Month: July 2021

Giannis Antetokounmpo answered every question asked of him during the Bucks championship run that culminated in one of the all-time great individual Finals performances, as Giannis scored 50 points with 14 rebounds and five blocks to close out the Suns and win his first NBA title.

The scene after the game in Milwaukee was one of jubilation and raw emotion, with Giannis putting on an almost equally dominant performance at the trophy ceremony, his postgame presser, and Instagram Live which rolled on into Wednesday morning at Chick-Fil-A. Antetokounmpo praised his teammates, offered appreciation for his family, and pounded the table, literally, for how he was able to get this done in Milwaukee without leaving for a superteam.

What he did in the Finals was Shaq-like — he became the only player since Shaq to post three 40/10 games in a single Finals — and anyone questioning whether he could lead a team to a title found themselves with an emphatic answer. Among those who had spent much of this postseason questioning Giannis was ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, who called Khris Middleton the actual Batman of the team and that Jrue Holiday was their best two-way player, eventually recanting a bit on Twitter during Game 6. However, Jalen Rose didn’t forget all those things Perk said, and when the two joined Mike Greenberg on Get Up! on Wednesday morning, Jalen spent more than a minute roasting Perk’s bad Bucks takes for how wrong he was.

There is nothing Jalen loves more than absolutely cooking someone for bad takes or a stupid mistake, and, honestly, it is one of his best attributes. Rose is a “keeping it real” Hall of Famer and what he does to Perk here is incredible. Perk seemed to take the segment a bit personally, saying people are “praying for his downfall” and calling out the “haters,” to which Rose responded to say there was nothing personal about it.

Jalen’s right, he does this to everyone and is maybe the best person at ESPN when it comes to consistently calling folks out when they’ve been wrong and, at the minimum, holding them accountable for them by way of jokes. You don’t have to go that far back to see Rose do this to Jay Williams, cracking an “I got hacked” joke on air after Williams used that excuse for a really wrong tweet about the Celtics. So, if Perk is worried he’s getting picked on by Jalen, that’s not the case. Rose is just not going to let you slide on by after some bad takes, which, honestly, is what everyone in the sports media could use more of.

There are a lot of complaints about our comic book-dominated culture right now. Just ask Martin Scorsese. But one of the major complaints is this: All superhero movies and shows are almost entirely sexless. That’s about to be slightly corrected: The Boys, Amazon’s very adult contribution to the genre, shot some very blue footage for their next season. But Loki came…well, probably not that close, to be honest, to letting its antihero get at least a little randy.

A new behind-the-scenes look at the Marvel show, which wrapped up last week on Disney+, features a brief glimpse inside the writers’ room. An eagle-eyed reporter at /Film (by way of IndieWire) spotted the whiteboard behind them, filled with notes and diagrams — including this eight-point breakdown of a montage that never made it to the final cut.

1. Loki visiting different time periods
2. Doing crazy mischief, aka sex
3. Pivots to taking power
4. Collecting Infinity Stones
5. Has the Gauntlet, holds power, more sex, bi, alien, etc.
6. Alone in the throne room. He’s taken power but is infected with thoughts that it isn’t “real” because of TVA’s control over free will
7. Returns to the TVA, gauntlet’s power down, Mobius is waiting for him
8. Loki gives honest answers to Mobius. Mobius shows the sheer power of TVA.

You can ignore the first one, and numbers three through eight, although they’re probably of interest to die-hards. Let’s talk about number two: “Doing crazy mischief, aka sex.” It’s an incredibly vague pointer, but it suggests that a show that wound up featuring Alligator Loki and a Thor Frog (sorry, Throg) has a prurient heart.

Still, this is Disney+, not Amazon. Hot sex was never going to happen. So the closest Loki could ever get is an acknowledgment that Tom Hiddleston’s mischievous god is bisexual. And surely even that’s too rich for the family-friendly streamer that also houses Million Dollar Duck.

(Via /Film and IndieWire)

Next spring, EA Sports PGA Tour will make its return for the first time since 2015, no longer under the Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy name, but still carrying a lot of the features and courses that made the series so popular. It will continue to be the only golf game with The Masters and Augusta National, a major draw ever since EA inked a deal with Augusta back in 2011, as well as the Old Course at St. Andrews for The Open Championship and more.

It will also bring the LPGA back to golf gaming, as announced on Wednesday prior to The Amundi Evian Championship. The Evian Resort Golf Club where the major is held in Évian-les-Bains, France will be among the LPGA courses featured in the game, and second-ranked star Jin Young Ko is the first confirmed LPGA player that will be in the game. EA Sports PGA Tour will also have Iona Stephen of GolfTV and Sky Sports joining the in-game commentary team, becoming the first female voice in the game’s history, as well as serving on the game’s creative council.

All of this is a big step towards making the game more inclusive of women in golf, something that both Stephen and Jenny Martin, a Senior Producer at EA, spoke with Uproxx about as being something very important for the game.

“I’m a woman who’s been a gaming industry for over 30 years, and I’ve always pushed for inclusion,” Martin said. “It’s important to me personally, and we will make better games because of it. The difference between now and, 10 or 20 years ago is that I’m at company and a studio that share that commitment, and we are all committed to making the game a welcoming community for all of our players and a diverse experience. So. you know. it’s adding breadth and depth to our franchise and we’re really excited to have this content.”

“I mean visibility is everything,” Stephen said. “And I think we’ve seen that in tennis, for example, putting men and women on the same visible platform has enabled the female tennis to grow. It’s not just about what happens in the tournament side of golf like this week at the Evian, it’s about what happens in other peripheral aspects of the game. That includes fashion, marketing, and gaming. And this is where the visibility has to be for both men and women’s golf, and I think the impact that this game could have, and the fact that it’s putting men and women on an equal pedestal, could be massive for the growth of golf, overall, and participation. And I really hope it does inspire men to take their daughters to play golf, mothers to take their daughters to play golf, and women who perhaps like to game might think hey there’s a lady in golf and the LPGA will hopefully pick up some more fans as a result of the game.”

It’s not just LPGA players that will be available in the game, but Martin said the Create-A-Player engine has been overhauled so people can make female characters in the game as well. All of this is part of an effort to make the game more welcoming, as she said, and also is just smart business to reach an audience that is so often underserved in both the worlds of gaming and golf.

The keyword for EA Sports in creating this game has been authenticity, from making sure every detail is right on the courses put into the game to making the PGA and LPGA Tour players look and swing as realistically as possible. Making sure that authenticity extended to the LPGA players and courses was really important to making the impact they hope they can have in terms of growing the game and presenting women’s golf on the same platform as the men’s game, and that starts with using the same scanning process on the players and the same course engine for the courses.

“We are announcing Jin Young Ko in the game, she was the 2019 winner of the Evian, and she’s world ranked number two right now. We have had this really incredible process of scanning these golfers and really we’re getting realism that is just stunning at this point,” Martin said. “It’s really still early and we’re still working on who’s exactly going to be in the game, but we’re really excited about the way that the visual fidelity of these players is coming together.”

That effort at bringing an authentic experience is something Stephen wants to extend to commentary as well. Both as a commentator in the game and also being on the creative council, Stephen wants to bring EA Sports PGA Tour something that can be extremely difficult to produce in sports video games: a realistic and natural broadcast commentary presentation. So often sports games, especially ones you play a lot, see the commentary get not just repetitive but become a point of frustration. For Stephen, she thinks part of that is not thinking about the structure of a broadcast, something she’s tried to bring to this game by pointing out simply how a broadcast works and when each person on commentary would or, sometimes more importantly, wouldn’t be talking.

“We’ve had conversations around the life of a commentator, what actually goes on for a commentator on the course, what are the things that we actually say, and how does a broadcast work,” Stephen said. “Like, realistically, what a lot of people don’t realize is commentary is an art in many ways. I’m learning from the best in the business. I’m still relatively new to the world of commentary, but in the in the few years I’ve done it, I’ve been learning the scale and discipline that is required. And I think it creates an authenticity in the game because there’s times when an on course commentator would talk and there’s times when they absolutely wouldn’t. And I’m really impressed that EA has gone to the length of working with myself and other talented people from the world of golf to actually get that authentic experience, and that will come across in the game, I hope and people who are playing will hopefully think, ‘Wow, this feels like I’m really playing in a golf tournament.’”

Time will tell if this game can make those hopeful strides from a commentary point of view, because the reality of bringing pre-recorded commentary to a game means, inevitably, things get repeated. But bringing a variety of voices and understanding their roles better would certainly be a great starting point, and it seems EA is at least thinking about that seriously and trying to improve in that area, which is good news.

As the game gets closer to its release next year, we’ll know more about full course lists, players from the PGA and LPGA, and all the game mode details to come — Martin did say the popular three-button swing was returning. The goal in all of it is, as Martin says, to deliver the most realistic experience possible, with courses like Pebble Beach, Augusta National, and St. Andrews serving as a top draw for the game as golfers and gamers can experience courses they’ve dreamt of playing. Adding the LPGA to that is important for making the game more all-encompassing to women in golf, while also providing an opportunity for gamers to get more invested in the women’s golf game by building connections to these players and events by playing them.

A handful of huge premieres are landing on HBO and HBO Max this August.

A couple of DC comic offerings — including James Gunn’s totally out-there Suicide Squad relaunch — make up a bulk of the action, but Hugh Jackman’s got a sci-fi thriller that looks intriguing too. All that plus an Obama doc and the series finale of The White Lotus are what subscribers have to look forward to this month. Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) HBO and HBO Max.

The Suicide Squad, 2021 (Warner Bros. Film Premiere streaming 8/5)

James Gunn assembles a motley crew of some of the worst comic book characters in the superhero verse to take on a giant starfish in this DC offering. It looks weird AF, it’s got a talented cast led by Margot Robbie, John Cena, and Idris Elba, and oh yeah, King Shark will be there. Why wouldn’t you want to watch this thing?

Titans: Season 3 Premiere (Max Original streaming 8/12)

Batman’s officially retired, Dick Grayson has assumed the mantle of Nightwing, and a new villain is causing all kinds of trouble for the Teen Titans when the show’s third season finds its new home on HBO Max this month. A move to Gotham, the return of the Scarecrow, some Joker action — if you’re missing the OG world of Batman right now, this series is for you.

Reminiscence, 2021 (Warner Bros. Film Premiere streaming 8/20)

Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson star in this sci-fi thriller from Westworld creator Lisa Joy. Jackman plays a man (living in a pretty bleak future) who offers his clients a way to relive their fondest memories. Ferguson plays a mysterious woman named Mae, who he falls in love with. But when Mae is implicated in a crime via someone else’s memories, Jackman’s Nick must go on a search for the truth courtesy of the past.

Avail. 8/1
2 Days in the Valley, 1996 (HBO)
9/11: Fifteen Years Later, 2016
A Mighty Wind, 2003 (HBO)
A Walk Among the Tombstones, 2014 (HBO)
The Accidental Spy, 2002 (HBO)
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, 2005 (HBO)
Americano, 2017 (HBO)
Anna to the Infinite Power, 1982 (HBO)
Backtrack, 2016 (HBO)
Basic Instinct, 1992 (HBO)
Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction, 2006 (HBO) (Extended Version)
Best in Show, 2000 (HBO)
Betrayal at Attica, 2021
The Betrayed, 2008 (HBO)
The Birdcage, 1996 (HBO)
Black Death, 2010 (HBO)
Blue Ruin, 2014 (HBO)
Brown Sugar, 2002 (HBO)
Changeling, 2008 (HBO)
Chasing Mavericks, 2012 (HBO)
Collateral, 2004 (HBO)
Constantine, 2005
Deep Cover, 1992 (HBO)
The Devil’s Double, 2011 (HBO)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, 1988 (HBO)
Dolphin Tale, 2011 (HBO)
The Double, 2014 (HBO)
Empire of the Sun, 1987
The End, 1978 (HBO)
Envy, 2004 (HBO)
Epic, 2013 (HBO)
Extranjero (aka Foreigner), 2018 (HBO)
For Your Consideration, 2006 (HBO)
Freejack, 1992 (HBO)
The Fugitive, 1993
Ghosts of Mississippi, 1996
The Great Gatsby, 1974 (HBO)
The Great Gatsby, 2013 (HBO)
Gun Shy, 2017 (HBO)
Hangman, 2017 (HBO)
Heaven Can Wait, 1978 (HBO)
Hitchcock, 2012 (HBO)
Horror of Dracula, 1958
How to Deal, 2003 (HBO)
Hudson Hawk, 1991
Humpday, 2009 (HBO)
Imperium, 2016 (HBO)
Inception, 2010
Joe, 2014 (HBO)
Johnny English Reborn, 2011 (HBO)
Julia, 2009 (HBO)
Last Action Hero, 1993
The Lincoln Lawyer, 2011
Malcolm X, 1992
Man Down, 2016 (HBO)
The Man in the Iron Mask, 1998 (HBO)
Mean Streets, 1973
Mr. Soul!, 2018
New in Town, 2009 (HBO)
Nobody Walks, 2012 (HBO)
Nurse 3D, 2013 (HBO)
One Hour Photo, 2002 (HBO)
The Out-of-Towners, 1999 (HBO)
Popeye, 1980 (HBO)
The Pope of Greenwich Village, 1984 (HBO)
The Prince, 2014 (HBO)
The Reader, 2008 (HBO)
Red, 2008 (HBO)
Red Riding Hood, 2011
Requiem for a Dream, 2000
Scary Movie, 2000
The Score, 2001 (HBO)
Sex and the City, 2008
Sex and the City 2, 2010
The Shawshank Redemption, 1994
Spawn, 1997
The Spirit, 2008 (HBO)
The Square, 2017 (HBO)
Stand and Deliver, 1988 (HBO)
Tango & Cash, 1989
Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, 2006
Thirteen Ghosts, 2001
Vice, 2015 (HBO)
War, 2007 (HBO)
Woodstock (Director’s Cut), 1994
You’ve Got Mail, 1998

Avail. 8/2
Small Town News: KPVM Pahrump, Documentary Series Finale (HBO)

Avail. 8/3
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, 1993
Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union, Documentary Premiere (HBO)

Avail. 8/5
Furry Friends Forever: Elmo Gets A Puppy, Max Original Special Premiere
The Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. Film Premiere, 2021

Avail. 8/6
Sin Aliento (aka Breathless), 2020 (HBO)

Avail. 8/7
All My Life, 2020 (HBO)

Avail. 8/8
A Different World

Avail. 8/10
Hard Knocks ’21: Dallas Cowboys, Sports-Based Reality Series Premiere (HBO)

Avail. 8/12
FBOY Island, Max Original Season Finale
The Hype, Max Original Series Premiere
Titans, Max Original Season 3 Premiere

Avail. 8/14
Jurassic Park, 1993 (HBO)
Jurassic Park III, 2001 (HBO)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 1997 (HBO)

Avail. 8/15
The White Lotus, Limited Series Finale (HBO)

Avail. 8/16
Hard, Season 3 Premiere (HBO)
Top Gear, Season 29

Avail. 8/17
Godzilla vs. Kong, 2021 (HBO)

Avail. 8/19
Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground, Max Original Documentary Special Premiere
Looney Tunes Cartoons Back to School Special, Max Original Special Premiere
Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is, Max Original Special Premiere
Sweet Life: Los Angeles, Max Original Series Premiere

Avail. 8/20
Half Brothers, 2020 (HBO)
Reefa, 2021 (HBO)
Reminiscence, Warner Bros. Film Premiere, 2021

Avail. 8/22
100 Foot Wave, Documentary Series Finale (HBO)
San Andreas, 2015

Avail. 8/24
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, 2021

Avail. 8/25
Lincoln: Divided We Stand, 2021

Avail. 8/26
The Other Two, Max Original Season 2 Premiere

Avail. 8/28
Magic Mike XXL, 2015 (HBO)

Leaving 8/5
The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty, 2019

Leaving 8/11
A Mermaid’s Tale, 2017
Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti, 2016
Against The Wild, 2014
Alpha & Omega 5: Family Vacation, 2015
Alpha & Omega: Dino Digs, 2016
Blue Valentine, 2010
Earth Girls Are Easy, 1989
The Escape Artist, 1982
Hecho En Mexico, 2012
Jennifer Lopez Dance Again, 2016
La Mujer de Mi Hermano, 2005
Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: Amazing Word Explorers, 2015
Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: Counting on Lemonade, 2014
Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: The Letter Machine Rescue Team, 2014
Love and Sex, 2000
Mistress, 1992
Mother’s Day, 2012
Tender Mercies, 1983
The Men Who Stare at Goats, 2009
Turtle Tale, 2018

Leaving 8/14
Leapfrog: Numberland, 2012
Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans, 2019

Leaving 8/15
Joker, 2019 (HBO)
Space Jam: A New Legacy, 2021

Leaving 8/27
Dead Silence, 2007 (HBO)
White Noise, 2005 (HBO)

Leaving 8/29
Assault on Precinct 13, 2005 (HBO)

Leaving 8/30
Serendipity, 2001

Leaving 8/31
54: The Director’s Cut, 1998 (HBO)
40 Days and 40 Nights, 2002, (HBO)
A Cinderella Story, 2004
A Cinderella Story: If The Shoe Fits, 2016
A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song, 2011
Alpha and Omega: The Great Wolf Games, 2014 (HBO)
The American President, 1995
Another Cinderella Story, 2008
Astro Boy, 2009 (HBO)
August Rush, 2007
Babe, 1995 (HBO)
Babe: Pig in the City, 1998 (HBO)
The Barkleys of Broadway, 1949
Barnyard, 2006 (HBO)
Barry Lyndon, 1975
Battle for Terra, 2009 (HBO)
The Bay, 2012 (HBO)
Be Cool, 2005 (HBO)
Beverly Hills Cop, 1984 (HBO)
Beverly Hills Cop II, 1987 (HBO)
Beverly Hills Cop III, 1994 (HBO)
Beyond the Sea, 2004 (HBO)
Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, 1991 (HBO)
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, 1989 (HBO)
Billy Elliot, 2000 (HBO)
Black Hawk Down, 2001
Blade, 1998
Blade Runner: The Final Cut, 2007
Blow, 2001
The Bonfire of the Vanities, 1990
Bright Young Things, 2004 (HBO)
Butter, 2012 (HBO)
Cannery Row, 1982
Capricorn One, 1978 (HBO)
Carefree, 1938
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005
City of God, 2003 (HBO)
City Slickers, 1991 (HBO)
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold, 1994
Clifford, 1994 (HBO)
Closer, 2004
Code 46, 2004 (HBO)
Cold Creek Manor, 2003 (HBO)
Cold Mountain, 2003
Countdown, 1968
The Crow, 1994 (HBO)
The Crow: City of Angels, 1996 (HBO)
The Crow: Wicked Prayer, 2006 (HBO)
Daddy Day Care, 2003
Dave, 1993
The Dirty Dozen, 1967
Dream House, 2011 (HBO)
Eight Legged Freaks, 2002
El Chata (aka The Sparring Partner), 2019 (HBO)
Freddy vs. Jason, 2003
Free Willy, 1993
Free Willy: The Adventure Home, 1995
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate’s Cove, 2010
Free Willy 3: The Great Rescue, 1997
Frequency, 2000
Get Shorty, 1995 (HBO)
Gone, 2012 (HBO)
The Hard Way, 1991 (HBO)
Harry and the Hendersons, 1987 (HBO)
Heidi, 2005
The High Note, 2020 (HBO)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 2012
Home Alone 4, 2002 (HBO)
Home Alone: The Holiday Heist, 2012 (HBO)
Hudson Hawk, 1991
The Hundred-Foot Journey, 2014 (HBO)
Innerspace, 1987
Inside Moves, 1980 (HBO)
The Interview, 2014
Jack The Giant Slayer, 2013
Jackie Brown, 1997
Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, 2011 (HBO)
The Last Exorcism, 2012 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Lay the Favorite, 2012 (HBO)
Let’s Go to Prison, 2006 (HBO)
Life is Beautiful, 1998 (HBO)
Live by Night, 2016 (HBO)
Logan’s Run, 1976
Lolita, 1962
Look Who’s Talking, 1989
Malice, 1993 (HBO)
Man on a Ledge, 2012 (HBO)
Menace II Society, 1993
Miss Congeniality, 2000
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, 2005
Monkey Trouble, 1994
Mr. Nanny, 1993
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, 1989
National Lampoon’s European Vacation, 1985
National Lampoon’s Vacation, 1983
No Eres Tu Soy Yo, 2011
Ocean’s 11, 1960
The Omega Man, 1971
On Golden Pond, 1981 (HBO)
On Moonlight Bay, 1951
Osmosis Jones, 2001
Our Brand Is Crisis, 2015 (HBO)
Over the Hedge, 2006 (HBO)
Parental Guidance, 2012 (HBO)
Pathfinder, 2007 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
The People vs. Larry Flynt, 1996
Pinocchio, 2012
Point Blank, 1967
Popstar, 2005
Prometheus, 2012 (HBO)
Replicas, 2019 (HBO)
Running on Empty, 1988
Ruta Viva, 2018 (HBO)
Saw, 2004 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Saw II, 2005 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw III, 2006 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw IV, 2007 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw V, 2008 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw VI, (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw: The Final Chapter, 2010 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Shall We Dance, 1937
Sherlock Holmes, 2009
Sinbad: Beyond the Veils of Mist, 2000 (HBO)
Sling Blade, 1996 (HBO)
Some Came Running, 1958
South Central, 1992
Spies Like Us, 1985
Spooky Buddies, 2011 (HBO)
Steel, 1997
Still of the Night, 1982 (HBO)
Striptease, 1996
Stuart Little, 1999
Stuart Little 2, 2002
The Stunt Man, 1979 (HBO)
Summer Catch, 2001
Sweet November, 2001
Swimfan, 2002 (HBO)
The Tank, 2017 (HBO)
This Must Be The Place, 2012 (HBO)
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, 2005
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, 1997 (HBO)
Twister, 1996
Un 4to de Josue, 2018 (HBO)
Unforgettable, 2017 (HBO)
Unlocking the Cage, 2017 (HBO)
Vegas Vacation, 1997
Wanderlust, 2012 (HBO)
Wedding Crashers, 2005
Within, 2016 (HBO)
Wolves at the Door, 2017 (HBO)
The Year of Living Dangerously, 1983

I Think You Should Leave is not just a hilarious show; it’s a meme juggernaut. The Netflix sketch show’s second season recently dropped, and it’s been predictably filling up social media feeds with images of the prankster guy in a fat suit who has an existential meltdown, or the retired professor trying to steal his former students’ dinners, or just images of star/co-creator Tim Robinson screaming out of context, as he’s wont to do.

Turns out Robinson could have had a darker real-life impact on the world. In an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the comic discussed an old SNL sketch he and his ITYSL co-creator Zach Kanin wrote that could have made New York City a worse place than it is already. It focused on an investigative reporter and his little brother trying to figure out why bugs were scampering about the city in droves. What sounded like a simple sketch on paper proved a little difficult when it came to shoot, namely when they talked to bug handlers and handling real bugs.

“There was one bug there that the bug handler was like, ‘Don’t let that one get away. If that one gets away it could mess up the entire New York City ecosystem,’” Robinson recalled.

When asked if he thought endangering the already bug-besieged Big Apple was worth it for what could have been a great, albeit deadly bug actor, Robinson emphatically said “no.” So the eight million-plus residents of the five boroughs should thank him for not making things even worse.

Robinson also discussed, among other things, the logistics of shooting certain ITYSL sketches, namely how tricky it was to get some of the shots in the instantly iconic “Coffin Flops” sketch, which depicts a documentary show that exclusively shows corpses flying out of poorly constructed coffins. So when you watch that, think about how hard it was to make one of the silliest and most Mad Lib-y sketches that has perhaps ever made it to air.

You can watch Robinson’s full Late Night appearance in the video above.

Noa Kirel has already achieved superstar status in Israel, but now the pop artist is about to go global with her first English-language single. Her first venture into singing in English is the highly-relatable “Please Don’t Suck,” a song that finds her skewering potential male suitors like she was born to do it. Using a bit of camp to veil her disgust with the variously lacking potential dates, Kirel showcases not just her astonishing vocals, but a penchant for choreography and acting as well.

In fact, “Please Don’t Suck” features choreography from Sean Bankhead, who recently turned heads with his choreography for Normani’s “Wild Side” video. With plenty of disco and funk vibes for fans of Dua Lipa’s recent recreation of shimmering ’70s pop, and a full-on pigtails and sucker moment for fans of Ariana’s girlhood-gone-wild shtick, there’s something for everyone in Noa’s massive new video. And don’t just take it from me — since the clip dropped about a week ago it’s already amassed over 10 million views. That’s the power of a global star! Noa might not be a household name in America just yet, but with this extremely strong first single, she’s going to be on her way there in no time.

Check it out above and keep an eye out for more new music from Noa.

Around these parts, we enjoy light, boozy cocktails all year long. But it’s hard to dispute their special appeal during the summer months. Sun-filled, humid late-July days are well-suited to drinks made with vodka, tequila, gin, mezcal, and rum. And it’s the final spirit listed in that rogue’s gallery that we’re focused on here.

When mixing with rum, Chaz Gallo, Director of food and beverage at The Bristol Hotel in Bristol, Virginia, isn’t looking for anything too neutral.

“The most common issue with using a white rum is that guests can’t taste the rum,” he says. “Using a nice, spiced rum balances the cocktail perfectly.”

Matt Nicholas, bar manager at The Kennedy Bar in Pensacola, Florida tends to agree with the idea of cranking up the rum notes in mixed drinks.

“While traditionally an unaged white rum is used in the daiquiri and most cocktails, I prefer to use a rhum agricole which is made from sugar cane juice rather than molasses,” he says. “This gives the cocktail a fruity, vegetal flavor which adds a unique complexity to the drink.”

So what brands, in particular, do bartenders think are a good fit for summer mixing? To find that answer, we once again went to the source — asking a handful of well-known bar professionals to tell us their picks. Check them all out below.

Papa’s Pilar Blonde Rum

Inga Tantisalidchai, bartender at OLEA Cellar Craft Cook in Irvine, California

ABV: 42%
Average Price: $30

Why This Bottle?

If you like a lighter take on the daiquiri, one of my favorite rums to use is Papa’s Pilar Blonde Rum. Its smooth velvety texture along with its soft vanilla notes complement and balance out the acidic components of the cocktail. In addition, Papa’s Pilar is associated with the Hemingway family, which is known for their twist on the traditional daiquiri — adding a little grapefruit and Luxardo cherry liqueur.

Kirk and Sweeney 23 Reserva Rum

Tara Gillum, bartender at Steiner’s Speakeasy in Chillicothe, Ohio

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $54

Why This Bottle?

I think the type of daiquiri you are making is an important part of this question. For me, I’m a purist when it comes to rum-based cocktails like the daiquiri. Rum, simple syrup, lime. I really like making a traditional daiquiri with Kirk and Sweeney 23-year rum. This rum has a bold, almost whiskey-like aroma and flavor of caramel and vanilla. I like to use Kirk and Sweeney because the rum doesn’t get lost in the cocktail.

Tattersall Blackstrap Rum

Cassidy Flannery, bartender at Sonder Shaker in Minneapolis

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $29.99

Why This Bottle?

All summer I’ve been using Tattersall Distilling’s Blackstrap Rum in my rum-based cocktails. My watermelon daiquiri has been a huge hit. The mellow notes of smoky molasses and tobacco pair well with the freshness of the watermelon and lime juices.

Diplomatico Planas Rum

Chandra Richter, beverage development and chief mixologist at Drinkworks

ABV: 47%
Average Price: $30

Why This Bottle?

If I’m mixing a rum cocktail in summer, it’s going to be a daiquiri. And a daiquiri is a very simple and beautiful drink, especially during the hot summer months but the key is to find the right balance of rum and fruit flavors. I like to use a light rum in my daiquiris, like Diplomatico Planas. The tropical and fruity notes of the rum work perfectly with the lime flavors to create a nice balance of strong, sweet, and sour — exactly how I like my cocktails.

Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum

Stephen Lasaten, food and beverage manager at The Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas

ABV: 63%
Average Price: $25

Why This Bottle?

Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum is my pick. With its fruity scent and a high alcohol content — to remind you that there’s alcohol in your frozen drink — I find that this blends well with the sweet mixes that are used for daiquiris and various other rum-based cocktails.

Smith & Cross Rum

Ilan Chartor, head bartender of MILA in Miami

ABV: 57%
Average Price: $30

Why This Bottle?

The best rum for a cocktail for me is Smith & Cross Pot Still Jamaican Rum. If you’re a true rum lover, you love Jamaican pot still rums for their unique funk and flavor profile. Smith & Cross has notes of caramelized banana and pineapple, tropical fruits, and molasses.

This flavor profile makes for an extremely fun and refreshing cocktail.

Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum

Darron Foy, bar manager at The Flatiron Room in New York City

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $49.99

Why This Bottle?

I was given a bottle of Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario by a friend of mine when I moved to New York in 2016. I was very intrigued by the velvet texture and the honey, apricot, and oak notes. But I remember drinking it mostly neat. The same friend told me to try it in some classics — pina colada, dark ‘n’ stormy — to see how it worked and the first attempt was a daiquiri.

In my opinion, it creates a richer, fuller-bodied daiquiri due to the aged rum — between six and 23 years of age. It exaggerates the lime and sugar with hints of stewed fruit and ginger while reigning in the sweeter notes due to its robust backbone of leather and tobacco.

Foursquare Probitas Rum

Jacob Mata, bar manager at Garden & Grain in Pensacola, Florida

ABV: 47%
Average Price: $29.99

Why This Bottle?

When making rum-based cocktails I prefer to use a blend of rums. Doing this adds depth and complexity to a cocktail. In a Daiquiri I prefer to use an island blended rum called Probitas with just a small measure of an Avua Cachaca. Probitas is a blend of three different rums from two of the most iconic and respected distilleries in the rum world, Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados & Hampden Estate in Jamaica.

Probitas is rich in tropical flavors including banana, guava, vanilla, and more. With the addition of Avua Cachaca with its bright flavors of wildflower, Lemongrass, and dried herbs you’ve got yourself a perfect daiquiri for a hot summer day.

Real McCoy 5-Year-Old Rum

Liam Odien, beverage director at Playa Provisions in Playa Del Rey, California

ABV: 46%
Average Price: $29.99

Why This Bottle?

Real McCoy 5 Year, for me. It’s delicious, affordable, and it has enough age and body on it to hold its own in the cocktail without overwhelming the other ingredients. Daiquiris, in particular, I think, are at the mercy of their base spirit, which can be something of a pitfall. The benefit, though, is that if you love a particular rum, it will probably shine.

As always, the best drink is the one you want.

Neisson Rhum Agricole

Ryan Anderson, complex director of beverage at Ace Hotel in New Orleans

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $50 for a liter

Why This Bottle?

Always and forever, I will prefer a Rhum Agricole to any other mixing rum. Rhum Agricole, specifically from Martinique, adds a complexity of flavor that is so unmistakably earthy and floral. Rhum production in Martinique utilizes fresh sugar cane to make their spirit as opposed to using molasses, which is how most of rum is made.

Coconut Cartel Rum

Kyle Jones, owner of Bon Vivants in Nassau, Bahamas

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $36

Why This Bottle?

My go-to rum is without a doubt Coconut Cartel Rum. It is a delicious Guatemalan añejo rum that is cut with coconut water which makes it so unique and tasty. That little hint of salinity and real coconut adds a delicious layer to your cocktail.

It’s also amazing to enjoy on the rocks with fresh coconut water ice cubes.

Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Sebastien Derbomez, William Grant & Sons manager of brand advocacy

ABV: 46%
Average Price: $20

Why This Bottle?

I think Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum is a perfect choice. It’s a blend of Caribbean rums that are infused with spices including vanilla and cinnamon, so it brings a ton of extra flavors to your favorite cocktail. The addition of ginger syrup in your cocktail ties up wonderfully with the spices from Sailor Jerry, I highly recommend it. Enjoy responsibly.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

Alfonso Ribeiro has accomplished a lot in his career on television, which means he’s a man known for many things. To a number of folks, the Fresh Prince star may be best known as Carlton, with a dance named after him and some meme-worthy moments that make the rounds during basketball season.

But in the years since Fresh Prince went off the air, Ribeiro has become a go-to game show host, framing his life around a rigorous filming schedule to helm shows like America’s Funniest Videos and Catch 21. By now, he’s a seasoned veteran in the industry, working to balance heavy taping schedules with family time and life amid a pandemic.

Uproxx talked to Ribeiro by phone last week, before the NBA Finals ended and his friend Chris Paul fell just short of a championship. We discussed game shows, representation on television and what it means to be a not-so-nice sports meme.

Uproxx: I can see the Cheez-It bag behind you so I have to ask about the promotional work you’re doing. I loved that you were pitching this on your Instagram and it kind of sounded like you were an old-time game show host. Where they, you know, they stopped play right there and then you pitched some products. Was that the inspiration behind that?

Alfonso Ribeiro: You know whenever you team up with a company, you try to make things that are organic to yourself, you know? What are the things that I’m doing right now in my career in my life that would actually lend itself perfectly for product. Obviously people remember my Fresh Prince days, but right now I’m basically a TV host, so doing it more like a host thing, it kind of makes it a lot of fun. It makes it very me and it makes it what I’m doing right now.

And it’s a great product and a great match with both of us. Launching this campaign, you know, we want to get people to enjoy lunch the way lunch should be enjoyed. And not just like a past-by meal that you throw something together in the middle of the day. So we’ve teamed up together to enter this sweepstakes where, I’m gonna show you what we don’t want. We don’t want people eating this for lunch anymore.

[Ribiero presents a very sad-looking sandwich on a sparse plate to me on the Zoom call]

We want people to enjoy their lunches so rather than that, you know, let’s jazz it up. Let’s take people out of their rut, show me the best sandwich you can make. Show me the greatest lunch you can add your Cheez-It Snap’d to it to create. We want better meals, a more fulfilling meal, a fun meal. So we want people to go on to my Instagram and my Facebook and enter to join the competition.

It’s gonna be a lot of fun. So they can just use the hashtag #SnapdMySandwichEntry and tell us all about your stories and whoever tells us the greatest story and shows us the best sandwich, or really the worst sandwich that they can have for their for their meal, they have a chance to win a year’s supply of Cheez-Its Snap’d and also $10,000 to level up their lunch. So we’re we’re very excited about doing this. Hopefully people can jump in and make lunch special again.

I think you know during the pandemic one of the things that suffered for a lot of people is lunch because they’re likely working from home and a lot of different things are happening. I was curious what changed for you during this. Obviously you’re shooting a couple different things and trying to stay active but you’re with your family as well the last year. What what’s been different for and just trying to work and get through all this?

Well, it’s all been it’s all been different obviously and every way, right? In the beginning, obviously it was just basically staying home. So you’re not really making anything special. Breakfast doesn’t become special dinner isn’t special, lunches aren’t special and you just kind of go through the day and you eat when you eat. And it’s very, very boring. Then obviously as the year went along and the pandemic continued, we bought an RV and so we went and drove, you know, over 20,000 miles around the country.

So it changed big time for me, but you know, the weird thing is and my wife would would pop me in the back of the head. But like, if you’re driving from city to the city, I mean, I’m literally eating lunch in my driver’s seat, like just something that I can just throw in my mouth. So lunch became that meal that was just a pass-by. It was just something to give me some energy just so I can continue driving. So the idea of now that we’re back at you know, kind of getting back into life getting back out in the world — even if you’re working from home — make lunch special.

You go to Spain and siesta is the most important meal of the day. Whereas here in America, we don’t really make it very special. So the idea of being able to you know, Snap’d that, you know, jazz up your your lunchtime is something that I think people need to do, you know. It’s an important meal, it makes you happy.

I wanted to ask about about your game show work because I’m a big fan and thankfully we cover shows like Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune a lot. When you get a new gig in game shows, a lot of game shows are cyclical and they’re taking from old shows, maybe reimagining things a bit. But when you start do you try to bring what you’ve given on screen because that’s what they’ve hired you for or do you try to do something a little bit different for with each role?

I think that ultimately it’s a combination of both, in a weird way. You’re always trying to bring what people know you as, right? Like they hire you because they like something specific that you do, but you’re always trying to make it a bit different so that it doesn’t feel exactly the same every time you do it. So it’s a little bit of both.

I’m always trying to be a bit more creative but also giving people the Alfonso that they know and hopefully love.

Yeah, especially with a show like AFV that has been on air for a long time. It’s had a couple of different hosts, people know what what to expect there, but I would assume that you obviously want to make that role your own when you take it on as well.

Whenever you’re doing anything, especially something as popular and we’re in the 31st season of the show, they know the show, so you don’t want to take away from what they already know and what they love about the show, but you still have to make it yours. No matter how you look at it, I can never be Tom Bergeron. I can never be Bob Saget. I’m going to be Alfonso.

And even through the years, I’ve adjusted my own vibe as I’ve done the show to be even more and more me every year. To continue to change the show to stay current, to stay up to date with the producers and the writers, and we’re always constantly looking at better ways to make it make it more me, make it more my vibe. So we’re trying to make sure that we give everybody what they want which is AFV and the funny videos but we’re also giving them a piece of me and constantly, you know, morphing it into the the newer and newer versions of it.

I saw you got to be on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which I’m very jealous of. I was curious, I’ve noticed that people often like to watch Jeopardy! because sometimes very smart people miss things that more ordinary people know, like pop culture or football. And people like watching Wheel of Fortune because they like people messing up. I wanted to know now that you’ve been on the show is it harder than it maybe looks from from watching on TV?

I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily harder. I watch the show a little bit, I wouldn’t say I’m like a huge Wheel of Fortune guy. But when you’re in the moment, it’s a little bit harder to just see it and know it. It just takes a little bit longer to figure it out. So, you know, our episode it took us a bit longer to figure it out. It took us a minute to to get it, but I won some money. It just it didn’t work out for me being top guy because every time I knew the answer it was on someone else’s turn.

That’s the part that most people don’t even think about. It’s like, ‘Oh I know the answer,’ they spit it out and they think they know it. They’re like, ‘Oh, I would have won.’ Not necessarily, because if it wasn’t your turn you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to even give the answer, you know? It’s not like Jeopardy! where on every question all three people have the opportunity to answer it. It’s just the person who’s spinning.

One thing I was surprised to learn is how rigorous the Jeopardy! filming schedule is and I was wondering if all games shows are basically that rigorous, with several episodes in a day each day. If so, how do you keep energy up? How do you make things feel different when you’re filming so much in what can be a very exhausting day?

You know for me, when I did Catch 21, it was six episodes a day, four or five days a week. So you’re really working hard. You almost have to train for it, you’ve got to get your mind right, your body right, your energy right. It’s about keeping it level through the day, never letting it get too high and never letting it get too low. Lots of water, right, just and constantly hydrating and nutrition. You’re not eating a big lunch or a big dinner or a big breakfast, but you’re kind of nibbling through the day. It keeps your energy level through the day, so it’s kind of like you have to kind of change your whole system a bit to do that. So that’s that’s kind of the only way. But most game shows are all shot and produced the same way.

Once someone goes through that it seems like there’s a bit of camaraderie with game shows. I know you shout out other hosts and posted on Instagram about Alex Trebek. I know the big news in game shows is, you know, who’s gonna be the next permanent Jeopardy! host. I don’t know if you’ve been watching but LeVar Burton is a potential host that’s gotten a lot of attention. He’s spoken about representation a lot, and I know that’s something you’ve spoken passionately about as well. How important would it be to see a person of color in that role?

I think that that it’s always an important thing to continue to represent America as America is represented, you know? Where are the Asians? Latinos? Women? African-Americans? Everybody, especially during this period of time where everybody’s getting an opportunity to jump — not everybody — but a lot of people getting an opportunity to jump in there. Hopefully they’re continuing to look at it from a diverse perspective. You know, whoever gets the job, let them be the best. And whatever that looks like. I’m not one that says, well, I think it has to be a Black person or I think it has be a woman. I don’t think it should be anybody. I think it’s whoever’s the best, as long as everybody gets an opportunity and a fair shake at it, then whoever’s the best and whoever the audience loves the most, it should be their job.

It’s interesting, I was watching a lot of Buzzr the last couple of days and saw some older shows. You can see today pretty clearly there are shows that are more reflective of America’s population, and even a few decades ago not only was that not the case, it wasn’t even really a concern at all. It’s kind of nice to think that, you know, if people are putting in even the bare minimum effort there that it’ll look a lot different when you watch Buzzr in a couple decades.

As long as people are putting in something now. Hopefully, I would say, you know to everyone out there: don’t put in the bare minimum. Put in a reel. Do it the right way and look at everybody and then everybody gets a fair shake at it. You know, when AFV came along, they weren’t only looking at Black people. They were looking at, you know, Mario Lopez and a bunch of different other, you know, white guys and white women and Black women and myself and, you know, Latinos. They looked at everybody and so you know hopefully as it turned out the best person got the job. And so if you allow everybody to get in there and have an even shake at it, you know, they’re gonna be different people in different jobs because they have people have different talents.

Absolutely. I wanted to ask there’s a clip from from Fresh Prince that pops up when basketball players fail.

[laughs]

I saw the clip where Carlton misses a shot pretty badly come up again during Game 7 of the Nets-Bucks series when KD missed in overtime. Do you even notice at that point when people post that and it makes the rounds? Because it comes up a couple times a year now.

You know, my social gets bombarded with a lot of old videos and old takes on things. I’m always honored when people look at that. I mean, obviously, I would have shot the ball better than the character did. But, look, it’s a funny moment in television history and it means that people are connecting to it. So for me, I’m giving them all the love for connecting tragedy with my video.

I wanted to ask really quick. I know you’ve worked with with Chris Paul. Have you been keeping an extra eye on on the postseason here?

Absolutely, I actually sent a message over to the family after they finally got past the the big hurdle and made it to the Finals. So I root for him. You know, it would be pretty cool if he got an NBA championship. I’m absolutely rooting for him, I want him to get that one, it would be cool. I think Giannis will eventually get one at some point, you know, if we’re looking at the two big stars of of both teams. But it’d be really nice for Chris to get that this time around because I think you know, it cements his legacy as one of the greatest point guards in history.

Louisville rapper EST Gee released his new mixtape Bigger Than Life Or Death today after teasing its release with the singles “Capitol 1” and “Bigger Than Life Or Death.” To celebrate the anticipated project coming out, EST Gee shared a new video for the mixtape’s standout track “Price Tag” which finds him enjoying the fruits of his labor and shrugging off the light cost of keeping his female companions happy.

With a hook that brags that “good box come with a price tag on it,” it’s probably no surprise to see the Kentucky native surrounded by women twerking in the skimpiest swimsuits they can find. CGI price tags adorn the women as they bend over and shake for Gee’s amusement (and the viewer’s, presumably), highlighting a devilish sense of sophomoric humor on the CMG rapper’s part.

In addition to the previously released singles, the new mixtape also boasts appearances from some big-name co-signers. Future and Young Thug both appear on “Lick Back Remix,” while Lil Durk assists on “In Town,” and Memphis upstart Pooh Shiesty claims a verse on “All I Know.” Fellow CMG-ers 42 Dugg and Yo Gotti make two appearances apiece, while Lil Baby, one of Gee’s first big benefactors shows up with his Quality Control Music compadre Rylo Rodriguez on “5500 Degrees.”

Watch EST Gee’s “Price Tag” video above.

Bigger Than Life Or Death is out now CMG/Interscope Records. Get it here.

We haven’t had a really juicy college football realignment rumor in a while. That changed on Wednesday afternoon, when Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle dropped a bombshell: Apparently, Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma reached out to the SEC about potentially joining the conference.

The thing with these rumors is they pop up a whole heck of a lot, and 99 percent of the time, nothing comes of them — universities opt to stick in the conference where they’ve been forever, with the established rivalries and ways of doing things they all know. But shortly after Zwerneman’s report hit the Twitterverse, a wave of additional reporting came in to indicate that this could actually happen.

As for the Big 12, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported that decision makers in the conference are, as of now, unaware of what the Longhorns and Sooners are doing, and think it wouldn’t necessarily be a good decision.

As for official comments from the schools themselves, they certainly aren’t doing a lot to shut down the reporting.

Everything comes down to the almighty dollar, and if there is anything that comes of this, it would, almost assuredly, stem from the fact that both universities believe jumping ship — particularly with a 12-team playoff on the way, which theoretically means they wouldn’t miss out entirely if they lost a regular season game to, say, Alabama — see a gigantic financial windfall from this sort of move. Making things even juicier is the Texas-Texas A&M non-rivalry rivalry, with the two teams refusing to play each other since the Aggies bounced for the SEC. When asked at SEC Media Days about the rumor, A&M coach Jimbo Fisher had a tremendous response.

Will it happen? Who knows! Realignment rumors in college football are as frequent as Big Ten head coaches opting to punt on fourth-and-1 from the opposing team’s 36. Texas has even been involved in these sorts of rumors on several occasions in the past. But with a 12-team playoff on the horizon and schools always looking for ways to make more money via their college football programs — especially now that there’s a competitive advantage to letting players profit as much as they possibly can off of the new name, image, and likeness rules — perhaps something will come of this.