ESPN’s Mike Schmitz has steadily become one of the most well-respected draft analysts in the NBA media, and it appears that respect goes beyond fans and colleagues, as the Portland Trail Blazers want him to help run their scouting department.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Schmitz is finalizing a deal to become the Blazers new assistant general manager to Joe Cronin, overseeing their scouting operation domestically and overseas.
ESPN’s NBA Draft Analyst Mike Schmitz is finalizing a deal to become an assistant GM with the Portland Trail Blazers, sources tell ESPN. Schmitz will play a significant role with new GM Joe Cronin in leading the Blazers’ domestic and international scouting departments.
Schmitz had become the lead draft analyst at ESPN, popping up on everything from SportsCenter to college basketball game coverage, and of course the draft night show itself. Some of his best work came in the video breakdowns he would do with the prospects themselves, sitting down and going over film with prospective draftees, allowing them to break down their game — strengths and weaknesses — and talk about what they were working on.
The Blazers currently hold the No. 7 pick, but are expected to trade that for a veteran, meaning its unclear exactly what the immediate impact of Schmitz will be for this draft cycle. Still, it’s a major move for Schmitz to step into a front office and a big loss for NBA fans who had grown to appreciate his perspective and insight on the draft throughout the year.
Jon Watts made a name for himself with 2015’s Cop Car, a delightful coming-of-age story in the vein of A Perfect World where two bored boys steal a police car for a joyride. Watts continued playing in the sandbox of adolescent troubles and lost innocence with the modern Spider-Man Home trilogy, and he’s set to bring that same energy to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. The Disney+ series will evoke 1980s Amblin as it sees a motley crew of youngsters who get lost in space during the New Republic era and have to find their way home.
At the Star Wars Celebration this week, Watts announced that Jude Law had joined the cast in a starring role (presumably not as one of the kids). Also presumably not as a talented young wizard who will grow up to teach a human Horcrux, even though he’s already proven an aptitude for it. No other details about the character, including a name, were revealed. In Cop Car, Kevin Bacon pursued the young thieves, so it would be cool if Law were playing a similar, villainous role.
This marks the 8th Star Wars series either currently available or in development. Beyond Obi-Wan Kenobi launching May 27th, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett, we’re also getting the character-focused Andor in August this year, with Ahsoka sometime in 2023, The Acolyte, Lando, and now The Skeleton Crew to come. That means you can watch a Star Wars show every night of the week and twice on Sunday.
True Detective is heading in a very different direction. After exploring failing memory and destructive regret with Mahershala Ali in season 3, the production parted ways with its heavily-involved creator Nic Pizzolatto, bringing on Barry Jenkins to produce and Issa Lopez (Tigers Are Not Afraid) to write and direct. That’s noteworthy in itself because Pizzolatto was instrumental in crafting the show’s style, and because Tigers Are Not Afraid leans further into dark fantasy territory even if crime and horror are its focuses. Bringing on a filmmaker who’s also currently collaborating with Guillermo del Toro is the epitome of creepy, and it’s the kind of jolt the show needs to create new relevancy.
Now they’re doubling down because Jodie Foster will be playing one of the lead roles. You had our curiosity, True Detective, but now you have our attention. It’s a stellar choice, not just because Foster is a legend with every possible award under her belt, but because she immediately brings a thriller legacy to the screen.
HBO breaks down the series thusly: “When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the six men that operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.”
Nice Insomnia vibes.
Foster plays Danvers, with Navarro’s casting to come. There are no other details on her character right now (beyond apparently carrying darkness inside her), but there doesn’t have to be. Because it’s Jodie Foster. This project just got even better. Also, every True Detective character has carried darkness inside them, so we could have guessed that. Now let’s see what the show does to keep us guessing.
Rapper Yella Beezy has been arrested — again. This time, for not paying his bail in full following his arrest in November 2021, according to The Shade Room (via HipHopDX).
Beezy was arrested late last year following charges of an alleged sexual assault, felony sexual assault, felony abandoned endangered child, and misdemeanor unlawful carrying a weapon. He was held in Collin County jail, but later released on a $50,000 bond. He was arrested Wednesday night in relation to the sexual assault charge and is currently being held on a $1 million bond. According to records, police had a warrant out for Beezy for “bond held insufficient.” Since his November 2021 arrest, Beezy has insisted that he is innocent.
“I was arrested on false allegations,” said Beezy in a video. “I was arrested before I was even questioned and I knew about anything going on, but it’s false allegations. Anybody that know me know I’m not pressed over sex or anything of that nature. I’m not an aggressive person like, that don’t even fit me, like at all. My character, me and that same thang don’t even belong in the same sentence. It don’t even sound right coming out my mouth.”
Yella Beezy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When you start dating the love of your life, you want to share it with the people closest to you. Sadly, 18-year-old Leah Menzies couldn’t do that. Her mother died when she was 7, so she would never have the chance to meet the young woman’s boyfriend, Thomas McLeodd. But by a twist of fate, it turns out Thomas had already met Leah’s mom when he was just 3 years old. Leah’s mom was Thomas’ kindergarten teacher.
The couple, who have been dating for seven months, made this realization during a visit to McCleodd’s house. When Menzies went to meet his family for the first time, his mom (in true mom fashion) insisted on showing her a picture of him making a goofy face. When they brought out the picture, McLeodd recognized the face of his teacher as that of his girlfriend’s mother.
Menzies posted about the realization moment on TikTok. “Me thinking my mum (who died when I was 7) will never meet my future boyfriend,” she wrote on the video. The video shows her and McLeodd together, then flashes to the kindergarten class picture.
“He opens this album and then suddenly, he’s like, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God — over and over again,” Menzies told TODAY. “I couldn’t figure out why he was being so dramatic.”
Obviously, Menzies is taking great comfort in knowing that even though her mother is no longer here, they can still maintain a connection. I know how important it was for me to have my mom accept my partner, and there would definitely be something missing if she wasn’t here to share in my joy. It’s also really incredible to know that Menzies’ mother had a hand in making McLeodd the person he is today, even if it was only a small part.
“It’s incredible that that she knew him,” Menzies said. “What gets me is that she was standing with my future boyfriend and she had no idea.”
Since he was only 3, McLeodd has no actual memory of Menzies’ mother. But his own mother remembers her as “kind and really gentle.”
The TikTok has understandably gone viral and the comments are so sweet and positive.
“No the chills I got omggg.”
“This is the cutest thing I have watched.”
“It’s as if she remembered some significance about him and sent him to you. Love fate 😍✨”
In the caption of the video, she said that discovering the connection between her boyfriend and her mom was “straight out of a movie.” And if you’re into romantic comedies, you’re definitely nodding along right now.
Menzies and McLeodd made a follow-up TikTok to address everyone’s positive response to their initial video and it’s just as sweet. The young couple sits together and addresses some of the questions they noticed pop up. People were confused that they kept saying McLeodd was in kindergarten but only 3 years old when he was in Menzies’ mother’s class. The couple is Australian and Menzies explained that it’s the equivalent of American preschool.
They also clarified that although they went to high school together and kind of knew of the other’s existence, they didn’t really get to know each other until they started dating seven months ago. So no, they truly had no idea that her mother was his teacher. Menzies revealed that she “didn’t actually know that my mum taught at kindergarten.”
“I just knew she was a teacher,” she explained.
She made him act out his reaction to seeing the photo, saying he was “speechless,” and when she looked at the photo she started crying. McLeodd recognized her mother because of the pictures Menzies keeps in her room. Cue the “awws,” because this is so cute, I’m kvelling.
Many of us (especially those interested in backyard grilling) don’t want to wait until the end of June for summer to begin. They use Memorial Day as the unofficial start of summer and the kick-off grilling season strong. If you live in the northern hemisphere, the days are growing longer, the sun is shining more often, and the weather is fairly warm (if not downright hot and humid). Perfect weather for a backyard barbecue. And we know that no barbecue is complete without beer.
Crispy, refreshing, easy to drink beer. The kind of beer that pairs just as well with grilled meats and veggies as it does with backyard games and standing around talking about your local sports team and their faults or triumphs.
While countless beers fit that bill, we selected eight crushable craft beers that are fairly widely available at your local grocery or beer store. These pilsners, lagers, and Kolsch-style beers are all solid picks for venturing to a neighbor’s backyard barbecue. If you’re hosting, fill your cooler with any of these and you’ll be sure to be the most popular griller in the neighborhood.
Since we don’t want you to go out and have to buy eight different beers, we decided to blindly taste each one and rank them in terms of refreshment, crisp flavor, and how they complement grilled/ summery foods. Keep reading to see how they all stacked up.
Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower
Victory Prima Pils
Jack’s Abby Post Shift Pilsner
pFriem Pilsner
Ballast Point Longfin Lager
Ommegang Idyll Days Pilsner
Bell’s Lager of The Lakes
Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
Part 1: The Tasting
Taste 1
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Lemon, wet grass, yeast, and an indistinguishable herbal smell greeted my nostrils upon nosing. But the citrus aroma was by far the strongest. The palate continues the surprising citrus trend along with cracker-like malts, and some grains as well. The finish is pleasantly bitter without much hop presence.
Taste 2
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Freshly baked bread, lemon curd, wet grass, fresh hay, and light, floral hops are prevalent on the nose. There’s more of the same on the palate with more bready hops that move along to slight wintry spices, sweet yeast, pepper, dry hay, and floral hops. The finish is crisp, dry, and memorable.
Taste 3
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is highlighted by aromas of citrus zest, herbal, grass, hay, and light floral hops. The palate continues this with citrus peel, caramel malts, fresh bread, Noble hops, and a finish of sweet honey and spicy, slightly resinous, herbal, floral hops. A sublimely complex yet refreshing beer.
Taste 4
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, I found notes of pepper, fresh-baked bread, sweet malts, and floral, slightly piney hops. Sipping it brought forth notes of honey, Noble hops, bready malts, and slight citrus zest. The finish is dry, subtly bitter, and refreshing.
Taste 5
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is malty with some freshly cut grass and lightly floral hops. All-around a fairly muted nose to say the least. The palate continues this trend with an almost adjunct-like sweetness that moves along to more malt presence and some herbal, floral hops.
Not a bad beer, just a bit watery and boring for me.
Taste 6
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
While fairly light, the nose is loaded with flavors like cracker-like malts, lemon zest, and herbal, slightly floral hops. Drinking it revealed bready malts, slight wheat flavor, honey, more citrus zest, and finished with a sweet, malty ending with very little bitterness.
Overall, a well-rounded albeit light beer.
Taste 7
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, I found sweet grains, citrus zest, herbal hops, and wet grass. The palate was similar to the nose with a grainy sweetness followed by freshly cut grass, some floral hops, and a slight fruity backbone that didn’t emerge long enough to make much of an impact. It felt like this beer was just lacking a little bit in the overall flavor department.
Taste 8
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all wet grass, light malts, and very floral hops, but not much else. As lighter beers go, this one is really surprisingly hoppy. The palate consists of more freshly cut grass, and floral piney hops with a dry, bitter finish. All in all, not a bad beer. It just leans a little too heavily into the grassy, floral hops for my liking.
With a name like Lager of the Lakes, you can bet this is an easy-drinking beer, perfect for the outdoors. While this 5 % Czech-style pilsner with a nice mix of caramel malts and floral hops is supposed to be enjoyed next to a body of water (or while you swim in it), it’s great in a backyard as well.
Bottom Line:
Bell’s Lager of the Lakes does the trick if you simply want a crushable beer without much substance. Otherwise, swim to more flavorful waters.
This 5.3% pilsner is brewed with Pilsner malt, Tettnang, Hallertau, Spalt, and Saaz hops. This crisp, slightly floral, highly refreshing beer is a tribute to the German pilsners that came before it.
Bottom Line:
Victory Prima Pils is a popular beer for drinkers who want an American beer that plays off of European flavors. For an easy drinker, it’s a little one-dimensional for my palate.
Like a handful of the beers in our ranking, the name suggests what the beer is for. This Kolsch-style beer is perfect for a mid-afternoon break from mowing or as a backyard sipper. Brewed with Hallertauer hops from Germany and special Kolsch yeast, this beer is known for its crushable, slightly fruity, floral flavor.
Bottom Line:
All the hallmarks of great summery beer are there. It’s just that the flavors in Fancy Lawnmower are a little watery and muted for what appeals to me.
San Diego’s Ballast Point is well-known for its iconic Sculpin IPA. That’s all well and good, but it means that some of its other beers don’t get the recognition they deserve. One of those beers is Longfin Lager. This German-style helles lager is simple, clean, and highly drinkable on a hot day.
Bottom Line:
Ballast Point Longfin Lager is the kind of beer that tastes exactly like you hope it would. There’s a nice mix of malts and hops, but it could use a little more flavor overall.
It’s right there in the name: Post Shift Pilsner. You don’t want to drink something heavy and dark after a long day of work. You want to stand out (or more likely sit in a gravity chair) in someone’s backyard and throw down a few of these crisp, easy-to-drink 4.7% sessionable pilsners.
Bottom Line:
It’s clear Jack’s Abby Post Shift Pilsner was crafted to be crushed. This is a flavorful, well-balanced beer that I’ll drink any time after a long day of work (or at a backyard barbecue while I toss horseshoes).
This 5% unfiltered Belgian-style lager is brewed with Saaz hops from the Czech Republic, floor-malted barley, flaked corn, and Belgian pilsner yeast. This year-round beer is rustic, crisp, and well suited for drinking while you stand in a circle in a backyard talking about how powerful your grill is.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to unfiltered lagers, it’s difficult to beat the flavor profile of Ommegang Idyll Days. It had everything drinkers would want in a summery beer.
This beer’s name might be a mouthful, but it’s also one of the most beloved pilsners on the market. This 4.7% sessionable pilsner has been available since 2009. It’s brewed to pay tribute to the German and Czech pilsners that came before it with pilsner and honey malt and Saaz and Aramis hops.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to a classic European-style pilsner it’s hard to beat Mama’s Little Yella Pilsner. It’s a crisp, refreshing, and one of the most well-balanced pilsners available everywhere.
pFriem is one of those breweries that seems to produce nothing but bangers. Its classic, crisp pilsner is no different. Brewed with Gambrinus & Weyermann German Pilsner, Cara Foam, and Acidulated malts as well as lager yeast and Perle, Saphir, Tettnang, and Spalt Select hops, it’s known for its crisp, refreshing, multi-dimensional flavor.
Bottom Line:
I’m not surprised that pFriem’s Pilsner took the top spot. It’s one of the most complex pilsners I’ve ever had. It’s sweet, spicy, floral, and multidimensional yet still crushable and thirst-quenching. A perfect pilsner.
Final Thoughts:
There are no bad beers on this list. There are, however, some I like much better than others. Still, each and every one is crushable, thirst-quenching, refreshing, and perfectly suited to be paired with grilled meats and veggies, yard games, and good times with friends and family.
Pat McAfee has become a ubiquitous presence in the world of sports media in recent years, parlaying his weekly radio show into a massive deal with FanDuel, a full-time gig wrestling and commentating for WWE, and also popping up on various ESPN properties like College Gameday, XFL broadcasts, and, most recently, the Monday Night Football Manningcast.
The popularity of Peyton and Eli’s alternate broadcast has led ESPN and other networks to seek out opportunities to replicate that success, and it appears Amazon wants to bring McAfee in to run an alt broadcast for Thursday Night Football this year. After inking Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit to deals to call the games on a traditional feed, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reports McAfee is in talks with Amazon for an alternate broadcast, as it would allow him to stay home in Indianapolis and continue doing his highly lucrative radio show.
McAfee has said in the past he’s discussed a deal with Amazon but couldn’t commit to traveling to games, but this would offer him the chance to squeeze an NFL broadcast into his schedule by not having to go on the road. While McAfee isn’t the household name that Peyton and Eli are, he does have a massive presence and a built in audience that would follow him to an Amazon broadcast, which might be more important for the streaming giant given you’ll have to be seeking this broadcast out to find it, rather than possibly stumbling across it as you scroll through your channel guide.
His appearance on the Manningcast showed what might be his biggest strength in that role, which was recognizing that people want to hear from Peyton and Eli so he often deflected questions in order to ask something in return and get a story out of the Mannings. That bodes well for his own version as he brings guests on and because of his polish with holding so many roles on various shows, his version for Amazon probably wouldn’t have quite as much awkwardness and people stepping on each other as Year 1 of the Manningcast.
We’ll have to wait and see if this gets done, but there’s plenty of reason both sides would see benefit to doing this.
Harrison Ford surprised a crowd of scruffy nerf-herding fans at the Star Wars Celebration Thursday to congratulate John Williams on the feat of living 90 years and to share a teaser image from Indiana Jones 5. The picture shows Indy in silhouette at the edge of a subterranean rope bridge, flashlight in hand and famous fedora firmly on his head.
Disney is starting early with the hype. Indiana Jones 5 won’t hit theaters until June 30, 2023. The film has already wrapped and is currently in post-production (despite Covid-related hiccups), so we can expect a year of teases like this leading up to the release. Obviously, Ford is back as the intrepid explorer, with the notable absence of Steven Spielberg, who has vacated the director’s chair in favor of James Mangold, who also co-wrote the script with Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow, Ford v Ferrari).
The plot is a complete mystery at this point, but Mutt Williams is nowhere in sight. The cast includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, and several actors listed on the IMDB credits as playing SS officers, so it’ll be interesting to see how the film goes back in time to WWII. Or if that’s just a fake-out. We’ll have to wait for more teases to know.
As you’re aware by now, the worst mass school shooting in a decade went down earlier this week. Ulvade, Texas. At least 19 children were killed by an 18-year-old gunman who had no difficulty purchasing two assault rifles (few obstacles exist in Texas), and this has led to plenty of political clashes already, given that it’s an unavoidably political issue. The GOP lawmakers won’t step away from their NRA donations, and as Stephen King has pointed out, change will only occur if they leave office.
On a personal level, however, the United States is devastated, and that includes the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. Only two days after the shooting, she’s surfaced in Uvalde, and as the above Getty photo shows, she left flowers at the makeshift memorial that’s been set up outside the county courthouse. Via PEOPLE:
Meghan, who lives in California with her husband Prince Harry and their two young children, was spotted laying white flowers with a purple ribbon at a memorial outside Uvalde County Courthouse. She then knelt down and hung her head at the cross for 10-year-old victim Uziyah Garcia.
Meghan took the trip in a personal capacity as a mother, to offer her condolences and support in person to a community experiencing unimaginable grief, according to a spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan didn’t arrive with a visible entourage, and she was dressed down and wearing a baseball cap. As Buzzfeed News further reports, Meghan didn’t identify herself to a nearby blood drive volunteer (nor did they realize who she was until after she departed) when she “quietly dropped by the community center’s kitchen” and left giant crates of sandwiches and desserts for those who donated blood. The Texas Tribune has detailed the ongoing drive, and they’re (fortunately) booked up for weeks, but all blood centers could always use more donors, especially considering the shortages of the pandemic.
Winnie The Pooh was freed from being stuck in the Disney vault when the original story entered the public domain earlier this year. Though Mickey Mouse & Co. has the rights to the Winnie we all know and love, the character and concept are fair game, which is what made director Rhys Waterfield create the ultimate campy horror movie based on the beloved cartoon character.
Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey wrapped earlier this month (after just 10 days of filming) and of course, once the first images reached the internet, people were aghast. But they are also…kind of on board with the idea?
In an interview with Variety, Waterfield insisted that they were very careful when it came to copyright infringement, and they hope the movie will be released soon. “Because of all the press and stuff, we’re just going to start expediting the edit and getting it through post-production as fast as we can,” Waterfield said. “But also, making sure it’s still good. It’s gonna be a high priority.” How could it possibly be bad?
Waterfield says that they leaned into the obviously absurd concept. “When you try and do a film like this, and it’s a really wacky concept, it’s very easy to go down a route where nothing is scary and it’s just really ridiculous and really, like, stupid. And we wanted to go between the two.” Everything about this sounds wonderful so far.
The plot follows Pooh and Piglet as they go on a rampage after being abandoned by their beloved owner, Christopher Robin. “Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral,” Waterfield continued. “So they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.” Viewers will have to wait and see if Tigger shows up.
Though the movie doesn’t have a release date, there will likely be some sort of pushback from Disney. Or they will ignore it, and the world will be blessed with another Escape From Tomorrow situation. Either way, at least Pooh is wearing pants!
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