Month: September 2022

Three weeks of the 2022 NFL season are in the books, but there is a lot of information still to be gleaned across the league. That is also true in this space, where we deliver a five-pack of against-the-spread and over-under selections each week. Despite a shaky Week 3, it has been a strong start with a 60 percent clip through 15 picks, but we will not rest on our laurels.

Before bringing the Week 4 slate, let’s take a quick glance at the progress.

• Week 3: 2-3
• 2022 Season: 9-6

Come get these winners.

Indianapolis Colts (-3) over Tennessee Titans

I still believe in the Colts. I do not believe in the Titans. There are some 3’s left in the market and I think that’s silly. We’ll pick one off and bank on the AFC South once again.

New York Jets (+3.5) over Pittsburgh Steelers

We usually like Mike Tomlin and the Steelers as underdogs. This is not that spot. Pittsburgh is now laying points with a largely putrid offense, and New York has Zach Wilson back for this game. I’ll admit that Wilson’s presence might add some potentially negative variance, but snagging more than a field goal here feels right.

Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos UNDER 45.5 points

These are two teams playing at a very, very slow pace. Denver is also quite filthy on defense and, while Las Vegas isn’t necessarily, the Broncos aren’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard these days. This should probably be 43.5 or 44 points and we’ll take the extra candy with the way both teams are operating in 2022.

Las Vegas Raiders (-2.5) over Denver Broncos

Two plays on the same game! This is a kitchen sink game for the Raiders after a disastrous 0-3 start. The Broncos won a hideous football game with only 11 points a week ago, and Denver does have the better defense. With that said, Las Vegas is undervalued here at home with some desperation, and I’m still fading the Broncos offense.

Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers UNDER 21 points in the first half

It might be gross on Monday night and that is okay with us. San Francisco is playing incredibly slowly in the first half this season with a bottom-five pace, and the 49ers also have offensive line issues. Los Angeles isn’t exactly in a groove on offense and San Francisco is very, very frisky on the defensive side. The full-game number is down to 42.5 as I write this, and I prefer 21 in the first half.

It’s a shock, but the rumors appear to be true. After 7 years of hosting The Daily Show, Trevor Noah is on the way out. According to Decider, the announcement — which happened at a taping of tonight’s show — also came as a surprise to the staff.

Admittedly, this isn’t the same size earthquake as when Jon Stewart left in 2015, but that’s only because Stewart made an indelible mark on the show after taking over from Craig Kilborn. Stewart was synonymous with The Daily Show, and his spirit will always be there casting a nostalgic shadow over it. Yet Noah made the show his own, delivering comedy and trenchant political jabs with a trademarked coolness that defied the divisive and sometimes forehead-smackingly insipid guests he had on. It’s true that ratings dropped when Noah took over, and have dropped again as of 2020 following a period of growing popularity for the comedian and the new style of the show, but it’s unclear whether that’s a factor in his exit. His contract with the show and Comedy Central is up this year, and it remains to be seen whether Comedy Central believes that a new host will change the trajectory of the show, or whether The Daily Show has a future at all.

If it does, the big question is who will take over behind the desk? If they pull from in-house (as they did with Noah), the current list of contributors includes Roy Wood, Jr., Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, and Dulce Sloan, but viral hitmaker Jordan Klepper hasn’t been away from the show that long. If they pull from outside, the possibilities are endless.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see what we get for Noah’s final moment of Zen. You can watch Noah’s announcement in the video above.

(via Decider)

A week ago, Tua Tagovailoa got pushed to the ground late in the second quarter against the Bills and hit the back of his head on the turf, causing him to be extremely wobbly as he got up and was immediately taken to the locker room.

However, the young star QB returned for the second half with the Dolphins claiming it was his back locking up that caused him to struggle to walk off the field, and he led a comeback win over the Bills. On Thursday night, Tagovailoa was back on the field in Cincinnati and was again slung down after a sack against the Bengals in the second quarter, bouncing the back of his head off the turf and immediately went into a scary fencing response.

Tagovailoa would remain on the ground for several minutes as he was tended to by trainers, who removed the facemask from his helmet and brought out a backboard and stretcher to take him off of the field. It was a scary scene in Cincinnati and one could only hope it was the Dolphins taking precautionary measures, but given what happened to Tagovailoa just five days ago, there’s considerable concern that he’s sustained another significant head injury.

The NFLPA had already launched an investigation into Tagovailoa being cleared of concussion protocol on Sunday, and if there’s any findings in that investigation of the Dolphins clearing him too quickly or not following proper protocols this week, allowing him to play this week as he took another vicious hit to the back of the head will look considerably worse.

UPDATE: The first initial update from the team is that Tagovailoa is out with “head and neck” injuries.

The second update provided a sliver of good news in that Tagovailoa is conscious and has movement in his extremities, and has been taken to a local hospital.

Dua Lipa and Trevor Noah are sparking rumors of romance. Today (September 29), the Daily Mail published photos of the two enjoying dinner in New York City. As they parted ways for the evening, the two were reportedly seen hugging and kissing.

Are Dua Lipa and Trevor Noah dating?

Though Lipa and Noah have not previously hinted at a romance, an onlooker who was in the restaurant told the Mail the two were looking mighty cozy throughout the evening.

“They were quietly sat away from everyone else at the restaurant,” said the source “It was clear they were into each other and sat close together throughout the meal. They left together and walked, stopping for long embraces and on the second kiss with hugs.”

Before last night, Lipa was previously linked to Anwar Hadid. Per the Mail, Hadid and Lipa began dating in 2019, but split last December.

Noah had been previously linked to Euphoria actress Minka Kelly. Noah and Kelly were first rumored to have been dating back in September 2020, and were reported to have “paused” the relationship back in May of 2021, which is the last time the two were reportedly seen together.

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Training camp has begun around the NBA, and in Oklahoma City there will still be a lot of getting to know new teammates going on by the end of Week 1.

After making a deal with the Hawks on Wednesday, sending Vit Krejci to Atlanta for Moe Harkless, the Thunder made their second trade of the week in a rather bizarre eight-player deal with the Houston Rockets that sees the two presumptive lottery teams swap four players each on their benches, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

If you are wondering why these teams would make this trade, which feels like something you’d do on NBA 2K out of boredom more than an actual basketball trade, it comes down to money, as always, with the Thunder getting well below the tax line while the Rockets get a second rounder for their troubles in adding a bit of salary.

As Woj notes, Derrick Favors figures to be on the move once again as the veteran center doesn’t really provide any value to a Rockets team looking to play its youngsters. As for the others involved in the deal, the most excited I can get about this is we now might see David Nwaba and Lu Dort share the floor in OKC which will be fun on the defensive end.

The world has waited too long to see the continued adventures of lovable magic scamps The Four Horsemen. Thankfully Now You See Me 3 is on course toward production with director Ruben Fleischer taking the helm. The CGI illusion-filled franchise will mark a Zombieland reunion for the filmmaker and stars Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson.

“There are three things in this world I absolutely love… Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and magic,” Fleischer said in a statement. “To have the chance to work with these two talented actors, as well as rest of the incredible cast of the Now You See Me movies is a dream come true. I am a lifelong fan of heist movies – I love getting drawn in by the twists and the mystery where nothing is what it seems. And that’s even more true when the thieves are magicians – the opportunities are endless. Eric was able to unlock a fresh and exciting way into a new movie and fun new characters, so I’m excited to dig in even further.”

The Eric he’s talking about is screenwriter Eric Warren Singer (Top Gun: Maverick), although Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride & Prejudice & Zombies) has been tapped to write the latest draft of the script. That means a full changeover of personnel behind the camera for Now You 3 Me. The first film was directed by Louis Leterrier, and the second — where they missed out on the opportunity to call it Now You Don’t — was directed by Jon Chu.

That speaks to the universality of the vibe these movies put out, but it will be interesting to see how Fleischer puts his spin on Now You S33 Me because he excels at infusing comedy into large-scale action adventure. With any luck, he and Grahame-Smith will be able to build a plot that makes even a single lick of sense.

(via Variety)

There aren’t too many people who haven’t heard the song “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio. It quickly climbed the charts after it was used in the soundtrack of the movie “Dangerous Minds” and brings nostalgia anytime it comes on the radio. Following Coolio’s unexpected death, it’s no wonder the song is being played again. But one user had a unique experience with the late rapper, and his 2013 video has resurfaced on YouTube showing Coolio hanging out with the group of England’s University of Central Lancashire students in their dorm room.

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In the video, you can hear the group of college kids giggling as they attempt to learn the beginning of the song as one of them plays the guitar. Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., sat on the couch directing the group on the vocals and the pace of the tune. The whole interaction appeared to be a college experience to definitely call home about. I’m sure most of them talked about it for years afterward, and while participating in an a capella rendition of “Gangsta’s Paradise” with the actual artist was likely a very cool experience, it didn’t stop there. In the caption of the video it says that Coolio shopped with them and cooked the kids a three-course meal and shared stories about his life.

This just goes to show that Coolio definitely lived up to his name on the stage and off because these students certainly have one of the coolest stories to carry with them. Check out the amazing interaction below.

Content creator Freddy Wong has a brilliantly easy way to find authentic Chinese food.

As he reveals in a mega viral video that’s racked up 9.4 million views on TikTok and 7.7 million views on Twitter, the trick (assuming you live in a major metropolitan area) is to “go on Yelp and look for restaurants with 3.5 stars, and exactly 3.5 stars.” Not 3. Not 4. 3.5.

He then backs up his argument with some pretty undeniable photo evidence.

First, he pulls up an image of a Yelp page from P.F. Chang’s. With only 2.5 stars, one can tell the food is “obviously bad.” Alternatively, Din Tai Fung—a globally recognized Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant—has four stars.

Sounds good right? Wrong. In this case, “too many stars” means that “too many white people like it,” indicating that the restaurant is being judged on service rather than food quality. According to Wong, if “the service is too good, the food is not as good as it could be.”

He then pulls up the Yelp page for a couple of local Chinese restaurants, both of which have 3.5 stars. The waiters at these establishments might “not pay attention to you,” he admits, adding that they might even be “rude.” But, Wong attests, “it’s going to taste better.”

@rocketjump

Why I only go to Chinese restaurants with 3.5 star ratings

♬ original sound – RocketJump

“The dumplings here are better [than Din Tai Fung’s]. I’ve been here,” he says of the 3.5 star Shanghai Dumpling House. Considering his Twitter profile boasts a “James Beard Award winning KBBQ Gourmand” title, it seems like he knows what he’s talking about.

So, why is this 3.5 rule the “sweet spot”? As Wong explains, it all comes down to different “cultural expectations.”

“In Asia, they’re not as proactive. They’re not going to come up to you, they’re not going to just proactively give you refills, you need to flag down the waiter,” he says, noting the different interpretations of service.

“People on Yelp are insufferable,” he continues, arguing that “they’re dinging all these restaurants because the service is bad,” but the food is so good that it balances out the bad service. Hence, a 3.5-star rating. His reasoning is arguably sound—people do often give absurdly scathing reviews that in no way accurately reflect a restaurant’s food quality.

“A good Yelp review doesn’t mean it’s a good restaurant — it simply means the restaurant is good at doing things that won’t hurt their online rating,” Wong said in an interview with Today, adding that “highly rated Yelp restaurants are often those with counter service and limited menus, minimizing potential negative interaction with staff.”

He also added the caveat, “I don’t have anything against those places, but I think people who only eat at the ‘highest rated’ restaurants on online review sites are only eating at the most boring restaurants.”

A ton of people in the comments seem to back Wong’s theory.

this gels with my experiences in socal, i actively look for reviews like ‘too spicy’ or ‘hostess was rude’ that’s the good stuff right there

— permanent handle (@chakazula) September 13, 2022

Plus, the theory seems to not be limited to just Chinese restaurants, further implying that maybe there’s more of a cultural misunderstanding, rather than any real lack of quality.

One of the gifts that our modern world provides is the opportunity to truly experience and appreciate other cultures. Since food is easily one of the most accessible (and enjoyable) ways to do that, perhaps we should prioritize seeking authenticity, rather than rely on a flawed and superficial rating system.

As Wong told Today, “I hope it encourages people to go out and eat more food from not only Chinese restaurants, but restaurants representing the whole world of cultural cuisines.”

On the newest edition of Hot Ones, David Blaine made a torn-off corner of a playing card reappear inside a Carolina Reaper, and then he did a magic trick. Somehow, with host Sean Evans tearing up and turning purple, Blaine proceeded to eat his Carolina Reaper like it was a wrinkled baby bell pepper. Stuffing parts of playing cards into produce is a time-honored magical tradition, but casually eating one of the hottest peppers on the planet is a genuine miracle.

The preceding interview involved Blaine delving into the obsessive nature of illusionists, his professional origin story, and the elaborate fun of his profoundly miserable endurance stunts. That includes the pressure of holding his bowels when he spent a week buried in a glass coffin in full view of the audience.

It wasn’t until they hit 642,000 Scoville that Blaine showed that the heat was getting to him, but that shouldn’t be too surprising considering he makes a living pushing his body to the limit and swallowing frogs in order to regurgitate them later at parties. The trick there is not covering the frog in Unique Garlique sauce.

In fact, eating progressively spicier pepper sauces is probably the least dangerous gestational trick he’s ever done.

Fans of Coolio are mourning the loss of the rapper, whose discography boasted hits like “Gangster’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage.” Coolio, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was pronounced dead yesterday at 59.

What was Coolio’s cause of death?

Coolio’s talent manager Sheila Finegan told TMZ, “We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio, who passed away Wednesday afternoon. He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly. Please have Coolio’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”

A cause of death has not yet been determined, however, it is suspected the rapper died of cardiac arrest. His longtime friend and manager Jarez said that Coolio was at a friend’s house in Los Angeles and had gone to the bathroom, but did not return for a while. His friend called for him, to no response, and eventually went in and found him lying on the floor.

The friend called EMTs, who pronounced Coolio dead on the scene.

TMZ reports that police have opened an investigation into the death of Coolio, however, they do not suspect any foul play was involved. There were also reportedly no drugs or paraphernalia found at the scene of his death.