After weeks of speculation and rumor, NBA free agency finally began at 6pm ET on June 30. The free agent list might not have been as star-studded as in recent years. However, there was plenty of talent potentially on the move.

Leading the pack were the likes of Draymond Green and Kyrie Irving. Green had declined his player option with the Warriors while Irving had declined to sign an extension in Dallas. Furthermore, Irving’s story was especially interesting. He went from being unwanted by most of the league to having six meetings scheduled for the start of free agency.

It didn’t take long for the reports to start flying in after free agency officially opened. While many of the deals were ones that the rumor had expected, there were certainly a few surprises to keep the night fresh. Let’s take a look at everything that happened in the first ~12 hours of free agency.

Related: James Harden pushing for trade to the Clippers

Massive Deals For Green, Irving, VanVleet

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors brings the ball up court during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in game five of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Chase Center on May 10, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Draymond Green indeed returned to the Warriors, netting a four-year, $100 million deal to run it back with The Splash Brothers. While some wild rumors had emerged about Green, no one really expected him to sign anywhere other than Golden State. However, getting his signature means the Warriors will stay in title contention this season.

DALLAS, TX – APRIL 5: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against the Sacramento Kings in the second half at American Airlines Center on April 5, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks won 123-119. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving did end up re-signing with the Mavericks on a three-year, $126 million deal. It’s unclear what the full story with Irving is, whether he did in fact meet with six teams or was simply trying to squeeze a better offer out of the Mavericks. Regardless, the veteran will remain in Dallas for the foreseeable future.

TORONTO, ON – APRIL 12: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors reacts after hitting a three point shot at the end of the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls during the 2023 Play-In Tournament at the Scotiabank Arena on April 12, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andrew Lahodynskyj/Getty Images)

Elsewhere, Fred VanVleet signed the biggest-ever contract for an undrafted player. After rumors placed the deal at two years and $83 million, VanVleet’s Rockets contract is a three-year, $130 million behemoth.

Related: Draymond Green shades Jordan Poole in roster builder TikTok

Other Stars Land Mammoth Re-Signings In NBA Free Agency

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 18: Kyle Kuzma #33 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball against the Sacramento Kings at Capital One Arena on March 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

Massive deals were the commodity of the day, with a number of other players landing major contracts with their current teams. Kyle Kuzma returned to the Wizards for four years and $102 million. He is expected to player a major role in the Wizards’ rebuild.

Tyrese Haliburton” class=”wp-image-691953″ srcset=”https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GettyImages-1476020090.jpg 1024w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GettyImages-1476020090-300×200.jpg 300w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GettyImages-1476020090-768×512.jpg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 24: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers dribbles the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter at the TD Garden on March 24, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

But as June 30 became July 1, there were a number of massive re-signings. A little after midnight, the Pacers gave Tyrese Haliburton a max contract extension – five years and worth up to $260 million. Earlier in the day, the Pacers had added former Nugget Bruce Brown on a two-year, $45 million deal.

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – APRIL 26: Desmond Bane #22 of the Memphis Grizzlies brings the ball upcourt against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Five of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at FedExForum on April 26, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Just minutes after the Haliburton deal was announced, Desmond Bane re-signed with Memphis for five years and $207 million. Furthermore, it is the first-ever $200 million contract given out by the Grizzlies.

Related: Las Vegas Aces sign A’ja Wilson to two-year extension

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Reading & Leeds festivals have added 27 new names to their line-up for 2023, with all set to perform on the BBC Introducing stage.

READ MORE: Foals on Reading & Leeds 2023: “It’s going to be the perfect headline show”

The twin festivals return to Richfield Avenue and Bramham Park from August 25-27, with Foals, Billie Eilish, The Killers, Sam Fender and Imagine Dragons all set to headline.

Names for the BBC Introducing stage at both sites have now been revealed, and include Matilda Mann, HotWax, Pixey, The Goa Express, Antony Szmierek and more.

Elsewhere, Leeds have also announced the DJ line-up for their Anachronica stage. See the full line-up for Reading & Leeds 2023 below and buy tickets for the festival here.

EXCITING NEWS The @bbcintroducing stage lineup is here! We have some incredible acts this year that we cannot wait to see at #randl23 this year Not only that, our Anachronica lineup for Leeds also just added

Less than 2 months, lets go pic.twitter.com/mUrMem1O5U

— Reading & Leeds Fest (@OfficialRandL) June 30, 2023

One artist that won’t be performing at Reading & Leeds 2023 is Lewis Capaldi, who announced last week he will be cancelling all upcoming live shows, including his scheduled appearances at the August bank holiday events.

The news follows his recent set at Glastonbury 2023, in which he struggled to continue singing after his Tourettes ‘ticks’ began while he was onstage. In footage of the moment, the artist can be seen trying to persevere with the performance, and the crowd helping him by singing along.

Now, the 26-year-old has confirmed that he will be cancelling all of his upcoming shows in a bid to look after his mental and physical well-being.

“First of all, thank you to Glastonbury for having me, for singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards. It really does mean the world,” he began. “The fact that this probably won’t come as a surprise doesn’t make it any easier to write, but I’m very sorry to let you know I’m going to be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future.”

Reading & Leeds have said they’re working on booking a replacement headliner for 2023.

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Pearl Jam‘s Jeff Ament has given an update on the band’s new album, saying it “doesn’t feel like a record yet”.

READ MORE: Pearl Jam – ‘Gigaton’ review: one of the biggest rock bands in the world return to semi-brilliance

Guitarist Stone Gossard confirmed in an interview last March that work had begun on the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Gigaton’ and that Andrew Watt, who has previously worked with Justin Bieber, is behind the production desk this time around.

While Gossard said they were going to try and finish the record “pretty soon,” Ament has revealed in a new interview that there’s still a way to go on the new LP.

“The hardest part of [finishing] a record a lot of times is figuring out which songs go on the record and do we need to record another song and what’s the artwork and what’s the title and all that stuff,” he said, revealing that the band are taking the summer off.

Pearl Jam performing at New York’s Madison Square Garden on September 11, 2022. Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for PJ.

“Come September, we’re still gonna pick up those questions we have about where we’re at and we’re gonna ask those questions again,” he added.

“I think everybody hopes that we have a record out next year. If we have a record out next year, that means we’ll probably play a few more shows, and I think there’s a couple places we haven’t played in quite a while, so I think we have stuff penciled in.”

Of the band’s legacy and what it affords them when making new music, Ament added: “We’ve earned the right to sort of [do whatever we want], and that’s tough because there are five of us pulling the cart.

“Sometimes you end up pulling the cart in opposite directions. But, [it’s about] just embracing all of that, embracing everybody’s ideas, hopes, dreams, wishes, and styles… I think that’s what we hope for, musically. I think we want to turn the corner and access all the best parts of each other.”

Later this year, the band will head out on a US headline tour, which they recently announced with all-in ticket pricing, featuring no hidden fees.

The news of the all-in ticket pricing follows The Cure‘s recent battle with Ticketmaster over fees. In March, Robert Smith persuaded Ticketmaster to issue small refunds to verified ticket buyers over the “unduly high” service fees.

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Hans Zimmer has reportedly bought the BBC‘s legendary Maida Vale studios in west London for £10.5million.

The report from The Daily Mail says that the legendary film composer has purchased the building to write new film scores in.

In 2018, it was announced that the lauded BBC studios were set to close by 2023, with the studios then protected from redevelopment in 2020.

Last year, Maida Vale was then put up for sale by the BBC with an asking price of £10.5million, which appears to have now been met by Zimmer.

A source in the story said of the purchase: “It is a real coup. The building is beautiful and it is so rich in history.

“It’s the kind of place that anyone who is passionate about music loves to spend time in. It is special. And it appears that vibe will continue with Hans taking it on.”

pic

Elsewhere,

In 2018, the BBC said it was planning to move the recording studios to Stratford in 2025, , as part of a redevelopment of the Olympic Park.

“I understand how much our musical heritage at Maida Vale means to us, to artists and to audiences,” the former BBC director general, Tony Hall, said in a note to staff at the time. “We haven’t taken this decision lightly. But we’re determined to ensure that live music remains at the heart of the BBC and moving to this new development gives us the opportunity to do just that.”

The building has been a BBC staple for 86 years, hosting sessions from The Beatles, Morrissey, Nirvana and more. It was also the site for Bing Crosby’s last recording session and was home to John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions. The Fall released full albums of material recorded there.

The studios, which are held in a Grade II listed building, were first converted to studios for radio broadcast in 1934. It was also home to the BBC Symphony Orchestra until 1946.

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Per an on-set source who spoke to Page Six, The Idol showrunner and director Sam Levinson “ordered” The Weeknd to film a scene in which his character rapes the character played by Lily Rose-Depp. According to the source, Levinson made a surprise mid-scene adjustment during the shooting of a sex scene for the show’s fourth episode. Levinson reportedly “explicitly directed” The Weeknd to have Tedros “strangle” Jocelyn before ejaculating inside her. Furthermore, these non-consensual elements of the scene were not in the original script. However, the scene was reportedly cut from the episode entirely.

Levinson was “by the monitor, laughing and feeding lines to Abel’s character, like, ‘I own you,’” the source alleges. While The Weeknd and Rose-Depp did the scene as instructed, many of the production staff present found it “extremely disturbing.” Additionally, the show’s intimacy director, Mam Smith, declined to comment on the scene when approached by Page Six. The revelation is in spite of the source also claiming that Levinson “does not take issues of consent lightly” and “was committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment on set.”

Surprise Rape Scene Latest “The Idol” Horror Story

Sam Levinson, Lily-Rose Depp and Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye le 23 mai 2023 à Cannes. (Photo by Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

However, this is just the latest story from the set of The Idol, whose production is almost as infamous as the finished product. “It was, let’s just say, a shitshow,” one producer told Rolling Stone in a scathing investigation into the show’s creation. On the surface, it appeared that the show, looking to bank off the infamy and name recognition of Levinson, was rushed into production to fill the Sunday night HBO slot vacated by House of the Dragon. That led to shooting delays, multiple reshoots, and even massive script rewrites.

But the problems only go deeper. Original series director Amy Seimetz reportedly left 80% of the way through production. She claimed she felt forced out, with The Weeknd allegedly claiming that the show, for which he serves as co-creator, was leaning into too much of a “female perspective” with Seimetz at the helm. That led to Levinson taking over, scrapping everything Seimetz had done, and starting from scratch. Additionally, The Weeknd has been described as “egomaniacal” by on-set sources. All of this culminated in a show that has been panned by audiences and critics. The Idol will air its final episode on July 2. Furthermore, HBO is yet to officially cancel the show or greenlight a second season.

[via]

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MANILA, Philippines—The Games and Amusements Board (GAB) has launched an investigation following an incident during a game at the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) between Marikina and Pasig last Tuesday. In a viral video, a furious Marikina coach Elvis Tolentino was seen hitting his player Felipe Chavez on the chest during a timeout after the […]

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MANILA, Philippines—Sisi Rondina sustained her fine form to keep Choco Mucho unbeaten in two games after sweeping Foton, 25-19, 25-19 25-14, in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference on Saturday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. Rondina unloaded a game-high 19 points built on 15 kills, three blocks, and an ace to […]

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MANILA, Philippines—Akari coach Jorge Souza de Brito is elated to have Fifi Sharma on his team, spicing up their middle rotation. The 22-year-old middle blocker made a surprise appearance in Akari, wearing the team shirt during the Chargers’ first game in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference on Saturday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San […]

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The Last Dinner Party have shared their second single and announced new UK tour dates – listen to ‘Sinner’ below.

READ MORE: The Last Dinner Party: the best new band you haven’t heard yet

Following a summer of festivals and in between support gigs with First Aid Kit and Hozier, the five-piece will play 11 recently-announced gigs across the UK with Picture Parlour in support.

After the band’s first gig at London’s EartH sold out in a matter of hours, they have now added a second on the following night (October 18).

To celebrate the news of the tour, the band have shared ‘Sinner’, the follow-up to their debut single ‘Nothing Matters’, alongside a live performance video.

Discussing the new track, guitarist Lizzie Mayland said: “’Sinner’ is a story of self-acceptance, and the longing for the past and present self to become one.”

Watch the video for ‘Sinner’, listen to the new track and see the new UK tour dates below. Tickets are on sale now here.

The Last Dinner Party’s 2023 UK tour dates are: 

OCTOBER 2023
8 – Blackpool, Central Library (matinee show without Picture Parlour)
9 – Glasgow, King Tut’s
10 – Newcastle, The Cluny
12 – Manchester, Academy2
14 – Leeds, Live At Leeds
15 – Hull, The Welly 
17 – London, EartH (sold out)
18 – London, EartH (new date)
19 – Cambridge,  Portland Arms
21 – Cardiff, Swn Festival
22 – Bristol, Fleece
Speaking to NME about their era of having no official releases, Bassist Georgia Davies shared: “I’m kind of going to miss our era of being like, ‘Yeah, we don’t have any songs.’ It’s kind of a flex to be like, ‘We’ve got nothing out, come to the show’.
“We’ve worked so hard on the songs and the recording of the songs, and everything. The build up has been immense. So yeah, it will be a relief to get out there, and show our families!”
Reviewing a recent live show of the band’s, NME said: “The Last Dinner Party’s ability to go straight from something as potent and wrenching as slow-burning ballad ‘Mirror’ to hamming up the theatrics of ‘Lady Of Mercy’ is a hugely impressive skill: even this early on in their career, on stage, they prove to be masters of contrast. It’s impossibly beautiful, ecstatic and ridiculous all at once.”
The band also recently responded to allegations of being industry plants. “This is just a nasty lie,” they said.

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MANILA, Philippines—The Dagun Pilipinas Dragon Boat Team took home a plethora of medals after a stellar showing in the 2023 “Taihang Quancheng Cup” Xingtai International Dragon Boat Invitational in China recently. The Nationals reaped three golds and three silvers in the 100-meter open 10-seater, 200-meter open 10-seater and 2000-meter open 10-seater categories. “We did not […]

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