In 2016, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchor Michael Che starred in his first Netflix stand-up special, Michael Che Matters. His set contained a hilarious take on why some people have a problem with the phrase “black lives matter.”
“As a country we just can’t agree. We just fight about everything. We can’t even agree on black lives matter. That’s a controversial statement,” Che says in the clip below. “Not matters more than you. Just matters. Matters! Just matters.”
“That’s where were starting in negotiations,” he continued. “We can’t agree on that shit? What the fuck is less than matters? Black lives exist? Can we say that? Is that controversial?”
Michael Che “Black Lives Matters” Stand Up Comedy | Laugh Into Tears
Che recently appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers and discussed the bit in light of the term’s resurgence after the murder of George Floyd.
The comedian says he he’s “happy that people like the clip, but it’s also kind of a bummer that it’s still relevant,” adding it makes him feel like “the guy who wrote ‘Amazing Grace’: You’re happy you hear the song, but every time you hear it you’re like ‘Oh no, what happened?'”
It’s been four years since his comedy special. Unfortunately, the term “black lives matter” is still controversial.
“After a while, you stop worrying about why they don’t want to give it to you and you get to the point where you just demand it,” he told Meyers. “We’ve been asking for so long that people are at a point where they don’t want to ask anymore, and that’s kind of the reality and it’s sad.”
Florida State coach Mike Norvell has yet to coach a game with the Seminoles, but managed to get the locker room turned against him on Wednesday night when he issued a statement claiming he had individual conversations with “every” player on the roster about the protests about George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police.
All-American defensive tackle Marvin Wilson quickly responded to that statement, calling it a lie, and saying that he and his teammates were “outraged” at Norvell making such a claim, when in fact, each player received what Wilson called “a generated text” and many did not have anything resembling a deep conversation with the coach.
Norvell issued an apology for his mischaracterization of what happened on Thursday, saying he applauded Wilson standing up and apologizing for using the word “every” when that was not in fact the case.
Norvell’s apology went beyond just that statement, as Wilson gave an update on Instagram on Thursday about a team meeting they held in which he was a leader and helped enact a three part plan of action for how the program will work to help the Tallahassee community, particularly the black community, through scholarship opportunities, registering the entire team to vote, and fundraising for local schools.
“We met as a team today, coming together and we’re going to do three things,” he said in a video he posted on Instagram. “One, everybody on the team is going to be registered voters [and] we’re going to have our say-so in the next election.
“… No. 2, we’re going to go forward and we’re going to do different fundraisers and things like that to help … give money to organizations that help send black kids to college because we need more doctors, we need more lawyers, we need more politicians, we need more people with say so of color.
“No. 3 thing we’re going to do is we’re going to do more fundraisers to help kids around Tallahassee. You know, I’ve been in Tallahassee for four years and so many schools around Tallahassee are behind the poverty line, bro. It’s so many schools. You’ve got some schools that are almost 100% on free lunch. You’ve got … fifth grade kids taking care of their first or second grade little brother or sister. Going home and their mom is out working all night trying to provide to keep the lights on at night, know what I’m saying. … It really ain’t fair. … Me being a man of color, I want to be that change.”
Wilson goes on to say they need to be encouraging and lifting up black children, telling them they are special and valued, both boys and girls, and have an important story to tell the world. It is an impressive statement from the senior defensive tackle, who thanks Colin Kaepernick for being one of the first athletes he can remember stepping up and speaking out in this manner. Wilson’s message is important, but so is how he went about this, as it can hopefully show other college athletes that they have important voices that can enact change within their program and push those in power to give back to the community.
And now, the Best and Worst of WWE NXT for June 3, 2020.
Best: Johnny Curtis Of Mars
Firstly, in an increasingly darkening world full of hatred, division, and wrestling shows behind plexiglass with berated PC students not clapping well enough for everything in an otherwise empty building, it does my heart good to see Breezango back. Fandango getting hurt again so quickly after returning from injury was disappointing as hell, and I only wish a real Full Sail crowd had been there for him and Tyler Breeze dressing up like goddamn fashion astronauts.
Secondly, the moon landing entrance was faked.
And, suddenly, they’re the number one contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championship and will get a title match! Sorry, let me run that through WWE’s Google translate; they’ve earned the right to a future title opportunity. Is that right? Do I need to add something about brands?
I really would’ve loved to have seen either the Undisputed Era or Oney and Twoey earn the Future Title Opportunity. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch have a great connection to Imperium through Burch and NXT UK, and Undisputed Era vs. Imperium from Worlds Collide is still my favorite match of the year so far. Well, my favorite actual match, assuming we consider Stadium Stampede more of a theatrical event than a “wrestling match.” At the same time, though, it’s good to see Breeze and Fandango get an opportunity right out of the gate to re-establish them as a (possible) top team, even if it’s just to give Imperium a brutal win against fan favorites before running into tougher competition.
Honestly, I just want good things for the final NXT “winner.” Even a big win to set up a big loss is better than what they were doing before the injury, which was escorting Jaxson Ryker’s garbage ass from horrible wrestler to horrible manager.
This Drake Maverick Situation
I don’t know what else to say about this.
It’s bad if they pretended to fire Drake Maverick and actually fired dozens of others during the middle of a global pandemic (while reporting profits and being “largely unimpacted” by the virus), saw Drake understandably crying about it on social media, and decided to turn it into a story where he “works harder than everybody else” to earn back his job. It’s bad if they did the same thing but actually fired Drake, and then changed their minds at the expense of everyone else they released or furloughed. It’s bad that they quietly stripped Jordan Devlin of the Cruiserweight Championship due to travel restrictions he couldn’t possibly get by while insisting there are no penalties for choosing to stay at home during quarantine. It’s bad that this feels like it was a photo op for Triple H. It’s all just casually callous and capitalist as fuck at a scary time where those are two of the biggest problems facing our country.
Drake Maverick is one of my favorite performers in the company, full stop. He should have his job. El Hijo del Fantasma is an all-time top five luchador for me, and seeing him pop into WWE and win championships makes me happy. The Drake story, in a vacuum, has been really well done aside from some iffy “obstacle” finishes I didn’t really vibe with. The tournament was entertaining. The finals were good.
In case this all sounds really severe, man, there are more important things to worry about right now than WWE being terrible to the independent contractors they won’t even hire on as employees, but I need my wrestling television, at least right now, to not remind me that we’re all under the thumb of some rich asshole who can change his mind on a whim and put us on the streets, and who might change it back if we just keep working as hard as we can. It’s like looking into a mirror to see your reflection pointing back at you, laughing. Also the mirror’s on fire.
To put it more succinctly, from the voice of someone who knows way better than me,
Man….Are they going to hire everyone back then? Kind of a slap in the face to use this as a shoot work. But i guess I’m not surprised. Super happy for anyone getting there job back. But damn, real trauma and a lot of others were apart of this.
Candice LeRae and Mia Yim open the show in a match that was promoted last week, only for it to end a few minutes in by double count-out. That brings out people for a big brawl, which leads directly into Candice and Johnny Gargano against Mia and Keith Lee to set up Gargano vs. Lee at TakeOver, and a six-woman tag. The tag version of the opener also only goes about four minutes. It’s certainly a utilitarian way to spend the first 15-ish minutes of your show, and more or less the image that played in my head when they said NXT was going to leave the Network to air on USA Network opposite Dynamite every week.
No matter how much we disagree, WWE thinks that bad carbon copy of a carbon copy of a carbon copy of that mid-90s ECW trick where the matches bleed into one another is the best possible way to open their shows. Even NXT. My sweet, precious, niche NXT. [puts head in hands]
Also On This Episode
After another way too short match between Cameron Grimes and Bronson Reed — this week’s two hours had four matches under four minutes long — Karrion Kross shows up and “Doomsday Saitos” Reed to send a message to Tommaso Ciampa re: Sunday. At the risk of saying a match should be short when I literally just complained about matches being short, I hope Kross throws Ciampa at the ground three or four times at TakeOver and just pins him. I’m pretty ready to move on from the Gargano and Ciampa everything.
Aliyah and the Robert Stone Brand angle, together at last! Next week I hope they face Bull Dempsey and Jaxson Ryker, managed by the power couple of Kona Reeves and Eva Marie.
Give me a show where Dexter Lumis speed-draws caricatures while the Stranger Things music plays, please and thank you. There’s something very pro wrestling about the character, “serial killer, but also he’s nice and draws cartoons!”
Finally, Isaiah Scott wins a Cruiserweight Championship tournament losers bracket match against Tony Nese, who still isn’t great but boy, does he have abs. Nese is being managed by Jack Gallagher now, making me wish NXT would go full end-of-WCW and have Nese and Gallagher team up with the Singh Brothers, Brian Kendrick, and maybe Drew Gulak to form the 205 Live Millionaire’s Club. They could go up against Fantasma, Scott, Grimes, and KUSHIDA as the 205 Live New Blood. Let Drake Maverick be a Diamond Dallas Page type and float between them.
As a quick side note, this week’s column sounds SUPER pessimistic, and I’m sorry about that. Some of it’s real life, some of it’s mental illness as a few of you have helpfully messaged me to declare, and some of it’s just that NXT turning into a Wednesday version of Raw or Smackdown and still pretending it’s the “alternative brand” to the main roster is a bummer. It just makes me sad. This would’ve been a really good episode of Smackdown. But for NXT? I can’t.
Best: Top 10 Comments Of The Week
Not A Crook
TRIPLE H: “This is your official release, you need to sign this before you leave.”
Mr. Bliss
“And then 2020 hit and it was all downhill from there”
Rhea Ripley speaks for all of us.
Dave M J
“Somebody call Tom Pritchard because we’re about to witness some heavenly bodies!”
Oh my god, 83 stars, Beth Phoenix!
troi
It was really hice of HHH to rehire Drake Maverick at severely reduced pay
Birdman
HHH just tricked him into signing a 180 day non-compete
Taylor Swish
Rhea loses one match and turns into Batman after having his back broken by Bane.
notJames
This will go a long way toward turning Dexter Lumis into… a draw.
The Voice of Raisin
After that performance in the cruiserweight tournament, the Premier Athlete’s going to be relegated to the Second Division Athlete next season.
EvilDucky
This episode of NXT has had FAR too much Pat McAfee and Sam Roberts for anyone’s liking
Baron Von Raschke
Aliyah v. Santana? Is this NXT Xplosion?
The only other things from the show worth noting are the PRIME TARGET videos, which sound like they’re created by a vengeful Terminator. They’re pretty good, at least from a conceptual standpoint, but footage of Io Shirai narrated by Sam Roberts is as close to enjoyment hypothermia as I’ve ever gotten. Undisputed Era being jerks at dinner during a pandemic is pretty amazing, though, not gonna lie. I guess you can eat however you want when your girlfriend’s a dentist. Also, wait, can Velveteen Dream actually commune with the ghost of Prince? When the hell did THAT start? Hahaha, how is that even okay? It’s like Razor Ramon calling on the ghost of Scarface. Is it really a magic mirror, or does Prince live inside Tough Enough Patrick like The Fiend lives inside Bray Wyatt?
WWE
AND HOW DID HE GET A MAGIC MIRROR AT ALL, HOW MANY SUPERNATURAL MIRRORS DO THEY HAVE AT FULL SAIL??
Anyway, that does it for this week’s Best and Worst of NXT. Sorry it got kinda heavy and downtrodden this time around. We’re not sure you ever actually read this part or do what we ask (or if you even scroll down through the top 10 comments of the week), but hey, it would really help us if you commented down below and shared the column if you liked or laughed at anything. The world’s tough, and that makes this kind of thing a lot easier.
Join us this Sunday for TakeOver: In Your House, featuring:
Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream
Keith Lee vs. John Wrestling
a six-woman tag team match where Shotzi is not allowed to springboard to the floor
Tommaso Ciampa getting got by the Spooky Clockmaker
The King Of Staten Island: HBO First Look (HBO, 10:00 p.m.) — Judd Apatow’s upcoming comedy starring Pete Davidson (in a role that takes inspiration from his pre-SNL life) will get a straight-to-VOD on June 12. Before that happens, HBO’s giving a 15-minute preview of the movie co-starring Bill Burr, Marisa Tomei, and an NYC-focused Easter egg of a co-star.
Council Of Dads (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) — The Tom Everett Scott-fronted series rallies its central group together when a family members needs emergency surgery, and an adoptive parent-situation will transform lives.
In The Dark (CW, 9:00 p.m.) — Murphy’s on a drug mission, Felix is dealing with a predicament, and Gene’s tossing out some serious talent that could impact Murphy’s mission.
Blindspot (NBC, 9:00 p.m.) — This crazy tattoo show’s still going strong, this time with a chemical weapon-wielding terrorist group taking the team back to its fledgling FBI days.
We’re Here (HBO, 9:00 p.m.) — The queens’ production schedule is thrown into chaos by the pandemic in the Season 1 finale, but they’ll make things “werk” no matter what.
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Graham Norton, Luke Combs
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert: Andrew Ross Sorkin, John Malkovich
Jimmy Kimmel Live: Mark Ruffalo
Late Night With Seth Meyers: Christine Baranski, Taika Waititi
The Late Late Show With James Corden Anna Kendrick, Alanis Morissette
K-pop fans have shown an impressive amount of support for the protests that have popped up across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death. A few days ago, they crashed a police department’s tips app by overloading it with videos. Since then, they have also flooded anti-protest hashtags with K-pop posts to drown those voices out. Now, a prominent K-pop artist has explained just how much the genre owes to Black artists.
As Pop Crave notes, CL, formerly a member of the group 2NE1 who has collaborated with artists like Lil Yachty and Diplo, penned a lengthy post that begins by noting some of the Black artists and works by Black artists that have influenced her and other K-pop musicians.
She goes on to conclude, “I would like to encourage all the K-Pop fans to give back and show their love and support for all that we have received from Black artists. I want to explain to all the K-Pop fans, fellow Asians, and non-Americans who feel like they have little or no connection to what’s happening that we all are connected at the end of the day. And don’t we, Asians living abroad, also face enough racism to the point where we are numb and sick of it? We must stand up together as one helping them fight for justice. It’s never too late. Let’s send them love and support by caring, elevating Black voices, educating ourselves, and bringing awareness to people around you.”
Read CL’s full post below.
“‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ was the first album my dad bought me.
Beyonce’s ‘DANGEROUSLY IN LOVE’ was the first CD I bought for myself.
Janet Jackson taught me the power of movement of dance and expression.
Missy Elliott is why I am so obsessed with my video visuals.
Lil Kim was one of Fashion’s pioneers that taught me how to be fearless in how I tell stories through clothes…
Aaliyah is the reason why I still wear baggy pants and combat boots on stage.
During the rare moments of being at […], my friends saw me sing (but actually screaming) nonononoWAY by Whitney Houston.
It ends with no mo drama by MJB.
Some of the biggest inspirations for 2ne1 were DESTINY’S CHILD and TLC.
These are just some of the examples of the core women who have inspired me over the years.
Artists, directors, writers, dancers, designers, producers, stylists in the K-POP industry are all inspired by black culture whether they acknowledge it or not.
I would like to encourage all the K-Pop fans to give back and show their love and support for all that we have received from Black artists.
I want to explain to all the K-Pop fans, fellow Asians, and non-Americans who feel like they have little or no connection to what’s happening that we all are connected at the end of the day.
And don’t we, Asians living abroad, also face enough racism to the point where we are numb and sick of it?
We must stand up together as one helping them fight for justice.
It’s never too late. Let’s send them love and support by caring, elevating black voices, educating ourselves, and bringing awareness to people around you.”
NJPW‘s Toru Yano is a man of many talents, an undisputed master of the title belt and trophy theft, speedy turnbuckle pad removal, and DVD production. In a new YouTube video called “YTR Family Presents Yano Training Program First Public Release!”, Yano shows he still thinks outside the box while staying at home, and reveals he’s a dad as he uses his children as exercise equipment.
With his two kids as weights, Yano demonstrates exercises including arm curls, leg raises, and something where he clenches his abs and his daughter has a great time stomping on his stomach. The kids seem really enthusiastic about being part of the video and the whole thing is heart-meltingly adorable.
Since New Japan went on hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yano has shown more of what could be called his “normal” side, directing Chaos talk show programs on NJPW World and cooking, and cutting his own hair on his new YouTube channel. Like most NJPW wrestlers, Yano doesn’t post much about his personal life on social media, and the two main things fans know about him as a real person is that he was an accomplished amateur wrestler at Nihon University and that he owns a bar. Even as he gets his kids involved in his public life, their privacy is maintained – both wear masks and are identified only as “YTR Junior.”
Thanking his fans on social media for their donations, Dev Hynes said he was able to help raise half a million dollars over the course of just two days: “I’m emotional writing this, by pulling together we just raised half a million dollars in two days to go directly to The Movement For Black Lives @mvmnt4blklives & The LGBTQ Freedom Fund. Never doubt your self worth, let it be known what can be done by a community that truly deeply cares, it infuriates me seeing large companies (yes your favourite brands that throw an image from black culture on a tee and charge you an arm and a leg to fund moral questioning defense contractors) and artists that have mined and pulled from black culture idly letting time go by and quite literally doing the bare minimum just to save face. They should be embarrassed and ashamed. We are all smarter than this and we see right through it, and I refuse to tolerate this anymore.”
Just two days prior, Hynes had taken to social media to express his exhaustion. The singer said he was trying to brainstorm ways he could offer more support, so he teamed up with the clothing brand Brain Dead to donate proceeds from their sales. “I’ve been angry and distraught about the world,” Hynes said. “Thinking about what more I can do, I have donated as much as I can to organizations, I’ve protested with friends, I’ve tried to take in as much information as I can, then share it with as many people as I can. I want to do more, responses have to be in real-time.”
Read Dev Hynes’ full statements above and find more information about the singer’s collaboration with Brain Dead here.
After Zack Snyder made the surprise announcement that HBO Max will officially Release the Snyder Cut in 2021, there has been an intense debate on whether the decision to satisfy fan requests will set a precedent moving forward.
For context, the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign is comprised of genuinely passionate comic book lovers who simply want to see what Snyder’s original vision looked like before a family tragedy made him leave production, but it also has its share of individuals who have engaged in online harassment whenever the quality or existence of the Snyder Cut has been questioned. So naturally, people are wondering whether fans will be emboldened, both positively and otherwise, to campaign for other “cuts” in the future. Tony Goncalves, the head of HBO Max, tackled the subject in a recent interview with The Verge:
“Consumers guide, and we absolutely have to listen as industry. I had a boss that once said, ‘Industry and consumers aren’t always aligned, but consumers do tend to win.’ It’s a fine balance. And I think when it comes to video, when it comes to entertainment, when it comes to content, consumers have never had more choice, and they’ve never had more of a voice. But that doesn’t mean that we will go and invest our dollars in every single fandom that exists.”
While Goncalves says that the Snyder Cut is “definitely not a precedent,” director David Ayer is currently fanning the flames of an online campaign to release the “Ayer Cut” of Suicide Squad. Whether or not that will ever become a reality, only the future knows. Golcalves’ position is that HBO Max, in the case of the Snyder Cut, is simply listening to what consumers are saying, but it definitely doesn’t mean that “we’re going to go redo every movie ever made.”
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Ever After OUT NOW! (@itsLioRush) 
