Month: March 2021

The Dallas Mavericks entered the 2020-21 season with sky-high expectations. That comes with the territory after the team “arrived” early by posting a 43-32 record last season, and doubly so after Dallas took two games from the L.A. Clippers in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. From there, the Mavericks are led by one of the game’s brightest young stars in Luka Doncic and, in some circles, Doncic was the betting favorite to win the 2020-21 NBA MVP award when the season tipped off.

Then, the Mavericks stumbled out of the gate by any description, aided by injuries and absences due to health and safety protocols. Dallas lost seven out of eight games from Jan. 23 through Feb. 4, falling to 9-14 on the season. In that eight-game stretch, Rick Carlisle’s team bottomed out defensively, yielding 1.22 points per possession, and they were outscored by more than 10 points per 100 possessions. Though it was too early for panic, Doncic wasn’t playing at quite as high of a level as he was previously and, of larger concern, the Mavericks’ supporting cast scuffled, particularly when it came to getting stops.

Given the difficulty of the Western Conference, it was perhaps fair to be worried about the Mavericks but, as of late March, the team is suddenly back where it needs to be. Admittedly, Dallas is only the No. 8 seed in the conference and, again, the standings are bunched up with high-end teams all over the board. However, the Mavericks are a blistering 13-5 since the 1-7 hiccup, and Dallas owns a top-five net rating (+6.4) in that 18-game sample.

Most of the gains come as a result of a red-hot offense, and that isn’t a surprise. With Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and an offense-focused roster, the Mavericks are scoring more than 1.19 points per possession in the last 18 games. That explosion brings the Mavericks into the top 10 of the NBA in offensive rating for the full season (113.8). While that isn’t quite as dominant as the team’s league-leading mark (115.9) from a season ago, it is enough to bring the Mavericks back to relevance.

As you may expect, Doncic is the biggest individual reason for the uptick. The third-year perimeter creator is averaging 31.4 points, 8.9 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game during this recent stretch. He is also converting almost 52 percent of his shots, including 44.7 percent of his three-point offerings. Doncic’s Achilles heel as an offensive star has been perimeter accuracy and, well, that isn’t an issue right now. Even when/if that regresses, he has a fully developed arsenal, and the Mavericks are 12-4 in the last 16 games when he plays. In fact, Dallas is 7.8 points per 100 possessions better for the season when he plays, and that figure jumps to +12.5 during the 13-5 run.

There are key supporting pieces as well, headlined by Porzingis. The big man has been highly efficient, scoring 19.8 points and posting 50/41/84 shooting splits since the positive surge began. Moreover, Porzingis is looking slightly less calcified defensively and, for the Mavericks to reach their short- and long-term goals, he must be a legitimate positive on that end.

Make no mistake, the Mavericks still have plenty of work to do, as a 21-18 overall record isn’t going to earn them any parades. Still, the concerns of the opening stanza of the season are beginning to fade, and Dallas is now seemingly on track to at least meet expectations in the grand scheme.

Where do the Mavericks land in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s explore.

1. Brooklyn Nets (29-14, Last week — 1st)

The Nets did have a pretty bad loss this week, falling in Orlando. Even then, Brooklyn almost pulled off a miracle comeback in the fourth quarter, and the Nets are a blistering 15-2 in the last 17 games. Kyrie Irving is going to miss the next few games, and Kevin Durant is still out, but there is no reason to drop the Nets right now.

2. Milwaukee Bucks (28-14, Last week — 4th)

There is only one team in the NBA with longer than a two-game winning streak, and it’s the Bucks at seven in a row. If you want to extend that out, Milwaukee is also 12-1 in the last 13, and they are stifling teams in allowing fewer than 1.06 points per possession over that run. Blasting the Pacers (without Giannis) on Monday was the latest example of how scary they can be.

3. Philadelphia 76ers (30-13, Last week — 2nd)

The absence of Joel Embiid certainly looms over everything in Philadelphia. It goes without saying the 76ers aren’t the same without him but, given the relatively good news about his injury prognosis, we can leave Philadelphia near the top of the league. After all, they are 17-4 in the last 21 games. That’ll work.

4. Phoenix Suns (28-13, Last week — 3rd)

Phoenix just keeps winning. They’re 20-5 in the last 25 games and, even with a weird home loss to Minnesota this week, they bounced back to garner revenge on the Wolves and beat the Lakers. It wasn’t the full-strength Lakers, but the Suns can only beat the teams in front of them.

5. Utah Jazz (31-11, Last week — 5th)

Utah has the best record and the best net rating in the league. Utah is also 5-5 in the last 10 with a bottom-10 defensive rating (114.6) in those games. It will be interesting to see where the team’s actual baseline lands, because it’s probably in the middle of their early-season onslaught and whatever this recent iteration is.

6. L.A. Clippers (28-16, Last week — 8th)

L.A. was flat-out dreadful for 2.5 quarters on Monday… and it didn’t matter. The Clippers flipped a switch in the second half to beat the Hawks, and they are scary when they’re right. The concern would be that they won’t be “right” often enough, but they’ve finally snapped their month-long streak of not winning back-to-back games.

7. Dallas Mavericks (22-19, Last week — 11th)

The Mavs have the chance to keep it rolling with their four-game schedule this week. Three games are on the road, but their opponents are Minnesota, New Orleans and Oklahoma City, sandwiched around a home date with Indiana on Friday.

8. Denver Nuggets (25-17, Last week — 6th)

Denver is 8-2 in the last 10 and they’re heading on a road trip to Orlando and Tampa this week. That isn’t the worst setup in the world. The Nuggets would be higher than this in the rankings if not for a shaky home loss to New Orleans in their last outing.

9. Atlanta Hawks (22-21, Last week — 12th)

The Hawks were the hottest team in the NBA until Monday and, even within that matchup against the Clippers, it seemed like Atlanta was going to cruise to a ninth straight win. Then, they blew a 22-point advantage in the second half, and that isn’t ideal. In the big picture, though, Atlanta has been playing great under Nate McMillan and they are getting healthier with the return of De’Andre Hunter.

10. Los Angeles Lakers (28-15, Last week — 7th)

It would’ve felt dirty to drop the Lakers outside the top 10 but, at the moment, they are worse than this. There is no evidence that the Lakers can score effectively without LeBron and Anthony Davis, and that was on full display in losses to Atlanta and Phoenix over the weekend.

11. Portland Trail Blazers (25-17, Last week — 14th)

Portland is 7-3 in the last 10 games, and they are closer to their ready-made roster with CJ McCollum back. At some point, the Blazers may stop winning every single close game, but those wins are in the bank. Damian Lillard is pretty good, too.

12. San Antonio Spurs (22-18, Last week — 15th)

The schedule is pretty weird for the Spurs in the near future, with a nine-game homestand. Granted, San Antonio started that with a disappointing loss to Charlotte, but they don’t even need to go on a run. Simply holding the line would do the trick.

13. Memphis Grizzlies (20-20, Last week — 19th)

All of the wins came at home, but it was a very good week for Memphis. They beat Boston, Miami and Golden State to get back to .500, and the Grizzlies have a pretty comfortable lead in the No. 10 spot in the West. That may not seem like much, but they’re in a good spot.

14. Boston Celtics (21-22, Last week — 10th)

After a positive run, the Celtics just had a five-game week and they went 1-4. The only win came at home over Orlando, and there are rumors swirling in a big way around Boston. One thing is certain, and it’s that the Celtics aren’t great as currently constructed.

15. Golden State Warriors (22-21, Last week — 16th)

It’s hard to say how real it is, but former first-round pick Jordan Poole is cooking right now. Since joining the rotation in early March, Poole is averaging 20.9 points per game in seven appearances, and he’s doing it in 26.4 minutes per game. Some of his shooting (55/44/88) is unsustainably hot, but it would help the Warriors if they had another shot creator, particularly when Steph Curry sits.

16. Indiana Pacers (19-23, Last week — 20th)

Indiana is really hard to read right now. They’ve had a brutal schedule in March and, with that in mind, their 4-9 recent record isn’t as ugly. Then, the Pacers swept the Heat (in Miami) over the weekend, only to be annihilated by the Giannis-less Bucks on Monday. I’m throwing up my hands on this one for another week.

17. Miami Heat (22-21, Last week — 9th)

Miami has to land behind Indiana after back-to-back losses in that series this weekend. Before that, the Heat failed to crack 90 points in a loss to Memphis. There are still lingering positives, as highlighted a week ago in this space, but the peripherals aren’t great. Miami is 25th (!) in offense right now.

18. New Orleans Pelicans (18-24, Last week — 21st)

You wouldn’t necessarily know it by following the zeitgeist, but the Pelicans have a puncher’s chance to make the play-in. FiveThirtyEight gives them a 19 percent chance which, ya know, isn’t great, but they’re only three games behind Memphis.

19. Charlotte Hornets (21-21, Last week — 13th)

It was not a good weekend in Charlotte. LaMelo Ball may miss the rest of the season and, on top of that, the Hornets lost three in a row. To their credit, they picked up a nice win over the Spurs on Monday, but it is hard to be extremely optimistic about Charlotte (in the short term) with Ball on the shelf.

20. New York Knicks (21-22, Last week — 17th)

It might be time for some alarm in New York. The Knicks are 3-5 in March with a -5.0 net rating and a defensive rating (112.4) that ranks 18th in the NBA for the month. It’s a small sample, but New York can’t maintain their pace if they aren’t deploying a top-flight defense.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder (19-24, Last week — 22nd)

Mark Daigneault should probably be a Coach of the Year candidate. He probably shouldn’t win either, but the Thunder have absolutely no business being 19-24 right now. Oklahoma City’s available roster is a point of (sicko) interest on a nightly basis, and they continue to compete admirably.

22. Sacramento Kings (18-25, Last week — 26th)

The Kings just finished a long road trip by winning three of the last four games. Yes, they have an historically bad defense, allowing more than 1.18 points per possession, but they also have a pretty lofty ceiling when they are cooking on the other end. Individually, De’Aaron Fox is averaging 27.1 points and 8.2 assists per game in the last 13 games, putting the Kings on his back on some nights.

23. Chicago Bulls (19-23, Last week — 18th)

It feels rosier in Chicago than it probably is. FiveThirtyEight gives the Bulls just a 12 percent chance to make the playoffs, and that wasn’t bolstered by a 1-3 showing this week. Zach LaVine has been genuinely wonderful, but the rest of the puzzle is murky.

24. Cleveland Cavaliers (16-27, Last week — 25th)

Cleveland still has the worst net rating (-8.0) in the league, but they aren’t really mentioned in the “worst teams” discussion. That is probably fair with the way they’ve played in the semi-recent past but, if you take a step back, they are 6-16 in the last 22 games. It isn’t necessarily great.

25. Washington Wizards (15-26, Last week — 24th)

If you want to be optimistic, you can say the Wizards are 9-9 in the last 18 games after a dismal start. If you want to be pessimistic, you can say the Wizards are 2-8 in the last 10 games. If you want to split the difference, you can say that Washington picked up a win over Utah (!) this week but also lost to Sacramento at home. Choose your own adventure.

26. Detroit Pistons (12-30, Last week — 27th)

The Pistons went 2-1 this week. Nevermind that the two wins came over teams ranked below them on this list, all of the victories count. For the season, Detroit’s net rating (-3.5) is closer to Miami and Charlotte than it is to Minnesota and Orlando.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-33, Last week — 28th)

Credit to the Wolves for playing much better basketball. They are 3-3 since the All-Star break and new head coach Chris Finch has some creativity flowing in the offense. Minnesota still isn’t good, but they seem to be having more fun and they are playing up to their roster in a way that wasn’t happening previously.

28. Orlando Magic (14-28, Last week — 29th)

There is something funny about the fact that, while Orlando is 1-10 in the last 11 games, the victory came over the No. 1 team in these rankings. The Magic are going to be fascinating in the next few days with the trade market heating up, but they are pretty brutal to watch on the court at the moment.

29. Houston Rockets (12-30, Last week — 30th)

All kidding aside, it was encouraging to see the Rockets win a basketball game on Monday night. That is especially true after video surfaced that displayed the anguish of head coach Stephen Silas, and nobody wants to lose 20 games in a row, even in the middle of an obvious rebuild. They’re still probably the worst team in the league right now, but they were outdone this week.

30. Toronto Raptors (17-26, Last week — 23rd)

The Raptors aren’t the worst team in the league, and everyone knows it. Now that I’ve said that, Toronto hasn’t won a game since Feb. 26, and they lost to Houston (by 18 points!) on Monday night. It should be noted that the Raptors are only 2.5 games out of the play-in tournament in the East, but it’s a total mess right now. Most of the damage came when they were short-handed, but they probably needed to avoid a sweep against Cleveland and Houston.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got the latest from Lana Del Rey, the long-awaited release of Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett’s official score for Spike Jonze’s 2013 film Her, and the first new music from Foxing in more than three years. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey’s follow-up to Norman F*cking Rockwell, our favorite album album of 2019, is a more subdued and calculated affair. With just 11 tracks, Chemtrails Over The Country Club manages to once again remind us what Lana is what Steven Hyden calls for Uproxx “a master of vibe.”

Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett – Her (Original Score)

I have written in the past about the incredible ways that Spike Jonze’s incorporates music in his work to evoke in the viewer the exact emotion portrayed on screen. Jonze’s last feature film, Her, was released all the way back in 2013, and was accompanied by an Oscar-nominated score from Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett. Now, without so much as an explanation, the highly sought-after score has been officially released for your listening pleasure. Don’t miss it.

Middle Kids – Today We’re The Greatest

On their sophomore album, Australian rockers Middle Kids look to reconcile with the past. The tracks the comprise Today We’re The Greatest are airy and meditative, creating the necessary space to dig in and understand.

Chase Cohl – Dear Dear: Volume 1 EP

You might know Chase Cohl as a poet or fashion entrepreneur, or model, but now she is adding musician to her resume. Dear Dear: Volume 1 was recorded at Los Angeles studio Valentine Sound, which served as the home base for artists like The Beach Boys and Elvis Presley. The time capsule element of the space definitely makes its way into the EP’s four tracks, evoking classic love songs. They just don’t make ’em the way they used to!

Foxing – “Speak With The Dead” (ft. WHY?)

Foxing has been relatively quiet since the cycle supporting their (incredible) 2018 album Nearer My God. That’s all about to change with the release of “Speak With The Dead,” a nearly seven-minute opus featuring WHY?. “For over a year now, we’ve all either faced a direct encounter or a biting proxy for death,” the band wrote in a statement accompanying the release. “When it feels like the ones we love are lost entirely, this song is meant to be a reminder, we couldn’t shake them if we tried. Wherever we go there they are.”

Lord Huron – “Mine Forever”

A month after sharing a new song called “Not Dead Yet,” Lord Huron have officially announced a new album called Long Lost. With the announcement came another new track, the breezy and heartland rock-inspired “Mine Forever.”

Mxmtoon – “Creep” (Radiohead cover)

The Life Is Strange series of video games has become a beloved success since the debut title was released back in 2015, and Mxmtoon fans are even more excited about the newest installment after finding out that she had been tapped to provide the singing voice for the main character, Alex. As a first taste of what the music sounds like, Mxmtoon shared her rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep” on social media, giving the legendary a track a new reinterpretation that makes it a perfect fit for a video game.

Alex Lahey – “This Kiss” (Faith Hill cover)

Alex Lahey is taking it back to 1998 with a cover of Faith Hill’s massive crossover hit “This Kiss.” For her version, Lahey gave the track a distinctly 2021 vibe – she “cranked up the tempo and added electric guitars, turning the country-pop song into a modern indie rocker,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.

Hit Like A Girl – “Monsters”

Hit Like A Girl just announced their new album Heart Racer, and it is somehow already here. “Monsters” is the latest offering from the LP, and was inspired by a paradigm-shifting panic attack that Nicolle Maroulis incurred recently. The new track features Bartees Strange, and opens with buoyant, shimmering chords before the full band enters to evoke Maroulis’s new perspective.

Fake Dad – “Listen”

And now for something completely different. Brooklyn’s Fake Dad formed back in 2018, but the forthcoming Old Baby EP is their first official release. “Listen” combines the best of R&B with bubbly electronic indie-pop for a truly enjoyable listen, and a promising sign of what’s to come from the up-and-coming duo.

Squid – “Paddling”

Buzzing UK outfit Squid are just a few weeks away from unleashing their debut album Bright Green Field. Every new teaser has been more intriguing than the last, and “Paddling” is no different. The six-minute epic covers a lot of sonic ground, embracing “shades of David Byrne, The B-52s, and punk,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.

Lightning Bug – “The Right Thing Is Hard To Do”

Lightning Bug’s new album, A Color Of The Sky, was recorded live in a rundown home-turned makeshift studio in the Catskills. The album’s first single “The Right Thing Is Hard To Do” has the organic sounds of a live recording on full display, but still manages to sound incredibly rich and full of dimension. Definitely a track to throw on as you roll down the windows for your first long drive of spring!

Pollard – “Bottom Line”

After moving from the midwest to New York City, Kyle Luck took a few years off from music. Now, the former Oliver Houston songwriter is back with new solo music under the name Pollard. “Bottom Line” is a more subdued affair than Luck’s previous emo-inspired work, but still showcases the strength of his songwriting skills as he laments the punishing cycle of being a part of the modern American workforce.

Early Riser – “Pleasantries”

New York lo-fi folk punks Early Riser are prepping their new album Vocations, which is out later this week. The latest offering is “Pleasantries,” a fast, infectious punk number centered around acoustic guitar. Early Riser is reminiscent of bands like Lipstick Homicide, which will always give them a place in my heart.

The Dumes – “Caught”

Los Angeles-based quintet The Dumes make music perfect for warm weather. Their forthcoming EP Everything Is Horrible was produced by Grammy-winning producer Joe Chiccarelli (The Strokes, The Killers), and you can hear the shine and polish coming off a track like “Caught,” which makes the best of jangly guitars and Elodie Tomlinson’s rollicking vocal.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Senator Ted Cruz never misses a chance to speak out against gun control and digs the Second Amendment. He does so to such a degree that (as seen above) he held a 2015 campaign event (during the presidential primary race) at an Iowa gun shop and range. Before he ascended to Congress (and abandoned freezing Texas constituents while fleeing to Cancun), Cruz served as an NRA lawyer, and he believes that gun control is tantamount to government tyranny. He’s still somehow one of the first to offer empty “thoughts and prayers” tweets after a mass shooting, and after the second headline-making mass shooting in less than a week, Cruz is already arguing against gun control laws in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence.

Monday saw a still-unidentified (to the public, though the man remains in police custody) gunman open fire in a Boulder, Colorado grocery store and kill ten people (including one police officer). Cruz’s immediate position is that Congress shouldn’t even consider passing gun control laws (apparently, not even on AR-15s) because that only “makes it worse.” In the below video from The Recount, Cruz declares, “Every time there’s a shooting, we play this ridiculous theater.” He added, “Democrats propose taking away guns from law-abiding citizens… it makes it worse.”

Via this clip from the Washington Examiner, Cruz continued to push for some sort of action, including mysterious gun laws (targeting felons and the mentally ill) that he supports, which he insists will not “scapegoat innocent, law-abiding citizens” like he claims that Democrats want to do with gun-control laws. Cruz goes on to claim that guns are used by private citizens to defend their own safety, during at least a million instances per year in the United States. He railed against “the Democrats who want to take away guns from those potential victims would create more victims of crimes, not less.” He further stated that “I don’t apologize for thoughts or prayers … and the contempt of Democrats for prayers is an odd sociological thing.”

Well, people weren’t here for Ted claiming that doing something somehow “makes it worse” while suggesting that doing nothing (even considering that the NRA recently blocked an AR-15 ban in Boulder) will somehow work miracles.

For the record, Cruz has bragged about his role in blocking gun-control legislation in response to the Sandy Hook massacre. “There’s a reason when Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer came after our right to keep and bear arms, that I led the opposition,” Cruz previously declared. “Along with millions of Americans, we defeated that gun control legislation.” And people aren’t going to forget it…

Bad Bunny is a lifelong fan of WWE. That’s why he was over the moon when he was invited to perform at the WWE’s Royal Rumble earlier this year. But he didn’t just showcase his music, he also gave the audience a taste of his wrestling skills by taking out The Miz from the ring’s top rope. Apparently, The Miz still hasn’t forgiven Bad Bunny as the wrestler has now challenged the rapper to an official fight at WrestleMania 2021.

The Miz explained his challenge to Bad Bunny in a recent segment on WWE. The Miz pointed out that although Bad Bunny is a celebrated musician, he’s nowhere close to being as successful of a wrestler:

“Before we discuss WrestleMania, I have to get something off of my chest. I have had a grueling and strenuous couple of weeks full of great highs and terrible lows and the last thing I needed during this trying time was to be laughed at and ridiculed by Damian Priest and more importantly, Bad Bunny. Bad frickin’ Bunny? Now to his credit, Bad Bunny is one of the biggest stars in music and entertainment. He’s a Grammy Award winner, he’s had multi-Platinum hits. With Bad Bunny, you think about it, and you go, ‘Who do you think you are?’ Let you remind me who I am. I am a two-time Grand Slam champion. […] I am the only two-time Grand Slam champion in the history of this company. I’ve been the backbone of WWE for 15-plus years.”

While The Miz knocks Bad Bunny’s wrestling skills, the musician clearly has a few tricks up his sleeve. After pinning The Miz following his performance on Raw, Bad Bunny was able to officially secure the WWE 24/7 Championship belt.

Watch The Miz challenged Bad Bunny to a fight above.

Night one of WrestleMania kicks off 4/1 at 8 pm EST. Watch it here.

In her new Cosmopolitan cover story, Saweetie comes clean about one of the formative incidents of her career. Addressing the infamous February 2018 Hot 97 interview in which host Ebro bullied her over her freestyle, calling it “basic” among other things, Saweetie says that the host’s insensitive comments left a lasting negative impression on her.

“It was a really dark point in my life,” she admits. ” went from being so loved so quickly because of ‘Icy Grl’ to, on my first promo run, well, you saw the interview. The script flipped really quick, like night and day. I was like, ‘Wait…’ I had PTSD from that.” She also notes that due to a lack of experience and artist development, which labels basically gave up on during the blog era ten years before “Icy Grl” blew up on Instagram, fans saw her as a bad performer, which further hurt her sense of self esteem.

“Because ‘Icy Grl’ was so popular, I was being booked at huge festivals,” she notes. “I was literally thrown into it.” However, she credits the experience with toughening her up and prepare her for success. “I’m really grateful for my start. Because the mistakes, the struggle, the grind—it allows me to appreciate the rewards that come now because I know what it feels like to sleep in motels, to drive and do promo, to be stressed out.”

You can read the full profile here.

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

Bob Odenkirk’s new film, Nobody, isn’t quite what you think it might be based solely on the marketing. From the trailer, we are kind of led to believe Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell is your average, everyday working stiff. And he certainly appears that way to the outside world, but he’s actually a former assassin who, when pushed too far by a home break-in, returns to a life of fighting crime: and in this case that means taking on the entire Russian mob himself. Nobody is much more Atomic Blonde than it is Falling Down. Think, maybe, Atomic Bob.

“Action star” is maybe the last genre for Odenkirk to conquer. Between Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, Fargo, and his, at this point, pretty legendary comedy bona fides – between Mr. Show and SNL – he has pretty much all the other bases covered. So Odenkirk started working with a trainer to get into fighting shape (literally) and now he’s presenting himself to you as an action star. Well, at least an action star who there’s still the possibility he might lose.

Ahead, Odenkirk explains why Nobody is a strangely therapeutic movie to watch right now (and it’s hard to explain, but he’s right) and he talks about the origins of some of the most famous SNL sketches of all time. We know them as Chris Farley’s Matt Foley/motivational speaker sketches. but Odenkirk wrote that character for Farley and performed the role of the father at Second City, a role we’d eventually see Phil Hartman play on SNL. Odenkirk has called it the thing he’s most proud of in his career and, ahead, he explains just how it all came together.

This movie is strangely therapeutic. I don’t know if that makes sense.

No, Mike! You’re not the first person to say that!

Okay, I thought I was the weird one.

No. A lot of people. Here’s what people are saying. Somebody said, “This was a movie I needed, and I didn’t even know I needed it.” And I’m going to tell you, we’re cooped up for a year, there’s no one to strike back at.

There’s not.

There’s nothing to hit. There’s nothing to yell at. There’s nothing to push out of the way. Every day, you wake up, you can’t get the vaccine yet. You have to just be cool. You just have to suck it up. You just have to maintain. And it wears you down. And this movie is a guy who has been worn down. He’s been sucking it up. He’s been holding his breath. And I would argue it’s his own fault. Everybody’s got to find their outlets, but he didn’t. And he has this notion of being undercover, which maybe he’s taken that too far, and he explodes. And this is purely happenstance. We made this movie, there was no pandemic yet, but I do think it’s relatable. It’s like, yeah. That’s how I feel. I want a Russian gang to walk on a bus, so I can beat the living out of them.

Oh yeah, that scene got put on the internet today. I re-watched it.

Oh, really?

As an exclusive clip, not illegally.

The whole scene?

At least part of it.

You’ve seen the movie?

Yes, I have.

They don’t show me falling out of the bus, do they?

I don’t think it’s the whole thing. That scene goes on a long time.

Good. Please, don’t put the whole thing. I want the audience to come to the theater and see it.

You know what movie I kept thinking of during this? I kept thinking of True Lies…

Oh?

Because you play this guy, and it makes some sense that no one realizes his past. In True Lies, Jamie Lee Curtis is like, “Harry? He’s just a computer salesman. What do you mean he’s a spy?” And it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. And it’s like, well, yes, of course, he’s a spy. I can believe both sides of this with you.

Listen, when I was thinking about why I wanted to do and what I want to do, there were so many things that drove me to ask if I could do an action movie. And then search for a writer and try to find somebody who wants to do it. And I got some positive appreciation or interest almost from the get-go, which really surprised me. But I thought, I can really be that guy. I can be the guy you genuinely don’t think he’s going to be okay. You don’t think he’s going to beat these guys up! You think he really is just a regular dad. And I can play him with reticence and uncertainty and, hopefully, make that authentic. And that’s a fresh thing that you haven’t seen. Because most of the action stars of the last 10 or 15 years literally behave like robots that kill. And they sort of switch into this mode of “kill mode,” and they dispense with everyone. And that’s fun to watch. But I thought one thing I could do that would be different, a contribution, something unique, would be: you really don’t think this guy’s going to make it through the fight. When I say that line, “I’m going to fuck you up.” I really try to say it with doubt in my eyes.

And then he has some problems. Oh, so I looked up the clip. It’s 1 minute and 12 seconds, that’s it.

So it’s not the whole bus scene?

It’s not the whole bus.

The bus fight was so important. Because it was like the planting a flag of what I think I want to show you and what I want to try to do and how far this character can go further than you think. And also to do it with no irony and no safety valve of comedy, just pure, blazing rage.

Speaking of the pure, blazing rage. When you were deciding to do this, was this the thing missing from your resume? Because you’ve got almost everything else covered. You said, “You know what? I need to play a fighting machine.”

No, I don’t need to do it. But yes, I was fully aware of the outlandish distance that it inhabits from everything else I’ve done and where I started my career. On the other hand, I would argue that it really is just an extension of the character I play on Saul. It is an extension of the earnest, fighting guy, who’s trying to achieve something and never quits. I know it’s crazy. And I think really the craziest thing about it is not the fighting, it’s the lack of irony in the character. For a person who comes from comedy, where all we did was make fun of heightened emotion – earnest emotion, earnest drama – to go to a place of action genre? Where it’s utterly earnest and kind of big feelings played simply, that is a real journey. And that, to me, is the joy of being an actor. To do things that are far, far away from everything you’ve done so far.

You mentioned Better Call Saul. Were you filming this around the same time as that past season?

I shot this movie in October, of 2019, three weeks after we finished season five.

Because I noticed while watching last season that you were, not that you’re not always an in-shape human being, but you were very in-shape for that last season, and especially when you were wearing short sleeve shirts.

I’m not bulked up like a Marvel superhero

You had some guns though. I saw them.

Yeah. But I think I have the guns that he did, could get if he lifted those goddamn weights he has that are sitting in the corner of his room. I still wanted to look like a regular guy, maybe one who works out regularly, but otherwise not Superman, and I think I do. I started training in 2017. In February of 2017.

Oh, wow. Okay.

I started training with Daniel Bernhardt, who’s maybe the greatest stunt actor on planet Earth right now. And he’s one of the guys I beat the shit out of in the bus. And you’ve seen him in Atomic Blonde and Barry. He was amazing in Barry. I mean, Daniel, he’s really the fucking best. And the fact that he took the time to train me for two-and-a-half years is a tribute to his patience and his kindness and generosity. So I trained, and then when I would shoot Saul. I would train here, at a gym, and Daniel would send me videos of things to do. But, basically, I just was steady at it for two-and-a-half-years before we shot.

A couple of months ago I was reading how you said the “Motivational Speaker” sketch from SNL with Chris Farley is your favorite thing you’ve ever gotten to do, writing it by yourself in a small Chicago apartment. I’ve always wondered, was that ever based on something you saw? Like a local commercial in Chicago or something?

Well, I mean, it was based a little bit on Chris Farley’s improv from the night that I wrote it. We had done the improv set at Second City and he had played a coach of a high school team. It was some scene where people were doing anti-drug speeches, and he played a version of Matt Foley. Which he’d done in his life before that, but had none of the backstory, the “van down by the river.” It had none of that. It was not a motivational speaker. He was the high school coach, but he did some of the moves. “You can’t, because you don’t get it.”

And he was berating the kids in that way. I just gave it a story, but it was a pretty unique story. And I think it landed really well. There’s a lot I’ve written, thousands of comedy sketches, and I can list the five or seven that came out exactly the way they’re done and that worked so well. So it’s really special. A special piece to me. And, additionally, playing it on stage for seven performances a week with Second City for the summer that I was there, was probably just pure … it was pure joy.

‘Nobody’ opens Friday, March 26th in theaters. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

The past few months of Halsey’s life have been home to some major changes for her. The pop star announced at the top of 2021 that she is pregnant, and earlier this month, she declared that her preferred pronouns are now “she” and “they.” Halsey made the latter announcement without much explanation, simply updating her Instagram bio to reflect the change. Now, though, she has offered more insight about her pronoun shift.

In a recent Instagram story, Halsey wrote, “for those asking RE: my updated IG bio, I am happy with either pronouns 🙂 the inclusion of ‘they’, in addition to ‘she’, feels most authentic to me. If you know me at all you know what it means to me to express this outwardly. thanks for being the best [star emoji].”

Towards the end of 2020, Halsey teased a busy 2021. On Twitter, she said this year will be “the most ridiculous year” of her career so far and a “nonstop explosion.” The projects she has on the way are apparently also “all very different” and some of them have been “years in the making.” One of Halsey’s biggest 2021 development was a less exciting one, though, as she announced in January that she had officially canceled her Manic world tour.

Despite its massive four-hour-and-two-minute runtime, Stephen Colbert isn’t ashamed to admit that he still wanted more of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Turns out, The Late Show host is a big fan of the original post-credits scene from the 2017 theatrical version of Justice League that featured Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke meeting up with Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor to form the Legion of Doom. But when that scene didn’t get the expanded screentime that Colbert was hoping for in the Snyder Cut, he made his own post-credits scene by combining the existing footage of Deathstroke with Colbert himself playing Lex Luthor. It did not go well for Deathstroke.

In the expanded “The Colbert Cut” scene, Colbert’s Luthor ruthlessly dunks on Deathstroke over everything from his name to the fact that his comic book origins involve him mostly battling Robin and the Teen Titans. “Where do you fight?” Colbert’s Luthor ask. “At the mall.” He also gets Deathstroke confused with Will Smith’s Deadshot, which prompts Colbert’s Luthor to hold up pictures of Deadpool and Deadshot and quip that all three of these guys basically have the same name. “How does anyone tell you apart?” Colbert asks Deathstroke before going in for the kill. “Oh wait, these two don’t fight teens.”

It’s a pretty funny scene that makes great use of the Deathstroke footage to deliver joke after joke about how he’s basically “Pirate Deadpool,” which is a burn on a whole other level considering Deadpool was literally created as a spoof of Deathstroke, and yet, look who has his own movie franchise. That’s gotta sting.

This week in the best new pop music saw the release of some anticipated LPs. Lana Del Rey dropped her long-awaited Chemtrails Over The Country Club, Justin Bieber debuted his album Justice, and J Balvin returned with a fiery new single.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.

Lana Del Rey — “White Dress”

Lana Del Rey has been teasing Chemtrails Over The Country Club for months, and it’s finally here along with her fan favorite song “White Dress.” About the track, co-writer/producer Jack Antonoff says it’s one of his favorites on the album. “What I like about that song is that for all of its weirdness, when you get to the end of it, you understand exactly what it’s about,” he said.

Justin Bieber — “Peaches” Feat. Daniel Caesar, Giveon

Other than getting hit with a cease and desist letter for his album’s logo, Justin Bieber’s Justice album rolled out this week without a hitch. The 16-track release dove deeper into his R&B sound, which can be heard on the song “Peaches,” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon. The track displayed Bieber’s positive lyricism over a snappy beat while offering an opportunity for his collaborator to show off their moving vocals.

J Balvin — “Tu Venemo”

J Balvin may have released his acclaimed album Colores just last year, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down since. The Colombian musician returned this week to debut his dark pop track “Tu Venemo,” where he sings of the addictive nature of a toxic relationship.

Addison Rae — “Obsessed”

TikTok star Addison Rae was highest-paid person on the platform in 2020, and now she’s pivoting to her music career. Rae released her debut single “Obsessed” this week, which is a sparkling anthem about maintaining self worth.

Glaive — “I Wanna Slam My Head Against The Wall”

Though he’s only been making music for about eight months, 16-year-old North Carolina native Glaive has already made a name for himself with his art-pop sound. Now, “I Wanna Slam My Head Against The Wall” marks Glaive’s latest release. The song offers another view into his psyche, this time contrasting relationship woes with upbeat instrumentals.

Dasha — “None Of My Business”

Up-and-coming pop songwriter Dasha released her shimmering debut EP $hiny Things this week, showing off her knack for catchy yet relatable tunes. In a statement about the project, Dasha said: “The mood of the entire project swings from crying on your birthday, to being so innocently in love with someone, to getting cheated on, to finally being the confident bitch you’re supposed to be. This EP is the epitome of all the ups and downs I’ve felt over the past year.”

Daniyel — “It’s Ok”

19-year-old musician Daniyel released the bittersweet anthem “It’s Ok” this week as a reminder to stay positive about mental health. Speaking about the track in a statement, Daniyel said: “At first listen, the song sounds like a love song. But the true inspiration is a quote I always tell myself when I’m feeling out of place and down. In the end everything will be okay. Whether it’s my mom’s living situation, my mental health, or when I get to the end of a show I’ve been binging for weeks…it will be okay.”

PJ Harding, Noah Cyrus — “You Belong To Somebody Else”

Best New Artist Grammy nominee Noah Cyrus released the folksy collaboration “You Belong To Somebody Else” with PJ Harding this week. The track arrives as another preview of the two songwriter’s joint EP People Don’t Change, which is slated for a release later this spring. “At heart, this is really a raw, homemade record,” Harding stated about the song. “There’s a strong folk tradition in Australia, which you can possibly feel. There’s certainly a lot of Nashville in there too. I feel like Noah is really the guiding force here. She’s the soul of this record.”

Babygirl — “Nevermind”

Toronto alt pop songwriting duo Babygirl returned this week to share the single “Nevermind” and announce the upcoming EP Losers Weepers. About the new song, Babygirl told Nylon that they are drawn to the word in particular: “I like the word ‘never mind. It’s often said after you’ve said something you immediately want to take back or undermine, and we like pointing to that nervous tick in the context of a romantic relationship.”

Madeline The Person — “As A Child”

Rising singer Madeline The Person offered a glimpse into her colorful world of pop with the euphoric single “As A Child.” “With my music, I’m trying to normalize the sad and hard and really gross stuff and make it more acceptable and less scary, because to me, as a person, I am all of those things combined. I’m super sad and also really happy and joyful and grateful. I have a lot of emotions and I don’t like to boil it down to just a few.”

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Selena Gomez’s recent Revelación EP was an important release for the singer, as she has long expressed a desire to release a Spanish-language project. The effort has worked out for Gomez, as it has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart dated March 27, and Gomez is pretty stoked about it.

Gomez told Billboard:

“I never go into anything expecting a No. 1 so I do not take it for granted. It’s always a bit nerve-racking before releasing any music because as artists we put so much of ourselves out there. For this EP specifically, I was the most nervous I have been in a long time because my heritage means so much to me and I have been talking about doing this for over 10 years. I wanted it to be perfect. I am thrilled to see the response from my fans and also from people who might not have listened to my other music.”

This comes weeks after Gomez said she has considered retiring from music, saying, “It’s hard to keep doing music when people don’t necessarily take you seriously. I’ve had moments where I’ve been like, ‘What’s the point? Why do I keep doing this?’ ‘Lose You to Love Me’ I felt was the best song I’ve ever released, and for some people it still wasn’t enough. I think there are a lot of people who enjoy my music, and for that I’m so thankful, for that I keep going, but I think the next time I do an album it’ll be different. I want to give it one last try before I maybe retire music.”