Beyoncé Shows Off A Different Side Of Beychella In New Documentary Trailer



(Larry Busacca/PW18/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment)

In 2018, Beyoncé snatched wigs, hairlines, and lifespans with her destructive Coachella performance, dubbed Beychella. I say “destructive” because it eviscerated all expectations of her constantly shifting performance paradigm. It was a mesmerizing, glitz-and-glamoured look at what America knows about the experience of black students who attend historically black colleges. There was the bright, neon yellow that makes black skin glisten like fresh embers in a fireplace. A cavalcade of black berets with an accompanying militaristic level of restraint and focus where one could balance a penny on a finger indefinitely. Curvaceous bodies softly dancing to the startling crashes of ride cymbals.

Her history-making set — she was Coachella’s first black female headliner — is coming to Netflix on April 17 with Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé. In the magical trailer released today (April 8), the legendary singer takes fans onto the stage of the performance and behind it, revealing the mindset, working atmosphere, and experience as it happened.

The trailer is cut at just short of two minutes. Maya Angelou’s voiceover sets the stage as she speaks about representing her race, with shots of the preparation stage taking place. Grinning, youthful women get their hair done, with twisted knots and the buzz of clippers preparing them for the next step. Guys twirl drumsticks and dap each other, smiling. Dancers scream in the purest form of excitement, some masked. Blue Ivy even gets in on the road to Beychella; she sits in a chair with backup dancers, twirling her hair in a routine and she’s a smaller, fiercer, reincarnation of her mother.

Then there’s a crash of drums and cymbals and the performance night comes roaring back to view. Several of Beyoncé’s captivating looks are captured in the span of seconds – ghostly, majestic silver, baggy hoodie and Daisy Dukes, shimmering dress and scepter – but she isn’t the camera’s focus. It’s the stage. It’s on Jay-Z‘s smile mid-performance. It’s on the gyrating, hooting and hollering bodies of the band. It’s on the experience.

This is also the first time that the entire performance will be available to see since its initial livestream in April 2018. Now’s the perfect time to revisit the glowing performance if you’ve already seen it. If not, buy a helmet before April 17. The remaining hair on your head and eyebrows will blow away in the wind.

Take a look at the trailer up above.

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Sonos and IKEA announce $100 bookshelf speaker and $180 lamp speaker

Two years after first announcing a partnership, Sonos and IKEA are finally ready to show off their first products designed for the home.

The first in the new SYMFONISK product line is a $99.99 WiFi Bookshelf Speaker that can be mounted in a number of ways and serve as a wall shelf for small and lightweight items like books. The other is $179.99 table lamp with built-in speaker.

The two products are the next phase in IKEA’s Home Smart family of products, which already includes furniture with built-in wireless charging mats and smart lighting. 

SEE ALSO: Apple just cut the price of HomePod, but it’ll need to do more to compete with Amazon and Google

The partnership is a natural fit: Sonos is well-known for its high-quality home speakers and IKEA is a household name when it comes to furniture. And both companies pride themselves on creating good-looking products that are sold at reasonable prices.

Though we haven’t seen it in person yet, the WiFi Bookshelf Speaker looks pretty neat. It can be mounted horizontally or vertically and support up 6.6 pounds of weight. 

The WiFi Bookshelf Speaker can support up to 6.6 pounds of weight.

The WiFi Bookshelf Speaker can support up to 6.6 pounds of weight.

Image: sonos

It blends right in with these stacks of books.

It blends right in with these stacks of books.

Image: sonos

It even comes with a special bracket system that makes the shelf speaker appear as if it’s floating on a wall without making the brackets themselves visible.

Additionally, the Bookshelf Speaker can be laid flat on a shelf or even hung onto rails using separate hook accessories.

Of course, because it’s a collaboration with IKEA, the shelf speaker was also thoughtfully designed to work well with IKEA furniture. Sonos says the speaker integrates snug into its popular Kallax and Expedit bookshelf systems.

Sonos tells me the speaker contains two “class-D digital amplifiers” and a built-in tweeter and a mid-woofer. Despite its compact size and $100 price, Sonos says it and IKEA made sure not to compromise on sound. Of course, we’ll have to be the judge of that once we’re able to listen to shelf speaker for ourselves.

Both come in white or black.

Both come in white or black.

Image: sonos

The generically-named “Table Lamp with WiFi Speaker” is a little more purposeful with its dual functionality as a lamp and a speaker.

Sonos and IKEA designers told me they noticed bedside tables were getting cluttered with both a lamp and speakers like a Google Home or Amazon Echo. So they combined the two into one product.

Like the Bookshelf Speaker, the Table Lamp with WiFi Speaker is a very simple product. There’s a dial on the fabric-covered speaker body that turns it on and off and playback control buttons on the base.

The speaker lamp’s shade and fabric-covered exterior are also “hackable” and were designed to be easily removable. 

Sound is reportedly comparable to a Sonos One and also like the Bookshelf Speaker, it also has two class-D digital amplifiers, a tweeter, and a mid-woofer.

Power to you if your home looks this minimalist!

Power to you if your home looks this minimalist!

Image: sonos

One thing you may have noticed by now is that neither speaker has any smarts. Neither has a built-in microphone and as a result don’t support Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Assistant. And the Table Lamp doesn’t come with a smart light bulb.

When I asked Sonos and IKEA why these aren’t smart speakers, they told me their goal with the two SYMFONISK products was to focus on the fundamentals of form and function. 

If you, however, want to add smarts to the two products, you can. I’m told you can pop in any smart light bulb like one from Philips Hue control it via an app or a digital assistant. Similarly, you can also connect both speakers to a non-IKEA Sonos speaker, like the One, that does have a microphone and use Alexa to control them. 

The Bookshelf Speaker can be laid flat if you don't want to mount it.

The Bookshelf Speaker can be laid flat if you don’t want to mount it.

Image: sonos

On paper, both products appear to be solid speakers that serve dual functions. The real test will be how good they sound. We’ll find out in August when both of them go on sale at IKEA.

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‘Take Back the Prom’ campaign wants to change prom culture

Prom discrimination can affect LGBTQ youth, interracial couples, and low-income students. “Take Back the Prom” aims to make prom inclusive for everyone.

Image: Jupiterimages / Getty Images

By Rebecca Ruiz

Prom is a rite of passage for American teens. It’s also a ritual that fills far too many young people with anxiety. 

That’s what DoSomething.org, a nonprofit organization that gets youth involved in social change campaigns, discovered when it started researching how teens felt about prom. The organization found millions of Google search results related to prom anxiety. 

“Prom is supposed to be a celebratory event and a cultural moment for young people.”

Teens were taking their worries about drinking, sex, and rejection to the internet. Students of limited means agonized over the cost. LGBTQ youth were anxious about being forbidden to attend prom, particularly with a same-sex or gender-nonconforming date. Interracial couples feared discrimination, or had already experienced it.

The anecdotes prompted DoSomething.org to solicit prom-related discrimination stories from some of its 5 million members. They received a thousand submissions within a few weeks. That outpouring led the organization to launch “Take Back the Prom,” a multi-faceted campaign to make the annual spring dance as inclusive as possible.  

“Prom is supposed to be a celebratory event and a cultural moment for young people,” says Carrie Bloxson, chief marketing officer of DoSomething.org. “If we want to do it in the right way, we need to be mindful of the fact that this generation reflects a number of diversities we might not have had [in years past]. We can all agree that prom could use an update for 2019 and beyond.”

SEE ALSO: How 4 teens took on bullying — and won

The campaign features a crowdsourced map of prom discrimination incidents to which any student can contribute. It’s designed to preserve anonymity, so the map only documents accounts at the state level rather than providing school- or city-specific information. The point is to show that prom discrimination happens in every state across the nation, says Bloxson.

For students who want to change prom culture for the better, the campaign offers resources on how to talk to school administrators about replacing the outdated tradition of electing a king and queen with new gender-inclusive prom courts. Bloxson says school officials may stick with certain rituals because it’s what they experienced growing up; they don’t realize how those rules and expectations exclude students who’d like to participate. 

Meanwhile, the campaign’s clothing donation drive is collecting gently-used formal wear, including dresses, suits, and shoes, to distribute to teens who might otherwise skip prom given the cost of purchasing an outfit. 

“Prom should be for everybody,” says Bloxson. 

While the campaign’s goal is to make prom inclusive, DoSomething.org also realized that teens get anxious about the event regardless of whether they feel welcome. So the organization opened up an “anxiety textline” that youth can contact for advice and guidance (text PROM to 38383). DoSomething.org staff, college students, and LGBTQ youth operating the line are prepared to talk about subjects like sex, drinking, body image, and not having a date. Messages about sensitive concerns, including urgent mental health issues, will be immediately routed to Crisis Text Line, a sister organization to DoSomething.org. 

The Take Back the Prom campaign runs through June 30. Bloxson says that if it generates enough interest, DoSomething.org may look at expanding its inclusion efforts to homecoming. 

“The good thing,” she says, “is we have a template now for how to make change.”

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NBA Players Pick James Harden over Giannis for MVP in Amick’s Anonymous Poll

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 3: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the game against the LA Clippers on April 3, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)

Chris Elise/Getty Images

NBA players have chosen.

James Harden is the MVP.

Sam Amick of The Athletic published the opinion of 122 NBA players, 44.3 percent of whom believe Harden should take home his second straight MVP:

1. James Harden (44.3 percent)

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (38.9 percent)

3. Paul George (12.7 percent)

4. Joel Embiid (1.7 percent)

T-5. Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard (1 percent)

Of course, we will get a larger sample this summer when the NBPA hands out the Players Voice Awards. Harden won the MVP from both the media and players last year. He and Antetokounmpo are the favorites to take home the honors for 2018-19, with voting likely being drawn down ideological lines.

Antetokounmpo is deserving and perhaps the more traditional choice, given the fact that he’s led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA’s best record while putting up historic numbers. He’s on pace to become the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to average 27 points, 12 rebounds and five assists per game. Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor are the only other players to pull off the feat.

Antetokounmpo is also a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, something Harden cannot say. Basketball Reference’s MVP tracker has Giannis as the favorite to win, while all of Bleacher Report’s NBA staff selected Antetokounmpo over Harden.

Harden, however, is putting up one of the greatest scoring displays in modern history and single-handedly saved the Rockets season. His 36.09 points per game are the seventh-most in NBA history and second most by a player not named Wilt Chamberlain. Michael Jordan’s 37.09 points per game in 1986-87 are the most by a guard in NBA history.

It’s clear, based on these players’ votes, that they value Harden’s historic scoring slightly over Giannis’ more well-rounded game.

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Tripoli’s only functional airport hit by air raid as clashes rage

Forces under the command of Libya‘s renegade General Khalifa Haftar are believed to have launched an air raid against the only functioning airport in Tripoli as heavy fighting rages for control of the capital.

Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed said services at the Mitiga airport in eastern Tripoli were temporarily suspended after the attack on Monday.

“Passengers have been asked to evacuate the Mitiga airport after Haftar’s aircraft raided the runway,” he said, citing sources at the facility.

“In the area around the airport, civilians were terrified immediately after this air strike.”

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Haftar last week ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to a parallel administration in the east, to march on Tripoli, the seat of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) which is protected by an array of militias.

Despite repeated international calls for a truce, clashes have intensified, with dozens of people killed on both sides.

Since Thursday, clashes have broken out in a number of areas on the outskirts of Tripoli, including at the disused international airport on the city’s southern edge.

The airport has been abandoned since 2014, after suffering extensive damage during heavy fighting between rival armed groups.

SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies

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Here’s that creepy Rami Malek ad mashed with music from Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’

By Nicole Gallucci

It’s been an entire month since Rami Malek’s promotional video for Mandarin Oriental hotels made the rounds on Twitter, and it’s still getting the meme treatment.

On Saturday, evil Twitter genius @notsogosling shared an edit of the already creepy video in which Malek says he’s a fan of things like his mom, chamomile tea, handwritten letters, classic movies, and looking sharp “regardless of the occasion.” If you didn’t think it could get creepier, you were wrong. 

Inspired by Jordan Peele’s horror film, Us, the new black and white recording is mashed with the film’s unofficial anthem, Luniz’s “I Got 5 on It” for maximum horror.

SEE ALSO: The bunnies in Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ are ruining Easter for people

The edit was so hair raising that the horror master himself, Jordan Peele, gave his stamp of approval. And it seemed to be a hit with other Twitter users, as well.

For more Malek interviews, head over to his celebrity page on the hotel’s website, or watch the original “I’m a Fan” video below.

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These golden Portals are changing the way people connect with each other

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MLB Power Rankings: Where All 30 Teams Stand After Week 2

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 07:  Lorenzo Cain #6 and Christian Yelich #22 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after Yelich hit a home run in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Miller Park on April 07, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The first full week of the 2019 MLB season is complete, and another Monday morning brings with it an updated version of our MLB power rankings.

It’s important to remember in the early going that a team’s potential and overall outlook will still carry significantly more weight than anything it has shown over a handful of games. With that in mind, teams were restricted from moving more than five spots in either direction for this update.

Remember, this is a fluid process. Teams will rise and fall based on where they were ranked the previous week. If a team keeps winning, it will keep climbing—it’s as simple as that.

Here are the rankings:

Teams That Impressed

Yonny Chirinos

Yonny ChirinosMike Carlson/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers remain perched in the No. 1 spot after a 5-1 week that included a weekend series sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

A plus-36 run differential through 10 games speaks to how dominant they’ve been to start the season, and that’s with Clayton Kershaw watching from the sidelines and Walker Buehler (6.75 ERA) off to a rocky start.

Cody Bellinger is hitting .455/.489/1.023 with seven home runs and 18 RBI in 47 plate appearances.

As good as the Dodgers have been, the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays could both challenge for the No. 1 spot next week after moving up the maximum five spots and into the top five.

The Brew Crew swept the Cincinnati Reds and then took two of three from the Chicago Cubs in a wild series that saw 51 runs of offense between the two teams.

The Brewers offense has posted a healthy .834 OPS on the season, while the bullpen has picked up three wins and nailed down 6-of-7 save chances. Lefty Josh Hader has allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out 13 in 7.2 scoreless innings.

For the Rays, pitching has once again been the name of the game, as they lead the majors with a 1.88 ERA and 0.91 WHIP.

Yonny Chirinos has been an early standout with just four hits and one earned run allowed in 12 innings over his first two starts for a pristine 0.75 ERA and 0.42 WHIP.

The Seattle Mariners also moved up the maximum number of spots as they continue to impress despite an offseason that included the selling off of several core pieces.

They’ve taken series from the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox so far en route to a 9-2 record overall.

Shortstop Tim Beckham is hitting .400/.489/.825 with five doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI in 47 plate appearances, while the pieced-together bullpen is holding its own with a 4.42 ERA.

The only other team to climb five spots was the Detroit Tigers, up to No. 24 from the No. 29 spot in the rankings.

The Tigers are now 7-3 after picking up a series win against the New York Yankees and then sweeping the Kansas City Royals. A plus-one run differential speaks to their early success being a bit of a mirage, but it doesn’t take away from what they’ve done so far. 

The pitching staff has led the way with a 2.30 team ERA that trails only the Rays. Veteran Jordan Zimmermann is off to a nice start with a 0.66 ERA, while closer Shane Greene is a perfect 7-of-7 on save chances with seven scoreless innings under his belt.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were the only other team to win both series last week, as they rebounded from a 1-3 start to take two of three from the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox.

Teams That Disappointed

Carl Edwards Jr.

Carl Edwards Jr.Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Placing a restriction of five spots worth of movement in the rankings is done to avoid small-sample-size overreactions at the start of a new season.

Still, it was awfully tempting to scrap that rule and drop both the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs significantly lower.

The Red Sox rank 27th in ERA (6.28), and the offense that was so potent a year ago has not been able to pick up the slack with a .685 OPS that ranks 19th in the majors.

Starters Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez have gone a combined 0-7 with a 9.13 ERA in 10 starts on the year, while the bullpen that everyone expected to be a major weakness has actually pitched well with a 3.61 ERA that ranks 11th in the majors.

Their minus-26 run differential is the worst in the majors.

As for the Cubs, they have the majors’ worst ERA (7.51), WHIP (1.99), opponents’ batting average (.314) and walk rate (6.4 BB/9).

That sparked some reshuffling in the bullpen over the weekend, with Carl Edwards Jr. optioned to Triple-A and Mike Montgomery placed on the injured list in favor of Allen Webster and Kyle Ryan. That looks like a Band-Aid on a bullet wound at this point, though, and there could be more moves forthcoming.

Those pitching woes have effectively negated a high-powered offense that is hitting .294/.385/.494 for an NL-leading .878 OPS.

The other team suffering a significant slide was the Cincinnati Reds, who entered the season with heightened expectations after a busy offseason, only to stumble out of the gates to a 1-8 start.

The blame lies almost exclusively on the offense, with the pitching staff posting a solid 3.68 ERA thus far.

However, their punchless offensive attack ranks dead last in batting average (.170), on-base percentage (.233) and OPS (.534), and they’ve managed a meager 21 runs in nine games. Minor league free-agent signings Derek Dietrich (1.149 OPS) and Jose Iglesias (.748) are the team leaders in OPS.

Players of the Week

AL Hitter: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 06: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam home run in the fourth inning of the game against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 6, 2019 in Anaheim, California

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images

Stats: 7-for-16, 5 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R, 8 BB

There’s simply no pitching to Mike Trout right now.

He’s not missing anything,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward told reporters. “He seems to be getting only one or two pitches a game, and he is hitting them out.”

Indeed, Trout homered five times in the Angels’ four-game series with the Rangers, marking the second time in his career that he’s gone deep in four straight games.

He’ll now look to match the franchise record of five games in a row, set by Bobby Bonds in 1977.

On top of the home runs, Trout also drew eight walks last week, raising his on-base percentage to an MLB-best .581 on the year, as he’s walked 11 times against just three strikeouts.

We’re witnessing a special player doing some special things right now.

AL Pitcher: Mike Clevinger, Cleveland Indians

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 01: Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field during the Indians Home Opener on April 1, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason M

Jason Miller/Getty Images

Stats: 2 GS, W, ND, 12.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 22 K

It speaks to how good Mike Clevinger was last week that his teammate, Trevor Bauer, tossed seven no-hit innings and didn’t earn AL Pitcher of the Week honors.

Clevinger made his 2019 debut on Monday with seven shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox, striking out 12 while allowing just one hit. He again surrendered a lone hit in his second start, punching out 10 in five scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Minor upper-back tightness is the reason he exited after just five innings in his second start, but he’s not expected to miss any time as a result.

Clevinger, 28, struck out 207 batters in 200 innings last season while posting a 3.02 ERA.

NL Hitter: Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals

WASHINGTON, DC - April 02: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals hits a two run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning at Nationals Park on April 2, 2019 in Washington, DC.  (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Stats: 9-for-19, 3 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 10 R, 4 BB

With Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Xander Bogaerts and Aaron Hicks all coming to terms on extensions with their current teams this offseason, Anthony Rendon now looks like the top position player in the 2019-20 MLB free-agent class.

The 28-year-old had an excellent 2018 season, hitting .308/.374/.535 with an NL-leading 44 doubles, 24 home runs and 92 RBI to finish 11th in NL MVP voting.

In the early going this season, he leads the NL with a .433 average, and he homered four times in five games last week.

“We love Anthony,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters in February. “He’s a guy I scouted for a long time. We drafted, signed and developed him into an elite player. He’s a guy we look at [being] in a Nationals uniform for a long time to come. We’ve had prior conversations that didn’t bear any fruit, but we’re going to continue to have dialogue.”

He’s not going to come cheap, especially if he keeps hitting as he has at the start of 2019.

NL Pitcher: Jacob deGrom, New York Mets

Rob Friedman @PitchingNinja

Jacob deGrom’s 14Ks in 19 Seconds. https://t.co/s1jn8zjHCn

Stats: 1 GS, W, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 14 K

Yet another player who received an offseason extension, reigning NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom has picked up right where he left off.

After throwing six shutout innings while striking out 10 on Opening Day, he was even better in his second start, going seven scoreless innings and racking up 14 punchouts against the hapless Miami Marlins.

He also homered off Marlins starter Trevor Richards for good measure.

With one more quality start, deGrom will set the MLB record for consecutive starts of at least six innings with three or fewer earned runs allowed. He’s currently tied with St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson with 26 in a row.

DeGrom is also working on a 26-inning scoreless streak, the best run of his career.

The Minnesota Twins are up next on Tuesday, as the Mets will skip Jason Vargas in the rotation to keep deGrom on regular rest, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

Must-See Upcoming Matchup

Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners (Friday-Sunday)

Marco Gonzales

Marco GonzalesAbbie Parr/Getty Images

Despite finishing 14 games behind them in the AL West standings, the Seattle Mariners took the season series from the Houston Astros 10-9 last season.

A busy offseason of wheeling and dealing from general manager Jerry Dipoto left the Mariners with a completely overhauled roster and what appeared to be a rebuilding season.

Instead, they’ve stormed out of the gates to a 9-2 start, and this week they’ll play host to the reigning division champs.

Meanwhile, after a rocky 2-5 start, the Astros are fresh off a three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics that included a walk-off win on Sunday.

Houston will turn to Wade Miley, Brad Peacock and Justin Verlander when they head to Seattle this coming weekend, while the Mariners will go with Wade LeBlanc, Felix Hernandez and Marco Gonzales.

Gonzales has quietly emerged as the ace of the staff in Seattle, going 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA through three starts after a breakout 2018 season. The Astros have shelled him to the tune of an 11.42 ERA in two starts and one relief appearance, so the Sunday game will be an interesting test for the young left-hander.

The winner of this series will have an early upper hand in what could be a tighter AL West battle than what we’ve seen in recent years.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted and accurate through Sunday’s games.

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The Suicide Squad Loses Deadshot, But Keeps Idris Elba

UPDATE (4/8/19 9:00 a.m. ET): Idris Elba will no longer be playing Deadshot in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, but will remain onboard with the project, reports Variety.

The British actor has been tapped for an unknown new character in the latest installment of the franchise, though there’s no word on who he might be taking on just yet. It isn’t clear whether Deadshot’s removal means Will Smith could potentially return to the role in the future or not, but he previously exited the project due to scheduling conflicts.

The team reportedly felt this casting decision was “the right move,” and did not want the change to feel as though it was “disrespecting” Smith in any way.

Currently, Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), and Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) are all reportedly returning to reprise the roles they had in the previous film.

PREVIOUS STORY: There’s a new Deadshot in town.

Variety reports that, following Will Smith’s amicable exit from the role in the new Suicide Squad movie, Idris Elba is now in talks to replace the Aladdin star following a meeting with director James Gunn.

Elba will join castmate Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn — and, honestly, it’s one of the best casting decisions we could possibly think of for the role.

It’s also an informed choice, as Elba is a frontman with the acting chops and personality to bring the sympathetic villain to life. Smith played the doting father and expert marksman with plenty of heart, and as we’ve seen with Elba’s other roles, he can definitely bring that same kind of energy to the screen.

The news comes about a week after Smith was noted to be leaving the role, apparently due to scheduling conflicts. It looks like Gunn and crew are looking to move quickly when it comes to getting the new Squad together and pushing the sequel to the 2016 film out the door.

The Golden Globe-winning actor (and musician) is best known for his roles as The Wire’s Stringer Bell and Luther’s John Luther, but you’ve probably seen him in, well, everything. Joining Suicide Squad would mark his first foray into the DC movie universe, after playing the Asgardian sentry Heimdall in each of the Thor films and two Avengers entries. He also brought us one of the coolest former Jaeger pilots ever in the action-packed kaiju-centric flick Pacific Rim.

Elba is consistently a most-wanted actor when it comes to taking over the role of James Bond, too — but he’s apparently uninterested in bringing us his version of the legendary agent as he doesn’t like to take on roles that “define” him in a new interview with the Daily Mail.

We don’t know a ton about the Suicide Squad sequel just yet, as there have been scant details released about it so far. What we do know, however, is that Elba could be joining a cast that still includes Robbie as Harley Quinn, but we haven’t had confirmation that Quinn or the rest of the villains from the first movie will be coming back for a second round. Robbie, in the meantime, is starring in a spinoff flick featuring Quinn, called Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), where Harley splits from the Joker and becomes essentially a “free woman.”

While Smith exhibited some serious charisma and chemistry as Deadshot, we know Elba is more than capable of bringing the villain with an apparent heart of gold to life.

Here’s to hoping we get additional details about the film soon, too. It’s high time the Squad got back together.

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What is Cleganebowl and why are ‘Game of Thrones’ fans hyped for it?

It would be the clash of a generation: the Mountain and the Hound, two brothers who’ve been enemies since they were children, meeting in battle one last time.

Cleganebowl is the name of the fight that Game of Thrones fans have dreamed up, pitting Sandor “The Hound” Clegane vs. Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in a duel that would likely end in death. The two Cleganes, although similarly fierce warriors, are diametrically opposed and have made it abundantly clear that they would kill each other given the chance.

Let’s dig into what exactly makes Cleganbowl such a juicy fight.

SEE ALSO: What ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes should you watch to prepare for Season 8?

Family troubles

You know how Sandor has a pretty nasty scar on his face and scalp and he’s afraid of fire? Well, that’s because of his brother Gregor.

When Sandor was young, he found a toy that his brother wasn’t using and decided to play with it. In what can only be described as a morbid overreaction, Gregor silently grabbed his younger brother and shoved his face into a burning brazier.

Since their childhoods, the two brothers have never had a good relationship. This comes up in the first season of Game of Thrones when Gregor loses in a joust and his brother steps in to stop him from killing his opponent, Ser Loras Tyrell. The two parry swords for a moment before King Robert Baratheon calls on them to stop, when Sandor immediately kneels and Gregor’s sword comes within inches of delivering a fatal blow.

It was years before they saw each other again in Season 7, and although the Mountain is now basically a monstrous zombie, the Hound doesn’t hold back from reminding him who will end his life — the biggest sign that Celganebowl will go down in Season 8.

Gregor’s crimes

Time and time again, Gregor has shown just how relentlessly sadistic he is, stopping at almost nothing to terrorize, torture, and kill people. 

He’s done some truly heinous things, having possibly killed his own sister and father, numerous servants at Clegane Keep, which was before he was knighted at Tywin Lannister’s request. During Robert’s Rebellion against the Targaryens, Gregor committed more horrible acts, killing the two children of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell, and then raped Elia before murdering her — an act he boasted about when he dueled her brother Oberyn Martell.

In the middle seasons of Game of Thrones after the Lannisters take control of King’s Landing, Gregor pillages the Riverlands ferociously, striking fear into people everywhere stemming from his vicious acts of torture and terror, seen by Arya Stark at Harrenhal.

Sandor, seeing all the horrible things one can commit as a knight, decides that he will not take a knighthood, not wanting to be associated with his brother.

Sandor has clearly harbored an intense hatred for his horrible brother since a young age, so the two coming to blows doesn’t seem like a stretch at all.

Cleganebowl clues

Aside from the fact that there’s all this history and the Celgane brothers truly hate each other, there are numerous clues that these two will clash.

Although one of them is called the Hound, both come from house Clegane, whose banner depicts three dogs on a field of yellow. There are numerous references in the show and books to fights between hounds, including visions from Bran Stark. 

Some of them are historical, but as we know, history often repeats itself, and YouTuber bridge4 goes deep into how old tales could become new again.

Things may not necessarily go as fans hope, but signs seem to point to the coming Cleganebowl, especially considering the actor behind the Mountain teased that one of his favorite scenes is yet to come.

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