Month: August 2020

The primary concern surrounding Ben Simmons before the Philadelphia 76ers’ season came to a halt in March was whether his injured back would heal in time for him to play in the playoffs. That ended up correcting itself due to the league’s layoff before the Orlando bubble, but on Wednesday afternoon, the 6’11 guard picked up a separate knock that forced him to leave the team’s game against the Washington Wizards.

During the third quarter of play, Simmons tossed in a lob to Al Horford and appeared to tweak something in his left knee. Soon after, the All-Star guard/forward made his way into the locker room.

It’s unclear exactly what the injury is or the extent to which he’s hurt, but as you can see in that clip, Simmons had a slight limp as he was walking back. And prior to the game’s fourth quarter, Simmons was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

In relatively good news, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the preliminary indications are that Simmons did not suffer anything too serious.

While it goes without saying, any injury suffered by Simmons that would keep him from playing would be a gigantic blow to the Sixers’ hopes of making a lot of noise this postseason. Hopefully he just tweaked something and will be able to return to action during the team’s next game — a Friday evening tilt against the Orlando Magic — but we’ll keep you posted as more information is available.

Simmons would leave the arena late in the fourth quarter, walking slowly as the Sixers put the finishing touches on a win.

The NBA has made it clear that its bubble restart in Orlando is not an effort to take attention away from the nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic inequality. Rather, the league’s stressed that this is occurring as a way to raise awareness for various charities designed to fight inequality in all forms, and in addition to various symbols that promote equality, has promised to put its financial might into this fight.

The latest example of this came on Wednesday afternoon. In a statement, the league announced the launch of the NBA Foundation, which looks to create “greater economic empowerment in the Black community.” The Foundation’s launch is done in partnership with the NBPA and includes a monster donation from its Board of Governors. According to the statement, the Board will donate $300 million — $30 million over each of the next 10 years — to the Foundation.

“We are dedicated to using the collective resources of the 30 teams, the players and the league to drive meaningful economic opportunities for Black Americans,” commissioner Adam Silver said. “We believe that through focused programs in our team markets and nationally, together with clear and specific performance measures, we can advance our shared goals of creating substantial economic mobility within the Black community.”

Individuals and organizations associated with the NBA pledging monstrous sums of money to support the Black community is something we’ve seen in recent weeks and months. Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand pledged $100 million to charities back in June, while Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans will use the $5 million salary he’ll receive for participating in the bubble to create a social justice fund.

Keraun Harris, who goes by the name King Keraun, is a popular comedian on social media who’s appeared as an actor on HBO’s “Insecure” and ABC’s “Black-ish.”

On Monday, he posted a video on Twitter sharing the story of how a white woman had his back during a recent traffic stop.

“I just got pulled over, and for the first time, I watched a white woman record my whole traffic stop,” she said.

Harris was pulled over in his neighborhood for not having official license plates on his car because it was new. “As a black man you’re used to this, you always guilty until proven innocent,” he said.

“I’m just sitting in my car waiting and as I’m waiting, I look to the left and I see this car parked and it’s a white woman in the car,” he continued. The white woman had her phone out, recording Harris’ interaction with the police to ensure his safety.

At first, Harris wasn’t sure what to make of her, but when he saw that she looked concerned, he realized that she was being an ally.

“As a black man, you’re not used to your allies,” Harris said. “But we really got allies now.”

Chad Stahelski and Derek Kolstad are dominating the action genre like it shot their dog.

Stahelski will direct a remake of the 2010 South Korean action film The Man from Nowhere with a script from Kolstad. The creative duo are the key creatives behind the blockbuster John Wick franchise, and it sounds like their latest collaboration will keep that winning formula going. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

Nowhere is a project that keeps the Wick men definitively on brand, featuring a near-unstoppable former killer on a quest for some stylish vengeance. In this case, the 2010 movie told of a quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past who takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the little girl who has become his only friend.

Considering Stahelski’s extensive background as a stunt coordinator for The Matrix films and Ninja Assassin, fans of the John Wick films will undoubtedly be eager to see what new methods of brutal fight choreography the director will serve up next.

As for the eagerly anticipated John Wick 4, Stahelski revealed back in April that production on the film can’t even start until Keanu Reeves finishes filming The Matrix 4, which saw its production shut down during the pandemic.

“Matrix was only four weeks in when this all happened,” Stahelski explained to Collider. “So, Keanu’s gotta go finish his commitment up on The Matrix, which is a big deal and which I think will probably take him until the end of the year. Then we have to go into our prep mode… Release dates, who knows right now.”

However, since Stahelski last spoke to Collider, The Matrix 4 has reportedly resumed production in Berlin. TMZ spotted Reeves and co-star Carrie Anne-Moss in the German city along with Neil Patrick Harris who plays a mysterious new character in the secretive fourth installment.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Trigger Warning: Description of rape.

Migos have had their fair share of legal troubles over the years, but one member has stayed under the radar since the trio first blew up in 2013 with “Versace.” That may change with the report that group member Takeoff has been accused of raping a woman at a Hollywood party in June. The woman is now suing Takeoff for sexual battery, according to TMZ, as well as assault and emotional distress.

The woman, who filed the lawsuit anonymously as Jane Doe, says that Takeoff made passes at her during the party, offering her weed and staring at her, making her uncomfortable. Jane Doe claims that she went upstairs with the man who invited her to the party, crossing paths with Takeoff on the steps. The men got into an argument, so Jane Doe went to the man’s bedroom to wait out the discussion. However, Takeoff entered the room and made physical advances, including touching her on the buttocks. She says that she refused him but he pushed her over and raped her, leaving the room afterward.

Jane Doe says that she went to a nearby hospital the same day, where hospital staff observed physical evidence of forced sex and notified LAPD. TMZ has reached out to Takeoff for comment.

When we were children, we dreamt of Goonies-like adventures in which we’d stumble upon a map that led us to an ancient treasure. In most of these daydreams, the treasure chest was left behind by some swashbuckling, ruthless pirate king. It was full of emeralds, diamonds, and all manner of gold doubloons. Maybe it was buried under an ‘X’ located on a tattered, faded map or perhaps it was hidden in the belly of a shipwreck.

Of course, those dreams never came true (though they did lead to a few kids’ novels). But there are shipwrecks and treasures to be found in the sea’s briny depths. It’s just that they’re usually uncovered by people with submersibles and sonar at their disposal, then auctioned off to the highest bidder. Also, sometimes instead of jewels, the bounty is 80-year-old bottles of Scotch.

Back in 1941, the SS Politician, sailing through choppy seas, ran aground along the craggy shores of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides off the coast of Scotland. One of the most famous shipwrecks in history, among its contents, the cargo ship was carrying 28,000 cases of malt whisky (and a total of 264,000 bottles including Gilbey’s, Ballantine’s, and VAT 69). During the days and weeks after the ship sank, Hebrides islanders showed up and pillaged the boat of most of its cargo, including much of the whisky. Though they broke marine salvage laws, they had honored the universal law of “finders keepers.” (The government didn’t subscribe to this particular law and many were subsequently prosecuted by Custom and Excise for unpaid duty.)

The locals finished off their share of the whisky decades ago, but it turns out they didn’t get all of it. In 1987, divers found eight bottles. In 1990 a different expedition unearthed 24 more. In 1987, Orkney-based diver George Currie was repairing undersea cable when he happened upon the iconic shipwreck. This is when he unearthed another bottle and years later, this one is up for auction.

The bidding for the bottle of 80-plus-year-old whisky, Currie’s diving helmet from the expedition, a poster from the film based on the islander’s pillaging of the ship, and bricks from the ship is expected to fetch upwards of $20,000. While that’s a lot of money, it’s a price many would be willing to pay to finally get their share of buried treasure. Especially if that treasure can get you buzzed.

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

The 100 (CW, 8:00 p.m.) — Sheidheda makes a power grab in Sanctum while the group tries to prevent genocide at the hands of one of their own in Bardo.

Catfish: The TV Show (MTV, 8:00 p.m.) — The show hosts its first virtual episode proving even a pandemic can’t stop Nev Schulman from exposing internet-facilitated identity theft.

Big Brother (CBS, 9:00 p.m.) — A new group of houseguests moves into the Big Brother palace. Is it us, or does the idea of watching a group of people quarantine inside a heavily-surveilled home just hit different in the era of COVID-19?

Coroner (CW, 9:00 p.m.) — This new series follows a troubled young coroner solving crimes from her unique vantage point — by studying a victim after they’ve been murdered to piece together what happened to them.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, 10:00 p.m.) — Sibyl, Nathanial, and Kora continue to implement their vision of a darker S.H.I.E.L.D. and to stop them, the team will have to think outside of the box.

The Swamp (HBO) — This documentary comes from the team who gave us Get Me Roger Stone, so expect it to deliver on its promise of unveiling the rampant corruption on Capitol Hill. The problem: It focuses on the troubled system surrounding lobbying, and not on the politicians happy to take money in exchange for passing bills. Still, if you want to know why our government sucks, this is a good primer.

Formerly incarcerated rapper Tekashi 69 is once again drawing the ire of observers online after apparently having a meet-and-greet with fans in New York. Video of the event surfaced on Twitter early this afternoon and shortly after began generating unfavorable responses from people who frown on 69’s strategy of trading on his notoriety — especially after securing an early release from prison due to his asthma making him more susceptible to COVID-19. Exacerbating the situation was the fact that few fans at the meet-and-greet appear to be wearing masks.

In the video, 69 is seen posing for photos with small children (a Nino Brown move if ever there was one) and taking selfies with his arms thrown around fans’ shoulders. It’s certainly a sight to behold, after Tekashi previously made claims that he feared for his life after testifying against his former associates in the Trey Nine Bloods in exchange for a shortened sentence. Naturally, the responses from commenters pointed out the discrepancy between his words and actions, in no uncertain terms.

Tekashi drew criticism from several quarters within hip-hop for his testimony, although he was defended by “Trollz” collaborator Nicki Minaj, who was quick to point out the hypocrisy between Tekashi’s treatment and that of rappers who don’t really subscribe to the criminal lifestyle (or stopped when they achieved stardom). Meanwhile, Tekashi celebrated his newfound freedom from house arrest with a new song, “Punani.”

On Tuesday night, Carmelo Anthony hit the dagger for the Portland Trail Blazers that assured them a win over the Houston Rockets in a critical game for Portland’s hopes of earning a playoff spot in the West. The win moved the Blazers into solo ninth, 1.5 games back of the Grizzlies for eighth and with a very real chance of swiping that position from Memphis, as the Grizzlies must play their final five games without Jaren Jackson Jr.

However, after the game, the discussion was less on Portland’s playoff hopes and more on comments made by Damian Lillard. The superstar point guard, during his postgame interview, called it “disappointing” that people are surprised when Carmelo does things like hit clutch threes late, noting that he’s a Hall of Famer and should be respected as such. This sparked debate among NBA fans about Carmelo Anthony’s Hall of Fame credentials, which is a patently absurd debate.

Let’s spell this out as clearly as possible: Carmelo Anthony is a no-doubt Hall of Famer and will almost assuredly go in on the first ballot.

His individual NBA accolades alone would probably put him in the Hall, as he’s currently 17th on the all-time scoring list and could threaten the top-10 with another season of play. He’s just 951 points from passing Elvin Hayes, who currently sits in 10th, and there’s no reason at this point to believe he’s anywhere close to stopping. At that point, regardless of the success of Carmelo Anthony’s teams — which, I should remind you, he was the leader of the last good Knicks team and a Nuggets team that was a perennial playoff squad in the West — he’s in.

On top of his prolific scoring in the NBA, something that is regularly forgotten by fans is that it is the Basketball Hall of Fame, not just the NBA Hall of Fame. As such, his college career and USA Basketball career are included in the criteria for entry. Olympic Melo is legendary, the guy that fans always wanted to show up for their team, share the ball, shoot threes, and just generally buy in to the team concept. Anthony has won three Olympic gold medals, the first men’s player to do so in USA Basketball history. He’s the first men’s player to appear in four Olympics and win four medals (he was on the 2004 bronze medal team). He ranks first in USA Basketball history in the Olympic men’s record book in “games played (31), points (336), field goals made (113), field goals attempted (262), rebounds (125), 3-point field goals attempted (139), free throws made (53) and free throws attempted (71). The 57 threes he has made are second in USA Basketball’s history.

On top of his NBA and Olympic profile, Anthony led Syracuse to the national championship in his lone college season, averaging 22.2 points and 10 rebounds per game, earning NCAA Tournament MOP honors. It is Syracuse’s first and only men’s basketball national championship in school history.

When taken in totality, there’s not a chance Anthony isn’t in the Hall of Fame and isn’t there with haste once he’s eligible. He has become a polarizing player in the analytics age and there are certainly flaws to point out, but his career, from college to USA Basketball to the NBA, has been nothing short of astounding. He’ll be headed to Springfield in the fairly near future once he hangs it up.

Universal just landed a monster mash of talent for its upcoming comedy Everyday Parenting Tips.

Based on Simon Rich’s short story for The New Yorker, the film not only teams Ryan Reynolds with Paul King, the highly sought-after director of the Paddington movies, but it’s also being produced by the white-hot creative team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller who delivered huge hits in the family-friendly arena with The LEGO Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Via Deadline:

A fairly short essay guide to dispensing parenting tips seems banal, but not this one: A father offers advice on what to say when their child says they believe a monster lurks under the bed — at a time when an ongoing Monster Uprising is actually happening in the world. The creature pandemic has unleashed the likes of Gorgog the Annihilator, Ctharga the Eater of Souls and a “giant, swirling portal in the sky that looks like a screaming mouth” that is simply called Drain of Ga.

Rich — who has written for Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, and Disney’s Inside Out — will write the script based on his humorous essay.

The casting of Reynolds comes at a busy time for the actor. In the past week alone, he’s been stirring up headlines with his blunt response to the status of Deadpool 3, making his own “Reynolds Cut” of Green Lantern with a very special guest star, and reuniting a stolen bear with its rightful owner in a heartwarming viral moment. He also just signed onto another Netflix movie and has an animated series in the works for Quibi with Samuel L. Jackson.

As for when Reynolds will find the time to star in the monster parenting comedy… that’s anybody’s guess. But when you get a chance to work with the director of Paddington, you make it happen.

(Via Deadline)