State Champ Radio Author: djfrosty
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Morgan Wallen, country’s biggest star and one of the biggest stars in the music world right now, has built his success on super-serving his audience, and his new album, I’m the Problem, is no different. The set, out today, has 37 tracks, besting its predecessor, 2023’s One Thing at a Time by one song and 2021’s Dangerous: The Double Album by seven tracks.
As on his past albums, Wallen is still looking for love in all the wrong places, with the majority of the songs serving as midtempo explorations on heartache, longing, co-dependence and missed chances, often while drowning his sorrows. When it comes to love, Wallen (or the songs’ protagonists) admits many of the wounds are self-inflicted and he just can’t get out of his own way.
His willingness to expose his vulnerability is one of the album’s top selling points, as is Wallen’s voice. He’s in fine shape here especially when his twang is matched with a Southern rock-leaning tune, such as on “Workin’ Man’s Song,” where he gives Travis Tritt a run for his money. Similarly, on songs like “I’m a Little Crazy” or “The Dealer,” where he’s examining broader issues than romance, he shows an appealing range.
When there are so many songs, it’s inevitable that some of them sound similar, and that’s not helped by too much reliance on a Roland TR-808 beat and a midtempo sway that renders some of the tracks virtually indistinguishable from each other. Putting out so many songs at once has proven a winning gambit for Wallen with his fans and with the charts, but this album could have lost at least 12 songs for a tighter, less repetitive sound.
Morgan Wallen ‘I’m The Problem’
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Wallen co-wrote 22 songs on the project, which, like his past projects, is helmed by producer Joie Moi, with help from Charlie Handsome and Jacob Durrett. He gets some help from his friends, some old — like Eric Church, Post Malone, HARDY and ERNEST — and some new, like Tate McRae.
The album’s success is a foregone conclusion, given that it’s already spawned three Country Airplay No. 1s with “Lies, Lies, Lies,” “Love Somebody” and “I’m the Problem,” and there seems to be no saturation point when it comes to his fans lapping up his songs.
There’s plenty to enjoy here. Below is an early take on our ranking of the songs on the highly anticipated set.
“Miami”
An unexpected musical supergroup will appear on the soundtrack to the upcoming F1 movie, with Ed Sheeran confirming his appearance alongside some notable names.
Sheeran announced that his upcoming song, “Drive,” is more than just a solo venture, with Dave Grohl joining the track on drums and John Mayer contributing guitars. “A lot of fun making this, coming out next month with the movie,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories on Thursday (May 15).
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The full lineup of artists on F1: The Album was announced earlier in May, with Tate McRae, RAYE, Burna Boy, Roddy Rich, Dom Dolla, Chris Stapleton, Tiësto, Sexyy Red, Myke Towers, Madison Beer, Peggy Gou and more confirmed to soundtrack the Brad Pitt-led film.
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The album was led by the Ryan Tedder-produced single “Lose My Mind” by Don Toliver featuring Doja Cat, and was swiftly followed by “Messy” by ROSÉ of BLACKPINK.
Directed by Top Gun: Maverick‘s Joseph Kosinski, F1 finds the Fight Club actor portraying retired racer Sonny Hayes — whose career was cut short decades prior due to an injury — as he returns to the track to help former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) save his struggling Formula 1 team, Apex Grand Prix. The film will also star Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce, the team’s “hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace,” according to a description.
Sheeran’s announcement of the star-studded collaborators on the track follows on from a busy few weeks for all the artists involved.
While Sheeran himself recently announced the release of his forthcoming album Play, Grohl’s Foo Fighters this week announced their first show of 2025, marking their first live date since Grohl announced in September that he’d fathered a daughter outside of his marriage to wife of 22 years Jordyn Blum.
Mayer, meanwhile, has been performing with Dead & Company as part of their Las Vegas Sphere residency, which wraps on Saturday (May 17).
F1 will hit theaters June 27, with the soundtrack dropping the same day.
The Weeknd says Tom Cruise did him a solid with the actor’s lip-sync performance of “Can’t Feel My Face,” the singer says during his first-ever interview on The Tonight Show Thursday (May 15) in an exclusive Billboard preview clip. Host Jimmy Fallon told The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) one of the first times his […]
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Adin Ross caught the ire of Doechii fans after he used a moment during one of his livestream events to insult the buzzing artist for reasons that are still largely unclear. As a result, Adin Ross claims he lost two major brand deals after the Doechii jabs, and this comes while also making light of Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting injury recently.
Adin Ross was a guest on DJ Akademiks’ livestream and detailed the loss of the deal. While he doesn’t explain why those deals were removed from his slate, it was clear that the move bothered him.
“I had two deals lined up, same with DDG, lost both of them,” Ross shared. “I’m mad as f*ck, Ak. It’s not even about the money. It’s just [because]I wanted to do it. It was a big ad, it was a big deal. That’s the reality of how the world works.”
On Monday (May 12), Ross went on a rant against Doechiil, referring to the TDE superstar as the “b-word,” calling her unintelligent, and suggesting she is an industry plant. Some fans online associated his disdain for the Florida rapper due to Kendrick Lamar’s past TDE alignment, and an incident with her staff at the Met Gala event that she has since apologized for.
Ross also took a cheap jab at Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting incident involving Tory Lanez, seemingly in defense of the recently injured and incarcerated Canadian artist.
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Bad Bunny is ready to take summer by storm, but first, he’s performing as the musical guest during the season finale of Saturday Night Live this weekend. In promos for the May 17 finale of season 50 shared on Thursday (May 15), the superstar appears alongside host Scarlett Johansson and SNL mainstay Kenan Thompson, with […]
The New York Knicks are riding hot as a rocket blast in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and Nick Jonas has an inkling that his role in Broadway‘s The Last Five Years might have something to do with the team’s success.
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“OK, so real quick: The Knicks are in the playoffs, and they could advance to the next round if they win their game against the Celtics tonight,” the superstar explained in an Instagram video posted Wednesday (May 14). “During rehearsals for The Last Five Years, I said to our director, ‘I really think Jamie,’ my character, ‘should be a New York basketball fan.’ And she was like, ‘Great. What team?’
“And I was like, ‘Well, hmm…good question, what team.’ And eventually we decided to make Jamie a Knicks fan,” the pop singer-turned-Broadway star continued.
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From his dressing room, Jonas then showed off a vintage Knicks crewneck found by The Last Five Years costume designer Dede Ayite, explaining that he wears the shirt during every performance of “Moving Too Fast,” one of Jamie’s first big musical numbers in the show.
“So I’m not saying that the Knicks are in the playoffs and could potentially go to the next round because of The Last Five Years and because of this,” he then concluded, gesturing to his costume. “But coincidence? I think not.”
While the Knicks ultimately lost Wednesday night’s game, they’re still currently leading the Celtics 3-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and will have home court advantage going into Game 6 on Saturday night (May 16) at Madison Square Garden.
Meanwhile, Jonas has six more weeks of his run on Broadway before The Last Five Years closes its limited engagement at the Hudson Theatre on June 22. After that, he’ll segue full force into album mode, with the Jonas Brothers’ seventh LP, Greetings from Your Hometown, set for release Aug. 8 — two days before the kickoff of JONAS20: Living the Dream Tour, the North American trek celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band.
Check out Jonas’ witty theory before it expires on his Instagram Stories here.
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Death may be inevitable but so too are new Final Destination movies, with the horror film franchise spawning a sixth movie, titled Final Destination Bloodlines, in theaters now.
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Bloodlines, a.k.a. Final Destination 6, arrives 25 years since the first film in the franchise was released in 2000. Though it debuted at number three at the box office, Final Destination became a word-of-mouth hit, and eventually earned more than $100 million, against its $23 million budget. Five subsequent films followed, each following characters who attempt to cheat death, only to — not-really a spoiler alert — meet their impending doom through a series of freak accidents, natural disasters, human interactions or combination of the above (seriously, I still can’t drive behind a truck full of logs).
Want to watch the Final Destination movies? Here’s what to know about each film, how to watch it in order and where to find them streaming online.
5-FILM COLLECTION
Final Destination 5-Film Collection [Blu-ray]
$12.99
$24.98
48% off
The easiest way to watch all the Final Destination movies is by picking it up on Blu-ray to watch at home. Amazon has this five-film collection on sale for just $12 right now — a 48% discount. You get Final Destination, Final Destination 2, Final Destination 3, The Final Destination and Final Destination 5, plus bonus behind-the-scenes features from each film.
How to Watch Final Destination Movies Online
Want to watch Final Destination online? All of the horror films are streaming on HBO Max (formerly Max). HBO Max subscribers can watch Final Destination on-demand online and stream the movies on their phone, tablet, computer or smart TV (via the Max app). Don’t have an HBO Max subscription?
Plans start at just $9.99/month for access to all the Final Destination movies plus thousands of other TV shows, movies, documentaries and specials.
Your best bet is to grab a current bundle deal, which gets you access to HBO Max plus Disney+ and Hulu all for just $16.99/month. That’s a savings of 43% off.
Can You Watch Final Destination Movies on Amazon Prime Video?
Yes, you can also rent or download all the Final Destination movies on Amazon through Prime Video. Downloaded films get you a digital copy that is yours to keep, so you can watch it on-demand whenever you want. Rentals are good for 30 days; you have 48 hours to finish the film once you start it.
Here’s a list of all the Final Destination films in order as well as options to rent or buy the movies online.
Final Destination (2000)
$7.99
$12.99
38% off
$3.79
“Death hunts down a group of teens one by one.”
Final Destination 2
$6.99
$7.99
13% off
$3.79
$3.99
5% off
“Death stalks a young woman and the group of strangers she saved from a deadly pile-up on the highway.”
Final Destination 3
$6.99
$3.99
“Death makes a bloody date with a group of unlucky teens who escaped a fatal roller-coaster crash in this harrowing horror sequel.”
The Final Destination
$6.99
$9.99
30% off
$3.79
$3.99
5% off
“Death returns to claim the survivors of a massive speedway tragedy in this fourth frightening installment in the Final Destination series.”
Final Destination 5 (2011)
$6.99
$7.99
13% off
$4.29
“Death returns to claim the lucky survivors of a deadly bridge collapse in this fifth frightening installment in the series.”
How to Watch Final Destination Movies Online Free
There are a few ways to stream the Final Destination movies online for free. One way is to watch the films as they air live on TV (HBO is re-running the films all month along, for example). You can use a live TV streaming service like DirecTV, which includes a live HBO feed as part of select plans. Get a free trial to DirecTV here to watch Final Destination online without cable.
You can also find a deal to get HBO Max for free, like this Cricket Wireless plan, which includes a Max subscription for no additional charge. Cricket Wireless customers can log into their account to claim the free HBO Max deal and start streaming Final Destination movies online free.
It’s worth noting that Hulu has a 30-day free trial that you can grab here, but the Final Destination films are only available on the Max on Hulu plan, which requires a $9.99 add-on fee.
LISA and Bose teamed up for a collaboration of new Ultra Open earbuds. We went to the pop-up for the new collab, and we show you the new goodies that we got. Will you be snagging LISA’s Bose earbuds? Let us know in the comments! Tetris Kelly: We got the full scoop on LISA’s Bose […]
Free music streaming service AccuRadio has filed for bankruptcy, citing $10 million in debts to SoundExchange and failed settlement talks in the organization’s lawsuit against the streamer over unpaid artist royalties.
AccuRadio, an ad-supported platform that describes itself as “the only online music streaming service curated by human beings, not algorithms,” sought bankruptcy protection in a Wednesday (May 14) petition to the federal court in its home city of Chicago.
The bankruptcy petition says AccuRadio owes $10 million to SoundExchange, the nonprofit that collects and distributes royalties to record labels and artists. SoundExchange sued AccuRadio last summer, alleging the streamer had an undisclosed amount of unpaid royalties dating back to 2018.
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AccuRadio contests those claims, saying it’s been a “consistently reliable SoundExchange licensee for the vast majority of the past two decades.” The company put out a press release Wednesday, blaming its bankruptcy on failed settlement talks in the litigation.
“We were led to believe that our latest proposal would be accepted by SoundExchange with only minor modifications,” wrote AccuRadio’s founder/CEO, Kurt Hanson. “However, eventually SoundExchange altered its position and rejected that proposal. We were extremely disappointed that we couldn’t reach a negotiated settlement.”AccuRadio’s bankruptcy petition says the company has less than $1 million in assets, while its liabilities total $10.5 million. In addition to the $10 million SoundExchange debt, AccuRadio says it owes more than $400,000 to royalty collectors BMI and ASCAP.
The streaming service has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This means that rather than fold completely, AccuRadio hopes to restructure, pay off its debts and continue operations in the future.
“Filing for bankruptcy protection wasn’t an easy decision, especially since our revenues have been consistently improving and we have returned to profitability,” says Hanson in the AccuRadio press release. “But we are confident that AccuRadio will emerge from it healthier and more resilient and will continue to be an outlet for human-curated music that our listeners desire and cherish.”
AccuRadio has been around since 2000. According to the company, it offers more than 1,400 ad-supported, curated music channels free of charge.
Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura faced cross-examination Thursday (May 15) from defense attorneys, who showed jurors huge numbers of her emails and text messages in an effort to prove she was a willing participant in so-called “freak-off” sex shows.
Ventura, an R&B singer who dated Combs for 11 years, is at the very core of the case against him, in which prosecutors say Combs physically abused her and coerced her to partake in the freak-offs — drug-fueled sex with male escorts for his entertainment.
After two days of direct testimony in which Ventura told jurors that she felt she had no choice but to take part, she took the stand Thursday to face questions from Combs’ lawyer Anna Estevao, according to the Associated Press and the New York Times.
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Much of the day was spent asking Ventura about emails and texts to and from Combs — some romantic, others sexually graphic. In one, she told Combs she was “always ready to freak off”; in another, she told him, “Wish we could have fo’d before you left.”
“Yes, at the time, I wanted to make him happy,” Ventura said at one point.
Combs was indicted in September, charged with running a sprawling criminal operation aimed at facilitating the freak-offs — elaborate events in which Combs and others allegedly coerced Ventura and other victims into having sex with escorts while he watched and masturbated. Prosecutors also say the star and his associates used violence, money and blackmail to keep victims silent and under his control.
It was Ventura’s civil lawsuit, filed in November 2023, that first raised allegations against Combs. Her case, which accused the star of rape and years of physical abuse, was quickly settled with a large payment from Combs, but it sparked a flood of additional suits from other alleged victims and set into motion the criminal probe that led to his indictment.
At opening statements on Monday (May 12), defense attorneys told jurors that Ventura and other women had consensually taken part in the sex parties. They admitted that Combs had committed domestic violence during their “toxic” relationship and had unusual sexual preferences, but that he had never coerced her into participating in his “swinger” lifestyle.
In questioning Cassie on Thursday, Estevao seemed intent on establishing that both she and Diddy had planned the elaborate events: “I’m too excited,” Ventura told Combs in one message from 2017, near the end of their long relationship.
When asked about those texts, Cassie seemed to push back on that suggestion, saying the things she said in the texts were “just words at that point.” That echoes her testimony from earlier in the week, in which she said the freak-offs left her feeling “humiliated” and “disgusting” but that she felt compelled to keep doing them.
The questions also focused on the complexity of Ventura’s relationship with Combs, including messages that seemed to show a loving relationship between the pair. In one, from 2010, she wrote: “Going to sleep now so it can be tomorrow faster and you can be home. Love you!!!”
Ventura confirmed as much in her answers: “I had fallen in love with him and cared about him very much.” She also admitted that she sometimes felt jealousy toward Combs over his numerous other romantic partners — another key message that the defense is seeking to relay to jurors about the couple’s relationship.
Ventura is expected to complete her testimony on Friday (May 16). After that, prosecutors will continue to call other witnesses, including a second alleged freak-off victim identified by the pseudonym “Jane” and an alleged employee victim identified by the pseudonym “Mia.” According to NBC News, prosecutor Maurene Comey said that Dawn Richard, formerly a member of the Combs-formed girl group Danity Kane who sued him for abuse in September, was expected to testify next. Defense attorneys will then have a chance to call their own witnesses. A verdict is expected by July 4.
