Month: July 2020

Megan Thee Stallion, who was reportedly shot during an altercation with fellow rapper Tory Lanez after a Hollywood pool party over the weekend, is not here for the jokes at her expense that have arisen in the aftermath of the shooting.

It’s been a few days since it was reported that Tory Lanez was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in a motor vehicle on Sunday, but in the days since, the story was revealed in such a piecemeal fashion that it was almost impossible for fans not to speculate. Megan wasn’t particularly fond of seeing her name become water cooler bait as she recovered from gunshot wounds to her foot.

“Black women are so unprotected & we hold so many things in to protect the feelings of others w/o considering our own,” she wrote on Twitter. “It might be funny to y’all on the internet and just another messy topic for you to talk about but this is my real life and I’m real life hurt and traumatized.”

While social media users are quick to speculate and weigh in with jokes, memes, gossip, and rumors in the wake of particularly salacious celebrity news, many often forget that the people at the center of such controversies are human beings themselves, with actual skin in the game. Their pain is often bait for our entertainment, but as Megan pointed out in her impassioned message, it shouldn’t be.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Secretary of Education is the member of the president’s cabinet who oversees the nation’s educational systems. Despite around 90% of U.S. kids attending public schools, the current Secretary, Betsy Devos, has exactly zero personal experience with public education. She’s not a teacher or school administrator, she’s never worked in a public school, she’s never attended a public school, and her own children have never attended a public school.

Her appointment was extraordinarily controversial at the time, and has remained so over the past three and a half years. To say she has a contentious relationship with teachers unions and leading education groups is an understatement. Now, as schools struggle with decisions over reopening in the fall, that divide has widened. with the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) saying the administration has “zero credibility in the minds of educators and parents when it comes to this major decision.”

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Devos has pushed a simplistic “We need schools to reopen fully” message, with no real plan for how to do so safely in the middle of a pandemic. In fact, she’s skirted questions about whether schools should follow the CDC guidelines for reopening. According to Politico, she also called one school district’s spring distance learning efforts a “disaster” in addition to blasting education leaders “who won’t accept risk and ‘gave up and didn’t try’ to launch summer instruction.”

A principal shared some thoughts with Devos in a video shared by Bored Teachers. The two-minute video synopsizes the heroic efforts that teachers took on when the pandemic hit and how she needs to “sit down somewhere” because she is oblivious to what really went on in the spring. It needed to be said.

Awesome Principal Defends Teachers in Response to Betsy DeVos

www.youtube.com

Schitt’s Creek has finished its run on television, so unless you’re waiting for the final season to hit Netflix, the Ontario town the Rose family calls home has run out of new episodes for you to enjoy. If you’re feeling really desperate, though, you could always make your own with the help of 1520 LEGO pieces.

LEGO’s Ideas community is full of innovative ways to make plastic bricks into convincing recreations of real world items and ideas. And some of the most interesting ideas are tributes to TV shows and movies that become impressive collectables in their own right. The Simpsons have had a number of show settings turned into sets, for example, and recently a Seinfeld set made its way into production in honor of the show’s 30th anniversary.

The latest entry in the genre is the Rosebud Motel from Schitt’s Creek, the Canadian television comedy that found a cult following in the United States and abroad and wrapped up its final season earlier in 2020. According to the LEGO Ideas site, more than 8,000 people want to see the company make a LEGO version of the iconic motel the family calls home.

The page cleverly includes a “review” of the motel from Emir Kaplan, a show-famous hotel blogger who gave the locale a visit and found a lot to love. For a little while, at least. The set includes the front desk of the motel as well as the other two main rooms that serve as settings for the show — the twin beds or Alexis and David’s room and the elder Rose’s room featuring Moira’s wigs on the wall.

Right now, the set includes the four members of the Rose family and Stevie, but according to the gang at LEGO Ideas, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that other minifigures from the show get made. It’s not for sale unless you do your part, though, and support the idea enough that the company makes the set a reality. It’s a great idea, and it’s also a much safer way to visit the show’s set in this current day and age. So get on on it, and make this bay-bay a reality.

Major League Soccer has made it a point to expand in recent years. Expansion teams have popped up frequently, with eight new clubs joining the league since 2015 alone and two expansion sides — Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC — entering MLS for the 2020 campaign. There are plans to grow even more in the not-too-distant future, but some of those plans have hit a little bump in the road, meaning three of the four clubs set to join the league have to delay their arrivals.

The league put out a statement on Friday afternoon regarding its upcoming expansion sides. Austin FC, which has planned on entering the league in 2021, will stay on that timeline, while things have been pushed back for clubs in Charlotte, Sacramento, and St. Louis.

Charlotte, which was supposed to join Austin as an expansion side next year, will now join MLS in 2022. That year was supposed to see the debuts of clubs in Sacramento and St. Louis, but they, too, will be pushed back a year and will take to the pitch in 2023.

“We have always taken a thoughtful and strategic approach to our expansion planning and have delivered successful launches for every new club,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in the statement. “It is important for each club to take the necessary time to launch their inaugural MLS seasons the way their fans and communities deserve. With the extra year to make up for what has been a challenging 2020, these teams will be well-positioned for their debuts and for long-term success.”

The statement cited the COVID-19 pandemic for the decision to push things back for Charlotte, Sacramento, and St. Louis. Once all four expansion sides enter MLS, the league will have 30 teams.

Teyana Taylor collaborator Mykki Blanco says she wasn’t paid for her contribution to the singer’s 2018 album, KTSE, in a statement on social media to which Taylor has replied: “Keep my pregnant ass out of it.”

Blanco appears on the KSTE standout “WTP,” adding lively ad-libs that highlighted the inspirations the song takes from drag/ballroom culture. On Thursday, Blanco posted to Instagram a screenshot of the song’s video from YouTube claiming that Universal Music Group still hasn’t paid her for her writing and production credits on “WTP” and Kanye West’s rap verse on “Hurry,” which she asserts she also wrote.

“Can you believe it’s been two years and Universal Music has still not paid me my feature fee for this song?” the caption reads. “Can you believe it took 1 year with the help of my lawyer to get credited on the song, because it did. I wrote on and co- produced this track as well as writing the verse that Kanye literally raps on ‘Hurry.’ Is that a big accomplishment to write for other artists NO, this isn’t about clout.” She ask fans to stop streaming “WTP” until she can be properly credited for the work.

Blanco also repeated the sentiment on Twitter, writing, “PLEASE DO NOT STREAM @TEYANATAYLOR ‘WTP,’ THE SONG IS A LIE. After 2 years and during a pandemic her team still act’s like paying me a simple feature fee is a joke. This song and these people do not support Black, Trans & Queer people. It’s a lie I’m done participating in.” This brought Blanco’s complaint to Taylor’s attention — apparently, for the first time, according to the singer herself.

Responding with a Notes screenshot, Taylor asserted the blame falls on West, who put Blanco on the song in the first place. Her statement advises that KTSE was “more of a Kanye album than it was a Teyana Taylor album” and provides context on Blanco’s inclusion, although it also unfortunately misgenders the trans performer, who prefers “they/them” and “she/her” pronouns.

The situation quickly devolved into a back-and-forth between Taylor, Blanco, and their respective supporters/detractors as the two stars battled over some of the perceived disrespectful language in each’s statements and Taylor’s insistence that Blanco’s dispute should be with GOOD Music, Kanye West, and Universal, not her, despite her top billing on the album, as she has since worked to resolve the issue behind-the-scenes.

It’s clear that emotions have run high as a result of the missing money and the power dynamics involved in members of marginalized communities dealing with the muddled politics of the entertainment industry. Hopefully, the situation gets resolved and the two are both able to put the drama behind them.

You know comedian, writer, and actor Esther Povitsky as the creator of Alone Together and from her work on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Dollface but in her new Comedy Central special (which debuts tonight at 11PM ET), Hot For My Name, you get a little more insight into her brand of often self-deprecating humor. This is due, in part, to her regular irregular interactions with her parents, who greatly factor into a special that combines stand-up, the aforementioned parent segments, and a bit of song and dance.

Esther was nice enough to take the time to participate in our Uproxx 20 series, weighing in on her perfect day (a more poignant question nowadays), some pretty valuable advice about preparedness, and a low key brilliant answer to the greatest question of them all: what do you feed Nic Cage besides scenery?
1. You walk into a bar. What do you order from the bartender?

Sparkling water.

2. Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Ron Finley.

3. What’s currently waiting for you on your DVR or in your streaming queue?

A Brittany Murphy documentary.

4. It’s your last meal — what are you going out with?

Fries and a milkshake.

5. What websites do you visit on a regular basis?

My Shopify store for Sleepover by Esther. I check it obsessively. [Ed. Note: The store is listed as coming soon.]

6. What’s the most frequently played song on your mobile device?

“Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves.

7. If you could go back and give your 18-year-old self one piece of advice what would it be?

“You’re going to shit your pants at Cold Stone, so bring extra underwear.”

8. What’s the last thing you Googled?

Best mascara.

9. Dogs or cats?

Dogs.

10. Best concert of your life was…?

Britney Spears “Dream Within A Dream” tour.

11. What book are you most likely to give as a gift?

“I’ll Be Gone In The Dark” by Michelle McNamara.

12. What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Give me credit for something nice I did.

13. South Park or Family Guy?

Family Guy.

14. You have an entire day to do whatever you want. What would you do?

Drink coffee, take a walk, tie-dye, Facetime friends all day.

15. What movie can you not resist watching if it’s on?

Psycho.

16. The sports team or teams you’re most passionate about?

lol

17. Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Pizza in Tokyo.

18. The last movie you saw in a theater?

Singin’ In The Rain at the New Beverly.

19. Who was your first celebrity crush?

Jack Dawson, duh.

20. What would you cook if Nic Cage were coming to your house for dinner?

Boston Market.

PREVIOUSLY: Tawny Newsome

If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.

Cursed (Friday, Netflix series) — The streaming giant builds onto its library of original fantasy series with this adaptation of Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler’s novel. This show keeps the Miller worldbuilding tradition alive while retooling King Arthur’s origin story to explore what would happen if the legendary Excalibur sword — which is meant for the one true king — chose a queen instead. This season is an entertaining dark-fantasy romp that builds promise for future adventure to come.

Absentia: Season 3 (Friday, Amazon Prime Series) — Alright, so this series may not be fantastical, but it’s also set in a world where we can lose ourselves… in FBI-related shenanigans. This season, Emily comes back after her suspension, all ready to dig back into work when a criminal case hits far too close to home

Brave New World (Peacock series) — This series is a dreamy, devilish, and delightful take on Aldous Huxley’s classic sci-fi 1932 book for NBCUniversal’s streaming service. Starring Harry Lloyd, Alden Eichenbach, and Jessica Findlay, it’s hyperkinetic and experimental while dabbling in both grit and gloss as it explores a new “utopia.”

Down To Earth: (Netflix series) — Zac Efron’s new travel series won our own Brian Grubb over in 13 minutes flat. Zac travels to Iceland and learns how to “bake rye bread by burying it underground in the piping hot soil that is heated by a nearby volcano,” and I think everyone should be sold by that description.

Intelligence (Peacock series) — David Schwimmer’s return to TV comedy “pivots” in the wrong direction. On its face, this is a workplace comedy and a Britcom, but Schwimmer’s misogynistic and homophobic boss fails to be redeemed even though humor.

Father Soldier Son (Friday, documentary on Netflix) — This New York Times doc revolves around a former platoon sergeant who returns home from Afghanistan following a serious combat injury. As he works to help raise his young sons, this film takes a look at military service’s intergenerational effects, along with the meaning of sacrifice, purpose, duty, and American manhood.

Kissing Game (Friday, Netflix series) — The timing on this series feels eerie, given that it takes place in Brazil, where panic takes over during an outbreak of a contagious disease that’s spread by kissing. It’s also a coming of age tale, and a dark examination of attempting to connect in a reality that’s full of mistrust.

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (Peacock movie) — A twisted case must get extralegal for Shawn and Gus as they visit their old stomping grounds to an unwelcome reception.

In case you managed to miss these over the past week:

Fatal Affair (Netflix movie, Thursday) — Get ready for heavy Fatal Attraction and Obsessed vibes with this cautionary tale full of melodrama. Nia Long stars as a wife (Ellie) with a “perfect marriage” to Stephen Bishop’s Marcus, but of course, temptation strikes because (I guess) she’s bored, and the passion has faded. Enter David (portrayed by Omar Epps), who lures Ellie into a passionate encounter, and although her conscience strikes at the last possible moment, it’s far too late to get rid of him.

Palm Springs (Hulu) — This Sundance hit from Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island partners is stylish and silly and absolutely fantastic. It also busted the Sundance acquisition record in a “nice” way, and it’s got a Groundhog Day-esque, summery twist.

The Old Guard (Netflix) — Charlize Theron kicking butt. What else must you know before checking out what might be the closest thing to a summer blockbuster that we’ll see this year? Well, she’s also an immortal mercenary, who’s leading a group of immortal mercenaries, and they might see their immortal-ness exposed, which means they might no longer be immortal. Sounds like a winner.

Greyhound (Apple TV+, Friday) — Need a little Hanx in your life? The Saving Private Ryan star is doing World War II again, and it’s an exciting ride that puts the sea-pedal to the metal from beginning to end. Turn down the lights and relish this one.

Relic (VOD, Friday) — This critically acclaimed haunted-house movie from IFC and director Natalie Erika James did respectable drive-in business last weekend. Starring Robyn Nevin, Emily Mortimerm and Bella Heathcoate, here’s your chance to receive a fresh bone-chilling experience in the privacy of your own home.

Here’s the rest of this weekend’s notable programming:

Friday Night In With The Morgans (Friday, AMC 10:00 p.m.) — Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton are at it again while hosting celebrity friends. This week, Lennie James from The Walking Dead universe and Bethany Joy Lenz from One Tree Hill will be on hand to distract us from reality.

P-Valley (Sunday, Starz 8:00 p.m.) — The club’s private booth sees bared souls and negotiated deals while The Pink’s fundraising carwash sees an unwelcome blast from the past.

Black Monday (Sunday, Showtime 8:00 p.m.) — “I Don’t Like Mondays” is the name of this second season finale, so good luck in getting that Boomtown Rats song out of your head.

Perry Mason (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — Mason visits his ex-wife and son in an attempt to make amends for being a lousy dad, possibly, while Mason and Delta embark upon an important errand.

The Chi (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — Trig’s custody battle gets hairier while fight-or-flight instincts rear their collective head during Kevin’s adventure. Also, Emmett’s making the best of a predicament.

I’ll Be Gone In The Dark (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — This true-crime docuseries is revolutionary, much like the Michelle McNamara book that fueled it. This week, Michelle hits the “Motherlode” after being granted to 37 boxes of evidence on the Golden State Killer, previously known as the East Area Rapist.

NOS4A2 (Sunday, AMC & BBC America 10:00 p.m.) — Charlie Manx will get his favor while Vic McQueen barrels stright into a deadly trap.

Outcry (Sunday, Showtime 10:00 p.m.) –A new hearing pokes holes in Greg Kelley’s case as this documentary continues to explore the high school football’s controversial conviction and sentencing for child molestation.

Desus & Mero (Sunday, Showtime 11:00 p.m.) — The illustrious guest is Don Cheadle.

The Los Angeles Clippers will not have a crucial player off of their bench for an undisclosed period of time. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Montrezl Harrell needed to leave the NBA’s bubble in Orlando on Friday. It is unclear exactly what spurred this decision, outside of Charania referring to this as “an emergency family matter.”

While the No. 1 priority is that Harrell and members of his family are safe and healthy, Charania reports that the expectation is that the former University of Louisville standout will return to the team at some point, although it is unclear when Los Angeles can expect to get him back.

The news of Harrell’s departure comes one day after New Orleans Pelicans standout Zion Williamson had to leave the bubble. Williamson needed to leave due to an “undisclosed family medical matter,” and he expects to return to the bubble at some point.

Harrell joined the Clippers three years ago and has turned into an indispensable member of the team’s bench. While he is expected to command a pretty penny as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Harrell has averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game this year while shooting 58 percent from the field.

This Fletch news feels different. Of all the many attempts to reboot Fletch over the last 30 plus years, no other actor (rumored or confirmed for the part) has been as not on the nose as Jon Hamm is for the role. From Jason Lee to Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Ben Affleck, and Jason Sudeikis (the last two options representing the best and most interesting of the bunch, to my mind), there has always been a seeming effort to make sure that the next Irwin M. Fletcher felt like a spiritual successor to the first. The fit of the Lakers jersey was destined to be perfect and fans of the original film(s) would be serviced right and truly by a barrage of sarcasm and silly disguises. But maybe, in hindsight, that approach was wrong. Or maybe it was our perception of what makes a good Fletch that was off the mark.

On the surface, there is little about Jon Hamm that is reminiscent of Chevy Chase. One often comes off as commanding, the other is loose and always in play mode. But if you look a little deeper at the roles they’ve taken on, there are slight similarities.

In the ’80s, Chase played his most indelible characters on a spectrum ranging from aloof to smug and indifferent to if anyone else was having as much fun as he was. He was an asshole, and yet somehow likable. Especially in Fletch. Though he’d fake being in control, Fletch was often flailing, barely escaping tight situations by making things up as he went along. But he was also tough, able to take a punch or put someone in their place if they mistook his humor as a sign of weakness. That struggle, strength, and the character’s hunger for justice enmeshed with Chase’s specific charms and both a script (by Andrew Bergman) and source material (by novelist Gregory McDonald) that supernaturally played to those charms to make Fletch special.

In his signature role as Don Draper on Mad Men, Hamm played an ad man wired to make sure that he connected with everyone in every room, but it was all an effort to seduce them to his way of thinking. He was another asshole who was pretty much indifferent to everyone else’s existence but in a more severe way. More hidden and at a different speed. But Draper was also flailing.

In the years since Mad Men went off the air (and while it was on the air) Hamm has been put into a little bit of a Don Draper box. It’s not his fault. Draper is one of the most layered characters in TV history. A lover, a fighter, sad, strong, drunk (on power and drink), resilient, brilliant, frightened, and fearless. A terrible father, husband, and boss with shades of being warm and wonderful to those who loved him even if he could never quite process their love or find a way to not screw things up. How do you play against type when you’ve been given the chance to play all of the types with such gusto and all eyes on you for so long?

For years, Hamm has played with the perception of who people think he’s supposed to be on-screen. Kimmy Schmidt, SNL, Bridesmaids, and Baby Driver stand out, efforts that benefitted from the shock value of seeing “Don Draper” as a cult leader, a sexy saxman, a selfish lover prone to making weird sex faces, and an unrelenting villain. Efforts that have helped to break the box open. And yet, still, when you see the headline “Jon Hamm To Play Fletch,” don’t you cut to him in an immaculate suit, confident, and serious and wonder how that’s going to work? Again, it’s not a Jon Hamm problem, it’s an us problem, but it might be solvable thanks to the choice of source material.

Previous reboot attempts have centered on later books in the series, specifically Fletch Won and Son Of Fletch — offering a path to reboot by way of an origin story or a passing of the torch narrative. Both are appealing, but Confess, Fletch (the second in McDonald’s series and published in 1976) has other things going for it, particularly the thought that it’s a version of the character that’s in a decidedly different place than in the movie.

This book starts with Fletch visiting Boston from his new life in Italy. He’s still dismissive of authority and quick with a quip, but it’s a slightly more refined version with more personal stakes. This is such a great fit for Hamm, who is going to be asked to match the aesthetic of a character attempting to embrace opulence while immersed in the world of art. Someone who is going to likely navigate with humor and humanity while both pursuing an investigation and trying to avoid one thanks to the dead body that he finds in his borrowed apartment (there’s a nod to that same setup in the second Fletch movie, Fletch Lives, but it’s not the same story). Fletch has always been much more than a snide journalist in a Lakers jersey, Confess, Fletch and the passage of three decades makes that easier to remember and swallow.

Francis Xavier Flynn is another real game-changer here. And I mean that in a few ways. A character that McDonald eventually spun off into another series of novels, Flynn is a unique/quirky Boston police investigator with an interest in Fletch as a suspect. With Flynn, there’s great potential to create someone that can stand in against Fletch and make this into less of a one-man-show than the previous films. I’m excited to see the dynamic and what Hamm and his eventual co-star create. But turning to the colder, business side of things, there’s no way the success of Knives Out didn’t play a part in the selection of Confess, Fletch as the source material and this project getting a green light. That film is the gift that keeps on giving.

Remember, in addition to being cherished and a 30+ year unsolvable riddle, Fletch has some of the ingredients from which you can make a successful franchise — nostalgia and a ton of source material to pull from. The Fletchverse could be real one day. Maybe it was about more than finding the right Fletch over the years, maybe it was about realizing the power of having their own Benoit Blanc.

To speculate further on the composition of something at this early stage would be pointless, especially considering the cursed history of these projects that come on with a wave of excitement before dying on the vine for innumerable reasons. But I return to the initial point — this feels like it might be different owing to an actor and source material that seems to better position the film as something truly new with a pathway to success that isn’t purely dependent on nostalgia. If nothing else, it’s certainly worth an open mind and not lazy dismissals based on a limited view of what this can be.

Back in June, two women anonymously came forward on Twitter and accused Justin Bieber of sexual assault in 2014. After the reports gained traction, Bieber swiftly responded with an explanation of why both accounts were “factually impossible,” saying that “rumors are rumors but sexual abuse is something I don’t take lightly.”

Bieber previously filed a $10 million lawsuit against both accusers and claimed he would be working “closely” with authorities and Twitter to investigate the claims. Now, it seems the singer has had a legal breakthrough in the case.

According to NBC LA, a judge granted Bieber permission to subpoena Twitter on Thursday in order to gain information about the people behind the anonymous accounts. During the court hearing, Bieber’s lawyer, Evan Spiegel, told Judge Terry Green that they “just want to uncover who is behind these two accounts” and that “it may be the same person.”

Since the reports were anonymous, Spiegel told Judge Green during the hearing that the subpoena placed on Twitter will help identify the accusers and allow Bieber to serve them a summons.

As per NBC LA’s report, Judge Green originally mispronounced Bieber’s name before announcing his ruling and asked Speigel if he should know who the plaintiff is. Speigel responded that Bieber is a “recording artist well-known to certain demographics” and Judge Green replied: “I gather demographics not 73 and over.”