By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 25 seconds ago

Starfleet Academy is Star Trek’s newest show, and it is aimed squarely at a younger audience than any live-action franchise show before it. Paramount’s goal with this series is quite simple: while appealing to older fans, they are hoping these young characters and their various onscreen antics will reach Generation Z, effectively growing what has become an older and somewhat stagnant fanbase. Unfortunately, these efforts are doomed for a simple reason: the humor in Starfleet Academy is written by Millennials who are patently terrible at writing for a Zoomer audience.

There has been extensive criticism of the language used in Starfleet Academy because these 32nd-century characters talk exactly like 21st-century Zoomers. Cadets constantly refer to each other as “bruh” and “b*tch,” instructors refer to annoying situations as “dumpster fires,” the digital dean talks about cadets getting hangry, and so on. Such dialogue is completely different than in any previous Trek show, and it’s paired with youth-centric plots about getting drunk, hooking up, and pulling pranks on rival students.

The Failed Defense of Starfleet Academy

Whenever anyone criticizes any of this, defenders will usually dust off one of two different arguments. The first (one even Robert Picardo has used) is that, because these characters are so young, we should expect them to speak and act very differently from the trained and seasoned Starfleet officers we have seen onscreen before. The second defense is that we should respect that Paramount is trying to appeal to a new audience, which is important because the primary Star Trek fandom ain’t getting any younger.

Historically, Starfleet Academy critics like myself have focused on the absurdity of the first defense; for example, it’s fine to have younger characters speak more unprofessionally than their older peers, but that doesn’t explain why these 32nd-century characters inexplicably talk like characters from the 21st century. Today’s Zoomers speak very differently from their parents and other older people, but that doesn’t mean they are dusting off slang from 1,100 years ago. However, it’s well past time we dissect the problem with the second defense: namely, that Paramount is doing all of this to create younger Star Trek fans.

Bursting Fanboys’ Bubble

The essential problem with Starfleet Academy’s writers trying to script Zoomer-style dialogue is that a Millennial-led writing staff will never be able to convincingly write like younger people. Pretty much any attempt to do this results in instant cringe. Unfortunately, most of the worst humor in this new Star Trek show comes from older writers trying to create convincing Zoomer dialogue by badly recycling Millennial humor and calling it a day.

For example, one of the clunkier lines from the first episode of Starfleet Academy is Darem’s “I’m Khionian, b*tch.” Ever ask yourself why this really sounds so out of place coming out of this young actor’s mouth? It’s because this kind of dialogue was popularized by Britney Spears (“it’s Britney, b*tch!”) back in 2007, before most Millennials quoting Britney had gotten their first smartphone.

Star Trek Does The Time Warp (Again)

In the most recent episode of Starfleet Academy, the digital dean, voiced by Stephen Colbert, uses the phrase “morning wood” before chuckling in pleasure at his own penis reference. For context,  morning wood jokes were at their (ahem) peak in the ‘90s, with Office Space featuring “the Morningwood Condominiums” and Beavis and Butt-Head featuring an episode called “The Mystery of Morning Wood.” Forget appealing to Zoomers, this gag was written by and for the same Millennials that laughed along with Beavis and Butt-Head, which is likely why that same episode has a bizarre punchline featuring a farting fish.

My point is simple: Starfleet Academy has a writer’s room full of Millennials (including Lower Decks legend Tawny Newsome), and they are trying to appeal to younger viewers by including what Millennials liked when they were younger. That’s why bad guys like Nus Braka speak like ‘90s action villains (“Payback’s a b*tch!”) and the good guys are nerds trying to win prank wars with bullies (it’s basically Revenge Of The Nerds in space). This is why Chancellor Ake is hundreds of years old and often acts like a child: she’s an eternal reminder of the Millennial mantra that adulting is hard, guys!

Star Trek’s Comeback Has Already Failed

This is why Starfleet Academy’s attempt to appeal to younger viewers is ultimately doomed to fail. Actual Zoomers will reject all of this Millennial humor in a heartbeat; in fact, it wasn’t that long ago that Zoomers on TikTok were relentlessly mocking Millennial comedy for being so old and out of touch. Meanwhile, older audiences (like the Millennial-hating Boomers who keep Paramount staples like NCIS on the air) will instantly reject youth humor of any stripe, especially when it involves characters vomiting glitter like a background character in an anime (yes, this really happened!).

As for actual Millennials, most of us are still put off by Starfleet Academy’s humor because it feels completely out of place in Star Trek. Literally no fan my age has ever taken a look at the franchise and decided everything would be much better if it were written by people who thought The Office was the funniest thing ever written. Unfortunately, all the writers of this new spinoff can give us is tired vulgarity and try-hard quirks that might have been funny back before the freakin’ housing crisis.

Paramount may still get the last laugh and attract a legion of young viewers, but that’s unlikely: recently, Starfleet Academy quietly slipped out of the Top 10 rankings on Paramount+. As it turns out, writing that pisses off both older and younger viewers is not the recipe for creating a winning new show. I’d love to point this out to the writing staff, but I dare not; after all, who knows what kind of sick, therapy-coded 30 Rock meme they would slap back with in response?

Super Bowl LX
Seahawks Win!!!

Published
February 8, 2026
7:48 PM PST

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show has perhaps been the most anticipated in recent history, and the Puerto Rican singer, rapper, and producer did not disappoint. The Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots game at Levi’s Stadium wasn’t actually Bad Bunny’s first time performing in the Super Bowl. He made his debut in 2020 as a guest for Shakira, performing his verse from Cardi B’s “I Like It.” Turns out the NFL did like it, very much.

Bad Bunny recently won Album of the Year at the Grammys, making history as the first Spanish-language album to win the category. The most-streamed artist of 2025 was also the first Super Bowl performer in its 60-year history to deliver a largely Spanish-language performance, which was crucial to Bad Bunny’s celebration of Latin America through the show. His performance was genuinely incredible; creative genius and culturally beyond significant. Bad Bunny perfectly represented the joy that comes from celebrating heritage and showed how the world could be better if we experienced that joy together, together meaning with guest performer Lady Gaga, which feels kind of rogue, right? But seriously, this performance will go down in Super Bowl history and, in my opinion, for good.

Bad Bunny’s Star-Studded Guest List Included Some of Music’s Biggest Names

Image via NBC

The rumors about who would join Bad Bunny in his Super Bowl halftime show have been circulating vigorously for some time, with the fan favorite arguably being Cardi B. It made total sense: she was guaranteed to be in attendance to support her boyfriend, Patriots star Stefon Diggs, so it would have been a waste not to have her on stage, given her previous collaboration with Bad Bunny on “I Like It.” Cardi’s presence in the show was perhaps less dominant than we expected. She featured in a non-singing role, but it was powerful in its own right. Cardi was an A-list face in a crowd rich with Latin stars, including Jessica Alba, Karol G, Pedro Pascal, and many others. The star-studded group was an incredible display of pride and how our favorite big names can have fun as music consumers as well as artists.

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Also teased in the set was Daddy Yankee when lines from “Gasolina” swirled through the sound system, but he never materialized. Still, it was genuinely heartwarming to hear tributes to Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico sprinkled throughout the halftime show. But, Puerto Rico’s other pop Daddy did bless the stage. Ricky Martín belted “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” absolutely beautifully. The “Livin’ la Vida Loca” star is an avid supporter of Bad Bunny, praising him earlier this week for his Grammy success: “You won without changing the color of your voice. You won without erasing your roots. You won by staying True to Puerto Rico.”

Bad Bunny’s performance also shared love for one of pop’s biggest players, Lady Gaga. Her appearance was anticipated by some, but her unveiling genuinely made me gasp. Her inclusion of “Die With a Smile” in the halftime show, which Gaga played herself in 2017, was a strong symbol of integration in the US. But I must admit that my feelings about the choice are mixed, but more on that later.

The Biggest Statements of Bad Bunny’s Love Letter to Latin America

Bad Bunny made his stance on current issues in the US clear in his Grammy acceptance speech, calling for “ICE out.” A strong theme of the performance was “bailar sin miedo” (dance without fear), which was an unnervingly straightforward wish. Quite simply, no one should live in fear, and we should all experience joy in dancing.

In “Monaco,” the Puerto Rican singer introduced himself not as Bad Bunny, but with his real name, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. This was a serious statement of identity. More than a stage persona, he presented himself as a person with a real identity. Bad Bunny continued to share the message of the importance of believing in yourself, and for him, it seems that means embracing all sides of who you are.

The most poignant symbolism of the halftime show was the wedding scene, a sign of union and celebration, and one that unveiled Lady Gaga. There was something truly beautiful about seeing Gaga being part of the representation of union, especially honoring Puerto Rico with a Flor de Maga. It is worth mentioning that until this point, though, the entire show had been in Spanish. Maybe it’s just my skepticism, but, but something about Lady Gaga’s appearance arguably diluted the show’s power for the sake of palatability. But her special appearance has quickly been hugely praised across social media and played a crucial role in how the US should be celebrated as a nation of many cultures that can joyfully integrate, coexist, and thrive.

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Bad Bunny wrapped up his performance with a huge party to “DtMF,” the title track of his Grammy Award-winning album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, released in January 2025. On the album, the track closes with a much more acoustic sound than the rest of the record, evoking a sense of community. The halftime show concluded with Bad Bunny’s most-streamed song, which, combined with its acoustic roots, felt like the perfect way to connect the biggest possible number of people to join in singing together and realizing they sound better in unison.

Last but certainly not least, Bad Bunny shares a statement: “God bless America,” listing many countries across the Americas. This confident, peaceful message of love, respect, and appreciation is the main takeaway of the Super Bowl halftime show. Finally, Bad Bunny showed the camera a football with “Together We Are America” written across it before scoring with it, perhaps the most crucial touchdown of the night.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 48 seconds ago

There’s nothing like the television of the 80s. It’s the only decade in which Knight Rider could have become a hit. In 1985, Universal decided to replicate the success they stumbled into with a show about a supercar and a clandestine organization by making a show about a super-secret government prototype known only by its codename: Street Hawk.

Instead of a car, the short-lived series featured a motorcycle. If you can already see the problem, congratulations, you’re smarter than an ’80s studio executive. 

Knight Rider, But On A Motorcycle

Street Hawk is about a motorcycle riding vigilante by night, a cop by day, and a dirt bike racer whenever he can fit in the time, named Jesse Mach. That name sounds fake and made up, but the character’s played by Rex Smith, another name that sounds like someone had to settle after learning “Max Power” wasn’t available. Today, Rex is an accomplished Broadway performer, but back in the 80s, he was a blatant attempt by Universal to create a new David Hasselhoff. 

The motorcycle, also called Street Hawk, comes across as a third-generation photocopy of Kitt without the wit of Mr. Feeny’s voice. Instead, Jesse talks to his crime-fighting partner and the creator of Street Hawk, Norman Tuttle (Murphy Brown’s Joe Regalbuto), who also assumes control when the bike activates its super-speed mode, the Hyperthrust. Going at over 300 mph in the middle of the city, what could possibly go wrong? 

The military prototype also concealed a nose-mounted particle beam, amplified with machine guns and a rocket launcher after the first episode. If you’re wondering how a motorcycle can fit all of that within the chassis, you need to stop right there. Street Hawk is not the show to obsess over fine details; it’s a show to watch and wonder how did this get made?

A Missed Opportunity

Episode 2, the first to air after the TV-movie pilot, features one of Jesse’s friends coming into town on a mission to take out Street Hawk and steal the bike. Jesse’s friend is played by a young George Clooney, after he lost out on the lead role to Rex Smith. It’s the only time anyone chose Rex Smith over George Clooney. 

To the shock of no one, Street Hawk was an immediate flop. Viewers were starting to reject the cheesy, 80s vehicular adventures in favor of the new wave of crime dramas led by Miami Vice. Except for India, where Street Hawk was a massive hit, leading to street-legal reproductions of the bike becoming the hot new toy for men. 

As with its contemporaries, binge-watching Street Hawk can be hard, as every episode is essentially the same. Someone arrives in town, a different group is after the Street Hawk, there’s a chase on the motorcycle, Hyperthrust is activated, rinse and repeat. That formula, combined with the level of acting you’d expect from an action series in the mid-80s, makes this one of the greatest so bad it’s good shows of all time. 

Street Hawk is dated in all of the best ways. The fashion, the special effects, the concept, everything. In a world where every series from the million-dollar franchises down to the latest multi-camera sitcom is focus-tested within an inch of its life, it’s refreshing to watch a series that filmed the first draft. 

Kaley Cuoco is getting candid about the aftermath of her 2022 divorce from Karl Cook.

“It was the premiere of the second season of Flight Attendant, and I woke up that morning, I was so depressed and so sad, I couldn’t even breathe and I was just laying on the floor. I literally thought I was gonna die. I really did. I said, ‘What am I doing?’” Cuoco, 40, said during a recent interview, which is set to air Monday, February 9, on The Drew Barrymore Show, per Entertainment Weekly.

Cuoco noted that the moment was “the worst morning” of her life, despite thinking the premiere of Flight Attendant — which was cancelled in 2024 after two seasons at Max — was “supposed to to be the best night.”

“It’s so crazy those things sometimes happen at the same time,” she said. “My team came over to get me ready, and they literally got me ready on the floor. I couldn’t get up. I’m like, ‘I can’t go. I can’t go anywhere. I blew up my life. My life’s over.’ I truly thought that. Never getting married again. I’m never gonna have kids. This is it.”

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From costar romances to divorces, Kaley Cuoco’s love life has been making headlines for years. Cuoco wed Ryan Sweeting in 2013, but the two called it quits after 21 months of marriage. Following the split, the actress went on to date Paul Blackthorne and Henry Cavill before wedding Karl Cook in 2018. Three years into […]

Cuoco continued, “I knew, when I was laying on that floor in my house, I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is what they talk about. This is the lowest point I could get.’”

Three weeks later, Cuoco met Tom Pelphrey. The pair, who are currently engaged, are parents to daughter Matila, 2.

“I had prayed, and I feel like my soul died,” she said. I feel like my soul died, and I had also said — I think I did a magazine. It was like, ‘I’m never getting married again.’ I said it, I believed that in the moment, [and then] met Tom.”

In Cuoco’s perspective, it’s OK to change your opinion on marriage.

“Sometimes you just change your mind and that’s OK,” she said. “You probably didn’t know I was laying on the floor before my premiere ready to die, that’s true… It still chokes me up because I can remember it so clearly, but it made me a whole new person. But it takes a long time. It takes a long time to figure that out and a lot of forgiveness.”

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Cuoco began dating Cook, now 35, in 2016 after a three-year marriage to tennis pro Ryan Sweeting. Cuoco and Cook tied the knot in 2018, announcing their separation three years later. The pair’s divorce was finalized in 2022. That same year, Cuoco confirmed she was dating Pelphrey, now 43.

While reflecting on his parenting with Cuoco, Pelphrey exclusively told Us Weekly last month that the Big Bang Theory actress is “great.”

“Thank god she’s there because we have a little girl, and she’s a daddy’s girl, and I have a hard time saying no to anything,” Pelphrey shared. “So we need Kaley to lay down the law.”

Pelphrey gushed that being a father and parenting with Cuoco is “literally the best part” of his life, adding, “Yeah, it rewires you. It just kind of happens. I feel everything’s different — the priorities are different.”

Game, set, sip! Odell Beckham Jr., Kane Brown, Terrell Owens, Estelle, and more celebs headed to Cîroc Athletic Club at M Ranch, a private estate established in 1919, in Napa Valley, California on Feb. 6 to debut its inaugural Super Bowl pickleball tournament.

Celebrity pickleball coach Matt Manasse, who has trained Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Kelly Rowland, Will Ferrell, and Emma Watson, hosted the day’s matches, with Owens stepping onto the court to compete.

Between rallies, guests recharged with Leisure Well experiences, including IV drips and B12 shots from Recovery Suite and massages by Hyperice.

Throughout the day, attendees embraced wine-country living by sipping Cîroc vodka specialty cocktails, crafted from fine French grapes and distilled using a cold fermentation process, as they soaked in vineyard views across the property’s 12 acres.

Inside the home, partygoers browsed curated artwork by Gordon Parks, courtesy of Jenkins Johnson Gallery, before making their way to an outside stand to grab custom Cîroc pullovers, windbreakers, disposable cameras, and travel bags.

As golden hour faded into evening, DJ Millie kept the energy high with a live set, before guests enjoyed a performance by IDL and a dinner by Chef Kwame Onwuachi, followed by dessert and cupcakes to go.

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The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots might be engaged in the fight of their careers in tonight’s Super Bowl, but a new trailer for Scream 7 reveals that Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and plenty of fresh meat will be in it for the fight of their lives when the movie arrives later this month. That’s right, fans. With the clock ticking down on the big game, the same can be said for the latest installment in the Kevin Williamson-created universe, with just weeks in between us and a new Scream movie. This time, the stakes are higher than ever, with Campbell returning to her role as Sidney Prescott and attempting to protect her family 30 years after the original Wes Craven-helmed feature slashed onto screens around the world.

The moment is monumental, with Williamson directing his first film in the series he created. He also holds writing credits alongside Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt, which is certainly a promising sign for fans. Williamson was the scribe behind both Scream and Scream 2 before taking a pause and returning for Scream 4, which would be the final movie of Craven’s career before his passing. After sitting out for the fifth and sixth installments, Williamson is back in all his glory with some brand-new ideas to bring to the universe, all while building on the lore and making Campbell’s final girl the center of the story.

The trailer takes things back to the beginning, with Ghostface tracking down Sidney (Campbell), where she and her family now live in a small town in Indiana. While Sidney is still in the line of fire, her daughter Tatum (Isabel May) has become their primary target. The trailer teases that, as we’ve come to expect from the slasher series, there will be plenty of brutal and bloody kills and numerous twists and turns — including the shock return of characters played by David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, and Scott Foley.

Meet the New Faces of ‘Scream 7’

Every Scream movie introduces a slew of new characters to the fold. After all, Ghostface needs plenty of new victims on the chopping block. Completing the lineup of legacy characters are Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, who reprise their roles as Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, respectively. In addition to May, newbies include Michelle Randolph, Mark Consuelos, Joel McHale, Anna Camp, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Sam Rechner, Celeste O’Connor, and Jimmy Tatro.

Check out the fresh trailer for Scream 7 above and see it in cinemas on February 27.

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Release Date

February 27, 2026

Director

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Kevin Williamson

Writers

Guy Busick

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  Courteney Cox

  Gale Weathers

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  Jasmin Savoy Brown

  Mindy Meeks-Martin

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