Author: Rap Hooks

A pirate activist group has scraped and released metadata from Spotify, according to a blog post on open source search engine Anna’s Archive.

The report alleges the scrape includes 256 million rows of track metadata and 86 million audio files, to be distributed on P2P networks in bulk torrents totaling roughly 300 terabytes. As of Sunday (Dec. 21), the report indicates only metadata, not music files, have been released.

In a statement obtained by Billboard, a representative for Spotify says, “An investigation into unauthorized access identified that a third party scraped public metadata and used illicit tactics to circumvent DRM to access some of the platform’s audio files.”

“We are actively investigating the incident,” Spotify notes.

Reactions to the initial report by Anna’s Archive, like one circulating via a LinkedIn post from Yoav Zimmerman, CEO/co-founder of Third Chair — a startup that uses AI to build legal tools for media companies — theorized “anyone can now, in theory, create their own personal free version of Spotify (all music up to 2025) with enough storage and a personal media streaming server like Plex. The only real barriers are copyright law and fear of enforcement.”

Spotify’s total audio files exceed the number mentioned by Anna’s Archive. Still, Zimmerman’s commentary points out that the incident could potentially dwarf the largest previously available open music archive, MusicBrainz, which contains around five million unique tracks.

Anna’s Archive, which typically focuses on books and papers, said the project is part of its mission of “preserving humanity’s knowledge and culture” and described the Spotify scrape as an effort to “build a music archive primarily aimed at preservation.”

The post added, “Of course Spotify doesn’t have all the music in the world, but it’s a great start.”

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The battle for Los Angeles is taking place this weekend with the Lakers and Clippers going head-to-head at Intuit Dome. LeBron James and Luka Dončić are heading over to Inglewood to face their in-city rivals led by James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.

With a 19-7 record, Team Purple and Gold look to keep up their momentum and two-game winning streak. On the other hand, the Clippers are still trying to find their footing with a shocking 6-21 record. There’s still time to turn things around, but with the Lakers playing high quality basketball at the moment, tonight’s game will be a tough matchup for the home squad.

If you don’t have cable, NBA fans can catch the LA showdown on Sling TV. Here’s everything you need to know about upcoming basketball game including how to stream online.

When Does Lakers vs. Clippers Game Start?

The Lakers vs. Clippers game broadcasts live, with kickoff at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

Where to Watch Lakers vs. Clippers Online

Lakers vs. Clippers game broadcasts on NBA, and it also livestreams on Sling Orange. Keep reading for more details on how cord-cutters can watch the LA showdown game online with Sling TV.

How to Watch Lakers vs. Clippers With Sling TV

A subscription to Sling Orange, which comes with NBA TV as an add-on, gets you access to live games, out-of-market games, and other NBA content.

You can also watch cable networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 (for ABC simulcast), Disney Channel, Freeform, MotorTrend, A&E, AMC, BBC America, BET, CNN, Comedy Central, Food Network, Fuse, HGTV, History Channel, IFC, Lifetime, Nick Jr., QVC, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Vice and many others.

Meanwhile, starting at $4.99 for the Sling Day Pass, you can access Sling Orange for 24 hours. Additionally, the Sling Weekend Pass goes for $9.99 to access Sling Orange from Friday-to-Sunday. Sling Week Pass, which goes for $14.99, gets you access for seven days of Sling Orange.

Please note: Prices and channel availability depends on your local TV market. You can learn more about Sling TV here.

Which Celebrities Are Making Appearances During Lakers vs. Clippers?

With the game taking place in La La Land, it’s likely there will be a number of celebrities and recording artists in attendance during Saturday’s Los Angeles showdown, such as Lakers fans Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne, Vanessa Hudgens and Ice Cube; as well as Clipper fans Diplo, Vince Staples, Anthony Anderson, and Adam Devine. Tune in to Sling TV to find out who’s at the game.

Starting at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT, Lakers vs Clippers broadcasts on NBA TV, while it’s also available to livestream on Sling TV on Friday, Dec. 20.

The Concert for Altadena has expanded its lineup ahead of the benefit supporting Californians affected by last year’s deadly wildfires.

Rufus Wainwright, Lucius, Lord Huron and Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas have joined the roster for the Jan. 7, 2026, show at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The one-night-only concert, benefiting those impacted by the Eaton Fire, will be hosted by Altadena resident John C. Reilly, whose home was destroyed in the blaze.

Organized by the band Dawes, the event will also feature previously announced performers, including Brandon Flowers of The Killers and Brad Paisley. Other artists on the lineup include Eric Krasno, Aloe Blacc, Jackson Browne, Judith Hill, Jenny Lewis, Mandy Moore, Stephen Stills, Everclear and Ozomatli.

Proceeds will support the Altadena Builds Back Foundation, which helps rebuild homes destroyed in the fires. The Eaton Fire ravaged the region, killing 19 people, forcing 100,000 residents to flee, and leveling nearly 9,500 structures.

“January 7th marks a year to the day that our sweet town got ravaged by the Eaton Fire,” Dawes wrote on Instagram in October. “It’s gonna be a heavy night, but it’s going to be a beautiful one too.”

Bandmates and brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith have shared how the wildfires personally affected them. Days after the blazes began — and weeks before the L.A. Fire Department could fully contain them — Griffin posted on Instagram that his family had “lost everything,” including their home. Taylor also suffered major losses, with his home studio and much of Dawes’ recording equipment destroyed.

At the February Grammys, Dawes honored the city with a performance of “I Love L.A.,” joined by Brad Paisley, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard and St. Vincent.

Lola Young has made her first public appearance in three months since collapsing onstage in New York.

The 24-year-old English pop star stepped out at Lily Allen’s Christmas event in London on Friday (Dec. 19), posing for photos alongside the host and fellow artist Olivia Rodrigo.

Young also shared a message on social media, marking her first post since “going away for a while” following her collapse on Sept. 27 at the All Things Go Festival at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York.

“I just wanted to express gratitude to everyone who has given me time and space to gather myself and get my head in a better place,” Young wrote on Instagram Saturday. “I’ve felt so much love and support from you all and it has helped more than you will ever know.”

The “Messy” singer added, “I am hoping to gradually get back to performing and continuing pursuing my dreams. Happy holidays to you all and can’t wait to see you in 2026.”

She concluded her post, writing, “Life is a journey, nothing is perfect but today I am doing well. All my love always, Lola.”

Following her collapse, Young canceled her remaining shows to prioritize her mental health and well-being. The cancellations included a performance at All Things Go Festival in Washington, D.C., as well as numerous tour dates in the U.K. and North America.

“I’m going away for a while,” she wrote at the time. “It pains me to say I have to cancel everything for the foreseeable future.” She added, “I really hope you’ll give me a second chance once I’ve had some time to work on myself and come back stronger.”

Prior to her collapse, the Grammy-nominated musician had been sharing with fans that she was going through a difficult period. The day before the incident, she had also pulled out at the last minute from Audacy’s We Can Survive concert at New Jersey’s Prudential Center, with her manager citing a “sensitive matter” related to mental health.

About a week before the incident, Young released her third album, I’m Only F—king Myself.

See her latest Instagram post below.

Bowen Yang, coming off a huge year or two of projects, will depart Saturday Night Live mid-season after Saturday’s (Dec. 20) episode hosted by his Wicked buddy Ariana Grande.

He joined the show as a writer in 2018, became a featured player the following season and was promoted to the main cast two seasons after that. Yang was a fan favorite with five Emmy nominations over the years.

A Saturday Night Live representative wouldn’t comment Friday (Dec. 19) on Yang’s departure. His representatives didn’t respond to email requests for comment.

In an Instagram post Saturday, Yang wrote: “i loved working at SNL, and most of all i loved the people. i was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile, but working at 30 rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile.”

The 35-year-old Yang appeared with Grande and musical guest Cher in promos for Saturday’s show, going giddy with Grande after a face slap from Cher.

Word of Yang’s departure came after a major exodus of cast members last summer ahead of the Oct. 4 start of Season 51. They included Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim and John Higgins.

The news wasn’t entirely a surprise. Yang had publicly discussed the idea, telling People in September he had mulled it over with the NBC sketch comedy show’s creator Lorne Michaels. He got a vote of confidence from Michaels and decided to stay at that time.

“Lorne was like, ‘You have more to do,’ and that means a lot, because I even confessed to him. I was like, ‘I feel the audience is maybe getting sick of me.’ And he was like, ‘That’s not true. There’s more for you to do. I need you,’” Yang said.

Of Michaels, Yang added: “That man has changed my life, and I owe a lot of my life to that show. And I love working there. The people are the best. I really love each of them so much.”

In addition to SNL, Yang co-hosts the pop culture podcast Las Culturistas with his friend and fellow comedian Matt Rogers. He was in Wicked and Wicked: For Good as Pfannee and co-starred in the remade The Wedding Banquet this year.

In 2023, he appeared in Dicks: The Musical and Fire Island the year before that. He also co-starred in Awkwafina is Nora from Queens from 2020 to 2023.

Yang and Rogers hosted the spoof Las Culturista Culture Awards on Bravo last summer. Yang posted on Instagram that the two will be back for more pop culture comedy on the awards next year.

Mid-season departures from SNL are not unprecedented. Cecily Strong did it in December 2022.

Among the bits that earned Yang breakout status was his turn as the Titanic iceberg on the recurring “Weekend Update” segment, his favorite place on the show, according to an October interview with Esquire. He also played George Santos, a straight man who hooks up with Gina Gershon and Sydney Sweeney, and a gay Oompa Loompa. And he spoofed Vice President JD Vance.

Yang, the son of Chinese immigrants, was Esquire’s recent cover star. In an Oct. 28 interview accompanying his cover shoot, he told the magazine: “There’s an idea that all of what I do is queer and Asian, which I don’t think is true. I get sick of people reducing the work I do on the show to those identifiers.”

Work, he said, “is not the most meaningful thing for me anymore. The things I like are spending time with friends, working every now and then, not being caged by it.”

Yang noted some advice he once received from Kristen Wiig when she hosted SNL.

“She was like, ‘Have fun. It’s the most fun job in the world, and you’ll miss it when it’s done. You won’t realize how much you miss it until you leave.’”