BNT MISC

Football fans have been looking forward to Sunday's championship matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. Many non-football fans will still tune into Super Bowl LIX, however, if not for the commercials, perhaps, for the halftime performance by music superstar Kendrick Lamar.

Lamar, who won five Grammys last Sunday for his 2024 hit "Not Like Us" is back at the Super Bowl as a headliner—he performed at Super Bowl LVI alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and others. The 37-year-old was chosen, in part, because he has become a mainstay in music culture.

"New Orleans is so rich in culture," Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez said, per Keith Spera of NOLA.com. "We have to take into consideration (that) whoever is going to perform can speak to music culture, regardless of age. It has to nod to real music, regardless of the genre. And Kendrick does that. Kendrick's richness and culture is really a nod to New Orleans."

Fans can expect a thrilling performance from Lamar on Sunday evening. They can also make a few wagers on what transpires—at least, fans in Ontario can, according to FanDuel.

Let's dive into a couple of the most intriguing halftime prop bets and make some predictions, shall we?

First Song to Be Performed

• Humble +160 (bet $100 to win $160)
• Not Like Us +380
• King Kunta +430
  
• Squabble Up +430
• DNA +500
• A.D.H.D. +600
• Euphoria +600
• N95 +600
• Swimming Pools +750
• Like That +750
• United in Grief +750
• Gloria +750
• Luthur +750
• TV Off +750

Lamar has an extensive catalog, and more than 30 tracks are listed for the first-song prop. Before we settle on a prediction, let's try to rule a few out.

SZA is already scheduled to perform alongside Lamar at some point during the halftime show. A frequent collaborator with Lamar, SZA could be on deck to help perform "All the Stars," "Luthur" and/or "Gloria" among others.

However, Lamar is likely to kick off the show before incorporating any guest artists. He's also unlikely to open with songs he performed at Super Bowl LVI, "m.A.A.d. city" and "Alright."

While Lamar could lean into a past hit like "Humble," the prediction here is that he'll start with a song off his latest album, GNX. Two stand out as strong possibilities, "Squbble Up" and "TV Off."

The line "walk in New Orleans with the etiquette of LA, yellin'" makes "TV Off" a very enticing option at +750, but again, a true solo performance feels likely. While Lefty Gunplay may appear to help perform "TV Off" during halftime, it might not happen for the opener.

Prediction: Squabble Up

Celebrity Guest to Appear on Stage

• Baby Keem +110
• Lil Wayne +164
• Future +184
• Metro Boomin +184
• Jay Rock +204
• Doechii +210
• Travis Scott +250
• Tyler, The Creator +310
• Janet Jackson +490
• ScHoolboy Q +600
• Rihanna +600
• A$AP Rocky +750
• Eminem +750
• Taylor Swift +750
• Lefty Gunplay +750

Trying to predict which guest artists will or won't appear during the Super Bowl halftime show is always a fun exercise. We know SZA will appear with Lamar, and it'll be a pretty significant surprise if another performer doesn't join them on stage.

While artists like Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and Rihanna have performed true solo acts at the Super Bowl, guests are a frequent occurrence. Lamar has also performed with a lot of artists over the years, either in the studio or on stage.

More than 20 artists are available for this prop, and those with longer odds include the likes of Jay-Z and Imagine Dragons.

Baby Keem, who is Lamar's cousin, is the favorite and a relatively safe choice. Their song "family ties" won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 2021.

Lefty Gunplay feels like a strong pick, despite slightly longer odds, given his appearance on GNX. So do Jay Rock and ScHoolboy Q. Both appeared during Lamar's 2024 The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert.

Tyler, The Creator feels like a longer shot, despite being among the favorites. He performed at The Pop Out and kicked off his Chromakopia tour on February 4. However, he'd also be making a New Orleans appearance between tour dates in Kansas City and Denver.

Lil Wayne is highly unlikely to appear, as he was passed over for the halftime show in favor of Lamar and has since said he would skip Super Bowl LIX. As far as "safe" picks go, however, Baby Keem tops the list.

Prediction: Multiple, including Baby Keem

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Super Bowl Sunday has arrived! Early Sunday evening, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will face off for the right to call themselves NFL champions. The game is set to be an intriguing matchup that should also include a bit of history.

Kansas City, for example, has a chance to become the league's first-ever team to win three straight Super Bowls. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes can win his fourth Lombardi Trophy before the age of 30, while Eagles running back Saquon Barkley can set a new NFL record for combined rushing yards in the regular season and playoffs.

These are facts that may interest more casual fans, though many of them may not even be tuning in for the on-field action.

The Super Bowl has become a global sensation, and the surrounding festivities have become an entertainment event in their own right. Music fans are in for a treat, as Super Bowl LIX is set to feature a parade of talented musical artists and icons.

Super Bowl LIX

Who: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs

When: Sunday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans

TV and Live Stream: Fox, Telemundo, Fox Deportes, NFL+

New Orleans is a storied city with a deep and rich musical heritage. Some of the city's musical history will take center stage during the pregame ceremonies of Super Bowl LIX.

Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle will perform "America the Beautiful," Ledisi will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing," and Jon Batiste will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner." All of the artists hail from the New Orleans area or Louisiana.

"The Super Bowl is a rare moment to unite fans around the world, and this year's performers will bring the energy, soul and vibrant sounds of the region to a global stage, as we kickoff Super Bowl LIX with a celebration to remember," NFL head of music Seth Dudowsky said in a league press release.

Trombone Shorty, real name Trey Andrews, is an acclaimed fusion musician who will perform alongside Dingle, a contemporary Christian singer. Ledisi Young is a singer-songwriter and actress, whose song "Anything for You" won the 2021 Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

While some fans may best know Batiste as the former music director and bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. he's also a five-time Grammy winner, singer and multi-instrumental artist.

Fans can expect a hefty helping of Louisiana flavor—and a whole lot of talent—before kickoff.

Fans can also expect a memorable performance from hip-hop superstar, Grammy winner and 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner Kendrick Lamar.

Lamar, fresh off five Grammy wins for his 2024 hit "Not Like Us" has performed at the Super Bowl before. He appeared alongside artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem and Mary J. Blige at Super Bowl LVI. However, he's back as a headliner and

The 37-year-old has promised to bring a bit of "storytelling" to this year's performance.

"I've always been very open about storytelling through all my catalog and my history of music," Lamar said, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell. "...I like to always carry on that sense of, make people listen, but also see and think a little."

Lamar won't be alone for the halftime show. Grammy winner SZA, a frequent collaborator with Lamar, is also scheduled to perform. SZA was featured on the songs "Luther" and "Gloria" on Lamar's latest album GNX, and Lamar appears thrilled about the two sharing Sunday's stage.

"For me personally, watching her career and where she's come from, it's amazing to see," Lamar said, per Terrell. "...She always had it. And I'm just honored to be next to a talent."

While no other guest artists have officially been announced, it would be a mild surprise if there isn't a surprise appearance or two. Lamar has performed alongside numerous artists on stage or in the studio throughout his career—from Eminem and Beyoncé to Taylor Swift and Imagine Dragons—meaning just about anyone could show up on stage on Sunday night.

It should be quite the evening of entertainment, and fans will get to take in a football game too.

Dricus du Plessis held on to his UFC middleweight title with a unanimous decision win in his rematch against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Strickland got off to an uncharacteristically slow start in the first round. He didn't throw nearly as many strikes as he is known for and Du Plessis was able to get the nod in the first round.

Du Plessis did well to establish some body kicks in the early rounds. Strickland started the second round strong, but faded while Du Plessis output generally stayed steady throughout the round.

Strickland had some good moments in the third round. He landed a few punches cleanly, However, Du Plessis did enough to make the round interesting to score.

Du Plessis put together one of his best sequences of the fight in Round 3. He clubbed a Strickland with a staggering right hand and appeared to break his opponent's nose.

Ultimately Du Plessis' ability to mix head kicks, body kicks and unorthodox strikes were enough to disrupt Stricklands assault and keep the belt around his waist in dominant fashion.

The win not only confirms the South African's status as the champion of the middleweight division but it gives him a 2-0 record against his American rival. Strickland's brief run as the middleweight champion was cut short by a split-decision loss to Du Plessis.

A second loss to Du Plessis gives a little more closure to the pairing.

Du Plessis has now defended the belt twice. But his goals in the division are much greater than simply winning the belt and defending it two or three times.

"[I always told myself]: 'I need to win this next fight, because this is the fight that is going to get me the next one," he said, per Leonard Solms of ESPN. "This is the fight that's leading to the ultimate goal of being the greatest, so regardless of what's on the line, the fight needs to be won.'"

So while Du Plessis has his sights set on becoming one of the greatest fighters of all time, he realizes that's a goal that has to be earned one fight at a time.

The question will now shift to who that next matchup will be against.

The obvious answer is Khamzat Chimeav. UFC President Dana White mentioned that he was "in line" for a title shot when speaking to media the week of the fight. The 30-year-old is undefeated and finally seems to have found a home in the 185-pound weight class.

Nassourdine Imavov shouldn't be discounted either, though. The Sniper stunned Israel Adesanya with a second-round TKO and has racked up a 4-0 record since February 2024.

Canelo Álvarez is set to face off against William Scull in an undisputed fight on May 3.

Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, revealed the news on Saturday.

ESPN's Mike Coppinger reported Friday that Álvarez was initially finalizing a deal to clash with Jake Paul on May 3, but he changed his mind and completed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season instead.

Coppinger noted that the bout involving Álvarez and Paul had a "formal announcement imminent" before the change.

Most Valuable Promotions, Paul's company, released a statement criticizing the decision.

"MVP operates with integrity, transparency and respect for the sport, its athletes and the fans," the promotion said. "Unfortunately not everyone in the boxing world shares those values."

Álvarez is now scheduled to fight Scull, the IBF super middleweight champion.

Scull owns an undefeated 23-0 record with nine knockouts. His last fight was a victory over Vladimir Shishkin in a 12-round bout in Oct. 2024, claiming the IBF super middleweight title.

As for Álvarez, he's won five consecutive fights to improve his record to 62-2-2 with 39 knockouts. His last victory came against Edgar Berlanga in Sept. 2024 to retain his WBC, WBA, and WBO super middleweight titles.

While the fight between Álvarez and Scull wasn't confirmed until Saturday, it has reportedly been brewing for a while. Ring Magazine's Jake Donovan revealed on Jan. 2 that Canelo's team had contacted Scull's team regarding a possible fight.

After the fight between Álvarez and Paul didn't materialize, Canelo is now preparing to battle with Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a chance to regain undisputed champion status.

The Lunar Owls remain the only undefeated team in Unrivaled thanks in large part to Napheesa Collier.

The Minnesota Lynx star set a league record with 38 points while leading the Lunar Owls to an 85-81 comeback win over the Mist on Saturday night.

Collier recorded her league-high points total on 16-of-27 shooting while adding 15 rebounds.

Her Unrivaled success is following her dominant WNBA campaign last season, during which Collier was named Defensive Player of the Year while finishing as MVP runner-up to A'ja Wilson.

Despite Collier's dominance, the Lunar Owls faced a late deficit that threatened to hand the team its first loss of the season on Saturday.

After the Mist claimed an early advantage thanks to strong performances from Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot, Aaliyah Edwards capped the third quarter off with a basket that gave the underdogs an eight-point lead.

But the Mist couldn't answer Collier's relentless offense and Allisha Gray's accuracy from deep as the Lunar Owls recovered the lead in the fourth quarter.

Shakira Austin then sealed the Lunar Owls' comeback with a game-winning shot.

The Lunar Owls improve to 8-0 and remain the league's only team yet to concede a loss. The 4-2 Laces sit in second place as the only other Unrivaled club with a winning record.

The Mist, led by Breanna Stewart's 23-point performance, fall to 2-6 and now wait in last place behind the 2-4 Vinyl and 2-5 Phantom.

Unrivaled play continues next week with the debut of the league's inaugural 1-on-1 tournament. The first round of the in-season competition begins Monday, Feb. 10.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow gave a shout-out to WNBA star Caitlin Clark and pledged to attend an Indiana Fever game next season to watch the superstar in action.

"Shoutout Caitlin Clark, she's always fun to watch," Burrow told reporters. "I think she's bringing a lot of fans to the WNBA. She's going to continue to get better. She's an hour and a half from Cincy, so I'll have to go and make the trip."

Burrow just completed his fifth NFL season. Despite the Bengals missing out on the postseason, he had a career year, posting 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns, both leading the league, along with a 74.7 quarterback rating.

Clark, a former Iowa State Hawkeye, lost to Burrow's alma mater, LSU, in the 2023 NCAA women's national championship game 102-85. However, she came back the following season, defeating LSU in an Elite Eight victory.

Clark, in her rookie season, averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The Fever finished 20-20, securing third place in the Eastern Conference.

Her standout rookie season also caught the eye of NFL star Travis Kelce, whose girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was seen at a Kansas City Chiefs game alongside Clark during a postseason game.

"Oh man, she's unbelievable," Kelce told reporters ahead of Super Bowl LIX. "She's the funnest one to watch right now and one of the best basketball players I've ever seen. And it has been so cool to see her at Taylor's concert, and coming out to a Chiefs game and hanging out with us."

Clark and the Fever will kick off the regular season against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on May 17 at home, with the sidelines likely to be filled with some notable names.

Netflix released a teaser video for Happy Gilmore 2 on Saturday, which doubled as a nod to the original Happy Gilmore movie.

In the clip, Christopher McDonald, who plays the iconic antagonist Shooter McGavin, is chased by an angry mob while putting on Happy Gilmore's gold jacket:

In the first Happy Gilmore, which was released in 1996, Adam Sandler's Gilmore character beat McGavin on the final hole to win the Tour Championship.

Ever the sore loser, McGavin stole the gold jacket that was being presented to Gilmore and tried to make a getaway, but he was chased down and attacked by an angry group of Gilmore fans.

In Happy Gilmore lore, McGavin was an established superstar golfer, but the Tour Championship had always eluded him.

Meanwhile, Gilmore was an upstart former hockey player who gained a cult following thanks to his long drive and wild antics.

In addition to winning the Tour Championship and the gold jacket, Gilmore won a bet with McGavin, which allowed him to save his grandmother's house from being demolished.

While the exact plot for Happy Gilmore 2 is not publicly known, many of the main stars from the first movie will be in the sequel with Gilmore and McGavin standing out as the prime examples.

Filming for Happy Gilmore 2 wrapped in December, and it is set for a 2025 release.

WWE reportedly released multiple Superstars from its roster on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, WWE parted ways with Sonya Deville, Cedric Alexander, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Blair Davenport, Giovanni Vinci, Isla Dawn, Paul Ellering and AOP's Akam and Rezar.

While most of the releases are believed to be a termination of existing contracts, Sapp reported that Deville was informed by WWE that her contract would not be renewed when it expires, meaning she will be free to appear elsewhere as soon as her deal is up in "a number of weeks."

Deville, a former MMA fighter, competed in the 2025 women's Royal Rumble match last weekend.

The 31-year-old veteran signed with WWE in 2015 after competing on Tough Enough, and she went on to become a one-time WWE tag team champion.

Last year, Deville returned from a torn ACL and formed a stable known as Pure Fusion Collective with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, but the group never achieved significant success.

The 35-year-old Alexander confirmed his release Friday night with the following post on X:

He joined WWE back in 2016 after taking part in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, later becoming a one-time cruiserweight champion and one-time tag team champion with Shelton Benjamin as part of the Hurt Business.

Since Hurt Business members Benjamin, Bobby Lashley and MVP are now in AEW as the Hurt Syndicate, there is seemingly a good chance that Alexander will join them at some point.

Gallows and Anderson, known collectively as the Good Brothers, re-signed with WWE in 2022 after getting released back in 2020.

During their first stint, Gallows and Anderson were two-time Raw tag team champions. Gallows also had a previous run with WWE from 2006 to 2010 under the names Festus and Luke Gallows.

When the Good Brothers returned to WWE in 2022, they reformed The O.C. shortly thereafter with AJ Styles and eventually Michin, however, the group broke apart and Gallows and Anderson began appearing in NXT last year.

Anderson announced back in November that he underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and partially torn labrum.

Dawn, Davenport and Vinci were all little-used members of the SmackDown roster in recent months.

The 31-year-old Dawn, who had been in a tag team called the Unholy Union with Alba Fyre since 2022, seemed to indicate Saturday on her Instagram Stories that she had been released:

Dawn and Fyre once held the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships together, and they were the WWE women's tag team champions last year for 76 days.

Davenport, 28, signed with WWE in 2021 and became a fixture in NXT UK and later NXT before getting called up to the main roster last year.

She briefly formed an alliance with Dawn and Fyre, but it never got off the ground, and she hadn't competed in a televised match since November.

Vinci first competed in WWE under the name Fabian Aichner in 2016 as part of the Cruiserweight Classic.

He later became part of Imperium with Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser and Alexander Wolfe, and he twice held the NXT Tag Team Championships with Kaiser as his partner.

Vinci rejoined Gunther and Kaiser as Imperium in 2023, but he was kicked out of the group last year and moved to SmackDown, but he was rarely seen on WWE programming after that.

AOP or the Authors of Pain first arrived in NXT in 2016 under the tutelage of Ellering, who is a WWE Hall of Famer thanks largely to his managerial work with the Road Warriors or Legion of Doom.

Akam and Rezar were a dominant force in NXT, holding the NXT Tag Team Championships once. They got called up to the main roster without Ellering in 2018 and won the Raw Tag Team Championships on one occasion as well.

AOP were released in 2020 before returning to WWE with Ellering in January 2024 as part of the Final Testament stable with Karrion Kross and Scarlett.

The Final Testament struggled to advance beyond a low-to-mid-card act, and Kross had recently been appearing on WWE programming without AOP and Ellering alongside him.

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