Month: March 2022

The Houston Rockets entered Wednesday night with the NBA’s second-worst record, having won just one of their last 14 games, but with the scuffling Lakers coming to town, the young Rockets saw an opportunity to make a bit of a name for themselves and pounced, beating L.A. 139-130 in overtime — causing James Worthy to call it “a new low” for the Lakers, which is quite the bar to clear this season.

That overtime period featured a 10-0 run to open things up by the Rockets, led by Jalen Green who finished with 32 points in one of his best games as a rookie.

After the game, Green was interviewed on the Rockets broadcast and asked about how the Rockets approached that overtime that allowed them to jump on the Lakers and take control, to which he divulged their fairly simple game plan: “Attack Melo. Put him in isolation.”

As you can see in the highlight cutup the Rockets posted above, the Rockets certainly followed that game plan for much of the period, trying to put the veteran forward in as many actions as possible. Carmelo was far from the only Laker to have a rough defensive game, as evidenced by allowing 139 points to the Rockets, but it’s part of the conundrum for the Lakers coaching staff as to how they put together lineups when so many of their best offensive players are defensive liabilities, while their best defenders collapse the spacing for LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.

On this night, they rolled with an offensive lineup in overtime and the Rockets simply out-gunned them, with Green giving us a rare, somewhat painfully honest quote about Houston’s target when the Lakers were on defense.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost again on Wednesday night, falling to 28-37 on the season, failing to pickup any cushion on a Pelicans team that lost to the lowly Orlando Magic earlier in the evening.

The Lakers likewise faced off against one of the league’s worst teams as they paid the Rockets a visit in Houston, and while their stars performed much better on the offensive end — LeBron James had 23 points, 12 assists, and 14 rebounds and Russell Westbrook had 30 points, six assists, and eight rebounds — they were conscientious objectors to the concept of defense, allowing the Rockets to pour on 139 points in what became an overtime win.

Jalen Green had one of his best games as a pro, scoring 32 points in the win, as the second overall pick from last June embraced the stage of playing the Lakers and took over to start the overtime period. In overtime, Houston opened things up with a 10-0 run, which included a three-pointer from Kevin Porter Jr. that was waved off after review because the shot clock had expired, to bury the Lakers almost immediately after the extra period started.

It was a disastrous performance from a team that has had a number of those this season, and after the game James Worthy summed it up best on the Lakers postgame show stating matter of factly that “I didn’t think we could hit a new low, but we hit a new low tonight.”

I think my favorite part of Worthy’s remarks are him closing simply with “they don’t seem to believe in anything [they’re doing],” because if you were to ask someone to describe the ethos of this Lakers team, nihilism certainly would have to be up there. Worthy on the postgame show has often been a more entertaining watch this season than the Lakers themselves, and tonight even he seemed more defeated than usual by what transpired in Houston.

There has been quite a divide on the internet since Tiger King premiered. Some people (like Cardi B) became invested in the story, which followed Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin’s well-known feud in the exotic animal community, while others didn’t really care about the story at all. No matter what side you are on, it’s clear that the Tiger King saga made enough of an impact to spark several lively internet debates and multiple shows on the matter. One show is Joe vs. Carole, which just premiered on Peacock.

Starring John Cameron Mitchell and SNL star Kate McKinnon as Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin respectively, the series explores the complex history between the two rivals, which ultimately leads to Joe Exotic plotting to have Baskin murdered (Exotic is currently serving jail time, though he has been trying to get out for some time). But, as with all dramatizations of true crime, the show begs the question: is the show actually good?

The eight-episode series has a pretty talented cast, with Kyle MacLachlan as Howard Baskin, Dean Winters as Jeff Lowe, Nat Wolff as Travis Maldonado, and William Fichtner as Rick Kirkham. Many fans flocked to Twitter to share their reactions and they seemingly came to two conclusions: one is that Kate McKinnon is actually a great actress and the second is that the CGI tigers are NOT very convincing. Also, Kyle MacLachlan is a treasure. Here’s what the people are saying:

On Tuesday, the Parental Rights in Education bill — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its many critics — passed in Florida’s Senate and House. The bill, which prohibits discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, has been denounced for potentially harming queer youth, who already face discrimination and lack of representation. The bill is expected to be signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, a grown man caught on video bullying students.

In the days before the bill was passed, employees at Disney, which effectively has its own fiefdom in the Sunshine State, pushed for CEO Bob Chapek to do something, anything. He did very little. Now, before the law is signed, some Disney staffers have taken an extra step. As per Variety, a statement attributed to “the LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies” was made public, which reveals some troubling practices at the House of Mouse.

Among the claims is that Disney execs have demanded cuts of “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection … regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.” The letter goes on:

“We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were … Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it.”

To date, there has been only a small smattering of LGBTQIA+ characters or even moments in Disney-owned movies and shows. The 2020 Pixar film Onward featured a character, voiced by Lena Waithe, alluding to a girlfriend, but that was it. (The moment got the movie banned in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while the version in Russia changed “girlfriend” to “partner.”) The most explicit film on the subject is Pixar’s short Out, which concerns a man struggling to come out to his parents.

After Disney’s staffers began demanding Chapek do his best to stop the “Don’t Say Gall” bill — including no longer donating to lawmakers who voted for it — the CEO issued an internal memo that refused to take a political side. What he did suggest was that the “biggest impact” the company can make was in “creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce.”

Alas, and with scant exceptions, historically the company has not exactly done that. And now the employees are revolting.

On top of the group’s damning statement, the Human Rights Campaign, which was one of the group’s Chapek revealed would receive money in support of LGBTQIA+ causes, has said they will deny Disney’s donation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the group said that will change if Disney works with activists to “ensure that dangerous proposals, like Florida’s Don’t Say Gay or Trans bill, don’t become dangerous laws, and if they do, to work to get them off the books.”

(Via Variety and THR)

At the end of this week, Lil Durk will release his first solo project in a little over a year. The Chicago rapper’s seventh album, 7220, is set to arrive this Friday, and it serves as his follow-up to 2020’s The Voice. In the almost 15 months between these works, Durk has remained fairly active, working with artists like Drake, DJ Khaled, Nardo Wick, Meek Mill, and more. He even teamed up with Lil Baby for their joint album Voice Of The Heroes. But now time for Durk to shine on his own.

With just a few days left until 7220 arrives, Durk took a moment to unveil its tracklist. Listeners will be able to enjoy 17 tracks, including the previously released singles “AHHH HA,” “Pissed Me Off,” and “Broadway Girls.” The album will also feature guest appearances from Future, Gunna, Summer Walker, and Morgan Wallen.

Durk recently joined Lucky Daye for “NWA,” which will appear on Daye’s sophomore album, Candy Drip, which also drops on Friday.

You can view the cover art for 7220 above and its tracklist below.

1. “Started From”
2. “Headtaps”
3. “AHHH HA”
4. “Shootout” @ My Crib
5. “Golden Child”
6. “No Interviews”
7. “Petty Too” Feat. Future
8. “Barbarian”
9. “What Happened To Virgil” Feat. Gunna
10. “Grow Up / Keep It On Speaker”
11. “Smoking & Thinking”
12. “Blocklist”
13. “Difference Is” Feat. Summer Walker
14. “Federal Nightmares”
15. “Love Dior Banks”
16. “Pissed Me Off”
17. “Broadway Girls” Feat. Morgan Wallen

7220 is out 3/11 via Alamo Records/Sony Music Entertainment. You can pre-save it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Weeknd kicked off 2022 by releasing his sixth album, Dawn FM. While it didn’t debut at No. 1 on the album charts, The Weeknd’s latest is still one of the strongest releases of the year, with 16 tracks and contributions from Jim Carrey, Tyler The Creator, Lil Wayne, Quincy Jones, and more. However, just two months after the album arrived, an “original” tracklist for Dawn FM surfaced and earned enough attention to warrant a response from The Weeknd himself.

The tracklist, which was said to be the “original” list of songs for Dawn FM, includes all of the tracks from the official album — with the exception of the song “How Do I Make You Love Me?” Additionally, it features four unheard songs: “Lost City,” “Euphoria” with Ariana Grande and Ty Dolla Sign, “Eat My Heart” with Kali Uchis, and “Heaven’s Gates.” This tracklist left many disappointed, as they would’ve loved to hear the collaborations with Ariana, Ty, and Kali. However, The Weeknd soon arrived to clear the air. “I love every single one of these artists but this is beyond fake. XO,” he wrote in response to a tweet about the tracklist.

The Weeknd’s clarification comes days after he unveiled the full dates for his After Hours Til Dawn tour with Doja Cat.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Conference tournament week has more than delivered already, with a number of close games, big comebacks, and buzzer-beaters with everything on the line. With major conference tournaments beginning, the drama was only just getting started and the ACC Tournament delivered in its second round action on Wednesday.

After Boston College stunned Wake Forest to possibly knock the Demon Deacons out of the NCAA Tournament (Wake entered the day as part of Joe Lunardi’s Last Four In), Clemson nearly produced another upset in Brooklyn against Virginia Tech. The Hokies held an 11-point lead with seven minutes to play, but scored just seven points from that point on, allowing the Tigers to steadily reel them in and force overtime at 66-66.

Once again, Virginia Tech took an early lead in overtime, but saw Clemson claw their way back into the lead with 30 seconds to play. Some free throw woes on both sides kept things to a two-point game with seven seconds on the clock as the Hokies brought the ball up the floor and Darius Maddox made a nylon delivery at the buzzer to keep Virginia Tech’s ACC Tournament dreams alive.

The Hokies needed a lot of help and a deep ACC Tournament run to have any semblance of a shot at the NCAA Tournament, and while it’s still a long shot that they make it to the Big Dance, they still have a pulse thanks to Maddox’s heroics at the buzzer.

Jim Jordan is an elected lawmaker, but he doesn’t appear to do much lawmaking. Instead he appears to spend most of his time spouting pro-Trump talking points on TV, being a nuisance during congressional hearings, and making dunkable tweets. His viral tweets follow a similar pattern: He writes something short yet combative, all but begging for derision. And derided they are, with everyone hopping on such classics as him claiming that Dr. Fauci will “ban” people saying “Merry Christmas,” that the GOP had become more blue collar, and his state of Ohio should “ban all vaccines mandates,” including the many ones that aren’t controversial with anyone.

On Wednesday, he outdid himself, by doing next to nothing. His tweet had but one word: “Trump.”

What was the occasion? Was it the former president “joking” about a plan to turn Russia and China on each other that was so moronic not even a child would say it in public? Was it because he was begging his supporters for money again, this time because his private plane went kaput? Was it his effusive praise for a wildly unpopular world leader who launched a baseless invasion on a neighboring country? Who knows how the mind of Matt Gaetz’s bestie works?

Whatever the intention, it worked. Like clockwork, everyone made fun of Jim Jordan. Some responded with their own one-word tweets.

Others inferred meaning he may not have intended.

There were other jokes.

In any case, Jordan is busy trying to dodge the House Select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, probably because he’s done such a poor job pretending he wasn’t involved in it.

(Via Raw Story)

Major League Baseball isn’t coming back anytime soon, as the owners continue to refuse to budge in labor negotiations with the players association, with commissioner Rob Manfred announcing on Wednesday they were canceling two more series, meaning no games will be played through April 14.

As such, anyone seeking a baseball fix has to turn elsewhere, and luckily the college baseball season is underway to scratch that itch. Down in Oxford, Mississippi, Ole Miss is one of the nation’s top teams, boasting a No. 2 ranking in the country after a 10-1 start to the season, and the Rebels entered Wednesday night expected to cruise to a win over a winless Alcorn State team. The Braves trailed 3-1 in the bottom of the second when they allowed Peyton Chatangier to reach first base, who proceeded to go first move to second and seemingly get picked off for it.

However, he got under the tag at second base and, from there, was gifted two more bases and a run by an asleep at the wheel Braves defense.

It is one of the weirdest sequences you’ll ever see on the diamond, as Chatangier recognizes that, for whatever reason, the third baseman for Alcorn State has strolled out to near second base, allowing Chatangier to outrun both he and the catcher to third. With the catcher straying up to third in an effort to cut off the runner, he then has a wide open path to home plate for an early insurance run that Ole Miss probably wasn’t going to need but helps the cause all the same.

Last month, Kendrick Lamar, along with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J Blige, and Anderson .Paak, performed at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. Lamar’s portion of the show was rather short, as he only played “M.A.A.D. City,” “Alright,” and a cover of “Forgot About Dre” with Eminem. One of those songs, “Alright,” has become one of Kendrick’s most impactful songs, often used during social justice protests. However, according to a recent episode of Alex Pappademas’ Spotify podcast The Big Hit Show, the song almost didn’t appear on his landmark 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly.

Sounwave, who co-produced “Alright” and other songs on the album, joined The Big Hit Show podcast to share the story behind the song. Sounwave was approached by Sam Taylor, a Sony Music executive, as he sat in a meeting that featured Pharrell playing beats for Kendrick and others. “I just remember my guy, Sam Taylor said, ‘Hey come check this one out,’” Sounwave recalled. “He takes me to another room and he plays me the skeleton of ‘Alright.’”

“And I just remember my jaw drop,” Sounwave continued. “It was just like literally just the 808s and the keys, and Pharrell had the melody of ‘We going be alright.’ And I was like, ‘Bro what is this?’ Oh my goodness, I’m freaking out. And I immediately run, I was like, ‘Dot, you have to come hear this.’”

Kendrick himself loved what he heard, but the next task was finishing the song and making sure it was a cohesive fit with the album. While completing the song was a breeze, making it fit on was difficult at first.

“It was super amazing, super fitting, sonically it was not, like no matter what we did, it just could not fit with the rest of the album,” Sounwave explained. “But we loved that record so much that I said, ‘Okay, I’m not letting this record die.’”

Thankfully, after some minor changes and some additional contributions from famed producer Terrace Martin, “Alright” found its place on To Pimp A Butterfly, and the rest is history.

You can listen to the full episode of The Big Hit Show here.