Category: BUSINESS

  • Snoop Dogg drops new album, addresses Trump inauguration performance

    Snoop Dogg drops new album, addresses Trump inauguration performance

    Snoop Dogg has a question for critics.

    The West Coast rap legend, 53, released his surprise album, “Iz It a Crime,” on May 15. Snoop Dogg said the project’s title was partly a retort to the public scrutiny he faced in the wake of his performance during President Donald Trump’s inaugural events earlier this year, according to Rolling Stone and the New York Post.

    “I felt like there was a lot of unanswered questions over the past six months and I just wanted to answer them through my music,” he said at an album preview event in New York City on May 13, the Post reported.

    On the fourth song, “Unsung Heroes,” the rapper spits: “Life’s a game of spades, better keep a Trump card / You ain’t used to Hell’s Kitchen, get the hell out /Me and Dre at the SoFi, the only way I sell out.” 

    He continues, “A lot of knee jerk reactions, false information/ (expletive) that, I’m at the house on the PlayStation / Dancing with these dead presidents, the real inauguration / Too many (expletive) playing with my reputation / To step on our turf, you need an invitation.”

    The 21-track album, released on Death Row Records, includes features from Pharrell Williams, Sexyy Red, Wiz Khalifa, and LaRussell.

    Snoop spoke out against Trump in the past

    Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., and other hip-hop artists, including Soulja Boy and Rick Ross, came under fire for performing at Trump’s Crypto Ball in Washington, D.C.

    The event was intended to honor “America’s first ‘crypto president,’” according to its website. While Trump wasn’t in attendance, the president’s crypto czar David Sacks served as emcee.

    Snoop’s decision was shocking to fans, as he had previously criticized rappers for performing for Trump. In a 2017 Instagram video, he said he would “roast” the next rapper who performs for Trump. The same year, he also took a dig at the president in a music video and called him a “clown.”

    During an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” this week, Snoop clarified that he decided to do the Crypto Ball gig for Sacks, whom he said is his friend of 15 years.

    “I’m not a politician. I don’t represent the Republican Party. I don’t represent the Democratic Party. I represent the (expletive) Gangster Party point blank period,” he said. “We don’t explain (expletive), so that’s why I didn’t explain, that’s why I didn’t go into detail when (expletive) was trying to cancel me and say ‘he’s a sellout.’”

    Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY

    Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].

  • Pamela Anderson addresses no makeup look

    Pamela Anderson addresses no makeup look

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    Pamela Anderson is baring it all about going bare face.

    The model and Baywatch alum recently opened up to People magazine about her turn to natural glam over the past two years.

    “People come up to me daily; at the grocery store, on the beach, on my walks,” Anderson said in the story published May 15. “People are like, ‘Thank you so much for doing this,’” noting the look resonates with “a lot of people.”

    The “Last Showgirl” actress was speaking to the outlet about her skincare brand Sonsie, which has a cult following, after she recently wore natural glam (and new bangs) to the Met Gala on May 5.

    “I think that sometimes we have to come back to ourselves and peel it all the way to remember who we are, what our original thoughts are, what our dreams and aspirations are,” Anderson said about going makeup-free. “So this is all part of it, it’s coming back to who you are and wherever you are in your beauty journey.”

    But the “Love, Pamela” author said she’s “not opposed to makeup,” adding that “I love glam, I love all of that” and “I love creating characters on film or in theater.”

    Pamela Anderson started going makeup-free in 2023

    The “Baywatch” bombshell has peeled back the layers of her personal life in recent years, seen by some fans as a revision of her previous Hollywood reputation as a sex symbol.

    Her fresh-faced glow has impressed many since she started transitioning away from makeup on red carpets in 2023 (and kicked off a “natural beauty revolution,” in the words of her “Showgirl” co-star Jamie Lee Curtis).

    In October of that year, she told Vogue France she hopes that she can help model the multitude of ways women can express themselves.

    “I’m not trying to be the prettiest girl in the room,” she said. “I feel like it’s just freedom. It’s a relief.”

    Then, at the 2024 Gotham Film Awards, Anderson told People that she hasn’t completely removed makeup from her life.

    “I love to wear makeup too sometimes,” she said. “It has a time and a place. I just feel in my personal life, it just didn’t really make sense.”

    Contributing: Taijuan Moorman

  • When does ‘Murderbot’ premiere? Cast, date and how to watch

    When does ‘Murderbot’ premiere? Cast, date and how to watch

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    A made-for-TV adaptation of “The MurderBot Diaries,” an award-winning sci-fi book series, premieres May 16.

    The new Apple TV+ show follows a self-hacking security android known as “Murderbot,” who is horrified by human emotion, yet drawn to its vulnerable “clients.” Security Units, or SEC Units like “Murderbot,” were designed to make human life easier, making them glorified babysitters for humans of the future.

    And “Murderbot,” played by Alexander Skarsgård, known for playing tech billionaire Lukas Matsson in the HBO drama series “Succession,” is not having it.

    “Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe,” AppleTV+ said in a news release.

    The storyline in the show is similar to the one in the books written by author Martha Wells.

    “I was built to protect and obey humans,” Murderbot says in the trailer. “And humans… are idiots. But now that I’ve hacked my programming, I can do whatever I want… as long as they don’t find out.”

    Here’s what to know about “Murderbot,” including how to tune in.

    ‘Murderbot’ cast

    The “Murderbot” cast includes:

    • Alexander Skarsgård as Murderbot
    • Noma Dumezweni as Dr. Mensah
    • David Dastmalchian as Gurathin
    • Tattiawna Jones as Arada
    • Sabrina Wu as Pin-Lee
    • Tamara Podemski as Bharadwaj
    • Akshay Khanna as Ratthi

    When does ‘Murderbot’ premiere?

    “Murderbot” will premiere May 16 on AppleTV+

    The first two episodes of the 10-episode series will drop on premiere day, followed by new episodes every Friday through July 11.

    The episode schedule based on those details is as follows:

    • May 23
    • May 30
    • June 6
    • June 13
    • June 20
    • June 27
    • July 4
    • July 11

    How to watch ‘Murderbot’

    Catch “Murderbot” on AppleTV+

    A monthly AppleTV+ subscription starts at $9.99 after a free 7-day trial. But prices do vary, depending on the plan you choose.

    We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

    Watch ‘Murderbot’ trailer

  • Scarlett Johansson to host ‘SNL’ finale: Cast, musical guest, more

    Scarlett Johansson to host ‘SNL’ finale: Cast, musical guest, more

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    Season 50 of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” ends on May 17, with another host making a return appearance to the iconic late-night comedy sketch show.

    Hint: The popular actress is even married to a cast member.

    According to official “SNL” social media pages, Scarlett Johansson will host Episode 19 of Season 50.

    Married to “Weekend Update” co-host Colin Jost, Johansson is returning to host the long-time, award-winning comedy show for a seventh time. She first hosted on Jan. 14, 2006.

    Johansson, who stars in the upcoming film, “Jurassic Park Rebirth,” met her “Weekend Update” co-anchor hubby on the “SNL” set. The pair married in 2020 and share one child. Johansson shares another child with ex-husband and businessman Romain Dauriac.

    According to NBC, after the May 17 episode, the actress will be the most frequent female host on the show’s books, ahead of Drew Barrymore and Tina Fey. With 17 episodes under his belt, Alec Baldwin is the most frequent male host, the outlet reports, followed by Steve Martin, who has hosted 16 times. 

    How to watch ‘SNL’ finale on May 17

    The May 17 “SNL” final can be watched live on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT.

    Viewers can also stream it the next day on Peacock.

    Who is the ‘SNL’ musical guest on May 17?

    Bad Bunny (born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) is the May 17 musical guest.

    The “Tití Me Preguntó” rapper first appeared as the show’s musical guest in 2021. On Episode 2 of Season 49, airing Oct. 21, 2023, he pulled double duty as host and musical guest.

    Who is in the Season 50 ‘SNL’ cast?

    James Austin Johnson reprised his role as President Donald Trump, while Bowen Yang played the role of Vice President JD Vance.

    Former cast member Maya Rudolph played the role of Vice President Kamala Harris in the lead-up to the November presidential election.

    Season 50 returning cast members include:

    • Michael Che
    • Mikey Day
    • Andrew Dismukes
    • Chloe Fineman
    • Heidi Gardner
    • Marcello Hernández
    • James Austin Johnson
    • Colin Jost
    • Michael Longfellow
    • Ego Nwodim
    • Ashley Padilla
    • Sarah Sherman
    • Kenan Thompson
    • Devon Walker
    • Emil Wakim
    • Jane Wickline
    • Bowen Yang

    New Season 50 cast members include:

    • Ashley Padilla
    • Emil Wakim
    • Jane Wicklin

    Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

  • Reality star says treatment is working

    Reality star says treatment is working

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    Teddi Mellencamp is giving a glimpse into her cancer recovery journey.

    The former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, who shared earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in her brain and lungs, revealed during a May 14 episode of her podcast that her body was responding to treatment, but she’s not out of the woods just yet.

    “Last time, they had checked solely my brain, and those tumors are shrinking,” she said on “Two Ts In a Pod,” the show she co-hosts with fellow “Real Housewives” alum Tamra Judge. “Then, today I had the scan, where they checked my lungs and they are shrinking and one of them has shrunk so much you can barely even see it.”

    While she said her “body is responding to everything,” Mellencamp, 43, did reveal that she will need to rely on immunotherapy for the next two years.

    “So every four weeks for the next two years, I have to come in and get that done,” said Mellencamp. “And then every three months I get another scan and we check to make sure that everything is where it is.”

    Immunotherapy refers to a tactic used by doctors to help a person’s immune system fight cancer by stimulating it so that it can identify and attack cancerous cells.

    The reality star, who is daughter to rocker John Cougar Mellencamp, revealed in April that after undergoing treatment, several of her tumors had “shrunk or disappeared.”

    “Doctors believe I will be healed if everything stays on course,” Mellencamp wrote on Instagram at the time. “Thank you to everyone who has sent their love, prayers, and positivity.”

    Mellencamp, who has been open with fans about her journey, previously told USA TODAY that a positive mindset has been key to her recover.

    “I’m feeling positive, but I also would say that my mood and my overall energy level shifts by the hour,” she said. “There’s moments of fear and there’s moments of whatever, but as long as I’m moving my body and taking action, then I seem to be in a more positive mindset.”

  • ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ takes deaths into fresh territory

    ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ takes deaths into fresh territory

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    After a 14-year hiatus, “Final Destination” is back to gift fans some brand-new phobias.

    The horror series famous for elaborate death scenes, in which characters are killed in freak accidents related to everyday situations, rises from the dead with “Final Destination Bloodlines” (in theaters May 16), the first installment since 2011 and first to be filmed for IMAX. In keeping with franchise tradition, the marching orders were clear for directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, series newcomers best known for the sci-fi thriller “Freaks”: Make more daily activities terrifying.

    “The key thing is starting with something that’s very relatable, that all of us experience every day, that’s not fantastical − it’s something that you’ll run into during your daily life,” Lipovsky says. “And then figuring out how to ruin that for you, so that anytime you ever experience it in your life again, you think of ‘Final Destination.’ “

    After seeing “Bloodlines,” he warns, “every time you put on your wedding ring, you’ll think twice.”

    In the 25 years since the original movie, “Final Destination” has followed an established formula: A character has a premonition that allows them and others to survive a disaster, only for the group to die one by one because they were not meant to live.

    “A big challenge with ‘Final Destination’ is predictability because everyone knows that these characters are going to die,” Stein points out.

    So, six films in, “Bloodlines” aims to keep fans on their toes by upending the template. For the first time, the plot centers on characters who did not cheat death − at least, not personally. Instead, the film follows a woman, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), whose grandmother, Iris (Gabrielle Rose), had a premonition and survived a tower collapse decades ago. Given that Iris was fated to die before having kids, Stefani’s family shouldn’t exist, so death is coming for them.

    The change “allowed for some really interesting retooling of the formula that fans are used to,” Lipovsky says, starting with the transition from the film’s opening disaster to a new character in a different time period − a stark departure from how every previous movie began. The goal was that “even if you’re a massive fan of the franchise, you didn’t know where things were going.”

    Stein says focusing on a family also allowed “Bloodlines” to raise the stakes from past “Final Destination” movies, in which the victims have typically been either friends or people who don’t know each other.

    “When it’s family members that are on the chopping block, the characters have a lot more urgency,” Stein says. In previous installments, “when someone dies, they go, ‘Oh, that’s too bad. Who’s next?’ Whereas this one, there’s real weight to it.”

    Despite tweaking the formula, “Bloodlines” adheres closely to franchise lore. Series regular Tony Todd, who died last fall, returns for a touching posthumous scene that references another fan favorite character. Rules for cheating death discovered in prior films come into play. And one plot point is an extension of an idea from the original: Iris locks herself in a cabin for years to stay alive, an extreme version of Devon Sawa’s Alex holing up in a cabin in the first movie.

    “A big part of this film takes that concept and (asks), ‘What if you did that for 20 years?’ ” Lipovsky says.

    Ultimately, though, any “Final Destination” is judged by its kills, and to craft theirs, Lipovsky and Stein closely studied every previous death in the series. Stein says they were especially inspired by the “visceral cringiness” of a “Final Destination 5” scene where a gymnast keeps coming close to stepping on a screw, as well as the surprise ending of a “Final Destination 2” sequence where a man dies after slipping on spaghetti.

    “(Fans are) almost rooting for death because death is working so hard to be creative and clever, and really, death is us,” Lipovsky says.

    So why do horror fans have so much fun watching the franchise’s infamously gruesome kills? Lipovsky has a theory: The fact that the deaths don’t feel unfair gives the audience permission to laugh along.

    “They cheat death at the beginning, which is a bargain we’ve all made peace with,” he says. “We all know we’re going to die, and we all know our time will come, and that’s fair that death will come for us and we will die. And these characters cheat that. So then it’s kind of fair that death comes for them.

    “That allows you to kind of enjoy the inevitable end, because it’s just sort of correcting an error. We always explained the tone we’re going for as covering your eyes because you don’t want to watch, but you’ve got a huge smile on your face.”

  • The 'Final Destination' movies return with new 'Bloodlines'Movies

    The 'Final Destination' movies return with new 'Bloodlines'Movies

    The ‘Final Destination’ movies return with new ‘Bloodlines’Movies

  • ‘Untold: The Liver King’ doc on Netflix: What to know

    ‘Untold: The Liver King’ doc on Netflix: What to know

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    The Liver King is still at it.

    The controversial TikToker is back in a new Netflix documentary from the “Untold” series. “Untold: The Liver King” sees the influencer and YouTuber rise and fall, including coming to terms with his 2022 steroid use controversy. The Liver King built a multimillion-dollar supplement empire following his viral success during the pandemic, among a wave of internet personalities promoting a raw meat “ancestral lifestyle” and intense, primal workouts.

    The documentary features his wife, Barbara aka the Liver Queen, and his two sons, who also helped promote the ancestral lifestyle to his millions of followers across platforms.

    Here’s what you need to know about the king and his dethroning.

    Who is the Liver King?

    Now-disgraced TikTok influencer the Liver King, born Brian Johnson, went viral during the pandemic for his promotion of an “ancestral lifestyle” centered mainly around a raw meat diet and daily intake of liver, purportedly to increase energy and improve digestion. Such benefits aren’t backed by science, however, and the recommendation to eat raw beef isn’t supported by any health agency either.

    Johnson promotes what he calls nine “ancestral tenets” as the foundation of his lifestyle, mimicking how early humans supposedly lived.

    In 2022, leaked private emails revealed that Johnson had used steroids. He later apologized for lying to his followers in an ABC News interview, before being hit with a $25 million class action lawsuit in January 2023. The lawsuit was dismissed in March 2023 with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.

    Where is the Liver King now?

    The Liver King is less active on social media these days. In the documentary, Johnson said he has discontinued steroid use. He has also pivoted to a more “natural” lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables into his previously strict carnivore diet. However, his supplement business is alive and well.

    How to watch ‘Untold: The Liver King’

    The documentary “Untold: The Liver King” is available to stream now on Netflix with a paid subscription.

    The doc is part of the streamer’s sports documentary series “Untold.” This season will also feature Brett Favre’s career and controversies in “The Fall of Favre,” set to premiere May 20.

    Contributing: Daryl Austin

  • Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ net worth, homes, plane, more assets

    Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ net worth, homes, plane, more assets

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    Sean “Diddy” Combs has a lot to lose as his sex-crimes trial continues.

    The embattled music mogul is facing potential life in prison if convicted on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.

    He is also fighting a Justice Department forfeiture action that could cost him much – if not most – of an empire that prosecutors allege he used as part of a criminal racketeering enterprise from 2008 to the present. His lawyers have hired as a consultant the former deputy chief of the Justice Department’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, USA TODAY has learned.

    So what are Combs’ assets, and what could be seized if he is convicted?

    Diddy’s net worth

    In 2024, Forbes magazine estimated Combs’ net worth at $400 million – a significant drop from its 2019 figure of $740 million. Both Combs and his team later claimed he was a billionaire, Forbes said, despite offering no documentation to back up the claim.

    Diddy on Trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom with USA TODAY as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces sex crimes and trafficking charges. Subscribe to the newsletter.

    Diddy’s homes

    According to publicly available documents and news reports, Combs’ most valuable personal possession is likely his 17,000-square-foot, 10-bedroom mansion, appraised at more than $61 million, in the tony Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles. It was raided as part of a criminal probe and listed for sale last September. 

    Combs also owns a 9,600-square-foot house in Toluca Lake just northwest of the Hollywood Sign. And he owns a $48 million mansion at 2 West Star Island in Miami and the adjacent property at 1 West Star Island. On Aug. 20, 2024, Combs paid off the $18.9 million mortgage so he could put up 2 West Star as collateral in his failed efforts to obtain bail and stay out of jail while awaiting trial, documents show. 

    Diddy’s plane

    Combs owns a Gulfstream G550 jet valued at more than $25 million, known as LoveAir, which he rents out while also seeking a sale to help pay his enormous legal expenses. 

    Diddy’s record company

    Also, potentially open to forfeiture: Combs’ Bad Boy Records, which still generates money from recordings and music publishing rights since he launched the company in 1993. 

    At its founding in 2013, Combs’ parent company Combs Enterprises, later renamed Combs Global, included his New York City-based Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Wines and Spirits, the AQUAhydrate water firm, Revolt Media, Sean John fashion and fragrances, Capital Preparatory Charter Schools and The Sean Combs Foundation.

    Over the years, it expanded to include new business units and ventures such as Empower Global, Our Fair Share and Love Records, which focused on R&B.

    Diddy’s art collection

    Combs is not known to own any “Colossal-sized Picassos,” as he sings about in his hit song. But he is believed to have an extensive art collection, including works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.  

    In 2018, he was revealed as the mystery buyer of the renowned painting “Past Times” by Kerry James Marshall for $21.1 million. 

    Diddy’s cars

    At one time, Combs’ fleet of at least 20 luxury cars included a Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini and an ultra-luxury Mercedes known as a Maybach.

    Contributing: Brendan Morrow

  • Meet your new comedy obsession

    Meet your new comedy obsession

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    College is an absolute nightmare of awkwardness, and it’s about time we saw that in its full, cringeworthy glory on our screens.

    Enter Prime Video’s “Overcompensating” (all eight epiosdes now streaming, ★★★½ out of four), a rolling-on-the-floor-laughing new comedy created by and starring comedian Benito Skinner (known online as “Benny Drama”) about two lost and confused college freshmen at an elite university. There’s Benny (Skinner), struggling with a closeted sexual identity he doesn’t even understand, and Carmen (Wally Baram), a formerly shy high school outcast trying to find, as the kids would say, her “main character energy.” They’re thrown into the inferno of hormones, beer and twin beds that is the college experience, and start tripping over their mistakes and insecurities on day one.

    Hilarious and deeply authentic, “Overcompensating” is set in a modern-day, Gen Z, TikTok-laden college campus, but feels like it can describe any experience of late-stage adolescence (and in fact, some of the references betray a distinctly millennial point of view in the writers’ room). Benny and Carmen are underdogs worth rooting for in a comedy that has the potential to break out this summer like “The Bear.” The series has a complete disregard for order and subtlety, just like the college frat parties it depicts. If it sometimes feels somewhat shallow, that’s just one more instance of form following function.

    At Yates University, a garishly yellow campus standing in for a generic Ivy League school, Benny is ready to break free of his high school persona. He was the quarterback, the prom king and his parents’ perfect child. But he thinks he’s gay, is uninterested in the finance career path his dad (Kyle MacLachlan) has picked out for him and is finally figuring out what it means to have real relationships, platonic or romantic. He stumbles his way to Carmen, who’s also attempting to shrug off her old baggage, in this case, the shadow of her older brother’s death.

    Easily influenced by Benny’s cool-seeming older sister, Grace (Mary Beth Barone) and her oafish frat-boy boyfriend Peter (Adam DiMarco), the pair, who become fast best friends, think they need to get laid and gain status to have a good college experience. But as they fumble through their first semester, they realize they don’t know what they want or need to be happy and successful. Mostly, they’re trying to make it from party to class and back again.

    “Overcompensating” is a bawdy, lurid and physical in maximalism: We’re talking puke jokes, poop jokes, sex jokes, violent jokes and series producer Charli XCX-yelling-at-her-manager-when-she’s-forced-to-perform-a-concert-at-the-college jokes. Most of these are as outrageously funny as they are cringeworthy; you’ll find yourself laughing and hiding in equal measure from the cast’s antics.

    Some of the series’ best moments are these laugh-out-loud gags, but it also thrives in the quieter, more introspective scenes. Benny and Carmen’s friendship is bristling with chemistry and feeling, a welcome platonic relationship anchoring the series, compared to so many more concerned with romance.

    Among the excellent supporting cast is DiMarco, who was a standout in the Sicily-set second season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” and makes a wonderfully hateful jerk who defies stereotypes (he’s actually a deeply sad kid under all his bluster). His depth is somewhat better explored than Benny’s, unfortunately, as we never quite understand the roots of the lead character’s fears about coming out beyond generic reasons. A potential second season still has plenty to explore inside Benny’s psyche.

    But “Overcompensating” beats the curve when it comes to creating an environment and a feeling of college and coming of age. Every one of us has a period of naïveté and foolishness before we finish growing up. “Overcompensating” doesn’t glaze over those uncomfortable moments, and that’s what makes it feel so refreshingly real. The truth in the series is found in Carmen and Benny’s total, delectable ignorance of how the world works, or even who they are. They are you and me and every 18-year-old who ever thought they were going to conquer adulthood in a single stroke.

    Give ’em a few years, they’ll turn out OK. If they can survive the show, that is.