Sept. 27, 2026

The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore - 4 Surprise Songs, Patient Zero Video With Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, VMAs Tonight

Show Notes
Transcript

Taylor Swift surprise-released four new songs this week on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, and the reaction is genuinely split — some critics calling the new material sharper than the original album, others calling a surprise deluxe a cash-in after she insisted the record was complete. Tonight she premieres the "Patient Zero" video, which she directed, at the MTV VMAs, where one win would make her the most-awarded artist in the show's history. Lyla breaks down all four tracks, the reviews, and a very good week in the football stands. 🎵 Four new songs: "Patient Zero," "Cleveland!," "Pink Clouding" and "Babylon," written in Sweden with Max Martin and Shellback.

🎬 The "Patient Zero" video — directed by Swift, starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, shot by Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki — premieres tonight

🏆 Nine nominations, plus the first-ever MTV VMA Artist Director Honors for her work behind the camera

📺 The VMAs air live from Los Angeles, hosted by Snoop Dogg, with Madonna opening the show and Nirvana receiving the Video Vanguard Award

💬 The reviews, honestly: "Cleveland!" is the fan favorite, "Pink Clouding" is taking the hits, and Taylor's own answer to mixed reviews is that she welcomes the chaos

🏈 Tom Cruise says Taylor schooled him on football at the season opener — and told Jimmy Fallon he thinks she's a genius

💍 "That's my husband" — the touchdown celebration heard round the internet, wedding ring and all

👗 Still no wedding dress photos, nearly three months out. Dior says the first look comes from Taylor's own Instagram.

Check out the new facebook chat page here. Come join the community! It's small now and we need your help growing.

Taylor Swift Today now has an official Facebook community! Connect with fellow Swifties to discuss all the incredible revelations from Taylor's New Heights appearance. Search "Taylor Swift Today" on Facebook or check out instagram and be sure to follow us to join thousands of fans worldwide. Whether you're analyzing lyrics, sharing concert memories, or just celebrating Taylor's new era, our community is the perfect place to connect with people who love Taylor as much as you do.

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Calaroga Shark Media. Hey, everyone. I'm Lila, and welcome back

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to Taylor Swift Today.

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Buckle up, because this is one of the biggest news

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days we.

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Have had in ages.

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The wait for new music is officially over. Taylor, surprise

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dropped a whole batch of new songs this weekend, and

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the reviews are, shall we say, spicy. On top of that,

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it is VMA Day, and our girl could make history tonight.

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And she has been lighting up the football stands, complete

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with a Hollywood legend by her side and a very

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pointed message to the cameras. So much to cover, so

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let's dive right in. Let's start with the music, because

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this is the big one. On Friday, Taylor released a

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deluxe expanded edition of her 12th album, and she is

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calling it the life of a.

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Showgirl, the encore.

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It comes with four brand new songs.

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Titled Patient Zero, Cleveland, Pink Clouding, and Babylon.

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Now, if you are a longtime fan, you might be

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doing a double take because when the original album came

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out last year, Taylor was adamant that its 12 songs

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were the complete perfect package. She literally said there was

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no 13th track, nothing else coming. So this is a

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bit of a reversal, and she explained why in the

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sweetest way. She said that after the album became the

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biggest first week release in history, She took a trip

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to Sweden with her longtime collaborators, Max Martin and Shellback,

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just to celebrate and soak it all in. And because

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that is what they do when they feel anything at all,

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they ended up writing more songs. She said these four

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were born out of pure gratitude for how much fans

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love the album. And the songs themselves give us a

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real window into Married Taylor. The standout for a lot

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of fans is the track called Cleveland, which is this joyful, defiant,

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unapologetic love song. And yes, the title is a nod

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to Travis's hometown roots. In it, she basically declares that

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this is the love of her life and she does

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not care one bit what anyone thinks about it. It

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is giddy and goofy and completely smitten, exactly the energy

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of a woman who just married her person. Then there

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is the lead single, Patient Zero, which mines a very

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different feeling looking back on a past relationship.

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And here is the exciting part.

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The music video for Patient Zero is a whole event

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of its own starring actors Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell.

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And it is set to premiere tonight at the VMAs.

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So we have not even seen the full picture yet.

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Now, I promised you the reviews were spicy.

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And I want to be honest with you here rather

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than just tell you everything is perfect because that is not.

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What is happening here.

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The reception to this encore has been genuinely mixed and

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in a really interesting way. On one hand, a lot

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of critics and fans are actually saying these four new

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songs are among the strongest material from this whole era.

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One major review flat out said that while the original

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album was their least favorite of hers, this encore is

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noticeably sharper with better lyrics and production.

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That is a real compliment.

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Fans have been especially obsessed with Cleveland playing it on loop,

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but on the other hand, there is genuine eye rolling too,

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and it is fair to mention it. Some critics see

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this deluxe edition as a bit of a money move,

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pointing out that there have now been dozens of different

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versions of this album for sale, and that releasing a

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surprise batch of extra songs right after insisting the album

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was complete, feels like squeezing more out of devoted fans.

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And opinions on the individual songs are all over the map.

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The track Pink Clouding, for instance, has been called the

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weakest of the bunch by some reviewers, while others adore

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it and think it should have been the single. So

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it is not a clean sweep of praise, and that

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is okay. Here is the thing, though, and I think

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it is actually the healthiest way to look at all

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of this. Taylor herself has always embraced exactly this kind

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of divided reaction. When the original album got mixed reviews,

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she said, and I love this, that she welcomes the

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chaos and that she is not the art police. Her

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whole philosophy is that people are allowed to have their

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own subjective opinions about her work and that if people

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are talking about her music at all, good or bad,

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the art is doing its job. So whether you think

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this encore is a gorgeous gift or an unnecessary cash-in,

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you are having exactly the conversation Taylor wants you to have.

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And honestly, that is kind of genius.

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When we come back, that brings us perfectly to tonight

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because it is VMA Day and Taylor is standing right

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on the edge of history.

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Stay with me. Welcome back.

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So here's why the timing of that music drop is

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no accident.

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Tonight, Sunday, is.

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The MTV Video Music Awards, live from Los Angeles, and

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it is shaping up to be a massive night for Taylor.

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She walked in with nine nominations, including Best Album for

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the Life of a Showgirl. And as we have talked about,

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she is currently tied with Beyonce for the most VMA

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wins in history at 30 apiece, which means... If she

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wins even one single trophy tonight, she becomes the most

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awarded artist the VMAs have ever seen. One win, and

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she stands alone at the top. But even beyond the competition,

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MTV is giving her a brand new honor. Tonight, she

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is set to receive the very first ever Artist Director Honor,

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a newly created award celebrating artists who have developed a bold, clear,

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creative vision and pushed boundaries as visual storytellers. For an

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artist as hands-on with her own music videos as Taylor is,

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that is a genuinely meaningful recognition. And as I mentioned,

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that brand new Patient Zero video with Dakota Johnson and

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Colin Farrell is premiering during the show. Add in the

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fact that Madonna is reportedly returning to the VMA stage,

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and you have got a can't-miss night for pop fans.

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Of course, this being Taylor's life, there is a scheduling wrinkle.

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The Chiefs played their game against the Miami Dolphins earlier today,

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all the way on the other side of the country.

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So the big question hanging over the evening is whether

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Taylor can pull off the ultimate coast-to-coast dash, cheering on Travis,

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and then making it to the VMA carpet to accept

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her honors in person.

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If anyone can do it, it is her. We will

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all be watching to see if she appears.

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And speaking of cheering on Travis, let's talk about what

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a delight Taylor has been in the football stands this season,

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because it has given us some pure gold at... the

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season opener, you will remember she sat beside Tom Cruise

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while Tom went on Jimmy Fallon's show afterward and spilled

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about their conversation, and it is adorable. Fallon asked what

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the biggest movie star in the world and the biggest

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musician in the world could possibly talk about at a

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football game, and Tom said that Taylor was, in his words,

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schooling him on football. He called her a genius, said

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he has been following her career since she was a kid,

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and gushed about what a beautiful, magical couple she and

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Travis make. Apparently, Taylor, who famously knew very little about

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football before Travis, is now the one explaining the game

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to Tom Cruise.

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What a full circle moment.

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Then came week two against the Indianapolis Colts, and Taylor

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gave us maybe the best moment of the season so far.

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When Travis caught a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes, The

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cameras cut to Taylor in her suite, and she was ecstatic,

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reportedly yelling, that's my husband, and pointing right at her

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wedding ring. She was there with her parents, Scott and Andrea,

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and her mother-in-law, Donna Kelsey, the whole family together.

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The night before, she and.

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Travis had even celebrated Mahomes' birthday at the steakhouse he

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and Travis co-own. It is just wholesome, joyful, newlywed-in-love stuff.

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I do want to mention one more serious note from

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Travis's world just so you have the full picture. It

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came out this week that Travis was named in court

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as one of the victims of a large financial fraud

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scheme run by an investment manager who has now been

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sentenced to prison. To be clear, Travis is a victim here,

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not accused of any wrongdoing whatsoever. It is an unfortunate situation,

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but he is far from the only person who was

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misled and he will be just fine. And before we wrap,

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two quick things for the theory lovers among you. First,

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that music drop may not be the last surprise. Taylor

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made a cryptic pre-taped cameo during the Emmys. appearing in

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a little Law & Order parody with her friend Mariska Hargitay,

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where she spoke a string of strange, seemingly random words.

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Eagle-eyed Swifties immediately started decoding them, and one popular theory

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suggests they are an anagram hinting that her re-recorded debut album,

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Taylor Swift, Taylor's version, could still be on the way,

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possibly as soon as November. So the Easter egg hunt

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is very much alive. And second, yes, you know I

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have to say it, Still no wedding dress photos.

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Nearly three months now.

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At this point, she is just going to reveal it

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when the entire world least expects it, and we will

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all lose our minds accordingly. So there is your Enormous Week.

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Four surprise new songs sparking a healthy debate, a potential

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history-making night at the VMAs, Tom Cruise getting football lessons

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from Taylor, and a touchdown celebration for the ages. What

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a time to be a fan.

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That is our show. I'm Lila.

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Tonight is the big one, so tune into the VMAs

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and watch to see if Taylor makes history and if

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that Patient Zero video is everything we hope it is.

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Then come leave me a comment on Spotify and tell

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me your honest take. Are the encore songs a gift

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or a cash grab? And which one is your favorite?

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I need to know. Turn your notifications on because between

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VMA results, a new music video, and that ever-elusive wedding dress,

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the news is coming fast right now.

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Find us on Facebook too.

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Just search Taylor Swift today and share this with a

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friend who already has Cleveland stuck in their head.

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Thanks so much for hanging out with me today.

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I'm Lila and I will see you next time.