Inter Miami Star Lionel Messi Claims 2024 MLS MVP
Lionel Messi just added another trophy to his overflowing cabinet, earning 2024 Landon Donovan MLS MVP honors on Friday. The Inter Miami CF captain led the league with 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 matches. With him in the lineup, Miami finished with 12 wins, only one loss, and six draws while averaging 2.68 goals scored per match.
TikTok Loses Appeal to Overturn Ban in US
A federal appeals court voted Friday to uphold a law banning TikTok in the United States. The group sided with the Justice Department in refusing to review the appeal from TikTok and ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, saying the law is unconstitutional. TikTok boasts 170 million users, which is about half of the total population in the US. The ban is set to take effect on Jan. 19, with the possibility of a one-time 90-day delay granted by the president if a sale is in progress by the deadline.
SZA Teases ‘SOS’ Deluxe Edition Could Be Coming Soon
SZA teased her fans on Friday, posting a whiteboard to her Instagram Story that seemingly contained a tracklist for the upcoming deluxe version of her chart-topping SOS album. However, all the songs’ names were strategically blocked out, save one track titled “Saturn.” At the top of the board reads, “Do not erase. Deluxe.” Last month, the St. Louis native told British Vogue both the deluxe version of SOS and her third project, Lana, could arrive soon. Let’s hope new music arrives ahead of her North American stadium tour with Kendrick Lamar next spring.
HBO’s Harry Potter Series Expected to Start Filming in Summer 2025
Production of the new Harry Potter series from HBO will begin in the summer of 2025 at a UK studio, the company confirmed on Friday. Filmed exactly where the eight Harry Potter movies were also shot, the series will feature a brand new cast, with more than 30,000 children having auditioned for the lead roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger following an open casting call in September. The program is labeled as a “fresh adaptation” of books written by JK Rowling, although it will go deeper into Harry’s origins and introduce new characters. It is expected that there will be seven series of the show, each season adapting one of the novels.
Taylor Swift Sells Nearly 1M Copies of ‘Eras Tour Book’
One week after hitting the Target shelves in an exclusive Black Friday release, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Book has reached a major sales milestone. The coffee table book, available exclusively at Target, has sold nearly 1 million copies, making it the highest-selling new release of this year. Over Thanksgiving weekend, 814,000 copies were purchased, 2,000 less than the biggest nonfiction book release of all time, Barack Obama’s A Promised Land, which was available to buy essentially everywhere. After almost two years on the road, Swift concludes her record-breaking Eras Tour this weekend in Vancouver.
WWE, A&E Agree to Extend Partnership with New Programming
WWE and A&E are in search of the next generation of pro wrestling stars next year, announcing Friday an expansion of their programming partnership that will include the debut of WWE LFG – Legend & Future Greats. The competition series chronicles ambitious pro wrestlers vying for a WWE contract, all while receiving mentorship from legends like Paul “Triple H” Levesque, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and others. Along with the aforementioned program, A&E has also ordered a second new series, WWE’s Greatest Moments, which will analyze iconic matches and events in the federation’s history, and a fifth season of its docuseries, WWE Rivals.
Lululemon Stock Jumps Following Strong Q3 Report
Lululemon has reason to celebrate, as its third-quarter results revealed a 9% jump in sales year over year, with quarterly revenue coming in at $2.4 billion, an increase from $2.2 billion in 2023. On the heels of the positive news, Lululemon’s stock soared, closing Friday up nearly 16%. After adding 28 new stores during the quarter, the company boasts 749 total brick-and-mortar shops worldwide following the three-month period.
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