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Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
A guide to Taylor Swift's most elaborate album announcements
As her profile has risen, so too have her efforts. Easter eggs abound in her album rollouts. Here are a few of her most memorable. 'Reputation' (2017) ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Aug. 23, 2017 HOW SHE DID IT: 'Reputation' arrived with much speculation — at the time, the once very public-facing Swift had begun to keep a low profile, heightening the mystery. A week before Swift announced the album — which arrived on the three-year anniversary of the announcement of her last album, 2014's '1989' — Swift deleted every post across her social media platforms. A few days later, she posted a 10-second video clip of a snake. Soon afterward, she revealed the name of her album, its release date, and the fact that the first single from the project would arrive the very next day. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 2017 Advertisement 'Folklore' (2020) ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: July 23, 2020 HOW SHE DID IT: In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Swift got creative. She Advertisement 'Most of the things I had planned this summer didn't end up happening, but there is something I hadn't planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise,' she wrote on Instagram at the time. 'I've poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation.' It wasn't just the album announcement that was a surprise. 'Folklore' marked a sonic detour for the pop star. RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2020 'Evermore' (2020) ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Dec. 10, 2020 HOW SHE DID IT: A few months after the surprise release of 'Folklore,' 'To put it plainly, we just couldn't stop writing songs,' Swift wrote on social media in December. 'I've never done this before. In the past I've always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released.' RELEASE DATE: Dec. 11, 2020 Taylor Swift accepted the award for best longform video for "All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)" at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2022. Evan Agostini/Charles Sykes/Invision/AP 'Midnights' (2022) ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Aug. 28, 2022 HOW SHE DID IT: Swift took home the top prize at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards before she closed out the show with a big announcement: a new album. 'I thought it would be a fun moment to tell you that my new album comes out Oct. 21,' Advertisement At the anointed hour, Swift said on social media that her 10th studio album would be called 'Midnights,' which she said would involve 'stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.' RELEASE DATE: Oct. 21, 2022 '1989 (Taylor's Version)' (2023) ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Aug. 9, 2023 HOW SHE DID IT: Taylor Swift closed the 2023 US leg of her landmark Eras Tour in Los Angeles in a big way, announcing the fourth edition of her re-recording project: 'Instead of just, like, telling you about it, I think I'll just sort of show you,' she told the crowd as the screen illuminated behind her. ''1989 (Taylor's Version)' available Oct. 27!' she cheered, pointing out that she was revealing this on the eighth month of the year and the ninth day — a numerical clue. Then she launched into a surprise performance of the ascendant '1989' track 'New Romantics' and the 'Reputation'-era piano ballad 'New Year's Day' for the first time during her world tour. RELEASE DATE: Oct. 27, 2023 Taylor Swift during her last leg of "The Eras Tour" in the US, in August 2023 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP 'The Tortured Poets Department' (2024) ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Feb. 4, 2024 HOW SHE DID IT: The night of the Grammys, Swift provoked mass speculation when her site seemed to go down. Some theorized she was gearing up to release 'Reputation (Taylor's Version),' but cryptic clues on the 'crashed' site indicated that might be a misdirect. In classic Swift fashion, it was. While accepting the Grammy for best pop vocal album, Swift said she'd been keeping a secret for two years: RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2024 'The Life of a Showgirl' (2025) ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Aug. 12, 2025 HOW SHE DID IT: For her 12th studio album, Swift really embraced the number. She announced the album on her website shortly after a countdown timer expired at 12:12 a.m. on Aug. 12. Advertisement The day before, the Taylor Nation account — an official branch of her marketing team — The 'New Heights' social media accounts confirmed Swift would appear on the podcast for the first time. That appearance was scheduled for Aug. 13 — 13, of course, another number important to Swift. RELEASE DATE: It remains to be seen.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Jets' Justin Fields says his focus on his faith the past 6 months has helped him shake off criticism
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Justin Fields heard all the criticisms — and occasional kudos — that came his way from fans and media during his first four NFL seasons. The New York Jets quarterback would let it affect him, too. It would even shape his own opinions about his play and abilities. No more. 'I just let people be and let them speak,' Fields said after a joint practice with the Giants on Tuesday. 'That's not going to affect me whatsoever.' But it used to, he acknowledged. 'I would say I just kind of got like this the past six months, to be honest with you,' Fields said. It was a somewhat surprising revelation from Fields, given the ups and downs he has had during his NFL journey since being the 11th overall pick by Chicago out of Ohio State in 2021. He went from the hopeful franchise quarterback of the Bears to out the door after only three seasons, traded to Pittsburgh last year. He started for an injured Russell Wilson and went 4-2 in six games for the Steelers before seeing the bench again in favor of the veteran — who's also now in New York, but with the Giants. During this past offseason, Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets — who immediately labeled him their new starter. Coach Aaron Glenn has regularly praised Fields' confidence and maturity, calling him 'a mature man' Tuesday and adding that 'the outside noise does not bother him.' That, however, has been a process. 'A lot's gone into that, to be honest,' Fields said. "I would say experiences, for sure. But also, I think my relationship with God. I don't play for anybody's approval. You guys are all going to have your opinion and I'm never going to take any of it personal. Like I said, it doesn't matter. Y'all can have an opinion, y'all could say this and that, but at the end of the day, our lives aren't going to change. 'If I say something to y'all right now, the same thing's going to happen. It doesn't really affect life, it doesn't affect the way we live. So, if you look at it from that perspective, the bigger perspective, no matter what anybody says, it doesn't matter at the end of the day. It has zero meaning to me, to anybody, and God controls everything that happens in this world.' While the 26-year-old Fields didn't detail the events that triggered his religious re-awakening, he acknowledged that the Bible has been even more impactful than any playbook. 'Yeah, I mean, me really getting closer to God, like I said, my relationship, me reading the Bible every day,' he said. "And if I'm being real, there are some great lines and great wisdom that I didn't even know of. So I'm low-key addicted to getting in my Bible each and every day just because I learn something new every day and I'm able to apply it in my everyday life. 'But, I mean, I was sleeping on reading the Bible earlier in my life and I wish I would have started earlier. So I encourage y'all to, you know, go read a little bit. Start in Proverbs and move on from there.' 'I know it will,' he said. 'I know it will, for sure.' ___
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Dana White says UFC fight on the White House lawn is 'absolutely' happening
A UFC fight at the White House looks primed to take place on the Fourth of July next year. 'It's absolutely going to happen,' UFC CEO and President Dana White told The Associated Press in a story published Aug. 12. White's comments come on the heels of a billion-dollar deal to bring UFC to CBS that was announced on Monday, Aug. 11. The agreement will give CBS and streaming service Paramount+ exclusive rights to broadcast 30 UFC Fight Nights and 13 marquee events each year beginning 2026, which could include the Fourth of July brawl at the White House. 'Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS," White told the AP. White is scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to discuss plans for the fight, the AP reported. The deal between UFC and CBS was announced just days after the network and Skydance officially closed an $8 billion merger and doubles the annual value of UFC's current U.S. rights deal with ESPN+, according to reporting from Sportico. The deal also signals the end of the existing pay-per-view model currently utilized by the UFC. Trump floated idea of UFC fight at White House this past 4th of July Trump first floated the idea of having a UFC fight on White House grounds on this past Fourth of July. "Every one of our national park battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of America 250," Trump said. "And I even think we're going to have a UFC fight. We're going to have a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House." "Championship fight − full fight," he added. Trump, no stranger to the mixed martial arts scene, has attended multiple events in the past, including UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden after winning the 2024 presidential election. White also introduced Trump on the stage on the final night of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The first UFC fight held under the ownership of White and his partners was held at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Trump "gave us our start when nobody would talk to us," White told Fox News in 2018. Trump's White House staff has ties to the mixed martial arts organization. After his campaign win in November 2024, Trump named Steven Cheung, a former UFC spokesperson, as the White House communications director. Contributing: Steve Gardner & Bart Jansen, USA TODAY Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@
