Month: August 2020

It’s been nearly nine months since “Megxit,” when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle formally stepped back in their role as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, seeking to make their own way in the world, independent from their ties to the English crown. Heck, they won’t even be portrayed on The Crown. Well, wouldn’t you know the two, who relocated to Los Angeles, have already found their footing: As per Variety, the two semi-royals have been “quietly” shopping some secret television project about Hollywood.

What is it? Is it a reality program about their fish-out-of-water antics on the American West Coast? Is it a fiction about former royals who reinvent themselves as crime fighters? Who knows? In fact, the not-quite-former Duke and Duchess’ project is so hush-hush that the two took meetings with numerous networks back in June, hoping to be joint producers on whatever this mystery project turns out to be.

One company they approached was NBCUniversal, which is where Markle spent 108 episodes making the drama Suits before ditching acting to become a member of the Royal Family. Despite this, a source claims that this will not mark Markle’s return to acting.

It’s clear Harry and Meghan are modeling their post-Royalty career after another power couple: They signed up with the Harry Walker Agency, the speaking agency that also reps the Obamas. And like the former President and First Lady, the pair have focused their public life on social issues, including environmental and mental health concerns. So kudos to Harry and Meghan, who are committed to doing plenty to help our ailing world.

(Via Variety)

You couldn’t have scripted this any better. When the Western Conference playoffs tip off on Tuesday, it’ll feature a grudge match between the Rockets and Thunder that might prove to be one of the more compelling series of the opening round. James Harden and Chris Paul will square off as former teammates who never quite reached the promised land together, and Russell Westbrook — who was traded for Paul — will face the team where he spent more than a decade of his career.

Even if the bitterness or bad blood is overstated, some form of self-fulfilling prophecy will play itself out once they take the court, given what’s at stake for both teams. In each case, there are a number of variables at play, but we’ve identified the single biggest x-factors for both, which could be the difference between a long postseason run in Orlando or an early exit from the Bubble.

Houston Rockets: Russell Westbrook’s Health

For the Rockets, it’s a test of whether their two main stars can anchor a true contender, not to mention Mike D’Antoni’s basketball disruptor philosophy, a frequent and familiar point of contention among fans and pundits alike.

The criticism surrounding Westbrook, in particular, has only increased in volume in recent years. OKC got bounced out of the first round in each of the past two seasons, despite a superstar tandem the featured Paul George before he was traded to the Clippers last summer. But the biggest question now is just how much Westbrook we’re actually going to see this series.

On Thursday, Houston announced that he could miss at least the first few games of the opening round with a strained quadriceps tendon that forced him to sit out the final seeding game against the Sixers on Friday. There is no clear time table for his return, but a prolonged absence could be hazardous against a scrappy OKC team with something to prove.

And then there’s no telling how productive or efficient he’ll be when he returns. So much of his game is predicated on his athleticism and his ability to run roughshod over opposing defenses and create opportunities for himself and others. If he isn’t able to attack with the same reckless abandon that is his signature style, there is, unfortunately, no good alternative. He hasn’t had a reliable outside shot to fall back on for years.

Even without the injury, Westbrook’s story line was already going to figure heavily into the narrative. The Rockets are a top five offense, led by one of the greatest scorers of all time in James Harden, and their switch-everything, small-ball onslaught that often features the likes of P.J. Tucker penciled in at the center position puts opposing defenses in a bind.

But Westbrook is major catalyst in that scheme, and his absence will put its efficacy to the test. Westbrook is averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and seven assists per game this season, and combined with Harden’s production has once again made Houston one of the league’s more fearsome scoring machines.

And yet, that also belies the fact that lineups featuring Harden without Westbrook have often played just as well, if not better, this season. The problem is that Houston has come to rely on those staggered Westbrook minutes to ease Harden’s offensive burden. Without him, Harden will be forced to generate a tremendous amount of offense on his own.

That’s not something that’s proved sustainable in the past when it comes to deep playoff runs for the Rockets. Houston can probably stay afloat for a little while without him, but they’ll need a healthy Westbrook back in the lineup if they want any chance of challenging for the Western Conference crown.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Chris Paul’s Quest For Sweet, Sweet Revenge

The Rockets clearly thought they were putting Chris Paul out to pasture when they sent him to OKC for Russell Westbrook. In their minds, they were trading in an aging star with an injury history who hadn’t been able to get them over the hump, for a younger, turbocharged backcourt mate to pair alongside Harden and juice an offense that was already among the most high-octane attacks in the league. And to make this work, they traded a whole lot of future draft picks, signaling they thought Paul’s stock wasn’t particularly high.

But throughout the season before the shutdown, and now on into the seeding games, Paul has proven that he’s far from finished. The Thunder have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the NBA this season, and Paul is playing some of his best basketball in years.

OKC secured the No. 5 seed in the West and thus a first-round date with the Rockets, and you can bet Paul and company feel like they have something to prove. It’s just a shame that this series has to be played in a bubble and that we’ll be deprived of hostile home crowds in both cities and all the added animosity that would bring to the equation.

The bizarro lineups on both sides will present some interesting conundrums. Houston’s small-ball lineup featuring Robert Covington and Danuel House as its tallest players, each coming in at a whopping 6’7 (but with considerable reach), could potentially render Steven Adams unplayable if he isn’t able to keep up out on the perimeter, or turn him into an absolute beast on the boards.

It could also spell trouble for the Thunder’s three-guard assault, comprised of Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dennis Schroder. When those three played together this season, they outscored opponents by nearly 29 points per 100 possessions. The problem is that none of those three are really equipped to guard Harden for any significant stretch, meaning they’ll have to deploy that lineup more methodically to squeeze maximum results out of it.

The Thunder have been an NBA best in the clutch this season, going 30-14 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes. If OKC can keep the games close, they’ll have an advantage in that department over a team that was just 19-13 in those scenarios this season.

The bottom line, though, is that the Thunder will need Chris Paul playing at a superstar level. As good as Gilgeous-Alexander and other members of the supporting cast have been this season, they’ll only go as far as Paul can lead them, and he definitely has an extra chip on his shoulder as he prepares to face off against the team that decided he was all washed up last summer.

Where it used to be a major achievement for a movie to make $100 million at the box office, many films are now considered a “bust” if they don’t cross the billion-dollar mark. The pre-Snyder Cut Justice League, for instance, out-grossed mega-hits The Empire Strikes Back and The Incredibles and Fast Five, but because it “only” earned $682 million and reportedly cost $300 million to make, it inspired headlines like, “How Justice League Became a Box Office Disaster.” No movie released in 2020 has gotten near $1 billion, for obvious reasons (Bad Boys For Life is the closest with $424.6 million), but a movie released nearly two decades has just joined the billion dollar club.

Variety reports that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first film in the Harry Potter movie series, has “surpassed $1 billion at the global box office after [landing in] the top spot on box office charts in China last weekend, amassing $13.6 million from 16,000 screens,” mostly in 3D and IMAX. It’s the second Harry Potter movie to generate $1 billion to date, after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and the 47th film overall to achieve the feat. In 48th place, with $989.2 million? Deathly Hallows: Part 1:

Sorcerer’s Stone didn’t hit Chinese cinemas until January 2002 — well before China became the second-biggest moviegoing market in the world. It collected more money from its rerelease in the last three days than it did during its entire stint in theaters 19 years ago.

Not all fans will be thrilled to see She Who Must Not Be Named profiting from all this.

(Via Variety)

It’s been a rough year for hoops. The NBA suffered through a four-month hiatus, and even though the season has successfully resumed in Orlando and the postseason is underway, the circumstances are wildly different from what we’re all accustomed to, and that could be the case for the foreseeable future.

Still, the basketball goods have seen fit to bless us with a first-round matchup that pits the Rockets against the Thunder, a series loaded with intrigue and juggling so many storylines that it’s hard to keep track of all the narrative threads. We’ll get our first taste of it when Game 1 tips off on Tuesday afternoon.

But as far as the interpersonal drama is concerned, James Harden, for his part, claims that he isn’t subscribing to the notion that there’s lingering animosity between him and former teammate Chris Paul, who the Rockets traded to the Thunder last summer for Russell Westbrook.

Via Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire:

“I don’t ever take anything personal. I’m trying to win games, and I’m trying to win a playoff series. I take it one possession at a time, one game at a time.

My role on this team is to go out and perform at a high level, but also to be a leader and make sure that guys that are around me all have that same mindset. If I can do that, then I can give us a chance to win, especially with Russell [Westbrook] being out.”

Paul also tried to downplay in a recent interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, admitting that the two don’t communicate with each other but also saying that it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have beef with one another.

During their tenure in Houston, the Rockets came close to ending the Warriors’ run but ultimately fell short, in part because of untimely injuries. Game 1 of the Rockets-Thunder series in Orlando kicks off at 6:30 ET on TNT.

(Rockets Wire)

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

Looney Tunes (HBO Max) — If you need some comfort food tonight (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) the good news is that one of HBO Max’s most anticipated offerings is adding a new batch of classic episodes to the collection tonight. Take a left turn at Albuquerque and meet us there.

The Democratic National Convention (Everywhere, all night) — The largely remote political event continues with the presidential roll call vote, along with speakers including Stacey Abrams and Conor Lamb, as well as Bill Clinton, Jill Biden, Chuck Schumer, Sally Yates, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

If you’re looking for comedy as a distraction, Netflix has several new-ish stand-up specials that you may have missed:

Eric Andre: Legalize Everything — This New Orleans-filmed special shows Eric Andre once again busting through comedic boundaries while taking on the wars on sex, drugs, and… fart jokes? Alright. Seriously though, It’s the best comedy special of the year and highly relevant to the U.S. police-related discussion today.

Jim Jefferies: Intolerant — The Aussie comedian (who remains notorious for his gun-control opinion) pulls a 180 from where he was five years ago. He’s less focused on issues these days and grows incredibly banal at times, but he’s still uproariously funny. While reflecting upon the state of comedy today, he manages to dole out some hefty insight on life while telling an epic tale of the pursuit of lactose at all costs.

Rob Schneider: Asian Momma, Mexican Kids (Netflix stand-up special) — After all these years (and Adam Sandler movies), Rob Schneider’s first Netflix special has arrived to take on adulthood. Did you know that his daughter is Elle King? She shows up for an ending diet with dad.

Pete Davidson: Alive From New York — From SNL to a ton of upcoming movies, Pete Davidson’s doing everything, and now, he’s got his very first Netflix original comedy special. Yes, he’s dropping all kinds of unfiltered anecdotes on everything from his SNL-related discomfort to his Louis C.K. beef and Ariana Grande relationship.

Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything — The Emmy and Grammy winning comedian brings his newest comedy special to the streaming giant. Look forward to anecdotes involving a full-scale Millennium Falcon replica and how home buying gets tied to the term “suicide squad.” Stick around for the post-credits bonus, in which Patton introduces another one-hour comedy special, Bob Rubin: Oddities & Rarities.

Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours To Kill — The legendary Jerry Seinfeld has dropped his second Netflix special. Expect him to keep mining everyday life to unveil comedy in the commonplace. Although the title of this special feels Bond-esque, Seinfeld doesn’t disappoint those expecting his trademarked sharp perceptions about everyday life.

Sam Jay: 3 In The Morning (Netflix standup special) — For her first hour-long comedy special with the streaming giant, SNL writer Sam Jay headed to Atlanta, Georgia to get witty, candid, and raw at The Masquerade club.

Marc Maron: End Times Fun — The long-time standup comic, GLOW star, and prolific podcaster unleashes his latest comedy special. Expect Maron’s thoughts on cell phones, vaccinations, and Tumeric. Oh, and he’s definitely talking about his ongoing beef with Marvel movie fans.

George Lopez: We’ll Do It For Half (Netflix stand-up special, Tuesday) — Somehow, this is Lopez’s first Netflix comedy special despite his storied stand-up roots. In one hour, Lopez dives into lessons that he’s learned from the Latino community, along with issues related to emotional support animals, gender reveal parties, and elevator etiquette.

Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (Netflix stand-up special) — The newest Netflix comedy special arrives today with Hannah Gadsby following up on Nanette with a second turn named after one of her dogs. Gadsby’s hope was that Douglas would “inspire comedy disobedience,” according to Netflix, and this LA-filmed special promises to upend all expectations.

The Bucks hadn’t looked especially good in the Disney Bubble restart, but the expectation was that when the playoffs started and they squared off with the 8-seeded Magic, who limped home with a 1-5 record in their final six games of the seeding round, they would get back to their dominant ways.

Orlando, however, had different ideas, and much like last year’s first round when they took Game 1 off of the eventual champion Toronto Raptors, the Magic looked terrific in the opener against Milwaukee, stunning the Bucks in a 122-110 win.

Despite being without Aaron Gordon, Orlando jumped on the Bucks after falling to an early deficit thanks to an 18-2 run that saw Milwaukee sloppily turning the ball over and unable to prevent the Magic from getting open looks, as the likes Markelle Fultz and Gary Clark, both of whom had 15 points on the night, hit big shots early.

The one player the Magic know they can count on for production any given night is Nikola Vucevic, and he stepped up in a big way, scoring 35 points (a playoff career-high) to go along with 14 rebounds as he lit up the Bucks defense to the tune of a 15-for-24 shooting night and hitting 5-of-8 from three-point range.

The Magic took a 10-point lead into the break and, as expected, the Bucks came out hot to start the third quarter, erasing that deficit fairly quickly, but Orlando refused to fold, building back a 13-point lead entering the fourth quarter. In the final period, seemingly every time the Bucks got a couple buckets to inch closer to Orlando, someone on the Magic, from D.J. Augustin (11 points) to Terrance Ross (18 points), hit a big shot to keep Milwaukee at arms length.

For the Bucks, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo doing a little of everything with 31 points, 17 rebounds, and seven assists, but he got little in the way of support from the rest of his teammates. Khris Middleton struggled mightily to the tune of just 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting, showing visible frustration late as he was just unable to find his rhythm. As a team, Milwaukee shot just 14-of-42 (31.7%) from three-point range, with Giannis leading the way at a 3-of-7 clip. It was a woeful performance from just about everyone else on the Bucks, which they obviously need to clean up along the way.

The dagger, as it were, came in the form of back-to-back threes Evan Fournier, who was quiet much of the night before scoring all nine of his points in the fourth, buried two straight threes to extend the Magic lead to 118-102.

The question now is how do the Bucks respond to a rather humiliating loss. This is a team that needs to exorcise some postseason demons of the past and this kind of loss can either serve as a wake up call to bring back the dominant team from the regular season or sow seeds of doubt and a “here we go again” feeling. There’s much to work on for Milwaukee on both ends, where their offense can get painfully stagnant and they have yet to find the defensive cohesion that made them the league’s best on that end in the regular season.

For Orlando, it’ll be all about keeping these vibes going into the next game. They shot 39 percent from three-point range and against a Bucks defense that is happy to provide second and third options with looks, continuing that is the recipe for winning. Despite Giannis’ productive night, they did well keeping Milwaukee out of transition and limited Giannis to just nine free throw attempts, as Steve Clifford had a masterful gameplan in place for the Bucks and their MVP.

Rich Brian follows up his quarantine hit “Bali” with a defiant new single, “Don’t Care.” The song, produced by Brian himself, features a percolating, synth-heavy beat, over which Brian ruminates about haters and the like, brushing them off with the confidence and swagger he’s developed since making his way into the rap game all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia.

While the song’s hook acknowledges the troubles that pester him, Brian’s warbling chorus declares his freedom from stressing over them. “I don’t really care what they say,” he croons. “It’s just another day.” The uplifting track also features a music video that finds Brian wandering California’s Zuma Ridge Trail at dusk, getting lost in his thoughts and distancing himself from the anxieties of fast-paced modern life.

“Don’t Care,” along with “Bali,” “Changes,” and “Love In My Pocket,” is presumed to appear on Brian’s upcoming EP, 1999. It’ll be his first project since 2019’s The Sailor and is set for release August 25. Brian also made waves this summer with his “Tokyo Drift Freestyle” video, borrowing the beat from the theme song of the popular film franchises’ third installment and filming himself around his house as he isolated himself during the early days of the US outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brian was also a critical part of 88Rising’s fifth anniversary livestream and its accompanying film.

Watch to Rich Brian’s “Don’t Care” video above.

1999 is due 8/25 via 88rising. Pre-save it here.

Mike Lindell is the CEO and founder of MyPillow, and more importantly, not a medical doctor. So when the very vocal Trump supporter started touting an oleander extract as a “miracle cure for COVID-19,” skepticism is the proper response, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper brought plenty of it during an on-air confrontation with Lindell on Tuesday.

In short, oleander is highly toxic. It is literally poison. So when Lindell tried to argue with Cooper that it’s the “miracle of all time,” and that he’s safely tested it on a a thousand people, the CNN anchor wasn’t having any of it. After noting that Lindell has a direct financial interest in pitching the “miracle cure” to the president in an effort to get it approved by the FDA, Cooper went off on the MyPillow CEO. Via The Daily Beast:

“You have no medical background,” Cooper exclaimed as Lindell objected. “You are not a scientist. A guy called in April saying he had this product. You are now on the board and going to make money from the sale of this product.”

“The reason he reached out to you is because you have the ear of the president and could get a meeting with the president and you stand to make money from it,” the veteran newsman added. “How do you sleep at night?!”

It only got more brutal from there. Cooper went on to call Lindell a “snake-oil salesman” and highlighted his F-rating with the Better Business Bureau, along with MyPillow’s recent settlement for “deceptive marketing.” In response, Lindell said he’s merely doing what Jesus wants him to do, which went over real well with Cooper:

“Jesus wants you promoting remedies that are never tested?” Cooper shot back.

“Ask yourself, why would I ruin my reputation?” Lindell countered.

“Money,” the anchor replied.

You can watch Anderson Cooper tear apart Lindell below:

(Via CNN, The Daily Beast)

Flatbush Zombies only gave fans a short warning before dropping their six-track EP Now, More Than Ever last June. After sharing the project, Flatbush Zombies dropped yet another single, “Afterlife,” with a beat produced by James Blake. While Blake’s collaboration with the group seems out of left field, the musician actually has quite a close relationship with the group.

In a recent interview with Complex‘s Pigeons & Planes, Flatbush members revealed they are working on an upcoming full-length release produced by Blake. Erick Arc Elliott spoke highly of the musician, calling him “a spiritual guiding being:”

“The first thing I’m going to say is that James Blake is not a human being. He’s an entity. He’s a spiritual guiding being. He’s one of my closest friends, man. More than music, this guy introduced me to so much about myself and how to really improve as a producer. It’s a certain level of respect and courtesy that you show and give to people, especially him coming into our situation, where I’m the sole producer. He didn’t want to stray us to anything that we weren’t comfortable with, but also he wanted to put us in a new place.

I’m looking for someone who’s not scared to take the risk, and also passionate about his shit enough to be like, ‘Yo, here’s what I think you should do.’ The respect for the music and the love for the music makes me automatically open my ears to say, ‘What you got?’ This was about two years ago, we met each other. Ever since then, I feel like I’ve reached new heights of production. […] James gave me the chance to develop as a lyricist and a writer.”

Read the full Flatbush Zombies interview here.

Now, More Than Ever is out now via Glorious Dead. Get it here.

Nas started teasing his new album, King’s Disease, last week with the release of his Doja Cat-dissing “Ultra Black,” and now he has unveiled more info. Today, the legendary rapper has shared the tracklist for his upcoming thirteenth album.

The project runs for a concise 13 tracks and features assists from Anderson .Paak, Big Sean, Charlie Wilson, Hit-Boy, Don Toliver, Lil Durk, Brucie B., The Firm, Fivio Foreign, and ASAP Ferg.

The .Paak-featuring “All Bad” could have perhaps been one of the results of a studio session that .Paak had to leave early back in December. .Paak told James Corden on a recent Late Late Show, “The only thing is I had a session with Dr. Dre and Kanye West right before, and I had to leave that session early to get to The Price Is Right. I didn’t want to tell them I had to go to The Price Is Right. I was like, ‘Yo, I got this thing I got to do, you know…’ We got the work done, but man, it was the craziest day of my life: That session, going from there to The Price Is Right… it was amazing.”

Check out the King’s Disease art and tracklist below.

1. “King’s Disease”
2. “Blue Benz”
3. “Car #85” Feat. Charlie Wilson
4. “Ultra Black” Feat. Hit-Boy
5. “27 Summers”
6. “Replace Me” Feat. Don Toliver and Big Sean
7. “Til The War Is Won” Feat. Lil Durk
8. “All Bad” Feat. Anderson .Paak
9. “The Definition” Feat. Brucie B.
10. “Full Circle” Feat. The Firm
11. “10 Points”
12. “The Cure”
13. “Spicy” Feat. Fivio Foreign and ASAP Ferg

King’s Disease is out 8/21 via Mass Appeal.