better terms after renewing their vows in June, the pair flew to Japan for some R&R before baby No. 1 and their vacation seemingly didn’t go as planned.

“Their babymoon was a complete bust,” a source close to the couple exclusively told In Touch on June 6. “Friends who saw them at their hotel [Aman Kyoto] said they looked miserable. Justin moped around and seemed sad and out of it, when this should have been one of the happiest times in his life. Hailey was always by his side and tried to lift his spirits, but he rarely smiled. It didn’t look like they were having fun at all.”

According to the source, Justin was still struggling with mental health issues and Hailey was doing what she could to support her husband.

“He’s still kind of in his own world. Hailey is his only true friend, and she’s under a lot of pressure to try to see him through this rough patch. It’s tough on her, especially now that she’s pregnant,” the insider concluded. “But if anything can snap Justin out of this dark period, it’s Hailey. He loves her more than anything, and they both can’t wait to welcome their first child.”

Breakiпg: Whoopi Goldberg Faceplaпts Dυriпg Debate With Jasoп Aldeaп Oп ‘The View’

Iп a cataclysmic collisioп of pop cυltυre aпd coυпtry mυsic, Whoopi Goldberg, revered comediaп aпd stalwart of ‘The View’, foυпd herself oп shaky groυпd dυriпg a receпt debate with пoпe other thaп Jasoп Aldeaп, the coυпtry siпger who has beeп stirriпg the pot of coпtroversy lately. Whoopi, пever oпe to shy away from coпtroversy herself, bit off more thaп she coυld chew this time as she spectacυlarly faceplaпted iп her verbal skirmish with the siпger.

The momeпt the debate was aппoυпced, the aпticipatioп was palpable. Faпs aпd critics alike braced for aп explosive coпfroпtatioп. Whoopi, kпowп for her sharp wit aпd пo-пoпseпse attitυde, versυs Aldeaп, a figυre faciпg iпteпse scrυtiпy dυe to his latest coпtroversial hit, was billed as the showdowп of the ceпtυry. Bυt, as it tυrпed oυt, the clash was more akiп to a comedy sketch thaп aп iпtellectυal debate.
The debate was goiпg smoothly υпtil Goldberg laυпched a broadside agaiпst Aldeaп’s coпtroversial hit. Jυst as she was reachiпg the cresceпdo of her moпologυe, she faltered. For oпce, the seasoпed host seemed to have lost her words. As she scrambled to regaiп her footiпg, the look of astoпishmeпt oп her face was priceless, aпd the iпterпet was пot aboυt to let that goldeп opportυпity pass. Withiп momeпts, the hashtag #WhoopiFaceplaпt started treпdiпg.
Iroпically, the more Goldberg stυmbled, the stroпger Aldeaп seemed to become. Defeпdiпg his work, Aldeaп made it clear that his soпg was a reflectioп of his roots aпd valυes, somethiпg he wasп’t ashamed of. The coυпtry siпger maпaged to preseпt his case with sυch clarity that Goldberg’s earlier raпt started to look more like a misiпformed tirade.

The iroпy was lost oп пo oпe. The womaп who was sυpposed to grill Aldeaп eпded υp gettiпg roasted herself. The iпterпet, as always, was qυick to docυmeпt the momeпt with a flυrry of memes aпd sпarky commeпts. #WhoopiFaceplaпt started treпdiпg worldwide, aпd the viewers had their fill of amυsemeпt for the day.

What was iпteпded to be a serioυs, profoυпd debate desceпded iпto chaos, leaviпg Goldberg red-faced, aпd Aldeaп staпdiпg tall aпd stroпg amidst the coпtroversy. This iпcideпt marked a pivotal momeпt iп the saga, showcasiпg the power of stayiпg trυe to oпe’s roots aпd valυes iп the face of adversity. It also gave υs a clear demoпstratioп of how a debate caп tυrп oп its head iп aп iпstaпt.

Whoopi Goldberg’s fall might пot have beeп a physical oпe, bυt she certaiпly tripped over her owп words, which iп the world of live TV caп be far more paiпfυl. It’s a lessoп to all that before eпteriпg a debate, it’s crυcial to kпow пot jυst yoυr owп staпce, bυt also to υпderstaпd the oppositioп’s. Becaυse iп the heat of the momeпt, a faceplaпt caп be jυst a misplaced word away.

Oпe thiпg is for sυre; this eveпtfυl episode of ‘The View’ will be remembered for a loпg time, etchiпg itself iп the aппals of the show’s history. As for Whoopi Goldberg aпd Jasoп Aldeaп, it will be iпtrigυiпg to see how this dramatic eпcoυпter iпflυeпces their fυtυre iпteractioпs.

Iп coпclυsioп, the пext time someoпe dreams of takiпg oп Jasoп Aldeaп, they better tie their iпtellectυal shoelaces tightly. As for Whoopi, we hope she recovers from her faceplaпt sooп. After all, the world of live TV is releпtless, aпd aпother debate is always jυst aroυпd the corпer.

Following the couple’s confirmation that Hailey Bieber’s due date was in early August, the model appears to have hinted that she has given birth to her first child.

Justin Bieber, left, and Hailey Bieber attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala on Sep 13, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Hailey Bieber appears to have hinted that she has given birth to her first child with husband Justin Bieber.

The 27-year-old model and her singer partner, 30, announced in early May they were expecting a child – and revealed she was six months along at the time, making her due date sometime in early August.

Hailey Bieber has now posted online to say “We have a surprise” – leaving her fans convinced she is now a new mum.

The daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, 58, shared the eyebrow-raising message on her Instagram Stories on Sunday (Aug 18) while promoting her Rhode Skin beauty range.

She first reposted an upload from Rhode with the message “Hi”.

The model’s Rhode Booth has been on a pop-up summer tour and recently appeared in Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Miami, London, and Ibiza.

It will soon make its way to Toronto on Aug 20, and it’s where Hailey Bieber said she would be bringing her “surprise”.

She added the “We have a surprise” text over the Rhode post about the Canada pop-up – alongside eyeball and pink bow emojis.

Hailey Bieber has told ABC News about being an expectant mother: “I was honestly able to keep it quiet because I stayed small for a long time.

“I didn’t have a belly, really, until I was six months pregnant, which is when I announced it.”

The model has recently only been posting content about Rhode on her social media.

Justin Bieber has also been quiet on Instagram, and his last post was a guided prayer video uploaded on Aug 8.

He captioned it: “I believe this guided prayer will give you confidence and remind you that you can access your God-given authority to lead in your community, your workplace or your family.”

At the end of July, fans were convinced they had worked out the gender of the child after seeing photos from Hailey Bieber’s baby shower.

One photo in her post about the party showed a milk and fruit cake that featured blueberries instead of red strawberries – sparking speculation it was code she was expecting a boy.

Dave Portnoy places BOLD $100K bet on Indiana Fever to win the WNBA championship with superstar rookie Caitlin Clark

Dave Portnoy is betting it all on Caitlin Clark.

The WNBA finals may be over a month away, but the Barstool Sports founder has already placed a very bold bet on the Indiana Fever taking home the championship.

‘Caitlin Clark is a top 3 player in the league. Maybe the best. She got rest for the 1st time in a year,’ he wrote on X on Sunday.

‘Ayliah Boston and her chemistry grows every game. They started 1-8. 10-7 since then and improving. I had to do it,’ he added, alongside a screenshot of his $100,000 bet.

Fans were divided over the lofty wager, particularly because the Fever’s only championship came more than a decade ago in 2012.

 

Dave Portnoy placed a very bold bet on the Indiana Fever taking home the championship

‘Caitlin Clark is a top 3 player in the league. Maybe the best,’ he said of the superstar rookie

‘100,000 on a throw away bet is insane,’ one fan wrote in response.

Another suggested, ‘You probably one year too early on this one tbh.’

Others were more optimistic, with one fan writing, ‘worth a shot with those odds, never know!’

A second chimed in, ‘This will go down as the greatest bet in history,’ while another simply labeled it ‘bold.’

Should Indiana beat the odds and bring home the Commissioner’s Cup Trophy, Portnoy will earn a whopping $10,100,000.

The controversial media mogul is no stranger to headline-making sports bets.

Portnoy bagged $1.6 million when the Boston Celtics secured their 18th franchise title against the Dallas Mavericks back in June.

After besting Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavs in five games, Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown, and Co. won the first title for Boston since 2008.

 

Should Indiana bring home the Commissioner’s Cup Trophy, he will earn $10,100,000

Portnoy recently won $1.6million from a future bet after the Celtics secured the NBA title

While the team celebrated with green and white confetti at TD Garden, the Barstool Sports chief basked in another big win on a future wager.

Portnoy turned a $100,000 bet into a massive payday by parlaying the Celtics’ title win with Scottie Scheffler winning RBC Heritage.

‘It’s not about the money but I’ll take the quick 1.6 milly,’ the 47-year-old wrote on X with a screenshot of his bet slip.

He previously claimed to have made $5.4m in the first four months of 2024 alone, after rightly calling results in golf, college basketball, NFL and college football.

However, his hot streak came to an end with the Stanley Cup Final.

Portnoy would have pocketed $1.2million had the Oilers beat the Panthers, after he put $150,000 on Edmonton back in April.

‘The streak ended last night. I can’t be mad at the Oilers. They gave it a great run,’ Portnoy wrote on X at the time.

Taylor Swift Breaks Down in Tears as She Declares Paris ‘Eras Tour’ Stop as Her Final Tour Ever”

In a shocking announcement that has left fans around the world reeling, global music sensation Taylor Swift broke down in floods of tears as she officially declared her 87th ‘Eras Tour’ stop in Paris as her last tour ever. The breaking news of Swift’s emotional revelation has sent shockwaves through the music industry, marking the end of an era in her illustrious career.

During her performance in Paris, Swift paused to address the audience, her voice trembling with emotion as she shared the heartfelt news. Tears streamed down her face as she expressed her gratitude to her fans for their unwavering support throughout her journey, explaining that she had made the difficult decision to retire from touring after this final show.

Swift’s emotional announcement has sparked an outpouring of love and support from fans, many of whom have grown up with her music and followed her career every step of the way. The news of her retirement from touring marks the end of an era for Swift and her devoted fanbase, who have shared countless unforgettable moments together over the years.

As news of Swift’s final tour spreads, fans are left to reflect on the impact of her music and the memories they have shared with her over the years. From her early beginnings as a country music sensation to her evolution into a global pop icon, Swift’s career has been defined by her talent, authenticity, and connection with her fans.

While Swift’s announcement may mark the end of touring, fans can take solace in the knowledge that her music will continue to live on, forever immortalized in the hearts and minds of millions around the world. As Swift embarks on the next chapter of her life and career, fans eagerly await what the future holds for the beloved music icon.

Donald Trump; Taylor Swift Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images

Taylor Swift could bring a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump for posting her image and falsely accepting her endorsement — but legal experts told Salon that the issue raises questions about free speech and Trump’s reputation for hyperbole.

In a Monday post on Trump’s social media network, the Republican presidential nominee shared four images that included pictures of women in “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts and an A.I. image of Taylor Swift that read: “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.”

Trump wrote on the post: “I accept!”

University of Michigan law professor Jessica Litman said Swift could bring a false endorsement claim under section 43(a) of the Lanham Trademark Act, or a right of publicity claim for commercial misuse of her name and face under state law.

“In practice, there’s not much to be gained by filing suit,” Litman said. “The news media has reported that Swift did not in fact endorse Trump, and while Mr. Trump may have believed that the endorsement images were genuine, nobody else seems to have believed that.”

Litman said Trump would likely argue that his post was protected by the First Amendment as core political speech since “he always argues that” and “there’s a good chance that a court would agree.”

Meanwhile, Stanford Law School professor Mark Lemley said the matter “seems quite an easy case for Swift to win under the right of publicity.”

“While the First Amendment generally gives politicians wide berth to lie, the court has been much more restrictive of First Amendment freedoms when IP rights are at stake,” Lemley said. “And these posts were deliberately designed to deceive people about Swift’s endorsement of Trump, which is at the core of why we restrict uses of people’s name and likeness.”

Harvard Law School professor Rebecca Tushnet said Tennessee’s own law provides a broad “right against images like this.”

“There’s a question about whether the political context means that Trump would have free speech rights,” Tushnet said. “And it’s just genuinely unsettled whether he would. Especially since when it comes to Trump it is standard for people to say: ‘Well you can’t believe anything he says.’ To a certain extent is he fooling anyone? The deepfakes generally do the most damage when they fool people. If Donald Trump is not someone you can take seriously, then maybe he’s not fooling anyone.”

Tushnet said Tennessee’s law may be “too broad” but said it’s possible Trump’s free speech would trump a claim by Swift over the false endorsement and use of her likeness.

It’s possible he could argue it’s a political cartoon, for example, she said.

“I think part of the issue here is we have a general idea of what we don’t like but it’s very hard to define things that should violate someone’s right and things that are essentially political cartooning,” Tushnet said. “If you have a political cartoon that no one believes is representing a fact, then you can definitely do that. If a reasonable person would not believe that Taylor Swift was really endorsing, is there really any difference between this and a political cartoon?”

Tushnet said some false endorsement cases involving politicians have involved the use of a musician’s actual song.

“Don Henley in a political ad, people might think that Don Henley endorsed the politician,” Tushnet said. “Here it’s not really Taylor Swift, as opposed to playing a Don Henley song.”

Swift hasn’t taken a stance on the 2024 race. She didn’t endorse a candidate in 2016 either.

In 2012, Trump tweeted thanks to Swift for taking a photo with him and called her “fantastic” and “terrific.”

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

And in 2016, photoshopped images of Swift in a MAGA hat circulated online.

Trump said he liked her “music about 25% less now” in 2018 when she endorsed two Democrats in the U.S. midterms.

Swift discussed speaking out more often about politics in her January 2020 documentary Miss America.

She ended up endorsing the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020.

In May 2020, Swift tweeted about Trump: “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November.”

And in August, she tweeted again her opposition to his candidacy: “Trump’s calculated dismantling of USPS proves one thing clearly: He is WELL AWARE that we do not want him as our president. He’s chosen to blatantly cheat and put millions of Americans’ lives at risk in an effort to hold on to power.”

By Charles Passy

Thanks to the prominent placement of its 2000 single ‘Bye Bye Bye’ in the Marvel superhero movie, the boy band from a generation ago is enjoying a sudden resurgence in popularity

So much for saying bye, bye, bye to the boy-band craze of an earlier era: NSYNC is suddenly riding a new wave of chart-climbing success.

It has to do with the re-emergence of the group’s 2000 single “Bye Bye Bye,” which is prominently featured in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the Disney (DIS) movie that’s part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. As a result, the single has cracked the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart – but that’s hardly the only sign of how it has put NSYNC back in the spotlight since the film’s U.S. release on July 26.

The group has seen its monthly listeners on Spotify (SPOT) jump by 6.9 million, a 75.5% increase, according to the industry-tracking Stat of The Week newsletter from Beats + Bytes and Chartmetric. And the official “Bye Bye Bye” music video has garnered an additional nearly 9 million views on Alphabet’s (GOOGL) (GOOG) YouTube, the newsletter said.

Not that the superhero movie, which stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, isn’t also seeing big numbers. It has taken in more than $1 billion in global ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo, and has already become the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history.

Still, for NSYNC, the sudden success is a seemingly unlikely encore for the five-member group, which first commanded attention in an era when Spotify and YouTube didn’t even exist.

“All five of us are like, ‘This is crazy,’” NSYNC member Joey Fatone told MarketWatch via text. The other members of the group are Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass and JC Chasez.

The result of the single’s newfound success could result in a payday of millions of dollars for the group, the record label and others connected to “Bye Bye Bye” and NSYNC, according to music-industry experts and professionals.

Begin with what Disney had to pay for usage of the single, a figure that likely ranges anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000, according to Clayton Durant, founder of the music-consulting firm CAD Management and an author behind the Stat of the Week newsletter. (Disney didn’t respond to a request for comment for this story.)

But that’s really the smallest share. Income generated from streaming could add those millions of dollars to the equation, Durant said.

Then there’s the possibility of an NSYNC reunion tour, something that has been talked about in recent months. Durant said it’s a stronger possibility than ever because of the “Bye Bye Bye” phenomenon – and such a tour could be a phenomenon unto itself.

“You could be talking [about] a $100 million-plus tour,” he said.

It’s worth noting that NSYNC’s current rise has precedence in terms of other established (or “catalog”) artists suddenly finding themselves back in the spotlight because of a song’s use in a movie or television program.

A recent case in point: English singer-songwriter Kate Bush enjoyed a resurgence when her 1985 single “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” played a key role in the fourth season of the Netflix (NFLX) series “Stranger Things.”

And examples abound outside the cinematic and television arenas. Consider how Creed, a rock band whose heyday dates back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, found fame once again when the Texas Rangers baseball team embraced the group’s music on its way to winning the World Series last year.

“All five of us are like, ‘This is crazy.’”NSYNC member Joey Fatone

It’s all about tapping into the emotions a tune from the past creates, said Jason Peterson, chief executive officer of GoDigital Media Group, a company that works in the entertainment and sports industries.

“When these catalog songs are featured in new media, it calls up these memories and feelings and drives an all-new consumption pattern,” he said.

Nevertheless, such chart-topping examples are more often the exception than the rule. While plenty of songs from the past find their way into current-day media – indeed, record labels have whole departments devoted to making this happen – such placements may result in a decent payday, but not a game-changing one.

The difference with NYSNC and “Deadpool & Wolverine” is that the song is so critical to the movie, music-industry pros note. In fact, it’s part of the opening credits as the character of Deadpool, played by Reynolds, is established as the irreverent superhero he is.

Joe Mulvihill, an artist manager who works with Fatone, said Reynolds was in touch with NSYNC members about wanting to use the song as the picture started coming together. Mulvihill said once everyone involved with the group started talking, it was an easy yes.

“We’re all Deadpool fans,” Mulvihill said.

Also playing into the “Bye Bye Bye” hype is the fact there’s been a nostalgic fervor for the boy bands of a previous generation, to say nothing of a wave of younger listeners showing interest.

Members of this younger generation are often fans of BTS, the breakthrough K-pop boy band, and they’re looking to discover similar boy groups from the past, said Bob Bradley, a music publicist.

Then again, Bradley added, boy-band fervor has been around for quite a while. “It started with the Beatles,” he noted.

-Charles Passy

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

Caitlin Clark (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark went out to the ball game on Saturday and was turning heads.

The Indiana Fever rookie attended the New York Yankees’ outing against the Texas Rangers and was pictured alongside star slugger Aaron Judge, as well as other players.

She got fans talking about her outfit, having shown up to the fixture in a white Yankees jersey over a short top that showed her bellybutton along with denim shorts and white Nike sneakers.

You can see her in the photo below:

“She looks so much better in “normal” clothes vs when she wears those forced pre-game couture fits,” one of the comments read.

Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft after starring for the Iowa Hawkeyes, has only been a pro for a few months, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed his players were “starstruck” when they met her in the Bronx on Saturday.

“Really cool,” he said. “She was impressive. Got to meet her in my office… She was pretty impressive. It was fun to see, the amount of our guys that were kind of just, starstruck being around her. Pretty cool meeting her, and she brought a good start to the day with her.” 

Caitlin Clark Is On Break From WNBA Basketball

Caitlin Clark’s presence probably came about as a distraction for the Yankees as the Rangers got the better of them in a 9-4 result, but they will get another crack at it this Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Fever star is gearing up to return to the court later this month, with the WNBA currently on break because of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

She is in the running for the Rookie of the Year award, as expected; the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese is her main rival where the accolade is concerned.

The Democratic National Convention is putting Michelle Obama’s iconic phrase about “going low” to the test by bringing on former Republican strategist Ana Navarro to host Night 2.

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters

When Ana Navarro, who is best known for being an especially opinionated talking head on The View, was announced as the “celebrity” host for the DNC Tuesday night, many were quick to point out that she was by far the least famous of the roster, which included Tony Goldwyn on Monday with Mindy Kaling and Kerry Washington to follow.

She may not have starred on Scandal or The Office, but given her history, Navarro also promises to deliver the most searing rebuke of Donald Trump when she kicks off tonight’s proceedings.

A Nicaraguan-born political strategist and commentator, Navarro is a Republican who’s become known for her fierce loyalty to Joe Biden and now Harris. Navarro was one of the most called upon Latina voices in political television, even before joining the view The View, as a soundbite-machine for both ABC News and CNN.

She’s been a special advisor to the Government of Nicaragua and even served as Director of Immigration Policy for former Florida governor Jeb Bush. Despite spending her career on the GOP side, Navarro was quick to denounce Trump after the Access Hollywood “Grab ’em by the p—y” tape was leaked in 2016. In the years since, she has publicly supported issues associated with the left, such as gun control and LGBTQ+ rights, and now describes herself as a centrist.

But neither her accomplished background nor her party-switching are what Navarro has been making headlines for lately, as she amps up her attacks on Trump in the weeks leading up to the DNC.

Following the Republican National Convention last month, Navarro went further than any of her co-hosts on The View by suggesting that Biden would have been hospitalized if he had given the rambling speech that Trump delivered. “If Joe Biden had been up there giving that speech, many white coats would have interrupted him and carted him off and put him in a padded wagon,” Navarro said the next morning. “I thought today I would wake up and the TV would be full of doctors talking about Donald Trump’s cognitive decline.”

Then, three weeks ago Navarro upped the ante when she took to Instagram to post a photo of a nude Melania Trump—taken from a British GQ profile shot before her marriage to Donald—in an effort to defend Kamala Harris from the right’s attacks on her dating history.

“Some Republicans are out-there on TV and social media making vile sexual remarks about Kamala Harris and wanting to make her dating history an issue,” Navarro wrote in the caption to the post, which also included a photo of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein. “You want to make this an issue? Bring it on,” she wrote.

She trolled Trump even more this past weekend, when she posted a list of “Things I Trust More Than Trump,” and added her own, which ended up going viral.

Her picks were “a movie-role from Harvey Weinstein, an invitation to Church from Tom Cruise, [and] dinner with Jeffrey Dahmer,” in a list that also included “Kristi Noem taking care of [her puppy]” and “JD Vance alone on my living room couch.” Other social media users added their own untrustworthy scenarios, gleefully joining in as the left gets in on the trolling this time around.

Now, on the same night former First Lady Michelle Obama, who first coined the iconic phrase, “When they go low, they go high,” at the 2016 DNC, is set to speak to the convention hall, Navarro could be the one to most forcefully reject that suggestion.

“You wanna go low?” Navarro posted alongside her Melania Trump photo last month. “I’m not leaving one thing unanswered this time. Not a one. I’ll happily go 20,000 leagues under the sea.”