Month: September 2021

NBA 2K22 is going to be the first game in the long-standing franchise made with next-generation technology in mind, which is going to be exciting for a lot of fans of the series. New technology means a smoother experience, more to do, and new animations.

We’ve seen that a competitor of 2K, EA Sports’ FIFA series, is using the new technology to try and make their game one of the most realistic looking simulations out there through new animations. It’s an example of how far the technology has come. So how is 2K responding? Well, this made shot celebration they advertised on Twitter is neat!

A few ways that this new spin kick animation might find use in 2K22 is during the less formal games that players can take part in. It seems unlikely that we’re going to watch Steph Curry break this out after hitting a 3-pointer, but we may see it from someone in Park, Blacktop, or ProAm. Maybe we’ll see it as well in some of the postgame celebration lineups.

It’s hard to really understand what the purpose of a player being able to spin kick the air into a split is, but as a big fan of JRPG’s, I can’t say I disapprove of the opportunity to get more anime in my basketball. We’ll obviously need to see how this animation looks in the actual game, and what the context will be, but out of context with nothing more than a motion capture suit, it just looks odd. Of course, we can’t fault them for trying to add more fun ideas to the game, even if this one is a little weird.

Days after Kanye West previewed “Life Of The Party,” his unreleased collaboration with Andre 3000, Drake somehow got a hold of the record and premiere it in its entirety during a recent broadcast on OVO Sound’s radio show on Sirius XM. The decision to play the leaked song was the latest chess move from Drake in his lengthy beef with West. However, putting the rappers’ differences aside, many who listened to the song were impressed with Andre 3000’s verse as it was dedicated to his mother and father who died in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

One of the people who praised Andre and the song was Tyler The Creator as he took to Twitter to share a pair of lines from it and give a nod to the Outkast counterpart. “Straight from Shibuya,” he wrote in one tweet, referencing West’s hook from the song, before pulling from Andre’s verse for a second tweet, writing, “Hey keep rollin.’” Lastly, Tyler showed love to Andre in a final post that read, “sir 3000* [pink hearts emoji].”

Tyler’s message comes after Andre listed him as one of the rappers he’d love to work with in the future.

“I just want to work with people that inspire me,” Andre wrote in a statement that was released after Drake leaked “Life Of The Party.” He added, “Hopefully I can work with Kendrick on his album. I’d love to work with Lil’ Baby, Tyler and Jay-Z. I respect them all.”

Jim Acosta’s Saturday programming on CNN has routinely taken aim at Fox News and its biggest name, Tucker Carlson. But as Carlson’s white replacement theory rhetoric escalates and the Fox News host advocates for anti-vaxxers to break the law Acosta has upped his rhetoric in kind.

Already classified as the “employee of the month” at what he’s described a “bulls*it factory,” Acosta has also called Carlson the network’s “chief white power correspondent.” And on Saturday, Acosta continued that string of labels by calling the host a “human manure spreader.”

“Over on Fox, human manure spreader Tucker Carlson has floated yet another race baiting conspiracy theory that tens of thousands of Afghan refugees are being sent over to this country in order to change the outcome of elections,” Acosta said.

Acosta’s response here is following Carlson’s concern trolling about Afghan refugees, with the CNN host retorting that the real threat to America is those on the far right trying to undermine democracy with their January 6 coup attempt. He called those stoking flames of division and, like Madison Cawthorn, calling for “bloodshed” the real problem. “Sort of like an American Taliban,” he said.

“It is starting to look like a combination of theocracy and thugocracy,” Acosta said. “The leaders of this MAGAban movement, people like Marjorie, Madison and Tucker, they’re not counting on an intelligence failure or a lack of planning on your part. They’re counting on a lack of courage to stand up for your rights in this country. Does that ring a bell?

“The anti-immigration, anti-democratic, anti-women’s rights forces have all sought these kinds of changes for years, even decades, in this country,” Acosta continued. “Their operation to change America forever is well underway.

You can watch the full video below, but it’s certainly something to see Acosta continue to attack Carlson and his rhetoric on a competing network.

It doesn’t seem like Carlson seems to mind these labels, and his audience isn’t exactly going anywhere anytime soon. But for those worried by the broadcasts Carlson delivers to millions of people nightly, it’s a relief to see some kind of counter-programming.

[via Raw Story]

Drake’s Certified Lover Boy is laced with a number of bars that many fans took as disses toward Kanye West. One of them came on “7am In Bridle Path.” On it Drake raps, “Give that address to your driver, make it your destination / ‘Stead of just a post out of desperation.”

He adds, “This me reachin’ the deepest state of my meditation / While you over there tryna impress the nation / Mind’s runnin’ wild with the speculation.” The Toronto native also leaked the full version of West and Andre 3000’s unreleased collaboration, “Life Of The Party,” during a Sirius XM radio show.

While West himself has yet to issue a response to Drake’s shots, one of his close associates has stepped forward to address the Toronto rapper. Consequence, who was signed to GOOD Music from 2005-2011 and has spent the recent months beside West as he continued to work on Donda, arrived with a new diss track aimed at Drake titled “Party Time.”

On the record, Consequence raps, “We know two wrongs never makes thing right/ But when you insinuate, you are with the next man’s wife/ You might as well say you take the next man’s life/ ’Cause that’s a dark place that makes most men fight.” These lines refer to Drake’s “Knife Talk” with 21 Savage where the Toronto native hints at sleeping with another man’s woman, which many believe is Kim Kardashian.

Consequence then goes after Drake by attacking aspects of his personal life. “But from the outside, a person can tell/ You are going through your own personal hell / Your parents out here like Sonya and Dell,” he raps. And ever since Sophie had a story to tell / You’ve been taking Ls and coming after K / And thought we couldn’t tell you were coming after K / But most crabs are a shell of their self.”

Lastly, Consequence shares his desire to confront Drake in person. “Who told Aubs that he can play with them? / That boy Cons can run the fade with them/ I wish we could shoot five instead of group chats / Next time bring Chubbs when you shoot back.”

You can listen to “Party Time” above.

Tom Brady certainly has a reputation as one of the most health conscious players in the National Football League. Being a 44-year-old quarterback still performing at a high level will help you get that rep. But things weren’t ideal for him in the offseason according to a new interview he did ahead of the 2021-22 season with the Buccaneers.

In an interview with Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Brady revealed that he contracted coronavirus in the weeks after Tampa’s Super Bowl win. Brady discussed the impact coronavirus may have on this upcoming NFL season, even though the article made it clear that the Bucs are one of the few squads in the league to be fully vaccinated.

Which means that Brady does, indeed, have the jab.

“You guys beat COVID last year. It’s still around. You’ve had it?” I asked him.

“Yeah,” Brady said.

“And I think it’s going to be challenging this year,” he continued. “I actually think it’s going to play more of a factor this year than last year, just because of the way what we’re doing now and what the stadium is going to look like and what the travel is going to look like and the people in the building and the fans.

“It’s not like last year, although we’re getting tested like last year. It’s going to be, I definitely think guys are going to be out at different points and we’ve just got to deal with it.”

In the piece, it’s revealed that one of the last people on the team to get vaccinated was running back Leonard Fournette. And while it isn’t specific, it sure sounds like Brady was encouraging his teammates to get vaccinated and protect the locker room from any possible disease-related disaster. And Brady’s point about unvaccinated fans and staff being in NFL stadiums is certainly an interesting point as well: despite the advantage of having vaccines available, anti-vax sentiments have complicated so much of what could happen this year.

It shouldn’t be news that NFL players are doing everything they possibly can to stay healthy and keep themselves on the field. So much of the NFL mindset is exactly that, even if it means practices considered medically dangerous outside of football. But as we’ve seen with players like Cole Beasley, not every athlete sees the vaccine as a competitive edge in the age of personal freedoms and owning the libs.

We know by now that breakthrough cases are still possible even after vaccination, but it’s now clear that the Bucs are gearing up for a potential repeat with another edge many of their competitors simply won’t have this year: a fully vaccinated locker room.

[via Tampa Bay Times]

This weekend has been all about Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy in the music world. The rapper shared the 21-track effort eight months after he promised it would originally be released. In a little over 48 hours, the Toronto native’s latest release has set records on both Apple Music and Spotify.

While there are plenty of bright moments on Certified Lover Boy, there was one questionable aspect of the album. On “TSU,” the credits for the song lists R. Kelly as one of the contributors, a detail that upset many fans. After seeing much of the outrage, Drake’s producer Noah “40” Shebib explained why Kelly was credited on the song.

“On a song called tsu at the beginning is a sample of OG Ron c talking,” 40 said in a now-deleted Instagram post. “Behind that faintly which you can’t even hear is an r Kelly song playing in the background. It has no significance no lyrics are present, r Kelly’s voice isn’t even present but if we wanted to use Ron c talking we were forced to license it.”

He continues, “Doesn’t sit well with me let me just say that. And I’m not here to defend drakes lyrics, but I thought I would clear up that there is no actual r Kelly present and it’s a bit misleading to call him a co lyricist.” To conclude his statement, 40 then revealed what pushed him to clarifies things about “TSU.”

“It’s kinda wild cause I was just reading ‘Baby Girl’ by Kathy Iandoli and the recounts of some of that stuff is horrific and disgusting,” he wrote. “Then I saw this post and just had to say something because to think we would stand beside that guy or write with him is just incredibly disgusting.”

You can view 40’s statement and listen to “TSU” above.

Certified Lover Boy is out now via OVO Sound/Republic. Get it here.

Donald Trump’s July 4 celebration at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota in 2020 will likely go down as a lasting symbol of his chaotic four years in office in several ways. The massive fireworks display was criticized as dangerous due to wildfire risk, and gathering so many people during a pandemic also drew ire. There were also protests from Native American groups due to the troubled history of the monument carved into sacred ground for local tribes. It’s all a mess.

One of the funnier anecdotes from that saga, though, was a report last August that South Dakota governor Kristi Noem gave Trump a replica of Mount Rushmore with his own head added to the group of presidents depicted. That came on the heels of reports that Trump actually reached out about adding himself to the monument, as stark a moment of hubris that came during his presidency if there ever was one.

And as it turns out, those reports were, indeed, correct. The Daily Beast did the legwork here, actually tracking down a photo of the replica that you really need to see to believe.

The piece reveals that not one, but three models of the modified Mount Rushmore exist, with two going to “donors” who helped fund its creation. The sculpting process is detailed as well, and it’s not a surprise the two people who worked on the model — Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby — are Trump supporters who were thrilled to work on it for the now-former president.

Employing what’s known as “lost wax” casting, an ancient process that uses a clay model, hot wax and molten bronze, the duo grafted a bust of Trump in a suit and tie onto the mini-Rushmore.

Three copies were created, Leuning and Treeby revealed recently, with one going to Trump, and the other two to the unidentified donors—the names of whom are unknown even to them.

The pieces are “bookshelf-sized,” Leuning told the Daily Beast—27 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 8-1/2 inches deep.

Everyone involved was apparently asked to remain quiet about their involvement, which is probably why we haven’t seen photos of Trump grafted onto another work of art until now. But the sculptors were told that he “loved” the piece because, well, of course he did. And the sculptors are really big fans of Mount Rushmore in general, which despite its many troubled ties to racism doesn’t seem to bother them as much as the fact that they didn’t get an invite to last summer’s fireworks spectacular.

“We’re working artists,” Leuning said. “We’re prostitutes for art. We do art for money.”

They said they have only one regret about their involvement with the Trump replica: They were not present when Noem gave it to him before the speech.

“We weren’t invited,” Leuning said. “We were told he loved it.”

The only real mystery left here is who funded the creation of the Trump-addled Mount Rushmore, as Noem’s office has been adamant that it cost just $1,100 and was paid for by private donors. But there are three of them out there somewhere. And it would certainly be something to stumble upon a bookshelf-sized Mount Trumpmore at someone’s home.

[via The Daily Beast]

Food Network has had a number of stars over its decades airing food-related television programming, but this week, it had to publicly distance itself from a former host following some online controversy.

Recent legal decisions regarding abortion rights in Texas have ignited a wave of protests across the United States. But while many companies are trying to help those disenfranchised by the legal decisions, a comedian drew ire on social media for what he described as a joke that made his former employer state he no longer works there.

Josh Denny, a podcaster and comedian, sent out several tweets about a Texas law that banned abortions after six weeks. Though Denny claimed that he would “NEVER apologize” for what he claimed were just jokes, one tweet in particular and its use of a slur to describe women drew particular scorn from many on social media.

As the comment spread, some pointed out that Denny was a former host of Ginormous Food, a show on Food Network. That made Food Network issue a statement clarifying that the comedian no longer worked for the network, and that it no longer aired episodes featuring Denny hosting the show.

It’s worth noting that at least one clip from Ginormous Eats featuring Denny was still on the company’s official YouTube page. Denny responded on Twitter and spent the weekend retweeting stories about Food Network’s statement. It stands to reason that him doing this is not going to change the network’s stance that they regret ever working with him.

The Ted Lasso discourse continues unabated online, but at least the fictional soccer coach has made good on a promise to deliver a real soccer team some dang biscuits.

Following a joke about Wrexham AFC, a lower division soccer club now owned by Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia co-creator Rob McElhenney, the two actors made waves by demanding an apology for mocking them by way of the Jason Suedeikis character’s famous biscuits. You know, a lot of them.

This whole thing, of course, was mostly in jest and entirely to drum up some publicity for both Lasso and the very real soccer team the two own. And it certainly worked, as we’re writing about it and you’re reading about it right now. While the request to have the ridiculous amount of biscuits arrive in time for the team’s first game didn’t get honored, the team did get a big delivery of pink boxes over the weekend.

Even the fictional AFC Richmond Twitter account got in on the fun.

It’s a nice little coda on a very cool story in soccer, as Wrexham AFC and teams like AFC Wimbledon are certainly inspirations for the fictional squad Lasso coaches. Now if we can figure out if Brett Goldstein is real or not then we can all move on with our lives.

Two of college football’s nastiest defenses are taking center stage on Saturday night, as the crown jewel of the sport’s Week 1 slate is a top-5 showdown between the No. 3 Clemson Tigers and the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte. It’s been the exact kind of game one might expect, as both offenses have struggled to consistently move the ball because the 11 dudes on defense are constantly flying around, making plays, and making life impossible on the opposing quarterbacks.

To that end, it’s probably not a surprise that the game’s opening score came because of a monstrous defensive play. Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei tried to take advantage of a special teams miscue that put the Tigers right at midfield, but after converting one first down, the offense found itself facing a third-and-4. Uiagalelei dropped back and thought he had standout receiver Justyn Ross, but he did not see that Bulldogs defensive back Christopher Smith was lurking.

Smith picked Uiagalelei off and took off the other way, bursting down the sideline and evading an attempted tackle by the Tigers’ signal caller for six.

The throw wasn’t particularly bad, but this is an excellent play by Smith and one heck of an effort to house this one. We have a gut feeling this won’t be the only gigantic defensive play of the evening, and Clemson might even have one or two up their collective sleeves.