Month: March 2021

The Brooklyn Nets have been in cruise control for some time, as they just continue piling up wins even in the absence of Kevin Durant. While they wait for their star forward to return to the lineup, their star guards have carried the load as James Harden is once again putting up MVP numbers and Kyrie Irving has embraced his role of being the team’s scoring guard.

However, on their upcoming three game road trip starting on the west coast, where they’ll face Portland, Utah, and Detroit, Irving will not be with the team as he attends to a family matter, as the team announced on Monday.

It will be the second time this season Irving has taken some time away from the Nets to deal with a personal, family matter and it seems the Nets are more than willing to accommodate those needs and give him time when he requests it. Hopefully all is well with Irving and his family and he’ll be able to return to the court once the Nets return from their road trip, but the organization will surely give him whatever time he needs to handle whatever is going on off the floor. Last time Irving took time away, he returned at an All-Star level and the Nets’ concerns as a team are with having everyone right for the playoffs, not the regular season, and that sometimes requires some time away, either for physical or mental health, and the organization seems to understand those needs.

Fox News host Jeanine Pirro had a bit of a meltdown on her show, Justice With Judge Jeanine, over the weekend when a guest made the big mistake of … wait for it … complimenting the job President Joe Biden has been doing since he took office.

Pirro, a staunch Trump supporter and vocal conservative pundit, invited respected immigration lawyer David Leopold on to her show Saturday to discuss the ongoing crisis at the border. In February, a reported 100,000 migrants tried to cross into the country, prompting Republicans to blame Biden for the surge in immigration numbers. In reality, most of the policies put in place by the Trump administration remain intact, with Biden’s team facing a complicated path through the courts to change some of the more inhumane regulations enacted under Trump. In fact, despite Pirro claiming on her show that February’s number was a “record” in terms of undocumented immigrants crossing the border, that new threshold actually belongs to Trump — in May 2019, some 150,000 people crossed the southern border.

But really, what are facts and context to Pirro? Leopold, who battled with her over her unsupported immigration claims for most of his guest spot, had the gall to suggest that Biden was “making America great again,” a tongue-in-cheek compliment that threw Pirro over the edge.

“David, I’m stopping you right there,” Pirro interrupted after Leopold pointed out the success of Biden’s vaccination plan. “I don’t tolerate lies on my show! He is bringing Covid into this country. He’s bringing in a whole pandemic, during a pandemic.”

Pirro then completely shut down Leopold, telling her guest, “Thanks for being here, and thanks for nothing.”

So … yeah, at least we know now what sets Jeanine Pirro off. Facts.

After the pandemonium over Bernie Sanders’ inaugural mittens wore off, the senator from Vermont got back to his usual progressive business. This includes reigniting his feud with the CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and the Boring Company. Last year, Sanders pointed out that Elon Musk benefited greatly from government subsidies, which actually fuel his wealth (“Oh, Elon just l-o-v-e-s corporate socialism for himself, rugged capitalism for everyone else”). That round went down after Musk suggested a sarcastic drinking game revolving around government programs. The beef never died, and Sanders is here for more. Last week, he came for Elon’s massive wealth accumulation while suggesting that he should pay more taxes.

“We are in a moment in American history where two guys — Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos — own more wealth than the bottom 40% of people in this country,” the Bern tweeted. “That level of greed and inequality is not only immoral. It is unsustainable.”

The subject got picked up by CleanTechnica, a pro-Tesla site that defended Musk against the “greed” accusation while arguing that Elon “passionately strives for gigantic goals with the companies he creates,” and “the inspiration there is the goals themselves, not making money.” Elon piled onto the defense of himself with a spacey addition and one of the strangest tweets ever tweeted: “I am accumulating resources to help make life multiplanetary & extend the light of consciousness to the stars.”

Dude sounds like he was having a pretty fantastic late-night Twitter session, but Sanders was in no mood to party.

“Space travel is an exciting idea, but right now we need to focus on Earth and create a progressive tax system so that children don’t go hungry, people are not homeless and all Americans have healthcare,” Sanders responded. “The level of inequality in America is obscene and a threat to our democracy.”

Musk has yet to respond to Sander’s latest blow, but it could very well happen with a “far out, man” type of vibe.

Aaron Gordon trade rumors have been swirling for what feels like years, as Orlando’s swingman has been in an awkward fit with the Magic’s frontcourt-heavy roster for some time. Still, there he remains, but it finally seems like this is the trade deadline that he is moved.

Part of that comes from the fact that he is on a team-friendly deal for next year, as his descending contract makes it so he’s making just over $18 million this year and will be on the books for just $16 million in 2021-22. That makes matching the money much easier, but on top of that, he has finally had enough of his time with the Magic. According to Sam Amick and Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Gordon requested a trade back in February and the Magic have been actively shopping him, but keeping their asking price high heading into this week’s trade deadline.

The Magic have been listening to offers for Gordon going back to last season, maintaining an asking price of multiple first-round picks or a pick with a good young player, per sources. But with Gordon having made it clear last month that he’s ready to move on, and interested teams well aware that he’s eager for a new start in a competitive environment where he can play a pivotal role, it still remains to be seen if a Gordon deal will go down.

Boston, Portland, Houston, Minnesota, and Denver are all noted in the piece as teams who have expressed interest, but the Rockets and Timberwolves certainly don’t fit his hopes of a “competitive environment” at the moment. As such, we’ll focus on the other three landing spots and what those teams can offer, along with some potential darkhorse teams that might get in the mix.

Boston Celtics

Celtics Get: Aaron Gordon
Magic Get: Tristan Thompson, Aaron Nesmith, 2023 lottery-protected 1st

Thompson is the contract that makes this deal work, although it’s possible they could just send picks and prospects and use the Gordon Hayward TPE to absorb Gordon — however, as The Athletic notes, that would ensure they have a massive tax bill for next year. Gordon going to Boston gets him onto the playoff contender he wants to be on, slotting into the power forward spot after years of being misplayed as a three. The Celtics desperately need some more size, but also playmaking ability and Gordon brings that.

For Orlando, they’re in the unenviable position of feeling pressure to move a star after a trade request which always makes it difficult to assess what the value for that player will be on the market. Thompson gives them some depth behind Vucevic for this year with Isaac out, but really this is about acquiring a young wing in Aaron Nesmith who can hopefully provide some spacing and under Steve Clifford continue developing as a defender. A 2023 protected first plus Nesmith gives them their two first rounders, effectively, and allows them to move on from Gordon with an eye towards the future with Isaac and Fultz.

Portland Trail Blazers

Blazers Get: Aaron Gordon
Magic Get: Rodney Hood, Nassir Little, Harry Giles, CJ Elleby, 2024 lottery-protected 1st

If this offer and the Celtics offer are both on the table, it’d be a fascinating question for Orlando, because they are basically the same deal. Rodney Hood exists in this deal mostly to make the money work at $10 million for this year and next, while Little serves as the young player with upside and a lottery protected future first ties everything up with a nice bow. Really, this would come down to whether the Magic see more value in Little or Nesmith, and which fits their longterm needs, but each provide just about the same offer. It’s hard for the Blazers to sweeten this too much, as they dealt this year’s first for Robert Covington and can’t afford to deal away Anfernee Simons, who would be much more attractive to Orlando and would likely allow them to keep their 2024 pick, but is their only real backup point guard at the moment. That leaves them in the position of just having to ship out Giles and Elleby as well to make financials work.

Portland finally gets Gordon, a player I feel has been attached to them in rumors forever, and the fit is snug. A secondary playmaker from the wing/frontcourt would make a ton of sense, and Gordon’s three-point shooting this year has been more than solid. Gordon gets to be with a contender and truly get that fresh start he seeks, so this would make a ton of sense if Little and a pick piques the Magic’s interest.

Denver Nuggets

Nuggets Get: Aaron Gordon
Magic Get: Gary Harris

This is the alternative to the [salary filler/young player/future lotto protected 1st] model of the first two, which the Nuggets can certainly do with Paul Millsap and RJ Hampton, but I wanted to present a different option. Gordon and Harris make nearly identical money and each have two years remaining on their deals. Harris is currently injured, missing much of this season with a thigh strain, but when healthy he’s among the league’s best perimeter defenders. That’s something Denver needs, but if they feel they can’t rely on him to be there right now, they might take a swing on Gordon, moving Millsap to a reserve role and being less dependent on Michael Porter Jr. for extra creation beyond Jokic and Murray. MPJ is still very much a hot and cold player, and Gordon would bring an upgrade in terms of a steadying presence to Millsap.

As for Orlando, if Harris can get healthy and perform in a more leading role in Orlando to start next season, he might very well be more valuable to a contender as an expiring at next year’s trade deadline than Gordon is now, and they can re-enter the market, dangling a premier defender and might be able to bring more in the way of assets back next season.

Phoenix Suns

Suns Get: Aaron Gordon
Magic Get: Dario Saric, Jevon Carter, 2024 lottery-protected first

The Suns were reportedly in on Gordon last year and couldn’t get it done with a deal centered on Kelly Oubre Jr — which worked out for them in being able to get Chris Paul — but if the Suns think this would be an upgrade and make them an even bigger threat in the West, they should be in the mood to go all-in right now. Saric has been good for them, but isn’t as dynamic as Gordon, and Carter, for as much as Monty Williams loves his grit, has slipped to the back of the pack in the point guard rotation. Gordon would, same as the Blazers and Celtics, provide some secondary creation along with some spacing and positional versatility, particularly on the defensive end.

Orlando gets a quality power forward on a deal that’s not too expensive, as well as some point guard help that Clifford will surely love as Carter is a defense first player. I’m honestly not sure about the pick going back to Orlando, although they’d surely be asking for this, while Phoenix might push for it to just be a second rounder, but either way this is an interesting option.

The Fast and Furious films might seem like they’re about cars jumping off buildings, muscle-bound fights, and Corona product placement, but every diehard fan of the high-octane series (Read: Christopher Nolan) knows what the movies are truly about: Family. While the franchise has pounded that message home in its first eight films, the latest installment, F9, is keeping it real by bringing Vin Diesel‘s real-life son Vincent Sinclair into the mix. According to TMZ, the now 10-year-old Sinclair will be making his acting debut as a younger version of his dad’s iconic Fast and Furious character Dom Toretto:

It’s unclear how much screen time Vin’s boy will get, but his minor’s contract says he got paid a daily rate of $1,005. Not bad take-home for a kid who, let’s be honest, probably woulda done it for a pack of gum.

Fast and Furious fans have been waiting a while for F9 to hit due to the pandemic, which has delayed the film over a year. However, whenever F9 revs its way into theaters, there’s a very good chance that it could take the franchise to an insane place that fans have been hoping for for years: Space. Franchise stars Michelle Rodriguez and Ludacris have both played coy during separate interviews with SiriusXM’s Jess Cagle and Julia Cunningham when asked if the new film will make the leap into the cosmos. While neither star officially confirmed that Fast and Furious fans will finally see muscle cars in orbit, they didn’t exactly deny the long-simmering fan theory either.

(Via TMZ)

Rashida Jones is a multihyphenate — a class of entertainers growing increasingly common in Hollywood. She can act. She directs. She’s produced a handful of great TV shows.

And, she writes comic books in her spare time.

It’s that last notch on her ever-expanding resume that might seem most surprising, at least to casual fans. The daughter of actress Peggy Lipton and legendary music producer Quincy Jones, the former Parks and Rec star was more than likely destined to carve out her own space in the entertainment industry, but it’s not an impressive lineage that has propelled Jones to her current status as one of Hollywood’s most prolific creators — it’s her irrepressible drive to constantly reinvent herself and push her own artistic limits.

After all, Jones could’ve remained content to deliver her own brand of funny-woman in front of the camera. She spent years reimagining the role of the “chill girlfriend” on shows like The Office and the unfailingly supportive best friend on NBC’s other aforementioned hit workplace comedy. She was the remarkably understanding fiance to Paul Rudd’s friendless man-child in I Love You, Man, a no-nonsense detective surrounded by all kind of nonsense on the criminally underrated comedy series, Angie Tribeca, and, most recently, Bill Murray’s estranged daughter in the delightfully fun On The Rocks.

But telling stories rather than just interpreting them seems to be something Jones was drawn to early in her career. It’s why she penned the awkwardly funny Andy Samberg-starring rom-com Celeste & Jesse. It’s why she decided to produce a documentary spotlighting the young women drawn to the porn industry in this new internet age with Hot Girls Wanted. And it’s why she ventured into the comic book space, crafting a decidedly feminist graphic novel that feels revolutionary — even a decade after its first issue dropped.

Jones, along with Christina Weir, Nunzio DeFilippis, and comic artist Jeff Wamester introduced her version of a kick-ass action hero in 2010 with Frenemy of the State. Centered around a young heiress named Arianna Von Holmberg, the series imagines a socialite exhausted by the vapid demands of her wealthy lifestyle and plagued by a succession of bad decisions, one of which leads her to a mutually-beneficial gig as a CIA operative. Because what better cover than that of a globe-trotting celebrity with time to kill?

According to Jezebel, which referenced a Vanity Fair interview Jones had given during that year’s awards circuit, the premise for her comic debut came thanks to Paris Hilton. More specifically, our culture’s obsession with women like Hilton — debutantes forced to live their lives in the public eye.

“I had this funny notion that she’s actually some crazy genius who knew exactly what she was doing, and she was just conducting this elaborate anthropological study on the world,” Jones told Vanity Fair at the time. “I imagined that she was going home every night and whispering into her mini-recorder: ‘Day three hundred and twenty-seven. I continue to have them all fooled.’ That was sort of where the idea for this comic started.”

Over the course of five graphic novels, Arianna defuses nuclear warheads and contends with tabloid fodder takedowns; narrowly escapes hostage situations and attends high-society masquerades. Far from a superhero imbued with mystic powers or a street-smart teenager bitten by a radioactive spider, Arianna felt like an entry point for young girls who hadn’t seen enough representation in comics up to that point … and like a stand-in for every female celebrity who had the misfortune of ending up on Perez Hilton’s gossip blog.

The comic infused wit and a cheeky kind of social commentary in its overarching story about a privileged elite struggling to find her purpose — and some semblance of privacy — in her complex and unforgiving world. Jones poked fun at the tabloids and gossip blogs we so venerated back then, while also portraying her heroine as flawed, prone to making frustrating mistakes, and sometimes intolerably entitled.

“When I was writing ten years ago, I took what is typically considered a male character and would give it to the woman. I’d get feedback saying, ‘She’s not likable,’” Jones told Net-A-Porter in a 2018 interview. “I would think, ‘So f***ing what. Every guy isn’t likable until he is.’ Women are taught to be nice. Men are taught to be powerful. I want to find a way to tell stories from a woman’s perspective that doesn’t feel like it’s been put in the mouth of a woman by a guy.”

With Frenemy of the State, Jones was living out that desire to bring another layer to the two-dimensional female characters she’d encountered throughout her career, and she was doing it within a medium that has historically failed the target audiences Jones was hoping to connect with — young women who wanted to see themselves, or a more kick-ass version of themselves, between the pages of a comic book.

“It’s intended for a girl much younger than me, about age 20, an interesting age for girls as they make that scary jump to adulthood,” Jones told Variety after news broke that the comic series would be optioned as a movie. “She has lived a life of privilege, attended the best schools, and learned every language, but her obsession with spying on exes gets her into trouble and she is recruited to be a spy in exchange for not going to prison. There is a comic element to it, this girl who is so conscious of social standing and wearing the right shoes, suddenly becoming responsible for these dangerous, life-threatening missions.”

That film adaptation has stalled, but Frenemy isn’t the last comic-book-inspired project Jones would sign on for. In 2017 it was announced that the actress and Kerry Washington would work together to bring the popular Goldie Vance series to life on the big screen. And, just a few years prior, she launched an advice column with Glamour that was done entirely in the style of a graphic novel excerpt.

Side hustles are expected at this point, especially if you’re a talented A-lister in need of a creative outlet, but it’s empowering to see women like Jones pushing their artistic boundaries, not for money or more clout, but because they want to make space for other voices to exist in mediums that have fallen behind when it comes to diversity — because they want to tell fresh, inventive stories in ways we don’t expect them to.

So, the next time you think of multihyphenate Rashida Jones, just be sure to add “comic book author” to her list of credits.

The story of house music can’t be told without properly honoring the women who have helped shape the genre, and now a new book, The Lady Of The House by Laila McKenzie and Ian “Snowy” Snowball, will do just that.

The book is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, and the page describes the project:

“The Lady Of The House by Laila McKenzie and Ian ‘Snowy’ Snowball is a hardback coffee table style book. The book contains beautiful images and interviews with women who have contributed, and continue to contribute, to making the house music scene. […] The Lady Of The House is so much more than just women in house, it’s about women being creative and doing what they love to do. In a time where so much change has happened & so many inequalities have been brought to light over the last year we want to ensure the legacy of women’s power is passed down to future generations. The interviews are rich will stories of determination, empowerment, inspiration, challenges, passion, education, having goals and, simply [realizing] dreams.”

The book boasts “over 120 interviews/features” with and about names like Candi Staton, Barbara Tucker, Sam Divine, DJ Maxinne, Lynn Cosgrave, Rowetta, Ellen Allien, Nicky Trax, Janet Bell, Julie McKnight, Kathy Brown, Anja Schneider, Black Girl/White Girl, Ultra Naté, Jocelyn Brown, Arielle Free, Rochelle Fleming, DJ Paulette, Gladys Pizarro, Abigail Adams, Anne Savage, DJ Rap, Kym Sims, and Kym Mazelle. It also features a forward written by producer and DJ Carl Cox.

The campaign (which currently has 44 days remaining) has a goal of £25,000 (about $34,500), and as of this post, they’ve raised £5,630 (about $7,800). The money is being raised to help with printing and distribution costs. A copy of the book can be had for a pledge of £35 (about $48).

Learn more about the book here.

After releasing his new song on Friday Lil Tjay returns today with an irreverent video for the propulsive “Headshot” featuring fellow New Yorker Fivio Foreign and friend Polo G. The three drill influenced rappers play William Tell at an opulent mansion, firing old-fashioned pistols at a group of butlers with apples on their heads. All three display much better marksmanship than most rappers do in real life, turning their targets to applesauce and leaving the domestic help unscathed. Tjay also communes with a giraffe, while the fountain outside is filled with models lying on pool floats.

Tjay’s year got off to a bumpy start after getting a video shoot searched and eventually getting arrested shortly after Christmas last year. After being booked on possession of guns and marijuana, he was released on bond. Getting back to work on his upcoming follow-up to 2020’s State Of Emergency, he released his video for “Calling My Phone” featuring Atlanta singer 6lack before apparently hunkering down to complete his album.

Meanwhile, each of his “Headshot” co-stars have also kept busy. Polo G just released his “For My Fans (Freestyle)” video in which he raps to the instrumental tracks for “Beat Box,” “Whoopty,” and “No More Parties,” while Fivio Foreign is a few months removed from his “Trust” video with the late King Von.

Watch the “Headshot” video above.

Oscar Isaac, or even Marvel for that matter, has yet to officially confirm his casting as Moon Knight for the upcoming Disney+ series, but the actor just dropped a pretty big sign that he’s bringing the classic comic hero to life. In a new Instagram video shared by his production company, Mad Gene Media, a surprisingly acrobatic Isaac can be seen working on his fighting moves while training at the Brooklyn Zoo gymnastic center. Considering Isaac is one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, the fight training could be for any number of projects. However, the Instagram caption includes the hashtag #TheOneYouSeeComing, which is a direct reference to Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey’s Moon Knight run.

You can see Isaac training for Moon Knight below:

Giving a nod to the Ellis and Shalvey run is an interesting development considering their story-line featured a more vigilante-style version of the character, who also changed up his outfits and methods depending on which of his shattered personalities was in charge at the moment, which jibes with the official announcement for the upcoming series. Via Marvel:

The Marvel Studios original series for Disney+ centers on the character Marc Spector aka Moon Knight, a complex vigilante who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. These multiple identities who live inside him are distinct characters in the series and will appear against a backdrop of Egyptian iconography.

Ethan Hawke, despite his harsh thoughts on superhero films, has also joined the series, and he recently told The Ringer’s The Watch podcast that his decision was entirely based on a chance to work with Isaac.

“I like what he’s doing with his life,” Hawke said. “He reminds me of the actors, when I first arrived at New York, that I looked up to. Oscar’s younger than me, and I like the way he carries himself, and I like the way he thinks. And in general, good things happen when you’re in the room with people that you like the way they think, right?”

(Via Mad Gene Media on Instagram)

Now that seemingly everyone and their momma has rapped over SpotemGottem’s “Beat Box” beat, you could argue the trend has reached its peak and it’s all downhill from here. However, it looks like Polo G has found a way to mix it up and keep the party going for just a little bit longer. The Chicago journeyman’s “For My Fans (Freestyle)” video, in which he goes in on “Beat Box,” also includes beats from more contemporary hits like CJ’s “Whoopty” and Coi Leray’s “No More Parties.”

The three-part video, directed by Ryan Lynch, follows Polo and his crew as they roam the city, doing the dances from the songs’ various viral challenges — i.e. the Junebug on “Beat Box” — and has Polo switching up his delivery to match the respective beats. On the first, he’s got an aggressive, yell-rap style that plays with the aggressive 808s of “Beat Box,” then a mellower flow over “Whoopty,” until finally, he shows off his hum-rap on “No More Parties.”

Polo is just the latest rapper to try his hand at rapping over the “Beat Box” instrumental. Previously, DaBaby, Deante’ Hitchcock, and Mulatto all rapped to the track, with DaBaby’s and Mulatto’s videos causing minor controversies. DaBaby was censured by JoJo Siwa fans for name-checking the teen pop star, while Mulatto sparked a back-and-forth with Renni Rucci that had fans buzzing on Twitter.

Watch Polo G’s “For My Fans (Freestyle)” video above.