Latest news with #WillSmith
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Will Smith throws shade, references controversial Chris Rock Oscars slap in new freestyle
Despite having apologized and addressed the controversial 2022 Oscars moment, Smith's latest freestyle takes a less contrite tone. In 2022, the biggest story in entertainment was Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in retaliation for jokes that Rock got off at the expense of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, as host of the 94th Academy Awards ceremony. Smith walked on stage, slapped Rock, and returned to his seat before telling him to keep his wife's name out of his mouth. Smith would later apologize to Rock and his family, and Rock would eventually speak about it as well, but nothing was ever the same for either man. At the time, Smith showed contrition for his act, but the Academy punished him with a 10-year ban from the Oscars. The Hollywood star was, though, allowed to stay at the ceremony that evening, eventually taking home the coveted 'Best Actor' award for his role as Venus and Serena Williams' father in the film 'King Richard.' In the years since, Rock has been mostly silent about it all (though his brother Tony Rock hasn't), addressing it in a Netflix special 'Selective Outrage,' and Smith has slowly but surely navigated his way back into mainstream appeal, including his enduring role as Mike Lowery in the blockbuster film, 'Bad Boys For Life,' part of the 'Bad Boys' franchise with Martin Lawrence. In March 2025, Smith even released a new album (his first in 20 years) titled 'Based on a True Story.' Smith just launched his first solo headline tour in support of the project, which mostly hits cities across Europe. While promoting the tour, he stopped by Charlie Sloth's show and dropped a freestyle in his 'Fire In The Booth' series. He had some…interesting things to say about the now, three-year-old incident. 'Now I'm not the type of man to move in malicious ways, and I am too grown to play childish games / If you talking crazy out your face up on the stage and disrespect me on the stage, expect me on the stage / Jokers dish it out, cry out when it's time to take it, City full of real ones wasn't raised to fake it.' Smith never says Rock's name over the course of his 'freestyle'– which should be a song called 'The Illest'– but the not-so-subliminal shots aimed at Chris Rock are noticeable. Even if they aren't directed toward Rock, they surely sound like they are, and in hip-hop (and ego), that's all that matters. Especially considering that Smith has, again, shown contrition publicly. Maybe things have changed in the world of Will Smith, and those early apologies have given way to new information and/or feelings about what's happened. Maybe he's just letting the world know that kind of kid comes from West Philadelphia, where he was born and raised. Or maybe he's just drumming up publicity. Who knows? What we do know is that this latest freestyle at the very least fanned whatever remaining flames were simmering of an incident that changed the trajectory of two of America's most famous men. Guess we'll have to see what happens from must-reads: Nelly refutes narrative that he's 'Pro-Trump' because he performed at President Trump's inauguration Zohran Mamdani's mom, Mira Nair, directed a Denzel Washington film—'Mississippi Masala' Brandy and Monica reveal what inspired hit song 'The Boy Is Mine'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers stars Andy Pages, Will Smith help All-Star cases with solo homers vs. Nationals
The post Dodgers stars Andy Pages, Will Smith help All-Star cases with solo homers vs. Nationals appeared first on ClutchPoints. Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages and catcher Will Smith continued to add to their All-Star cases with solo home runs in their 7-3 loss to the Washington Nationals on Saturday night. The defending champs are now sitting at 47-31 overall and in first place in the NL West by 3.5 games. While Shohei Ohtani is having another MVP-caliber season, Los Angeles isn't a one-man team, and some under-the-radar players have stepped up their production in 2025. Advertisement One of those players is Will Smith, who, despite being a two-time All-Star, is having the best season of his career so far, posting an OPS that ranks fifth in the MLB. As Smith continues to improve, what has been even more encouraging for the Dodgers has been the breakout campaign of Andy Pages. Los Angeles' third-ranked prospect from a year ago has been one of the best center fielders in the league this season. Through 74 games of action, Pages has a .293 batting average with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs. The 24-year-old is just getting comfortable at this level, and his recent form indicates that the best is yet to come. Dodgers Insider noted in a recent social media post that Pages' this June: '352/.355/.690/1.045, 6 home runs and 16 RBI in 20 games'. Pages went deep in the fifth inning while Smith hit his solo shot in the sixth inning. Unfortunately, neither of those homers was enough to give the Dodgers the win against the Washington Nationals. The Dodgers' starting pitching has taken a hit injury-wise in 2025, but is gradually getting healthier. Shohei Ohtani finally made his debut on the mound for the franchise, and the franchise's newest ace, Blake Snell, and All-Star starter Tyler Glasnow are in line to return sometime in the near future. Los Angeles will have one of the best rotations in the league if all of those guys, along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are healthy. Advertisement Overall, the production on Pages and Smith is an excellent sign for this franchise as players like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman begin to enter the twilight of their respective primes. The National League is completely stacked in 2025 with teams like the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs looking like legit pennant contenders. The Dodgers will ultimately have to be even better than last year to return to the Fall Classic. But Los Angeles is still justifiably the favorite, and Pages and Smith deserve to be All-Stars this season. Related: Fernando Tatis Jr. smashes crucial 107.9 MPH bomb vs. Royals Related: Dodgers' Freddie Freeman returns to lineup vs. Nationals
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Dalton Rushing's strides behind the plate showing in the assignments Dodgers are giving him
DENVER — The Los Angeles Dodgers have brought Dalton Rushing's development to the big league level for nights like these, where he can be in lockstep with some of the game's best pitchers and help guide them to dominance. The prized catching prospect has been a limited participant in the 43 days since being brought up to the majors last month. Such is life when the club already has an established force at the position having a career year. Advertisement The Dodgers' faith in Rushing is instead reflected in his assignments. On Wednesday it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the likely first-time All-Star this season who commanded the richest contract ever for a pitcher before even arriving in the United States, taking on the mindbending launching pad that is Coors Field. On Sunday, Rushing spent 15 minutes talking through the Washington Nationals lineup with Shohei Ohtani before bookending the same lineup with the reigning National League MVP. 'It's obviously an honor,' Rushing said after the Dodgers took an 8-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. That's more than $1 billion in batterymates for Rushing's finishing school behind the plate. This is why the Dodgers wanted him here, to continue working with the big league staff, running meetings, catching bullpens and expediting his growth behind the plate so he can pair that with his bat for maximum impact. The Dodgers have a template in Will Smith, who charted his similar path half a decade ago. They've been planning for this stage of Rushing's development since before this spring, when they had him running their mock game planning meetings. 'It's a little more of understanding the way the game is played up here,' Rushing explained last week. 'Get to know some of these pitchers a little better. Get to know situational baseball a little better in the big leagues. I'm learning a lot every day, and I think it's going to really be beneficial.' That has now included getting paired with some of the Dodgers' most notable and accomplished names. His second career start behind the plate was shepherding Clayton Kershaw's season debut. Wednesday marked Rushing's 13th start behind the dish, but he's fostering trust. Yamamoto authored one of his most dominant outings yet, allowing just two base runners through five innings before a torrential downpour ended his night after just 56 pitches. That limited sample still reflected Rushing's ability to be nimble in how he called pitches. Even in a ballpark that flattens breaking balls and causes even the most devastating of splitters to hang in the air, Rushing kept calling for it. Advertisement 'I thought Dalton's fingers were great,' Roberts said of the catcher's game calling. 'I think he was calling my strengths pretty well,' Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. 'And then the results I got today, that was just because of the way he called the game.' Sixteen of Yamamoto's offerings were splitters, more than any other pitch. He tossed 14 curveballs, flipping conventional wisdom on its head and throwing it more than he did his four-seam fastball. He got a combined 10 swings and misses on the splitter and curveball, keeping an inept Rockies lineup off-balance. 'They were going up there pretty aggressive as hitters and those are the two (pitches) that kind of got them off-time and allowed him to create more swing and miss,' Rushing said. 'Didn't want to overuse the fastball, overexpose it or allow them to get a good swing on the ball.' When the Rockies mounted a rally in the sixth inning, Rushing kept lefty reliever Alex Vesia on his slider against the left-handed Ryan McMahon, getting the swing and miss needed to get out of the jam because McMahon was early to the pitch. 'He was trying to get on the fastball for Vesia and he was just ambushing,' Rushing said. 'That's what this team does a lot of. So that kind of allowed me to get off their game plan a little bit.' A half-inning later, Max Muncy hit a grand slam to break the game open. Dodgers pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts while walking just two and allowing one run with Rushing behind the plate. Wednesday was a chance for Rushing to flash his growth, along with the ability to pivot as he adjusted plans midway through the night. 'He's asking the right questions,' Roberts said. 'He's watching, absorbing. And so I think that I want to continue to challenge him. He's building relationships with the pitchers, and I think that's the thing that if you do that, you get a little more grace with the pitchers. That's what I see right now, as a young ballplayer.' Advertisement The Dodgers have done this while threatening stagnating Rushing's development with his bat, which got him high on prospect lists to begin with. Rushing acknowledged there's an adjustment process. Rather than work through his swing with everyday at-bats at Triple-A Oklahoma City, Rushing has had to get creative. He's volunteered himself for live at-bats for rehabbing pitchers whenever possible. He's made himself familiar with the club's Trajekt Arc pitching machine, which simulates opposing pitchers' deliveries and release points. Recently, he's tweaked his timing mechanism, simplifying his swing so it's better able to adapt on the fly. 'It's something I've never done before,' Rushing said. 'So essentially, it's going to be different. It's going to feel different. You show up with not a different mindset but a different day-to-day look. I'm used to showing up, I'm in the lineup every night. But that's not my role here and I embrace that. I'm finding a way to be prepared and do whatever.' He went hitless but drew a walk on Wednesday, moving his OPS to .660 through his first 55 plate appearances. The 24-year-old has found other ways to impress. He has so wowed the Dodgers' brass that Roberts, unprompted, dropped the 'S' word last month. 'He feels that he's going to be a superstar,' Roberts said. 'I love him in the box. He's very confident. He controls the hitting zone, and he's going to be a good one for a long time.' How does that translate? 'I just think that he has talent,' Roberts said. 'I think that superstars that I've been around, they have an edge and they have a chip. And I just think that he plays with an edge and a chip. He always feels he's the best option, and that's what some of the best have.' The Dodgers believe the bat will come for Rushing. Which makes nights like Wednesday, where he showed his proficiency behind the plate, all the more encouraging.
Morocco World
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
Will Smith Rocks Moroccan Jellaba During Electrifying Mawazine Performance
Rabat – American superstar Will Smith lit up the stage at the Mawazine Festival in Rabat last night with an unforgettable performance that left the crowd buzzing with excitement. The concert took place on the Souissi stage during the 20th edition of the festival, one of the biggest music events in Africa and the Arab world. Adding to the magic of the evening, Smith rocked a Moroccan jellaba with a modern twist, specially designed by a Moroccan fashion designer. Although many people, including Moroccans, mainly know Will Smith as a Hollywood actor famous for movies like Men in Black and The Pursuit of Happyness, the star reminded everyone that he started his music career. With high energy and charisma, Smith delivered a powerful show that combined nostalgia, fun, and showmanship. The venue was packed with thousands of fans who sang along to some of his most iconic hits. He performed crowd favorites like 'Men in Black,' 'Just the Two of US,' and his most recent 'Pretty Girls.' He also treated the crowd to iconic pieces like 'Get Jiggy With It,' 'Wild Wild West,' 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air,' and 'Work of Art.' The crowd went wild, dancing and cheering throughout the night. Smith also shared moments of laughter and gratitude with the audience. In addition, Smith proudly held up a Moroccan football jersey during the concert and took a moment to congratulate Morocco on its upcoming role as one of the hosts of the 2030 World Cup, alongside Spain and Portugal. The ongoing Mawazine festival, now in its 20th edition, brought together global superstars like 50 Cent, K-pop group Aespa, among others. It also showcased Moroccan artists like Hajib, Zakaria Ghafouli, Najat Aatabou, and Nadia Laaroussi, and featured iconic artists from the Arab world like Wael Jassar, Ragheb Alama, and Nancy Ajram. Tags: JellabaMawazineWill Smith
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Dodgers bring road win streak into game against the Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers (50-31, first in the NL West) vs. Colorado Rockies (18-62, fifth in the NL West) Denver; Thursday, 3:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (3-0, 3.31 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 24 strikeouts); Rockies: Austin Gomber (0-1, 8.38 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, four strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Dodgers -328, Rockies +260; over/under is 11 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to keep a three-game road win streak going when they visit the Colorado Rockies. Colorado is 18-62 overall and 8-31 at home. The Rockies have gone 7-13 in games decided by one run. Los Angeles is 20-17 on the road and 50-31 overall. The Dodgers have a 36-12 record in games when they record eight or more hits. The matchup Thursday is the sixth time these teams match up this season. The Dodgers have a 5-0 advantage in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Hunter Goodman has 17 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs while hitting .287 for the Rockies. Mickey Moniak is 12 for 36 with two doubles, a triple and five home runs over the past 10 games. Will Smith leads the Dodgers with a .330 batting average, and has 15 doubles, a triple, nine home runs, 36 walks and 42 RBIs. Andy Pages is 15 for 37 with four home runs and 12 RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Rockies: 5-5, .261 batting average, 4.54 ERA, outscored opponents by one run Dodgers: 8-2, .274 batting average, 4.60 ERA, outscored opponents by 17 runs INJURIES: Rockies: Ryan Feltner: 60-Day IL (back), Kyle Freeland: 15-Day IL (back), Ezequiel Tovar: 10-Day IL (oblique), Tanner Gordon: 15-Day IL (oblique), Kris Bryant: 60-Day IL (lumbar), Jeff Criswell: 60-Day IL (elbow) Dodgers: Roki Sasaki: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tony Gonsolin: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 15-Day IL (adductor), Tyler Glasnow: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Evan Phillips: 60-Day IL (forearm), Blake Snell: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Blake Treinen: 60-Day IL (forearm), Edgardo Henriquez: 60-Day IL (foot), Kyle Hurt: 60-Day IL (elbow), Michael Grove: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Brusdar Graterol: 60-Day IL (shoulder), River Ryan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Gavin Stone: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
