Month: November 2020

The Houston Rockets may be nearing the point of blowing things up after some valiant runs in the Western Conference in recent years and exhausting just about every resource to make a push at a championship, but never quite finding the right mixture. They’ve traded for Chris Paul, then later traded him for Russell Westbrook to try and find the right star fit next to James Harden, and at this past deadline they went all in on small ball to try and maximize their star backcourt.

In the end, they never got over the hump and with Westbrook reportedly requesting a trade out of Houston they have some serious decisions to make about their future. Westbrook isn’t likely to bring back a significant haul given his contract, and they’ll need to decide whether they think they can build a contender around Harden with what they get back or if it’s time to move on completely and enter a rebuilding phase. To this point, they’ve indicated they want to stick with their MVP and continue trying to push forward, but it’s possible that changes as this brief offseason wears on.

For Harden’s part, he’s indicated he wants to stay in Houston but even he seems to be thinking about the alternatives should that be needed. According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Ramona Shelburne, and Zach Lowe, Harden has begun at least crafting a potential list of destinations he’d be interested in should he get moved and reuniting with the other star from his time in OKC is near the top of that list in Brooklyn where he’d go play with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

As Woj goes on to note, this isn’t even in a “discussion” mode but is simply Harden indicating where he would have interest in going should things go to a rebuild in Houston. As we learned last year with the insistence of Houston that they weren’t going to trade Chris Paul up until they did, things can change quickly with the Rockets — albeit with a new GM and coach now — and Harden at least is giving his feedback on those possibilities should Houstons’ stance change.

What that would look like for the Nets is probably something in line with Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, and Taurean Prince (plus some picks) going to Houston as those three almost exactly match Harden’s salary. Again, that is miles down the road and likely never even happens, but the idea of Kyrie, Harden, and Durant sharing the floor is, if nothing else, fascinating in both its potential to be sensational and also a disaster.

There’s a lot of characters in The Suicide Squad. When the first teaser for the James Gunn-helmed quasi-sequel — which promises a more fun and wacky take on the all-baddies DCEU romp than its predecessor from 2016 — dropped at DC Fandome late summer, it promised a shaken-up cast roster. Some were returning, some weren’t, but those that are coming back will have 13 (!!) new actors to hang with. Somehow Gunn found room for yet another to join an already packed cast: no less than Sylvester Stallone.

Gunn broke the news over Instagram, sharing a picture of he and Sly. “Always love working with my friend @officialslystallone & our work today on #TheSuicideSquad was no exception,” Gunn wrote. (Stallone made a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which also featured his Tango & Cash co-star Kurt Russell as the main villain.) “Despite Sly being an iconic movie star, most people still don’t have any idea what an amazing actor this guy is.” (True, although his Oscar-nominated turn in Creed wasn’t that long ago.)

It sounds like, as with Guardians 2, Stallone will only be making a glorified swing-through. Did he get to reunite with his Cliffhanger co-star Michael Rooker? Did he have a flex-off with John Cena? Did he give Pete Davidson a wedgie? Did Peter Capaldi terrify him with his volcanic swearing? Or will all that happen in the next Suicide Squad romp? You’ll find out when it comes out (tentatively, of course) on August 6, 2021.

(Via Deadline)

James Bond isn’t the longest running franchise in film history; that honor goes to Godzilla, who has been stomping around since 1954. But second place is nothing to sneeze at, especially given how many times Western culture has torn itself down and built itself up since Dr. No in 1962. The series has managed to bust out 24 films — or 25, whenever we finally get No Time to Die — over nearly 60 years, or one every three or so years. And yet, as Forbes points out, the outgoing Trump administration has made another ignominious record: He’s the first American president since Dwight D. Eisenhower to not have a Bond movie come out during his time in office.

Mind you, that’s no slight on Eisenhower: There simply wasn’t a Bond movie until John F. Kennedy, an outspoken fan of Ian Fleming’s British spy novels, assumed office. (Though technically 007’s screen debut was a 1954 television adaptation of Casino Royale, starring American Barry Nelson, so that fell under Ike’s watch.) But every president since has scored two or three big screen 007 outings. And Ronald Reagan got four!

But Trump got zero. The last one, Spectre, came out all the way back in 2015, toward the back end of the Obama era. (He only got two.) In Trump’s defense, it’s not like it’s his fault; there was some drama involved with the franchise, partly to do with outgoing star Daniel Craig having to have his arm twisted to do one more outing.

Although, come to think of it, maybe it is Trump’s fault: Had the pandemic been better managed from the top, perhaps No Time to Die would be hitting theaters in time for Thanksgiving, as was the plan earlier in the year until things got even worse. Trump could have watched the new Bond two months before leaving office. Instead, he’ll be watching plenty of other things on television, including Joe Biden’s inauguration in January.

(Via Forbes)

On Sunday the Washington Football Team took on the Detroit Lions in a game that somehow has playoff stakes thanks to the hapless NFC East. The Football Team is not particularly good, but the three wins would be enough to compete in the division at this point in the season. All that was standing their way was a Lions team always finding new ways to lose games in excruciating fashion, typically via blowing a large halftime lead.

Initially, it seemed like this game was going to be following that same script when the Lions jumped out to a 17-3 lead at halftime. They even managed to extend it to to a 24-3 lead midway through the third quarter. Everything was coming up Detroit, but then the Lions fell back into some old habits. A late third quarter rushing touchdown from J.D. McKissic followed by a pair of Antonio Gibson touchdowns in the fourth quarter tied it all up at 24. The Football Team and the Lions exchanged field goals and everything was even at 27 points with 16 seconds left. All the Football Team had to do was not give up a pair of big plays and overtime was assured.

Stafford stole a quick 10 yards and Detroit took a timeout. With 12 seconds left on the Detroit 35, the Lions were going to need a hefty amount of yardage to make a chance at stealing this possible. All Washington had to do was play it safe and not do something like commit an unnecessary roughing the passer, which is exactly what happened when rookie Chase Young just shoved Matt Stafford after the ball was clearly out of his hands.

https://twitter.com/DCBarno/status/1328085970781081600

Never mind whether the play was actually harsh or worth a roughing call. Football at all levels has been clear for years now: When the ball leaves the quarterback’s hands you need to let up. Chase Young shoving Stafford here was just an incredibly bad decision.

Stafford took his free 15 yards to get out to midfield and tagged on another nine to Marvin Jones Jr. This pushed the Lions into Washington territory with a chance to win it from kicker Matt Prater, he of NFL record-holding fame for the longest field goal ever.

He nails it, naturally. The Lions earn their first home victory of the season and Washington somehow saw Detroit’s collapse and said it could do one better. It was a painful loss for the Football Team. Yet, because the NFC East is what it is, they’re still only behind the Eagles and Giants by one game in the win column for the division lead — although Philadelphia has the advantage because of their tie with Cincinnati.

Rudy Giuliani’s slapdash press conference last week between a sex shop and a crematorium just keeps getting funnier, this time thanks to a Reddit user who knows his way around a set of LEGO bricks. The personal lawyer of Donald Trump continues to hold events, claiming he will present evidence of widespread election fraud that robbed Trump of a second term. Thus far he’s produced zero evidence.

What has surfaced, however, is a bounty of hilarious reactions and riffs on Giuliani’s press conference, which somehow may go down as the most bizarre and fitting moment of the 2020 presidential campaign. And now there is a LEGO version of that scene, thanks to a Reddit user who is also a Dungeons and Dragons fan who goes by R/OrchreJelly. Images of both the custom-made model and it mocked up as a LEGO box circulated online this weekend, both on Reddit and Twitter.

Absolutely none of this is licensed, of course, as the background creatures include a Minecraft creeper, a LEGO Batman dressed to go swimming, and a Star Wars stormtrooper and droid. But the green brick LEGO warehouse in the background is spot on, and the hastily-erected Trump signs serving as a press conference background have all been changed to read “LOSER 2020.” The set is, fittingly, called “Definitely Winning.” The box listed also says there are 538 pieces, which is the total number of votes available in the electoral college.

The full gallery of images and mockups is available on Flickr, and it’s definitely worth a look. There’s a very angry-looking Giuliani and a bit more detail in the Four Seasons background, like an alien peeking out through the windows. Though it’s unlikely LEGO will license this project, like it often has to other fan-made sets, it is nice to know that this very weird era of modern American culture did finally create some great art.

The Cleveland Browns never trailed on Sunday in blustery conditions that caused a 35 minute delay before kickoff of their game against the Houston Texans. Cleveland took a 3-0 lead on their first drive of the game and then neither team scored until a Nick Chubb touchdown with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter put the Browns up 10-0.

Houston would manage to find the end zone with five minutes left to make it 10-7, and suddenly Browns bettors were in for a sweat. The Browns were between -3.5 and -3 favorites depending on the sportsbook of your choice, and as such they were either going to push or lose without a score on their last drive. That required a borderline miracle, but wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. When Nick Chubb broke free down the sideline on a toss play, it appeared a lock you would win no matter what number you got Cleveland at, but Chubb — having seen fellow Georgia alum Todd Gurley make the wrong move by scoring a touchdown to allow too much time — stepped out at the 1 with no one around him to let the Browns put two knees on it to end the game at 10-7.

It’s a bad beat and also probably the deserved outcome for Browns bettors, as there wasn’t a lot of hope prior to that play for a cover, but there’s nothing worse than thinking you have a loss, then suddenly getting hope for a win, only to have it ripped away from you in this kind of manner. Honestly, there wasn’t really a great math argument for or against this move by Chubb, as it was pretty much a lock for Cleveland to win either way as they’d go up by 10 (not, say, a touchdown to make it a one score game) and it still required two non-fumbled snaps to win on knees.

That said, it wasn’t the wrong play either and the Browns got the win, just not the cover to the dismay of everyone with that -3.5 ticket.

In what is the third shooting incident in less than a week to involve a member of the hip-hop community in Texas, Benny The Butcher was reportedly shot in the leg outside a Walmart in Houston on Sunday. According to TMZ, the rapper was visiting the city and stopped by the retail store with a few friends. As Benny and his crew were in the store parking lot, a vehicle with five individuals pulled up next to them with guns out and demanded that they give up their chains.

Apparently, Benny and co. were moving too slow for the alleged robbers’ liking … and cops say one of the 5 fired a round into Benny’s leg, which caused the crooks to flee. We’re told Benny and his friends booked it too, but eventually pulled over and called the police.

Benny was taken to a hospital for treatment — his condition is unknown at this time. Cops say the men who attempted to rob him are also still at large, and an investigation is underway.

The incident occurred less than a day after Boosie Badazz was shot outside a strip mall in Dallas on Saturday. The Baton Rouge rapper was in a sprinter van outside of Big T’s Plaza when someone opened fire on the van. The incident caused Boosie to suffer a gunshot wound just below the knee. TMZ reported at the time the news broke that the rapper was doing well and recovering from his injuries. Prior to this, Dallas rapper Mo3 was shot and killed on Robert L. Thornton Freeway on November 11.

(via TMZ)

Dua Lipa’s 2020 has been filled with praise and acclaim mostly thanks to her sophomore album Future Nostalgia, which was received well by both fans and critics. Her year continued with several award show nominations for various awards and the eventual release of her Club Future Nostalgia remix album with help from Madonna, Missy Elliott, Gwen Stefani, and more. Now, the singer’s latest moment comes in the gaming world as news arrived that Dua Lipa would soon appear as a player in FIFA 21.

The announcement came after a data mine of the game’s new update revealed that Dua Lipa, along with David Beckham, DJ Snake, and others would appear in the game as playable characters. Gamers won’t be able to use the singer just yet in the game, as she is currently a locked player in FIFA 21. Hopefully, the game’s developer will make the singer an available option to use in their soccer endeavors in future updates. It should be noted that the Blessed Madonna remix of Dua Lipa’s “Love Is Religion” also appears on the game as a part of its soundtrack.

The singer also confirmed that a b-side collection for Future Nostalgia will arrive next year. She announced it in the comments of a YouTube chat, saying “B sideeeee next year [heart emoji].” Dua Lipa will also appear on Miley Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts album which arrives on November 27.

You can check out a video of Dua Lipa in FIFA 21 above.

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Prior to this past week, it’d been a while since he heard some new music from Lil Nas X. As fans were waiting, the singer made sure to keep them updated on what the future held with new releases from the Georgia native. Finally, the wait ended as the singer made his return with “Holiday,” his first single in well over a year. Fresh off the new single, Lil Nas X brings his talents to Roblox for a livestream concert experience.

The gaming platform labeled the show as “a groundbreaking concert experience” with some of his most popular records, limited edition items, and more. The concert found a digitally rendered Lil Nas X taking the stage in the gaming world as his fans watch from nearby. His performance also marks the first time the singer performed his new “Holiday” single since its release.

Shortly after his three concerts, two of which occurred on Saturday and the final one on Sunday, fans took to Twitter to share their reactions to the livestream.

One fan alluded to the concert’s high quality in a tweet that said, “‘you changed’ bro i went to the lil nas x roblox concert.” Another one said, “I met lil nas x at the roblox concert he stepped on my head.” Thanks to the success of the three shows, Lil Nas X announced that he would hold three more concerts for fans who missed out or wanted an additional opportunity to see the singer.

To join in on the fun with Lil Nas X, click here.

Putting a cross-generational large group of stressed out and maskless people in an indoor room during a pandemic sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. It also sounds a like Thanksgiving. An Ohio State University survey found that nearly two in five Americans are planning a Thanksgiving gathering with more than 10 people. Those two in five people should probably rethink their plans.

According to the director of the CDC, small gatherings in people’s homes (which is exactly what Thanksgiving is) is a big source of COVID spread. They recently updated their guidelines for holiday celebrations. Virtual activities are the safest way to gather right now. The more people who show up to an event in person, the higher the risk is.

An analysis found that there’s a near 100% chance of a COVID positive person showing up at a mid-sized gathering in the hardest-hit parts of the country, like the Dakotas. The odds are only slightly less for regions that have fared better in the COVID crisis, but it’s still not great.

If you don’t want to see your family this year, it’s totally fine. This year, of all years, gives you the best excuse for not schlepping across the country for an extra-long weekend of tryptophan-fueled family fights. New Coronavirus infections are at an all-time high. Even though we’re all sick of it, it’s better to remain vigilant so we don’t become actually sick.

We’ve had a chance to see what happened to our neighbors to the north. Canadian Thanksgiving, which took place in October, led to a spike in Canadian COVID cases. While numbers were on the rise before the holiday (and they’re also on the rise here, by the way), the two weeks following Canadian Thanksgiving saw the highest number of COVID cases yet. Contract tracing also found a link between holiday gatherings and an increase in cases.

All of this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be fearful. But it does mean you should be cautious, considerate, and vigilant. “It’s important for all of us to not let our guard down during Thanksgiving,” Dr. Deborah Brix said during a media briefing. “This virus can spread among families and among friends if you take your mask off and are primarily indoors.” Brix also warned that it’s not wise to let your hair down just because you’re not out and about. “When in private, we [need to take] the same precautions that we take in public.”

Skipping a visit with your family this year can help ensure that they’re around for you to visit next year. Plus, there’s no shame in ordering take-out turkey then hopping on a zoom to argue about politics with grandma.