Starting Early September Off Right With News and Links!

It's September 2025. Billie Joel Armstrong has gone to sleep and will awake when the month ends (as the memes say, even though the actual song is a lot sadder than folks realize). Let's share some interesting links and pieces of news!

Many folks might remember, "Linsanity," or the period of time where a young NBA player named Jeremy Lin captivated audiences with some amazing gameplay. I don't even follow basketball much, and I remember it! Well, after a trailblazing career, Jeremy Lin has announced he is retiring from Basketball. I hope he enjoys some rest and relaxation! Meanwhile, Bill Belichick maybe should've stayed retired from coaching or just had an off (debut) night with collegiate football.

With the remake of, "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater," as, "Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater," the original game and this well-received update (new graphics and some gameplay adjustments) have been getting lots of press. It was a fantastic game 21(!) years ago and I plan to try the remake. I'm just glad they kept the fantastic James Bond-style opener, "Snake Eater," which has its own interesting origin story.

The AV Club has been doing a tournament of sorts that is in the second round to debate the best action franchise of all time. I suppose in terms of a franchise with no outright bad entries, the, "Mission Impossible," brand could win--every single flick is good that I've seen (I'm behind some). That said, ya'll know, "Predator,"-related movies hold a special place in my heart, stinkers aside.

Heidi MacDonald of The Comics Beat doesn't beat around with the bush discussing how Manga is wiping the floor with U.S. comics lately in an article titled, "The story that should terrify the American comics industry." For years, manga has been booming--especially with young folks--and the American comic industry has done okay, but who knows what the next ten or even five years hold?

I hope to make a more dedicated post reviewing the latest Sabrina Carpenter album, "Man's Best Friend," as I'm only halfway through it so far (my medical stuff threw a wrench in many plans). What I have heard, however, is great, and other reviewers are vibing with it too.

Returning to the subject of video-games, one does wonder when the next, "Big," $80 game will be. It seemed inevitable that games would cost more, but some Nintendo endeavors aside, lots of other publishers got cold feet at the idea. I'd wager, "Grand Theft Auto VI," could charge whatever it wants and get away with it, but we'll see as its (alleged) May 2026 release date approaches.

Music Mondays: Countless Folks Took the Bait Sabrina Carpenter Left With Her New Album Cover

Sabrina Carpenter is a music artist who makes energetic and often silly pop songs. As I am an old, cynical whiner, I shouldn't like her music and regard her in the same way as many new and younger singers I despise. That said, so much of her stuff is just plain good that I am a fan. Plus, she's crafty with her marketing--a recent controversy illustrates this. You see, Carpenter announced she has a new LP coming this August titled, "Man's Best Friend," with the cover art featuring her on her knees with an unseen man grabbing her hair, somewhat roughly. Clearly, between the imagery and title, it is a bit of a joke about BDSM, and considering she's fully clothed on the cover, not especially racy or extreme. Still, it was just enough over the edge for many folks to ignite some controversy. Obviously, this was Carpenter's plan all along and folks have merely played into her hands. Observe the cover:

Countless times, those who create art have done something controversial to get attention. It helps if the controversial art itself is good, because empty controversy/pushing the envelope simply to upset people just comes across as lazy. Carpenter is a great musician, and I would imagine, "Man's Best Friend," will have multiple bangers on it. She's managed to get a ton of press for her LP simply through the cover art and has outright goaded critics to comment--such as with an Instagram post sharing alternative cover artwork she sarcastically added was, "Approved by God." Some people have complained they are tired of the controversy...but Carpenter just put the artwork out there and let the hubbub happen. As I already said, Carpenter makes solid jams, so I'm quite sure there will be substance to back up her playful prodding of the public (say that three times fast). For now, however, she already has many people's attention!