Month: November 2020

A lot of good news came out of the 2020 national elections. Joe Biden won, defeating possibly the most hated president in U.S. history, for one thing. (There was also, of course, a fair amount of not good news, like Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham conquering their opponents, but let’s focus on the positive for now.) One of the smaller big victories was this: Delaware elected America’s first trans senator, one Sarah McBride. It was a beautiful win, and it will hopefully show trans youth — who are routinely bullied and demonized and worse — that there’s hope for them, too.

But of course, with a bigger profile means a bigger pool of anti-trans bigots to deal with. On Monday, one of them slid into her DMs, attempting to taunt her. But McBride wasn’t having it.

“I’m confused, are you a boy or a girl?” the person sneeringly asked in a private Twitter message. To which McBride replied, simply, “I’m a senator.” She then screengrabbed the exchange and posted it on public Twitter, along with the message, “Hope that clears things up.”

Before she assumes office in January, McBride will continue her gig as the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign, and she was one of the major authors of legislation banning discrimination based on gender identity in her home state. She was also, back in 2016, the first trans person to speak at the Democratic National Convention. Clearly she’s ready to do some fighting when she gets to the big house. In the meantime, LGBTQ+ teens have a reason to have hope.

(Via BuzzFeed)

Hannibal, NBC’s improbably nasty and semi-gory Hannibal Lecter series, is one of the great prematurely cancelled shows of the modern era, maybe not right alongside Freaks and Geeks and Deadwood but not far below. And like most unfairly axed shows, there’s always the chance it could be revived. Show creator Bryan Fuller has long kept hope for a fourth season alive, and so has star Mads Mikkelsen, who is promising something big should the show ever return.

In a new interview with IndieWire, the Danish actor — promoting his new film, the drinking drama , which reunites him with The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg — promised that if Season 4 does happen, they’ll tackle the most famous Lecter story of them all.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that if it does happen, we would love to go into Silence of the Lambs,” Mikkelsen said. He continued:

“That’s always been an issue because they didn’t have the rights for that book. But that’s obviously the most famous part and we’d love to go in there. We’d obviously switch it around a little and do all kinds of crazy stuff with it. That story is so interesting and the characters in it are as interesting. We’d switch around the genders and maybe even put two characters into one. We would love to find someone to play Buffalo Bill. That’s going to be tough. We found a Hannibal, so it’s possible.”

Mikkelsen then went further, suggesting who should play serial killer Buffalo Bill — and it’s actually someone who’s been on the show before, playing another villainous character. He wants Michael Pitt, who played wealthy reprobate Mason Verger in Season 2, but was replaced by Joe Anderson in Season 3. “We already used Michael Pitt for Mason and that was fantastic,” Mikkelsen said. “If he wasn’t playing Mason I’d love to see him as Buffalo Bill.” Then again, they’d have to find another Clarice Starling.

Of course, right now Mikkelsen is a little busy. He’s the one who replaced Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts threequel. But if NBC or whoever greenlights Hannibal Season 4 now, he might be ready to do some socially distanced shooting in a few months.

(Via IndieWire)

One of the biggest disappointments in the 2021 Grammy Award nominations comes from The Weeknd’s lack of nominations in any category. The snub left fans shocked and disappointed at the Recording Academy’s voting process and the fan’s detailed their frustration to the point that the Academy’s interim president/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. responded to the nominations snubs.

However, there seems to be more to the story as The Weeknd set out a tweet on Tuesday night that said, “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency.”

According to a TMZ report, the snub may have actually happened because the singer choose to perform at the Super Bowl instead of the award show.

This post is currently being updated.

Earlier today, the Recording Academy unveiled their nominations for their 2021 Grammy Awards, and as per usual, people had a lot to say about whose names were called. One of the biggest surprise snubs came in the Best Rap Album category, with a large number of people disappointed that Lil Baby’s My Turn failed to get nominated. One particularly angry person was Quality Control’s CEO Pierre Thomas, who took to Twitter to express his frustrations with the award show’s My Turn snub.

“Whoever making the decisions at the Grammys ‘You all disconnected like a mf’ you don’t speak for our culture,” Thomas wrote on Twitter. “Congrats to all the nominees. #MyTurnAlbumOfTheYear.”

The Grammys have never been on the good side of hip-hop fans, so another year of anger in the hip-hop is certainly not out of the ordinary. Still, many thought Lil Baby’s album would be a shoo-in for the Best Rap Album category, as it continues to be celebrated throughout the rap community. It was also the first album to reach double-platinum status this year, leading many to assume it would be a shoo-in. Unfortunately, the Grammys thought differently.

At least Lil Baby has good company: People felt The Weeknd was snubbed but, unlike Lil Baby, who was at least nominated for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance, he got nada.

When Andrew Rea started his YouTube channel — based around his flagship show, Binging with Babish — back in February of 2016, there’s no way he could have known the heights he’d reach. Rea’s show started out with the Frasier theme song, covers of iconic dishes from TV and movies, and a real sense of accessibility that’s often absent from mainstream cooking shows.

Fast forward four years and Rea has the “Babish Culinary Universe” — with multiple shows on YouTube. He has cookbooks. He has 8.23 million subscribers. And he ready to push his brand beyond his own name and personality.

Last month, the Babish Culinary Universe launched its newest show, Stump Sohla, starring Sohla El-Waylly. Chef El-Waylly is widely known for her beloved videos from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen and her role in helping expose racial discrimination at Condé Nast. After she left BA over pay disparities allegedly based on race and gender, Babish reached out to her and the rest is history.

This month, Rea and El-Waylly teamed up with Blue Moon to create a Thanksgiving Live Stream to help all of us cook a better fall feast. More specifically, the duo teamed up to figure out Thanksgiving recipes that pair well with beer — very much in the wheelhouse of things we love. With the live stream currently up, we jumped on a call with Rea and El-Waylly to talk about their process, making food content during a pandemic, and what this holiday (and its complicated legacy) means to them.

Let’s get into it!

What’s your favorite food memory of Thanksgiving?

Sohla: When my husband and I first moved to New York, we didn’t know many people in the city. But we were lucky enough to both have the night off and were determined to have a gathering. We invited everyone and anyone who crossed our paths — from the bartender we met once to other line cooks we had never spoken to. We didn’t expect anyone to come by, but everyone did. Crammed in our little studio, these strangers became family for a day, and ever since it’s been a reminder of how gathering around food can bring people together.

Andrew: My favorite Thanksgiving memory would probably be the special plate my mom got me. As a child, I was adamant that my food not touch: a tall order for a meal like Thanksgiving. My mom searched far and wide, in the days before the internet no less, for a compartmentalized plate that would match her blue willow china. Finally, she found one and, at long last, I was able to keep my turkey and potatoes from touching.

Nowadays, I just mix everything up into a mushy pile like everyone else. But every Thanksgiving, I remember my mother’s kindness in catering to my peculiarities.

Let’s take a step back for a second. Can you tell us what was the impetus for you bringing Sohla onboard?

Andrew: The impetus for that, really, was Sohla becoming available. I have wanted to expand the channel for a long time, for years even. And we didn’t want to do it until we knew we could bring somebody on board that could carry with them the core competencies as a brand that we’ve tried to build, which is one of encouragement and being as informational as we are entertaining. And Sohla is all of those things. So as soon as we had the opportunity to work with her, as soon as the idea crossed my mind, I DM-ed her on Instagram and we were getting coffee in like the next day or two.

The one good thing about being small is that we’re spry. So it went from idea to concept to execution in a matter of weeks to a month or so.

I don’t want to get into the whole Rappaport thing, that’s been covered a million times, but did you feel like you were looking for a new home when Andrew DM-ed you, or were you just in a holding pattern?

Sohla: I wasn’t really looking for anything. I was just having really bad meetings and contract negotiations with Condé Nast. And then I was like, “You know what, maybe this is a good opportunity to just stop this.” So I didn’t really have any plans. So when this opportunity came around, I was like, “Yeah, why not? It’s not going to be worse than this.”

Stump Sohla has a different vibe than the shows with Andrew yet very much in the same wheelhouse. Did it feel like a natural progression to do a special about Thanksgiving?

Andrew: Well, we had the opportunity to partner with Blue Moon. The more that we talked about it, the more we realized that it was an essential thing to do for the channel. Everybody’s stuck where they are and not able to see the people they love the way they normally do this time of year. So to be able to give a place for everybody not only to learn a few things but to hang out and have a beer, it’s something we’re really excited about.

Mostly because we just get to cook and drink beer on camera. That we get paid to do this is, frankly, a miracle.

Sohla: Yeah. I think it’s going to be really fun. I think people will enjoy just seeing us have fun together because the holidays are going to be a little bit different. The recipes that we’re going to be demo-ing are a little bit different. I think they’re really fun.

I feel like they have a little bit of a sense of humor. And I hope that people just enjoy watching it.

How was the recipe development different on the Thanksgiving episode compared to your average episode?

Sohla: We wanted to make sure these are dependable recipes that people can make. So we did a lot of testing. There’s a culinary producer, her name’s Kendall. She’s fantastic. I usually recipe develop alone, so it was really fun being able to work with her.

So how does that process work?

Sohla: I’d give her a recipe, she’d test it and give me notes, and then I’d try it again. And then we just did this back and forth thing until we came up with something that we felt was going to be easy and delicious and offer something fun and new to people.

Andrew, have you had a similar process now in developing new recipes now that Kendall’s around? Or are you still down in the trenches on your own?

Andrew: Well, like I was saying about why we brought Sohla on board is because she very much identifies with our corporate culture, which is, “show your mistakes.” So I too do not do much recipe development. If I mess up, I want to catch it on camera so I not only can look silly but also show you at home what not to do. I can make the mistakes so you don’t have to. I am, however, vigorously testing today because the upcoming episode of Stump Sohla is a bake-off between her and me.

And she’s going to wipe the floor with me.

Sohla: No, I’m not.

Andrew: So I’m doing my best to get a little practice in because we’re talking about someone who went to CIA [the Culinary Institute of America].

Sohla: But to level the playing field, I’m not practicing at all.

Andrew: Thank you. I just made a batch of my cookies, trying to mold it into the thing, and it’s spot welded to the mold. So that’s the main thing that I’m trying to figure out right now. Normally, I do not do any recipe testing, but I’m not trying to go into this thing naked.

What did you draw from your own experiences of Thanksgiving and what did you draw from 2020 and everyday life now to create this menu?

Andrew: Well, the menu was largely inspired by the flavors of the beer. And as such, since we wanted to capture citrus, coriander, the other flavors in the beer, it led us to the Southwest. A place that I can confidently say neither of us are from and a place that I can say I’ve never even been to. So we’re looking forward to giving it a shot.

But Sohla, this was largely your idea. You can speak to this better than I can.

Sohla: Well, actually, when we were working on the Thanksgiving episode that just aired this weekend, Jess, Andrew’s girlfriend, was talking about corn casserole, which is something I’ve never had before. It’s her favorite Thanksgiving dish where they mix a can of creamed corn with a Jiffy Cornbread. And there’s sour cream. There’s lots of stuff in it. So the corn spoonbread was kind of inspired by that. It’s going to be our stand-in for stuffing kind of thing. But it’s much lighter than stuffing. It’s also gluten-free, which I think it’s really important to meet a lot of dietary restrictions these days.

So I think it was slightly inspired by that cornbread casserole, but then we took it to the Southwest because we really wanted it to match the bright citrusy flavors of the beer. And then we were just all in a basement together talking about it and it turned into what it turned into. That’s why it’s really fun brainstorming with everyone.

Andrew: I was just saying there are no rules around these parts. So for recipe development, it can just start as a silly conversation and we can get some really wild ideas. And we can sort of whittle it down to something that makes us happy and will make the viewers happy.

So you did a great thing a couple of episodes back where you did a walkthrough of the new space and we saw that you each have your own kitchen now. Can you tell us how you guys go through recipe development for Stump Sohla?

Sohla: So for Stump Sohla, I prefer not to develop. I prefer to do it all on camera. So if I fail, you get to see that and we can all enjoy my failure together. So the stuff for Stump Sohla is all pretty spontaneous, which is why sometimes the shoots can be a couple of days, depending on if something goes wrong.

It’s really hard to plan things for that because I’m doing a lot of stuff that I’ve never done before.

People being stuck in means there’s a lot more YouTube watching. Have you noticed people have been more engaged with the whole Babish Culinary Universe, especially now that you’ve brought on Sohla? And how has that changed the way you work?

Andrew: Everybody’s watching a lot of YouTube nowadays. So yes, we have viewership growth, subscriber growth, larger engagement. I always was very, very fortunate to have a very engaged audience, no matter what was going on in the world. So people being stuck at home and having to figure out new things to watch has brought in new viewers. And now we’re just lucky enough to be able to continue chugging and functioning in this strange new world. So that’s why we’re just cranking out content like never before because we’re very lucky to have this opportunity to do so.

How are you guys looking to continue pushing the envelope for the future of the channel?

Sohla: We’re just going to keep going. We have a bunch of new ideas for season two. And what has happened with season one is we’ll go in with something really simple, there’s an upcoming episode where the wheel ended on sad and birthday. So… it’s sad birthday meals.

It started out with me making a cake and then it turned into something crazy. So we don’t really thoroughly plan stuff. Because if it is a small theme, we can just have a really cool idea in the moment and then just roll with it. So I guess we’re just going to keep going. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing. I feel like we’re all gelling more and more and getting to know each other better and that’s making the shoots get more creative and the content is getting cooler.

Andrew: Outside of Stump Sohla, which we’re very excited to get into season two, which is hilarious that we’ve called it season two because this is YouTube. But yeah, we’re just going to keep going. Might take a little break, but it’s not like we’re going to wait a year like a television show.

Apart from that, we also have new personalities that we’re pursuing to create content with. Can’t say exactly who just yet, but we’re working with another popular YouTube personality right now to establish the visual identity of their show. It’s going to be a really colorful, really culturally focused show. I’m trying to be as vague as I can. But that should be premiering hopefully later this year, if not early next year.

So we are going to continue adding names to the roster.

We already know the next Deadpool movie is going in a very different direction than previous entries, with Bob’s Burgers writers Lizzie and Wendy Molyneux reportedly penning the threequel in the Ryan Reynolds-led comic book movie franchise. But if you were wondering what Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld thought of this new direction, you’ll be disappointed to learn that he’s”open to new voices” taking on his creation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Liefeld had a positive reaction to the news — not the least becuase he’s apparently a big fan of the Fox cartoon.

Liefeld, who counts himself as a fan of Bob’s Burgers, notes that the Molyneux sisters must have had a strong pitch to win over star Ryan Reynolds and Marvel. He’s excited to see their take on the foul mouthed hero, who moves from Fox to Disney-owned Marvel for the film, following Disney’s acquisition of the studio.

“I think people should just be open to new voices,” says Liefeld. “Without new voices, I never would have gotten a job in comics. Without new voices, [Walking Dead creator] Robert Kirkman never breaks into comics.”

The story says that Liefeld was keen to judge the reaction to the news on social media, and basically any news in the comic book movie universe will have some negative reaction somewhere. But you certainly won’t find Liefeld among the haters or a script that likely doesn’t even exist yet.

[via THR]

Americans are more interested in politics than ever these days. More voted in the 2020 election than in any other in the past 100 years. Over 65% of the voting-eligible cast a ballot in the contentious fight between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

“People are very excited and paying attention even though there are all this bad news and high ‘wrong track’ numbers in the country,” Nancy Zdunkewicz, managing editor at Democracy Corps, told The Hill.

It’s wonderful to see that a greater number of Americans are standing up to be counted and demanding their voices be heard. But it’s also the symptom of a deep level of discontent many people feel about their country.

Apathy is toxic to democracy, but it’s also a sign that things are going well. In a healthier America, we’d spend a lot more time focusing on the innovations, people, and culture that make this country great rather than the daily circus being performed by its political class.

America’s political reawakening has also led to deeper divides between liberals and conservatives. This chasm is more than just a political fight but window dressing for a growing distaste between fellow citizens rooted in geography, class, education, and race.

via jihervas / Flickr

Throughout the entire election cycle, talking heads have repeatedly claimed that a president Joe Biden would work to “unite” and to “heal” America. While his victory was definitely a signal that the majority of Americans want to return to a less abrasive version of politics, it will do little to heal the political divide.

A Biden presidency won’t stop social media from dividing people up into bubbles or suddenly change half of the country’s mind on abortion.

A 2019 poll from Pew Research found that nearly 80% of Americans think the division between Republicans and Democrats is getting worse.

However, there may be hope for America if, as individuals, we take a more holistic look at how we participate in our democracy. In a new “Brief But Spectacular” take for PBS, Citizen University CEO Eric Liu shared his inspiring new way forward.

“I think people have a misconception that democracy is about voting,” Liu begins. “But I think the deeper thing is how do you exercise the full breadth of your power.”

Liu uses the example of his immigrant parents to show a way of participating in a democracy that goes far beyond “owning the libs” on Twitter or canceling someone for having a conservative opinion.

“They joined things. They showed up for things,” he said. “They knew that to live in society is not just to retreat to your tiniest bubble. But to try to be part of something greater than yourself.”

“I think one of the best ways to teach children about civic engagement is to just weave it into a mindful approach of everyday life,” Liu adds.

Their work obviously paid off. Liu has worked in both the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administrations and as the CEO of Citizen University, he creates programs on civic power and character that span age, race, region, and ideology.

via New America / Flickr

“Let’s walk around our neighborhoods and let’s ask questions about what we see,” he continues. “Do you notice that there doesn’t seem to be a bus stop where we live? Do you notice that there’s only fast food stores in this neighborhood?”

“Everything we see is the external deposit of a whole bunch of internalized choices about power, about responsibility, and about what we are supposed to do to create a healthy, thriving community,” Liu said.

Liu knows we have numerous problems whether it’s how people of color are treated by police or the quality of our public health systems. However, instead of looking to leaders or parties, he believes we should take direct action by asking “how can I show up?”

Liu invites us to look deeper than the “visible game of partisan politics” and to investigate the “deeper game of our values” and “willingness to accept responsibility.”

He calls out for a critical mass of Americans who want to change the tide of division to show up “over and over again” to “rekindle the belief that democracy can work for all of us.”

As Liu illustrates, being part of a democracy is about a lot more than voting or cultivating a deeply-held set of political views that are never put into action.

In today’s America, most people are paying attention to the national news and the big names from two political parties. But while most of our eyes have been affixed on Washington, there’s probably a pothole at the end of the street or someone pitching a tent in the park to have somewhere to sleep.

If Americans cared a little less about their partisan identities and recast themselves and others as citizens, it’d go a long way towards cooling some of the partisan rancor. It’d probably result in a few more fixed potholes as well.

via Ted Eytan / Flickr

When people have asked who the modern era’s equivalent of a James Stewart is, they often go with Tom Hanks — good-natured, folksy but with a quiet dark side that’s not explored often enough. But what if 2020’s Jimmy Stewart is actually Pete Davidson? We’ll find out when the SNL breakout and Clint Eastwood’s The Mule superfan assumes the lead role in a table read of the legendary actor’s Yuletide favorite It’s a Wonderful Life. Surely this is the least weird weird thing to happen in 2020.

As per Deadline, Davidson will assume the role of George Bailey, the bottomlessly decent yet relentlessly crapped-upon resident of Bedford Falls, New York, who learns that life is indeed wonderful — after he’s driven to contemplate suicide. Will it be surreal to see an aggressive tatted star with a deep nicotine-stained voice step in the shoes of America’s cuddliest classic movie star? Possibly!

The table read, like most pandemic-era table reads, will be for charity, this time for The Ed Asner Family Center, which, as per Deadline, is “dedicated to promoting mental health and enrichment programs to special needs children and their families.” Davidson will be joined by Maude Apatow, Euphoria actress and daughter of his King of Staten Island director Judd, as well as [deep breath] Mia Farrow, Ellie Kemper, Carol Kane, Ed Begley Jr., Diedrich Bader, Bill Pullman, Richard Kind, B.D. Wong, and Michael Shannon. It’s not yet known who will play what role, but please please please let Shannon take on evil Mr. Potter. Or is he a better fit for absentminded Uncle Billy?

The Davidson-starring It’s a Wonderful Life will take place on December 13. That means you can still indulge in the longtime annual tradition of watching the original 1946 film on Christmas Eve, noticing, as always, that it’s a far darker film than advertised — not a cuddly holiday entry so much as a portrait of how difficult and deflating it can be to be a good person in a cruel world. And since America’s own Mr. Potter — a cold-blooded greed monster who puts his name on all his cursed properties — looks like he’s finally about to get kicked to the curb, it’s fitting that this season we get to experience It’s a Wonderful Life not once but twice.

(Via Deadline)

The U.S. Surgeon General credits the new surge in COVID cases to “pandemic fatigue,” but it’s nothing compared to what healthcare workers on the frontlines are going through. TIME recently reported that nurses are experiencing burnout, but it often goes unseen. A nurse recently employed a social media trend to draw attention to the behind the scenes fatigue.

An ICU nurse posted her own “how it started/how it’s going” photo on Twitter, and long story short, it’s not going that great. The before photo of Kathryn, an ICU nurse in Nashville, was taken in the middle of April right after she completed nursing school. The after photo revealed just how much literal sweat and tears healthcare workers put in while treating people during the pandemic.

Some people refuse to wear masks for even 10 minutes in the grocery store because it’s “not comfortable,” but it’s nothing compared to the safety measures Kathryn and other nurses have take on a daily basis. Kathryn’s photo displayed a sweaty face and facial marks from her PPE. “I mean just the physical effects of wearing all that PPE (personal protective equipment) for so long,” she told CTVNews. “We’re dehydrated all the time because we’re sweating so much and because with the masks on, you can’t drink until you leave the floor or go into the break room to take your mask off and drink.”

Kathryn posted the photo because she wanted to draw attention to what nurses deal with on a daily basis. “It’s exhausting,” Kathryn told CTVNews. “People don’t see it. They don’t. They don’t see what we see. They don’t see the reality of this every day.”

Ultimately, Katherine wants people to take the pandemic seriously. “There’s still no definitive treatment for this disease and so to see my patients, these people that I provide care for, suffer so intensely and then see other people acting like that’s not happening, or like they couldn’t cause that to happen to someone else, is infuriating,” she told CTVNews.

Katherine stressed that the best way to ease the burden on tired nurses is to take care of yourself. “There isn’t any cavalry coming to relieve us or take our place if we fall, and things are only going to get worse,” she told Scary Mommy. “We will do everything we can for as long as we can to help as many as we can, but the public has to do their part to limit the spread of covid or the healthcare system and the people who work in healthcare will collapse under the weight of it.”

The nurse received a lot of positive support on Twitter.

Katherine also encouraged other nurses to share photos of their haggard looks and mask marks. “Healthcare workers, drop your covid unit pictures and stories in this thread. People need to see the reality of what this disease does and we may not be able to film inside the hospitals, but we can show people what it’s done to us. They have to see,” she Tweeted.

Staying at home, wearing a mask out in public, and washing your hands frequently is a walk in the park compared to what nurses are going through. And honestly, it’s the least you could do support healthcare workers.

Isaiah Thomas has had one of the most compelling arcs of any other player of his generation. After getting picked dead last in the 2011 Draft, the 5’9 point guard went on to become a lethal scoring threat and back-to-back All-Star in 2016 and 2017. But his meteoric rise was met by an equally steep decline.

After the Boston Celtics traded him to the Cavs for Kyrie Irving, a nagging hip injury has completed derailed what looked to be such a promising career, and more important, a story of inspiration for underdogs around the world. Despite being one of the shortest players in league history, Thomas is a fierce competitor and has proved time again that he can exceed his perceived limitations.

He’s hoping to do so once again as he looks toward his next opportunity to get back into the league. Thomas has been working out and playing pick-up games lately in the hope that an NBA team might come calling during the free agency moratorium, and according to him, he’s back in the best shape of his life.

Via Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe:

Late last month, former Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas went to Los Angeles to work out with his former Wizards teammate, John Wall. While they were training Wall learned of some high-level pickup games taking place in the city, headlined by Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Wall asked Thomas if he wanted to join, and Thomas did not hesitate to say yes.

***

“Those guys were like, ‘Damn, welcome back. You really look like yourself,’ ” Thomas recalled. “That only gave me more confidence to be able to play the game again. I mean, I was blowing by people. I haven’t blown by anybody since I had a Celtics uniform on. When I was able to blow by MVP-caliber players, that told me my burst and power and speed are there. I really feel like I’m back.”

Earlier this year, Thomas underwent another procedure on the problematic hip that has been at the center of his physical decline but has been training full-time for the past several months as he continues his rehabilitation. Whether an NBA team believes he can come in and be a contributor remains to be seen.

(Via The Boston Globe)