Month: July 2020

The Umbrella Academy adapts the graphic novels by Gabriel Ba and My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, and the fan reception remains fiercely supportive. Netflix certainly knew what they were doing when they released a quarantine video that was an affectionate take on a beloved first-season scene, in which the cast danced to “I Think We’re Alone Now.” Now the anticipation grows for the second season (which arrives on July 31) with a trailer (including a new song from Way) that reveals how the Hargreeves siblings must now face yet another apocalyptic threat despite jumping back in time.

We were warned of this prophecy by Klaus (Robert Sheehan) himself:

Oh boy, Klaus is angry about the updated doomsday date ruining what he told his new hippie cult. As photos previously revealed, some time travel shenanigans are actually afoot, and the group is (mostly) in 1960s Dallas. Everything’s bigger in Texas, so one can assume that this apocalyptic threat will follow that rule. Five (Aidan Gallagher) screwed up, though, and finds himself in a war zone.

So, is this a pre-apocalypse apocalypse? It’s complicated. We last saw the Hargreeves siblings attempt to calm down the furious Varya (Ellen Page) while she used her recently discovered (by her) powers to embody the apocalypse that the group had aimed to prevent. Even while subdued, she inadvertently took a chunk out of the moon, which began to crumble down on earth, and Five used his powers to grab the group and get the hell out of there. Now they must find each other amid a fresh set of obstacles and hairdos. Godspeed.

The Umbrella Academy returns on July 31.

It was reported earlier this year that a new Tron TV series, which wasn’t previously announced, was scrapped by Disney+. Rumors of a new installment in the Tron series have floated around for years now: The ball was apparently rolling on a Tron 3 movie as far back as 2015. However, it looks like the Tron 3 film is finally getting off the ground. Excitingly for music fans, it looks like Daft Punk could be involved, following their score of 2010’s Tron Legacy.

Mitchell Leib, Walt Disney Studios’ President Of Music & Soundtracks, recently guested on Light The Fuse, a podcast about the Mission: Impossible movies. He said, “We’re looking at making a sequel to Tron [Legacy] now. We’re making a Tron 3,” adding the film has “a really phenomenal script that we’re very excited about.” Leib explained why the movie is finally happening now, saying, “Whereas the timing wasn’t right to have done it years ago, I think we feel like the timing is right now and we learned a lot of lessons from that last movie.” Jared Leto could also star in the film.

He also suggested that meetings with Daft Punk’s manager Paul Hahn had taken place, and said, “The right and first thing to do is to bring Daft Punk back and see if they want to [return]… We don’t even know who will be directing yet. We’re hopeful that Joe Kosinski will come back and do another one. A lot of things gotta fall into the right places.”

These aren’t the first rumblings of Daft Punk scoring a movie to emerge in recent days, as they were rumored to be involved in Occhiali neri, a new film from influential Italian horror director Dario Argento.

That last time I spoke to Andy Samberg was when he was promoting Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and shortly before I spoke to him he had gotten the news that his film, which would later go on to be a cult favorite (or, honestly, much more than “cult” since pretty much everyone I know loves that movie), was headed for a rough time at the box office. He was noticeably, let’s say, bummed out. And the thing I’ve noticed about Samberg as an interviewee is that he wears his emotions on his sleeve. He doesn’t try to power through with a smile if something is bothering him. He just kind of acts like you or I would act — which is I guess the best way to describe is, “human,” but that’s not something often seen in an interview situation where the goal is to be some iteration of “on.”

Today, Samberg looks back on that now saying, yes, he’s always happy when one of his projects hits the target demo, even if it takes awhile. But, also, it wouldn’t be terrible to also have one of his movies make some money.

Samberg’s new film is Palm Springs. Directed by Max Barbakow and written by Andy Siara (which is notable because this is a Lonely Island production, yet not written or directed by one of its members), Palm Springs‘ claim to fame is setting a record at this year’s Sundance Film Festival for the highest price ever paid for a movie at that event. In a weird turn of events, since that purchase happened, this movie about Samberg’s character, Nyles, being trapped in a time loop of an always-repeating day sure does feel prescient since a lot of us are sure experiencing that phenomenon right now.

Though, before we get to either Palm Springs or Popstar, there’s a little unfinished business. Last time we spoke, for whatever reason, one of Samberg’s more esoteric Saturday Night Live sketches, “One Take Tony,” (about a old-timey movie star who can do every scene in just one take) was brought up. I casually mentioned Samberg had done that character twice, and he was quick to correct me that it was only once. Ahead, I submit my proof that One Take Tony does appear a second time, which seems to delight Samberg as he starts googling old sketches that he appears in, yet doesn’t remember.

Andy Samberg: How are you?

I’m okay. I’m in New York, staying inside, mostly. How are you doing?

I’m in LA, staying inside. Everything here is terrifying, but doing our best.

So, the last time I spoke to you was when you were in New York to promote Popstar. And there’s been something that has been haunting me ever since, but I figured it out. I brought up your SNL sketch “One-Take Tony”…

[Laughs] Oh I’m already so happy about this…

And then I mentioned in passing you did it twice. And you’re like, “No, we did it once.” And I was like, “I swear you did it twice.” And you’re like, “Dude, I promise we only did it once. I think I’d know.” It turns out you were correct.

[Laughs] Right.

But the reason I thought you did it twice, and it took me forever to figure this out, was because there’s a sketch called “All My Children Wrap Party” where you show up for five seconds and I swear it looks like One Take Tony. And you back out of the room the same way One Take Tony does.

Okay. So, I have zero recollection of the sketch. But I will say this, if I was in it, there’s a very high chance it was the One Take Tony voice because I have about five total voices and I just re-use them in everything on SNL. It’s called “All My Children Wrap Party?”

Yeah. It’s from your last season. It’s the season premiere in 2011 with Alec Baldwin hosting. Though you are wearing an eye patch, so maybe it’s not One Take Tony?

Oh my God. Now I need to figure out what sketch you’re talking about. Don’t be offended if I Google this while we talk.

Oh, go ahead.

Yeah. I found it. I found “All My Children Wrap Party.” Like, looking at it, I thought, maybe I’d be like, “Oh, now I remember.” I have genuinely no recollection of this at all.

I’m glad we’re getting to the bottom of this.

We’re going to waste this whole interview. By the way, if this whole thing ends up being about One Take Tony, you know I’m happy.

I think this will read well. I think people reading this are going to go, “Wow, they’re both watching a YouTube video. This is pretty riveting.” Anyway, you come in at 2:35.

Here, okay. So I’m there now. Hey, I got a good laugh!

Is that One Take Tony or not?

Oh, the way I backout is very similar. But the voice is different. The One Take Tony voice is much more old-timey. Whereas this is a modern voice. This is voice number four instead of voice number five.

This sketch does take place in the present and One Take Tony was in the ’40s. So I guess it didn’t make a lot of sense.

This character could be related to One Take Tony? It could be like the grandson of One Take Tony. I did have gray hair in the new one.

And he lost an eye somewhere along the line.

Well, yeah, but that happens.

So are you saying yes or no? Definitively?

I’m saying, definitively, it is not One Take Tony. But thank you, because it was really fun to get to see a sketch that I had zero recollection of and see myself walk into and get a laugh. It really helped my self-esteem.

So, Palm Springs…

[Laughs] Right.

That was a good segue. Anyway, I saw this back at Sundance and rewatched it recently, during quarantine. Being stuck in the same day sure does resonate more now. Though having a fun wedding to go to every night seems pretty good.

Yes. It would be an improvement for sure.

I think people are going to relate to it pretty well now.

I would say it certainly speaks to the quarantine aspect of present time, I guess.

It’s unusual because it’s a Lonely Island production, but none of you wrote or directed it.

Well, the script came to me, just kind of cold through my agent, basically saying would you want to be in it? It was an offer. They were offering for me to play Nyles and also for our company to produce it if we were interested. And I read it and just immediately said “yeah” which is not something that happens all the time. There was something about it that I really connected with. Like the comedy and also, not comedy.

Because usually it’s like, “Ah, the three of them did it again,” I feel this is kind of rare for you.

I mean, it’s interesting. Obviously Akiva or Jorma didn’t direct it. I mean, I guess it’s totally very different, but I would say Hot Rod was a movie that was already written and then we just rewrote. I don’t know that we ever would have been like, “Let’s make a movie about a stuntman.” But there was so much wonderful stuff in it that you’re like, “Well, yeah, this is great. This is a great jumping-off point.”

(This) was different because I think it intersects with our tone and sensibility enough that it felt comfortable for me and for us to take it on. But it also, very much by design, is sort of intermingling a lot of different genres: including, rom-com and sci-fi and existential dread. I mean, the Andy Siara and Max Barbakow part of it is definitely the new thing for me and why it was like, hey, this will be interesting and not something we’ve seen before, maybe.

And obviously we’ve seen time loop movies before, but love the rules of this movie and how it works…

Yeah, no for sure. I mean, by the way, when I said something they haven’t seen before, I meant something you haven’t seen before from me, not from, “the world.”

Oh, I didn’t take it that way.

Okay, good.

Not, “We were the first people who ever even come up with this idea of a time loop. That’s never been done in a movie.”

We live in a time when a lot of things have been made at this point. So it is hard to be like, “we’re coming at this whole brand new thing you never even thought of.” But I will say to what you were saying in terms of there were some variations of the rules, and also the timeline of where you’re jumping into the story is a different spot than I think I’ve seen in other time loop movies? It’s much farther along for my character.

It’s like, what if we started a hundred years after where Groundhog Day ended? And then bringing in other people and all of that stuff. Also, the self-referential stuff, sort of acknowledging that we’re aware this is a thing and that you know the rules of these things and trying our best at always to reward the audience for having watched a million hours of everything and not act like we’re re-inventing the wheel or something, just being like, “Come with us on this fun ride, you know the rules, let’s go.“ That was sort of a crutch.

Now, back to One Take Tony…

We need to set up a whole different call just for One Take Tony.

Though, the reason that got brought up was from when I talked to you for Popstar, I remember you were pretty bummed out that day. Someone told me you had just gotten the tracking numbers right before I talked to you, but are you pretty happy where that movie is in culture right now? Does it matter that it didn’t do what it was supposed to do at the box office considering everyone has seen that movie now?

I mean, what matters and doesn’t matter? It’s all perspective. I would have probably preferred that it did better. It did so badly that it was depressing, but yes, it’s also about how much you put in. We went on a huge press tour and put all this energy in to promote it, and then when you realize that none of that really made a difference, you feel embarrassed or whatever. But never about the content of the movie. And certainly knowing now that people are finding it, loving it. And that the kind of people who are finding it and really loving it seem to be the people who we care the most about, consistently. I’m always like, oh, these are people who like the other things we love. And then they’re putting Popstar in with that.

So, that’s always the goal for us. The goal for us is never how much money can we make at the box office. It’s just, it would be nice if it was also that. But the other thing to say about it, there are two comedies a year that make any money, in the last five or six years? And ours was a mockumentary that was intentionally very dense. So, I think when we started working on it two years plus earlier, we had different expectations than when it even came out. And now it feels like most comedies, unless they’re a huge global-spanning, big-budget thing, are going to streaming. And the theaters are for Tenets and Avengers and Star Wars. And right now, literally nothing.

So, it’s a good time to have comedies that are re-watchable and that people love and that they can find on streaming. And that’s certainly what we are told that we make. And always, for us, is the goal: to make a comedy that you want to watch a bunch of times and quote with your friends and all that kind of thing. So I think, yes, ultimately, I’m very happy for where Popstar ended up … but also I would have rather it made tons of money and made us all tons of money.

Speaking of money, I do have one idea for you for a movie. Griff Banks, The Sensitive Bully: The Movie. What do you think?

[Laughs] You got fucking deep cuts!

When we spoke last you mentioned being bummed out it never got past dress (rehearsal)…

We did it!

Oh, you did do that one? On Seth Meyers?

Yeah, we’ve done it. “Second Chance Theater,” I did Griff Banks, it’s online, if you want to check it out.

Now, do you want to wait while I look up a video and watch it?

More than you know.

‘Palm Springs’ begins streaming via Hulu this Friday, July 10. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Kanye West recently sat down for an expansive interview with Forbes, and the main headline from the conversation was about Kanye’s political life. He said he no longer supports Donald Trump, that he’s serious about his run for POTUS, and that he wants his presidency to work like Wakanda from Black Panther. Elsewhere during the conversation, though, he said that he previously had the coronavirus.

Kanye said he was sick with COVID-19 back in February, describing the experience, “Chills, shaking in the bed, taking hot showers, looking at videos telling me what I’m supposed to do to get over it. I remember someone had told me Drake had the coronavirus and my response was, ‘Drake can’t be sicker than me!’ [laughs].”

When asked about the hope for a cure, Kanye said, “We pray. We pray for the freedom. It’s all about God. We need to stop doing things that make God mad.”

He went on to discuss vaccines, calling them “the mark of the beast,” saying:

“It’s so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralyzed… So when they say the way we’re going to fix COVID is with a vaccine, I’m extremely cautious. That’s the mark of the beast. They want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things, to make it where we can’t cross the gates of Heaven. I’m sorry when I say they, the humans that have the Devil inside them. And the sad thing is that, the saddest thing is that we all won’t make it to Heaven, that there’ll be some of us that do not make it. Next question.”

Check out the full feature here.

Since Hamilton made its off-Broadway debut in February 2015, the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical has been praised for its diverse cast, while also facing backlash for how it depicts slavery. Which is to say, that it glosses over the fact that the Founding Fathers owned slaves. That discussion has popped again since Hamilton hit Disney+ (minus a couple of swear words), and Lin-Manuel Miranda believes the criticisms are valid.

“I’m late with the Hamilton criticism stuff & I’m clearly biased, tweeted (sic’d) Tracy Clayton, the writer and host of Netflix’s Strong Black Legends podcast, “but… I really like that this conversation is happening. Hamilton the play and the movie were given to us in two different worlds & our willingness to interrogate things in this way feels like a clear sign of change. I totally get the frustration about it being a play about slaveholders that is not about slavery. I’ve felt that in lots of things I watch, but I flex the same muscle I use when I listen to hip hop as a black woman. We enjoy problematic things all the time.”

Miranda retweeted Clayton, and added, “All the criticisms are valid. The sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people I couldn’t get. Or wrestled with but cut. I took 6 years and fit as much as I could in a 2.5 hour musical. Did my best. It’s all fair game.”

For more on Hamilton, including how it highlights hip hop’s potential for storytelling and an interview with Okieriete Onaodowan, click here.

Yesterday, Kanye West sat down with Forbes for what the publication describes as “four rambling hours of interviews,” and now parts of that conversation have been shared. In a new feature published this morning, Kanye says a lot of things. For example, he insists that he no longer supports Donald Trump and compared his vision for the White House during his presidency as being like Wakanda, the fictional country from Black Panther.

Addressing his distancing from Trump, Kanye noted, “I am taking the red hat off, with this interview.” He also said, “It looks like one big mess to me.” He didn’t do a total 180 on his previous support of Trump, though, and still had some kind words for the POTUS, saying, “Trump is the closest president we’ve had in years to allowing God to still be part of the conversation.” He also gave his reasoning for wearing a red MAGA hat, saying, “One of the main reasons I wore the red hat as a protest to the segregation of votes in the Black community. Also, other than the fact that I like Trump hotels and the saxophones in the lobby.”

He went on to criticize Joe Biden, saying, “I’m not saying Trump’s in my way, he may be a part of my way. And Joe Biden? Like come on man, please. You know? Obama’s special. Trump’s special. We say Kanye West is special. America needs special people that lead. Bill Clinton? Special. Joe Biden’s not special.”

Kanye also discussed his own presidential campaign, about which he appears to be serious. Although Kanye has missed filing deadlines to make his candidacy official, he believes he could still get on ballots anyway due to “coronavirus issues.” He is also running under a new political banner, the “Birthday Party,” “because when we win, it’s everybody’s birthday.” Kanye says his running mate is Michelle Tidball, who Forbes describes as “an obscure preacher from Wyoming.”

He also talked about his vision for the White House under his presidency, comparing it to Wakanda:

“A lot of Africans do not like the movie [Black Panther] and representation of themselves in… Wakanda. But I’m gonna use the framework of Wakanda right now because it’s the best explanation of what our design group is going to feel like in the White House… That is a positive idea: you got Kanye West, one of the most powerful humans — I’m not saying the most because you got a lot of alien level superpowers and it’s only collectively that we can set it free. Let’s get back to Wakanda… like in the movie in Wakanda when the king went to visit that lead scientist to have the shoes wrap around her shoes. Just the amount of innovation that can happen, the amount of innovation in medicine — like big pharma — we are going to work, innovate, together. This is not going to be some Nipsey Hussle being murdered, they’re doing a documentary, we have so many soldiers that die for our freedom, our freedom of information, that there is a cure for AIDS out there, there is going to be a mix of big pharma and holistic.”

Kanye talked a lot more about his presidential candidacy and political ideals, so read the full feature here.

The Boys are, indeed, coming back, and now we know a bit more about what one boy will be doing in Season 2. Or, perhaps, we know that we won’t see some important doings of Billy Butcher unless we watch a companion short film to get the whole story.

Buzz for the Amazon Prime show’s second season has begun in earnest with the first minutes of the new season and a premiere date going public late last month. We’ve also seen a social media-like introduction of a new member of The Seven, much to the chagrin of the non-exploded or exiled current members that we know of. But the whereabouts of the titular Boys has been a mystery, and thanks to some editing decisions a significant part of that story will be in a companion short film that will coincide with the season’s release.

In an interview with Collider, The Boys showrunner Erik Kripkie revealed a significant detail about what we’ll see in Season 2 (mild spoilers incoming), starting with the fact that Karl Urban’s character does, indeed, meet up with the gang after a bit of a delay. But what he does while he’s gone will be part of a different feature.

In season two episode two, Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher rejoins the group after going MIA since the season one finale. Episode two originally showed what Butcher (Urban) had been up to but they cut it due to pacing. However, the footage isn’t gone, as Kripke tells us they used the footage to create a short film called “Butcher” which reveals what happened during his missing couple of weeks.

Kripkie said the show will reference what happened but not explicitly explain it, meaning if you want the whole story you’ll have to dedicate yourself to watching the short film as well. Though no details about when that will officially drop were released, it’s expected to come out sometime after Season 2 starts streaming on Amazon Prime.

There are lots of other small details in the interview, including what an expanded budget from Amazon allowed the show to put together and some interesting casting news about Season 3. But it seems we won’t really know what’s going on in the universe until the show starts streaming later this fall.

Even as someone who thinks Popstar is one of the best comedies of the decade, even I wasn’t prepared for Palm Springs, the latest Lonely Island production starring Andy Samberg (it was actually written and directed by two classmates at AFI, respectively, Andy Siara and Max Barbakow, who eventually got it in front of the Lonely Island boys). It would be great if you could experience it the way I did: knowing nothing of the plot and thinking I was in for a light comedy about yuppie weddings — of which Palm Springs initially does a pretty good imitation. (If you trust me enough, just stop here and see it, read nothing else, and come back to compare notes.)

Then Andy Samberg gets shot with an arrow and everything goes sideways. There’s a twist, of Sixth Sense-ian hallucinogenic potency, and that’s just the first 10 minutes. But here we are again, talking about the twists.

Palm Springs‘ twists will inevitably become over-emphasized, because talking about Palm Springs’ twists is a way of talking about the film without revealing too much, and Palm Springs truly is best experienced cold. Yet presenting Palm Springs as a movie about twists does it a disservice. It’s a film full of surprises whose appeal doesn’t rest on surprise. They’re mostly a means to bigger ideas. I go back and forth about even calling it a comedy. It’s certainly funny, but seems to have more in common with Charlie Kaufman or Michel Gondry or the Coen Brothers — as stylish as those in its construction, but with a more internet-age sense of comedy and timing. There’s a clear sense that the construction of Palm Springs has been influenced by the way jokes snowball and mutate on message boards, which you could never say for the Coen Brothers.

Anyway, if you’ve read this far it’s probably okay to start referencing the plot. How much can you expect not to know about a plot these days and still want to see the movie? It’s like Eternal Sunshine meets Groundhog Day. I hope that’s enough to whet your appetite without spoiling too much surprise.

It all takes place at a destination wedding, where Andy Samberg’s Nyles has accompanied his vacuous girlfriend, Misty, played by Meredith Hagner (in an absolute tour de force of micro-role supporting comedy) to give a speech honoring the union of Tala and Abe, two obnoxiously cherubic, well-to-do Instagram-ready dickheads (more or less). Meanwhile, Misty and Nyles’ relationship is clearly disintegrating, turning Nyles into a hedo-nihilistic agent of pure chaos. He seems to be a hit with everyone at the reception even though he’s dangerously drunk and flouting all convention (“Why is he dressed like he’s going to a luau?” asks a background character as Samberg drunkenly grabs the mic).

Nyles eventually ends up alone with Sarah (Cristin Milioti), sister of the bride and Nyles’ comrade in cynicism, a meet-cute that seems somehow engineered, in an ineffable way. That’s when the “big event” happens. To call it “derivative” of Groundhog Day isn’t really fair or accurate, it’s more like a joke that builds on a shared, acknowledged premise — which is what good jokes do, especially in the internet age, where memes mutate and swallow new memes until they become something new and absurd.

But as much as Palm Springs mines its own premise for comedy whenever possible, it’s not really about the jokes. It’s bigger than that. The looping premise (TMI?) is both a metaphor for existence and a riff on the nature of relationships. It’s zany and silly and sometimes cute, all while being sneakily profound.

“We’re gonna be so sick of each other.”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be great.”

Without Andy Samberg’s puppy dog charm, JK Simmons’ steely intensity, and Cristin Milioti’s sardonic vulnerability (it’s a delicate dance, and she performs it deftly) the whole thing might not work so well. Or, to put it another way, these are characters you could enjoy in a much stupider premise. But Palm Springs is the perfect kind of art-comedy. It comes on like a brilliantly silly little lark and eventually lands on you like a ton of bricks.

It’s a movie about… being able to find happiness in what can feel like meaningless, repetitive drudgery; about the abiding loneliness of existence, and about ultimately being stuck with yourself. With not just your own tendencies but with the ever-present weight of your history. How much of what you do is because it makes you happy and how much is you building towards some future goal? How much do those future goals really matter, aren’t they ultimately meaningless? What if you stripped away all possibility of any future goal or the normal external benchmarks of personal growth? Would that make your life more meaningful, or less?

True, some of these themes do show up in Groundhog Day (close to a perfect movie in its own right) but whereas in Groundhog Day they were high concept, Palm Springs gives them honest introspection. Palm Springs is a movie that stares into the abyss and finds… well, love and humor, mostly. It makes sense to me.

‘Palm Springs’ premieres July 10th on Hulu. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

Despite the UFC coming to an agreement on a new Jorge Masvidal deal for at least this weekend’s title fight, Jon Jones and the status of the light heavyweight division is still very much in flux. That hasn’t stopped UFC president Dana White from working to put together a bout with gigantic title implications this September.

According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC is working on booking No. 5-ranked Glover Teixeira against No. 2-ranked Thiago Santos.

The 40-year-old Teixeira has rattled off four consecutive wins, with the latest being a one-sided beatdown of former No. 1 contender Anthony Smith. He’ll face stiff competition in Santos, who is expected to return from injury after a controversial loss to Jones in 2019, when he tore literally everything in his knee — his ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus. Despite appearing to suffer the knee injury early in the second round, Santos went the distance and dropped a split decision to the champ.

With a full bill of health, Santos has eyes on returning to the title picture. But after his 18-year professional career and just one opportunity at the division crown — a 2014 loss to Jon Jones — there’s no doubt Teixeira is ready to leave it all out on the mat for one last shot at UFC gold.

With teams beginning to arrive in Orlando, the NBA’s bubble is coming together and a few reporters are already embedded at Disney World for the proceedings. Though full-fledged basketball action won’t arrive until later in July, news is beginning to emerge and, on Tuesday evening, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports provided details on the social justice messages that a few players will be donning when play begins.

Earlier in July, the NBA’s approved list of messages came to light and Haynes, citing sources, indicates that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert will have “equality” on his uniform, with Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum choosing “education reform.”

As Haynes notes, Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic will showcase “equality” in his native tongue and details will undoubtedly emerge across the league in the coming days. The NBA is pledging to “drive action and create meaningful and generational change” as a “central goal” of the restart in Orlando, and the display of these messages, along with painting Black Lives Matter on the court, is in line with that mission.

Haynes does indicate that some players are “disgruntled with the lack of options” provided by the NBA but, at the same time, he does remind observers that this was bargained between the league and the NBPA. On the WNBA side, players will wear the names of women who were victims of police brutality but, for the NBA, players have the option of one of 28 phrases.