Snoop Dogg is set to receive one of his biggest Australian audiences to date, with the U.S. rapper confirmed as the headline performer for the AFL Grand Final.

The Californian hip-hop icon will perform this September at the imposing Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue for the Australian Football League’s showpiece event.

“The AFL Grand Final is the biggest event on the Australian sporting calendar — and this year, it just got a whole lot bigger,” AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said in a statement on Tuesday (Aug. 12)

“Snoop Dogg is a pioneer, a performer, and a true entertainer. He’s played to packed stadiums around the world — but we think 100,000 fans at the MCG might just be his most iconic crowd yet.”

Analogous to the NFL’s Super Bowl, the AFL Grand Final marks the end of the annual competitive season for the Australian Football League. It is regularly one of the most-watched television events in the country, with millions of viewers tuning in each year.

Since 1977, the event has featured pre-game performances from contemporary artists, with international performers becoming a fixture of the entertainment schedule over the past two decades.

Acts such as Ed Sheeran, The Killers, KISS and Katy Perry have performed in recent years, while on-ground discourse has largely centered around whether Australian acts should be given the high-profile spot.

“We want Grand Final Day to be an unforgettable celebration of footy — and beyond the four quarters of the match, a celebration of culture, energy, and entertainment,” Dillon added. “Snoop fits that brief better than anyone.”

The forthcoming appearance by Snoop Dogg will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the MCG, though additional performers are yet to be announced.

“It’s an absolute honour to be hitting the stage at the AFL Grand Final — it’s one of the biggest events on the Aussie calendar,” Snoop Dogg said in his own statement. “Can’t wait to bring the energy and celebrate with the fans. Let’s make it unforgettable.”

After sending the Internet into a frenzy with hints that Taylor Swift would soon be making her New Heights debut, Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce have confirmed that the pop star is indeed joining them on the podcast — and she just might make a big announcement during the episode.

Late Monday night (Aug. 13), the two brothers officially revealed that they would be welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s superstar girlfriend as a guest on the show by sharing an adorable video on social media. In the clip, Swift sits next to Travis and compliments his blue sweater, to which he replies: “It’s the color of your eyes, sweetie … it’s why we match so well.”

“We’re about to do a f—ing podcast!” the singer then says in disbelief.

Swift’s cameo on New Heights will premiere at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Aug. 13).

The big reveal comes just hours after New Heights first teased that the 14-time Grammy winner would finally be appearing on the program, something fans have been asking for since Swift first started dating Travis about two years ago. Earlier Monday, the Kelce brothers shared a cryptic promo image with a sparkly orange background and a blacked-out silhouette of a mystery woman, whom Swifties quickly concluded must be the musician.

Also adding to the hype, Swift’s official fan account, Taylor Nation, shared 12 images of the artist wearing orange outfits on stage at her Eras Tour. “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…,’” the caption read.

With that post coming just 12 minutes after the New Heights teaser, fans were immediately certain that the podcast would be the platform on which Swift announces her highly anticipated 12th studio album — though they’ll have to tune in Wednesday to find out for sure. Regardless of whether or not she does share TS12 news, however, the hitmaker certainly has a lot to catch up with listeners about; in the past year alone, she’s wrapped up her two-year billion-dollar Eras trek and reclaimed the master rights to her first six albums.

Plus, the New Heights episode will mark a full-circle moment for Swift and Travis no matter what, as the couple’s romance first began with the pod. Weeks after the athlete professed his crush on the singer on a July 2023 episode — telling Jason at the time that he was “butthurt” about failing to give her his phone number at an Eras show — Swift would appear at one of his home games. The rest was history.

“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” Swift recalled in her 2023 TIME Person of the Year interview. “We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple.”

The estate of MF Doom claims in a new lawsuit that Chinese e-commerce giant Temu is selling counterfeit versions of the late hip-hop legend’s iconic merchandise.

Gas Drawls LLC, the company that has managed MF Doom’s estate since the British-born rapper (Daniel Dumile) died suddenly in 2020, filed a federal complaint against Temu on Monday (Aug. 11).

The lawsuit accuses Temu of selling dozens of knock-off t-shirts, hats, posters and other merchandise displaying MF Doom’s name and the signature mask he would wear while performing. These products supposedly rip off merch sold on MF Doom’s official store, but “at a far lower price point and a fraction of the quality.”

“Such product devalues the subject marks, as well as plaintiff’s proprietary and licensed products and MF Doom’s status in the hip hop milieu,” reads the complaint. “It also creates a false association between MF Doom and Temu.”

MF Doom’s estate says it particularly does not want to be associated with Temu because the Chinese e-commerce giant is “one of the most unethical companies operating in today’s global marketplace.”

The lawsuit cites “allegations of egregious and horrific business practices” against Temu, including claims that it relies on forced labor and routinely violates users’ privacy. MF Doom’s estate also doesn’t like that the counterfeit merch is sold alongside “products that shock the [conscience]” on the Temu marketplace, such as T-shirts that display gang names and homophobic language.  

Gas Drawls brings a total of seven federal and California state claims in the lawsuit, including trademark infringement, unfair competition and misappropriation of likeness. The estate is seeking a court injunction that would force Temu to stop selling counterfeit products, plus a financial penalty.

“Plaintiff has sustained significant injury and monetary damages as a result of Temu’s wrongful acts as alleged above,” says the lawsuit. “Plaintiff is at present unable to ascertain the full extent of the monetary damages they have suffered by reason of said acts.”

Temu did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday.

Named for a track off MF Doom’s 1999 debut album Operation: Doomsday, Gas Drawls is responsible for managing the late rapper’s catalog and intellectual property. The company sells physical media and merchandise on an online store, noting that all purchases “directly support Doom’s family and the continuation of his legacy.”

Monday’s lawsuit is not the first time Gas Drawls has gone to court since MF Doom’s death. In 2023, the estate sued Eothen “Egon” Alapatt, a label executive and former MF Doom collaborator, claiming he’d stolen dozens of private notebooks in which the rapper recorded song lyrics, ideas and creative musings.

Egon denied the estate’s claims, and that lawsuit was ultimately settled out of court.

As the Grand Ole Opry continues to celebrate its 100th anniversary, the esteemed Nashville institution will get a little help from the Hallmark Channel in marking the centennial.

A Grand Ole Opry Christmas, an original Hallmark movie starting network stars Nikki DeLoach and Kristoffer Polaha, will begin filming this month in Nashville and will air during the channel’s 16th annual Countdown to Christmas programming. The movie will include familiar Opry faces, including Brad Paisley, who will write original music for the movie. Paisley will also write and perform the theme for the Countdown to Christmas 2025 campaign.

The movie, whose specific air date has not been announced, involves a little time traveling: DeLoach will play the daughter of a late country music icon who gave up her own dreams of being a country songwriter following a tragic accident 30 years ago. After she agrees to represent her father at an Opry celebration, she is transported back to 1995 and reunited with an artist manager played by Polaha, as well as with her father before his untimely death.

“Our goal in this milestone year is to put the Opry, its artists and the rich songwriting traditions that have made country music a global sensation in front of more people than ever before,” said Colin Reed, executive chairman of Ryman Hospitality Properties, the Opry’s parent company, in a statement. “Our partnership with Hallmark brings these elements to life this holiday season through a creative and uplifting take on a uniquely Nashville story.” 

“This is the perfect time for us to partner with this beloved, iconic American institution and create Christmas magic together,” added Darren Abbott, Hallmark’s chief brand officer. “Nikki and Kris are fan favorites, and we know they will beautifully bring to life this emotional and heartfelt story that is sure to become an instant classic.” 

Paisley also weighed in, adding, “The Hallmark Channel to me is a major part of finding the joy and the spirit of the holidays. We turn it on and leave it on in our house like Christmas tree lights or decorations, it’s a major part of the atmosphere for us.  I loved the challenge of creating that same magic with this music by letting it take you to the same place that these movies and this world Hallmark has built.  Can’t wait for you to hear what all we’ve done.  Also, knowing the Opry is the setting for one of these movies is very inspiring.” 

A special line of Hallmark and Opry co-branded merchandise, including greeting cards, apparel, accessories, jewelry and gifts, will also be created to tie in with movie and will be available online at Hallmark.com and Shop.Opry.com, as well as in their physical stores.