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During a berserk Twitter rant on Thursday night full of antisemitism and condemnations of the porn industry, Kanye West dropped an absolutely wild assertion.

The embattled rapper seemingly accused NBA star Chris Paul of having an affair with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

After posting an image of a swastika styled as the Star of David with the caption “YE24 Love Everyone #Lovespeech,” West shared a text exchange with Elon Musk wherein the Twitter boss took issue with the symbol, writing, “Sorry, but you have gone too far. This is not love.”

“Who made you the judge,” West replied to Musk.

He captioned the post, “Well everyone. We had a nice run. Jesus is King.”

Kanye West promotes his 2024 Presidential campaign with symbol that seems to be a swastika inside the Star of David. pic.twitter.com/slH3HxyOYd

— Pop Base (@PopBase) December 2, 2022

Read More: Kim Kardashian Reportedly ‘Very Relieved’ To...

Boston, Dec 26 (Ians) Basketball Hall of Famer K.C. Jones has passed away aged 88 in Connecticut, Boston Celtics informed on Saturday.

He had been receiving care for Alzheimer's disease for several years.

One of the most successful players and coaches in the history of the franchise, Jones won a remarkable 11 championships with the Celtics -- eight as a player in the 1950s and 1960s, and three as a coach in the 1980s. However, he was even more successful as a role model and a friend to those who had the privilege of playing with him and for him.

"K.C. was the nicest man I ever met. He always went out of his way to make people feel good, it was such an honor to play for him," Celtics legend Larry Bird said in a statement.

Jones is the second Celtics legend who has died in the past month and a half.

Actress Alex Essoe walks is through some of her favorite dream sequences.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Starry Eyes (2014)

Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010)

Mandy (2018), as usual

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Death of Me (2020)

Life Dances On (1937)

Tales of Manhattan (1942)

I Love You, Alice B Toklas (1968)

Papillon (1973)

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

The Conversation (1974)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)

Nashville (1975)

The Ninth Configuration (1980)

The Exorcist (1973)

Shutter Island (2010)

The Exorcist III (1990)

A Shot In The Dark (1964)

Another Woman (1988)

Stardust Memories (1980)

8 ½ (1963)

Interiors (1978)

Dumbo (1941)

Mulholland Drive (2001)

A Woman Under The Influence (1974)

Mulholland Falls (1996)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Fletch (1985)

The ’Burbs (1989)

Dreams (1990)

Ran (1985)

Homewrecker (2019)

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

The Wicker Man (1973)

Other Notable Items

Howard Hughes

Panos Cosmatos

The Haunting of Bly Manor TV series (2020)

Shelley Duvall

Tfh Guru Darren Lynn Bousman

The American Cinematheque

The New Beverly Theatre

Julien Duvivier

Jean Renoir

Jean-Luc Godard

François Truffaut

John Cassavetes...

If you watched the recent ESPN docuseries The Last Dance, chronicling the final title run of the Chicago Bulls in 1998, you may have noticed the famous “Jordan Dome” from Space Jam. The series jumps back in time for certain segments and after Jordan comes out of retirement (for the first time), he loses in the playoffs to the Orlando Magic.

Following the Bulls’ exit, Jordan began filming Space Jam in the summer of 1995. Hellbent on never losing another series, he had Warner Bros. build him a full-size basketball court so that he could practice and train during off days from shooting the movie. Sports fans know of the infamous “Jordan Dome,” of course, but there was never really any footage of the games Mj would have in it.

The series features all-too-brief moments of Jordan playing on the court with a number of big names, including Reggie Miller, Charles Oakley and Patrick Ewing.

Audiences of a certain age have a special place in their hearts for Space Jam, but when you take off the nostalgia-tinted glasses, the truth is that it isn’t a particularly good movie. That being said, it remains a hugely popular one, as evidenced by the fact that it soared straight towards the top of Netflix’s most-watched list almost as soon as it became available on the streaming service.

Next year sees the release of long-awaited follow-up Space Jam: A New Legacy, with LeBron James stepping into Michael Jordan’s shoes in a sequel that probably holds more interest for the parents of the target audience as opposed to younger viewers themselves, but that likely isn’t a major concern for the studio given how lucrative the nostalgia market has proven to be in recent years.

Recently-leaked footage revealed that the Mask, Pennywise and even Lord Voldemort are...

In Episodes Seven and Eight of The Last Dance, there are tears. Michael Jordan cries over the shocking loss of his father in 1993. His friend Ahmad Rashad wells up at the memory of tying a trembling Jordan’s tie for him on the day of the funeral. Members of the ’94 Bulls (a team that was Jordan-free as His Airness dabbled in professional baseball) recall a tearful postgame speech by Bill Cartwright. Heck, Jordan’s personal trainer cries while speaking about his number-one client’s intense dedication to his job.

Perhaps most surprising,...

As we kick off this week’s installments of ‘The Last Dance,’ Michael Jordan is the league’s elder statesman and undisputed king. At the 1998 All-Star Game, Larry Bird is his coach, and Magic Johnson is a TV commentator. The men whose feats Jordan once strove to match are long gone from the court, and a 19-year-old Kobe Bryant — the event’s youngest-ever competitor — is nipping at his heels. (Leading to some hilarious pot/kettle locker-room banter where an indignant Jordan preaches about Kobe’s ball-hogging.) He glad-hands and breezily...

Everybody get up, it’s time to slam now because “Space Jam 2” has an official title, thanks to NBA superstar LeBron James.

On Thursday, the Lakers player posted a video of himself wearing a hat on his Instagram with the logo of “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” the apparent title of the Looney Tunes sequel. It was reposted by the film’s official Twitter page later that day.

Repost from #LeBronJames: 2021.

You can officially stop calling it “Space Jam 2.” In an Instagram post Thursday, LeBron James revealed the title for the sequel to the Looney Tunes-Meets-Basketball film along with the film’s logo.

The sequel is now titled “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” and the film’s release date is still set for 2021.

The 1996 original film starred Michael Jordan playing basketball alongside Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang. “Space Jam: A New Legacy” updates the premise with LeBron James leading the cast, and major current NBA stars are expected to make cameos. It also stars Don Cheadle.

Also Read: Charles Barkley Dunks on LeBron James' Planned 'Space Jam' Reboot: 'We Don't Need 2'

“Girls Trip” filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee is directing from a screenplay by Justin Lin, Willie Ebersol, Andrew Dodge and Alfredo Botello. “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler is producing.

The original “Space Jam,...

The Last Dance, one of the most ambitious sports documentaries to come from ESPN since the birth of its 30 for 30 series 11 years ago, is set to air its first two episodes at 9 p.m. Et Sunday, April 19 on the network and its streaming platform.

Over the next five Sundays, the 10-hour miniseries from director Jason Hehir will tell the story of Michael Jordan’s final NBA championship run with the Chicago Bulls during the 1997-98 season. That runtime eclipses even the Worldwide Leader’s lengthy Academy Award-winning marathon doc by more than two hours.

The 30 for 30 franchise and its related endeavors from ESPN Films have produced scores of enthralling feature films, shorts, and podcasts since 2009. For those looking to fill this time without live sports, it’s hard to go wrong by simply picking something at random from the back catalog of sports documentaries available through an ESPN+ subscription.

But...

Even among the world's top tier athletes there are legends that they look up to. In the early days of his career Michael Jordan praised the exploits and chased the success of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Joe Montana was six-time Superbowl champ Tom Brady's idol growing up. Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby dreamed of being Wayne Gretzky. Personally, all I ever wanted to do was make…...

David Stern, the former commissioner of the National Basketball Association who helped fuel the sport’s popularity in overseas markets and among women, has died.

Stern died as a result of a brain hemorrhage he suffered approximately three weeks ago. His death was announced by the NBA. His wife, Dianne, and their family were with him at his bedside, the NBA said.

“For 22 years, I had a courtside seat to watch David in action. He was a mentor and one of my dearest friends,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Wednesday. “We spent countless hours in the office, at arenas and on planes wherever the game would take us. Like every NBA legend, David had extraordinary talents, but with him it was always about the fundamentals — preparation, attention to detail, and hard work.

“David took over the NBA in 1984 with the league at a crossroads. But over the course of 30 years as Commissioner,...

“Random Acts of Flyness” creator Terence Nance is officially out as director of Warner Bros.’ sequel to the 1996 live-action/animated sports comedy “Space Jam.” According to Deadline, Nance is being replaced by “Girls Trip” helmer Malcolm D. Lee.

Nance’s exit is said to have been an “amicable” one, with creative differences cited as the reason for his departure.

Lee might actually be the more logical choice here, given his mainstream comedy roots, and proven box office prowess, with 11 feature films on his resume. Although Nance’s surrealist, stream-of-consciousness style — as seen in his 2012 feature debut “An Oversimplification of Her Beauty,” and in his vérité HBO sketch series “Random Acts of Flyness” — may have given the “Space Jam” franchise a fresh creative jolt.

This also would have been Nance’s first studio feature.

Set for a July 16, 2021 release, the live-action/animated “Space Jam 2” will star NBA superstar LeBron James...

“Girls Trip” director Malcolm D. Lee is replacing Terence Nance as director of “Space Jam 2,” starring LeBron James, for Warner Bros. and James’ SpringHill Entertainment.

The departure of Nance, creator of the HBO show “Random Acts of Flyness,” was due to differing visions between Nance and the producers for “Space Jam 2.” Warner Bros. has set a July 16, 2021, date for its live-action/animated sports comedy. Lee’s recent credits include “Girls Trip,” “Night School” and “Barbershop: The Final Cut.”

Don Cheadle is also starring in “Space Jam 2.” The movie marks James’ first major acting role. He played himself in the 2015 Amy Schumer-Bill Hader comedy “Trainwreck.”

Rumors of a “Space Jam” follow-up first emerged in 2015 when James and his company, SpringHill Entertainment, signed a deal with Warner Bros. Justin Lin was in talks to direct in 2016, but that deal did not go through. Lin is an executive producer on the movie.

Giannis Antetokounmpo wants no part of a role in LeBron James' "Space Jam 2" ... saying he'd rather focus on basketball than his movie career. "I don't like being Hollywood," Antetokounmpo told ESPN ... "I don't like all this extra drama. I am just going to try to be me." Of course, Lbj is working on a sequel to the ultra-popular Michael Jordan flick ... and getting NBA studs for an on-screen battle with the Monstars is...

A lot of fans are excited about Warner Bros.’ Space Jam 2, but apparently a lot of the NBA athletes aren’t. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Lebron James, who will star in and produce the movie, is having trouble recruiting players to be in the movie. He’s been making an effort, but only a few players have signed on.

Windhorst explained:

"In all honesty, he's been recruiting players to come and try to be in Space Jam with him this summer and he hasn't been able to close some of those deals. He's recruiting for his movie as well as he is for the Lakers."

When asked which NBA players James has been trying to get on board the film Windhorst said, "I'm not going to say right now but let's just say it's the top players."

It would make sense to get all of the top...

Sonequa Martin-Green is in negotiation to join LeBron James in Warner Bros.’ “Space Jam 2,” sources tell Variety.

Terence Nance, creator of the HBO show “Random Acts of Flyness,” is directing the untitled sequel, with “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler producing with James and his partner Maverick Carter (through their SpringHill Entertainment banner).

Sources say Martin-Green will play James’ wife in the pic, which hits theaters on July 16, 2021.

Rumors of a “Space Jam” follow-up first emerged in 2015 when James and SpringHill signed a content creation deal with Warner Bros. Production will get underway this summer during James’ NBA off-season.

In the original, Michael Jordan teamed up with Looney Tunes characters to battle a group of animated aliens on the court. That pic went on to gross $230 million worldwide and besides Jordan, featured some of the NBA’s biggest stars, like Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing. The new film...

Kobe Bryant finally settled the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) debate between him, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Kinda.

On “The Late Late Show’s” latest installment of gross game “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts,” Bryant caved to James Corden’s question about who is the best basketball player of all time. Sorry, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and a bunch of other qualified candidates — you were not even in the discussion.

“I’m the best, Michael’s second best, LeBron is third,” Kobe relented after it appeared that he would eat some cow tongue instead of talking.

Also Read: Watch James Corden Face His Doppelganger In Creepy 'Us' Parody (Video)

That was the first of just two questions that were actually answered Tuesday night. The other came in the final round, when the CBS late-night talk-show host ranked Tony Awards emcees from best to worst.

Buddy Morra, the former talent manager who at one time handled comedians as Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Robert Klein, JoAnn Worley, David Letterman, Martin Mull, Jim Carrey, Marty Short, Dana Carvey, Paula Poundstone, Dick Cavett, Woody Allen, Tom Poston, John Pizzarelli, Michael Feinsten, Michael Richards, and Jake Johannsen (among others) has died. He passed on March 19 after a long illness. He was 88.

“Buddy was the most important person in my career. He believed in me even before I did,” Billy Crystal told Deadline. “In 1974, I was with a struggling three-man comedy group, and he took me aside and said if I wanted to be a stand up that, he’d be there for me along with the highly respected Jack Rollins, Charlie Joffe and Larry Brezner. He gave me the confidence to go it alone. A humble, gentle, humorous man, we had great highs together, and a few setbacks, but...

Network: Showtime.

Episodes: 18 (half-hour).

Seasons: Two.

TV show dates: November 5, 2017 — March 31, 2019.

Series status: Cancelled.

Performers include: Frankie Shaw, Rosie O'Donnell, Miguel Gomez, Anna Chanel Reimer, Alexandra Mary Reimer, Samara Weaving, Connie Britton, Blake Clark, Raven Goodwin, Kimberly Crossman, Mark Webber, and Mia Kaplan.

TV show description:

A dark, semi-autobiographical comedy from creator, writer, director and star Frankie Shaw, the Smilf TV show centers on Bridgette Bird (Shaw), a working class, South Boston single mother. Although she is striving to provide a better beginning for her son, Larry Bird (named for the former Boston Celtics player), she still has to do some growing up of her own.

While this Southie native secretly...

Though some prep work had already been done for the third season of Smilf, Showtime has opted to cancel the Sunday night comedy series instead.

A dark semi-autobiographical Showtime comedy series, Smilf stars creator, writer, and director Frankie Shaw, with Rosie O’Donnell and Miguel Gomez. In season two, the Showtime cast also includes Samara Weaving, Connie Britton, Raven Goodwin, Melanie Griffith, Sherie Rene Scott, Claudia O’Doherty, Ari Graynor, and Stormy Daniels. The story centers on Bridgette Bird (Shaw), a working class, South Boston single mother, who is striving to provide a better life for her son, Larry Bird (named for the former Boston Celtics player). In the second season, Bridgette continues the search for her own father and tries to spread her wings beyond the streets of Southie. Read More…...

Vulture Watch

Does Bridgette's progress end here? Has the Smilf TV show been cancelled or renewed for a third season on Showtime? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Smilf, season three. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?

What's This TV Show About?

A dark semi-autobiographical Showtime comedy series, Smilf stars creator, writer, and director Frankie Shaw, with Rosie O’Donnell and Miguel Gomez. In season two, the Showtime cast also includes Samara Weaving, Connie Britton, Raven Goodwin, Melanie Griffith, Sherie Rene Scott, Claudia O’Doherty, Ari Graynor, and Stormy Daniels. The story centers on Bridgette Bird (Shaw), a working class, South Boston single mother, who is striving to provide a better life for her son, Larry Bird (named for...

Warner Bros. has set a July 16, 2021, date for its live-action/animated sports comedy “Space Jam 2,” starring LeBron James.

Terence Nance, creator of the HBO show “Random Acts of Flyness,” is directing the sequel. His credits include “An Oversimplification of Her Beauty,” “Swimming in Your Skin Again,” and “Univitellin.” The movie marks James’ first major acting role. He played himself in the 2015 Amy Schumer-Bill Hader comedy “Trainwreck.”

Rumors of a “Space Jam” follow-up first emerged in 2015 when James and his company, SpringHill Entertainment, signed a deal with Warner Bros. Justin Lin was in talks to direct in 2016, but that deal did not go through. Lin is an executive producer on the movie.

Michael Jordan teamed up with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes characters in 1996’s “Space Jam,” which grossed $230 million worldwide. The cast included NBA stars Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing, and...

Former NBA star Al Harrington says some nights in his NBA career were better than others ... and those are the nights he was guarded by white guys because on those nights he could do "something special." Harrington -- who played 15 years in the NBA and averaged close to 14 points a game for his career -- appeared on "Van Lathan's The Red Pill" podcast and talked about his life. Most of the conversation was about...

“Smilf” is two shows in one, and only half of them work. The first show is an experimental mishmash of short films exposing the world to a woman’s experience in 2019 — particularly, an abused woman’s experience. The other show is a more typical serialized narrative, tracking a single mother trying to get her life together.

In the show’s second season, the more classic half is damn near stagnant. Bridgette Bird (creator and star Frankie Shaw) faces added hardship, sure, but in the first five episodes she does little to address it. Meanwhile, Shaw’s creative side — the one that got her short film into Sundance and later landed a deal for her own Showtime series — should elicit strong reactions ranging from outright shock to deep contemplation. Not all of the basketball star’s big shots swish through the net, but even Shaw’s acrobatic airballs are far more...

Exclusive: There’s a big series coming up for the Los Angeles Lakers, and LeBron won’t crack the starting lineup. The Los Angeles Media Fund and the Lakers are teaming up with Haven Entertainment to produce a five-episode docu-series focusing on the ’80s Showtime era of the storied basketball team. That was the period when Pat Riley coached the run and gun style distinguished by Magic Johnson’s passing and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring and shot blocking, with Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Byron Scott, and Michael Cooper backing them up. Courtside, celebs like Jack Nicholson turned The Forum into the town’s hottest ticket and the team won five NBA titles and waged an unbelievable rivalry with Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics. The series will be directed by Kristopher Belman (More Than A Game) and financed by Jeffrey Soros and Simon Horsman’s Los Angeles Media Fund.

“The Lakers...

Vulture Watch

What's next for Southie's own Bridgette and Larry Bird? Has the Smilf TV show been cancelled or renewed for a second season on Showtime? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Smilf, season two. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?

What's This TV Show About?

A dark semi-autobiographical Showtime comedy series, Smilf stars creator, writer, and director Frankie Shaw, with Rosie O’Donnell and Miguel Gomez. The cast also includes Anna Chanel Reimer, Alexandra Mary Reimer, Samara Weaving, Connie Britton, Blake Clark, Raven Goodwin, Kimberly Crossman, Mark Webber, and Mia Kaplan. The story centers on Bridgette Bird (Shaw), a working class, South Boston single mother. Although she is striving to provide a better...

ESPN Films’ 20-hour, six-week documentary “Basketball: A Love Story” more resembles a modern rom-com than your typical documentary. Rather than a chronological history lesson, it’s an episodic collection of anecdotes and stories that in some ways have more in common with “Love, Actually” than Ken Burns’ completist “Baseball.”

The film weaves through the heartbreaking story of paralyzed player Maurice Stokes and his dedicated teammate Jack Twyman to the bitter women’s basketball rivalry of Tennessee’s Pat Summit and Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma to tales of UCLA’s rise, the Dream Team, the Magic/Bird rivalry, the Aba and the emergence of international stars in the NBA with plenty of stops in-between.

“My film is not a history of basketball, because 20 hours is not even close to long enough,” says director Dan Klores. “But it’s historical so there is a lot of stuff that is not obvious. I...

First he went to Los Angeles, and now he's going to Hollywood! Just months after announcing he's joining the La Lakers, LeBron James announced that he's starring in a long-rumored sequel to the beloved 2D-meets-3D film Space Jam! He revealed the exciting news on Instagram on Sept. 19, with a photo that also announced who will be directing and producing Space Jam 2. LeBron posted a telling photo on his Instagram with the caption, "...

After months of speculation and rumored deals, consider this one a slam dunk: the long-awaited “Space Jam” sequel is not only a go, it’s also lined up quite a team to bring the second act of the story of animated heroes and basketball superstars to life. Announced via an emoji-laden tweet, complete with a frankly cute mock-up of a talent-packed locker room, the Spring Hill Entertainment feature film will be directed by “Random Acts of Flyness” creator Terence Nance, with “Creed” and “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler on board to produce.

Bonafide basketball great LeBron James is also on deck to star in and executive produce the film — no word if original star Michael Jordan will return — and classic Looney Tune hero Bugs Bunny will again be suiting up for a sequel decades in the making. The first “Space Jam” film arrived in 1996 and centered on some of the classic Looney Tunes cadre who,...

It isn't Shaq. It ain't Larry Bird. And it isn't Kobe ... but Lamar Odom Does have a final member in mind for his NBA dream team's starting five. The first four are obvious: "Magic Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, Jordan, LeBron," he told TMZ Sports outside of Blind Dragon this week. But the fifth member? Odom has someone off the wall for that spot. Hint: It's a two-time NBA champion who once dated a Kardashian ...

The 2-on-2 caricature-like NBA arcade game, NBA Playgrounds, is getting a sequel and indie developer Saber promises to raise the intensity!

It wasn't all that long ago that NBA Playgrounds released on Nintendo Switch, along with a pre-order of Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn. Now, new fans of the cartoonish basketball game will get to enjoy a brand new game, as Saber Interactive has announced that they're developing a sequel to NBA Playgrounds they plan on releasing later this year.

NBA Playgrounds 2 boasts a giant roster of over 200 current and retired NBA athletes likeincluding Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Damian Lillard, Karl-Anthony Towns, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Dr. J., Allen Iverson and Larry Bird. Plus, Saber is promising new character models, moves, power-ups, and an improved AI.

Furthermore, the NBA Playgrounds sequel is set to include...

Are you overwhelmed by how much television is available right now? Is life getting in the way of keeping up with the shows you wanna try out? We feel your tube-related pain. Here’s a handy feature that’ll help you locate the hidden gems in this era of Peak TV.

Smilf

Network | Showtime

Created By | Frankie Shaw (based on her Sundance Jury Award-winning short film of the same name)

Number Of Episodes | 8

Episode Length | 30 mins.

Premise | This semi-autobiographical series — created by, starring and executive-produced by Shaw — follows Bridgette Bird, a young, working-class mother attempting to navigate life in South Boston.

For two decades, Kobe Bryant dazzled the NBA on his path to five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. On Monday night at the Staples Center, those 20 exhilarating years were honored with the retirement of not one but two jerseys — No. 8 and No. 24 — which Bryant wore throughout his career.

To mark the occasion, Bryant publicly premiered a five-minute animated movie based on his retirement announcement poem, Dear Basketball, originally was published in 2015.

In the short film, Bryant narrates viewers through a visual tour starting with his childhood — which shows him watching NBA games on VHS tapes while living abroad in...

NEW YORK -- Invoking the names of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony -- the NBA's hottest pair of rookie sensations since Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in 1979 -- might be too simplistic an answer for pro basketball's ratings surge this season, but they represent the newfound energy that has permeated the league and the two cable networks that have benefited from the boon. As the league's All-Star Weekend approaches, viewership at ESPN and TNT is up considerably compared with last season -- 8% on ESPN through 38 games and 36% on TNT after 30 telecasts, according to Nielsen Media Research. Moreover, ratings for the elusive 18-34 male demographic have jumped 31% on TNT along with a 28% jump among 18-49, though ESPN is relatively flat in the latter demo. All of this comes months after a disastrous 2003 Finals left the NBA with the image of a troubled league that had crippled itself with a new TV contract, shifting on the broadcast side to ABC after years with NBC, that relied on cable network carriage for most of its games.