Month: January 2021

Every incoming rookie has their “Welcome to the NBA” moment. This usually comes courtesy of an established vet or a superstar firmly in their prime, who seizes the opportunity to show the young bloods just exactly what the league is all about. It can be a painful and humbling lesson. For some, it sends them spiraling into an existential crisis and has them questioning everything they thought they knew about the game of basketball.

Most, however, emerge stronger and wiser because of it. The opportunity to match up against a player they’ve idolized since they were a child has an enormously validating effect. Players who are hungry to learn as much as they can about the game study the best and add those elements to their repertoire.

That was Kobe Bryant, who in one of his most iconic photos, stands hunched over next to his idol, Michael Jordan, eagerly asking him questions about his footwork on his fade-away jump shot. The student eventually became the teacher, and Kobe would go on to influence a whole new generation of superstars.

On the anniversary of his passing, many of those stars took the opportunity to honor his memory by reminiscing about the first time they ever shared the court against him in their early careers.

What was it like to step onto the court against Kobe for very the first time? I spent weeks asking dozens of NBA players that question and wow, the stories that came out from Steph, LeBron, KD, Melo, John Wall, Kyrie, James Harden, Kyle Lowry, Draymond, Paul George & so many more pic.twitter.com/iUMQVfhnDI

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) January 26, 2021

One common thread throughout all their recollections was the sense of awe they felt just being in his presence. For many, it was the culmination of a lifelong dream. Kobe was often referred to as his generation’s Jordan, which was very much be design on his part, as he modeled his own game after GOAT.

No doubt Kobe will continue to influence and inspire future generations of basketball players, as his legacy will be kept alive, not just with tributes and homages, but through every turn-around fade-away, acrobatic layup, game-winner, and reverse tomahawk jam. Kobe’s spirit lives on in the game itself.

When 2021 rolled around and Pizza Hut introduced the Nothing But The Stuffed Crust Pizza it was a weird moment for those of us who still make room in our diets for fast food. Here was a giant of the national pizza space (some might even say the giant) rolling out a new product that was literally just crust filled with cheese. Kind of a letdown.

Sure it was just a marketing gimmick, but it also existed in the real world. Meaning it wasn’t just a gimmick. Resources went into it. Resources that could have gone elsewhere.

In the end, we ate it, enjoyed it, slapped our heads at the wasteful packaging, reviewed it, and then fell into a state of melancholy over how stunts seem to be the default rather than the exception these days. But perhaps we drew that conclusion too soon — because right on those absurdist crust-with-no-pizza heels comes Pizza Hut’s new Detroit Style pizza. Yes, an actual, genuine, new menu item that introduces something fresh to the fast-food pizza space.

Regional pizza heads will know Detroit-style well, but if you’re unfamiliar, we’re talking about an always rectangular pie with crust-to-crust cheese. Another trademark is this layering procedure: sauce on top of the dough, sheets of brick cheese on top of the sauce, toppings, finish with even more cheese. It’s just as distinct a style of pizza as New York Style, Chicago Deep Dish, and the “anything goes” West Coast pies, and it appears that Detroit-style’s nationwide popularity is steadily gaining steam.

But while we welcome a new fast food entry that isn’t just a media and IG thirst trap, the question remains: Can Pizza Hut’s Detroit Style stack up to the real thing? As in, is it actually any good? Let’s find out!

Pizza Hut’s Detroit Style — What It Is And What It Isn’t

Right off the bat let’s get this out of the way, Pizza Hut’s Detroit Style pizza will never live up to the real thing. Period.

It’s built the same, following the Detroit-style layering process, but it uses the more familiar Mozzarella over Wisconsin brick cheese (the two are similar, but brick cheese has a more distinct and buttery flavor), and while it’s cooked in a specially designed rectangular pan, it’s not baked in actual repurposed automotive pans like legit Detroit pies. That doesn’t make it bad — not by any means — but if you have a nostalgic connection to authentic Detroit-style pizza this will probably disappoint you.

For the rest of us though, this is a new pizza form-factor that hasn’t been seen at the big national chains, and that’s exciting. Officially dropping nationwide for a limited time beginning today, Pizza the Hutt’s new Detroit-style drops in four iterations:

• Detroit Double Pepperoni — which sports 80 slices of pepperoni on a single pie.
• Double Cheesy — starring a blend of mozzarella and parmesan (again not brick cheese, but getting closer).
• Meaty Deluxe — topped with bacon, sausage, and crispy cupped pepperoni
• Supremo — featuring Italian sausage, red onions, and green bell peppers.

Each pie is topped with a new blend of Pizza Hut’s tomato sauce and features crust to crust cheese — which will always be better than cheese in the crust. Always.

Detroit Double Pepperoni Taste Test

We ate Pizza Hut’s Double Pepperoni, which features 80 pepperonis on a single pie. Since Pizza Hut was really pushing that selling point, we actually counted the pepperonis on the pie (dorky, but necessary) and were shocked to find that there were exactly 80 lurking beneath the various layers of cheese and sauce. Points for quality control.

For their Detroit-style, Pizza Hut changed things up a bit by introducing cup-style pepperoni. They layer both the cup style and their traditional pepperoni here, but we prefer the cup style — it crisps up on the edges nicely, and its smaller size and curled shape keep it from getting soggy underneath the various layers. The same can’t be said for the traditional pepperonis, unfortunately.

The new tomato sauce blend is also an improvement over Pizza Hut’s original sauce, with a zestier and brighter flavor. It’s less herb-filled than Pizza Hut’s typical sauce, much chunkier, and has a more tomato-forward flavor, which is perfect because (considering the layering of this pizza) the sauce is as much a topping as anything else. Biting into a slice we’re greeted by the brightness of the tomato sauce which gets grounded once our teeth seek into the cheese, layers of pepperoni, and the cushiony crust. The crust’s exterior is crispy and toasty — think Pizza Hut’s pan-style — with a thick, chewy center that satisfies after a single slice.

Our only major gripe with this pizza is that 80 pepperonis are just way just too much. I don’t mean on a personal preference level either. From a definitive factual standpoint. The first layer of pepperonis never really crisped up like the top layer, leaving soggy, flappy pepperonis, which weren’t a problem initially but became much more noticeable once the pizza started to cool.

On that note, this is a pizza that is best eaten as soon as it arrives — it’s not the grab-from-the-fridge variety. Not a problem necessarily, but something to consider if you live for that day-old pizza flavor.

The Bottom Line

So it’s not legit Detroit-style pizza, but with travel shut down, who cares? It’s something new and different from a fast-food space that lacks innovation, and it’s easily Pizza Hut’s best product since their original Pan Pizza. In fact, it just might give the OG pizza a run for its money, flavor-wise.

Babylon 5: All Seasons (Warner Bros. series on HBO Max) — WarnerMedia’s streaming service keeps adding to its throwback library (last Wednesday, they did all of Everwood), and now, here’s something for the nerds. Revisit the futuristic space opera that takes place across five seasons and five miles of space station. There’s plenty of potential warfare concerning the Earth Alliance and plenty of personal drama.

Mixed-Ish (ABC, 9:30pm) — Season 2 sees Rainbow growing angry when she finds out that Johan has been pretending to be of a different race, all while Alicia and Paul work to encourage Johan to take pride in being Black.

Black-Ish (ABC, 9:00pm) — A neighborhood power outage pushes Dre into survival mode. During the mess, Junior looks for a place where he can charge his phone, and Bow works on helping the neighbors.

Prodigal Son (FOX, 9:00pm) — Bright’s alma mater experiences a gruesome happening, which leads him toward a troubling secret, and Jessica’s attempting to end her relationship.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC, 8:00pm) — Zoey determines to “choose happiness” but doesn’t quite get there in one shot. Meanwhile, Mo and Max are working through growing pains as business partners, and David reflects upon his priorities.

Go Dog Go: Season 1 (Netflix series) — This one’s mostly for the kids, but it’s DreamWorks stuff, so hey, adults might like it, too. The show follows an inventive puppy named Tag, who seeks adventure and helps solve problems in the town of Pawston with the help of her best friend, Scooch.

Two Sentence Horror Stories (CW, 8:00pm) — Hmm, a deadly virus outbreak happens while a fulfillment center attempts to stay up and running while a psych student makes a demonic discovery when he attempts to check in on his estranged sister.

Trickster (CW, 9:00pm) — Jared’s battling with Richie at home while Maggie is missing, and everyone is trying to figure out what the hell is happening with Wade as Georgina makes an entrance.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, Adrianne Lenker

Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Anthony Anderson, Sal Iacono, Death Cab for Cutie

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Susan Sarandon, JJ Watt, Thad Cockrell

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Ted Danson, Ann Patchett

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Jared Leto, Jacob Collier

In case you missed these recent picks:

Everwood: All Seasons (Warner Bros. series on HBO Max) — One of Greg Berlanti’s most beloved series returns with two MCU stars in tow. Revisit Chris Pratt’s early aughts hair and marvel at how Emily VanCamp manages to look cool, and almost like she still appears today, beside the guy who who would go on to play Star-Lord. To be slightly more serious, this is an opportunity to catch up on all four seasons of a a dramedy that’s set in a fictional, idyllic Colorado town, where a city boy attempts to fit into the small-community vibe and relationships of all types swirl after a Manhattan physician decides to transplant to Everwood. There’s plenty of bright (and Pratt’s character is actually named Bright) and tragic and heartwarming moments to be found in this show.

Disenchantment: Season 3 (Netflix series) — Matt Groening of The Simpsons fame (and more) is still cranking away on this adult animated comedy fantasy series that digs into the many misadventures of boozy and feisty characters, including ogres, mermaids, walruses, and even human fools while exploring Dreamland. In this batch of episodes, the hard-drinking Princess Bean continues to explore her own destiny and identity as she comes into power. Don’t worry, Bean’s personal demon, Luci, and feisty elf companion, Elfo, are still a big focus.

The Godzilla vs. Kong trailer is already the best movie of 2021, but it could be better. How? Like most things in life, it needs more Jaegers.

Guillermo del Toro responded to a tweet from Industrial Light & Magic lead animator Stephen King praising a shot of Godzilla (post-getting punched in the face by Kong) stomping around a neon-lit city. “Y’all should check out @RealGDT’s Pacific Rim,” King tweeted, to which the Oscar-winning director replied, “I personally love seeing the Neon, Sea battles, building demolition, etc because secretly -maybe- the PAC RIM Universe co-exists in the LEGENDARY Kaijuverse and, perhaps, one day they can rumble!”

I have a lot in common with del Toro. No, I didn’t also direct a Best Picture winner about a woman falling in love with a fish-man. But I, too, want to see a giant monkey and lizard fight other big monsters and robots. Throw Minilla in there, too. Why not? Godzilla vs. Kong and Pacific Rim hail from the same production company (Legendary Pictures), but unfortunately, the crossover isn’t happening. “Talking only as a fan BTW,” del Toro added. “NO plans to return.” Just as well, considering we already know the ending.

Godzilla vs. Kong premieres on HBO Max on March 26.

Last year, Headie One and Fred Again dropped their GANG mixtape, which included a two-minute interlude titled “Judge Me” featuring FKA Twigs. It would seem the trio had unfinished business with that song, because now they’ve shared a longer, fleshed-out version of the track titled “Don’t Judge Me.”

Fred Again previously said of the original “Judge Me,” “We made a bunch of tracks and some of them made sense being two minutes. I like the way they pace the tape, it kind of slows it down. It’s a breather. Like a macro version of the ‘Told’ lyrics, spacing everything out. I played Twigs ‘Told’ and ‘GANG’ and she was really moved by them and wanted to get involved. I’d made this sketch of pitching Headie’s vocal around that had loads of space and it just worked.”

The track comes with a video as well, and director Emmanuel Adjei offered a statement about the visual titled “The Invisible Oppressor,” writing:

“From someone’s appearance, we are unable to judge whether a person discriminates over color, sex, religion, or gender. The oppressors within the people surrounding us, most often remain invisible until their abuse against others is revealed. This is one of the reasons why, for generations, discrimination is so hard to fight. Who must the victim fight against if it can’t identify the perpetrator?

In this audio-visual document we get to witness artists FKA Twigs and Headie One, amongst other Black British influentials, fighting against invisible forces of judgement and oppression. Having the enormous Victorian-inspired fountain ‘Fons Americanus’ by visual artist Kara Walker – depicting the historical, sorrowful story of slavery and colonization – as our setting, and particularly as the spirit of the film, this important monument creates another layer of depth and meaning to an invisible yet shared history.”

Watch the “Don’t Judge Me” video above and listen to the song below.

Things could be going better for the New Orleans Pelicans this season. The team entered this season with expectations of being a young, high-flying team under new coach Stan Van Gundy, but so far, New Orleans is 5-10 and are narrowly above the Minnesota Timberwolves for the worst record in the Western Conference.

The Pelicans are a team with a particularly bright future, though, so even if this year isn’t superb, there’s reason to believe better days are on the horizon. New Orleans has been really savvy about building up a war chest of draft picks and surrounding Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson with interesting players. Their wheeling and dealing has seemed to be built with maximizing those two in line, and according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, they’re willing to take calls on two other notable players in an attempt to continue building.

Charania reports that teams have made calls to the Pelicans about starting guard Lonzo Ball and veteran marksman J.J. Redick, and the team is willing to listen.

A team that is expected to be prominent in the trade market picture, rival teams expect: The New Orleans Pelicans. The franchise is off to an uneven 5-10 start to the season. New Orleans has been receiving calls about the availability of Lonzo Ball and JJ Redick and has shown an openness to discussing trades around both with interested teams, sources tell The Athletic. A move would create a clearer pathway for young guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis in the Pelicans’ rotation.

For the Pelicans, the future core is centered around Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, and although there have been hurdles along the way the franchise has remained committed to continuing to develop an identity around both cornerstones.

Both Ball and Redick are free agents at the conclusion of this season, with Ball slated for restricted free agency and Redick becoming an unrestricted free agent. They’re appealing for different reasons — Ball is still only 23 and can impact a game in a number of ways, and while Redick has struggled from deep this year, he’s still a highly-regarded marksman who can help provide floor spacing if he’s able to get back on track. Charania also notes that there have been preliminary discussions between the Warriors and Pelicans regarding a Kelly Oubre Jr. trade, but that nothing has gotten serious. Plenty of teams figure to have interest in both players and as the trade deadline approaches, expect rumors to pick up in a major way, particularly if the Pelicans remain well down the West standings.

Sub Pop signee Yuno captured hearts with his reflective musings on his power pop debut EP Moodie. The musician has been relatively quiet since his EP’s acclaimed reception, sharing a handful of one-off singles through the years including his cover of Beach House’s “Zebra.” But fans of Yuno can rest assured that there’s new music on the horizon as the singer has begun the new year with new music.

Yuno marks a distinctive emo-pop pivot with his new single “Somebody.” Over an electric beat, Yuno sings of wallowing over heartbreak in his bedroom: “Another night alone in my bedroom / Just another week that I’m struggling to get through / I guess this is the life that I’m used to / Four white walls, a ceiling that has a great view.”

About the song’s recording process, Yuno said he found himself reflecting a lot on his early years while at home in quarantine:

“Spending so much time at home during the pandemic brought back a lot of feelings from my adolescence. I grew up as somewhat of a loner — spending most of my time isolated in my bedroom, and I wanted to capture the parallels between my life now and the life of my younger self. I drew a lot from the pop-punk, post-hardcore, reggae, and southern hip hop that I’ve loved throughout my life. I feel like my 14-year-old self would be very proud.”

Watch Yuno’s “Somebody” video above.

Tory Lanez wants the judge in his and Megan Thee Stallion’s assault case to drop the protective order preventing him from talking about the case, according to TMZ. Tory’s lawyers filed documents this week pointing to Megan’s reaction to a false report that the case had been dropped, saying that it was unfair for her to be able to address the case but not him.

At the time, Megan apparently believed Tory or someone close to him had released the false story to undermine her integrity, tweeting as much as Tory’s name trended on Twitter and his defenders began attacking her online. “That whole team figures out ways to create doubt with my story every week and the media eats it up,” she wrote.

While the source of the story was instead a fan gossip account misreading the LA County Superior Court website, Lanez still feels that this creates a one-sided narrative painting him as the aggressor (never mind how quickly fans believed the poorly reported story, which was shared by a number of publications despite the shoddy logic behind its conclusion).

Meanwhile, Tory’s docs claim he has evidence that he wasn’t the one who shot Megan, but can’t share it due to the protection order. He believes the optics will bias a jury against him before the case goes to trial.

This, of course, is only if you ignore the thousands of fans and numerous fellow artists giving him the benefit of the doubt, as well as his album Daystar released in the wake of the shooting going public in which he straight-up claims he’s being framed while also trying to profit from the situation through streams of the album. In the meantime, Megan hasn’t discussed any aspects of the case herself after explaining her side of the story in its immediate aftermath and refuting his Daystar claims on her sole Good News song addressing the shooting, “Shots Fired.” Tory’s also tried manipulating public opinion in other ways, such as advertising collaborators like DaBaby and Lil Wayne, insinuating that they believe his side of the story, despite his video with DaBaby never being cleared for release.

The next court appointment was moved to a new date, February 25, according to a Los Angeles District Attorney’s representative.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles. It was a tragedy that shocked not only the NBA community, but the world at large, as Kobe’s enormous influence was put in stark relief after his passing.

Many are clearly still processing the grief from such an unimaginable tragedy, so it wasn’t a surprise that his wife Vanessa, on behalf of the Bryant family, asked that the NBA not flood the airwaves with tributes on the one-year anniversary on Tuesday. Still, it was inevitable that his many fans, teammates, and peers around the league would find ways to pay homage one of the NBA’s all-time greats.

Chief among them was former Lakers center Pau Gasol, who won a pair of championships alongside Bryant and forged a friendship that has practically made them part of one another’s family. On Tuesday, Pau took to Instagram to post a moving tribute to his friend and his daughter, the loss of whom will continue to reverberate for years to come.

Pau was one of Kobe’s many running mates throughout his career, and though Kobe famously clashed with several of them, his partnership with Pau was easily one of the most amicable and most successful. As such, their families have maintained a close relationship throughout the years, and Pau even gave his daughter the middle name Gianna as a way to honor Gigi’s memory.

As Marvel fans scramble to unravel the mystery of what’s really happening in WandaVision, the songwriting duo behind the Disney+ series ever-changing theme songs have revealed an interesting detail. While explaining the process of coming up with new music that matches the sitcom era of each episode, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez, who’s previous work includes both Frozen films and Coco, shared that each theme song contains a very specific musical trick with a name that could hint at an evil something — or someone — lurking beneath WandaVision. Via IndieWire:

“One of the techniques of this show is to use a bright and cheery sound, and then juxtapose it with a creepy situation,” he says. He brings up the rhyme from “A Nightmare on Elm Street” — “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you” — as a great example.

The duo explains they want the audience to feel that paranoia. “We put a tritone in the main theme which is [considered] the devil’s interval, and it might feel creepy, sometimes dreamy,” Lopez said.

That now makes two references to the “devil” in WandaVision. During Episode 2, Kathryn Hahn‘s Agnes made the off-handed remark, “That’s not the only place he is,” when one of the characters said “the devil is in the details.” This quickly led to fan theories that the Marvel villain Mephisto could show up on the Disney+ series, and may even be Agnes’ husband, Ralph, who has yet to make an appearance.

However, Elizabeth Olsen recently told Elle that the show might not even have a “villain” in the way that Marvel fans are using to seeing them on screen. “Someone said to me when you watch any of these hero movies, you know when the villain’s about to show themselves, and you also have an idea of who the villain is. With our show, you don’t know what the villain is, or if there is one at all,” Olsen said.

Of course, Marvel is notoriously secret, so Olsen could simply be doing her part to keep fans guessing.

(Via IndieWire)