Month: June 2021

Being a globally recognized music icon is an experience with which few people can relate, and that’s even more true in the case of Billie Eilish. She achieved success at an uncommonly young age: Her debut single, “Ocean Eyes,” was released when she was just 14 years old, and it quickly made her a star. Somebody who had a similar coming-up in the music world, though, is Lorde, whose breakout single, “Royals,” was released when she was 17.

It turns out that Lorde recognizes those parallels, and she spoke about them in a recent interview with BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac.

The host brought up the similarities and asked Lorde is she and Eilish have spoken and compared their experiences as teenagers in the music industry. Lorde, who gave affirmative “mmms” as Mac spoke, responded, “We have sent just a few little messages back in the day, when she was very young. She’s so, so sweet and there’s only a handful of people who understand what that’s like, to be a teenager and, you know, have that level of scrutiny on your body and your brain. Yeah, it’s a specific experience. Obviously, she’s very close with her family, as I am, which I think is really helpful at that age when your world is changing. And yeah, the music is awesome. She’s just doing such a good job.”

Listen to Lorde discuss Eilish above.

The Rundown is a weekly column that highlights some of the biggest, weirdest, and most notable events of the week in entertainment. The number of items could vary, as could the subject matter. It will not always make a ton of sense. Some items might not even be about entertainment, to be honest, or from this week. The important thing is that it’s Friday, and we are here to have some fun.

ITEM NUMBER ONE — Our nation’s finest television program has returned

Many of the world’s most respected scientists and other losers will tell you that the first day of summer is June 21. This is fine, and accurate in the most technical sense of things if we want to fall into their trap, which we do not. Summer cannot be quantified by things like dates on the calendar or positions of various objects in the solar system. Summer is more fluid than that. It’s more of a vibe than the other seasons. To paraphrase the United States Supreme Court in a ruling on a… different subject, you know summer when you feel it. Maybe it’s seeing kids in a pool, or smelling grilled meats, or feeling drops of sweat develop on your lower back when you’re driving around in a hot car. This is also fine, and I can’t really go about telling you you’re wrong when I just got done saying how subjective it all is. But it is my position, and the position of this column, that summer does not officially begin until some bozo gets wiped out by a cartoonishly complicated obstacle on our nation’s finest television program, Holey Moley.

Point being: Welcome to… summer?

Hmm. Well, this is a little awkward. I just went on this whole rant about how the show signifies summer and they went and changed the volcano hole to a Santa one. It’s a winter wonderland now. Although… now that I think about it… yes, okay. This still plays. And I’m not going to sit here and complain to any of you about them adding reindeer and candy stripes to the whole endeavor. That is good, objectively. It’s still summer. We just have reindeer now. That’s fine, too.

And guess what: It gets better. The windmills have fire now.

What a perfect television show. They had an obstacle where people attempted and usually failed to run through some windmills, almost always resulting in them getting wiped straight out of the screen and into a pool, and they were like “… but what if there was fire?” Never mind the fact that the Dutch hillside is not generally known for wildfires, or that none of this makes sense. There’s fire now. Look, again.

And again.

I could easily just keep posting GIFs here, and I suspect I will in the coming weeks, but I’ll stop for now because I feel like the point has been made. You see where I’m going with this. The good show is back and they have raised the stakes needlessly and borderline recklessly for no reason other than to please you and me. This is commendable if only for the legal liability they appear to be assuming to bring the people some belly laughs. There are new holes, too, with innuendo-laden names like Cornhole and The Pecker, because everyone on this show is 12 years old and I love them. There’s a jousting hole where contestants sit on what appears to be a lubed-up plastic horsey and face off against a knight who launches them into the watery abyss. There’s a ski jump hole for… I don’t know, reasons?

Also, hosts Joe Tessitore and Rob Riggle are back and really finding their groove. I don’t think anyone on television is having more fun than those guys. I mean, just look at their reaction to one of the better wallopings…

It’s all so stupid and so perfect and it makes me so happy. They gave Riggle a telestrator this season, which would thrill me if it didn’t make me so mad he didn’t have one before now. But I’ll live. The vibes are just too good. Summer is here and it is dumb as hell in the best possible way. Grab your swim trunks and sunscreen. And maybe some ibuprofen. It’s gonna get weird.

ITEM NUMBER TWO — The Batman discourse is out of control

I’m going to assume you spend as much time online as I do. You don’t, probably, hopefully, both because my job requires me to be online all day long and because I choose to believe readers of this column are all attractive and well-adjusted millionaires. But it’s easier this way. It will save me from explaining The Batman Discourse in anything beyond posting a cursory blockquote, which I will do now.

“It’s incredibly gratifying and free to be using characters that are considered villains because you just have so much more leeway,” says Halpern. “A perfect example of that is in this third season of ‘Harley’ [when] we had a moment where Batman was going down on Catwoman. And DC was like, ‘You can’t do that. You absolutely cannot do that.’ They’re like, ‘Heroes don’t do that.’ So, we said, ‘Are you saying heroes are just selfish lovers?’ They were like, ‘No, it’s that we sell consumer toys for heroes. It’s hard to sell a toy if Batman is also going down on someone.’”

(In fairness to DC, both Halpern and Schumacker went on to say that the company has been remarkably supportive of their series and has allowed them to push the envelope numerous times. Still, it remains to be seen if Batman and Catwoman will be shown engaging in some bedroom antics in Season 3 or if it will simply be implied via cunning linguistics.)

So, yes, chaos everywhere. It was nice in some ways because it made social media fun for about 48 hours, which is a staggering achievement in 2021. And it all led to Actual Former Batman Val Kilmer weighing in with a tweet that featured a GIF of himself as Batman, which is an astounding power move and still only about the third most remarkable thing here. It was, to put a needle-fine point on it all, a week.

But before we put it all to bed and move on to other, less fun things to shout about, let’s all be clear on one important thing: Harley Quinn is such a good show.

We’ve talked about this before, a few times, because it’s true and we value the truth here, sometimes. There’s not really a need to re-hash it all in any depth. So we’re not going to do that. What we’re going to do instead of post some screencaps from the show. Ones I made this week. Ones that feature the show’s hopelessly depressed version of Commissioner Jim Gordon — voiced by Christopher Meloni, who is also having a week, in a good way — having a complicated relationship with Batman and the Bat Signal. Like, for example, these, from the very first episode.

And these, from later in the first season.

Those are just wonderful little pieces of business. Harley Quinn is a good and fun show, no matter what Batman is or is not allowed to do with his face in the upcoming third season. Trust me on this. I would not lie to you. Thank you.

ITEM NUMBER THREE — While we’re on the subject…

Every now and then a headline will cross the screen that makes you stop dead in your tracks. It’s one of the many ways you can tell words are powerful. Choose the right ones and put them in the right order and you can alter someone’s entire day, or week, or life. It happened twice this week to me. The first time was when I saw this tweet.

And the second time was a few days later, when I saw this perfect and straightforward announcement at Deadline: “Zoë Kravitz To Make Directing Debut On ‘Pussy Island’; Channing Tatum Playing Tech Billionaire With Mysterious Tropical Island.”

I will require information about this news at once. Tell me about this movie. Someone. Anyone.

Frida is a young, clever, Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King (Tatum). When she skillfully maneuvers her way into King’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his private island, she is ready for a journey of a lifetime. Despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne and late-night dance parties, Frida can sense that there’s more to this island than meets the eye. Something she can’t quite put her finger on. Something terrifying.

The biggest shocker here, in the grand scheme of things, is that Channing Tatum is starring in a movie called Pussy Island and it’s not the dramatic conclusion of the Magic Mike franchise. Tell me you would not watch Magic Mike: Escape From Pussy Island. Do not lie to me.

And somehow that isn’t even the best part of that Deadline story. Because that Deadline story also contains this anecdote.

“When someone can just come out and tell me I should not be wearing Crocs, and is so adamant about it, she completely convinced me and I never wear Crocs anymore,” Tatum said.

“I was just trying to be a good friend, Chan,” she said.

“I get it, but I totally loved Crocs for a hot second, and in one hang she was like, you can’t ever do that again. And I said, ‘OK, fine.’ “

Said Kravitz: “Just to be clear, there are people out there who can pull off the Crocs thing; I just wasn’t sure you were one of them.”

Zoe Kravitz, an extremely cool person who is the child of two extremely cool people, told Channing Tatum he was not allowed to wear crocs anymore, and Channing Tatum listened to her and stopped wearing them. And the conversation happened while they were discussing a movie they are making together called Pussy Island. Everyone is really just doing a tremendous job this week. I’m proud of all of you.

ITEM NUMBER FOUR — Let’s all go to a Vin Diesel concert

The cast of F9 is out making the publicity rounds. This is good for a number of reasons. It’s good because it means the movie is actually coming out, finally, almost 18 months after the first trailer dropped. It’s good because I love everyone in these movies very much and like to click on links about them. But mostly it’s good because it resulted in Vin Diesel talking about making an album. A music album. With lots of songs and everything! Here, look at this Vulture interview:

I remember being in London and I told Paul Walker that everyone really freaked out at me for singing the song and posting it. And he said, “Pfft. Don’t listen to that. You know you’re a singer.” So my point is, he encouraged me to sing. That led to Kygo wanting me to sing. Steve Aoki wanting me to sing. Nicki M. wanting me to sing. And I eventually got the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and went for it.

Just to be clear here, he is talking about this song, which he released on Valentine’s Day last year.

And if we had more time I would get into the thing where I think he called Nicki Minaj “Nicki M,” which is perplexing on a number of levels, but we do not have more time. Because of this.

I would love to do an album. Chris, I think something that you alluded to in the beginning conversation speaks … You talked about, “Do you want to do other things?” What you’re implying is what’s real. And that is, I do go deeply into stuff to the point of being myopic at times. And that’s the only thing that could prevent me from having an album out: the beautiful pressure to deliver [Fast] 10 for 2023 or 2024.

Marks my words: If, after Fast 10 comes out, Vin Diesel released a full album and goes out on tour to support it, the following things will happen:

• I will see a Vin Diesel concert regardless of price
• I will write a lengthy reported feature about it

You can come, too. We’ll tailgate. Coronas only.

ITEM NUMBER FIVE— Welcome to Henry Winkler Fish Picture Season

Regular readers of this column will recognize Henry Winkler Fish Picture Season. It is a lovely time of year. It starts whenever Henry Winkler goes on vacation and posts pictures of the fish he catches and lasts until he goes home and stops posting pictures of the fish he caught. The best part is that he posts them on Twitter, the angriest and pettiest website in the world. So you’ll be scrolling through like 700 tweets about something some grifter politician said or did and then suddenly, out of nowhere, blammo, the Fonz has a fish.

It is so good and pure that it almost makes me uncomfortable. I do not want it to stop. Henry Winkler Fish Picture Season only lasts a few days at a time. Please take a moment to stop and cherish it this weekend. Let it cleanse your soul. You need this. We all do.

READER MAIL

If you have questions about television, movies, food, local news, weather, or whatever you want, shoot them to me on Twitter or at [email protected] (put “RUNDOWN” in the subject line). I am the first writer to ever answer reader mail in a column. Do not look up this last part.

From Matthew:

Matthew McConaughey is thinking about running for Governor of Texas. Cynthia Nixon ran for Governor of New York. The Rock is apparently considering a run for President. This is just in the last few years too, and comes after Arnold Schwarzenegger was Governor of California and Ronald Reagan was the actual President. My question has two parts:

First, why do so many actors want to get into politics? Second, what actor or actress would you like to see run next? I’m picturing Keanu running on a “Giant Wine Glasses For Everyone” platform.

This is a good question. Both parts of it. The first part is good because it is something that has vexed me, too. I can’t see why anyone would want to get into politics. I’ll go even further: I am suspicious of anyone who wants to hold elected office. It seems awful. And everyone you work with is awful. Wanting to be a politician, by choice, should automatically disqualify you from holding office. People should have to be dragged into Congress kicking and screaming. That’s the only way you know you can trust them.

It’s more true for wealthy celebrities. I’m glad they want to help, I guess, but what are we doing here? Why would anyone give up that life for politics? The Rock and Matthew McConaughey are both widely adored and fabulously wealthy. They don’t need this. It’s madness. Someone please tell them to stop.

As to the second part, if I really have to choose, if there’s no way around it… I guess… hmm… I guess I’ll go with Helen Mirren. I know she’s British. I know this is a bad idea for a bunch of reasons. But I feel like, between the accent and the thing where she’s played a queen over half a dozen times in various projects, people would at least feel obligated to behave around her. That’s a start.

AND NOW, THE NEWS

To Topeka!

This seems like a boring thing for me to highlight but, I swear, it’s about to get good. Just hang tight.

Ahhhh, but why? Why would the authorities in Topeka be in favor of tires that don’t leave marks? That seems like an oddly specific concern. There has to be more to this. And there is. Look at this tweet.

Three things are worth noting here, in no particular order:

• This is hilarious to me, a child
• All I could think about when I saw it was the first season of American Vandal, with fake documentary within a documentary about someone spray painting penises on the cars in a high school parking lot
• Let’s all watch the first season of American Vandal again

Moving on.

The rascals of Topeka are to be commended this. Good for them. We’ve all had a weird year. If taking some scooters out and screeching wieners into various parking lots helps people heal, I say let them do it. This is America, after all.

After months of rumors, Kim Kardashian has been openly discussing the dissolution of her marriage to Kanye West lately. She talked about it during the recent series finale of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and the spoke about it more on last night’s Keeping Up reunion special.

Andy Cohen hosted the program, and he asked Kardashian why the marriage didn’t work. She responded, “I honestly don’t think I would even say it here on TV, but it was not one specific thing that happened on either part. I think it was just a general difference of opinions on a few things that led to this decision.”

The host then asked about the status of their relationship now and Kardashian answered, “We have an amazing co-parenting relationship and I respect him so much and I think we’ll have… you know, that was my friend first. First and foremost, for a long time.”

In the Keeping Up finale, Kardashian also spoke about a general disconnect between her and West, saying, “I want someone where we have the same shows in common. I want someone that wants to work out with me. Like, every single day, Khloé [Kardashian] and Tristan [Thompson] and I would workout at 6 a.m., the three of us, and I was third-wheeling it for a good eight months in quarantine, and I was so envious of that. I was like, ‘Wow, it’s, like, the little things I don’t have.’ I have all the big things. I have the extravagant everything you can possibly imagine and no one will ever do it like that — I know that, and I’m grateful for those experiences — but I think I’m ready for the smaller experiences that I think will mean a lot.”

The Boston Celtics, with Brad Stevens running the front office, have made a significant move in an effort to refresh the team this summer.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics are trading Kemba Walker, the No. 16 overall pick and a 2025 second round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second round pick.

There’s a lot to unpack here. On the edge of the deal, Stevens dealing a first round pick in his first move in general manager feels telling. It also seems very possible now that Marcus Smart, heading into the last year of his deal and an assumed trade chip this summer, is more likely to stay now with the next Celtics coach perhaps turning more of the offense over to Jayson Tatum.

The main part of this deal, though, is the Walker-Horford swap. This is the Celtics’ last two big free agent signings being traded for each other. It feels clear that Stevens a) doesn’t think Walker is what the team needs after two years in Boston and b) the team has missed Horford as a frontcourt presence and a leader since he left for the 76ers two summers ago. To an extent, it feels like Stevens is trying to put a genie back in the bottle here.

Will this work for Boston? It’s really hard to know. Both players have two years left on their current contracts, although Walker makes about $10 million more per year than Horford. That, in theory, allows Boston to spend a little bit more to reinforce the edges of its roster this summer or perhaps even extend Smart.

Horford barely played last year after ending up with the Thunder after his time with the 76ers simply didn’t work out. He also just turned 35, so he’s certainty later in his career than he was at his apex. They’ll need to replace Walker’s ball handling and playmaking in some way, even if he wasn’t as good as the team hoped when they signed him. All that’s clear is that Stevens, in moving from head coach to the front office, identified losing Horford as a problem and made his first move to fix just that.

Now that Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour has been released, fans have a handful of songs from the pop star into which they can dig their teeth. There’s always room for more, though, and more regularly arrives thanks to Rodrigo’s role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Last month brought the Rodrigo/Joshua Bassett duet “Even When/The Best Part,” for example, and now there’s a new Rodrigo solo track from the show, “The Rose Song.”

The song appears on the sixth episode of the show’s second season. In the episode, Nini (Rodrigo’s character) gets cast as the rose in the East High production of Beauty And The Beast. Subsequently, she writes and performs “The Rose Song.” On the chorus of the emotional piano ballad, she sings, “‘Cause I am more than what I am to you / You say I’m perfect, but I’ve got thorns with my petals, too / And I won’t be confined to your point of view / I’m breakin’ through the glass you put me in / ‘Cause my beauty’s from within.”

In a May interview ahead of the release of Sour, Rodrigo said of the song, “The success of the music I’ve put out recently has given me a lot of confidence as a writer and in the other songs that I’ve written, like ‘The Rose Song.’ I think it’s one of the best songs I’ve written. It’s this really intricate metaphor and I’ve never written a song like that before.”

In an interview from last year, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series showrunner Tim Federle described the song as “pretty extraordinary” and continued, “We all felt like, ‘How could she ever top ‘All I Want?’ And then she came up with this concept that knocked our socks off.”

Listen to “The Rose Song” above.

Father’s Day weekend has arrived, and that means that there’s some holiday-themed Netflix programming on the table (with an unlikely star, Kevin Hart, who’s getting dramatic) and so much more. Hey, you can’t expect every dad to have the same taste, so the good news this weekend is that there’s a lot of variety, especially if your dad is cool. If he likes zombies, you’re in luck. If he likes Patton Oswalt-narrated nature series, well, of course he’d like that: instant entertainment for Pops. There’s also meditation-based entertainment and a vacation-travel series, and basically, there’s no conceivable reason why your family could be bored while spending time together.

Here’s everything else coming to (and leaving) the streaming platform this week.

Black Summer: Season 2 (Netflix series streaming 6/17)

This zombie series’ sophomore season may as well be titled Black Winter, but that’s alright. The first season was a sleeper and ended up being the show that Fear The Walking Dead fans would have preferred before the AMC spinoff series improved dramatically this year. With that said, this is a quick-and-dirty crowd-pleaser of a series, which includes the obligatory “guy who tries to hide his flesh wound” moment while attempting to flee to safety within a crowd of survivors. How that’s handled is necessarily brutal, as is the rest of the series, and expect a new batch of episodes full of cold-blooded fresh challenges while violent militias get down with their bad selves.

Fatherhood (Netflix film streaming 6/18)

Kevin Hart puts away the funnyman vibes (well, at least partially) for this rather serious take on fatherhood. The laughs that do occur will be both bittersweet and heartwarming, given that Hart plays a widower who must learn to raise his daughter all by himself. The trailer reveals that he’s taking a swing at honest-to-god acting, and this film is part of Netflix’s promise to release at least one original film per week for the whole of 2021. That’s quite a feat, and this movie will be a nice break from the non-stop action movies that traditionally fill the summer schedule.

Penguin Town: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming 6/16)

Don’t even try to resist this one. Patton Oswalt’s narrating this series about the (arguably) most adorable animals on earth. That would be a boisterous colony of African penguins that decide to hit some sunny beaches near Cape Town alongside surfers. What on earth is going on? Apparently, these generally cool dudes are now used to the heat, and it’s a real-life group of penguins who did this, so don’t even try to stop their enjoyment of tropical paradise. They’re only trying to survive and get a little love and maybe, hopefully, god willing, not go extinct. Also, penguin drama must be the best drama, hands down.

The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming 6/18)

Live vicariously while experts take you to exclusive private islands, along with treehouses and igloos to showcase amazing properties in (allegedly) every budget and style. In the end, you’ll wanna get away, fast, and experiencing the globe and the life-changing travels that this series has to offer.

Headspace: Unwind Your Mind (Netflix interactive special streaming 6/15)

Get ready to pull some Bandersnatch-style moves on your meditation game with this interactive experience that promotes mindfulness as the third collaborative installment from Headspace and Vox Media Studios. With this particular special, three customizable paths (Meditation, Relax, and Sleep) can help viewers forge their own individualized paths that might just include a bedtime story.

Katla: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming 6/16)

This series is based in Iceland where a subglacial volcano won’t stop erupting, and a young woman’s seeking her missing sister, who happens to have disappeared around the same time that the eruptions began. Is there something supernatural afoot underneath the glacier? Perhaps.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 6/13
The Devil Below
Picture a Scientist

Avail. 6/14
Elite Short Stories

Avail. 6/15
FTA
Let’s Eat
Life of Crime
Power Rangers Dino Fury: Season 1
Rhyme Time Town: Season 2
Sir! No Sir!
Unwind Your Mind
Workin’ Moms: Season 5

Avail. 6/16
Lowriders
Penguin Town
Silver Skates

Avail. 6/17
Black Summer: Season 2
The Gift: Season 3
Hospital Playlist: Season 2
Katla
Silver Linings Playbook

Avail. 6/18
A Family
Elite: Season 4
Fatherhood
Jagame Thandhiram
The Rational Life
The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals

Avail. 6/19
Nevertheless

And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:

Leaving 6/26
The Secret Life of Pets 2

Leaving 6/27
20th Century Women
Tales of the City (1993): Season 1

Leaving 6/28
Bratz: The Movie

Sea monsters, tricksters, zombies, and women on the verge of, well, something either violent or awesome, or maybe both. Do you want to know where you’ll find the best bang for your buck among the streaming services? Things get a little weird this week in streaming land with nostalgia bringing back iCarly for a revival on Paramount, which is still popping with a gloriously mindless action film starring Mark Wahlberg. Sentimental feelings for the past are also (at least partially) what fuels Apple TV+’s Physical, with Rose Byrne building a 1980s fitness empire. And over on AMC+, Annie Murphy plays a character who’s had it with nostalgia for traditional sitcom dynamics, and she’s about to go on a (gloriously) depraved bender.

That’s where this week gets tough, because although the above offerings are well-worth your binging eyeballs, Netflix and Disney+ are both crushing the streaming game this weekend. Netflix comes in with a tie for first place with a thrilling zombie series, an adorable nature series that should not be ignored, Father’s Day content, and more. Meanwhile, Disney’s keeping up “on your left” with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest episode of Loki and the latest Pixar blockbuster film, which you can watch in your homes. Don’t count out Amazon Prime, Peacock, or HBO Max, either. ​Here’s everything that you should consider putting in your queues.

Netflix

Black Summer: Season 2 (Netflix series) — This zombie series’ sophomore season may as well be titled Black Winter, but that’s alright. The first season was a sleeper and ended up being the show that Fear The Walking Dead fans would have preferred before the AMC spinoff series improved dramatically this year. With that said, this is a quick-and-dirty crowd-pleaser of a series, which includes the obligatory “guy who tries to hide his flesh wound” moment while attempting to flee to safety within a crowd of survivors. How that’s handled is necessarily brutal, as is the rest of the series, and expect a new batch of fresh challenges while violent militias get down with their bad selves.

Penguin Town: Season 1 (Netflix series) — Don’t even try to resist this one. Patton Oswalt’s narrating this series about the (arguably) most adorable animals on earth. That would be a boisterous colony of African penguins that decide to hit some sunny beaches near Cape Town alongside surfers. What on earth is going on? Apparently, these generally cool dudes are now used to the heat, and it’s a real-life group of penguins who did this, so don’t even try to stop their enjoyment of tropical paradise. They’re only trying to survive and get a little love and maybe, hopefully, god willing, not go extinct. Also, penguin drama must be the best drama, hands down.

Fatherhood (Netflix film) — Kevin Hart puts away the funnyman vibes (well, at least partially) for this rather serious take on fatherhood. The laughs that do occur will be both bittersweet and heartwarming, given that Hart plays a widower who must learn to raise his daughter all by himself. The trailer reveals that he’s taking a swing at honest-to-god acting, and this film is part of Netflix’s promise to release at least one original film per week for the whole of 2021. That’s quite a feat, and this movie will be a nice break from the non-stop action movies that traditionally fill the summer schedule.

The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals (Netflix series) — Live vicariously while experts take you to exclusive private islands, along with treehouses and igloos to showcase amazing properties in (allegedly) every budget and style. In the end, you’ll wanna get away, fast, and experiencing the globe and the life-changing travels.

Headspace: Unwind Your Mind (Netflix interactive special) — Get ready to pull some Bandersnatch-style moves on your meditation game with this interactive experience that promotes mindfulness as the third collaborative installment from Headspace and Vox Media Studios. With this particular special, three customizable paths (Meditation, Relax, and Sleep) can help viewers forge their own individualized paths.

Katla: Season 1 (Netflix series) — This series is based in Iceland where a subglacial volcano won’t stop erupting, and a young woman’s seeking her missing sister, who happens to have disappeared around the same time that the eruptions began. Is there something supernatural afoot underneath the glacier? Perhaps.

Disney+

Luca (Pixar film on Disney+) — The film’s promotional material, not to mention the setup, reminded a lot of people Luca Guadagnino’s coming-of-age romantic drama, Call Me By Your Name. Make no mistake, though, this is a family movie with lots of The Little Mermaid flavor, too. Essentially, the story’s about two sea monsters who transform into young humans and set foot on land, where they enjoy an unforgettable summer that includes gelato, pasta, and scooter rides, all while hoping the fun will never stop.

Loki: Episode 2 (Disney+ series) — Tom Hiddleston has an absolute blast playing the mercurial trickster of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we shall reap the benefits while he helps (or hinders) the Time Variance Authority during the process of cleaning up the timeline. This week, the talk of Variants grows both clearer and murkier, if that makes any sense at all, while Owen Wilson’s suddenly apparent gift of exposition really gets a chance to shine. Seriously, can we just hand the guy an Emmy right now? He and Hiddleston are remarkable in their conversations together this week, and you may need to watch it twice to savor all the wordplay.

Zenimation: Season 2 (Disney+ series+) — If you’re into the whole ASMR thing, you’ll wanna check out this show that’s chock full of animated soundscape that are, in effect, molded from the aural experiences of iconic Disney scenes. Enjoy crashing waves and frigid forests and more while this tribute to the best of the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ legacy of sights and sounds.

Paramount+

iCarly (Paramount+ series) — This revival series picks up a decade following the beloved Nickelodeon classic with Miranda Cosgrove returning as the title character, who happens to be the O.G. webcast influencer. She’s accompanied by returning stars Jerry Trainor and Nathan Kress, so the whole gang’s getting back together for more comedic mishaps and adventures while fans can enjoy seeing where these characters ended up for a new chapter.

Infinite (Paramount+ film) — As hard as it might seem to believe, Mark Wahlberg stabs an airplane in this summer blockbuster movie, directed by Antoine Fuqua, that’s coming straight to your living room tonight. Wahlberg is going up against reincarnated warriors known as “Infinites,” and he might be having flashbacks from multiple lives as well. He’s self-medicating, too, and driving a motorcycle off a cliff, so yeah, get your microwave popcorn ready for this gloriously dumb action film.

Apple TV+

Physical: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series) — Pull out the leg warmers, the Jane Fonda exercise videos, and the Rave hairspray, or maybe just turn on some Olivia Newton-John songs to get into the proper mood for this dramedy, which stars the always side-splittingly funny Rose Byrne. She portrays a 1980s California housewife, Shiela, who’s pushing toward empowerment and success while excising personal demons in the process. Her transformation’s inspired by aerobics, and soon, Shiela’s building an exercise empire. The pilot’s directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) and the rest of the season’s helmed by Liza Johnson (Dead To Me) and Stephanie Laing (Love Life), so expect the comedy to be of the biting variety.

AMC+

Kevin Can Go F**k Himself (AMC series) — The title alone will reel people into sampling this series, at the very least, and also the fact that it rips apart a certain sitcom starring Kevin James and Leah Remini. Really, though, this show parodies all of those comedies with schlubby, burp-happy husbands and their often stunningly gorgeous wives who put up too many shenanigans. Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek) stars as a woman who realizes that she wasted a decade on being the perfect housewife in an awful marriage, and, well, she decides to get out of it by attempting to murder her husband. You definitely won’t be bored by this one.

Amazon Prime

The Prime Day Show (Amazon Prime series) — The Prime Day sales event (June 21-22) will launch with this three-episode musical event with performances from Billie Eilish, H.E.R., and Kid Cudi.

Flack: Season 2 (Amazon Prime series) — This series began on Pop TV, and Amazon picked it up for a second season for good reason. This is some damn fine guilty-pleasure escapism, even if it feels like an amalgamation of many shows and movies (includingThe Devil Wears Prada, Scandal, Sex and the City) that you’ve seen before. Anna Paquin, who portrays Robyn, who’s part of a PR agency that’s ridiculously good at hiding the most outrageous celebrity scandals imaginable. The show’s dark but breezy, and this season will see more collisions between work and home life, and as always, there will be love affairs and shady dealings and drug-induced benders and, yes, almost much everyone on this show is a terrible person, but oh, the comeuppance is a blast to watch.

Peacock

Intelligence: Season 2 (Peacock series) — This David Schwimmer-starring series feels like a bizarre pivot, due to its across-the-pond-style of humor, but enough people tuned in to merit a second round. Schwimmer portrays a shouty NSA agent who tells crude jokes and is basically the stereotypical Ugly American among an office of relatively civilized Brits.

Civil War (Or, Who Do We Think We Are) (Peacock film) — Brad Pitt and Henry Louis Gates Jr. executive produce this documentary that digs into how the Civil War is discussed by Americans, from Obama’s final year in office until present. Expect to see a layered portrait of our collective American psyche to emerge.

HBO Max

Revolution Rent (HBO film on HBO Max) — Executive produced by Neil Patrick Harris and Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, this documentary special heads to Cuba, where Andy Señor Jr. (who originally played the Angel character in the 1990s) directs a stage production of Rent. Yep, that’s not only the same Rent that won Tony awards, but it’s also the first time Cuba’s seen a Broadway musical from an American company in at least 50 years. Señor Jr. reimagines the show in light of his Cuban family’s heritage and their relationship with their home country.

Generation: (HBO Max series) — The dark and playful half-hour series (which is returning from hiatus) revolves around high school students who are finding their coming-of-age exploration of sexuality complicated by the deeply held beliefs that persist throughout their conservative community. The series stars Chase Sui Wonders, Chloe East, Haley Sanchez, Lukita Maxwell, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Nathanya Alexander, Nava Mau, Uly Schlesinger, Justice Smith, and Martha Plimpton.

Betty: (HBO series on HBO Max) — The skateboarders are back. It’s what we really need to heal our pandemic-addled minds, and somehow, director Crystal Moselle managed to gather the Skate Kitchen crew back up for a second season and film on the streets of New York City. The main players are all back — Rachelle Vinberg as Camille, Ajani Russell as Indigo, Dede Lovelace as Janay, Moonbear as Honeybear, and Nina Moran as Kirt — and they’re still making the act of soaring through the streets look like the coolest thing on Earth.

Game 6 between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz arrives on Friday evening at STAPLES Center. After three consecutive wins, the Clippers have the chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals with a victory. In contrast, the Jazz aim to keep an impressive season alive and, with a win, Utah could set up a winner-take-all situation in Salt Lake City on Sunday.

In keeping with the unfortunate theme of the 2021 NBA Playoffs, injuries are at the forefront of the proceedings. Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out of action for the Clippers in Game 6, joining Serge Ibaka (back) on the shelf for this game. Leonard is one of the best players in the NBA but, in a one-game sample, the Clippers were able to withstand his absence in a road win in Game 5. Much of the team’s success stemmed from an explosive night from Paul George, who scored 37 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. However, Los Angeles also shot 16-of-40 from three-point range and they will look to replicate that perimeter effectiveness on Friday.

The Jazz have operated without Mike Conley (hamstring) for the entire series to this point. However, Conley is listed as questionable for Game 6 and could make his debut appearance in this matchup. Unfortunately for Utah, Conley’s potential return could be marred by an injury to Donovan Mitchell, who is listed as questionable with an ankle issue. Mitchell is averaging 34.0 points per game in the series, and he is flanked by an elite defensive presence in Rudy Gobert and plenty of shooting all over the floor.

From a betting standpoint, Game 5 went Over the total of 219.5 points and Los Angeles covered the closing point spread of 8.5 points as an underdog, winning outright.

Game 6 TV Info

Tip Time: Friday, June 18; 10 p.m. ET
TV Network: ESPN

Game 6 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Series Prices: Clippers (-167), Jazz (+137)
Spread: Jazz -1 (-109), Clippers +1 (-112)
Total: Over 219 (-112), Under 219 (-109)
Money Line: Jazz (-114), Clippers (-106)

Game 6 Player Scoring Props (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Rudy Gobert O/U 14.5 Points (Over -124/Under -103)
Royce O’Neale O/U 8.5 (-113/-113)
Reggie Jackson O/U 17.5 (+100/-127)
Marcus Morris O/U 17.5 (+100/-127)
Paul George O/U 30.5 (-124/-103)
Bojan Bogdanović O/U 17.5 (-113/-113)
Donovan Mitchell O/U 33.5 (+100/-127)
Nicolas Batum O/U 9.5 (-121/-106)

The Philadelphia 76ers look to stay alive in the 2021 NBA Playoffs on Friday evening. Doc Rivers’ team visits the Atlanta Hawks for Game 6 of a best-of-seven second round series, with Philadelphia trailing by a 3-2 margin. Atlanta won the last two games with considerable comebacks, including a second-half deficit of 26 points in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Joel Embiid is officially listed as questionable, as he has been for every game in the series, and he continues to play through a torn meniscus in his knee. Embiid has been dominant at times, particularly in first halves, and the Sixers will likely ask him to produce at a superstar level once again. Elsewhere, Seth Curry is enjoying a highly productive series from long range, but both Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris have scuffled at times offensively, especially during what was a maddening Game 5 loss.

On Atlanta’s side, a “never say die” attitude has permeated the proceedings and they have been incredibly effective in their home building since Nate McMillan took over as the team’s interim head coach. Fresh off a playoff career high 39-point performance in Game 5, Trae Young will look to key the Hawks offensively, and he is surrounded by shooters like Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter, as well as play finishers like John Collins and Clint Capela. In Game 5, it was veteran reserve guard Lou Williams that provided an undeniable spark, as he scored 13 points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter as Atlanta began its ludicrous comeback.

From a betting standpoint, Game 5 went Under the total of 224.5 points and Atlanta covered the closing point spread of 7.5 points as an underdog.

Game 6 TV Info

Tip Time: Friday, June 18; 7:30 p.m. ET
TV Network: ESPN

Game 6 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Series Prices: Hawks (-177), 76ers (+140)
Spread: 76ers -3 (-112), Hawks +3 (-109)
Total: Over 221 (-112), Under 221 (-109)
Money Line: 76ers (-155), Hawks (+130)

Game 6 Player Scoring Props (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Ben Simmons O/U 13.5 Points (Over -114/Under -112)
John Collins O/U 15.5 (-114/-112)
Trae Young O/U 27.5 (-120/-107)
Joel Embiid O/U 33.5 (-113/-113)
Tobias Harris O/U 21.5 (-110/-110)
Kevin Huerter O/U 10.5 (-114/-112)
Bogdan Bogdanović O/U 17.5 (-109/-117)
Clint Capela O/U 10.5 (-125/-103)
Seth Curry O/U 15.5 (-127/+100)
Furkan Korkmaz O/U 9.5 (-114/-112)

The NFL and its Players Association agreed earlier in the week to new rules about how to handle members of various organizations who refuse to get vaccinated against the coronavirus and help bring the pandemic that’s killed millions of people to an end. The differences between those who have gotten the jab will be stark, with testing every day for unvaccinated players and other restrictions like mask wearing and extended quarantine rules in case of close contact with anyone positive for coronavirus in the still-ongoing pandemic.

Those vaccinated, like hundreds of millions of other Americans, will be granted more freedom to go maskless and resume activities like others have been able to enjoy elsewhere in society. And teams have a mandate to allow increased contact if players and staff reach an 85 percent vaccination rate, generally in the range where experts feel herd immunity may be possible to bring the pandemic to an end.

A number of teams are apparently well on their way to getting to the 85 percent threshold according to reports, but one team fans are concerned about is the Buffalo Bills. Especially after some players were very vocal about some very incorrect medical opinions about the pandemic. Wideout Cole Beasley shared those thoughts on Twitter on Thursday, calling the NFLPA a “joke” for agreeing to these rules that apparently didn’t stand up for unvaccinated players to his liking.

This is already largely incorrect, as not only does the vaccine safely and effectively prevent serious illness or death from COVID-19, it also limits its ability for vaccinated people to spread it to others. But Beasley kept the false equivalences going, claiming that because he beat the odds of making it to the NFL and playing professional football, he could beat the odds and potentially get a breakthrough case even if he were vaccinated.

Beasley declared the moves were not with safety in mind, but so the NFL can continue to make money. That may be true, but he also amplified several different points of anti-vaccine rhetoric that have been scientifically disproven time and time again during the year-plus of the pandemic.

At one point, Beasley compared the pandemic that’s killed more than 600,000 Americans to “the flu” which, it’s important to note, also does have a vaccine that saves lives each year.

Another Bills player, guard Jon Feliciano, amplified Beasley’s comments on Twitter with his own takes.

Part of the apparent frustration here is, despite the wishes of many athletes that their medical history stay “private” when it comes to vaccinations, there will be extremely visible proof whether athletes are vaccinated or unvaccinated once camp and the regular season starts. What’s more, having teams with more unvaccinated players on the roster could limit team activities and make life more difficult in the upcoming season.

Bills fans on social media have spent the offseason watching a player’s significant other amplify anti-vaccine rhetoric and warning that many on the team were vaccine hesitant amid comments from the front office and head coach Sean McDermott saying they’d prefer players get vaccinated. In May, for example, McDermott admitted he was “concerned” that enough players may not get vaccinated so the team reaches the necessary thresholds to reach full team activities. It seems, at least in the middle of June, that some major players on the team are worth being concerned about.