Month: July 2021

The highly-anticipated third fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder has reportedly been thrown into a state of uncertainty. According to Mike Coppinger of ESPN, Fury, the reigning WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion, has seen an outbreak of COVID-19 in his camp 16 days before he’s expected to step into the ring.

While it is not clear if Fury himself has caught the novel coronavirus, but it has gotten to the point within his camp that a decision needs to be made whether or not things will go on as planned on July 24 or get moved to a later date.

Via ESPN:

No official determination has yet been made on whether the fight, set to be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and broadcast on ESPN+ PPV, will proceed as planned.

The fight is a joint pay-per-view with FOX, and that network has the Manny Pacquiao-Errol Spence Jr. PPV on Aug. 21, so it’s likely Fury-Wilder 3 would be moved to September, sources told ESPN.

Fury and Wilder have fought twice in the last three years. Back in 2018, the two went 12 rounds with Wilder’s WBC title on the line in a fight that was somewhat controversially deemed a draw. About 15 months later, they stepped back into the ring again and Fury put forth a championship-winning performance, earning a TKO in the seventh round.

While it looked like Fury was slated to get a heavyweight unification bout with Anthony Joshua in August, an arbiter determined that he was contractually obligated to fight Wilder a third time. Now, the question is whether that fight will happen in two weeks or a little bit later this year.

Last year, it looked like Vic Mensa, the genre-hopping Chicago rapper who had gone through the showbiz wringer since exploding onto the scene at the tail end of the blog era, was finally making his comeback and receiving his due with the I Tape EP. He’d returned to form, reunited with his longtime friend and collaborator Chance The Rapper, and regained the swagger that had made him an XXL Freshman in 2014. Then, the pandemic struck, effectively shutting down the momentum for Vic and pretty much every other rapper in the game.

However, he hasn’t let that setback stop him from completing his comeback. Instead, he kept working his and Chance’s collaboration, “Shelter,” performing on The Late Show and offering their own stripped-down live performance filmed at Chance’s house. Vic also continued releasing videos from the new project, including “Fr33dom,” and today, the video for the Just Blaze-produced “Victory.”

Equal parts celebratory and defiant, the track finds Vic slinging some of his slickest punchlines over a signature, triumphant-sounding Just Blaze beat, addressing the perception of his fall-off and expressing his love for the Windy City. The video, shot in black-and-white, is a simple affair in which Vic takes a literal victory lap around his city, then posts up in a parking lot to watch motorcycles burn rubber as he performs his witty, validating verses. With a C Tape no doubt in the works, it looks like Vic Mensa is back on track to retake the pole position in rap’s race for greatness.

Watch Vic Mensa’s “Victory” video above.

While the Los Angeles Lakers have a number of rotation players whose futures are up in the air this offseason, Kyle Kuzma is under contract for the next few years. Kuzma’s has something of a strange career in L.A., going from a bright spot during the team’s post-Kobe Bryant years to a role player during the current era of Lakers basketball who is asked to do different things on a given night.

Kuzma was rewarded for his efforts with a contract extension that kicks in next season is slated to pay him $13 million a year, but in a recent interview with Bleacher Report, the fourth-year forward explained that he believes he has the ability to be an All-Star.

“I definitely can,” Kuzma said on B/R’s Hanging With Kuz. “I definitely believe that, too. I don’t really care what nobody thinks or says. I know myself, and I know my ability. It’s hard to be consistent in an inconsistent role. I’m excited for a more consistent space next year.

“I’ve done a great job every offseason of trying to build something and add something to my game,” he continued. “I’ve turned myself into a great defender. My rookie year, I was a stop sign on defense. I didn’t really stop anybody. Now, whether it’s elite wings, 4 men, even point guards and shooting guards, I have the ability to guard four positions now and really affect the game on that end of the court.”

The usual disclaimer that no player will say they’re not deserving of being an All-Star goes here. Even if Kuzma never explicitly says this, it very much comes off like he thinks the only thing between him being a nice rotation player and an All-Star is having a clear, defined role 82 games a year, and while it’s fair to be skeptical, he seems confident he’ll get a chance to make that case on the floor next season.

In his ongoing plan to dominate the world by constantly trying to reinvent the norm, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk thrives on making the impossible seem possible. But sometimes, something seems impossible for the very reason that it is impossible—or, at the very least, is ill-advised. Case in point: Musk’s new burning desire to build an underground tunnel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida through his Boring Company. Which is a really, really terrible idea. Even if the city’s mayor doesn’t get that.

On Tuesday, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis tweeted that the city had formally accepted a proposal from Musk’s Boring Company “to build an underground transit system between downtown and the beach” and added that, “This could be a truly innovative way to reduce traffic congestion.”

Well, no duh. Except that surging sea levels are already creating massive flooding on a regular basis and are putting the city in a precarious position—the kind that could make installing an underground tunnel an absolute nightmare. Earther was pretty forthright in its assessment of the situation:

I hope everyone there has a submarine to use in this new tunnel because it looks like it is going to be underwater before long. Elon’s tunnel projects haven’t exactly gone well in the past—just look at accounts from test rides of the Boring Company’s Los Angeles “hyperloop.” But building one in Fort Lauderdale comes with a whole other set of issues.

Like all of South Florida, Fort Lauderdale faces an extreme threat from sea level rise. The ocean there has risen by up to eight inches (20.3 centimeters) since 1950. Most Fort Lauderdale residents live less than five feet (1.5 meters) above sea level, including a majority in areas deemed Special Flood Hazard Areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Things could get much worse, though. A conservative estimate forecasts up to two feet (0.6 meters) of sea level rise could hit Fort Lauderdale by mid-century, which would vastly increase the risk of flooding.

The project, known as The Las Olas Loop (a reference to the main road that connects residents to the beach), would mimic the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop that opened in Sin City last month, a 1.7-mile-long loop that connects three stations. In the case of The Las Olas Loop, CNN reports that beachgoers would fork over about $5 to $8 per person to be driven underground (in a Tesla, of course) from the main station to the beach—avoiding all that pesky traffic.

While CNN reports that there are a grand total of just two tunnel projects in the Sunshine State because of the porousness of its limestone, which causes issues for tunneling machines, Mayor Trantalis is assuring everyone that he, city officials, and the Boring brass are doing further studies on the surrounding geology to confirm the project’s feasibility.

(Via Earther)

Legendary rapper DMX tragically passed away April 9 at the age of 50. Original reports claimed that the rapper had died from an overdose, but medical examiners have just now confirmed his official cause of death.

A source from the Westchester County medical examiner’s office reported DMX’s cause of death to Vulture. According to the publication, DMX died of cocaine-induced cardiac arrest that completely cut off blood circulation to his brain, causing him to go into a coma.

“His death literally happened immediately because the brain was dead,” the medical examiner’s source said. “So obviously, there were a number of days where he was on ventilatory support and so forth in the hospital. However, he was diagnosed brain-dead early on […] He never woke up from [a] coma.”

Following DMX’s death, there was an outpouring of love and support for the rapper’s legacy and family. The 2021 BET Awards aired a heartwarming tribute to the rapper featuring Method Man, Griselda, Busta Rhymes, and his own Ruff Ryders crew. Together, they performed some of his biggest hits like “Ruff Ryders Anthem” and “Party Up” as a montage of DMX images played behind them.

DMX’s family also got a blessing from Def Jam following his death. The record label reportedly dished out over $35,000 for his funeral expenses, including $7,450 for DMX’s custom casket.

About 38 minutes into Pixar’s new film, Luca, the two sea monster pals at the center of the story sit down to dinner in a new friend’s kitchen to eat. Plates of pesto-drenched pasta slide under the boys’ noses, looking bright and unctuous and generally delicious (Pixar does food well). The moment I saw it, I knew I’d be cooking soon.

The dish is a Ligurian classic, Trenette al Pesto. The base of this dish is a straightforward pesto — which is simple but takes a fair bit of work (especially if you’re using a mortar and pestle). The pasta is amped up by the addition of fresh green beans and cubed pieces of potato with a little pasta water to help make a creamy sauce to coat the linguine-like noodles, called “trenette.” (Trenette is a flat noodle that is usually about 1/8-inch in width, meaning you can use smaller linguine if you can’t find them.)

Luckily for me (and you), Pixar actually posted the whole recipe for Trenette al Pesto on Instagram for all of us to recreate. So I figured I’d if their recipe lives up to the hype and the beauty of the dish in the film.

Beyond that, I’m looking for a bright and light pasta lunch plate, or a new primi for my dinner rotation. The sort of pasta plate that’ll induce expressions of admiration like Luca’s pal Alberto has in the screengrab below.

Okay, let’s get cooking!

Trenette al Pesto

Ingredients:

• 500g/17-oz. Trenette pasta (or linguine)
• 100g/3.5-oz. fresh green beans
• 100g/3.5-oz. yellow potato
• 50g/45 leaves Genovese basil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 50g/1.5-oz. fresh parmigiano reggiano
• 50g/1.5-oz. pecorino romano
• 30g/1-oz. toasted pine nuts
• 100ml/3.5-oz. extra virgin olive oil
• Water
• Salt

I ended up grabbing some dried linguine. It’s basically the same thing at the end of the day. I’m also not making pasta from scratch as there’s no way a working-class fisherman would be making pasta every night for dinner. Italians use dried pasta too, folks.

The rest is pretty straightforward. I’m using standard but good cheese, fresh Genovese basil, good Italian oil, and fresh beans and potato. This isn’t rocket science so much as it’s about fresh, fresh, fresh. This is basically a garden on a plate. So if you’re growing any of these ingredients, use those!

What You’ll Need:

• Large pestle and mortar or food processor
• Large pasta pot
• Large pasta mixing bowl
• Tongs
• Cutting board
• Kitchen knife
• Colander
• Scale
• Measuring cup
• Pasta bowls

Method:

• Start by making some pesto. Add the basil and garlic with a large pinch of salt to the pestle and mortar. Lightly bruise the basil and garlic and then gently grind them into the sides of the pestle until no large bits remain.
• Add in a small splash of the olive oil and continue to grind the garlic and basil until it’s well-ground.
• Add in the pine nuts and grind them down into a fine-ish grind.
• Add in the cheese and rest of the olive oil and use the mortar to create a thick paste with fine chunks of pine nuts and basil that look like they were grated.
• Alternatively, use a food processor to do all of this in about 15 seconds.
• Boil a large pot of water and add a large punch of salt.
• While waiting for that to boil, clean and slice the green beans into one-inch pieces.
• Peel and cube the potato.
• Once the water boils, add in the potato, pasta, and green beans.
• Let cook until the pasta is al dente (about six minutes for me).
• Reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining everything through a colander.
• Use a large pasta bowl to mix the final dish by adding the pasta, beans, potatoes, and all of the pesto.
• Toss the pasta while adding in a little bit of the pasta water to create a creamy pesto sauce.
• Hit with a pinch of salt to season to taste.
• Serve immediately with a basil top as garnish.

Bottom Line:

I got close to the animated plate! You can judge yourself from the top and bottom images here.

This was great. It’s light, bright, and filling. The pesto isn’t overdone but still packs that hit of sharp garlic, umami cheese, lush oil, and a nutty underbelly. It definitely brought about a face like the one below when I served this at our lunch table.

The green beans were a nice and crunchy addition — offering a light textural element. The potato added extra heft to the whole dish, helping this prove really filling. They didn’t feel necessary at first but then became a welcome textural and flavor differenced.

I did hit mine with a little more Parmigiano, becasue I like my pasta both cheesy and salty, but it didn’t really need it. This was simple, bright, summery, and deliciously filling. It’s a great primi. Now I need a whole grilled fish as my secondi!

“Raise your hand if you think you’re a lucky person?” That’s the question Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s teacher character asks his elementary school students at the start of the trailer for Mr. Corman, an upcoming series on Apple TV+. That the character’s own answer is yes is as interesting as the fact that almost none of the kids say yes (what a bunch of cynical and/or aware tykes). Through the trailer, we’re seeing his character spiral through a life where, it seems, adversity has been freshly introduced. Is he lying to the kids about feeling lucky? Is he lying to himself?

Clearly, Mr. Corman is floating somewhere between quarter-life and mid-life crises while trying to outrun the crush of unfulfilled dreams (a career in music and a pairing with his creative partner don’t seem to be working out how he thought they would) and the resulting negativity that can weigh down a life if you can’t quite live the truth of aphorisms about living in the moment and not looking back. (You know, if you aren’t lucky, like those who read the above and don’t relate. And good for you if that fits.)

The show, which JGL (I can call him that, we spoke on the phone once) created, marking a return to both television (remember 3rd Rock From The Sun!) and writing/directing (remember 2013’s Don Jon!) seems centered in the dramedy space, dealing with heavier questions about roads taken and not, but there’s also some humor and the ammunition for more with a strong supporting cast including Arturo Castro (Broad City) and Juno Temple (Ted Lasso). There are also moments in the trailer that suggest fantastical daydream sequences (and maybe a little song and dance?) to help visualize the character’s freakouts about life, adding to the anticipation when paired with the cast and a not-entirely-serious tone.

Apple TV+’s ‘Mr. Corman’ drops on August 6.

Wale, who built his career on his social media presence, has announced that he’s taking a break from posting and perusing as usual as the result of an unknown illness on Instagram. Posting the message to his Instagram Story, he informed fans that “I am out of commission. I been extremely sick since Saturday. I’ve missed many calls and texts. Thank you to everybody who called wit genuine concern. I ain’t sure how long I’ll be down but this sh*t ain’t slight.”

However, he softened the blow of this concerning message, promising: “Soon as I can come back strong, I’ll be back strong. As for now, management will run my socials. Much love, see y’all soon.”

The news comes at an inopportune time for the DC rapper, who recently announced the impending release of his album Folarin 2, his seventh studio album and first full-length to drop since 2019’s Wow… That’s Crazy. Most recently, he appeared with Earthgang on their new single “Options,” as well as on its remix with Coi Leray, and promoted his own music with “Good Vibes” and the Gunna-featuring “Flawed.” Hopefully, his confidence and fans’ patience will pay off and he’ll get well soon.

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

After Loki Episode 5 called into question the Trickster God’s use of knives in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Richard E. Grant’s Old Loki isn’t a fan of them), a new interview with Tom Hiddleston explains how daggers became a key ingredient of Loki’s live-action canon. While revealing that the knives were added to Loki’s repertoire in the first Thor movie thanks to director Kevin Branagh wanting to emphasize the God of Mischief’s fighting style as incredibly hard to pin down, “like a sprite or as unpredictable as the wind,” the daggers really cemented themselves following the badass knife flip during the final battle in Thor: Ragnarok.

According to Hiddleston, the now signature move was purely a product of chance and not wanting to stand around “like a lemon” while co-star Idris Elba finished his choreography. Via Entertainment Weekly:

Definitely Idris was there, and it was a two-shot of us fighting these fantastic athletes that are the stunt guys. And I ran out of choreography. Basically, I think I finished my moves before Idris, and he was still rolling, and I didn’t want to just be standing there like a lemon, not doing anything interesting. So I just flipped the knives, and caught them by chance.”

He continued: “And Idris laughed about it. We watched it back. He was [like], ‘Oh, god, he’s gone and done a knife flip at the end of it.’”

After pulling off the move for Ragnarok, Hiddleston revealed that he hasn’t been able to do it since, even after practicing with wooden spoons. “So it was one of those things, but lightning never strikes twice.”

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Welcome to SNX DLX, our weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the market. With last week and its long weekend bringing dope new Yeezy and a future classic colorway of the Air Jordan IV, this week is looking a little on the lighter side. Still, there are plenty of fly shoes to go around for us rabid sneakerheads. Yes, this week does include the usual suspects, like new Dunks and Jordans, but we’re also getting some collaborations from Vans and Patta as well as New Balance and Size?.

Overall, despite it being a lighter week, the big brands are still bringing the fire to help heat up the summer sneaker season. If you’ve just picked up sneakers and now you’re looking to complete your fit, be sure to hit up our streetwear apparel round-up as well. Let’s dive into it.

Nike Air Max 90 Shimmer Polka/ White Polka

With the constant stream of dope Jordan and Nike Dunk drops this summer, it’s easy to forget about the ‘ol Air Max 90. Let’s change that. Dropping in two polka-dots-adorned colorways, these playful takes on the Air Max 90 are too fun to pass up.

Featuring an upper composed of leather, and canvas, the Shimmer and White Polkas feature a polka dot design atop the sneaker’s toe box and along the layered paneling, with simple faded color schemes. The Shimmer Polka features a beige and peach-toned design, while the White Polka features an Oreo-like black-and-white color scheme. Both are pretty great!

The Nike Air Max 90 Shimmer Polka and White Polka are set to drop on July 8th for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair at Fia the Nike SNKRS app.

WMNS Nike Dunk Low Laser Orange

We’re going to go ahead and call it on this week’s SNX, orange is the color of the season. Previous years haven’t given this color much love, but for whatever reason, this week brings multiple orange-adorned kicks and we’re loving it, beginning with this WMNS-size exclusive, the Dunk Low Laser Orange.

Featuring a simple orange and white color scheme, with a woven tongue tag and Nike branding on the heel tab, the Laser Orange features leather construction that sits atop an orange rubber outsole. It’s bright and citrusy and an ideal colorway for the summer season. It’s also dropping in an extended size run that peaks at 12W, which is equivalent to 10.5 in Men’s sizes.

The WMNS Nike Dunk Low Laser Orange is set to drop on July 8th for a retail price of $100. Try your luck at Nike SNKRS, but if that doesn’t work out hit up GOAT.

Size? x New Balance College Pack

Dropping alongside a matching apparel collection, this collaboration between New Balance and British retailer Size? pays homage to two classic New Balance silhouettes, the 550 and 574. The 550 features a creamsicle-like colorway, with a mix of white leather and orange accents and a classic basketball low-cut design, but the highlight of the pack is the 574, which features an all-over fuzzy orange suede upper with a mesh base and a crisp white midsole atop a black outsole. The 574 is track-inspired, and I think it has a modern edge over the more clunky 550.

The Size? X New Balance College Pack is set to drop on July 8th for a retail price of $110 through $150, depending on sizing. Pick up a pair exclusively at Size?

Patta x Vault By Vans Mean Eyed Cat Collection

This year, Vans has been getting a lot of love from SNX, but this collection — made in collaboration with British retailer Patta — is easily one of the best collections the brand has dropped in years. Dubbed the “Mean Eyed Cat” collection, for reasons I still don’t understand, this seven sneaker collection consists of three different colorways of Vans’ Sk8-Hi silhouette and four colorways of the Old Skool, including a dope Silver Pink/Black version of the latter.

Each colorway sits atop a black midsole with “Mean Eyed Cat” written in alternating white and red colors with an upper design that features the Patta cursive logo. It’s a clean look for Vans that updates the classic silhouettes for a modern era of skaters.

The Patta x Vault By Vans Mean Eyed Cat Collection is set to drop on July 9th for a retail range of $130 to $150 dollars. Pick up a pair at the Vans Patta website.

Asics Gel Lyte III Patchwork Pack

Inspired by boro craftsmanship and traditional Japanese patchwork, this design takes Asics best silhouette, the Gel Lyte III, and gives it a quilted reimagining. Featuring suede paneling and highly visible stitch patterns, the Gel Lyte Patchwork features an inside panel composed of leftover surplus material from other Asics sneakers and sits atop a shock-absorbing GEL foam at the rear of the foot. It’s a wacky design that will play well with fans of Sean Wotherspoon’s work.

The Asics Gel Lyte III Patchwork Pack is set to drop on July 9th for a retail price of $175. Pick up a pair at the Asics webstore.

Adidas Tyshawn Low

Pro skater Tyshawn Jones’ is returning with a new colorway and low top version of his Tyshawn Adidas silhouette, the Tyshawn Low Core Black. The Tyshawn features the same durable performance-focused Adituff toe construction of the original, with a low-cut silhouette and an upper composed of leather with suede detailing on the lower panels and heel wrap, and made using 50% recycled content.

The sneaker also features Cloudfoam Plus memory foam lining for added comfort and is dressed in a colorway of Core Black and Cloud White with Gold Metallic branding at the heel, and on the midsole and tongue branding.

The Adidas Tyshawn Low in Core Black is set to drop on July 10th for a retail price of $85. Pick up a pair at Adidas.

Nike Air Jordan III Racer Blue

While this may appear to be a simple Jordan III with a Racer Blue and white colorway, which honestly, is dope enough as it is, this design is actually more than it seems. The classic elephant print mudguard on this Jordan III is composed of reflective 3M material, giving this Jordan a shimmering reflective quality that plays off its street race-inspired name and sits atop a polyurethane midsole housing the Airbag cushioning.

It’s an easy pick up and if you missed out on last week’s dope Jordan IV Oreo, this wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize.

The Nike Air Jordan III Racer Blue is set to drop on July 10th for a retail price of $190. Try picking up a pair on release day on the Nike SNKRS app, or hit up GOAT and Flight Club to pick them up on the aftermarket.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.