Month: July 2021

On top of his very successful career in hip-hop, Yasiin Bey, who previously went by Mos Def, has also had a thriving acting career. He appeared in movies, sitcoms, and Broadway shows as a child, and his acting career continued through his hip-hop days and after retirement from the music industry. For his latest role, Bey will play jazz legend Thelonious Monk in an upcoming biopic. The film is simply titled Thelonious and it will start shooting next summer.

Bey — who will be doing his first movie since the 2016 French drama Tour De France — shared a statement about the film to Rolling Stone, and it seemed to find him already in character. “A leader.A Lord.A shape in space.A man from a community of devotion who lives a simple life distant from society,” he said in an email to the publication. “The adjectives.can never be nouns.Love.is a verb.The Future has already happened.And Forever.is a current event.Jupiter and team.”

The film’s writer-producer Peter Lord Moreland also explained why he thinks Bey is perfect for the role. “Yasiin lives his life with a vibe not easily found in Hollywood, because he’s not Hollywood, point blank,” he said. “His values and moral compass are intentional and focused on what really matters. Everyone who knows his body of work has seen him boldly transform himself from his music to the Broadway stage, the silver screen and beyond.” He added, “When he looked at me and said, ‘I am Thelonious,’ I knew we had found him.”

A director or other stars for Thelonious have not been revealed yet.

Mare of Easttown has been one of the biggest TV sensations of 2021, bewitching legions with its grimy look at murder in the relentlessly dimly-lit burbs of Philadelphia. The regional accents, so rarely attempted in shows and movies, were pretty darn good, and what’s not to love about a show that introduced the rest of the nation to Wawa? But there was something else it wrought: an excellent SNL parody. And one of its fans? Star Kate Winslet.

The parody, which dropped early into its seven-episode run, finds Kate McKinnon with a greasy ponytail ‘do, doing her best Mare Sheehan and liberally peppering “r”s into her every word, just like a good native Philadelphian. The sketch’s writers are either from the area or really did their homework: There are references to Yuengling and Conshohocken and more. The accents are maybe even more accurate than the ones on Mare itself. It even had a great title: “Murder Durdur.” Like a lot of SNL parodies, it was a loving send-up, and Winslet, in turn, loved it right back.

“I have never felt so validated,” the Oscar-winning actress told Entertainment Weekly. In fact, she can’t stop watching it. “Every now and then in our household we’ll be like, ‘Oh, should we just quickly watch it?’ And we’ll crowd around the iPhone crying with laughter.”

You can watch the Winslet-approved sketch in the video above.

(Via EW)

A deciding factor in Game 6 of the NBA Finals was Giannis Antetokounmpo making 17-19 free throws. With Giannis, a career 71.7% free throw shooter, making so many of his attempts, the Bucks were able to consistently keep the Suns at arm’s length as they went on to win their first championship since 1971.

Giannis’ hot shooting night from the stripe also played a part in a lot of Bucks fans getting absolutely ripped.

A bar called Crow Bar and Grill in Mishicot, Wisconsin announced on Facebook prior to Game 6 that they would be giving away free shots for every made Giannis free throw, which meant fans there got 17 free shots for their troubles.

There are some questions to ask here. Did patrons have to cash in these free shots all in one night? Did it apply to any alcohol of their choice or was it the bartender’s choice? And how many people were taking these shots in real time? To the last question, they responded in the comments “all of them,” which…goodness.

Mishicot, for what’s it’s worth, is classified as a village and has a population of 1,442 according to the last U.S. Census. So one would presume that this wasn’t necessarily a massive, packed bar like it would have been in downtown Milwaukee.

However, it’s incredible that a bar was willing to give away free shots for Giannis free throw makes, thinking that this would max out around 10 shots, if that. But Antetokounmpo, as an MVP does, came through clutch and presumably got some lucky people quite the complimentary buzz.

It’s been a couple of years since a new project from Tinashe was released, but 2019’s Songs For You turned out to be one of the most well-received releases of her career. Now the singer has announced the title and release date of her forthcoming fifth album.

Tinashe revealed in a tweet it would be titled 333. She also attached a sci-fi trailer that captures the singer getting out of bed and finding out that a third eye has mysteriously appeared on her forehead. The post was captioned “08062021,” which means that the album will arrive early next month, on August 6. Tinashe previously shared a video, which was captioned “333,” and which showed her undergoing experimental tests conducted by a group of doctors.

The announcement comes after Tinashe shared two singles that will likely appear on 333. The first is “Pasadena” and the second is “Bouncin,” and both were supported by elegant videos. She will also hit the road later this year for her 333 Tour, which launches on September 16 in Houston, Texas, and lasts for a little over a month before concluding on October 24. It will also a worldwide experience curated by Moment House, a company that specializes in virtual performances.

You can watch the trailers for 333 above.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics (in 2021) have not gotten off to the smoothest of starts, as the latest variants of COVID-19 has caused a spike in cases worldwide that has led the Olympics to be a spectator-less affair that much of the country of Japan is against hosting.

A handful of athletes have tested positive while in Tokyo, while numerous others have had to delay travel or be pulled from Olympic teams at the last minute for positive tests or close contacts in the weeks leading up to the Games. In case the pandemic wasn’t enough of a hazard, the Olympics now also have to contend with a more physically tangible threat: bears.

Yes, the softball venue at Azuma Sports Park has apparently had a bear sighting recently, part of an uptick that Japan has seen post-pandemic many attribute to lockdowns leading to bears venturing further into areas where people had vacated, via the Washington Post.

A security guard at the Azuma Sports Park first spotted the brown bear at the venue early Tuesday, and it came back again on Wednesday just hours before the first scheduled softball game between Japan and Australia took place, a Fukushima police spokesman told Agence France-Presse.

“We couldn’t find or capture the bear, and while there won’t be any spectators at the stadium, we are on alert and searching for the bear around the site,” the official said.

Olympic organizers could not immediately be reached for comment.

I’ll be honest, one of the least encouraging phrases one could possibly hear in this situation is “we couldn’t find or capture the bear,” but the lack of spectators does help mitigate the disaster potential here. Still, for the softball teams playing in the stadium, it is surely a bit alarming and you can bet they’ll have their heads on a swivel when arriving at the ballpark. Hopefully the bear stays in the woods for the remainder of the tournament and everyone (including the bear) remains safe and unharmed.

After a sluggish week that offered little more than Space Jam tie-in sneakers, SNX DLX is finally back in full force with a packed list of the hottest sneaker drops of the week. This week, Nike has once again dominated our list — delivering must-cop LeBrons, Jordans, Dunks, and the latest from Virgil Abloh, with Adidas and New Balance holding their own thanks to a couple of dope collaborations with Japanese brands and retailers.

If you’re not feeling Nike right now (you okay?), stay tuned until next week — we should have some surprises come from less prominent brands like ASISC, and according to an ominous timer on the Yeezy Supply website, it would appear that Yeezy brand has something planned for next week as well, perhaps something that will line-up with the Donda album drop. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on that front but for now, let’s jump into this week’s best sneakers.

Wellgosh x Adidas Spezial Collection

This week, Wellgosh is dropping a five sneaker Adidas Spezial collection — so if you love the Spezial, we’re sure one of these is a must-cop for you. For this collection, Wellgosh has taken several iterations of the Spezial, including the brand new all-white Burnden SPZL, which features a vintage-inspired suede upper, the Hoylake SPZL, based on a South African style of the sneaker with a grey suede and textile upper, the Marathon 86 in yellow suede, and a revamped take on the Malmo silhouette.

This collection is a ’70s sneaker fan’s dream and will also be dropping alongside a matching apparel collection if you’re trying to catch that late ‘70s early ‘80s Olympic Games vibe in your wardrobe.

The Wellgosh x Adidas Special Collection is out now for a retail range of $120-$150. Pick up a pair exclusively at Wellgosh.

Nike LeBron 8 South Beach

Look, it’s no secret and I’m sure it’s something that Nike thinks about all the time, but LeBron’s shoes… well they ain’t Jordans. LeBron knows this, it’s why his sneakers tend to look like something out of a psychedelic trip rather than actual functional footwear, but the LeBron 8 comes really close to being as timeless as one of the early Air Jordans. It’s dope and understated, and this week the sneaker’s best colorway is returning, 11 years after its original release.

The LeBron 8 South Beach features a teal leather upper with Flywire-infused TPU panels and bubblegum pink laces that add a nice contrast to the blue-toned colorway. If LeBron dropped more sneakers like this, his footwear legacy might match his court legacy.

The Nike LeBron 8 South Beach is set to drop on July 21st for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app on the drop date (7 AM PST) or pick up a pair at GOAT.

FTC x Nike SB Dunk Low

This week Nike is linking up with Japanese skatewear brand FTC to drop a Japanese Sento bathhouse-inspired take on the mighty Dunk Low. Featuring a bright blue suede upper with quilt-pattern white leather panels, a silver swoosh, and yellow accents on the collar, the FTC take on Dunk almost makes the silhouette look like another shoe entirely. We’re here for that, anytime a brand wants to push the design of the Dunk into new territory they’ve got our attention!

We never thought we’d say this because it’s a weird statement but… more sneakers inspired by Japanese bathhouses, please!

The FTC x Nike SB Dunk Low is set to drop on July 21st for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Off-White Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% Pink Glow/Scream Green/White/Solar

Love him or hate him, if you’re a sneakerhead you need to recognize that Virgil Abloh is trying to push footwear forward. So it only makes sense that Abloh’s Off-White would take a stab at Nike’s most futuristic silhouette, the Air Zoom Tempo Next%. Billed as a racing shoe and based on the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly, the Tempo features ZoomX foam in the footbed, which provides increased energy return, as well as a Zoom Air unit in the front of the shoe, for a springier step.

Abloh’s contributions include two insanely loud ‘90s indebted colorways — Pink Glow and Scream Green — as well as deconstructed cutouts and a rubber spiked outsole.

The Off-White Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% Pink Glow/Scream Green are set to drop on July 23rd for a retail price of $260 each. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Air Jordan 12 Red Metallic/Twist

You don’t need to be a Chicago Bulls fan to go crazy over the Air Jordan 12 Red Metallic (aka Twist) — I mean just look at this thing! Featuring a white tumbled leather upper, lizard skin mudguard, and a lightweight Phylon midsole, the Red Metallic sports deep red metallic accents on the eyelets and Jumpman logo. It’s so damn clean that the idea of wearing this shoe feels like a crime, but better believe if we’re able to cop a pair, we’re wearing them out until they start to fall apart.

The Air Jordan 12 Red Metallic is set to drop on July 24th with a retail price of $190. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app on release day, or hit up GOAT and Flight Club if you catch the L.

HUMAN MADE x Adidas Solar Tokio

Legendary Japanese streetwear designer NIGO’s HUMAN MADE label is delivering a new double sneaker set of the Adidas Solar Tokio. Given the sneaker’s sporty design, triumphant colors, and 2020 etchings, it’s likely this sneaker was set to celebrate the 2020 Olympics, which were set to be hosted in Tokyo before we started living that pandemic life.

Featuring a mesh upper with suede overlays, and a crossed set of Adidas stripes at the heel, the Solar Tokio drops in two-toned colorways, giving you the choice of true blue with white accents, or a white pair with red accents, with an embroidered 2020 on the inside. It’s weird to be buying a shoe in the latter half of 2021 that says 2020 on it, but hey, at least it’s on the inside.

The HUMAN MADE x Adidas Solar Tokio pack is set to drop on July 24th for an unannounced price. Pick up a pair exclusively at the HUMAN MADE store.

Auralee x New Balance 550

Japanese streetwear brand Auralee teamed up with New Balance to drop this muted take on a classic basketball silhouette last week as a Japanese exclusive. This week brings the sneaker’s global release, and we’re pretty hyped on it. Featuring an aged-Ecru grain leather upper with tonal paneling, this New Balance 550 features a plain leather tongue and minimalist lower-case branding on the heel atop an off-white midsole. The design is joined by an apparel collection out of Auralee which matches this sneaker’s muted vibe.

The Auralee x New Balance 550 is set to drop on July 25th with a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair at Auralee.

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.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a measure last month that could pave the way for the Catholic Church to deny President Joe Biden communion. The conservative bishops hope to prevent Biden from participating in the sacred ritual because of his support for abortion rights.

Biden is a devout Catholic who considered becoming a priest in his youth. He rarely misses mass, holds a rosary while making critical decisions, and often quotes scriptures. When asked about the bishops’ decision Biden said it is “a private matter and I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

The bishops hope the new guidance would push “Catholics who are cultural, political, or parochial leaders to witness the faith.”

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The measure was strongly supported by Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, the general secretary of the USCCB, but he’s been forced to step down due to some serious allegations about his private life. Burrill, a priest from Wisconsin, worked for the USCCB for the past five years and was elected general secretary last year.

Burrill wanted to deny Biden communion because Biden supports women’s rights. Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill resigns ove… https://t.co/h8QAJmz3Q0

— Liz (@bluebonnetbunny)
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“On Monday, we became aware of impending media reports alleging possible improper behavior by Msgr. Burrill. What was shared with us did not include allegations of misconduct with minors. However, in order to avoid becoming a distraction to the operations and ongoing work of the Conference, Monsignor has resigned effective immediately,” Archbishop Jose Gomez wrote in a memo to U.S. bishops.

The PIllar, a Catholic publication, found evidence that the priest engaged in “serial sexual misconduct.” An analysis of Burrill’s phone found that it was emitting data signals from Grindr, a location-based hookup app, on a near-daily basis during parts of 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Grindr is an app designed to bring together gay and bisexual men for sexual encounters. Signals showed that he also visited gay bars and private residences associated with the app.

While using an app to meet people for sexual encounters shouldn’t be frowned upon, it’s a big no-no in the Catholic church. Especially for someone in a leadership position.

Friar Thomas Berg, a professor of moral theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York, told The Pillar that use of such apps is strictly against Catholic doctrine.

Berg said that “according to canon law and the Church’s tradition, clerics are obliged to observe ‘perfect and perpetual continence,’ as a reflection of what should be our lived pursuit of our spousal relationship with the Church and with Christ.”

Homosexuality, along with all sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage, is considered a sin in Catholic doctrine.

Burrill appears to be an even bigger hypocrite because the USCCB has opposed LGBTQ equality, same-sex adoption, and the development of an LGBTQ suicide hotline. It has also promoted anti-trans legislation.

It always seems to be that the religious folks who judge the harshest always wind up having something to hide. It’s a shame that Catholics such as Burrill are forced by doctrine to live their lives in the shadows. But shouldn’t that make them more compassionate towards fellow sinners instead of the first to judge?

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky called the COVID-19 scourge the “pandemic of the unvaccinated” last Friday adding that her “biggest concern is we are going to continue to see preventable cases, hospitalizations and sadly deaths among the unvaccinated.”

The vast difference in hospitalization and death rates from the virus are a testament to the vaccine’s efficacy. It also reveals the grim reality that just about every death or hospitalization that happens in this phase of the pandemic is preventable.

Ninety-seven percent of those currently hospitalized for severe COVID-19 infections and 99% of recent deaths from the virus are among the unvaccinated.

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“If you don’t choose the vaccine, you’re choosing death,” one Louisiana doctor said at a press conference last week.

Alabama has the lowest vaccination rate in the country at just 33.7% so it’s no shock that case numbers, hospitalizations, and deaths are surging in the state, partly due to the spread of the more contagious Delta variant.

State officials report 94% of COVID hospital patients and 96% of Alabamians who have died of COVID since April were not fully vaccinated.

Dr. Brytney Cobia, a hospitalist at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, says that all but one of her COVID patients didn’t receive the vaccine. The vaccinated individual just needed a little oxygen and is expected to recover.

Sadly, many of her dying patients regret not getting the vaccine in their final moments.

“One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine,” she wrote on Facebook. “I hold their hand and tell them that ‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late.'”

“A few days later when I call time of death, I hug their family members and I tell them the best way to honor their loved one is to go get vaccinated and encourage everyone they know to do the same,” she wrote.

Many of these families and patients decided against getting the vaccine due to misinformation.

“They thought it was political,” she wrote. “They thought because they had a certain blood type or a certain skin color they wouldn’t get as sick. They thought it was ‘just the flu.'”

BREAKING: “This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” CDC Dir. Walensky says in White House Covid briefing.… https://t.co/BwCQOdt1l2

— NBC News (@NBCNews)
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As a doctor, she has to refrain from judging the patients who could have prevented their own deaths.

“And now all you really see is their fear and their regret. And even though I may walk into the room thinking, ‘Okay, this is your fault, you did this to yourself,’ when I leave the room, I just see a person that’s really suffering, and that is so regretful for the choice that they made,” she told Alabama.

Dr. Cobia says that none of her unvaccinated patients consulted a doctor before making their decisions.

“I really just started asking them, ‘Why haven’t you gotten the vaccine?’ And I’ll just ask it point-blank, in the least judgmental way possible,” she said. “And most of them, they’re very honest, they give me answers. ‘I talked to this person, I saw this thing on Facebook, I got this email, I saw this on the news,’ you know, these are all the reasons that I didn’t get vaccinated.”

It’s a shame that so many people in America have decided against protecting the health of themselves and others by refusing to get a life-saving vaccine. Let’s hope that the experiences of health care professionals such as Dr. Cobia will persuade the unvaccinated to do what’s right before they find themselves with real regrets.

The DCEU seems like it’s in a constant state of flux. Is Henry Cavill still Superman? Will the Caped Crusader Robert Pattinson plays in The Batman be the same one who hangs out with Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and company? Is the Snyderverse finitio or will its fans force Warner Bros. to give it a Mulligan? (Probably not, since Zack Snyder himself says he’ll no longer work with DC.) At least there’s some certainty in its own Extended Universe: According to The Hollywood Reporter, it at least now has a Batgirl.

After a tight race, which also reportedly saw names like Haley Lu Richardson and Zoey Deutch being thrown around, the role of Barbara Gordon — daughter of Commissioner Gordon and close-ish ally of Bruce Wayne himself — has gone to Leslie Grace. You may know her: She was one of the main stars of In the Heights, playing Nina Rosario, the collegiate who’s reluctant to let her father, played by Jimmy Smits, go into debt to pay for her education. She can sing, she can dance, and now she’ll have to beat up Gotham’s worst.

Grace’s casting makes her the third Latina actress to join DC’s EU. The role of Supergirl, in the Flash solo movie, has gone to young The Young and the Restless actress Sasha Calle, while Rachel Zegler, soon to be seen as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, has an as-yet-unrevealed role in the second Shazam.

It’s not yet clear where Batgirl will fit in the other wings of the DCEU, but it’s believed that she’ll have her own standalone film, which has been in production since 2017, and which is currently planned to drop on HBO Max in far-flung 2023.

(Via THR)

Michaela Coel is one of the big MVPs of 2020. The British performer and creator took America by storm with I May Destroy You, her lacerating drama about a twentysomething trying to rebuild her life after being raped. It won her scores of awards; it could net her up to five Emmys when the awards are held in September. And it appears her next big project could be very big indeed.

As per Variety, Coel has, insiders say, been meeting with director/producer Ryan Coogler in Atlanta for what may be a role in the sequel to Black Panther. Of course, there are no details on who she may play, or in what size role she may get. In fact, much pertaining to the sequel is up in the air, including for Coogler himself, who has been open about his struggles to continue the series without its star, the late Chadwick Boseman.

In the meantime, you can look at Coel’s other work — not only I May Destroy You, but also her first show, the cringey sex comedy Chewing Gum, which was based on her 2012 play. That show used to air on Netflix, starting all the way back in 2016, but can currently be seen on HBO Max, alongside the show that made her a superstar.

(Via Variety)