Month: October 2020

Angel Olsen has had a wildly prolific year. After debuting her towering record All Mirrors last October, the singer shared a handful of one-off covers. This August, she released the more stripped-down Whole New Mess. But dropping two records in less than a year hasn’t stopped her from continuing to write even more music.

With just a piano and her haunting lilt, Olsen delivers a soaring version of the new single “Time Bandit.” Her lyrics offer a hopeful message: “And laugh at it all when you’ve just had enough / And dance when you’re crying, get that spirit up.”

In a statement about the track, Olsen revealed the track was very new, but she couldn’t help but share it as soon as possible. “I wrote this after I came home from St. Louis a few weeks ago…against better judgement I’ve decided to put new songs up, it’s a business but it’s my business,” Olsen wrote.

Before sharing “Time Bandit,” Olsen drew from her early catalog for a performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. Performing from her tree-lined porch, she sang a medley of tracks from Whole New Mess as well as her song “Iota,” from the 2014 record Burn Your Fire For No Witness.

Listen to Olsen’s “Time Bandit” above and read our review of her Whole New Mess album here.

Legendary singer-songwriter John Prine passed away in April after contracting COVID-19. Ever since, the music world has been mourning his passing and remembering his indelible contributions. After his death, Prine stars like Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Kurt Vile, Jason Isbell and more celebrated him with a heartfelt tribute concert. Since then Isbell has kept paying homage to Prine in a variety of ways. The most recent came this weekend, when she and Amanda Shires held a socially-distant concert, during which they found a way to honor him on what would have been his 74th birthday.

Isbell and Shires were wrapping up a four-night stint at The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee. The group’s Saturday show happened to fall on Prine’s birthday, so they honored him with a rendition of “Storm Windows,” the title track off Prine’s 1980 record.

This wasn’t the first time Isbell and Shires have performed the cover together. In fact, at their Grand Ole Opry show back in 2017, the duo wound up playing the track with Prine himself.

Watch a clip of Isbell and Shires performing Prine’s “Storm Windows” above.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The world right now is starving for nice stories. There’s a lot of very serious business afoot, from the election to the pandemic to the long-needed social justice reform proposed by the Black Lives Matter movement. And though sometimes these serious stories sometimes take bizarre and absurd turns, a brain can only take so much important stuff before it needs a break. And on Sunday, we got one, thanks to Jon Cryer.

On yet another crazy Sunday, the Two and a Half Men and John Hughes movie alum cut through the din of Twitter to share a sweet story. It began with heartbreak: He lost his wedding ring.

The actor is currently on a shoot in Vancouver, and one night recently he was walking along the coastal city’s sea wall, looking to meet up with some fellow cast members. But when he pulled his hand out of his pocket, he heard a “ping.” He quickly realized something was wrong: “My wedding ring was gone…”

Cryer went on to describe his fruitless search, in the dark, in an underlit part of the city, right by a sea wall, over which the ring could very well have plunged. He got emotional. “My wife and I have been married for since 2007 and it’s hard to be away form [sic] each other,” he wrote. “With quarantine in effect I can’t travel back and forth to see her while I’m shooting. Which sucks spectacularly.

“Losing my ring is making the pain more acute,” he added.

Eventually, he gave up, drenched and despondent but hopeful to find it first thing in the morning. The next day he tried again, and though he spotted something glinting in the grass, it turned out to be a pair of glasses. He decided to post in the lost and found section of Craigslist, but that’s when he noticed a link to something called “The Ring Finders,” an actual network of people who specialize in doing just that.

Cryer went to their website, and the day after that, he met up with one of the Ring Finders named Chris, who, though he come armed with a metal detector, was “not optimistic.” Chris told him they’d do what he calls a “closure search,” one, as Cryer put it, “that will likely be fruitless, but will at least allow me to know that I’ve tried everything.” But lo and behold, Chris did find it, inside a wad of grass, close by where Cryer had previously found the glasses. Chris even filmed Cryer learning that the ring had been found. Cryer, in turn, took a picture of Chris.

Chris then informed him that The Ring Finders are a vast network, with people “all over,” people who “really love doing this for a living because it just makes people so happy.”

So there you have it: A nice story for trying times. But there’s one more thing: In the replies, Nick Kroll told Cryer, “I’ve already optioned this story for a limited series and hope you’re ok that I’m attached to play you.”

Ben Stiller butted in, telling Kroll, “I need to play this part. Cryer has beaten me out for too many roles. Or I could be Chris. I just want to be a part of the project.” To which Kroll responded, “Ben, you are the ring. You’ve always been the ring.”

Anyway, nice stories are nice, aren’t they? And You can read the whole epic tale starting here.

When the Lakers finished off a Finals victory over the Heat with an emphatic statement in Game 6 on Sunday night, the celebration was on, from Orlando to L.A. and even in Idaho, where TikTok star Nathan Apodaca aka 420doggface208 resides.

Apodaca, best known for his extremely chill videos of him singing all manner of pop hits while skateboarding, longboarding, or just dancing, recreated his most viral hit — longboarding while drinking cranberry juice straight out of the bottle and singing Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” — for the Lakers title win. He posted a video of him cruising on his longboard with a bottle of wine, decked out in a Kobe Bryant jersey while singing “We Are The Champions” by Queen, as he continues to produce the absolute best videos on the internet.

Viral fame has only brought out further good vibes from Apodaca, who has catapulted “Dreams” back to the top of streaming charts as others try to recreate his videos or just look to enjoy an objectively great song they likely just heard for the first time. Now he’s confirmed his Lakers fandom, proving Laker Nation truly spans the entire country, and while thousands packed the streets in L.A., Apodaca still looked like he had the best time of anyone enjoying a 17th Lakers championship.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of disruption to people’s work and family balance as well as their educational pursuits. These days, people are required to do just about everything simultaneously as they attempt to handle business while taking care of their children.

Marcella, mother to a 10-month-old girl, received an email from one of her instructors at Fresno City College in California, requiring all students to turn on their cameras and microphones during class time.

The request makes sense being that online classes make it easier for some students to take advantage by ignoring the instructor.

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But the rule change made it difficult for Marcella who sometimes has to breastfeed her young child during class. Everyone who’s ever had a child knows that when a baby’s hungry it needs to be fed, regardless if it’s class time or not.

So Marcella asked the professor if she could turn her camera and microphone off if she needs to breastfeed during class. The instructor’s response was a shock.

“I am glad to hear that you can have your camera and microphone on, but please do not breastfeed your daughter during class time because it is not what you should be doing,” the instructor replied. “Just do that after class.”

The instructor rubbed salt in the wound when class began that day by telling his students about the email exchange.

“I got this really weird email from a student stating she needed to do inappropriate things during lecture time,” the instructor said according to Marcella. “You guys need to understand that you have priorities now and you need to put all those distractions aside or be creative when your child needs you and give your full attention in my class.”

Mares posted a photo of herself breastfeeding, while taking notes, on Facebook to prove that mothers can do more than one thing at a time.

via Marcella Mares / Facebook

“I didn’t want to post this picture because I just wanted it for me but I just wanted to show that I CAN focus in class WHILE breastfeeding my child,” she wrote on Facebook.

“It was one thing to send the email telling me what I can and can’t do in my house with my child. But it’s a whole other thing when he announced a “weird” email was received about ‘inappropriate’ things,” she continued. “I felt so unmotivated during class I was so hurt that an actual human said these things about me & my breastfed baby in public to other students. I was humiliated.”

However, Marcella wasn’t going to stand for the humiliation.

She reached out to the school’s Title IX coordinator and told her about the incident. The instructor responded with an apology.

“I am sorry for the inconvenience in regard to your intention of breastfeeding your baby,” the instructor said according to CNN.

“From now on, you have the right to breastfeed your baby at any given time during class, which includes doing group worksheet, listening to the lecture, and taking the quiz or exam. You may turn off your camera at any given time as needed,” he said in an email to Mares on September 26.

Fresno City College Public Information Officer Kathy Bonilla later confirmed that Marcella should be able to breastfed during class due to California law that “requires that schools accommodate students for conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth including lactation.”

Mares later dropped the class for reasons unrelated to the incident.

The Rays entered Monday afternoon with a 1-0 series lead over the Astros thanks to a 2-1 win on Sunday night to open the ALCS in San Diego, and it didn’t take long for Tampa Bay to jump out to an early lead in Game 2.

Manuel Margot put the Rays on the board with a three-run home run hit to straightaway center field in the first inning as they pounced on Houston with a 3-0 lead.

Somehow, that wasn’t the best play Margot would make in the first two innings of the game as the Astros would get runners to second and third with two outs in the second inning and George Springer at the plate. Springer would foul a pitch off to right field where Margot tracked it to the fence running along the foul line and made a sensational catch, flipping over the fence while holding onto the ball for the out to get the Rays out of a jam.

It is one of the finest defensive plays you’ll see all postseason, as it kept Springer from getting another crack at tying the game or, at least, driving a pair in with a base hit. The concentration to haul in that fly ball while also holding on as you flip over and onto the ground is incredible, and for now Margot is the early MVP for the Rays in this ALCS.

Indigenous People’s Day feels different this year. After a year of political and societal upheaval that has seen Columbus statues fall alongside longstanding racist branding and mascots, it’s starting to feel like marginalized people are finally being heard. At least to a larger degree than any other time in American history. As such, it feels like we’ve entered a new era — an era in which progress is possible.

To help us celebrate the strides that Indigenous folks have made toward some semblance of equality (there’s still a long way to go, mind you), we thought we’d shed some light on comedians we know and love from Indigenous communities around the Americas. Joey Clift — a Cowlitz comedian living and working in Los Angeles — put together a list of 25 Indigenous comedians you should know for Indigenous People’s Day this year. Clift has also partnered with Illuminative — a non-profit working to raise the visibility of Indigenous people worldwide — and Comedy Central to shine a bright light on the work these and other Indigenous comedians are doing on stage, in writers’ rooms, online, and in film and TV.

Once you’ve spent some time with this list below, check out the Comedy Central Instagram — where Clift is running things all day long. It’s a chance for you to expand your knowledge of young, Indigenous comedians while also learning about Indigenous communities, all paired with a laugh or two. Illuminative is also offering an Activist’s Guide for Supporting Indigenous Peoples’ Day Toolkit, so you can learn more about the Indigenous lands you live on, the people who still call this land home, and how to be an advocate without f*cking it up. It’s an incredibly useful and fact-packed guide to why Indigenous People’s Day is important and what you can do to support America’s most ignored, misunderstood, and at-risk communities.

Let’s get into the 25 comics Clift compiled (and wrote bios of) for your enjoyment. We’re also calling out Clift at the end because he’s a must-follow, too!

Jana Schmieding (Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux Tribe)

Bio:

Jana Schmieding spent years killing it in the NYC improv and sketch comedy scene before moving to LA in 2016, where she quickly impressed, snagging a staff writing job on the Peacock comedy series Rutherford Falls. Jana’s as funny on screen as she is on the page, so she even landed the lead role on the show!

Be sure to follow Jana on social media, and check out this Cosmopolitan article about a sketch comedy video in which she hilariously panhandled for a date on the NYC Subway!

Follow Here:

Twitter, Instagram

Lucas Brown Eyes (Oglala Lakota)

Bio:

Lucas Brown Eyes is a super funny Oglala Lakota television writer, who sold the first-ever Native American family comedy to Fox in 2017. He has written for shows on Netflix, Freeform, and Disney, but he has dominated on Twitter for years and is definitely someone to follow!

Here’s one of our favorite Lucas Brown Eyes twitter jokes.

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Twitter, Instagram

Brian Bahe (Tohono O’odham Nation/Hopi/Navajo)

Bio:

Brian Bahe is a hilarious standup comedian and writer, and his Twitter game is so strong that he was even written up by Vulture! Pre-COVID he co-hosted the Brooklyn-based standup shows “Star Fuckers: Astrology but Make It Comedy” at Union Hall and “Butt Dream” at The Rack Shack, which is New York’s only comedy show in a lingerie store. Post-COVID he’ll be headlining Caroline’s On Broadway, as part of their Breakout Artist Series.

Here’s one of his great stand-up comedy sets pre COVID.

Follow Here:

Twitter, Instagram

Adrianne Chalepah (Kiowa/Apache of Oklahoma)

Bio:

As one of the founders of the Ladies of Native Comedy, Adrianne Chalepah has been taking over stand-up comedy stages, from Hollywood to Indian Country, for years. She’s even opened for Michelle Obama and wrote the final chapter of the popular children’s anthology series “Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever!” Whether she’s acting, performing, or posting hilarious jokes on social media, she brings the laughs everywhere she goes.

Here’s her amazing stand-up comedy set from First Nations Comedy Experience!

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Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Azie Dungey (Pamunkey)

Bio:

As a writer for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” on Netflix, “Sweetbitter” on Starz, and “Twenties” on Showtime/BET, Azie Dungey has been killing it in television writers’ rooms for years! We strongly recommend checking out her hilarious Twitter and Instagram accounts, and if you want to see her acting/writing genius at work, you’ve got to see her super-viral and super funny web series “Ask A Slave” on Youtube. It’s two seasons deep, but we recommend just starting from the beginning and thanking us later!

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Twitter, Instagram

Tai Leclaire (Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk Nation)/Mi’kmaq)

Bio:

To watch Tai (short for Taietsarón:sere) perform live character-based sketch comedy is to see comedy personified. He’s currently working as a staff writer on the Peacock series “Rutherford Falls,” but when he’s not writing he’s bringing his sketch comedy and stand up chops everywhere, from Austin Sketch Fest to the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre’s “Character’s Welcome” teams in New York City.

We recommend checking out this Tai Leclaire live comedy piece about a Native shaman exorcising a basic white ghost. It’s SO good!

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Twitter, Instagram

Dash Turner (Yurok)

Bio:

Dash Turner was previously an editor of the all-POC satire publication Flexx, so it’s no surprise that he’s one of the sharpest comedians in the game right now. Whether he’s doing stand-up with Tai Leclaire and Brian Bahe as part of their New York City-based Native-centric stand up shows “Thanks But No Thanksgiving” and “No Settlers,” or laying down an insanely funny tweet, Dash is definitely a comedy guy to follow.

Here’s one of our favorite Dash Turner tweets about Native American sports mascots!

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Twitter, Instagram

Tiffany Midge (Standing Rock/Hunkpapa Lakota)

Bio:

If David Sedaris were a Hunkpapa Lakota woman, she would be Tiffany Midge. Fresh off the release of her hilarious book “Bury My Heart at Chuck E.Cheese’s,” which includes satire essays like “Fifty Shades of Buckskin,” Midge isn’t afraid to go there with her comedy. If you want to check out one of Indian Country’s best satirical minds, look no further.

Read her Pushcart Prize-winning McSweeney’s article “An Open Letter to White Women Concerning the Handmaid’s Tale and America’s Historical Amnesia” here.

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Twitter

Bobby “Dues” Wilson (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota)

Bio:

As a member of the legendary all Native sketch comedy group The 1491s, Bobby “Dues” Wilson has been holding it down in Native comedy for nearly a decade. And much like fellow 1491s member Sterlin Harjo, he’s been taking Hollywood by storm too. You can find his writing on “Rutherford Falls” on Peacock, along with Sterlin Harjo’s “Reservation Dogs” on FX, and watch some of his world-class sketch comedy performances on The 1491s Youtube channel.

Check out one of our favorite Bobby “Dues” Wilson led 1491s sketches, “The Avatars” here.

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Instagram

Kelly Lynne D’Angelo (Tuscarora (Haudenosaunee))

Bio:

Kelly Lynne D’Angelo is every bit a renaissance person in the comedy space. From writing cartoons for Adult Swim’s “Final Space” and Cartoon Network’s “Mao Mao,” to working as a professional Dungeon Master, to co-writing the amazing full-length musical “Starry” about the life of Vincent Van Gogh (We know, right!?), Kelly is versatile, hilarious, and absolutely worth your follow.

Do yourself a favor and give the full “Starry” musical a listen on Spotify!

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Twitter, Instagram

Marc Yaffee (Navajo)

Bio:

Marc Yaffee’s been in the game for a long time, and he just keeps getting funnier! You might already know him from his appearance on the Showtime stand-up comedy special “Goin’ Native,” his hilarious stand up shows all around the world, or as part of the Pow Wow Comedy Jam Tour. If you don’t know him, start getting acquainted because he’s still one of the best in the stand-up game and he’s just getting started!

Check out his amazing Dry Bar Comedy special from 2019 here!

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Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

Kaitlyn Jeffers (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate (Dakota))

Bio:

Kaitlyn Jeffers is no stranger to Los Angeles stand-up comedy audiences. She slayed crowds at the first-ever showcase of Native American comedians at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles in 2018 and 2019, and she brings her punk rock comedy sensibilities to online satire publication “The Hard Times” as a writer. She’s an exciting young voice in the stand-up scene, and we strongly encourage you to give her a follow!

Here’s one of her many great Hard Times articles.

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Twitter

Monique Moreau (Cree/Saulteaux)

Bio:

A twelve-year veteran of stand-up comedy, Monique Moreau is a pro comedian and so funny to boot. She’s performed everywhere from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to San Francisco Sketchfest to shows all over Los Angeles. Her yearly show “Weighted Blanket,” featuring comedians and musicians on the autism spectrum, is pure comedic joy.

Check out Monique’s hilarious stand-up set from last year’s “Ghost Of Christopher Columbus Theater Smudging Spectacular” at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles.

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Twitter

Kyla Garcia (Taíno)

Bio:

A Native comedian firmly in the artist/activist space, Kyla Garcia has been killing it with experimental comedy pieces that’ll leave you laughing and screaming “preach!” When she’s not acting or protesting with the nonprofit The Valley of Change, she’s dropping amazing comedic spoken word pieces, like her great video “John Smith Was a F*ckboy”.

Be sure and follow her on the socials, and check the amazing “John Smith Was a F*ckboy.”

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Twitter, Instagram

Tim Fontaine (Anishinaabe (Sagkeeng First Nation))

Bio:

Along with Tiffany Midge, Tim Fontaine is one of the top voices in satire. His news parody site, which he founded, Walking Eagle News, is like The Onion for Indian Country. And with headlines like “Your uncle, cousins deliver stimulus package to area rez dogs”, he more than lives up to the hype! Besides his writing, Tim is also a super funny performer and storyteller, dominating the stage at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival and “The Beaverton TV Show!”

Rather than choose one Walking Eagle News article we recommend just making Walking Eagle News your homepage.

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Twitter

Tonia Jo Hall (Hidatsa, Lakota/Dakota)

Bio:

Tonia Jo Hall has only been in the game since 2014, but in six short years, she’s become Native American sketch comedy royalty. With her character “Auntie Beachress,” and her funny and motivational videos about her personal life and family, Tonia is a comedian that will be cracking audiences up for years to come!

For a steady drip of all things Tonia Jo Hall, definitely follow her on the socials. If you’d like a quick Tonia 101, check out this helpful primer put together by North Dakota’s KX News!

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Facebook, Instagram

Siena East (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma)

Bio:

If her appearance on the Buzzfeed series “Bridesmaids Share Their Horror Stories” is any indication, Siena East is one of the funniest young storytellers in Los Angeles. She’s performed killer standup and storytelling everywhere from The Comedy Union to ACME Noho, and her Twitter game is legit hilarious.

To see her amazing storytelling in action, check out her “Bridesmaids Share Their Horror Stories!”

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Twitter, Instagram

Howie Echo-Hawk (Pawnee/Athabaskan)

Bio:

Howie Echo-Hawk is a hilarious stand-up comedian and writer who performs with the energy of a young Andy Kaufman or Maria Bamford. To watch them is to watch controlled comedic chaos distilled, and we are here for it. Besides live comedy, Howie is also one of the founding members of the Seattle based Native American performance collective Indigenize Productions. Howie is doing amazing work, and you should check them out.

Read Howie’s viral Medium article “As a Native American Comedian, I wasn’t mad at the SNL Thanksgiving Sketch, I was just disappointed” here!

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Instagram

Jackie Keliiaa (Yerington Paiute & Washoe)

Bio:

Jackie Keliiaa has been killing it in the Bay Area stand-up comedy scene for a minute, and folks are finally starting to take notice of just how funny she is! Jackie has opened for everyone from Nikki Glaser to Judah Friedlander, and her monthly stand up show “Amazonians” is a Bay Area comedy institution.

Check her out on Instagram for regular updates on her live shows, and be sure and watch her June 2020 stand up set from Nowhere Comedy Club!

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Instagram

Darrell Dennis (Secwepemc)

Bio:

You can’t talk about Native American/First Nations sketch comedy without mentioning Darrell Dennis. As an actor, he was the first-ever Native cast member in the history of any Second City companies. “The Guilt-Free Zone,” which is an APTN comedy series Darrell directed, head wrote, and acted in, was nominated for two Canadian Comedy Awards. He’s performed everywhere from the Just For Laughs Festival to the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and last year he won Just For Laughs’ “Stand up and Pitch” competition for his TV sitcom pilot “Big Game”!

In short, Darrell Dennis is a comedy powerhouse who should be on everyone’s radar. Check out his legendary performance at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.

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Twitter, Instagram

Mylo Smith (Crow Creek Sioux)

Bio:

There’s a disarming, universal appeal to Mylo Smith’s comedy that needs to be seen to be believed, and he has the rare ability to pull laughter from everyone, from elementary school students to a jaded comedy audience. Mylo‘s been a staple of the Native comedy scene since the late 2000s. He’s still killing it over a decade later. If you want to smile, we recommend checking out his official Facebook page.

Check out Mylo’s hilarious Facebook video “Natives Always Watching The Same Movies.”

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Facebook

Robert Hall (Blackfeet)

Bio:

Robert Hall may have started his @DeadDogLake Twitter account just to fanboy over rez dogs, but he’s turned into one of the funniest Twitter accounts in all of #NativeTwitter. From his funny memes to his posts highlighting some of the cutest dogs on any reservation, his is definitely a Twitter account to follow.

Though it’s tough to narrow Robert’s comedic output down to just one tweet, this is one of our favorites.

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Twitter

Reg Charging (Lakȟóta/Dakȟóta)

Bio:

Reg Charging has only been slinging Rez comedy on Twitter for a few years, but in that time, he’s established himself as a powerful comedic voice on #NativeTwitter. His video shorts and sketches are so funny and so on point, and he carries himself with the confidence of someone who has been making people laugh for decades.

Check out his hilarious video short “Every News Story on Natives ever” to see what we’re talking about.

Follow Here:

Twitter, Facebook

Tiio Horn (Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake)

Bio:

Fans of the TV series “Letterkenny” are no strangers to Tiio Horn’s comedic acting chops, and anyone who follows her on social media knows that it’s not just her character that’s great with jokes! Her social media game is so funny, and she also hosts the great “Coffee With My Ma” podcast where she interviews her activist mom about her life.

Follow her on all the socials, check out all of her acting work, and definitely listen to “Coffee With My Ma” for a show that’s as heartwarming as it is hilarious.

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Twitter, Instagram

Jim Ruel (Bay Mills Ojibwe)

Bio:

Jim Ruel’s laid-back comedic stylings have cracked up audiences from Indian Country to Hollywood, and everywhere in between. Smart, and with the comedic delivery of the funniest uncle on the rez, he’s worth a follow, and someone you should absolutely see the next time he does a show in your town.

Check out his set at the Native American Comedy Slam.

Follow Here:

Twitter

Joey Clift (Cowlitz)

Bio:

Joey Clift was one of only a few Natives who made it onto a house team at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. He used his position there to boost up other Native comedians who deserve to be showcased. In 2018, Clift started producing and hosting the first-ever all Native American comedy showcase in UCB’s 20-year history. The show is called the “Ghost of Christopher Columbus Theater Smudging Spectacular” and it was on Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples’ Day because, of course.

The show was standing room only, so they did it again in 2019 along with an all-Native improv show the day before Thanksgiving which also sold out. Still, the best part of the show was that several great Native comedians got writing and acting jobs in part by performing in these shows. And that’s what really made the shows a “success” in Clift’s eyes.

Today, Clift is a cornerstone of the L.A. Native comedy scene with a joke-filled social presence, game-changing gues on podcasts, and a continued love of all things Garfield. – ZJ

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The Lakers closed out a title on Sunday night with a dominant defensive performance in which they allowed just 36 first half points and effectively shut the door on the Heat by halftime. It was a sensational showing and a fitting end to a title run that was defined by their defense.

On their way to the Finals, L.A. was tasked with slowing down three of the Western Conference’s best offensive teams in the Blazers, Rockets, and Nuggets, all of whom have very different, but similarly effective, approaches, and did so thanks to their adaptability and versatility. The Lakers showed they can play great defense whether going big or small, equally adept at slowing isolation heavy offenses as well as pick-and-roll. In the Finals, they faced a Miami team that presented their own unique challenges, namely Jimmy Butler and a number of shooters on the perimeter, and they shuffled up their coverages to slow and frustrate Butler as best they could and force the ball to go elsewhere while keeping Miami’s best shooters from getting open looks consistently.

For so much of this season, dating back to the offseason, so much conversation was spent on whether the Lakers had enough shooting around LeBron James and Anthony Davis to win a title. While there were some valid questions about their offensive firepower, what those role players were able to do defensively mitigated the need to have elite shooting because they could hold opponents in check and not need to be an elite shooting team — although they certainly got some big contributions in that area in the postseason from guys like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Coming off of this championship run, the Lakers enter an offseason with plenty of reason for optimism about their chances to repeat in 2021, but also with some key decisions to make and/or wait on from players on their roster. Anthony Davis is expected to land a supermax extension from L.A. this offseason, barring a stunning turn of events in which he actually explores the free agency landscape, but it’s the other player options on the Lakers that are most interesting.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo, and JaVale McGee all have player options they can pick up this offseason, with KCP’s serving as the most interesting one. The others would all be welcomed returners, namely Rondo, who played a major role in their postseason success in the later rounds as he returned from injury, and proved he’s still an excellent 16-game player that is more than worth keeping around for another playoff run. But it’s hard to see a significantly strong market for their services elsewhere that would push them to ditching Los Angeles and another shot at a title. KCP, however, was often the third-best offensive player on this Lakers team and his player option of $8.5 million is probably a bit below market value given his play this postseason — although, that will be determined by any cap shakeup we get from NBA and NBPA negotiations. For all the complaints Lakers fans had about KCP at times in the regular season, his postseason showing was unassailable, and whether by way of a player option or in a renegotiation for a new, longer-term deal, one would expect him to be a priority for the Lakers this offseason.

If all four return, the Lakers would have 11 players under contract, with one — Quinn Cook — non-guaranteed if they want to open up another spot. Dwight Howard, should he be willing to return on another minimum deal, seems likely to be back on the roster after what he provided them in the playoffs. For the most part, that should mean the Lakers look a lot like what they did this year, but they’ll surely want to do some tinkering on the periphery to bolster their rotations and continue to find some upgrades in the form of vets willing to take minimums or exception deals to make a run at a title.

The biggest loss is likely going to be Markieff Morris, who one would assume played his way into more money than the Lakers will be able to afford to their buyout market pickup from this year. There will be plenty of shooters that line up to play alongside James, but as we saw this year, the Lakers will put a premium on players who can give them strong defensive effort and, preferably, some versatility on that end as well. They’ll need a Morris replacement, capable of spacing the floor as a three or a small-ball four next to Anthony Davis, with enough physicality to at least be an impediment to opposing power forwards, but L.A. enters this offseason in a really good position to be at the top of the list for veteran free agents.

Among those that would seem to be the most intriguing potential additions would be someone like E’Twaun Moore, a solid defender with switchability that is also an excellent three-point shooter, who might get bigger offers elsewhere but could see a shot at a ring and take it. Wesley Matthews seems likely to either pick up his player option in Milwaukee or re-sign there on a new deal, but he’s someone the Lakers would certainly make a push for if he explores other contender options. In the frontcourt, should they move on from Dwight or JaVale McGee decides to go elsewhere, Nerlens Noel could be an interesting option on the free agency market.

You will see every shooter on the market tied to the Lakers in some form or fashion, but they seem to have a very clear vision of what they want to do on the defensive end and any addition they make will have an eye towards the playoffs and need to fit what they want to do on that end.

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

The Third Day (HBO, 9:00pm EST) — The Jude Law and Naomie Harris-starring series sees islanders preparing for a highly anticipated birth while Helen’s true intentions start to become clearer. While that’s happening, Ellie meets a peculiar girl who introduces her to an area not usually seen by outsiders.

We Are Who We Are (HBO, 10:00pm EST) — Sarah and Richard’s power struggle gets ugly while their wives begin to grow closer, and Caitlin looks to Fraser for help. This show is Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s first stab at a TV series, and it will appeal to the Euphoria audience while they await Season 2.

Manhunt: Deadly Games (CBS, 10:00pm EST) — Richard Jewell continues to fight the campaign against him while a serial-bomber investigation elsewhere could result in a crucial development. You’ve heard the story of the fallout from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, now witness the TV dramatization (as opposed to the sensationalized movie version) of one of the most complex manhunts on U.S. soil.

In case you missed these selections from over the weekend:

Charm City Kings (HBO Max film) — During an acclaimed Sundance Film Festival debut, our own Vince Mancini singled out Meek Mill for his star turn in the coming-of-age story. Vince also praised the stunt work in this movie produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Jahi Di’Allo Winston (Queen & Slim) co-stars as the teenage Mouse, who wants to fit in with the Midnight Clique group of bike riders while wavering between influences. One of those influences happens to be Mill’s stunt-happy ex-con, Blax, whose interests appear to be at odds with a detective (William Catlett of Black Lightning) and the teen’s mother (Teyonah Parris of If Beale Street Could Talk), who both want Mouse to reach his full potential, rather than dig into gang life.

The Right Stuff (NatGeo series on Disney+) — This eight-episode limited series (with two episodes dropping on Friday) is based upon Tom Wolfe’s landmark 1979 book about the American space program’s birth and the day-to-day lives of the original Mercury Seven astronauts. It’s an anti-nostalgic glimpse into what essentially functioned as the first U.S. reality show, and it’s executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Hubie Halloween (Netflix film) — This movie might be wonderfully funny escapism for you, or it might be Adam Sandler’s revenge for not receiving an Oscar nomination for Uncut Gems. Perhaps it can be both things? Regardless of intent from the Sandman, settle in for the latest Happy Madison production, which follows Sandler’s Hubie Dubois, a Halloween safety crusader who gets sucked into a murder mystery. Kevin James and Kenan Thompson play cops, and more co-stars include Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, Noah Schnapp, Steve Buscemi, and Maya Rudolph.

The subject of late-term abortions has been brought up repeatedly during this election season, with President Trump making the outrageous claim that Democrats are in favor of executing babies.

This message grossly misrepresents what late-term abortion actually is, as well as what pro-choice advocates are actually “in favor of.” No one is in favor of someone having a specific medical procedure—that would require being involved in someone’s individual medical care—but rather they are in favor of keeping the government out of decisions about specific medical procedures.

Pete Buttigieg, who has become a media surrogate for the Biden campaign—and quite an effective one at that—addressed this issue in a Fox News town hall when he was on the campaign trail himself. When Chris Wallace asked him directly about late-term abortions, Buttigieg answered Wallace’s questions is the best way possible.

“Do you believe, at any point in pregnancy, whether it’s at six weeks or eight weeks or 24 weeks or whenever, that there should be any limit on a woman’s right to have an abortion?” Wallace asked.

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“I think the dialogue has gotten so caught up on where you draw the line that we’ve gotten away from the fundamental question of who gets to draw the line,” Buttigieg replied, “and I trust women to draw the line when it’s their own health.”

Wallace wanted to clarify that Buttigieg would be okay with late-term abortion and pointed out that there are more than 6000 women who get third trimester abortions each year.

“That’s right,” responded Buttiegieg, “representing one percent of cases. So let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a woman in that situation. If it’s that late in your pregnancy, than almost by definition, you’ve been expecting to carry it to term. We’re talking about women who have perhaps chosen a name. Women who have purchased a crib, families that then get the most devastating medical news of their lifetime, something about the health or the life of the mother or viability of the pregnancy that forces them to make an impossible, unthinkable choice. And the bottom line is as horrible as that choice is, that woman, that family may seek spiritual guidance, they may seek medical guidance, but that decision is not going to be made any better, medically or morally, because the government is dictating how that decision should be made.”

And that’s really the gist of the pro-choice stance. Why would we want the government to be involved in our most difficult medical and moral dilemmas and decisions?

Some may try to argue that an abortion isn’t “a medical decision,” but that is objectively untrue, especially in the case of late-term abortion. There are thousands of different scenarios that might lead to needing an abortion, and laws that place arbitrary limits on those decisions do real harm to families who are already suffering a loss.

Take the story of sitting U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, who just shared his family’s tragic story “of how gut-wrenching and complicated decisions can be related to reproductive health” with Elle magazine.

Peters and his first wife were excited to welcome their second child to the world, when his wife’s water broke four months into her pregnancy. There was no way for the baby to survive without amniotic fluid, and they were told to go home and wait for the miscarriage to happen. But it didn’t happen. His wife’s health deteriorated, and when she went back to the hospital three days later, the doctor told them the situation was dire. She could lose her uterus within hours, and her life was at risk as well if she went septic due to uterine infection. He recommended an abortion. However, the hospital refused to allow the procedure due to its anti-abortion policy, despite the doctor’s appeal to the board.

“I still vividly remember he left a message on the answering machine saying, ‘They refused to give me permission, not based on good medical practice, simply based on politics. I recommend you immediately find another physician who can do this procedure quickly,'” Peters told Elle.

The couple was able to get into another hospital and get the necessary procedure because Peters was friends with the chief administrator. But the experience illustrated how an abortion isn’t always the choice to end a pregnancy out of convenience—or even the choice to end a pregnancy at all. Peters’ wife called it “traumatic and painful,” and said in a statement, “If it weren’t for urgent and critical medical care, I could have lost my life.”

Savita Halappanavar, a woman who needed an abortion in Ireland and was denied one, did lose her life in a high-profile 2012 case that prompted voters to overturn the abortion ban in the Catholic-majority country 2018. And there are too many other stories of close calls or having to endure painful experiences to make drawing legal lines far too fuzzy a prospect to endorse.

Whether it’s about the life or health of the mother or about the life or death of the fetus, the decisions surrounding the end of an individual pregnancy shouldn’t be made by the medical professionals and families involved, not by government officials.

Buttigieg summed that idea up perfectly and compassionately in his town hall response.

Here’s the full clip of Wallace’s and Buttigieg’s exchange.

Pete Buttigieg on late term abortion

www.youtube.com

Once again, well said, Mayor Pete. Being pro-choice isn’t about being pro-abortion, but rather pro-keep-the-government-out-of-my-personal-medical-decisions and trusting women and medical professionals to make those difficult choices for themselves.