Month: February 2021

Maybe John Oliver didn’t mention Donald Trump during every episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight over the past four years, but it felt like he did. Can you blame him? Trump dominated the news cycle in a way few others ever have, but now that the former-president has permanently left D.C. for Mar-a-Lago, Oliver is ready to cover other topics.

And boy is he relieved (he’s not the only one).

“It’s a complete myth and it’s kind of genuinely insulting,” Oliver told the Washington Post about the false belief that Trump was good for comedy. “Wow, how little do you think of me? Because partly it comes from, ‘Oh, it must’ve written itself.’ Really? You f*cking think that? You try injecting poison into your body every week and get a joke out the other side that Twitter hasn’t already come up with. The happiest I was at the end of last year was we finished our final show and started working on our new list of shows. And it was great to be able to think about wonky stories.” Finally, more time to obsess over Adam Driver.

Oliver also teased what his show plans to cover this season:

“The long gestating problems this virus has shone a spotlight on that have been ignored for a long time. Human history has shown we’re pretty adept at choosing to forget about them again as soon as it’s convenient. So I think the virus will be an interesting hook into some interesting stories this year.”

Last Week Tonight returns to HBO this Sunday, February 14.

(Via the Washington Post)

Streaming services love us, and we love them, too, so why not head into the so-called holiday of love with that mutual affection in mind? Yet don’t forget all of the rivalry going on with the streaming wars, which keep growing more heated as various streaming platforms can’t stop trying to one-up each other, and we’re all reaping those benefits. With that said, we’re back to pick the best of what those platform has to offer while weighing quantity and quality and every quality in between to pick a winner.

Once again, Hulu, Amazon, and Peacock are coming into the game with fewer new selections, but what they’ve got packs a punch. Meanwhile, Netflix is giving us all of the things, even though not everyone will love everything on the list. Disney+ is still winning over the nerds, this time with a Halloween-themed WandaVision, and HBO Max comes in with the prestige titles, including the return of one the one and only John Oliver, who scores all of the (highly subjective) points here. Sure, he needs a hiatus to freshen things up for us each year, but we didn’t have to enjoy his time away, right? Let’s tackle the guy because he’s swinging the entire week’s competition in HBO Max’s favor.

We’ll discuss all of these top streaming services below, beginning with HBO Max’s newest offerings, including an Oscar-buzz generating movie, Oliver’s aforementioned return, and true crime horrors to your heart’s delight.

HBO Max

Judas and the Black Messiah (HBO Max movie) — This Awards-tipped movie can’t stop with the talent. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, and Jesse Plemons, this film could be an awards contender. The story revolves around William O’Neal, who infiltrates the Black Panther Party in Illinois after being offered an FBI plea deal. His mission? To gather intelligence upon the head honcho, Chairman Fred Hampton.

Last Week Tonight: Season 8 Premiere (HBO Series, Sunday On HBO Max) — Everyone’s favorite sarcastic and satiric late-night host has finally returned (after blowing up 2020 and getting weird with poor, sweet Adam Driver), and not a moment too soon. A while lot has happened since we last saw John Oliver break down exactly what’s wrong with our society in a way that only he can do, and let’s hope that he brings back that award-winning hoodie, so we can all get fancy with him.

Very Scary People: Season 2 (HBO Max series) — This wild series revisits recent history’s most frightening and diabolical characters. This batch of episodes places focus upon Charles Manson and Aileen Wuornos, and Donnie Wahlberg’s here to give things a ceremonial flavor in stories that lead to justice after tracing the winded and twisted paths of elusive miscreants.

Netflix

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (Netflix series) — Director Joe Berlinger (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the Ted Bundy movie starring Zac Efron and Paradise Lost, the HBO documentary trilogy about the West Memphis Three) launches this new anthology series that explores why some notorious crime locales gain their reputations. This season’s all about L.A.’s so-called “hotel death” and what happened when a young woman named Elisa Lam disappeared without a trace and after behaving bizarrely. Along the way, Berlinger seeks to crush conspiracy theories and vanquish ghost theories, although the whole affair is still a spooky ride.

To All The Boys: Always And Forever (Netflix film) — Noah Centineo’s reign as the Internet’s Boyfriend may be coming to an end with the conclusion of Netflix’s smash-hit, romcom trilogy. Lana Condor’s still keeping Lara Jean’s head on as tightly as possible while things get dreamier with her boyfriend, although everything could change with their oncoming plans for college. Will they both go to Stanford and keep their love alive, or will Lara Jean depart school in New York City? Long distance love isn’t so lovely, and god only knows what else can be revealed in this film that they haven’t shown in this trailer (this franchise is a master at the art of revealing the whole movie in a few minutes), but fans will be excited to find out whether Peter and Lara Jean can actually make it beyond their idyllic high school setting.

Red Dot (Netflix film) — This might be a cautionary tale for people who decide it’s a great idea to rekindle their marriages in the unforgiving wilderness — who knows? For sure, though, this is a claustrophobic tale about what happens when a sadistic killer points a red laser dot into Nadja and David’s tent, and that act sends them fighting for their lives. Naturally, a lot of marriage drama will happen along the way, as they attempt to save themselves in the snowy terrain. I guess couple’s counseling was a no-go, but that’s not nearly as entertaining as escaping into other people’s hell when they find themselves feeling like they’re on the other end of a video-game gun. Also, there’s a dog in this trailer, and nothing had better happen to him, or I’m gonna call for John Wick vengeance.

Squared Love (Netflix film) — This romcom follows a teacher who’s moonlighting as a model, all to pay off some debt, but then she meets a womanizer/journalist, who’s being blackmailed to appear in some advertisements. They become worst enemies, and we can probably guess (given the whole romcom thing) how these two will proceed, right?

Hate by Dani Rovira (Netflix stand-up special) — Netflix’s stand-up well generally runs deep, and that’s the only place they’ve slowed down the content during this pandemic. Fortunately Dani Rovera is here with a non-filtered version of humanity, and he’s here to hate on vegans, pet owners, Instagram users, and, uh, Antonio Banderas’ mom? Alright.

Buried by the Bernards (Netflix series) — This family dramedy revolves around a funeral-home owning brood that focuses on care, service, and comfort, but they gotta remember to care for themselves, right? We’ll see about that, but in the meantime, this series is dishing out sarcasm and honesty and an unorthodox approach in an already tough-to-navigate business.

Malcolm & Marie (Netflix film) — Zendaya and John David Washington are getting “achingly romantic,” not to mention dramatic, in this black-and-white film shot during lockdown. Sam Levinson directs and Marcell Rev is on cinematography, so the film looks achingly beautiful as well. Washington’s character is celebrating his movie premiere, and Zendaya portrays his girlfriend, and something goes wrong once they return home with revelations flying and their love put to the test. Levinson meant to send an ode to the Hollywood romances of yesteryear with this one, so Happy (early) Valentine’s Day.

Amazon Prime

Map Of Tiny Perfect Things (Amazon Prime film) — Time loops somehow don’t get old, especially after Palm Springs and Russian Doll freshened-up the concept once more. In this film. two teens find themselves reliving the same day while inexplicably drawn together. It’s a love story, of course, where they weigh how and whether to escape their never-ending yet ultimately perfect day.

Disney+

Wandavision: Episode 5 (Disney+ series) — The Marvel Cinematic Universe has launched into Phase Four with abandon, and now, it’s time for the Halloween episode after getting seriously dark before Kevin Feige cranked out the best episode of the series so far last week. The show’s more inventive than most superhero-oriented fare that we’ve seen in the past few years, and it’s fantastic to finally see the Marvel titles coming our way once more.

Life Below Zero: The Next Generation: Season 1 (National Geographic series on Disney+ — The wilds of Alaska is ground central for this off-the-grid group of ruffians, who are all willing and able (at least at first) to leave their contemporary lifestyles to confront a challenging new world, which will include bracing for the ghosts of winter, which is much, much longer (and with short-short or nonexistent days) than we’re used to in more moderate latitudes.

Hulu

Into the Dark: Tentacles The monthly horror-movie series returns with a psychosexual horror-thriller about love, or love gone wrong at least, when a young Los Angeles couple falls deeply in love, only to find that their intimacy takes an enormously dark turn. Happy holiday of love, y’all.

The New York Times Presents: “Framing Britney Spears”: New Episode (FX on Hulu) — The seemingly unending saga of mega pop star Britney Spears’ controversial conservatorship is only one focus of this docuseries that aims to do a deep-dive, retrospective view on how Spears’ life and career has also been shaped by public perception and the press. It’s been a long twelve years for Britney under her father’s financial thumb, and that followed a few years of public chaos, which I’m sure you will never forget. Her fans rally in this series for her “freedom,” given that Britney has vowed not to work again until she can make her own decisions again.

Peacock

So Much Stand-Up Comedy (Peacock) — Not too much in the way of new content comes to NBCU’s streaming service this weekend, but they’re a contender with bold moves in their library (The Office, Modern Family) and soon becoming the exclusive streaming home of WWE. In addition, comedy is proving to be one of their strengths with The Amber Ruffin Show bringing a new late-night episode this weekend, and they recently added all of these new stand-up specials.

Bob Saget: Zero to Sixty (2017)
Brody Stevens: Live From the Main Room (2018)
Brother Sam: A Tribute to Sam Kinison (2005)
Cameron Esposito: Marriage Material (2016)
Colin Quinn: Unconstitutional (2015)
D.L. Hughley: Clear (2014)
D.L. Hughley: Reset (2012)
Darrell Hammond: Mayhem Explained (2018)
David Cross: Oh, Come On (2019)
Eddie Griffin: You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It (2011)
Finesse Mitchell: The Spirit Told Me to Tell You (2018)
Harland Williams: A Force of Nature (2011)
Henry Rollins: Keep Talking, Pal (2018)
Iliza Shlesinger: Over & Over (2019)
Iliza Shlesinger: War Paint (2013)
Janeane Garofalo: If I May (2016)
Jasper Redd: Jazz Talk (2014)
Jay Pharoah: Can I Be Me? (2015)
Jermaine Fowler: Give ‘Em Hell, Kid (2015)
Jimmie JJ Walker & Mike Winslow: We are Still Here (2018)
Joel McHale: Live From Pyongyang (2019)
Joe Coco Diaz: Sociably Unacceptable (2016)
Kathleen Madigan: Madigan Again (2015)
Kevin Hart Presents – Keith Robinson: Back of the Bus Funny (2014)
Kevin Hart Presents – Lil Rel Howery: Relevant (2015)
Kevin Hart Presents – Plastic Cup Boyz (2014)
Kevin Nealon: Whelmed…But Not Overly (2012)
Kevin Smith: Silent, But Deadly (Extended Edition) (2018)
Larry the Cable Guy: Remain Seated (2020)
Lavell Crawford: Home for the Holidays (2017)
Louie Anderson: Big Baby Boomer (2012)
Marc Maron: Thinky Pain (2013)
Margaret Cho: Psycho (2015)
Maria Bamford: Weakness Is the Brand (2020)
Michael Ian Black: Very Famous (2011)
Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend (2013)
Sam Kinison: Family Entertainment Hour (1991)
Sasheer Zamata: Pizza Mind (2017)
Sinbad: Make Me Wanna Holla (2014)
Sinbad: Where U Been? (2010)
Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs (1990)
Tom Arnold: Past & Present Imperfectly (2018)
Tom Segura: Completely Normal (2014)
Whitney Cummings: Money Shot (2010)
It’s Showtime at the Apollo

Despite perceptions, NBA super-teams aren’t a new phenomenon. Countless teams over the past six decades have featured multiple All-Stars. Just look at the Bulls and Jazz of the 90s or the Lakers, Celtics, and Pistons of the 80s, and so on. The difference is that the formation of super-teams is a much more deliberate endeavor these days, particularly in players courting other players in free agency. It’s that distinction that tends to rub some people the wrong way.

In reality, it’s mostly a byproduct of player empowerment, which in many ways is the mark of a healthy league. But regardless of whether it happens organically through the draft or through back-channeling and subterfuge, super-teams are a staple of the modern NBA, and they’ve come to dominate the league over the past decade in the form of superstar trios.

Below is our ranking of the very best of the Big 3s that helped define the 2010s.

Honorable Mentions:

The Brooklyn Nets’ newly-assembled trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden might eventually take their place high atop this list, but any attempt to rank them would be purely guesswork at this point. Still, the expectations are high, and the talent is certainly there to make big things happen.

Let’s also take this opportunity to give a special shout to a couple of trios that never quite made it to the promised land but nonetheless gave us plenty of thrills during their time together. As a rule of thumb, if your core group was good enough to earn a nickname that has become part of the common parlance, then you deserve some acknowledgement. So shout-out to the Lob City Clippers and the Grit-n-Grind Grizzlies and their respective cores of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan and Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, and Mike Conley.

6. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom

The Lakers Big 3 was already winding down when they won their second-straight championship, exacting revenge on the Celtics for their loss in 2008. It would prove to be Kobe’s last title run and would mark the beginning of the organization’s slow decline that would essentially last until LeBron’s arrival in the summer of 2019.

Still, Kobe and company gave us quite a Finals series to kick off the decade — a gritty seven-game grudge match between the two most decorated teams in league history and one of the all-time great rivalries, to boot.

5. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker

If the Big 3 Heat were “Hollywood as Hell,” as Joakim Noah liked to say, then the Big 3 Spurs were whatever the opposite of that might be, i.e. a blue-collar, workmanlike team from a modest town like San Antonio. Yet, there was nothing prosaic about the way Tim Duncan and company were able to dominate the NBA at various points over the course of two decades. This is a 2010s list, mind you, so their accomplishments of the 2000s don’t factor in here.

By 2013, the aging Spurs were the unlikeliest of foils to the ebullient Heat, but there they were anyway, pushing LeBron and company to the hairy edge in a seven-game series and coming just one rebound away from toppling the Miami juggernaut and almost certainly sending that organization into an existential tailspin. And that heart-breaking loss only inspired them to come back with the type of vengeance typically reserved for super-villain origin stories.

In their rematch in the 2014 Finals, the Spurs so categorically dismantled the Heat that it wasn’t even funny. They put on an absolute clinic of passing, defense, and play-making, elevating the game to its Platonic ideal, with Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili (and Kawhi) thoroughly outplaying their Miami counterparts en route to a fifth and final championship.

4. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green

The Kevin Durant era in Golden State was undoubtedly the most dominant, but the 2015-2016 squad was by far the most fun. And we’re talking pure, unadulterated, delirious fun. It’s nearly impossible to overstate the impact Steph Curry had on the basketball world during those back-to-back MVP campaigns. He helped change the way we play and think about the game, cemented his status as the greatest shooter ever, and entertained the living hell out of us on a nightly basis with his ball-handling wizardry and the wild audacity of his shot-selection.

Much of this, of course, was facilitated by his running mates. Klay’s equally-deadly shooting and Draymond’s uncanny play-making abilities turned the Warriors into a finely-calibrated offensive machine. With Steph as its catalyst, the Warriors demoralized opponents with turbocharged scoring spurts that would make leads balloon from five to 20 points in a matter of minutes and erase double-digit deficits.

The result was a record-setting 73-win season, which of course ended in disappointment, giving us the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

3. LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving

This particular Cavs trio isn’t defined so much by what they accomplished, but rather who they accomplished it against, and how. Overcoming a 3-1 series deficit is a monumental, once-in-a-generation achievement. Doing it against the greatest regular-season team in NBA history is the stuff of fantasy. And that miraculous 2016 title also had the rare effect of retroactively altering the perception of the Warriors’ championship the previous year, when LeBron and the Cavs were without both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love because of injury.

There isn’t much more that needs to be said. This Cavs iteration made three straight Finals appearances and did the impossible in one of them. They also did it in the most dramatic way possible, with each member of their Big 3 logging a signature moment in Game 7 with the championship on the line, whether it was Love’s lockdown defense on Steph, LeBron’s reality-defying block on Andre Iguodala, or Kyrie’s ice-cold step-back three in Steph’s face to seal the title.

Perhaps most impressively, they helped LeBron deliver on his promise to bring the city of Cleveland its first championship in more than 50 years.

2. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade

Okay, so maybe they didn’t win seven titles like LeBron predicted during that infamous introductory concert/ceremony. And maybe they got off to a rough start in their first year together when they came up short against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Finals. And maybe that first title came against an OKC squad that was literally the youngest team ever to reach the Finals. Nevermind all that.

After their fiasco against the Mavs, it took some serious soul-searching, but the Big 3 Heat took that frustration and disappointment and embarked on a two-year rampage that yielded back-to-back titles and doubled as one of the most dominant stretches of LeBron’s career. That first championship in 2012 marked a long-awaited coronation for The King, who’d fallen short in his championship quest on so many prior occasions, and the following year also blessed us with an all-time great Finals series, an epic seven-game heart-stopper against the Spurs that featured — at the time — the greatest shot in Finals history, courtesy of Ray Allen and the ice water running through his veins.

But the real legacy of the Big 3 Heat is that it helped usher in the era of player empowerment. LeBron’s Decision — while still a sore spot for some — laid the blueprint for players to take agency over their futures and team up with other stars around the league, a trend that has, as this list might suggest, resulted in varying degrees of success.

1. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry

Arguably the most dominant NBA trio ever assembled, the King Ghidorah (RIP DOOM) version of the Warriors owns the longest winning streak in postseason history with 15 consecutive victories and the best overall playoff record of 16-1. With a pair of former MVPs and two of the greatest shooters of all-time, Golden State was pure nightmare fuel for their opponents, and Kevin Durant was particularly deadly on his way to his first Finals MVP, averaging better than 30 points per game, the highest scoring mark since Shaq in the 2000 Finals.

Nobody even came close to testing them until Game 4 of the Finals, the Cavs’ lone victory in the series, which took a record-setting 86 first-half points and Herculean efforts from both LeBron and Kyrie. The following year was a different story, as the Houston Rockets pushed them to seven games behind James Harden and Chris Paul, but ultimately squandered that opportunity in an epic Game 7 collapse, during which they missed 27 straight three-pointers and closed their window for good.

The less said about the 2019 Finals, the better. Credit to the Toronto Raptors for carpe-ing the diem, but the Warriors were dealing with major injuries to two of their main stars, which proved too much to overcome. Still, that two-year stretch in Golden State stands as one of the most impressive runs by any Big 3 in league history.

November 1, 2020 was a special day for Taylor Swift fans, as that was when she was legally allowed to start re-recording her old albums, the masters of which are owned by her former label, Big Machine. Taylor didn’t waste any time getting started, as she previously said weeks after that date that she was working on the recordings. It turns out that she was so eager to get going that she didn’t even wait until she was finished making Evermore to begin work on Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Swift said:

“I was allowed to start re-recording my music in November. By then, we had a great deal of Evermore done. I had shot a music video for ‘Willow,’ but I was still writing and I was still recording. So there would be days where I’d be recording ‘You Belong With Me’ and then I’d be recording a song like ‘Happiness,’ which is on Evermore. And it made me feel really proud of sort of the scope of things. And looking back when I was a teenager and I would write about my troubles in high school and the drama and the pining away and all that stuff, that was all so valid to me at that time in my life. Just as much as Evermore is so valid to my happiness at this time in my life. So I’ve really felt very grateful lately for people giving me the ability to grow up creatively. And I know there have been snags and there have been times where people have been like, ‘I don’t like her.’ Several times. But for the most part, I feel a great amount of gratitude that I was able to make music from the time I was a teenager to the time that I’m 31.”

Watch a clip from the interview below.

Elon Musk is a touch eccentric. On top of wanting to shoot a movie in outer space with Tom Cruise, the entrepreneur has been busy of late nudging his way into the GameStop-Reddit saga and getting really into cryptocurrency. But now he has a new idea: hover cars!

Musk broke his latest harebrained scheme on the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Podcast (of course), in which he discussed the next generation of the Tesla Roadster, his company’s line of electric sports cars they debuted 13 years ago. He’s been developing its follow-up for years, initially promising it would simply be faster. But what if it could also sort of fly a bit?

“I want it to hover, and I was trying to figure out how to make this thing hover without, you know, killing people,” Musk told Rogan. “Maybe it can hover like a meter above the ground, or something like that. If you plummet it’ll blow out the suspension but you’re not gonna die.”

Ignoring, if you can, that promises like “you’re not gonna die” aren’t exactly reassuring, it’s not clear how serious Musk was about finding a way for cars to float a few feet off the ground. Besides, the second generation Tesla Roadster is scheduled for production next year. And since hovering technology hasn’t quite been conquered — the “hoverboards” currently on the market, um, have wheels — it may simply be Musk getting a little too loose on Rogan’s show. After all, it’s happened before.

(Via The Verge)

Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff is currently riding high in her new role as Bo-Katan Kryze on Disney+’s The Mandalorian. She recently appeared on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, where she geeked out about the role and expressed how excited she is to be in the Star Wars universe now.

In the interview, Sackhoff also promised to be “optimistic” every single day on the set of Star Wars series — which banished Gina Carano over “abhorrent” tweets this week — and to be the person who helps set a positive tone. However, Sackhoff admitted in the podcast, she was not always that person. She said she used to be the person who needed to be called out on set for her bad attitude.

In fact, that very thing happened, she explained, on the set of the first season of Longmire. “When I’m in a bad mood, I have a hard time hiding it,’ she told Rosenbaum. On the first season of Longmire, she was in a funk after having come off of Riddick, where they were doing a lot of night shoots. “I was exhausted, and I was doing a lot of early morning days, and it was cold, and I got sick.”

“And [her Longmire co-star] Bailey Chase and I would drive to work together about 60 miles every morning. I would complain all the time because I felt I was being underutilized on the show and I was disappointed, and … I just wanted to bitch about it all the time.”

She said she was also in a bad place in her life, in a bad relationship, and was “not a very happy person.”

Her co-star apparently had heard enough of her daily complaining and snapped. “[Bailey Chase] called me out in front of the entire crew one day … He screamed at me and said, ‘Be here! I am so tired of you!’ It was loud, and I always said it was the wrong time and the wrong place and I was always very angry that he did it that way.”

The two have since made up, but “it was not good for a while,” she said. Yet, while she was disappointed in the way that he did it, “it needed to happen.” Again, she would have preferred that he had called her out off set and away from the crew, “but he taught me one of the biggest lessons of my career. And I realized that I had a choice. I had to change my perspective, and I need to grow the eff up.”

“It woke me up, and it made me realize that the attitude I bring to set every day is the attitude that permeates the set. For better or worse, because I am so big and so loud, I have the ability to change the set. I can make it a positive place to be or a negative place to be.”

“I was wrong. I was very wrong, and I had to learn that lesson.”

Sackhoff has since vowed to become the person that “people wanted to work with twice.”

Sackhoff said that she did a complete 180 and that by the end of the series, all the producers expressed to her that they would love to work with her again. Purposefully. “I taught myself how to be happy, how to enjoy what I am doing daily … and I took that into another life. I wanted to be that person who showed up every day, worked harder than everyone else, and was always positive and motivating.”

Hopefully, wanting to continue working with Sackhoff and her positive attitude will one day get Bo-Katan Kryze her own Star Wars spin-off, as well. She sure as hell deserves one.

Source: Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum

Rap fans have been fascinated with Lil Uzi Vert’s latest piercing for a week, probably because he’s the first person we know of to get a custom piercing in the middle of his forehead for a thumb-sized, million-dollar pink diamond. After the jeweler who designed it chimed in on when and how it was made, one of the major questions left on everyone’s minds was simply, “Why?”

Bronx, New York rap icon Fat Joe got the answer when he invited Lil Uzi Vert onto his Instagram Live podcast to give fans the rundown on the intriguing new facial modification. It turns out, Uzi’s rationale actually makes an off-kilter sort of sense. He’d already purchased the diamond before deciding what to do with it, but having shelled out such a hefty amount (he boasts $24 million, but the true number is probably a fraction of that), he naturally didn’t want to do anything mundane — and he certainly didn’t want to lose his investment.

“I’m Lil Uzi,” he declared. “I’m turnt up. So $24 million on a ring is the stupidest idea because I’m gonna look down and that ring ain’t gon’ be there. I know me. I wake up in odd places and different sceneries.” He also confirmed that his Eliantte & Co. connects did try to talk him out of it. “Don’t think it was just a ‘come on, let’s go get his money,’” he said. “No, bro, they argued me down. It’s almost insane to the average person, or to any person.”

All in all, the interview depicted Uzi as pretty self-aware and cognizant of his public perception. He addressed his wildcard reputation, talked about the so-called “27 Club” of artists who have died at that age, adamantly denying he had any intention of joining their ranks, and detailed his musical and business ambitions. It’s a fascinating interview that justifies the public’s fascination with him. Check it out below.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

After a week of banter about Phoebe Bridgers smashing her guitar on SNL and the discourse that inevitably surrounds the annual announcement of nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Ian Cohen and Steven Hyden are spending this week’s episode of Indiecast reflecting on a simpler moment in indie history. The so-called indie R&B scene of the early 2010’s spawned some of the biggest artists of today, including The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and James Blake.

At the same time, Beyonce and Jay-Z were going to see both Coldplay and Grizzly Bear live, and Kanye was collaborating with Bon Iver. With James Blake’s debut album turning ten and The Weeknd playing the Super Bowl halftime show, now is as fitting a time as ever to reminisce on an era ripe with musical collaboration and exciting releases that remain part of the conversation nearly a decade later.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been enjoying For Your Health’s debut album In Spite Of, while Hyden can’t get enough of the Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo collabroative album, Deep Fried Grandeur.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 26 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts here. Stay up to date and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

An era has come to an end in Houston, and in a bit of a surprise, it is not that of star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who reports indicate wants out of town. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, stalwart defensive lineman JJ Watt and the franchise will part ways after 10 seasons.

Shortly after the news was reported, Watt, who will be 32 next month, posted a video to his Twitter account in which he announced that he will, indeed, end his time in Houston.

“I have sat down with the McNair family, and I have asked them for my release, and we have mutually agreed to part ways at this time,” Watt said.

“The way that you guys have treated me — besides Draft night, you guys booed me on Draft night — but every day after that, you treated me like family, and I truly feel like you’re my family,” Watt continued.

Rumblings had been circulating recently that while Watson’s future was being figured out — he wants to leave, the Texans are adamant he stays — the franchise had a decision to make on Watt. As Rapoport would go on to explain, there was a trade market for Watt, but the Texans instead wanted to do right by him and let him be in control of his future.

Watt is the greatest and most decorated player to ever suit up for the team. He was drafted by them with the 11th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and went on to put together quite the career — Watt was a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and made eight All-Pro teams with five of those being first-team selections.

How does a shoe from 1997 manage to stay looking futuristic almost 25 years later?

No, really, we’re asking. Because Nike has an astounding track record when it comes to designing sneakers that look and feel timeless. The Nike Cortez (1972), The Jordan 1 (1985), the Air Max 1 (1987), the Air Max 90 (1990) the Air Max 95 (1995), the SB Dunk (2002) — the list goes on. Even Nike’s discontinued silhouettes remain hype-worthy, and that’s all thanks to Nike consistently calling on the talents of some of footwear’s most innovative designers.

For the Nike Air Max 97, that designer was Christian Tresser, who had the revolutionary Reebok Aztrek under his belt and would eventually go on to work with Kanye West on the Yeezy 700 VX. Designing the Air Max 97 was no easy task, Tresser would be following up Tinker Hatfield’s revolutionary Air Max 95, which is still one of Nike’s most beloved silhouettes. But Tresser knocked it out of the park with a wavy futuristic design inspired by mountain landscapes — managing to evoke the sleek speed and look of a Japanese bullet train.

The sneaker looked next level in 1997 and even now, in 2021, it still manages to look like the footwear of the future. In celebration of one of Nike’s greatest silhouettes, we’re running through the greatest colorways of all time for the Air Max 97. Let’s dive in!

Nike Air Max 97 Silver Bullet, 1997

Kicking off our journey is the design that started it all, the Nike Air Max 97 Silver Bullet. Featuring a metallic silver upper with varsity red accents, the Silver Bullet was made to recall the Japanese Silver Bullet trains that helped to inspire the silhouette’s design.

Despite this being one of Nike’s most futuristic sneakers, the Silver Bullet looks refreshingly dated. It has a sort of 1980’s-view-of-the-future vibe to it.

Union Nike Air Max 97 One Time Only, 2005

Look at this thing! It’s kind of ridiculous. Made in collaboration with streetwear brand Union, the One Time Only combines the 97’s upper with the tooling of an Air Max 360. Released as part of Nike’s Clerks Pack, the One Time Only has a Saved by the Bell-esque colorway, mixing rave pink and military blue with elephant print paneling along the base.

Nike Air Max 97 Kashima Antlers, 2006

An early classic, 2006’s Kashima Antlers were released as part of Nike’s Sportswear pack in tribute to the Japanese football club, the Kashima Antlers. This iteration of the 97 features a mesh upper with leather overlays and an elephant print mudguard with a green-tinted Air Max unit.

Had Nike released colorways like this of the 97 stateside, it might not have taken 20 years for the silhouette to really get the love it deserves. It’s no wonder the 97 has long been popular with the best-dressed streetwear stylists of Japan.

Nike Air Max 97 Jacquard Rio de Janeiro, 2014

One of Nike’s most fun designs, the Air Max 97 Jacquard Rio de Janeiro is the only Air Max 97 that doesn’t strike us as looking futuristic. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, the sneaker doesn’t look outdated by any means, instead the jacquard upper with its pixelated camo design manages to look like another sneaker entirely.

The 97’s trademark waves are less prominent in this design and come via a transparent overlay that seamlessly stretches into the sneaker’s mudguard.

UNDEFEATED Nike Air Max 97 Black, 2017

When Los Angeles-based label UNDEFEATED put their spin on the Air Max 97 they single-handedly created a whole audience of new fans for the silhouette. If you’ve been enjoying the Air Max 97s resurgence over the last few years, you have UNDEFEATED to thank for this sleek black, red, and green Gucci-inspired pair.

To this day, it’s one of the most valued 97 colorways on the aftermarket.

Nike Air Max 97 Sean Wotherspoon, 2017

Released as part of Nike’s Air Max 90, the Sean Wotherspoon’s are the sneakers that made Wotherspoon a household name amongst streetwear fanatics. Before Wotherspoon was known as streetwear’s corduroy king, he was just a scrappy kid who entered Nike’s design contest and managed to make one of the hottest sneakers of the 2010s.

Inspired by Wotherspoon’s love of Vintage 1980’s Nike caps, this Air Max 97 features a wavy corduroy upper sitting atop an Air Max 1 sole unit. Peep that stiched swoosh!

Off-White Nike Air Max 97 “The Ten,” 2017

Released as part of the second drop from Virgil Abloh’s “The Ten,” this Off-White iteration of the 97 features a white, cone, and ice blue colorway with a translucent outsole and an oversized Swoosh. Despite very minimal alternations to the original design, Abloh still managed to deliver a sneaker that looks markedly different from its source material.

If you’re a 97 stan, you either love what Abloh did with the shape or you hate it — there’s really no in-betweens here. On the inner side of the sneaker, the words “Off White for NIKE “Air Max 97” Beaverton, Oregon USA” are stamped, part of Abloh’s deconstructionist aesthetic. That stamp, it should be noted, is the worst part of the shoe. By far.

Cristiano Ronaldo Nike Air Max 97 Golden Patchwork, 2017

Made for football star Cristiano Ronaldo, the Golden Patchwork 97s were inspired by Ronaldo’s youth, back when he could only afford two pairs of shoes, one for play and one for school. When his rundown sneakers would get holes in them, his mom would patch them up and send him on his way. The Golden Patchwork consists of patched-up panels dipped in a celebratory golden colorway that reflect how Ronaldo didn’t let his impediments stop him from being one of the greatest players in the game.

Nike Air Max 97 Skepta, 2017

Designed by British-Nigerian rapper Skepta, this iteration of the 97 looks straight-up alien. Featuring a polyurethane-coated copper and rose gold upper composed of leather over black mesh, this design is meant to evoke both Morocco and London, by way of the braided tongue and the graphics meant to recall UK electric outlets.

It’s highly conceptual and super dorky in theory, but the execution is a sight to behold.

Off-White Nike Air Max 97 Black, 2018

It’s funny to think that with all of the eyes of the fashion world fixed on his every move, Virgil Abloh chose to follow “The Ten’s” 97 by simply giving us the same design in a black iteration. If you loved “The Ten’s” 97, all the same design touchstones are here — the translucent upper, the large swoosh, the stupid production stamp on the inner side. Only this time it has a sort of sinister Darth Vader vibe.

It’s amazing what a single color can do, but we prefer these to the all-white “The Ten” makeup.

Off-White Nike Aix Max 97 Serena, 2018

Made and named for Serena Williams and the 50th U.S. Open tournament, the Off-White 97 Serena features an elemental rose, black, barely rosé, and white colorway with a head-turning gradient midsole. Each pair comes equipped with Abloh’s signature zip-tie, this time in a hard to avoid Volt colorway.

Nike Air Max 97 Smokey Mauve, 2018

There isn’t an interesting story or collaboration behind Nike’s Smokey Mauve Air Max 97, it’s simply a beautiful looking shoe. That mix of smokey mauve, black midnight, and navy sail is the moodiest this silhouette has ever looked. We love it.

Nike Air Max 97 Desert Sky, 2018

Clearly Yeezy inspired, the 97 Desert Sky combines black desert, and sand royal tint for an aged-looking but eye-catching colorway. Our only gripe with this design is the weird, out-of-place stark black midsole that the sneaker sits atop. A white or off-white midsole would’ve been more complimentary. If contrast was the goal, a yellow or mint midsole would’ve added to the serene quality of the design.

But what do we know? (We only look at shoes all day.) This pair continues to exceed expectations — fetching a high price on aftermarket sites.

Nike Air Max 97 MSCHF x INRI Jesus Shoes, 2019

Made in collaboration with Brooklyn-based creative house MSCHF and the artist INRI this is easily the weirdest 97 colorway, ever. Aside from the Matthew 14:25 inscription at the toe box, the aptly named Jesus Shoes actually contain 60cc of holy water from the River Jordan.

It’s excessive and ridiculous sure, but with its clean white upper and light blue accents, it’s one of the finest Air Max 97 colorways of all time. It might even be the best.

Nike Air Max 97 Shanghai Kaleidoscope, 2019

Like the Sean Wotherspoon’s beloved colorway, the Air Max 97 Shanghai Kaleidoscope came about through a design contest set up by Nike. Ultimately six winners were chosen, but Cash Ru of Shanghai’s Shanghai Kaleidoscope rises above the rest.

It’s hard not to love this icy blue colorway which sits on a white middle with a crimson red swoosh accent. The triple heel tags are a bit excessive, but we dig Ru’s design work, which is just slightly distorted, like waves rippling in a pond.