Month: May 2021

We’re already a full Marvel television show removed from WandaVision‘s run on Disney+ and people are still raving about Kathryn Hahn’s work on the show. The memes her work sparked were just the start of the praise for her turn as Agatha Harkness, and her work throughout the season has changed the trajectory of her career to say the least.

Hahn was the subject of a well-deserved profile in Vanity Fair earlier in the week, which included some interesting anecdotes from some of her co-stars and a look at how she impacts the people she works with. And some of the best quotes from the feature came from the equally charming Paul Rudd, who has appeared in a number of projects with Hahn over the years.

The Antman actor certainly knows the Marvel universe, which is why it was lovely to see him praise Hahn’s work on WandaVision and just generally say very nice things about her.

Rudd, meanwhile, says that Hahn reminds him of his friend Olivia Colman in that “the temperature in the air changes when she’s in the room to a much more comfortable 72 degrees and sunny. Kathryn is such a bright light. Whatever it is you’re doing, she’s kind of the MVP.” Rudd didn’t miss a single episode of WandaVision, he adds, and is still reeling from “how good she was. I mean, my God, who else could do what she did? She does that crazy witch cackle, and you buy it. You know how hard it is to do a crazy witch cackle?”

At another point in the piece, Rudd compares Hahn to Radiohead, calling her “the best person on set” and “so joyous.” The whole piece is a great look at Hahn and her career both before and after WandaVision, but seeing another Marvel actor on completely unrelated projects praising another as an MVP is certainly some high praise.

[via Vanity Fair]

Great athletic feats captured on video will never get old, which is why you might watch this outstanding high school softball highlight from Utah for a long time. Bear River centerfielder Olivia Taylor leapt over a fence on Saturday to rob a home run in a play you need to see to believe.

Sam Farnsworth, a sports anchor at KSL in Salt Lake City, captured some spectacular footage of the catch and shared it online on Saturday. Positioned in the outfield, the camera catches Taylor leaping backward over a fence, somehow not only coming up with the catch but holding on to the ball while she tumbles to the ground.

The outfield fence isn’t a more traditional chain link, which is a good thing because it didn’t get in the way of Taylor as she leapt back to make the grab. Somehow her gloved arm never quite hit the ground as she tumbled over, either. Just all around spectacular.

The more you watch the play, it really puts into focus just how impressive the grab is. Taylor was already up against the fence before she jumped, planting her feet before the fence and leaping back to track the ball and make the catch. She lands a full six feet or so behind the fence, stealing a clear home run with an athletic play not many can make on any level, let alone in a high school championship game.

Simone Biles is already the best gymnast in history, and almost certainly one of the greatest athletes ever to represent the United States in international competition in any sport. What Biles can do athletically is nothing short of spectacular, and so it’s no surprise that a return to competition brought with it more history.

On Saturday in Indianapolis at the US Classic, Biles made history by landing a Yurchenko double pike on the vault, the first time the move has ever successfully been attempted in competition. The highlights are nothing short of spectacular as the American gymnast gears up for another run at Olympic glory in Tokyo later this summer.

The technical ability on display here is just astounding, and to the naked eye it’s actually difficult to keep track of how many times she spins. The announcing crew here is hyping up the move before it’s even attempted, marveling at Biles’ ability. And that it’s just a given that she would land it, something that officially had never been done, really speaks to how consistently excellent the 24-year-old has been in her historic career.

Earlier in the competition, Biles wowed on the balance beam, too.

And here’s her floor routine for good measure.

It was also noted, very fittingly, that Biles had a goat on the back of her leotard.

No one will argue with that distinction, especially after Saturday night.

Congratulations, Phoenix Suns! Your gamble to get Chris Paul paid off, as you just earned the two-seed in the Western Conference by putting admirable efforts night in and night out on both ends of the floor. For your reward, you get the first Western Conference team that earned a playoff berth from the play-in tournament, the measly seven seed! Lemme just do a quick Google search to see what team that is and … oh my dear lord.

All jokes aside, Suns-Lakers is a wonderful matchup of two of the best teams in the league, and in a way, they’re perfect barometers for one another. For L.A., this is a way to see if they really are championship contenders despite their laundry list of injuries by having to take down a legitimately excellent Suns team. For Phoenix, what better way to know for sure if they’re for real than a first-round tilt with the defending champs?

The Suns lead the season series here, 2-1, and there really is no reason for them to not be confident. The Lakers, of course, are always confident. How could anyone not be excited for this one?

Matchup To Watch
There’s no reason to get cute and say this is anything other than alpha dogs vs. alpha dogs. The Lakers’ top-two players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, haven’t just been here before, they’re entering this postseason as the defending champs. James has proven, time and time again, that he’s the final boss at the end of the video game you have to beat. Davis showed in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble that he is not going to wilt under the brightest lights. They have rings (James, obviously, has way more of them), and winning the Larry O’Brien trophy means snatching it away from these two.

As for Phoenix, their top dudes are … not that. Chris Paul, for all the things that he has achieved in his first-ballot Hall of Fame career, has always seen his teams come up short in the postseason. Devin Booker gets a ton of love from everyone — players, coaches, fans, the media — but is new to this stage. They will be underdogs in this series despite the fact that the Suns were straight up better than the Lakers this year.

These games very well could end up being close. L.A. grinds games to dust and Paul is as good as it gets at being in constant control of everything when those situations come about. When those moments come about, stars need to come up big. The team whose stars are able to get the job done will win this series. It’s the simplest thing on earth, but basketball is not always complex. This is an example of that.

Series X-Factor
Can the Lakers get anything out of the Andre Drummond/Marc Gasol/Montrezl Harrell trio? Davis does not like playing center, which is pretty well-documented by this point. The issue is he is so clearly their best center that playing anyone else there is a step down.

As a result, Montdrec Hasolond (ok it’s a work in progress) have to give them enough on both ends of the floor that they can get away with saving AD from the physical toll that comes from playing the position, at least until we get to the later rounds of the playoffs. Deandre Ayton is a reliably solid player on both ends of the floor, while Dario Saric is a nice backup big. They aren’t guys who will single-handedly win games, but they’re good enough that if the Lakers have absolutely nothing in the frontcourt, they can really tilt things in Phoenix’s direction.

It doesn’t help that every member of that group has some questions to answer. Drummond has not been great since joining L.A., Gasol has drawn the ire of Lakers fans this year, and Harrell got played off the floor as a member of the Clippers last year. We know what James will give the Lakers, we know what Davis will give them, and their role players on the perimeter, at the bare minimum, will compete every single night. A major feather in their cap will come if their frontcourt can produce, too.

Stat To Know
The Suns are quite efficient on offense. The Lakers are really good at keeping teams from scoring on defense. There is very much a styles make fights element to this series, and the winning team will assuredly be the one that is able to win that battle.

Phoenix’s offense is second in field goal percentage, second in two-point field goal percentage, third in effective field goal percentage, and seventh in three-point field goal percentage. Paul and Booker are both very, very good at getting guys looks, and the various dudes in their rotation understand to take the ones they’re good at making. Los Angeles’ defense, meanwhile, is in the top-10 of all those categories, too — respectively, they are eighth, ninth, fifth, and fourth. Through all of their issues this year, L.A. has stuck to its guns and been a pain in the you-know-what to score against.

Brian Williams certainly doesn’t mind taking aim at Ted Cruz and other Republicans on his MSNBC show, and on Friday the 11th Hour host was more than happy to call out “Kremlin Cruz” for his cosigning Russian propaganda in a bizarre attack against the US military.

Cruz’s screed about “wokeness” comparing Russian military propaganda to a US military ad drew lots of reaction from both sides of the political spectrum and Cruz continued to defend his comments into the weekend. But Williams ripped Cruz for sharing Russian propaganda enthusiastically and called him out on his own emasculation on Friday night.

“By all accounts, Ted Cruz did not like the nickname ‘Cancun Cruz,’ though he tried joking about it, acting like it didn’t matter,” Williams said. “He really won’t like being called ‘Kremlin Cruz’ after his latest and remarkably stupid lapse in judgement.”

Williams detailed the tweet Cruz sent out and shared the videos he was talking about, then pointed out that the Texas politician is all-too gleefully sharing Russian propaganda.

“The Russians already reach deep into our society. Our disinformation is already all over our media and it quietly tears us apart,” Williams said. “Imagine how happy it makes them to have yet another advocate among Republican members of the Senate.”

Finally, Williams pointed out a rebuke many had for Cruz and his take on masculinity, especially in the wake of his kowtowing to Trump in recent years.

“A number of people pointed out that real emasculation is Donald Trump saying your wife is ugly,” Williams said. “Donald Trump saying your dad was involved in the JFK assassination and then publicly genuflecting to Trump and devoting your political career to seeking his approval.”

Cruz had his own response to Williams on Saturday on Twitter as “Kremlin Cruz” trended, and he also defended his comments on TV over the weekend as well.

“I don’t need James Bond or Jason Bourne to have an anxiety disorder,” Cruz said, which briefly caused Bourne to trend on Twitter as well. “I need them to be able to find out who the terrorists are that are trying to kill us so that we can kill them before they kill us.”

That was the latest in a long string of pop culture references where it’s clear Cruz is completely misunderstanding the films he seems to enjoy. As many pointed out, Jason Bourne and James Bond aren’t exactly perfect soldiers in extremely good mental health.

Cruz, of course, had his own chorus of supporters praise him for defending masculinity and military toughness in the long and unending culture war. It won’t solve much of anything, but it did get him another new nickname this week, I suppose.

Back in April, Lil Mosey was charged with second-degree rape earlier this year after an incident with a woman at a Washington state cabin party in January. A warrant for his arrest was eventually issued after he failed to appear for a court date. Now, the rapper is reportedly being ordered to stay away from his rape accuser.

According to TMZ Mosey, who pleaded not guilty in the matter, was hit with a sexual assault pre-trial protection order and as a result of it, he cannot be within 500 feet of his accuser, must maintain absolute sobriety, and cannot possess a firearm. If the rapper owns any firearms, he must surrender them to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

As for the incident in question, the woman says she and a friend met Mosey for the party. While they initially gave consent for a sexual interaction, they both passed out due to alcohol consumption, nullifying that consent. The rapper and another accused individual, Francisco P. Prater, allegedly had intercourse with the women while they were passed out. In court documents, the woman says she received injuries to her arm, neck, and inner knee. She also claims another guest at the party told her the two men talked about “training two girls.”

If convicted, Mosey and Prater face up to life in prison and up to $50,000 in fines.

The season of giving is still very much active in YG’s eyes. The rapper is just a few days removed from the release of his Block Runner shoes. The low snug sneakers are seated on a custom sole and feature red leather and a white-colored “The Flame” logo. The shoes were released at the price of $200, but a group of ex-inmates in Los Angeles received them for free thanks to the rapper as he handed out more than a hundred pairs on Friday. With the aforementioned price tag, this amounts to more than $20,000 worth of Block Runner sneakers.

According to TMZ, the rapper completed the deed with Mozzy on the date the two rappers released their joint album, Kommunity Service. The act occurred at LA’s Amity Foundation House and each person that received the pair of Block Runners is one that was entered the Foundation House in order to get back on their feet after being recently released from prison.

“Shoes is everything,” YG explained to TMZ. “Shoes is something you need. When you wake up, you going to leave the house, you gotta put on a pair of shoes and you know people love sneakers first of all. But for the homies that’s fresh out of prison from doing life sentences, they probably didn’t know they was gonna come home and they out and they tryna figure out life and do the right thing.” He added, So, I know for somebody with some status or celebrity [to] pull up and just gift them with anything, I know they appreciate it. It probably goes a long way. So, that’s all I wanted to do.”

You can watch a video of the rapper at the event here.

Despite a ridiculous charge at the end of the season that saw Washington win 17 of its last 23 games, the Wizards’ reward for beating Indiana in the play-in tournament and claiming the eighth seed in the East is a matchup with a pretty scary 76ers team that they simply don’t match up well against.

As we saw in both rounds of the play-in tournament, Washington star Bradley Beal is also hampered by a nagging hamstring injury. In a series that already likely would have taken a perfect series from the Wizards to end in an upset, Washington is also less healthy and coming off a loss against Boston this week that showed their struggles handling elite perimeter scorers.

The Wizards are better than their record shows, but it’s hard to imagine that they can topple the improved 76ers in the first round.

Matchup To Watch

In sizing this series up, the first place to look is the center spot. Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid finally lived up to his MVP potential this season and put together a dominant two-way season, with the sixth-best Estimated Plus-Minus in the league as well as the tenth-most win shares. The guy was a killer all year.

Guarding him is far more complicated than which opposing center stands next to him at halfcourt for the opening tip. There will be double-teams, stunts and more, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Wizards’ collection of castoff centers does not look up to the task. Alex Len has been starting, and though he’s seven feet tall, he doesn’t have the strength to match Embiid. A few years ago we may have felt optimistic about Robin Lopez, but Embiid’s development off the bounce means he can scoot right past the 33-year-old Lopez. And Daniel Gafford, who may be their best option, just doesn’t seem to have the physical ability or game-to-game consistency to handle Embiid in his second season.

Washington coach Scott Brooks may go away from Len as the starter in this series, but even that combined with strategic double-teams won’t stop Embiid. He’s seen it all.

Series X-Factor

Who else but Russell Westbrook? The triple-double king of the NBA came on late in the season (as he typically does), but doesn’t seem to have much of a place in this series. Westbrook will likely defend Ben Simmons, setting off a duel regarding who can control the pace of the game more effectively.

The Wizards were the sixth-most efficient transition offense in the NBA according to Synergy Sports, and Washington added an average of 1.8 points per 100 possessions when Westbrook was on the floor. But Philly’s transition defense was solid, and they have plenty of bodies to throw at Westbrook and Beal.

Provided Simmons can get to the rim on Westbrook and the Sixers can go under screens on Westbrook without him making them pay, the Sixers should win this matchup. Westbrook knocking down some jumpers could bring the Wizards’ offense alive, however, and help them steal a game or two and make the series more interesting.

A couple other names to watch: Davis Bertans, who could juice Washington’s offense even more and hide defensively on Danny Green or Matisse Thybulle; and Rui Hachimura, who is getting his first postseason test and will likely be tasked with stopping Tobias Harris.

Stat To Know

The battleground for this series could be the midrange. Washington took more midrange shots as a percentage of their offense than any team in the NBA this season, while the Sixers allowed the lowest percentage from midrange of any defense. While Philly tends to default to Embiid hanging out inside the arc when defending the pick-and-roll, he is agile enough to contain a ton of space and get a hand in the ball-handler’s face while also keeping with his man. That plus excellent help defenders across the roster make the Sixers a hard defense to crack.

Both Westbrook and Beal are comfortable pulling up from mid-range. In truth, it’s among the more comfortable looks for them in the halfcourt. The Sixers don’t mind giving that shot up, but they guard it well and don’t let teams beat them with it.

One of, if not the most heartwrenching, moment in Ariana Grande’s career is one most artists will not have to go through. Four years ago on Saturday, the pop sensation’s concert in Manchester was tragically used as the venue for a terrorist attack. A normal overseas show quickly turned for the worst as a bomb at Manchester Arena was detonated as attendees left the area. In the end, 22 people were killed and it was an incident that left the singer forever scarred. Four years later, Grande took to her Instagram story to remember the victims.

“Although grief is ever-present and our relationship to it is constantly evolving and expressing itself in different ways every day, year round,” she wrote on her Instagram Story above a list of the victims from the bombing. “I know that this anniversary will never be an easy one. Please know that I am thinking of you today.” She concluded her message and added, “Manchester, my heart is with you today and always.”

The singer’s message comes after she married her fiance Dalton Gomez last weekend. The pair were engaged since December and had been dating since early 2020. According to TMZ which cited “sources with direct knowledge” about the situation, the wedding occurred at Grande’s home in Montecito, California with “no real ceremony and few guests.”

You can view a screenshot of Grande’s post above.

There was a whole lot of anticipation for the 3-6 matchup in the Eastern Conference this postseason. On the surface, the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Miami Heat is a ton of fun, as they are both two very respectable basketball teams, but considering how things went last year during the playoffs — Miami punking Milwaukee in the conference semis to send them home — it was hard not to get excited about the next chapter between these two sides.

It took exactly 53 minutes for these teams to rekindle their rivalry and give us an absolutely scintillating Game 1, setting the tone for what should be a delightful series. Thanks to some late heroics by Khris Middleton, the Bucks were able to draw first blood, picking up a thrilling 109-107 win.

The shot making from both teams was nothing short of terrific — every time one squad had a lead, the other seemed to come down and hit an absolutely ridiculous shot to give them the edge. For example, with just under 40 seconds left in OT and the Bucks up one, Jrue Holiday seemed to give Milwaukee just enough breathing room, corralling a Duncan Robinson miss and going coast-to-coast.

On the ensuing possession for the Heat, though, Goran Dragic responded, drilling a three from the corner to tie things up. Milwaukee went the other way, putting the ball in Middleton’s hands and letting him go to work. The All-Star forward responded by taking a contested jumper that couldn’t have looked any prettier going through the rim.

Miami couldn’t get a shot off on the other end — Holiday smothered Jimmy Butler’s attempt at a game-winner and prevented him from playing hero for the second time on the day — and as a result, the Bucks find themselves with the advantage. Middleton led Milwaukee on the day with 27 points on 10-for-22 shooting with six rebounds, six assists, and two steals.

Game 2 between the Bucks and the Heat will take place on Monday at 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT.