State Champ Radio Newsletter
Page: 4
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Source: Michele K. Short/HBO / Max
Looks like HBO has another hit on their hands in the fourth season of True Detective: Night Country. And given that most viewers thought it was a wrap after Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn turned in a stinker of a second season, fans of the franchise are praising the show’s return to form and has HBO gearing up for a helluva season finale.
According to Deadline, this season of True Detective has become the most-watched entry in the series since the first back in 2014, which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Already four episodes into the six-episode arc, Night Country is averaging 12.7 million viewers per episode (compared to 11.9 million during Season 1). With a highly positive critical response, the numbers can continue to grow with two episodes left to go.
Per Deadline:
The bulk of viewing at the time was done on linear/delayed viewing with the now defunct HBO GO as the only streaming option. (It crashed under demand the night of the season finale.) In Live+Same Day, that season drew 2.3M-3.5M viewers for the premiere telecast on HBO.
For Night Country, starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, most of the consumption is done on Max, with a fraction of the viewers, 0.6M-0.7M, coming from the original HBO telecast.
Night Country‘s first two episodes continue to pace ahead of The White Lotus, Season 2 (8.6 million) and Succession, Season 4 (7.9 million). This week’s Episode 5 has totaled 5 million cross platform viewers since its early Max debut on Friday. Season 4 was created and executive produced by Issa López.
We can’t forget that Mahershala Ali and company did help steer the franchise back in the right direction with stellar performances in the third season of True Detective back in 2017. But the damage that the second season did to the crime drama proved too much to lure fans back to the series. Now that the series was given a breather and fresh new start with Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in the spotlight, fans are once again tuning in and enjoying what Issa López and her team have brought forth for consumption.
Have you been checking out True Detective: Night Country? Are you looking forward to the season finale? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Dunkin’ / DUNKIN’
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s Dunkin’ commercial for the Super Bowl was one of the funniest spots of the big night, but we didn’t think it would lead to the sales of the tracksuits that Ben and Matt Damon wore in the commercial.
According to TMZ, that’s exactly what happened. After the spot aired, people flocked to the Dunkin’ website to get double dipped and purchased the tracksuits that Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and “Touchdown” Tommy Brady hilariously wore in the commercial. And they sold out in just 19 minutes. While we doubt you’ll be seeing heads on the block rocking the orange, white and pink “DunKings” attire, you might see these pop up on the persons of people in suburbs or more residential areas.
Per TMZ:
In addition to the DunKings track jacket and track pants, the DunKings bucket hat was also in high demand … and is currently sold out on their site — with the sales marking a record-breaking milestone as the fastest collection to sell out in Dunkin’ history.
DD says they’re currently working on a restock of the sold-out merch … but for fans of the new boyband, hurry to stores cause The DunKings Iced Coffee, Munchkins Skewers, and more items are available for a limited time.
Those techno parties bout to look like a Dunkin’ company soiree or something. Just Dunkin’ tracksuits and Stanley cups as far as the eye can see.
Check out the commercial that started the craze below, and let us know if you’d rock the now exclusive Dunkin’ tracksuit in the comments section below.
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Source: Akai / Akai
If you’re an up and coming producer looking to create some new sounds but don’t have all the equipment necessary to do to, Akai might have something you can add to your arsenal as they’re dropping a new production keyboard with all kinds of fixins.
Source: Akai / Akai
Engadget is reporting that Akai has just announced their new MPC Key 37 production keyboard which allows users to craft and cook beats from scratch without having to use an actual computer, laptop or DAW. Of course with that being the case it will have some limitations, but the keyboard seems like a dream come true for many would-be producers looking to get into the game.
Engadget reports:
There are 37 full-size keys, complete with aftertouch. There aren’t that many standalone devices out there with a full keybed, so this should excite musicians who lack experience with Akai-style pads. This device does have 16 velocity-sensitive pads for laying down drum parts and triggering samples, so it’s a “best of both worlds” type situation.
The Key 37 ships with 32GB of on-board storage, though 10GB is used up by the OS and included sound packs. Thankfully, there’s a slot for an SD card to expand the storage — these standalone devices fill up fast.
You get the same color 7-inch multi-touch display and four assignable Q-Link knobs as the company’s Key 61 workstation. This is great for making system adjustments and for controlling effects plugins and the like. As a matter of fact, the entire layout recalls the Key 61, though this new release is slightly less powerful.
Though the Key 37 understandably lacks some of the key aspects of it’s Key 61 predecessor (such as 2GB of RAM, compared to the 61’s 4GB and a few microphone inputs), the keyboard does feature Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity for wireless streaming on platforms such as Ableton Link. That’s gotta count for something, right?
The MPC Key 37 is currently available for a cool $900 on inMusic and authorized retailers around town. Would you be interested in copping one? Check out the video for the keyboard below and let us know in the comments section.
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Source: Netflix / Netflix
Rejoice ’80s and ’90s babies for it seems like Netflix’s upcoming live-action iteration of Avatar: The Last Airbender will be as faithful to the 2000’s animated series as it can possibly get.
Netflix released its latest trailer for the highly anticipated series and even with fanfare already as high as can be, the fandom was kicked into overdrive as the series seems to encapsulate everything that made the original Nickelodeon series such a hit in the mid-2000s. Centering around the young boy known as Aang (Gordon Courmier) who’s tasked with taking down the oppressive Fire Nation, the trailer takes us back to the fantasy world where the four nations of the Air Nomads, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes reign supreme.
With some superb CGI being used to create the likes of the beloved air bison Appa and adored winged lemur Momo, you’d think Avatar: The Last Airbender was some big budget Hollywood film set to release this summer. With some pretty cool action sequences showcasing how the four elements are manipulated during combat along with some witty dialogue between the characters in the story, it’s pretty safe to say that this series may very well redeem the reputation of Avatar that M. Night Shyamalan destroyed with his own film based on the series back in 2010. (That joint was hella struggle.)
Check out the latest trailer for Avatar: The Last Airbender below. Let us know if you’ll be checking for it when the series drops on Netflix Feb. 22.
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Source: Jack Berman / Getty
While crime in New York City has always been an issue as of late things have been getting kind of wild and reckless in terms of the kind of crime that’s been engulfing the city that never sleeps.
According to The New York Daily News, the latest wildness comes from a group of women who decided to make some coin by sticking up some unsuspecting cab drivers in Manhattan and the Boogie Down Bronx just last week. The gun-toting trio pulled off their first robbery on November 20th when they ran up on a 60-year-old cab driver outside of Grand Central Station around 1am and relieved him of his cell phone (people still rob those?!) before hoping out and making a getaway.
But that wasn’t the end of their mini crime spree as the women decided to keep pressing their luck.
Per The New York Daily News:
About two hours later, the women took a cab up to the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx.
When a 59-year-old driver dropped the women off near the corner of Ryer Ave. and 180th St., they pulled out a gun and demanded he turn over his phone and wallet.
The robbers made off with his cell phone and $210 in cash, cops said.
Neither driver was hurt in the incidents.
Well, at least no one got hurt.
The women are still at large and police are asking the public to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS if they happen to run into these women. Thing is, they’ll probably stick you up for your cell phone if they see you pull it out. Just sayin.’
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Source: Rob Kim / Getty
Back in 2014 the horror world was enthralled with a small indie film about a sexually transmitted ghost terrorizing a gang of teenagers in David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows. A decade later we’re finally getting a sequel to the cult classic film.
On Tuesday (Oct. 31), the production team behind the surprise 2014 hit announced that a sequel to It Follows would be releasing “soon,” according to HuffPost. Naturally, the internet celebrated the news as no one even knew a sequel was in the works. Posting the announcement on their official Instagram page, Neon shared a poster for They Follow and in the caption wrote “THEY FOLLOW. The long-awaited sequel to the modern horror classic IT FOLLOWS from David Robert Mitchell. Coming soon.”
How soon though?! We’ve waited almost 10 years for this! Aside from the director returning to the helm for the sequel, the lead actress of It Follows, Maika Monroe, will also be returning to reprise her role of Jay Height. How she survived the film should be an interesting story as she seemed destined to fall victim to the evil entity that follows everyone who’s come into sexual contact with anyone who’s been touched by the curse.
The only way to avoid a deadly fate is to have sex with someone else and pass on the curse, but once that person catches the fade, the ghost will make their way back to whoever was next in line prior to their recent victim. Whether or not condoms can prevent such ghostly transmission is yet to be known. We wouldn’t take that chance though.
Are y’all excited about the sequel to It Follows finally happening? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: YouTube / WGN9
Another high-stakes sneaker robbery took place, but this time it went down the old fashion way with thieves breaking into a sneaker consignment store and taking any and everything they could.
WGN9 is reporting that Chicago sneaker spot Flee Club was hit hard Wednesday (Oct. 25) when thieves rammed their SUV into the brick-and-mortar store around 4:30 a.m. and ransacked the place for its high-end sneakers and attire. After it was all said and done, thieves made off with more than $100,000 in merchandise, according to Flee Club co-owner Darris Kelly.
Per WGN9:
“Just devastation, my heart is broke,” Kelly said. “You put so much time and money into your store, someone just comes in overnight and takes your dream away.”
Following The Flee Club incident, authorities were trying to determine if the building can support the apartments above due to the severity of the damage. On Wednesday afternoon, owners told WGN News the structure has been deemed safe.
At around 6:05 a.m., Chicago police responded to an attempted retail burglary at the Louis Vuitton store in the 900 block of North Michigan. A group of five to six were unsuccessful after trying to damage the front glass door.
It’s not the only recent “crash-and-grab.”
We lowkey wish we knew which exact sneakers were taken. Sneakerheads love to know that kind of information.
Whether the thieves plan to sell all the merchandise or actually keep it for their own collection is anyone’s guess, but regardless, it was definitely a quick come-up for everyone involved as $100,000 worth of clothes and sneakers is quite the haul.
Don’t be surprised if sneaker consignment stores up their security protocols and invest more in protecting their spots. Smash-and-grabs are on the rise across the U.S. these days. These spots might begin hiring armed security sooner or later the way things are going.
What do y’all think of the latest high-stakes sneaker jux? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: James C Hooper / Getty
Michigan State Police took to social media this week to address rumors surrounding the deaths of three Michigan rappers who went missing in January and were later found dead in an abandoned apartment building.
Montoya Givens, 31, Armani Kelly, 28, and Dante Wicker, 31, were reported missing in late January after traveling to Detroit from the western part of the state for a performance at 31 Lounge on the city’s east side. Their families reported them missing after not hearing from them after the show was canceled. Their bodies were later found approximately six miles away in Highland Park, Michigan in what police described as a “rat infested” abandoned apartment building.
“We know there are a lot of media/social media rumors about this investigation. While we have to keep some things private we know a couple of things: There is no one in custody for this homicide. This homicide was not random and had nothing to due with music or a performance,” read one of the tweets from the Michigan State Police public information for Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties account.
The tweet continued, “This was a gang violence related incident. There are other people that know the details and we need them to come forward. Please call 800.Speak.Up if you have information on this case. Together we can bring closure to these families.”
One social media user inquired about a possible reward, to which the account replied, “That depends on crime stoppers and how the information provided helped in making an arrest.”
The story of the rapper’s disappearance and subsequent deaths became a national news story when they were reported missing Jan. 21. It was nearly two months later when their bodies were found with state police saying they each died of gunshot wounds, according to CNN.
The update is the latest provided by Michigan State Police. On Feb. 7, the same Twitter account wrote, “The investigation also has revealed that this was not a random incident. The investigation is continuing and detectives are making progress and we believe we may have determined a motive.”
Per PEOPLE, Taylor Perrin, Kelly’s fiancé told a local Detroit news station, “I just beg for help, for anything. I need answers and, if it comes to it, I need closure, because I will never forget and I will never stop,” she said. Perrin explained that Kelly who rapped under the rap name, “Marley Whoop,” was working, going to school and developing his rap career while bouncing back from a robbery arrest.
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Source: Bill Pugliano / Getty
A shooting incident broke out at Michigan State University on Monday (Feb. 13) that left three students dead and five others critically injured. Local police say they located the gunman at a separate location where he died of a self-inflicted gun wound.
Local outlet Click On Detroit was among many outlets that covered the Michigan State University shooting, which took place at 8:18 PM local time inside Berkey Hall, an academic building on the MSU campus grounds. Two students were shot dead inside Berkey Hall along with others being injured. Later, the gunman opened fire at the MSU Union building, leaving another student dead and injuring more.
Details surrounding the shooting are scant at best but naturally, the news of the violent act once again drummed up the ongoing debate of gun control in the nation and with so many unanswered questions about the gunman’s motives, tensions are high as police continue to investigate the matter.
The gunman was identified as 43-year-old Anthony McCrae. As reported by Click On Detroit, McCrae had a criminal record in the city of Lansing, Mich. The 2019 charge was over a concealed weapon and McCrae completed probation in 2021.
As this story develops, we’ll return to add details as they become known to the public.
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Photo: Getty
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McDonald’s is no stranger to big-name collaborations and partnerships, and they’re rollout out a timely meal for this coming Valentine’s Day. The fast food leader will debut the Cardi B and Offset meal that is meant to be shared with the one you love, or at least like a little bit.
McDonald’s new couple-centric meal features Cardi’s preferred combo of the classic McDonald’s Cheeseburger with tangy BBQ sauce and a large Coca-Coola, while her hubby’s meal of choice is a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a large Hi-C Orange Lavaburst. A large fries meant to share accompanies the meal, along with a hot apple pie.
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“Let me tell you, McDonald’s is date night done right,” Offset says of the meal. “It doesn’t have to be all boujee. Get your date, grab some good food, and have fun, that’s it.”
Cardi added, “Whether it’s going for a date night or grabbing a bite after late-night studio sessions… I’m always asking Offset to take me to McDonald’s. And now, Offset and I have a meal named after us! I want all my fans to try it – especially with that BBQ sauce.
Ahead of the couple’s meal hitting restaurants on V-Day, McD’s released a really cute commercial that’s definitely full of the warm fuzzy vibes of the upcoming day of love.
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Tune in to McDonald’s YouTube channel on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) to see the commercial spot for the Cardi B and Offset meal.
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Photo: McDonald’s
