Month: November 2021

Lil Nas X is definitely an example of a self-starter. The musician’s debut smash hit “Old Town Road” was first uploaded to SoundCloud and shared on TikTok before being picked up by a record label. So when Lil Nas X first inked a recording contract, he celebrated by making a big purchase — which he now regrets.

When Lil Nas X first signed a record deal with Columbia, the musician was suddenly confronted with a bunch of money. As most people would do, Lil Nas X decided to buy himself something nice to celebrate, he recalled in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal. For his first post-record contract purchase, Lil Nas X shelled out $2,000 for a a Burberry jacket but then had almost instantaneous buyer’s remorse. He told WSJ he’s never really enjoyed shopping for himself and saw the jacket as a frivolous purchase. “What was the point? To post it on Instagram once?” he said. Later down the line, Lil Nas X ended up buying himself a house with his new funds, which still to this day hasn’t been filled with many furniture items because he’d “rather take his friends or family members out on shopping sprees instead.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, the musician described the one thing that helped him really open up with the lyrics on his album: psychedelic mushrooms. “I was able to open up a lot,” he says about the trip. “I was able to write actual stories about my life and put it into my music. I actually did that for the first time.” Lil Nas X isn’t the only musician who has taken mushrooms to help kickstart the creative process. Kacey Musgraves did the same with her Star-Crossed album, and so did Harry Styles on Fine Line.

Read Lil Nas X’s full interview with The Wall Street Journal here.

It’s now been more than two years since Jeffrey Epstein’s death, yet the sheer mention of his name alone in connection to another person is enough for any former associate to call in for serious damage control. (See: Bill Gates and Prince Andrew.) Now Jes Staley—who, until this week, was CEO of Barclays—is the one in the hotseat.

As The Washington Post reported, Staley stepped down from his post as the head of one of England’s biggest banks on Monday following an investigation into his relationship with Epstein, a financier and alleged sex trafficker who was reportedly pals with some of the world’s richest and most powerful people—oh, and Donald Trump, too.

Though the details of what the investigation unearthed have not been made public, Staley must not have liked what he saw because he had apparently planned to contest them. What we do know is that Staley has asserted his relationship with Epstein was totally on the up-and-up and strictly professional. Staley also claimed that his dealings with the disgraced financier ended before he took up his post at Barclays. Bloomberg ran a thorough timeline of key moments in Staley and Epstein’s relationship, including the time—in April 2015—when Staley and his wife sailed their boat to Epstein’s private island (a detail that had not been previously disclosed).

According to a statement from Barclays:

Barclays and Mr. Jes Staley, Group Chief Executive, were made aware on Friday evening of the preliminary conclusions from the FCA and the PRA of their investigation into Mr. Staley’s characterization to Barclays of his relationship with the late Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and the subsequent description of that relationship in Barclays’ response to the FCA. In view of those conclusions, and Mr. Staley’s intention to contest them, the Board and Mr. Staley have agreed that he will step down from his role as Group Chief Executive and as a director of Barclays. It should be noted that the investigation makes no findings that Mr. Staley saw, or was aware of, any of Mr. Epstein’s alleged crimes, which was the central question underpinning Barclays’ support for Mr. Staley following the arrest of Mr. Epstein in the summer of 2019.

The Board is disappointed at this outcome… The regulatory process still has to run its full course and it is not appropriate for Barclays to comment further on the preliminary conclusions.

(Via The Washington Post)

The Cleveland Browns were supposed to be a contender to win the AFC this season after taking the leap last year to being a playoff team. With Baker Mayfield back with a full season under his belt in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, plenty of weapons around him including the expected return of Odell Beckham Jr., much of Cleveland’s attention in the offseason went to the defense.

However, eight weeks into the season and the Browns are 4-4, sitting in fourth in the AFC North and tied for seventh in the AFC, barely clinging to a playoff spot. Injuries have hit the Browns hard, but they also can’t seem to get out of their own way, with an offense that has seemingly taken a step back from last year. Baker Mayfield is at the center of that, with a lot of discussion shifting to how he seemingly can’t or won’t get the ball to his wide receivers, most notably Beckham Jr.

It has been a few weeks now of debate within Browns Twitter about whether there’s an issue between Mayfield and Beckham, and after a dismal 10-point performance in a loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday as Mayfield returned to play with a banged up left shoulder, the chatter only got louder. Tuesday, it reached a fever pitch when Odell Beckham Sr. posted an 11-minute long video someone made of his son being open only to see Mayfield either miss him or not throw him the ball — which you can watch in its entirety above.

To say things are bad in Cleveland would seem to be an understatement, and the optics of all of this are very bad for everyone involved. Given OBJ’s reputation as a diva receiver, fair or not, having your father post videos about how you aren’t getting the ball enough isn’t a great look. The video also brings into question plenty about Baker’s abilities to run an offense to its maximum capacity, as there certainly are a lot of apparent missed opportunities — even if some of the plays in question aren’t really misses but OBJ coming open late in routes on the backside of plays.

All of this has led to Browns fans taking sides between Baker and OBJ, and many prominent fans, namely LeBron James, are in Beckham’s camp and want to #FreeOBJ.

With the trade deadline hours away, we’ll see if that happens, but for a Browns team that finally seemed ready to shake free of two decades of dysfunction, a relapse appears to be taking place.

From the outside looking in, it sure seems like Edgar Wright has been taking some big swings with his films – like his latest, Last Night in Soho, which is currently in theaters – ever since, as Wright puts it, the movie that “nearly” happened did not actually happen. (For the sake of clarity, that movie would be his version of Ant-Man, even though below it’s often referenced as “the movie that didn’t happen.”) But there’s a difference between being on the outside looking in and actually being the person in that position, like Wright is and was.

It’s interesting because he paints a very different picture than we might think. We might look at Wright as someone who walked away from the machine and did his own thing. Which, sure, there’s some truth in that. But, as Wright explains, we don’t get to see the self-doubt part. Of a filmmaker who didn’t know at the time if he still had a career or not.

Since that important moment in Wright’s career, he’s made Baby Driver, a documentary on Sparks, and now what is, arguably (but barely arguably), his most ambitious film to date, Last Night in Soho.

In Last Night in Soho, Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) moves to London to become a fashion designer. Ellie rents a room from a mysterious woman, Ms, Collins (Diana Rigg). Ellie starts seeing visions of the past, namely Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young singer trying to make it in London in the 1960s. Lines start to get blurred between who is Sandie and who is Ellie, and the movie takes a more and more sinister tone (with a final act we won’t spoil).

Wright has had the idea for this movie for over ten years now. And he explains the, let’s say, unique path to get to the point where he is now: as a filmmaker making original studio movies. Which, yes, is a true rarity nowadays. And if you’ve paid attention to Wright’s social media at all, you’ll see he’s been everywhere promoting this movie. If anything, he wants you to know – especially after “the movie that didn’t happen” – he doesn’t take any of this for granted.

Judging from your social media, I just don’t think you’re promoting this movie enough. I don’t think you’re just getting out there and showing it to people. What happened to your work ethic?

I know it might seem like I’m a tireless self-promoter, but on Monday morning I will explode into dust.

I don’t think you’re a tireless self-promoter. I do think you care about this movie.

Well, the tricky thing in this day and age is social media is, in some ways, is a great thing. And there’s this whole point where you kind of think, at some point, I think I will probably have to stop doing it myself. Because, obviously, that’s probably why some people go more corporate or just have an official account, because there’s a sort of point where you can’t answer everybody’s questions.

Right.

And I feel like I’ve become my own customer service department as well, which is fine because I like talking to fans, but I guess if somebody asks me a question, I feel – maybe it’s because I’m too English and polite – but I feel duty-bound to answer it. But then that on top of doing all the press, it’s been very intense. I feel like this promotion’s almost maybe been even more intense than previous ones, probably.

Oh, why’s that?

I don’t know how you feel, but doing sort of Zoom press is a sort of strangely intense kind of process.

I don’t love it, but you know, that’s where we are at…

Maybe it is as intense as previous press, maybe I’m just getting older and more tired.

Your Twitter has been part of your persona as a director for the last 12 years or whatever. That you are available and out there. So can that be a detriment?

I don’t know… And listen, on the flip side, the positives of it, it’s important I think to show up, especially now. As you know, I’m very passionate about exhibition and the theatrical experience. People get kind of bent out of shape about some comments about it, unless you see the movie on the big screen, you’re not seeing the movie. I wouldn’t say that. I would say: I would love you to have the opportunity to see it on the big screen. And when people sort of say, “Why can’t we stream it on the same day?” I’d be like, “Hey, I came from the UK where we had to wait nine months for my hit movie, so calm down.” You can see it in four weeks. Just calm down.

I think also, what is important to me is kind of showing up, because I think there is a thing where, especially in the kind of current climate like a big star or director tweeting, “Hey, check out my movie in cinemas,” from the confines of their mansion is a bit different from me turning up to a Q&A. I actually did a Q&A with John Krasinski where I moderated A Quiet Place Part II in London. I think U.S. cinemas only reopened, I know they sort of continued in a way…

It was scattershot, depending what state you were in.

And I think A Quiet Place Part II was one of the first kind of big movies to come back and be a hit and people showed up for it. But me and John did a Q&A at a cinema in London. He asked me to moderate. And just walking into the room and people are seeing that we were there, it was such a sort of a warm and sort of emotional response. Almost separate from the movie is the fact that we had showed up was obviously very important for the crowd, and important to me as well. You have to put your money where your mouth is. And if you’re going to tell people, “Come out to the cinema,” you’ve got to go yourself. I would do more if I could.

I don’t doubt you. You’ve been out there.

Then there’s a point like I think on November 1st where I crumble into CGI dust. You know how if you took Keith Richards’ bandanas off, you imagine that he’d just completely fall apart?

That’s you.

That’s what’s going to happen.

So when I spoke to Krysty Wilson-Cairns, she said you’ve had this idea for ten years. Which is around the time I spoke to you and Joe Cornish for Attack the Block. So it was that long ago?

I think the actual idea had been percolating even longer than that, but around that time is when I first said it aloud to my producers Nira Park and Rachel Prior. So I remember pitching the movie, the entire plot, to them before I shot The World’s End, yeah.

Why does it take so long? How does this take 10 years?

Because I did two other movies and [laughs] nearly made a third other one. I guess I made three other movies if you count Sparks. And this is just the order in which things come. Baby Driver was an idea that had been percolating for like 22 years before I made it. It’s like, I did The World’s End, I nearly did another movie. And then I did Baby Driver. You know, Baby Driver itself, that’s like three years work from getting the movie off the ground to sort of finishing the press, so these things take a lot of time. For a director, it’s a minimum two years, maybe three years. I guess the Coen Brothers were knocking them out quicker, but there are two of them and they don’t do any press, which is smart.

Krysty called this movie a Trojan horse, which I thought was really interesting. Baby Driver and Last Night in Soho are big swings. For the people who really know your earlier movies outside and in, do you almost have to prep them with something like Baby Driver first? In that, hey, this one isn’t the early movies, we’re doing something different here?

I mean, the honest thing is that I just feel grateful for the chance to kind of take swings at all. You know, in this climate, the industry in some ways is at its most risk-averse, certainly in terms of, maybe, studio films. There’s a lot of focus on IP and the original movies on the slate are kind of … less. So, when I introduced the movie on Monday at the premiere in front of Universal and Focus and everybody, I said, “I don’t take any of this for granted. The fact that I get to make original movies and they get shown around the world, I’m well aware of how lucky I am, and I sort of grab the opportunity with both hands.”

And that’s how I feel, in a way. I think in a strange way, after Baby Driver – because this idea had been, like I said, percolating for a long time – I just felt like I really want to do this now because I want to do something different. I feel like after Baby Driver, I could maybe afford to kind of do something radically different. The idea of doing something a bit darker and more serious, and also in an area of London that I spend more time in than any other area of London? It is something that just was kind of calling me. And the idea and the story … you either have to give into it or not, you know?

I swore I wasn’t going to bring it up, but you brought it up first, the whole “movie that didn’t happen”…

[Laughs] Actually I take it back…

I know it probably doesn’t work this way, but from the outside looking in, after that doesn’t work out, you take these massive swings with Last Night in Soho and Baby Driver. It’s hard for me not to sit there and think, if I were you, I’d be thinking, “You know what? Screw you, watch this.” But is there actually any of that?

I think the thing is, I mean, I was [pauses] … you know, I can’t tell this story. It’s a good one. I’ll tell you over coffee some time.

Ah, okay.

You know, I think to answer your question… I mean, I think it’s just having the opportunity. I was very heartened by the fact that immediately, you know, people got in touch with me in terms of “what do you want to do next.” And I had Baby Driver already written. And so, the toughest part of it, at the time, was sort of the year between kind of leaving the other project and trying to get Baby Driver off the ground. And that was a point where it might have looked courageous from the outside in terms of, “Oh, Edgar Wright’s going to take a big swing with an original movie.” But there are also the things that you don’t see. The panic of, “Oh my god, what am I going to do if this doesn’t get green lit?”

Right…

Then I’ve really got egg on my face and I’ve spent a year developing it. So then you start kind of thinking, okay, what else can I do? Or just start sort of taking writing jobs and stuff because you’re just putting all of your chips on one thing. And I mean, I think the thing is, I don’t think of it in terms of I’m sort of taking courageous big swings against the machine or anything. It’s more the thing of being given the opportunity to do so: you have to take it.

And if there’s anything sad in the current climate, and I don’t want to mention any names or be too sort of negative and stuff, but there are filmmakers that I feel just kind of got lost in the franchise machine that I would rather see doing original movies, but that isn’t their fault. You know, that might be the thing of they can’t get those things made. Because there would be an alternate reality, which would be this close to Baby Driver, like, “Ah, we can’t make it work with the budget and can’t get the right actors in and it’s not happening.” And then I’d be like, “Now what the fuck am I going to do?”

So, you know, the chances of that happening are high. And so that’s what I mean when I don’t take it for granted. You know that I’m not complacent about what I do whatsoever. And I know from director friends, people who are kind of working on some passion project, and it just not coming together. And that’s a sort of a side of the business that fans don’t see. And you know, there’s a director that you think, “Why haven’t we heard from so-and-so in a while?” Well, they’ve probably been working harder than they ever have and it’s been not coming together and that part of the business is really tough because getting any movie made is really difficult. So, with all that said, being able to make this movie after Baby Driver? I just consider it a gift because I get to do something that is very sort of personal and idiosyncratic to me, something I really wanted to do. Something that’s British set.

And I have this profound thing when I was watching it. We had the premiere at the Academy Museum on Monday. And the sound in there was amazing and lots of filmmakers and celebrities and people that I knew are there. I was also just looking at it thinking, “I’m watching London in Hollywood.” And I’ll never get over that. I think I felt the same way when I watched Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz in the Arclight or the Cinerama Dome. It’s like, I’m sitting here in Hollywood watching my suburb in North London, or watching my hometown. There’s something about that where just the chance to be an international filmmaker, in the sense of, I have a film that’s London-set, going day and date in the UK and US. I know that’s a big deal and I don’t take it for granted. What it does mean is I have to do twice the amount of work on social media. It’s the only drawback.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Spooky season is officially over, meaning it’s time for Mariah Carey to shine as the reigning Queen of Christmas. The singer ushered in the start of the holidays on Monday by smashing some jack-o’-lanterns with a candy cane. But no holiday season is complete without a showstopping TV special, and Mariah’s got that covered as well.

The singer announced Tuesday that she’s teaming up with Apple TV+ for the exclusive special, Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues. The special will feature a performance by Mariah alongside Grammy Award-winning singer Khalid and famed gospel crooner Kirk Franklin. The trio will give a rendition of their new song “Fall In Love At Christmas,” which was announced Monday and officially drops on Friday.

Per a report from Billboard, Mariah is acting as one of the special’s executive producers, which is fitting seeing as it’s certainly not the first time the singer has starred in a Christmas special. Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues was directed by Joseph Kahn, who is also an executive producer on the special and has worked with major pop stars like Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga in the past.

Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ next month. Watch it here.

The Miami Heat received buckets of attention in advance of the 2021-22 NBA season. Though the Heat lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in blowout fashion during the 2021 NBA Playoffs, the team is just 12 months removed from a run to the 2020 NBA Finals in the Orlando Bubble, and the Bucks team that defeated the Heat went on to win the 2021 title. On top of that, Miami made a big splash in fortifying the backcourt with a deal for Kyle Lowry, all while bringing back Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro.

Though any six-game sample should be met with some level of skepticism, the Heat have answered the bell at the outset of the season. Miami is 5-1 with the NBA’s best net rating (+16.5) and, even with the caveat of a 42-point win against a shorthanded opponent in the opener, the Heat are passing both the statistical and eye tests. The Heat are leading the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 95.1 points per 100 possessions, and that figure dips to 88.3 points per 100 possessions with Adebayo on the floor. Miami has allowed 103 points or fewer in every game, dominating the defensive glass and holding opponents to a 46.4 percent effective field goal shooting mark.

Miami’s defense was always supposed to be its calling card, but the offense is also showing early signs of encouragement. The Heat currently rank in the top five of the NBA in offensive efficiency, and Miami is scoring nearly 1.15 points per possession during an active, four-game winning winning streak. Miami has been relentless on the offensive glass, grabbing 32.2 percent of their own missed shots, and the Heat are getting enough from Herro (22 points per game, 39.5 percent from three) to feel more optimistic about a bench that doesn’t have overwhelming depth.

In an overarching sense, the Heat couldn’t answer every question in October, largely because this team was built with the playoffs in mind. However, Miami has performed at a higher regular season level than many projected at the outset, and Butler is playing at an All-NBA level in helping all of the pieces fit together. The Heat still have a lot to prove in this iteration, but Miami profiles as a team that could be trouble in the East, and it could be happening earlier than expected.

Where do the Heat land in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s dig in.

1. Miami Heat (5-1, Last week — 13th)

Miami gets a TNT showcase against Dallas on Tuesday and that will be a nice measuring stick. Objectively, though, the Heat have played the best basketball in the NBA this season.

2. Chicago Bulls (6-1, Last week — 4th)

The NBA’s only six-win team checks in at No. 2 and it’s been a wild start for Chicago. After four wins over shaky opponents and a close loss to the Knicks, the Bulls just beat the Jazz and Celtics in back-to-back games. Chicago totally embarrassed Boston in the fourth quarter and, even if there may be some smoke and mirrors here, it’s been fun.

3. Utah Jazz (5-1, Last week — 2nd)

Utah was the best team in the NBA during the 2020-21 regular season, and the Jazz may be on their way again. They have one loss, on the road to Chicago, and a statistical profile that isn’t exactly porous. The Jazz haven’t hit a meaty portion of their schedule yet, but they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt anyway.

4. Golden State Warriors (5-1, Last week — 3rd)

Golden State has only played one team with a winning record right now, but the results are strong. Golden State’s only loss came in overtime on the road, and the Warriors are also in the middle of an eight-game homestand that could allow them to rack up even more wins.

5. Philadelphia 76ers (5-2, Last week — 8th)

Ben Simmons is still out and now Tobias Harris may be sidelined for a bit. That will probably harm the Sixers’ ability to continue to win at a lofty clip, but Philly is on a three-game winning streak that includes wins over Atlanta and Portland. Philadelphia will face Chicago twice in the next few days, and that will help to reveal answers on both sides.

6. Milwaukee Bucks (3-4, Last week — 1st)

Milwaukee just lost three games in a row at home. Without context, that might set off alarm bells, but the Bucks continue to operate without Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday. In fact, roster absences have been the No. 1 theme of the season so far in Milwaukee, and there is no reason to worry about the champs just yet.

7. Brooklyn Nets (4-3, Last week — 5th)

James Harden seemed to find himself this week and, if that holds, the Nets are still terrifying on offense. Brooklyn has not been dominant in the way that was expected, but they have enough to get by… and more.

8. Toronto Raptors (5-3, Last week — 22nd)

Toronto has been a lot of fun. The Raptors have won four in a row, including a very nice road win at MSG on Monday. This is a top-eight defense and a team with a +4.3 net rating through eight games. Will that hold? We’ll see, but the run is impressive.

9. New York Knicks (5-3, Last week — 12th)

New York would’ve been even higher if not for the aforementioned loss to Toronto on Monday. The Knicks still have a top-three (!) offense, and the “Bing Bong” rallying cry is ongoing.

10. Los Angeles Lakers (4-3, Last week — 14th)

One would think the Lakers would be higher than this after winning four of the last five games. The loss, though, was brutal in that it came against the lowly Thunder in a game in which Los Angeles led by 26 points. The Lakers still have a lot to work out, but just staying afloat as they sort through details will be helpful.

11. Atlanta Hawks (4-3, Last week — 7th)

After a pair of disappointing road losses to Washington and Philadelphia, the Hawks got right in a breezy win over the Wizards on Monday. That game showcased Atlanta’s offensive ceiling and, even with a few early-season hiccups, the Hawks are 4-3 and in perfectly solid shape.

12. Denver Nuggets (4-3, Last week — 6th)

As expected, the Nuggets are being carried by a defense that is allowing fewer than a point per possession. Wait, what? There was an injury scare to Nikola Jokic last week but, since he returned, I can say that the Nuggets will be just fine as long as he is the centerpiece.

13. Phoenix Suns (2-3, Last week — 9th)

Phoenix is the only team in the league with only fives games on their ledger. The Suns also haven’t played since Saturday and, while the early results are not good at all, we just have to see more. It’s also possible that Phoenix found itself with a solid win against Cleveland over the weekend.

14. Washington Wizards (5-2, Last week — 20th)

Washington lost on Monday to Atlanta, but the Wizards beat the Hawks last week and the only other loss came on the road in Brooklyn. The Wizards haven’t had their full roster available, but they are playing slower and scoring enough to get by. This is one of those teams where a larger sample is truly needed to find out where the real level is.

15. Dallas Mavericks (4-2, Last week — 16th)

Given the large sample of effectiveness, it would be unwise to assume that Dallas is simply bad on offense. At the same time, they have fallen off a cliff in terms of efficiency, Luka Doncic is slumping early, and the Mavs can’t seem to make threes despite lofty volume from beyond the arc. Dallas has also managed to be 4-2 and they can break out against Miami in a national TV spot on Tuesday.

16. Memphis Grizzlies (4-3, Last week — 11th)

Memphis is really intriguing. The Grizzlies beat the Nuggets on Monday, and Ja Morant continues to put up gaudy numbers (28.3 points, 7.7 assists per game) in keying the offense. They’ve been outscored by 3.4 points per 100 possessions, though, so perhaps there is some unevenness under the surface.

17. LA Clippers (2-4, Last week — 15th)

Offense is down across the league, but it is jarring to see the Clippers scoring only a point per possession. In fact, L.A. would be lower than this if the rankings were based solely on this season, and the 2-4 mark is deserved with how the Clippers have played.

18. Charlotte Hornets (5-3, Last week — 10th)

As of Nov. 2, the Hornets have the No. 2 offense in the NBA. LaMelo Ball is shining, Miles Bridges is breaking out, and this is a fun group. In contrast, Charlotte ranks No. 28 in defense and the Hornets lost at home to the Cavs on Monday.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-4, Last week — 21st)

The Cavs have four solid wins and no bad losses. Cleveland beat Atlanta, Denver, Charlotte and the Clippers in the first two weeks, and they are flummoxing opponents with odd lineup combinations. Oh, and Evan Mobley is very, very exciting.

20. Portland Trail Blazers (3-4, Last week — 19th)

No one should worry about Damian Lillard, but his early struggles are one of the reasons why Portland is scuffling. Lillard is shooting 34.9 percent from the floor, headlined by 15-of-65 (23 percent) from three-point range. The Blazers would’ve been higher if not for a disappointing loss on Monday, falling by 10 points to a Sixers team that was missing its best pieces.

21. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-3, Last week — 17th)

The results are encouraging for Minnesota, but the profile is strange. For a team with offense-first personnel, the Wolves are floundering on that end, scoring only 1.01 points per possession. On the flip side, the defense has been quite a bit better than projected, but Minnesota’s home loss to Orlando on Monday forces a bit of a tumble in the rankings.

22. Sacramento Kings (3-3, Last week — 23rd)

Sacramento keeps playing close games and they are breaking even through six contests. That is far from disastrous and, when looking for optimism, the Kings have been leaps and bounds better defensively so far in 2021-22. Sacramento has still been a bottom-10 defense, but from where they came from, that feels acceptable.

23. Indiana Pacers (2-6, Last week — 24th)

Indiana stopped a four-game losing streak with a home win over San Antonio on Monday. That kept the Pacers from falling in this space, but the start hasn’t been encouraging for a team with reasonable expectations. The Pacers haven’t been full strength, but there also isn’t a lot to get excited about on paper right now.

24. San Antonio Spurs (2-5, Last week — 25th)

With early-season caveats attached, the Spurs have a net-neutral (0.0) point differential. That doesn’t override a 2-5 start, but San Antonio’s offense has been better than expected. Unfortunately, part of the hope with the Spurs is that the defense could be quite good, and that hasn’t manifested just yet.

25. Boston Celtics (2-5, Last week — 18th)

The danger zone is here in Boston. The Celtics are below-average statistically on both ends of the floor, including a surprising bottom-five figure in defensive rating. On top of those shaky peripherals and a 2-5 record, Marcus Smart made a few interesting comments after Monday’s loss, pouring gas on the fire. Boston is better than this on paper, but it could be teetering.

26. Orlando Magic (2-6, Last week — 28th)

Orlando jumped a couple of spots on the strength of a nice road win in Minnesota on Monday. The early start of Jalen Suggs has been concerning, but Franz Wagner is playing well and Cole Anthony is hot at the outset. Anthony is averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game with a 59.6 percent true shooting clip. That may not continue, but it’s been encouraging.

27. New Orleans Pelicans (1-6, Last week — 26th)

Zion is going to miss a few more weeks and that is disastrous news for the Pelicans. They are drowning without him and, for every game he misses, the buzz gets louder about the dysfunction in New Orleans. Other than that, it’s going great.

28. Houston Rockets (1-5, Last week — 27th)

Houston has a lot of talent, but the Rockets are a mess on offense. They are scoring 97.8 points per 100 possessions right now, with the worst assist-to-turnover ratio (1.09) in the NBA and a turnover rate (18.6 percent) that is all-time bad. The flashes are fun, and they did beat the Thunder, but woof.

29. Detroit Pistons (1-5, Last week — 29th)

Cade Cunningham is on the court now, which is almost all that matters for Detroit. The Pistons still have ghastly offensive numbers, but simply having the No. 1 pick available to play should do wonders in bringing optimism. Detroit is also totally fine on defense, and the offense is due for some level of positive regression.

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-6, Last week — 30th)

The Thunder won a game this week! That may not happen often, but it was a wild one in which OKC overcame a 26-point (!) deficit against the Lakers. That is worth celebrating, but the Thunder have the worst record and net rating (-12.8) in the league and it feels worse than that if you watch them for any length of time.

While we adults have (hopefully) learned how to mask our disappointment when things don’t quite turn out the way we planned, one of the wonderful things about kids is that they haven’t, and for the 11th year in a row Jimmy Kimmel (okay, and Jennifer Lawrence that one time) has proven few things are more amusing than their pure, unadulterated reactions to their parent’s shortcomings. On last night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the late night host held back a laugh as he shared the latest video in his annual Halloween candy prank series, in which parents prank their unsuspecting little ones by telling them they accidentally ate all of their Halloween candy while recording their reaction. Kimmel said that despite telling parents not to do the gag this year, over 200 videos were submitted to the show — and wasting the footage seemed senseless.

“It felt like kids have had it hard enough lately, so we decided to hold off this year. We did not ask parents to do this,” Kimmel said. “But a lot of the parents just went ahead and did it anyway. In fact, I think we got 200 videos. So, since the kids got pranked anyway, you know, why waste [the videos]?”

Kimmel then joked that the footage was, therefore, “unauthorized and unwanted” shortly before rolling the clip, revealing four different tiny tots reacting to their parents’ betrayal.

While the video was significantly more condensed than previous years, there was certainly no shortage of upset children. While one young boy reminded his mother she was on a diet when she broke the news, another — dressed as Captain America, no less — was quick to call his mom “a d**k” when she “admitted” to eating all his candy. If you’re looking for some giggles, or to be shocked by what some kids can get away with saying to their parents, you can watch the full segment in the video above.

If the only thing on your gift wish list this holiday season is a Cameo greeting from Marjorie Taylor Greene, stranger things have happened. While it’s no secret that the Georgia representative spends a lot of her time harassing her colleagues and waxing philosophical about Jewish space lasers, it turns out she has another quirk: racking up some pretty hefty bills with seemingly no plan to pay them.

Taking a page from her hero Donald Trump’s playbook, Greene has accrued a pretty hefty invoice with attorney, fellow MAGA, and friend to QAnon followers Lin Wood, but has yet to pay him one penny. As Roger Sollenberger writes for Daily Beast:

“Wood, the Georgia defamation lawyer who has floated some of the fringiest of fringe theories about ex-President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, posted a note on the Telegram messaging app over the weekend blasting Greene and claiming she still owed him for previous legal work.

But it turns out that Wood was not representing his former ally in her personal capacity. Instead, his services went to Greene’s campaign committee as it fought two defamation disputes. Worse still for Greene is Wood’s claim that the Greene campaign has never paid him, raising a number of questions about the legality of their arrangement.”

Being a deadbeat is one thing, but the fact that Wood’s work was for Greene’s campaign could spell bad news for the Rep. Crazy Eyes from a legal perspective. Daily Beast spoke with four experts on campaign finance laws who confirmed that Greene’s failure to pay this bill is actually a violation of federal financial reporting laws. “They also raised concerns about illegal corporate and in-kind contributions, with some experts pointing to two possibilities in other legal realms: breach of contract, and, in a word, ‘theft,’ if Wood were to take an austere line in state court,” Sollenberger writes.

The funniest part of the story? (And by “funniest,” we mean “most pathetic.) The total sum owed to Wood is… $5,000.

While federal election law allows attorneys to volunteer their services in certain instances, defamation cases are not covered, explained Brett Kappel, campaign finance specialist at Harmon Curran.

“If [Wood] sent an invoice for legal services, this wouldn’t fit under the category of legal services lawyers can provide for free,” Brett Kappel, a campaign finance specialist at Harmon Curran, explained to Daily Beast. “So the Federal Election Commission would say that these costs must be reflected on her reports. It could be what’s called a ‘disputed debt,’ but you still have to report that, along with who did the work and what it was for.”

“A worse interpretation for Greene,” Kappel added, “would be that the campaign accepted an illegal corporate contribution But at the end of the day, a campaign can’t have someone do this kind of legal work without it being disclosed.”

Greene’s team had no comment for the story. But her action (or inaction) in the face of a $5,000 bill for legal services certainly doesn’t bode well for her ever paying the $48,000 The Hill reports she owes in fines for defying the House mask mandate.

(Via Daily Beast)

Christopher Nolan‘s next film continues to add to its all-star cast. Starring Cillian Murphy in the title role, Oppenheimer will center on the inventor of the atom bomb, and there will be some A-list stars long for the ride. According to Deadline, Robert Downey Jr. and Matt Damon are in talks to join the production, and Emily Blunt is reportedly circling a role as well.

Damon has previously worked with Nolan in 2014’s Interstellar, but this will be Downey’s first time with the famed director. It’s an interesting choice given some choice comments Downey made about The Dark Knight back in 2008. The highly celebrated sequel to Batman Begins arrived just a few months after Downey kicked off his unparalleled Hollywood comeback by wowing audiences as Tony Stark in the first Iron Man film. Granted, Downey’s new superstar status was nowhere near cemented at the time, but that didn’t stop him from taking a pot shot at the competition by voicing his thoughts on the Nolan sequel.

Here’s what Downey told the now-defunct Moviehole via /Film:

“My whole thing is that that I saw The Dark Knight. I feel like I’m dumb because I feel like I don’t get how many things that are so smart. It’s like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I’m like, ‘That’s not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.’ I loved The Prestige but didn’t understand The Dark Knight. Didn’t get it, still can’t tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I’m like, ‘I get it. This is so high brow and so f***ing smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.’ You know what? F*** DC comics. That’s all I have to say and that’s where I’m really coming from.”

Obviously, there were no hard feelings on Nolan’s end, but Downey’s box office clout probably helped smooth things over real quick. That’s one way to get butts in seats, which is something Nolan is very concerned with after notably parting ways with Warner Bros. over its controversial decision to stream its entire 2021 film slate on HBO Max.

(Via Deadline)

Back in 2019, Pavement fans were in for a treat when the veteran indie rockers announced they would be hitting the road in 2020 for the first time in nearly a decade. Those two shows ended up being shelved for obvious reasons and instead, the band now plan on staging a proper reunion tour in 2022. Pavement has officially unveiled the dates to their Reunion Tour, showing tour stops in major cities across the US and Europe.

The official tour kicks off next June at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound festival, which they were scheduled to perform at in 2020, before arriving in the US in August and coming to a close back in Europe in November.

Check out Pavement’s Reunion Tour dates below.

06/02/22 — Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
06/10/22 — Porto, Portugal @ NOS Primavera Sound
09/07/22 — San Diego, CA @ Balboa Theatre
09/09/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre
09/10/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre
09/12/22 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
09/13/22 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
09/14/22 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
09/16/22 — Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield Amphitheatre
09/17/22 — Seattle, WA @ The Paramount Theatre
09/19/22 — Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
09/20/22 — Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
09/21/22 — St. Paul, MN @ The Palace Theatre
09/22/22 — Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
09/24/22 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral Theatre
09/26/22 — Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
09/28/22 — Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
09/30/22 — Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
10/01/22 — Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
10/02/22 — Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
10/05/22 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met
10/06/22 — Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
10/08/22 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
10/09/22 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
10/11/22 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater
10/17/22 — Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds
10/18/22 — Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom
10/19/22 — Edinburgh, UK @ Usher Hall
10/20/22 — Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
10/22/22 — London, UK @ Roundhouse
10/23/22 — London, UK @ Roundhouse
10/24/22 — London, UK @ Roundhouse
10/25/22 — London, UK @ Roundhouse
10/27/22 — Paris, FR @ Le Grand Rex
10/29/22 — Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
10/30/22 — Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene
10/31/22 — Stockholm, SE @ Cirkus
11/02/22 — Aarhus, DK @ VoxHall
11/04/22 — Bremen, DE @ Pier 2
11/05/22 — Berlin, DE @ Tempodrom
11/07/22 — Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
11/08/22 — Amsterdam, NL @ Royal Carré Theater
11/10/22 — Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
11/11/22 — Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street

Tickets for Pavement’s Reunion Tour go live November 5. Get them here.