Taylor Swift, Shaboozey, Billie Eilish Highlight RIAA Year-End Lists
It was a big year for many in the music industry, but perhaps no one enjoyed 2024 more than Taylor Swift and Shaboozey, who finished atop RIAA‘s top albums and singles list, respectively, based on sales and streaming. Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department claimed the title by earning six-times platinum status (1 million units), while Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hit the mark five times. Elsewhere in the RIAA Gold & Platinum Class Of 2024, which included 65 artists hitting their first gold or platinum mark, Billie Eilish was rewarded the most certified titles thanks to her platinum album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.
JuJu, Giannis, Phelps, Staley, & More Invest in Unrivaled
Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 professional women’s basketball league co-founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, just received another huge funding boost. On Monday morning, the league announced that it closed a $28 million Series A round with backing from the likes of JuJu Watkins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michael Phelps, Dawn Staley, and more. Combined with the $7 million raised in the seed round, Unrivaled has brought in $35 million ahead of its inaugural season. Also included in the recent funding is Warner Bros. Discovery, which boasts a broadcasting deal with the league, as well as former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, Joe Ingles, and Richard Hamilton.
NFL, Betches Media Ink Content Deal
After the NFL saw record-breaking viewership among its female audience for Super Bowl LVIII, the league has continued its efforts to grow that fanbase by reaching a content agreement with Betches Media. As partners, Betches will get access to key NFL events in order to “create and produce new and dynamic content.” Betches Media, acquired by LADbible owner LBG Media in 2023, launched Betches Sports earlier this year to provide “a space for female sports fans that highlights all sports and the culture behind them.” The company claims the NFL is the most popular league among its audience.
Stephen Curry Unveils $950 Limited-Edition Whiskey with Father, Dell
Believe it or not, Stephen Curry has been in the NBA for 16 years now, the same amount of time his father, Dell, spent in the league. To celebrate the occasion, Curry and his brand Gentleman’s Cut are releasing a new Kentucky straight bourbon, Player Exclusive: Father and Son Edition. Just like the span of careers, the limited-edition whiskey has been aged for 16 years. With the price point of $950, the drink is available to Gentlemen’s Cut mailing list members, as well as select stores throughout multiple states.
Apple Working on Foldable iPad, Aiming for 2028 Release
Apple has been reported to want to get involved in the “foldable” game for a minute now, and a new report on Monday morning reveals it might be a few more years before anything is released. Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the tech giant is currently working up prototypes of a foldable 18.8-inch iPad with “a nearly invisible crease” down the middle. The newsletter went on to say that the eventual model will seemingly look like “two iPad Pros side-by-side,” with Apple aiming to release by 2028.
Freddie Freeman’s World Series Home Run Ball Sells for $1.56M
Remember the home run ball that Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman sent over the wall in Game 1 of the World Series to walk it off en route to a victory over the Yankees? While New York fans may want to forget the walk-off grand slam, the ball has resurfaced in the news after it sold $1.56 million at an auction that closed on Saturday. It was the third-highest-grossing home run ball ever. SCP Auctions conducted the sale for the item that garnered 22 bids.
First WNBA Regular-Season Game Coming to Vancouver in 2025
The WNBA is going international. In its first-ever regular-season game outside of the United States, the Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm are set to play in Vancouver at the Rogers Arena in 2025 the league announced Monday. It’s the fifth time the WNBA has ventured outside country lines overall, with the previous four games coming in a preseason setting. Both the Dream and the Storm have previously played in games outside of the US, with Atlanta competing in the first Europe game in 2011, while Seattle traveled to Edmonton in May of this year to take on the Los Angeles Sparks. In 2026, the Toronto Tempo are set to become the W’s first Canadian team.
Kristen Bell Returns as Host of 2025 SAG Awards
Kristen Bell, the first person to ever host the SAG Awards in 2018, is returning to emcee the event in 2025, it was announced Monday. Following Bell’s inaugural hosting, Megan Mullally followed Bell’s example in 2019, but the event has gone hostless ever since. “Thrilled to be hosting the SAG Awards again this year,” Bell said in a statement. “I’m honored to be asked back and can’t wait to share the evening with my fellow actors, doing what we do best … celebrating ourselves.” Boasting a long-standing and illustrious acting career, Bell is currently starring in Netflix’s Nobody Wants This.
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