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Pop provocateur Sabrina Carpenter has done it again, again with the unveiling of the final vinyl-exclusive alternative cover for her upcoming album Man’s Best Friend, set to drop on August 29. The singer-songwriter and cultural firestarter isn’t just playing with aesthetics anymore. She’s staging a full-blown, high-gloss redemption arc, and this final move might just be the stroke of genius that reclaims her pop crown.

The Final Vinyl: A Bonus Track, A Collectible, A Statement

On Friday, Carpenter dropped the bombshell on X (formerly Twitter), announcing the last alternative cover for Man’s Best Friend and its vinyl-exclusive bonus track, “Such A Funny Way.” The announcement came with all the polish and poise her fans have come to expect but also a glint of playfulness that cuts through the controversy she’s weathered over the past two months.

“The final alt cover for Man’s Best Friend features such a special bonus track called ‘Such A Funny Way’available only on vinyl,” she tweeted. “Pre order now + a limited number of signed vinyl 3 weeks left!🐾 can’t wait for it to be yours x”

The vinyl cover itself is pure opulence. Carpenter lounges luxuriously in a vintage-style chair, dressed in soft lingerie, surrounded by roses and bathed in romantic lighting. In her hand, a subtle but striking prop: a playing card with the initials M.B.F. a dainty nod to the album title. It’s sultry but demure. Feminine, but self-assured. Most importantly, she’s alone. And fans are eating it up.

“APPROVED BY THE COMMUNITY,” one fan declared.

“She is the most beautiful woman in the world!” gushed another.

One user summed up the general mood with blunt glee:

“BRO SABRINA WHY YOU PLAYING WITH MY WALLET LIKE THISSSSSS.”

To sweeten the merch drop even further, Carpenter is also selling a Man’s Best Friend-branded retro CD player. Because why not capitalize on the current Y2K nostalgia wave and rake in a collector coin while you’re at it?

From Outrage to Obsession: The Cover Art Controversy That Broke the Internet

To truly understand the impact of this final cover, you have to rewind to June when Carpenter first announced Man’s Best Friend. The anticipation was sky-high, but the backlash came just as fast. The original album artwork showed Sabrina on all fours in stilettos and a micro-mini dress, while a man towered behind her, gripping her hair.

The internet imploded.

What was meant to be bold and subversive was instead branded “degrading,” “performative,” and “a parody of feminism.” Fans accused her of pandering to the male gaze and betraying the self-aware, whip-smart persona she had built.

“For someone who keeps calling men PIGS she keeps degrading herself to appeal to the male gaze,” one critic snapped.

Another went further:

“Pretending to be this hyper-aware, feminist, anti-male figure, while your entire artistic identity still revolves around seeking male approval and being desirable to them is… a choice!”

Carpenter’s feminist card was getting publicly shredded in real time.

Sabrina’s Comeback Strategy: Covers, Clapbacks, and Carefully Calculated Chaos

But if you thought she’d apologize or backpedal, think again. Sabrina doubled down with art.

She dropped an alternate black-and-white cover showing her dancing with a man in a suit, a refined nod to Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller. Still sensual. Still aesthetic. But far more restrained.

She cheekily captioned it “approved by God,” poking fun at the online backlash with the kind of dry sass only Carpenter could pull off. And yet again the joke didn’t land for everyone.

“Tone deaf,” critics declared. “Mocking real concerns.”

But the Espresso hitmaker wasn’t finished. With the reveal of the third cover the final vinyl edition she finally seemed to find common ground with her fanbase. No more visual metaphors. No implied subjugation. Just a woman, her record, and her vision.

Tracklist: 12 Songs of Emotional Carnage and Chaotic Brilliance

In true Sabrina fashion, the album rollout has also been equal parts PR stunt and fan spectacle. She released the track titles via a social media scavenger hunt, encouraging fans to post puppy selfies alongside cryptic clues. The result? A slow-drip reveal of emotional mayhem, one sarcastic title at a time.

Here’s the full Man’s Best Friend tracklist:

1. Manchild






2. Tears






3. My Man on Willpower






4. Sugar Talking






5. We Broke Up Again Last Night






6. Nobody’s Son






7. Never Getting Laid






8. When Did You Get Hot?






9. Go Go Juice






10. Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry






11. House Tour






12. Goodbye

And for those who secure the vinyl? Add “Such A Funny Way” as a bonus track a syrupy, sad-girl closer that’s already generating buzz in fan circles.

The themes are messy. The titles are borderline unhinged. And yet, it all feels very Sabrina confessional, chaotic, and knowingly cheeky. It’s heartbreak couture, relationship PTSD turned into pop performance art.

Redemption in Real Time: What This Era Says About Sabrina Carpenter

With three alternate covers, a merch rollout that includes a literal CD player, and a fanbase more emotionally whipped than ever, Man’s Best Friend is shaping up to be Carpenter’s most polarizing and potentially powerful era yet.

In many ways, this album rollout has become less about the music and more about the meta-narrative. Sabrina Carpenter is not just selling an album. She’s selling a thesis on femininity, performance, and public perception. She’s asking her fans and her critics to confront what they expect from a pop star in 2025. And she’s forcing the internet to admit something uncomfortable:

Maybe you don’t get Sabrina Carpenter unless you understand she’s always been in on the joke.

Whether you love her, love to hate her, or simply can’t look away, one thing is undeniable: Sabrina Carpenter knows exactly what she’s doing.

And she just might be the best friend pop never saw coming.

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Someone has finally fessed up to starting the disturbing, sexist trend that has been disrupting WNBA games.

After more than five incidents of lime green sex toys being launched onto courts mid-game, on Wednesday, Aug. 6, an anonymous source in the cryptocurrency world confirmed to ESPN that he’s a part of a group that orchestrated the viral crude stunt. 

The group claims the stunts were part of a quasi-marketing strategy to promote a new coin created by the group, which began trading a day before the first incident. They supposedly picked the WNBA as a target because of its growing buzz and “controversy.” 

“It was more or less like an opportunistic approach to, you know, what is already trending,” the source, who goes by Lt. Daldo Raine on X, told ESPN. “Where is there already controversy and how do we intercept some of that attention?”

However, he insisted that at least one of the more recent incidents was not affiliated with their group and instead was just “copycat” behavior. 

The trend began on Tuesday, July 29, when a lime green toy was thrown onto the court during a game between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries. Since then, it has happened at least six times in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, Atlanta, and New York, often stopping the game and causing visible frustration from the players. 

In response, the WNBA has enacted a zero-tolerance policy, promising that anyone caught throwing objects will be ejected from the game, subjected to a minimum one-year ban, and turned over to the authorities. Coaches, players, celebrities, and fans alike have condemned the “distracting” trend for being a crude prank at best and for perpetuating sexual violence against women at worst. 

“This has been going on for centuries. The sexualization of women. This is the latest version of that. And it’s not funny and it should not be the butt of jokes on radio shows, or in print or any comments,” Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said per CNN.  

She added, “The sexualization of women is what’s used to hold women down, and this is no different. This is its latest form, and we should write about it in that way. These people [who] are doing this should be held accountable, and we’re not the butt of the joke. They’re the problem.”

Meanwhile, Indiana Fever Dream player Sophie Cunningham, who was nearly hit earlier in the week by one of the objects, stressed how this trend could reverse the efforts many have put forth to gain the league more respect.

“Everyone is trying to make sure the W is not a joke and it’s taken seriously, and then that happens,” Cunningham said on her podcast. “I’m like, ‘How are we ever going to get taken seriously?’”

AP News reported that at least two arrests have been made in connection with the incidents. One of them is a member of the group that claims to have started the trend. The group told ESPN that while they intend to back off from the WNBA for now, they aren’t exactly going away. They apparently have less disruptive plans for the future.

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Brazilian adult film actress Vitoria Beatriz is dead at 28 years old, days after her family publicly issued a plea for prayers after a health crisis.

The tragic news was confirmed Tuesday after the star spent a few days in critical condition at a local hospital. An official announcement released on the day she died did not cite the exact cause of death, and fans and fellow actors were left stunned, perplexed, and heartbroken.

Beatriz, who gained celebrity through her work with the Peruvian adult production house Inka Productions, had just acquired a significant following online and was most renowned for her bubbly nature, bright smile, and emotional complexity she brought to her work.

A Silent Struggle Behind the Scenes

Although everyone else knew her as a rising star in the world of adults, those who knew Vitoria best describe that her real story was far more complex than what transpired on the screen.

“She told me about the challenges she faced with her physical and mental health,” the admin of her fan page wrote in a tribute post shortly after her death. “It was difficult for her every day. She was very strong, but also very sensitive.”

A contemplative post had been added just a few days before her passing on her Instagram account, operated by her family or close friends, asking for restraint and empathy.

“I want to inform you that Vitoria remains hospitalised, and we, the family, have chosen not to share details of the situation. Just know that she is surrounded by care and love.”

That message, which everyone now believes to be an unheard plea for help, taints her senseless death even more tragic.

The Light She Left Behind

Inka Productions released a poignant statement mourning the loss of their colleague and friend:

“Her joy and the energy she radiated left a lasting impression on all of us who shared moments with her.”

Through a career in what is frequently a tainted field, Beatriz found rapport and esteem from the people in her life. A fan wrote, “In spite of her occupation, she was still human. She was also a sweetie. Passed away too early. R.I.P.”

Another fan posted on X (Twitter): “Vitoria Beatriz died too!? Her AND @missjohndough days apart is unfair.”

Second Tragedy Shocks Industry

To be sure, Beatriz’s death comes on the heels of another shocking tragedy in the adult film industry: the premature death of 24-year-old internet star Lina Bina, better known as MissJohnDough.

Bina’s family confirmed that she passed away due to complications caused by a blood clot in her heart and neck, a short while after receiving her third Brazilian Butt Lift procedure. Her sister, Moni, shared a heart-wrenching obituary on social media:

“I can’t believe you’re really gone, baby sister. I woke up this morning wishing it was a big nightmare.”

The timing of their death, two young women in their 20s, both social media stars, both active within the adult content creation industry, has shocked the online sex work environment. It has had many questioning the intense mental and physical strain that is put upon creators in the adult entertainment industry. 

A Mother Remembered

Beatriz has left behind a six-year-old daughter, who is now the focus of an upcoming GoFundMe campaign that her family will launch in the next few days. The plan is to fund the child in the long term, who has now lost her mother far too prematurely.

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This November, a little-known chapter of Black history is getting the cinematic spotlight it deserves.

This week, Amazon MGM Studios released the trailer of its upcoming film “Sarah’s Oil.” Based on a true story, the film recounts the life of Sarah Rector, an African-American girl born in Oklahoma Indian Territory in the early 1900s who believed in and, ultimately, discovered oil beneath the land allotted to her by the state. 

“Sarah’s Oil is a film that is truly a labor of love,” Julie Rapaport, Head of Film, Production and Development at Amazon MGM Studios told Deadline. “We’re honored to take part in telling the inspiring true story of Sarah Rector, and we cannot wait for audiences to experience it on the big screen.”

The movie stars Haitian-American rising talent Naya Desir-Johnson as Rector and pulls from Tonya Bolden’s book “Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America,” which traces Rector’s journey from a rural childhood to becoming the nation’s first African-American female millionaire at just 11 years old.

Behind the lens, the project has heavy hitters steering the ship. Ciara and her husband, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, produced the film through their company, “Why Not You Productions,” teaming up with Amazon Studios to bring Rector’s story to life.

“Sarah’s Oil” is set to premiere in theaters on Nov. 7, 2025. As one user commented under Ciara’s post, “We’re pulling up to the theatre like we did SINNERS!!!”

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The WNBA has seen its fair share of bizarre fan behavior and viral moments this season, but no one is flipping the script better than Sophie Cunningham.

After being infamously struck by a sexually explicit toy thrown from the stands during a road loss to the Los Angeles Sparks earlier this week, the Indiana Fever forward didn’t sulk. Instead, she is staging a cheeky and calculated PR pivot, leaning into humor, charisma, and a bit of provocative flair to reclaim the narrative.

And now, she has brought backup.

Cunningham and Hull Go Full Rodeo Glam in Viral Pregame Fit

Ahead of Thursday night’s game in Phoenix, Sophie Cunningham and her Fever teammate Lexie Hull stepped out of their team hotel looking like they were headed to a WNBA honky-tonk rather than a basketball court. Dressed in matching yellow “Howdy Cowboy” crop tops and light denim bottoms, Cunningham in classic Daisy Dukes and Hull in a miniskirt, the duo strutted into PHX Arena in a confident display of unity, sass, and maybe a little protest chic.

Cunningham opted for black cowboy boots, while Hull rocked red. The duo’s twin looks were so striking that even the Indiana Fever’s official Instagram, in a shared post with the WNBA, couldn’t resist the caption:

“seeing double 👯‍♀️… Lexie Hull & Sophie Cunningham popped out in matching fits for tonight’s game in Phoenix 🤠”

It was a clever aesthetic statement that instantly set social media ablaze.

WNBA Toy-Throwing Controversy Reaches Boiling Point

The Fever’s rising star, Cunningham, has been at the center of one of the season’s most bizarre controversies: fan-thrown R-rated toys. During Indiana’s Tuesday night loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, one such item landed on the court near Cunningham, even after tweeted about the disgusting WNBA game trend right now:

“Stop throwing d****s on the court.”

Rather than allow the vulgarity to define her, Cunningham fired back with a stream of self-deprecating social media posts and, on her off-day, an exuberant solo TikTok dance filmed in her Phoenix home. Yes, she still lives there despite being traded to Indiana last offseason. She also moonlights as a Suns analyst in the offseason. Multi-talented queen.

But Thursday’s twin-themed fashion moment officially turned damage control into full-on pop culture performance art.

Unfortunately, the Fashion Was the Highlight

Despite the viral hype and fanfare, the Fever’s performance on the court didn’t match the heat of their outfits. The Phoenix Mercury handed Indiana a brutal 90–65 beatdown in what many dubbed the “DeWanna Bonner Revenge Game.”

Caitlin Clark, still sidelined with her second groin injury of the 2025 season, did not play and has yet to comment on the night’s events, on or off the court. With the Fever’s five-game win streak now snapped and their star player still in street clothes, morale looked shaky heading into the end of their four-game road trip.

WNBA Fans Are Eating It Up… and Tearing It Down

As expected, reactions to the matching “Howdy Cowboy” look were loud, lusty, and divided.

“Unapologetically a Fever fan,” one person commented.

“Didn’t know it snowed in Phoenix,” joked another, presumably referencing the icy-hot combo of the duo’s style and demeanor.

“Yo maybe the WNBA isn’t so bad 👀” someone else wrote, perhaps capturing the attention of a new type of viewer.

Others, however, criticized the moment, saying:

“Their own team and fans sexualize them to the max and they are so happy, you can’t be more hollow.”

Another person added, “Got they ass beat, Mercury don’t care nothing bout that…”

Still, one commenter pointed out a hilarious twist in team dynamics:

“Sophie looks more like Lexie’s sister in this picture than Laci does and Laci is her identical twin 😭 lmao”

Best Friends or Competition? Both

Though Cunningham and Hull have technically been battling for minutes, with Hull being benched when Cunningham was inserted into the starting lineup in Clark’s absence, the duo appear closer than ever. Thursday’s twinning moment solidified a strong bond that goes beyond rotations and stats.

On the court, both have been crucial to Indiana’s 17-13 record prior to Thursday’s blowout. Cunningham is averaging 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. Hull is putting up 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.

Friendship, not friction, seems to be their answer to adversity.

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Never underestimate the power of community, especially when it comes to Black women looking out for each other. That superpower has always been our armor, our refuge, and our resistance. And now, in the face of rising Black maternal mortality rates, it’s becoming an essential lifeline, especially in places like Brooklyn, New York.

The numbers don’t lie: Black women in the United States are nearly 3.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. In Brooklyn, where the city’s largest Black population resides, that statistic hits even harder. But amid the crisis, one organization is showing what it looks like to turn care into action, and concern into community.

Founded in 1982, the Caribbean Women’s Health Association (CWHA) has grown into the largest free, community-based doula service provider in New York City. And for hundreds of Black families across the borough, that has made all the difference.

“Sometimes you hear a lot of horror stories about being a Black woman giving birth,” Ana Nunez, a mother who worked with CWHA’s doula service, told CBS News. “So I wanted to feel heard, I wanted to feel included.”

And that’s exactly what she got through her doula, Reshonah Williams, who was by her side from the third trimester all the way through postpartum.

“We worked on comfort measures to help ease the condition of natural labor,” Williams explained. “Because the hospitals automatically come up with the idea of, ‘You can have an epidural if you want, you should have an epidural.’ And we’re like, ‘Mom says she wants to do this.’”

That kind of advocacy is everything when navigating a healthcare system that too often ignores the pain and preferences of Black women. For fellow new mom Raven Lopez, her doula, Dadreama Sandiford, became a guiding light during a tough postpartum journey with her colicky newborn daughter.

“If they’re saying that they’re experiencing pain, they’re experiencing pain,” Sandiford said of her role as a doula. “For the physicians, listen. For the lawmakers, make it accessible for everyone.”

That’s been the ethos behind CWHA from the start. Executive Director Cheryl Hall says the organization was born out of a need—and a refusal to accept the unacceptable.

“There’s a whole birth plan put in place and what the expectations are,” Hall said. “Doulas, of course, they are providing psychosocial care. They’re not providing clinical care.”

And yet, that psychosocial support can be life-saving. In addition to doulas, the nonprofit runs multilingual workshops on sleep safety, lactation, postpartum recovery, and more; all designed to meet families where they are.

Despite losing a seven-year grant with the National Institutes of Health and Mount Sinai after a change in administration, CWHA keeps showing up for the babies, for the mamas, for the village because everybody wins when Black women are heard, supported, and empowered.

The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it would deny all transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years the option to retire early and would instead separate them without retirement benefits. One Air Force sergeant said he was “betrayed and devastated” by the move.

The move means that transgender service members will now be faced with the choice of either taking a lump-sum separation payment offered to junior troops or be removed from the service.

An Air Force spokesperson told The Associated Press that “although service members with 15 to 18 years of honorable service were permitted to apply for an exception to policy, none of the exceptions to policy were approved.” About a dozen service members had been “prematurely notified” that they would be able to retire before that decision was reversed, according to the spokesperson who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal Air Force policy.

A memo issued Monday announcing the new policy, which was reviewed by the AP, said that the choice to deny retirement benefits was made “after careful consideration of the individual applications.”

All transgender members of the Air Force are being separated from the service under the Trump administration’s policies.

Separation process has hit some bumps

The move comes after the Pentagon was given permission in early May by the Supreme Court to move forward with a ban on all transgender troops serving in the military. Days later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a policy that would offer currently openly serving transgender troops the option to either volunteer to leave and take a large, one-time separation payout or be involuntarily separated at later date.

A Pentagon official told reporters in May that they viewed the policy as treating “anyone impacted by it with dignity and respect.”

However, in late July, transgender troops told Military.com that they were finding the entire separation process, which has included reverting their service records back to their birth gender, “dehumanizing” or “open cruelty.”

Shannon Leary, a lawyer who represents LGBTQ+ people in employment discrimination cases, says she expects lawsuits to challenge Thursday’s decision. “It seems quite arbitrary on its face and cruel,” she said. “These military members have dedicated their lives to serving our country.”

Normally, Leary said, when early retirement is offered in the military, it’s available to all members who have served over 15 years. She said she expects other service branches to follow the Air Force’s path.

One Air Force service member says he’s ‘devastated’

Logan Ireland, a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force who has 15 years of service, including a deployment to Afghanistan, is one of the airmen impacted by the policy. “I feel betrayed and devastated by the news,” he said.

Ireland said he was told that his retirement was being denied on Wednesday when his chain of command, “with tears in their eyes,” told him the news.

Officials have said that as of Dec. 9, 2024, there were 4,240 troops diagnosed with “gender dysphoria” on active duty, National Guard and Reserve. Pentagon officials have decided to use the condition and its diagnosis as the main way to identify troops who are trans.

However, the two are not an exact match — not every transgender person has the condition. As a result, there is an understanding that the actual number of transgender people within the military’s roughly 2 million troops may be higher.

Under the latest policy, active duty troops had until June 6 to voluntarily identify themselves and receive a payout while troops in the National Guard and Reserve had until July 7. Pentagon officials previously told reporters that they plan to lean on commanders and existing annual medical screenings to find any transgender service members who do not come forward.