Month: March 2021

Hayley Kiyoko’s 2018 debut album Expectations established her as one of the most important new voices in pop — and one who is devoted to prioritizing diversity and inclusion. Kiyoko is open about her experience as a half-Japanese, lesbian woman, who grew up as a closeted teen, and she’s been a vocal advocate for the LGBT community during an era where representation has become more important than ever. Following up her debut with the I’m Too Sensitive For This Sh*t EP in 2020, she’s now pivoted to work on another kind of artistic project — a perfume.

Announced last month, Kiyoko’s new fragrance Hue is a gender-inclusive perfume that’s not designated by gender as many scents are. “Fragrance can be an aphrodisiac for any gender or sexuality,” Hayley said in an interview when we spoke about her new project over the phone a few weeks ago. She spent two years creating a scent that felt true to herself, actively involved with selecting all the top, middle, and bottom notes in the fragrance. Fascinated by the connections that music and perfume share, and bolstered by the memories of using perfume as armor as a teenager, Hayley wants Hue to be a comforting, safe place for fans. Read more of her thoughts about her new scent and the perfume-making process below.

One of the first things that stood out is that it was important for your scent to be gender inclusive, why was that something you wanted to prioritize?

I’ve always battled with balancing my masculinity and femininity, sometimes I feel more masculine, sometimes I feel more feminine. I wanted to create a perfume that embodies both. I thought this fragrance should be for everyone. Whether you like fruity or floral tones shouldn’t really describe who you are as far as your gender. I was really excited to create a fragrance that embodies both.

How would you describe the scent you’re going for with Hue?

Specifically, it has fruity and floral top notes — it has some blood orange and freesia. Then, the heart of it is more like lychee, pink magnolia, and rose. The bottom notes are more musk and cacao. So it really has this awesome freshness to it, but then it also feels like you’ve had it on forever. So it’s very comforting.

What was the process like building out the scent of the perfume?

The process is really intense, it took two years for me to finally create something that felt authentic to who I was. It’s like music, when you go into a songwriting session, you’re explaining a feeling, and then you’re trying to create a feeling. So the same thing goes with perfume, you go ‘I want it to feel like this,’ but how to create a feeling through scent is a whole other obstacle in itself. What I did love about the process is that there’s so many connections to music. Music is created of notes and perfume is created of notes, and you combine the notes in a certain way and that creates a chord, which is basically like a chord in music. And then you rearrange the chord and that’s how you create a fragrance. So it was really fascinating, and such an exciting process. It really makes me respect any type of fragrance that can really embody a feeling so authentically.

How did you want people to feel when they put Hue on, what’s the driving emotional force?

How I feel about my fans was a driving emotional force. I think I struggled a lot growing up, being in the closet, searching for courage to get through every day life. Especially nowadays, we don’t have that physical connection or comfort in person. So how do you comfort yourself? For me, it’s through scent, and it’s through lighting a candle, spraying my perfume — that can make me feel good. Because right now it’s all about self-soothing and taking care of yourself. That was a really important thing for me going into this whole process.

So was the feeling you want Hue to evoke something to do with comfort and self-soothing?

The feeling I wanted Hue to convey was to highlight and enhance whatever you’re going through, and creating a safe space for it. Igniting hope and comfort through whatever you’re going through.

Were there any major shifts that came in the process of working on the perfume due to the pandemic?

Absolutely. First of all, I never thought the process would be so long. But it’s also been interesting, creatively, I thought I liked certain scents and then realized I didn’t. Learning that you can like certain scents but certain things can evoke other feelings that maybe I didn’t necessarily want. That was an interesting part of the process for me. I love comfort and I want to feel comfort but I don’t personally like vanilla. And that kind of world of comfort. I love more of the musk world of comfort, so we went in that direction. Also, I loved watermelon going into this, and watermelon didn’t make the cut. It was really interesting to see where it landed — again, it’s like music. I go into the studio and go ‘I want to feel like this,’ and then you put the chords together and sometimes you can accomplish that feeling, but sometimes I go ‘oh ok, this combination doesn’t encompass that feeling, how do I adjust it? How do I fix it? How do I rewrite the lyrics so it can evoke that feeling?’

What are some of your personal favorite perfumes?

Growing up, my very first perfume was Elizabeth Arden Green Tea. I wore that for many, many years going into high school. And then I wore Dolce & Gabbana No. 3, and that was probably a staple for a long time. And now I have Hue. I’ve been very loyal to my perfumes, I feel like once you find a perfume that I love, I wear it forever.

And what drew you to working with scent as a medium?

Growing up, perfume was like an armor for me. It gave me courage and it made me feel confident at times when I didn’t feel confident at all. That is something that I wanted to give to my fans, and create something that can hopefully help them get through what they’re going through.

I love the portrait by Liz Hirsch that’s included with the perfume. How does that tie into the concept?

The name Hue is inspired by the idea and the reality that everyone brings color to this world. We’re all different shades, and we all don’t fit in one box or stereotype. So that was really important for me to convey. The image is a portrait of me, but it’s very multicolored but it’s not necessarily a rainbow. They’re what makes me, me. And the same thing goes with everyone else — we all don’t fit in one category, we’re all different shades. The motto for this perfume is embrace you, embrace what makes you you.

Do you see yourself expanding into other categories beyond perfume after this?

I have no idea, we’ll see how this goes first. I’m just really excited to get to share this with the world. For me, it’s just one step at a time. I’m taking it one day at a time like everyone else, but obviously I hope that it’s successful and I hope that people love it. And hopefully I’ll be able to continue to make more. But it’s been a really fun process for me to be able to have another outlet besides music and try to embody my message through another medium.

What are your plans for 2021 with music?

I’m definitely working on my album, and I think what we all went through with 2020 is just taking it day by day and focusing on what’s important, which is health, number one. So for me, it’s interesting this was the first year I didn’t really make any resolutions. I’m just grateful to be here and take whatever comes my way this year. And I’m really enjoying that mentality and being open to whatever opportunities are able to come.

Hue is now available here.

Hayley Kiyoko is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

That didn’t take long. Blake Griffin went from a trade candidate to being bought out to now leaning toward a new contract with the Brooklyn Nets in no time, as Shams Charania and James Edwards of The Athletic report the Nets are the “leaders” to sign Griffin once he clears waivers from Detroit.

This confirms initial indications from Marc Stein of the New York Times, and as ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted, Griffin will not officially become a free agent until Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, but it is expected nobody would claim him because of his exorbitant salary. The Nets will make Griffin the first major addition to their roster since they traded for James Harden and became among the top contenders for the 2021 NBA championship.

Since trading Jarrett Allen to Cleveland in the Harden deal, the Nets have often leaned on small lineups to close games, with either Jeff Green or Kevin Durant functioning as a small-ball center. So while Griffin’s usefulness in those situations make him a good theoretical fit in Brooklyn, the fact remains that he is severely hampered physically after multiple major injuries over the course of his career and is shooting 37 percent from the field.

As Stein noted, Nets players were a part of the lobbying to get Griffin to Brooklyn, and that team is soaring up the standings even without Durant healthy, so it’s not as if they need peak Griffin to keep winning. But it is a peculiar choice with roster spots limited and defense so clearly a need for the team, which ranks 24th on that end this season.

Welcome to our roundup of the best streetwear apparel releases of the week! This week, we’re hitting a bit of a lull as we enter that weird transitional period between seasons that leads apparel companies to not have a clear idea of what to drop. As such, expect a lot of layer-able late-winter early-spring looks that’ll help you ride out the rest of the season and begin to gear up for this year’s fall, you know, six months from now (fashion drops are weird like that).

While things are quiet on the apparel end of things, sneakers are having quite a week with a number of super hyped drops, so if you’re on the hunt for some sneakers to complete the fit, be sure to hit up SNX DLX, our weekly sneaker column. As for the style side, this week we’ve got new clothes from Marc Jacobs, Fjällräven, Supreme, Palace, and an NBA All-Star collection from Canada Goose and Rhode.

Let’s dive into this week’s best streetwear!

Marc Jacobs SS21 Heaven Collection

Marc Jacobs’ expanded Heaven collection is what happens when the vibrant color sensibilities of the 2020s meet the slacker grunge vibes of the ‘90s. Don’t expect to find your typical high-end Marc Jacobs stuff here, instead, the Heaven Collection consists of everyday basics like sweaters, pants, dresses, and shirts in loose-fitting silhouettes that’ll have you looking like an extra in a Goo Goo Dolls video… if the Goo Goo Dolls were holograms — because this collection is also weirdly futuristic.

Elsewhere in the collection, Marc Jacobs utilizes their creepy two-headed teddy logo. We never imagined we’d see a Marc Jacobs collection with so many graphic t-shirts, and yet here we are. Streetwear’s influence on fashion truly is at a peak.

The Marc Jacobs SS21 Heaven collection is available now at the Marc Jacobs webstore.

Fjällräven Samlaren Capsule

Fjällräven — the Swedish brand that is responsible for everyone’s favorite bag that isn’t a Telfar — has just dropped a new capsule collection that repurposes leftover fabrics to construct some of the brand’s iconic silhouettes in a patchwork style without creating additional waste. The Samlaren collection is actually pretty damn brilliant! Because patchwork colors are having a moment in streetwear right now, Fjällräven is able to sneak in sustainability while still looking modern and fashion-forward.

The Samlaren collection consists of the Greenland Jacket, a new Kånken backpack, tote bags, and a cap all dressed in an earthy color block style making them ideal for the trail and the streets.

The Fjällräven Samlaren collection is available now at the Fjällräven webstore.

Supreme Spring/Summer 2021 Drop 2

The Supreme drip-feed continues this week, as the New York label releases its second drop of the Spring/Summer ’21 collection. Winter isn’t quite over so this drop goes heavy on the outerwear with a collection consisting of denim and puffer jackets, hoodies, sweaters, and long-sleeves. Elsewhere in the collection, Supreme offers three different cap styles, and 7 knit beanie colorways, with accessories including Supreme branded bats, and lighters.

The Spring Summer drop is also releasing alongside those ultra-hyped Supreme Dunks.

The second Supreme Spring/Summer 2021 drop is available now at the Supreme webstore.

Canada Goose x RHUDE NBA All-Star Weekend Collection

In celebration of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game Toronto-based apparel brand Canada Goose has teamed up with another streetwear-meets-luxury brand, RHUDE, for a throwback unisex collection that celebrates b-ball culture. The full collection consists of just four pieces including Canada Goose’s Macmillan Parka, Freestyle Vest, Chilliwack Bomber, and Portage Jacket, dressed in Rhude’s muted and timeless aesthetic with official NBA branding.

It’s cool that Canada Goose and RHUDE were able to actually snag an official NBA collaboration, but these jackets would’ve looked even better without the NBA logo, which kind of breaks up the design, in our opinion. The colorways are kept spring-friendly here, featuring a mix of greens, blues, caramel, orange, and camouflage.

The Canada Goose x RHUDE NBA All-Star Weekend Collection is set to drop on March 5th at the Canada Goose webstore.

Palace Spring 2021 Drop 4

This week Palace will release their fourth drop of the Spring 2021 collection which consists of some co-branded Adidas football shirts, as well as jackets, t-shirts, and towels with graphics that recall Gatorade’s iconic lightning bolt branding, and caps with embroidered Palace animal branding. It’s a pretty extensive drop with a lot of alternate colorways, so be sure to check out Palace’s site for the full collection.

Highlights include the embroidered Palace caps, which depict your choice of a T-rex, giraffe, bird, or turtle forming the Palace “P” logo, which also releases alongside matching heavy long-sleeves. We imagine as we make our way closer to the Spring we’re going to see less layer-able offerings coming out of the British skatewear label, so this may be your last chance to grab some dope Palace outerwear before we hit graphic t-shirt country.

The fourth Palace Spring 2021 drop is set to drop on March 5th at the Palace webstore.

Veteran Memphis rapper Young Dolph and his charismatic protege/cousin Key Glock set the rap world on fire in 2019 with their joint album, Dum And Dummer. Released independently, it had an impressive No. 8 debut on the Billboard 200, establishing Key Glock as a rapper to watch.

Get ready for another ride, because they just announced a sequel, Dum And Dummer 2, releasing the first single, “Aspen.” With a thumping beat riddling with quick hits of a church organ, “Aspen” once again displays the Memphis duo’s indelible chemistry, boasting about their rags-to-riches stories and promising to take a vacation at the famed Colorado resort town.

In the wake of the original Dum And Dummer, Key Glock capitalized in a huge way, following up his stellar performances with two well-received full-length projects in 2020, Yellow Tape and Son Of A Gun. The former debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200, proving that his newfound popularity from the joint tape could carry over to a solo project.

Meanwhile, Dolph himself followed up in 2020 as well with Rich Slave — which debuted at No. 4 on the 200 — and its deluxe version, which added eight new songs and an appearance from another of his Paper Route Empire signees, Kevin Muney.

Listen to “Aspen” above and keep an eye out for more Dum And Dummer 2 news.

Assane Diop is back, and this time it looks like he’ll have to stage a heist of his own son. The trailer for Part 2 of Lupin is full of drama, and promises to revolve around the seaside cliffhanger where his son, Raoul, is the bait with which the bad guys hope to lure our favorite thief to his doom.

“If you touch my son, I’ll kill you,” Diop says to start the trailer, which features a long-distance showdown between himself and what turned out to be the big bad from first season’s final episode. The rest of the trailer makes it clear: Diop will need to rescue his son, and that’s exactly what the rest of the bad guys are hoping for.

“We’re gonna use his kid as bait,” says Hervé Pierre, the man who Diop spent the first Lupin episodes seeking revenge against. “He’ll come right to us.”

That’s exactly what appears to happen, though it’s not that simple when it comes to the French thriller. There’s an elevator fight, a quick change or two and some flashes of the characters who set the scene for a diamond heist decades in the making in the show’s first season.

The trailer includes a big moment with a gasping Diop, though we’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out what got him so surprised. Fittingly, it ends with a very funny set piece about cleverly stealing a car, which should give fans plenty of optimism that Part 2 will be more of the same fun and flash so many fell in love with in 2020.

A very simple thing happened earlier this week. Dr. Seuss Enterprises—the company that runs the Dr. Seuss estate and holds the legal rights to his works—announced it will no longer publish six Dr. Seuss children’s books because they contain depictions of people that are “hurtful and wrong” (their words). The titles that will no longer be published are And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super! and The Cat’s Quizzer.

This simple action prompted a great deal of debate, along with a great deal of disinformation, as people reacted to the story. (Or in many cases, just the headline. It’s a thing.)

My article about the announcement (which contains examples of the problematic content that prompted the annoucnement) led to nearly 3,000 comments on Upworthy’s Facebook page. Since many similar comments were made repeatedly, I wanted to address the most common sentiments and questions:

How do we learn from history if we keep erasing it?

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A racist image in a children’s book is a historical artifact, but it isn’t “history.” History is the recording of and study of events in the past. Things themselves aren’t history. (If physcially holding onto things were necessary to remember history, we’d still have segregated water fountains to remind us that they existed.)

What’s happening with these books right now, though, is history. A famous author’s estate choosing to stop publishing a handful of his books because they contain racist imagery is literally history in the making. It’s not like the images have just disappeared altogether. Students can learn about this history with images in digital archives and museums where they can be learned from at an appropriate age with appropriate context.

Why don’t they keep the books in print and use them as an educational tool?

There are at least two reasons for that, as far as I can see:

1) As Dr. Seuss Enterprises said, these depictions are hurtful. It really doesn’t make sense to keep producing hurtful content in order to educate people who are not hurt by it. You don’t keep punching someone in order to teach observers who aren’t being punched that punching hurts. That’s cruel.

2) These books are made for small children. Kids who are 4 or 5 or 6-years-old don’t have enough background knowledge about the history of racism and racial stereotypes to make these books a useful tool for teaching them about racism. (That doesn’t mean they don’t have an impact on them—more on that in a sec.) While parents should be talking to their kids about race starting young, the imagery here is a more complex element of the topic that doesn’t fit the developmental stage of the kids the books are targeting.

Imagine what that lesson would look like in a class of kindergarteners. “See this picture, kids? That’s an exaggeration of racial features and cultural stereotypes that are hurtful to people of African/Asian descent. It’s just one example of how racism was long accepted in America because they believed people who looked different or came from different places were inferior.” That’s already too much for a kindergartener to process, and that’s just the basic overview. Developmentally, cognitively, educationally, they’re just not there yet.

At that age, kids are just subconsciously absorbing these stereotypes. And what’s worse is that they’re enjoying absorbing them because Dr. Seuss’s whimsical rhymes are fun and reading time is fun.

Seems wiser to just stop publishing them and use what we already have published to teach older kids, teens, and adults about the history of racism in literature.

So “WAP” song being Song of the Year is appropriate but Dr. Seuss isn’t?

I’m personally not a fan of sexually explicit lyrics, but this is an apples and oranges comparison. A highly sexualized song that isn’t made for kids is not comparable to problematic racial imagery in a book that is made explicitly for kids. I’m assuming (and hoping) parents aren’t singing WAP when they tuck their kids into bed at night. Dr. Seuss is deemed innocent and his books are beloved. Warm and cozy childhood memories are made with books. Having warm childhood memories intertwined with racist imagery is a problem.

Dr. Seuss?!? Is there anyone cancel culture won’t come for?

The term “cancel culture” is getting a bit overused, in my opinion. Criticism isn’t canceling. A company receiving critical feedback and making a decision based on that feedback isn’t canceling (unless you count self-canceling as canceling). I grew up loving Dr. Seuss books and read them to my kids when they were little, but I think the company made the right move.

Racism can’t be perpetuated just because we like someone. If we think of this as an attack on racism rather than an attack on a person, it might be easier for Seuss lovers to digest. Ted Geisel was a whole, imperfect human being who evolved over time and left a complicated legacy. His early racism should absolutely be discussed as part of that legacy. His racist works should absolutely be “canceled” by ceasing to be published. People can debate whether or not to read his other books, but the idea that his racially insensitive stuff should continue to be published for children is a pretty gross take.

Get over it. It’s a children’s book.

The same could be said to people throwing a fit about these books no longer being published. The difference is that the people who are hurt by the imagery have an entire history of racial oppression—and likely a good amount of personal racial discrimination—behind their feelings about the images. The people who are offended that a company isn’t making the books anymore have no actual harm to get over. Seems like the lesser offense, objectively and by far, is to stop publishing them.

Why do people even care about color of the characters? Why can’t you just enjoy the stories?

Adults think kids are colorblind. They’re not. Research shows that very young children—even infants and toddlers—notice racial differences. That doesn’t mean that they discriminate, but they do notice race. So presenting racial differences in the form of stereotypical caricatures is a problem. It may not matter to you if you don’t identify with the race being depicted, but it matters to many.

Who gets to decide what’s offensive and what’s not?

The people on the receiving end of racism get to decide what’s racist or not. That doesn’t mean there’s always a unanimous consensus, but it’s pretty clear when a large number of people point out that something is racially offensive. There’s also research behind this decision. A 2019 study of 50 Dr. Seuss books found that only 2% of his human characters were not white, and nearly all of them were depicted in problematic ways. Whether the imagery is truly racially insensitive isn’t really the question. The question is whether or not that imagery should continue to be published anew forever and ever.

Why is this just a problem now when these books have been around for decades?

It’s not just a problem now. This isn’t a new issue or a new complaint—the people who have been portrayed problematically just haven’t been listened to in a real enough way for changes to be made until now. This is what learning and progress and growth as a society looks like. When we know better, we do better.

Yes! What took so long?

Despite the uproar, many people praised the decision, citing years of complaints about the racial stereotypes and caricatures in those books. People also pointed to the blatantly racist political cartoons Geisel (Dr. Seuss’s real last name) drew early in his career as evidence that, yes, the imagery really was rooted in racism.

There’s no question that some of Geisel’s early work was racist. Some argue that he was a product of his time, but that doesn’t make the works any less problematic. His views did evolve over the course of his life, and he tried to make indirect amends with his later books that had anti-prejudice themes, but never formally apologized for his early work. (As writer Danielle Slaughter points out, the kinds of apology statements that are standard now weren’t expected in the time in which he lived, so a public apology would have been nice, but unusual.)

Some people have suggested that Geisel himself may have actually supported the Dr. Seuss Enterprises decision if he were alive today. If he was truly open to learning and broadening his understanding of race, the 30 years between his death and now may have prompted him to make that decision himself. Who knows. But undoubtedly Dr. Seuss Enterprises knows better than the average American what the author would have wanted, and they have the authority to make choices in his name.

So if people are still angry that Dr. Seuss canceled some Dr. Seuss books, they’ll have to take it up with Dr. Seuss.

The theme of a father being challenged to recognize his children’s unique desires and power is central to the story of Coming 2 America, the long-awaited sequel to the ‘80s classic of a similar name. But it’s also essential to what makes this sequel go.

Starring Eddie Murphy as Akeem and other familiar faces from the original (Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, John Amos, James Earl Jones), the sequel walks a tightrope, paying service to the original and its fans while also ushering in a new generation of characters and evolving the story. But those new characters aren’t there merely as stand-ins who are tasked with helping Murphy rewalk the path of the original. They’re empowered to bring a new energy and make this feel like as much their movie as it is Murphy’s. Which is a shocking thing considering the death grip franchise stars usually want to keep no matter the advance of time. Call it the Die Hard principle.

Jermaine Fowler is the biggest beneficiary of this, playing Akeem’s bastard son. His character, Lavelle, has a few things in common with ‘80s Akeem and the fish out of water element of both films is certainly central. But there are layers to his character’s story that make things a lot more complicated than when a young Akeem was combing through Queens in search of love. Watching his character not just find himself but assert himself, impacting everyone around him, is the best part of the whole thing. It’s heart and soul and signifies a real breakout for Fowler, a comic who stood out in Sorry To Bother You, helped to make the TV adaptation of Superior Donuts interesting, and has generally been on the cusp for years. Whether it was director Craig Brewer or Murphy, good eye to whoever put Fowler in a position to do his thing and succeed.

Ditto on the casting of Wesley Snipes, who never really springs to mind as a perfect comedic foil. But he is here, proving that out with boundless swagger while chewing up scenes as a smiling yet dangerous general who challenges Akeem at every end. Remember, before Snipes was Blade and a ‘90s action hero (THE ‘90s action hero?), he demonstrated his flair for comedy in White Men Can’t Jump and Major League. Also, Demolition Man, even though it’s not technically a comedy. Really, this looks like the most fun Snipes has had on-screen since that movie when he was, again, chewing up scenery and strutting with verve and confidence as he wrecking balled everything in his path throughout.

Leslie Jones and Tracy Morgan don’t get as much screen time and they don’t affect the story as deeply, but each delivers big laughs, especially Jones paying homage to the royal bath scene from the original. And her back and forth with Headley’s Lisa is surprising and fun. If there’s a sequel to this sequel (something I could not have imagined saying going into this), I definitely want more from that pairing.

As Meeka, Akeem’s oldest daughter, Kiki Layne continues her ascent following If Beale Street Could Talk. She is fierce as hell, pushing back on old school rules and, at times, clashing with her father. I could go on and on, Trevor Noah has a fun multi-scene cameo as a daft newscaster. Nomzamo Mbatha’s Mirembe is a key character who brings easy charm and balance as the royal barber.

Don’t get confused, there’s plenty from Akeem and Hall’s Semmi. Ditto pop-ins from the original’s hilarious array of side characters brought to life by Murphy, Hall, and a whole lot of makeup. But the version of this film that existed in my mind prior to actually watching it featured a whole lot more from them. It was all about those characters and Queens and references to the original. And that would have been fine. I would have gotten nostalgia drunk with old friends because I love the original. But this is better and bolder. A rare thing from way back that tries and succeeds in its effort to bring its original audience and a new audience together with something that can appeal to both.

You just have to give it up to Murphy [and Brewer, of course]. This could have been a vanity project and he could have been the only hero with everyone else happily taking a backseat because he’s Eddie Murphy and this is him back in one of his most defining roles from a film that still resonates with a lot of people. But Murphy saw the whole board and an opportunity to make something that would continue that legacy with another memorable chapter.

That this is surprising is, maybe on me more than Murphy. Yes. he traded in a lot of coolness equity with a plethora of lame family comedies and weirdly ambitious yet ill-advised swings that that were 100% STAR vehicles where it was all eyes on him as he mugged through lackluster scripts. The Haunted Mansion, Daddy Day Care, and Pluto Nash come to mind. There’s also a period where he moved from mismatched pairing to mismatched pairing, failing to generate much chemistry with co-stars like Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, and Robert DeNiro (I Spy, Tower Heist, Showtime). And then the do-it-all era with Norbit and The Nutty Professor films (with mixed results). But films like Dreamgirls and Dolemite Is My Name, ones where Murphy has gotten his best reviews since the ‘80s, are all about the ensemble. Just like this film.

How this all impacts what comes next is anyone’s guess, but I’d welcome a late phase comedy bridge-builder role for Murphy where he picks his spots and shares the workload with a crew of talented comics who elevate the material and, in turn, elevate his legacy. Icons don’t just stubbornly persist while trying to evade the realities of time, they adapt their game. Maybe that’s what we’re seeing with Coming 2 America and Eddie Murphy.

Click to download here.

“In this house, we believe Columbus was a hero!”

Put down your stinky cheeses and your cold wines, it’s time to talk about season 4 episode 3 of The Sopranos, “Christopher,” with guest Will Menaker from the Chapo Trap House podcast. Will joins Matt and Vince from Clinton Hill Brooklyn, home to Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace. But on this podcast, the only Christopher we acknowledge is Moltisanti.

Written by Michael Imperioli, the actor who plays Chrissy, the episode is divisive even among Sopranos super fans due to its focus on identity politics and a ripped-from-the-headlines plot. Originally written for Paulie, the story focuses on Sylvio’s desire to see that Columbus, and by extension all hard-working Italian-Americans hanging around pork stores, get the respect they deserve.

The woke mob came for Columbus, and all he did was cause enough pain and suffering to be disavowed by the psychos responsible for the Spanish Inquisition. The PC police are sure to come for Matt and Vince soon, so listen to this episode while you still can.

When you get back from the Columbus day protest counter-protest, give us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts.

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(Description by @brentflyberg)

Ted Cruz hasn’t fallen into any new controversies in at least 24 hours, which means that there’s one coming soon because that’s how things go for him. It’s true: only two weeks ago, it turned out that he’d only stopped “sh*tposting” on Twitter because his phone was on airplane mode during his voyage to Cancun while his constituents in Texas literally froze during the state’s power catastrophe. That particular controversy only added existing fuel to Cruz’s encouragement of the failed MAGA coup, and now, there are billboards circulating in the maligned senator’s neighborhood to brand him a “traitor.”

Of course, it remains to be seen whether anything will truly hurt Ted Cruz’s career, since calls for him to resign have been ongoing. He did suffer a notable dip in his approval rating after the Cancun jaunt, but is it enough to matter? After two sizable, back-to-back controversies, he’s down to 49% with nationwide Republicans, but he’s only dropped to 71% with Texas Republicans, which are obviously the people who matter when it comes to reelection.

Nonetheless, he can’t be pleased with this billboard display. Newsweek reveals that multiple trucks have passed by his house, which is the same place where his sad dog looked out a window after Ted flew to Cancun. It’s not fantastic, but Ted Cruz is going nowhere anytime soon.

If you ever needed proof that Bernie Sanders was the voice of the next generation well … here it is.

The senator from Vermont gave an impassioned speech, focused on ending the current pandemic, in front of his colleagues on Capitol Hill today, and our man repped hard for the things that matter to today’s youths. Mainly, the freedom to get busy.

Okay, fine. Technically Sanders was arguing that the younger generations are suffering right now because Covid has basically killed any chance of a social life, but the politician did mention the inability to date as a reason why so many are struggling with their mental health. The speech came as Sanders continues to push for a higher minimum wage despite the Biden administration pulling back efforts on that front. Sanders tried to introduce legislation into Biden’s trillion-dollar Covid relief bill that would raise the minimum wage from $7.25/hr to $15/hr but it didn’t get enough votes to pass.

Still, Twitter seems pretty proud of the internet’s in-touch grandpa right now.

Honestly, it’s so sweet of Bernie to think any of us are actually ready to interact with humans again but if he really wants to help improve the mental health of young people, forgiving student loan debt would be a better place to start.