Month: September 2022

Caron Butler is on his second career in basketball, following up a 14-year playing career in the NBA with a foray into coaching as an assistant with the Miami Heat.

Along the way, Butler has also looked to use his platform to impact the community, highlighting his journey from the streets of Racine, Wisconsin where he was arrested for drug and gun possession as a minor to the NBA, and fighting for criminal justice reform throughout his career. Most recently, Butler published the first book in a new series aimed at middle grade kids titled Shot Clock, which tells the story of a kid who loses his best friend to police violence and looks to carry on his legacy through basketball.

It’s a story close to Butler’s heart, as the star lost a number of friends growing up in Racine and sought refuge on the basketball court, while also seeing the impact sports figures can have in impacting change in the community. Recently, Butler spoke with Dime over Zoom about the inspirations for the book, the importance of showing real, tangible stories of success, and what he’s learned in his young coaching career and why he’s encouraged seeing more opportunities open up on benches for former players outside of just player development roles.

Why was important to you to try to tell this story and bring something like Shot Clock to kids?

I think that I was going through the process of when I had this AAU traveling team and I was thinking about all the adversity that these kids was going through in real time. And I was thinking about people putting limitations on them, the subtraction of lives and their reality, and what was happening with people dying that was close to them — young people — and then they were still having to put their best foot forward and try to go out and play on this traveling basketball team at a high level.

And then also thought about them going to school, them being in a community and what that looked like. I saw them become the now, the new ancestors. I saw them leading in an amazing way. I saw them speaking out. I saw them also leaving the county, leaving their respective city and seeing different things and start believing that they can be anything, where limitations was placed on them for quite some time because they just felt like it was a cap on their potential. They couldn’t be anything outside of what was happening in that community. And then I wanted to just shine light on it. I wanted to tell these stories. I wanted to give some type of hope, give some type of relief, and also just give like a lot of solutions to some of the problems that I witnessed in real time.

I’ve seen your story told in a number of places and something you mentioned is being able to see that there’s other stuff and other opportunities out there. How important is that when you when you talk to, especially young guys as they come into the NBA? How much do you talk to them about why it’s important to be in the community and show that to kids, and show the different paths that you can take, and that there is something outside of maybe just that local environment that they only see?

Well, I think seeing something as real can have a real impact on you, as opposed to someone telling you. And I’ll give you an example from me and my professional career, what I’ve seen is that when I was a rookie and I came to Miami and I was getting told like all the pros and cons of the NBA and how you need hard work, you got to have this type of disposition, and if you stay dedicated, determined, and disciplined, this will happen for you, success will follow. And by year two, I was traded and I didn’t know what to think of that. And then all of a sudden I go to the Lakers and I’m with Kobe Bryant and I see all these things happen in real time. All the things that I was being taught in Miami, I saw it happen real time with a person that … it was tangible. Like, I can see him, I can see the success and I can see the rewards, the fruits of his labor, everything.

Fast forward to community stuff and stuff that happens in real life. I wanted to show people that if you work hard these things can happen. If you have dreams, follow through and you can obtain anything. But you know some of the realities that we live in is very real, like people will get subtracted out of our lives. And there’s solutions to that, too, it’s a way to deal with it. It’s people you can talk to, it’s a platform that you have that you can voice your opinion. I want kids to know that it’s real people out here that’s been through these paths and walks of life and solutions to all those problems.

And specifically with what we’ve seen in the last few years, I think it really reached a fevered pitch with the George Floyd protests and everything that happened then around police reform and criminal justice reform. How do we continue to make sure that that doesn’t get pushed to the periphery as we deal with other problems and things, because there was such a big fervor in that moment, how do we make sure it’s not just a moment and that there’s continued progress and these continued conversations throughout communities, trying to make substantial changes?

Just like anything else, you keep it at the forefront of discussion and conversations, new content that’s created on television. You keep it at the forefront, you keep it visible so people can see it, they can talk about it constantly, because it is a norm. And that’s another reason why I chose to do this book is because when I think about 2020, and I think about the different generations of people that was on the front line, it was a lot of young people out there. I mean, I think about most viral videos that I’ve seen, it was young people speaking truth to power. It was people just speaking from the heart and knew exactly what the hell they was talking about.

And I was like, you know what, it’s important for stories like this to be told, like Shot Clock. And also, just to pivot real quick, I was thinking about the core curriculum that was available for us when I was growing up. And you know, books like Great Gatsby, Outsiders, To Kill A Mockingbird, Gone With The Wind, amazing stories, but I couldn’t relate to a lot of the things that was in those books. And I wanted to create something that people from all walks of life can dive into and relate to.

Right. I think we’ve seen it, especially with young guys as they come into the league now, there seems to be, from a younger age — and I think it comes from social media and the recognition of the platform earlier on — guys seem to be more cognizant of their ability to speak out and their understanding of the platform they have. What have you seen in the league and how guys take these more forward roles in the community, in big conversations like this from when you started in your NBA career to now?

Well, before, I think that it was just business, business, and then business. Now I think it’s business and then it’s, “Holy shit, we have to have empathy and then we have to speak truth,” because predominantly a large percentage of our league is Black and brown. And people care about things, you have access to social media, Twitter, like, once you draw a line in the sand and say anything about anything out there, they’re like, “Well, why are you not speaking on that?” And I think everyone understands this from this perspective.

I’ve been heavily active, and an active participant in this space, for over 20 years of my life, but I think that once that the NBA and all these major entities drew a line in the sand when you saw us in the Bubble, when you saw social equity and all these different things on the back of jerseys. We stood on the right side of justice, but therefore, you have to educate and inform each other constantly because this is the position that you took. So going forward, it has to remain that way, you know what I mean? You can’t pivot and say, “All right, it was just cool, then I don’t want to talk about it.” Like, no, no, no, this is what it is going forward, and so forth.

And kind of going back to what we talked about with, you know, if you actually see it in action, you can believe it in a different way. We’re seeing now half the league now has Black head coaches, and we’re seeing more Black GMs and executives in front offices. What have you seen in what that opens up to former players like yourself, and just seeing more opportunities like that to go from being a player to staying in basketball and having opportunities like that? And how important is that to continue to growing the league and giving opportunities to guys?

Well, I think it’s unlimited possibilities. Now, all those positions come with a lot of hard work to get even an opportunity to get those positions, not just because you Black or brown, but it’s because you’re more than qualified, probably overqualified. But I think that it opens up … you’re dreams of really anything is possible. Like, I see it, I’ve seen like the transformation in real time where it was probably two coaches that looked like me on the sideline and everyone else was player development. And then now you see it, and it’s like, oh man, I was just playing with that guy, and he got hired on. You see a diverse group of front office people and you can see folks from all walks of life and it’s like a melting pot.

So it’s like, I’ve witnessed this transition and growth in this particular area, just imagine what it’s going to look like going forward. And also I think that our Association is so transparent, and I think we have the best commissioner in all of sports where he listens. He listens to the voices of everyone and it kind of organically happens from him just having empathy and just listening. I think that’s extremely important.

For you personally, you’ve been on the on the Heat staff for a bit and you obviously get to work with somebody who has won championships and has done it from a young age to now where he where he’s a grizzled vet as a coach in Erik Spoelstra. What have you been able to personally learn from him about — you mentioned Kobe with the grind and I know Spo is a grinder as a head coach — about what it takes to be successful in this role now?

Yeah, just checks and balances, from the top to the bottom. Spo has been nothing but a great mentor to me. He lets me spread my wings. He lets all of us under him spread their wings, but also, he gives us proper guidance, and he puts us in a position to just be extremely successful. He gives us room to learn. But he also pours into us and educates us in the process. He’s just one of the best basketball minds I’ve ever been around, hands down. And from a leadership standpoint, he knows when to move the needle. He knows when to poke, he knows when to do all those things, and I just love soaking in that that knowledge and learning from him over the years.

A series of leaked phone calls made by Russian soldiers in the early days of the Ukraine invasion and recently obtained by The New York Times paints a grim picture of what life on the ground is really like for Putin’s army.

According to the report, soldiers who were part of the March campaign to take Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, disobeyed orders by making dozens of phone calls home to friends and family members via unsecured cell phones. Ukrainian law enforcement agencies intercepted the calls, and The NYT spent two months translating and verifying their authenticity. What they reveal is a damning account of how Putin’s generals have handled the invasion.

Just weeks into the campaign, soldiers complained about a lack of direction and heavy losses suffered because of incompetent leadership.

Some claimed they weren’t even told they would be leaving the country to “liberate” Ukraine, instead believing they were shipping out for training camp.

Others complained about the lack of food and equipment, claiming rations were running low and soldiers were trading in rusty armor and weaponry for Ukrainian models.

The men relayed they’d witnessed hundreds of deaths with some saying large percentages of their own units had been wiped out in the early days of the fighting. Others were shocked at the number of corpses piling up in city streets in the Bucha region, saying they were given free rein to kill civilians and dump their bodies in a nearby forest.

But, likely the biggest sign that Putin is losing this war is the criticisms launched at him by his own military. Despite facing harsh penalties for speaking badly of the Russian president and his operation in Kyiv, many soldiers slammed Putin for starting a war he won’t be able to win.

These recordings are likely just another nail in the Kremlin’s coffin at this point, but they’ll hopefully bolster the position of Russian civilians, who are already protesting a recent “partial mobilization.”

(Via The New York Times)

Whenever The Weather Channel reporter Jim Cantore arrives in your town, seek shelter. The death-defying meteorologist made landfall in Florida on Wednesday where he immediately got to work battling the massive winds from Hurricane Ian. Never content to report from the sidelines, Cantore stood in the middle of the street as Ian pummeled Tampa with heavy rains and winds up to 155 mph. There was so much debris that Cantore got hit with a tree, one of several, that came flying down the street.

After taking a hit from the wayward tree, Cantore began slowly making his way to the sidewalk as his colleagues urged him to come in. Naturally, Cantore repeatedly said he was fine even as he struggled to remain upright while holding onto a street sign that was already bending in the wind. (There was already a sign on the ground next to him, making his situation look even more tenuous.) Fortunately, Cantore eventually made it to safety, but it was only a matter of time until he was back out there in the punishing winds.

As Hurricane Ian continues to move across the state, leaving a path of destruction in its wake, it will be interesting to see how many times Cantore will stare death in the face while Floridans wisely shelter in place.

You can see more people marveling at Cantore’s love for standing in hurricanes below:

(Via Gifdsports on Twitter)

Kind of quietly, Nicholas Stoller became, quite possibly, the current king of the theatrical comedy. In that, well, he’s only one of a handful of directors who can still get a wide-release comedy made. As Stoller points out, a lot of his contemporary comedy directors – like Adam McKay and Todd Phillips – have moved on to other genres. But the comedy directors behind him (and there are still a lot of good comedy movies made) mostly seem to have their films go straight to streaming. Or, if it does get a theatrical run, it’s a limited release.

But Stoller’s movies keep chugging along and, when you look at his filmography – which includes Forgetting Sarah Marshall and two Neighbors movies – but Bros will be his first in this new world where, around the time the pandemic started, wide-release comedies just don’t happen anymore. But there’s more than just the future of comedies riding on Bros, it’s also a romantic comedy starring a primarily gay cast with a story centering on two gay characters. And we all know what happens if Bros underperforms. (Or, more accurately, what won’t happen.)

Bros premiered a few weeks ago at the Toronto International Film Festival and, speaking as someone who was there, it was quite a moment. Anyone who doubts a comedy can still work in theaters should have witnessed the scene that evening. I couldn’t hear a good portion of the dialogue because of the nonstop laughter. In Bros, Billy Eichner plays Bobby, a museum curator who prides himself on his quick wit and intelligence but has doubts about his looks. He meets Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), an impossibly handsome man who loves sports and Garth Brooks. These two have very little in common, which is what makes watching a movie about them so entertaining. Bros follows the conventional beats of any other rom-com, but is an unconventional mainstream movie about two gay men in New York City. In that, there aren’t a lot of wide-release studio movies that feature (as Stoller was quick to remind me) two foursomes.

Ahead, Stoller gives us his dissertation on the current state of the theatrical comedy and why he strongly disagrees with the Hollywood groupthink that they no longer work. Also, he explains how he’s wanted to make a movie like this for a long time, but, obviously, it wasn’t his story to tell. And how Billy Eichner changed all of that.

So here’s what I keep thinking. When I look at your filmography, how are you not one of the five most famous directors working today? But at the same time, you’re one of the very few directors who can get a wide-release comedy into theaters … so maybe you are?

[Laughs] Well, I mean I should be much more famous. No, I have no idea.

I can count on one hand who can get a wide-release comedy into movie theaters these days.

I mean, a lot of my peers are people who are a little older than me who are comedy directors, or were comedy directors who just stopped making comedies. They became artistically interested in other stuff. So you think about Adam McKay or Todd Phillips. And then I’m sure there are people coming up behind me who are interested in this as well.

There are, but all those movies are going to streaming. There are still great comedies out there, but they’re all on streaming. And you still get yours in theaters and you’re one of the few that’s left and I’m sure you’ve thought about that.

I think, also, a strange thing happened. Hollywood, like a lot of industries, suffers from groupthink sometimes. At some point in 2019, or at the beginning of the pandemic, Hollywood was like, oh, all right, comedy just doesn’t work in theaters. And it’s not true. There just hasn’t been one in a while. By the way, I’ll eat my words if this doesn’t work Friday. But, I think people, it’s a primal enjoyment about going to a movie theater and being surrounded by people and laughing and clapping at things and having that experience that really only a comedy… It’s like a horror movie, where it’s fun to go to a horror movie and all scream at the same time or whatever. So, I think that you can really only have in a theater. So, I don’t really know why everyone decided that. Hopefully, this movie will be like, no, see, we can still do it.

I hate asking the question, “do you feel pressure?,” because usually that means about your own career. But with this one, I feel like a lot is riding on this, and not just comedies, but also a wide-release comedy starring two gay men as the leads. If it doesn’t perform well, they won’t make another for a long time.

Yeah. I mean it’s something that, I don’t know, I’m always naively optimistic whenever I work on anything…

Well, you should be. Your track record is very good.

So I don’t know. Once you’ve made the movie and it’s tested well and it just kind of works, that’s all you can do at the end of the day. And the studio, Universal, is very supportive of R-rated comedies. They still believe in theatrical. They’re putting a lot of marketing muscle behind this film. So if it doesn’t work, then the naysayers are correct. I think it, knock on wood, I think it will work.

Are there naysayers?

Not about this movie specifically, but just can comedy work in general.

I see.

This movie in particular though, I think people, everyone wants this movie to work. I guess people who don’t like love, maybe don’t want this movie to work.

Those people are out there. I’ve met them.

Those people are out there. I don’t really think about that. I’m terrified of the movie sucking artistically. That’s really all I think.

Well, that’s not true. You already know that.

No, I don’t mean now. When I’m making it. When I’m making the movie, I’m terrified of it not being funny, of it not being emotional. I’m terrified at every minute. I’m like the minute I zone out, this movie could suck, so I have to be focused at all times from the beginning to end.

This movie is nonstop jokes. It never lets up.

I think Billy and I share a similar tone. We both like the same kind of thing. We both wanted this to be super funny. We both wanted this to deliver hard laughs and heart and all of that. And we needed it to be joke, joke, joke, joke, joke, joke. And then suddenly you’re crying and you can’t understand what happened. That magic trick is my favorite thing to try to pull off. And that was important to us. And that’s also Billy’s style – he’s like, the closest I can think of, he’s very different, but is Jonah Hill – where he’s like a joke delivery system. He can just deliver joke, joke, joke, joke, joke. It’s crazy. I mean, he’s just so talented. It’s why I wanted to make this movie with him.

My partner and I were at our local bar the other night and our waiter was a single gay man in New York City. This movie came up and he seemed resistant because he’s thinking it’s going to be the conventional movie about gay people in New York. The scene I told him about is the one where you’ve got this loving shot of Billy and Luke staring in each other’s eyes, but then it pans out and shows two more men giving them oral sex. He seemed sold.

I mean, from the beginning, both Billy and I, it was important that the film not be just a story about a straight couple, but they’re both guys. And I feel like I’m sure that’s what a segment of the gay population probably thinks.

That is what I’m getting a bit, that it will be conventional and, “well of course you like it.” So I tell them about a few scenes.

To make a good comedy, you have to be very specific to the talent that’s at the center of it. And for Billy, you need to be very specific to his experience and his personality. And it’s the same with all the movies I’ve made. Jason Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, that’s a weird character. He’s a weird, depressed guy obsessed with puppets. We went for it. We went hard at that. I didn’t say, you know what? The puppet thing’s too weird. I was like, the whole thing has to be puppets. So I think that’s the way. The more honest you are and the more specific you are. I mean, obviously I’m a rom-com person, When Harry Met Sally is probably my favorite movie, that or Annie Hall. And those are some strange characters. When you take a step back, they’re strange, messed up characters. And that’s what makes those movies work.

I love Bruno Kirby in that movie.

Oh, he’s so good. He’s so funny.

And Carrie Fisher. We don’t talk about their characters enough. Actually, that’s interesting that’s one of your favorite movies because you always have great supporting characters.

Yeah, I like to have a big comedy cast in all the movies that I do. Carrie Fisher’s so funny. And that dynamic, that B plot between them is so awesome. And it’s perfect. That movie’s a perfect movie. I like to have a lot of different kinds of comedians, whether it’s the hotel staff in Sarah Marshall or the record executives in Get Him to the Greek, or the frat in Neighbors. And I think these movies cost a lot of money. Every single person in the movie should destroy. There are a lot of funny people. Even someone with one line, even in this movie, there’s the guy, Steve.

I love Steve.

Yeah, it’s every person. So I’m very specific with casting to make sure everyone is super funny.

There’s also a consensus that I somewhat agree with that you made a purposely conventional rom-com as far as rom-com tropes go, only with gay characters. But like you said, there are also weird characters and it’s not a conventional studio movie we usually see about gay characters. Does that make sense?

Yeah, totally. I mean, it is a story about two people falling in love, and out of love, and there are going to be some moves… If they just fell in love and then fell out of love and then it ended, it wouldn’t be a satisfying movie. Or if they just fell in love and then were just together for the movie. The convention is that they are going to break up and then fight each other.

I have an example. The conventional is when Aaron’s crush from high school shows up, there’s your love triangle. The unconventional is there’s a literal, physical love triangle, and then Steve gets involved to make it four. But then the emotional love triangle comes after that, which becomes more conventional, but also drives the story.

Yeah. I mean, he has his high school crush and then he’s like, let’s have a foursome, and they do. And then Billy’s like, I don’t think I like foursomes. And that’s the part that’s very specific to Billy’s story. But then also I would say that the whole thing that comes out of that is Luke is so insecure around Billy’s character. Because he is insecure about his intellectual abilities and his intellect, and when he feels threatened by that he lashes out and hooks up with the stupid guy. So it’s all based on character. And so, even while it’s happening, the audience doesn’t really call bullshit on it because they’re like, yeah, that’s what would happen because Billy pushed him away. Because they’re both acting out based on their own kind of insecurities. And so I think that’s part of what it is. But I always say that with the rom-com you are going to have them, not all of them, but most of them are going to have them end up together. But I’m like, I don’t know, in The Avengers you know they’re going to win at the end. It’s how they do it that’s interesting.

How long have you known Billy?

I mean, we’ve known each other for seven years, I think? Since Neighbors 2.

So how does this collaboration happen?

Oh, I approached him. This started with me basically.

Okay, I didn’t know if he had this idea first or not…

I’ll tell you a brief story. I cast him in Neighbors 2. I knew him from Billy On The Street. I knew how funny he was. Then I cast him in Friends From College, which was a show that my wife and I created and he was a really good actor. I did not know, he had excellent acting jumps. And then we screened the first episode of Friends From College in a movie theater. And every time he was on camera, the audience exploded. Every time he is on screen I was like, oh, he’s a movie star. This is a movie star. I remember this feeling from Jonah Hill in the eBay store.

In The 40-Year-Old Virgin…

Right, it’s one of those things. For years I’d been interested in the idea of romantic comedy between two men. But as a straight guy, I was like, I can’t tell that story. I don’t know that story. And so I approached him and I said, “Hey, would you want me to build a comedy vehicle around you? That’s a romantic comedy?” And he was into the idea. And so we started talking about it then, this was like five years ago. But yeah, it started with me approaching him saying like, let’s do this.

Well, I’ll keep telling people about it at our local bar…

Tell all the gay bartenders.

I’ll do my best. I’ll mention the foursome scene again…

There aretwo foursomes! Come on.

‘Bros’ opens in theaters on Sept 30th. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Cena happily takes photos, lets kids play with his championship belt and even takes them behind the ropes occasionally. It’s clear that he sees how important it is to create a special experience and goes the extra mile.

“I try to put myself in that perspective of if I had one thing to wish for, where would I fall on that list… So for me to be the name of like, ‘I would like to hang out with this person for the day,’ that’s a pretty strong statement… It really is pretty magical when they get a really intimate experience with the individual and then they get to go see them be a superhero.”

Cena consistently uses his celebrity as a force for good. Earlier in June, when he learned that a mother in Ukraine told her 19-year-old nonverbal son with Down syndrome they were leaving the country to meet him—an attempt to protect her child from the stresses of war—Cena hopped on a flight to fulfill that fictional promise.

.@JohnCena meets Misha, a teen who fled Ukraine after his home was destroyed.

To motivate Misha on their journey to safety, his mother told him they were on their way to find Cena. pic.twitter.com/0Aeab4GkPZ

— WWE (@WWE) June 7, 2022

The pair ended up spending the entire day together near Amsterdam, “building blocks and eating cake.”

Previously, in 2020, he matched pop group BTS’ $1 million donation to help the Black Lives Matter movement. And back in 2012 he headed WWE’s Be-A-Star anti-bullying campaign.

Plus, let’s not forget about his adorable picture book series, “Elbow Grease,” which teaches kids about perseverance and believing in themselves, all with “high-octane illustrations” of the cutest little monster truck you’ll ever see.

You can find those books on Amazon, but nothing quite beats listening to Cena read his own book out loud.

It’s easy to find ourselves cynical at the apparent good deeds of celebrities—viewing charitable acts as virtue signaling, a ploy for a better public image or even covering up something nefarious. But it’s even harder to believe that Cena’s compassion, as unfaltering as it is, is anything less than genuine. This is a great example of how status can be used to share blessings. For a guy whose most notorious finishing move includes hoisting a dude above his shoulders before slamming them into the mat, he still shows us what the best of humanity looks like.

Imagine James Madison sitting in the White House during his second term as president. An enslaved Black servant delivers the president his dinner, which he eats by oil lamp as electricity wouldn’t be installed until 19 presidents later. The War of 1812 rages. Most newspapers are still weekly, so news spreads slowly. There is no such thing as the internet, television or even radio.

Now imagine someone plops a laptop onto President Madison’s desk and presses a button. On the screen—which is like nothing he has ever seen before—he watches a Black woman perform on a stage in front of thousands of people. Lights—which he’s never seen—illuminate and reflect off her sequined bodysuit. She steps up to a microphone—which he’s also never seen—and speaks to the 20,000 people in the audience.

Then she lifts up something Madison has seen and instantly recognizes—a crystal flute specially made for him for his second inauguration. The woman lifts the flute to her lips and plays. Madison is told this is happening approximately a mile away from where he sits, more than 200 years into the future.

Imagine him trying to process any single part of what he’s witnessing.

On September 27, 2022, pop star Lizzo played President Madison’s crystal flute during her concert at Capitol One arena in Washington, D.C. It was a moment filled with historic symbolism—a Black woman wielding the instrument of the president who proposed the three-fifths compromise, who was served by enslaved Black people in the White House 50 years before the Emancipation Proclamation and who was elected to that office more than 100 years before women gained the right to vote.

Like some other powerful men of his time, Madison claimed to oppose slavery on paper but nonetheless engaged in it himself. He owned and sold enslaved Black people throughout his lifetime, before, during and after his presidency, despite saying that the slave trade was “dishonorable to the National character” and referring to slavery as “evil.”

It’s hard to imagine how he’d truly feel about Lizzo playing his flute before a virtual audience of millions, but there’s no doubt it would utterly blow Madison’s mind to see this:

u201cLizzo, a Black female superstar, collaborating with Carla Hayden, the first African American and first woman Librarian of Congress, to use a flute from James Madison, the Founding Father who originated the 3/5 Compromise and also the Library of Congress itself? The symbolism!!!u201d

— Tiffany C. Li (@Tiffany C. Li)
1664337029

In the big picture of history, those time periods are tiny. Fifty years isn’t even one average person’s lifetime. One hundred years is just a few generations, who could all be living at the same time. Two hundred years just isn’t that long ago, and look at how much has changed since then.

Here’s how it happened: Carla Hayden, the first woman and the first Black person to serve as Librarian of Congress, invited Lizzo to come check out the Library of Congress’ collection of more than 1,800 flutes just a few days before the concert. Lizzo enthusiastically took her up on the invitation.

u201cIM COMING CARLA! AND IM PLAYIN THAT CRYSTAL FLUTE!!!!!u201d

— FOLLOW @YITTY (@FOLLOW @YITTY)
1664029945

Handlers brought the flute out on stage for Lizzo during her concert, and she gingerly took it and played a few notes before handing it back.

Lizzo shared two videos of the experience on Instagram, writing, “IM THE FIRST & ONLY PERSON TO PLAY THIS PRESIDENTIAL CRYSTAL FLUTE ITS LITERALLY AN HEIRLOOM— LIKE… AS A FLUTE PLAYER THIS IS ICONIC AND I WILL NEVER BE OVER IT🎶”

Lizzo continues to break barriers without apology and to show the world what gumption in action looks like.

See on Instagram

Progress may come in fits and starts, and it may take enormous effort and it may meet fierce resistance, but look at where we are compared to where we were.

Yes, history is “freaking cool” indeed.

This article originally appeared on 02.15.22

These days, we could all use something to smile about, and few things do a better job at it than watching actor Christopher Walken dance.

A few years back, some genius at HuffPo Entertainment put together a clip featuring Walken dancing in 50 of his films, and it was taken down. But it re-emerged in 2014 and the world has been a better place for it.

Walken became famous as a serious actor after his breakout roles in “Annie Hall” (1977) and “The Deer Hunter” (1978) so people were pretty shocked in 1981 when he tap-danced in Steve Martin’s “Pennies from Heaven.”

But Walken actually started his career in entertainment as a dancer. He took his first dance lessons at the age of three. “It was very typical for people—and I mean working-class people—to send their kids to dancing school,” he told Interview Magazine. “You’d learn ballet, tap, acrobatics, usually you’d even learn to sing a song,” he later explained to Interview magazine.

As a child, he also studied tap dance and toured in musicals. He even danced with a young Liza Minelli. “I’d been around dancers my whole life, having watched my parents make musicals at MGM, and Chris reminded me of so many of the dancers I knew growing up,” Minelli said according to Entertainment Weekly. “He’s talented in every way.”

Craig Zadan, Executive Producer of “Peter Pan Live!,” agrees with Minelli. “I think that if he had been around in the heyday of MGM, he would have been a big star of musicals on film,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

His dance moves were put center stage in 2001 in Spike Jonze’s video for Fatboy Slim’s song “Weapon of Choice.” Walken says he did it because one day he’ll be too old to cut a rug. “You think, ‘Well, do it now!’ You know, you get too decrepit to dance,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

Fatboy Slim – Weapon Of Choice

www.youtube.com

This article originally appeared on July 2, 2019

Sadly, a lot of men go out of their way to avoid learning anything about a woman’s period.

(That could be why throughout most of the United States — where the majority of lawmakers are men — feminine hygiene products are subject to sales tax.)

So we should give some love to the guys who make an effort to learn a bit about the menstrual cycle so they can help their family members when they’re in desperate need of feminine hygiene products.

Personally, as a guy, the feminine hygiene aisle can be a little intimidating. There are multiple brands, styles of products, scents, absorbency levels, and they are all color-coded.

What do the colors mean?

Knowing there’s a lot I don’t know, I take a picture on my phone of the box I’m about to purchase and send it to my wife, asking, “Is this the right one?”

A dad in the U.K. is getting some love on social media for the hilarious way he navigated the world of feminine hygiene products while showing how much he loved his daughter in the process.

It all began when Tia Savva sent her dad to Tesco, a popular U.K. drug store, to pick up some tampons.

For all the guys out there that need a solid primer on what goes on in the feminine hygiene product aisle, this quick tutorial from Mel magazine does a pretty great job.

Doug Mastriano‘s campaign to become Pennsylvania’s next governor isn’t going so well. Like his Republican colleague, Dr. Oz, Mastriano is getting smoked in the polls by his Democratic challenger, Attorney General Josh Shapiro. (Funnily enough, Mastriano also hails from New Jersey.)

Mastriano’s prospects took an embarrassing hit this week when a campaign rally on the Capitol steps in Harrisburg only drew 60 people from the surrounding, deeply conservative area. With his back against the fall and funds dwindling, Mastriano is trying out a new campaign strategy: divine intervention. As reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Mastriano is urging his supporters to join him for “40 days of fasting and prayer” leading into the midterm elections in November.

“Starting in a few days, it’ll be my honor to fast with you.” Mastriano wrote in a Facebook post.

Mastriano’s failing campaign isn’t exactly surprising to PA Republicans. His candidacy was deemed too radical, even in these MAGA times, and GOP leaders in the state are not being shy about their frustration. Via Inquirer:

“We were opposed to Doug’s candidacy in the primary because we feared that he would not be able to connect with the independent and moderate Democrat voters that are necessary for Republicans to win in Pennsylvania,” said Matt Brouillette, the head of Commonwealth Partners, a pro-business group whose PAC is running the ads criticizing Shapiro.

“Unfortunately, six weeks from the election,” Brouillette said Tuesday, “I haven’t seen anything to suggest we were inaccurate in our assessment.”

Mastriano has also taken a hard line approach against abortion, which has proven to be a losing issue in midterm elections across the country. Dr. Oz recently adopted a similar stance that his Democratic opponent, John Fetterman, immediately capitalized on. No amount of fasting is going to fix voters worrying about reproductive rights in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overturned.

(Via The Philadelphia Inquirer)

It all started with a tweet from my colleague J’na Jefferson and a viral meme of Chris Pine dissociating during a press conference for his controversial film, Don’t Worry Darling. The joke highlighted how common vulgarity is in hip-hop and how, where it once caused no shortage of consternation in the public sphere, we’ve become so inured to that vulgarity that the average person doesn’t even flinch when “WAP” plays on a public PA (provided Ben Shapiro is not an average person).

Of course, that got me wondering: what are the most vulgar rap songs in existence? After all, there are still degrees to the filth that can make us bob our heads and shake our butts. Not to mention, I thought it’d be fun to sort of track the evolution of raunchy raps from the naughty nineties to the current wave of potty-mouthed hits. Since it was more or less J’na’s idea, it was even more fun to get some of her perspective on it, as well.

As always, this is by no means the most comprehensive list ever — you’re likely to find a wealth of tracks every bit as nasty as these if you look hard enough. Needless to say, it’s pretty NSFW too — headphones are definitely recommended.

Too Short — “Freaky Tales”

Too Short is well-known for his raunchy rhymes and songs like “Freaky Tales” are part of the reason why. Considered the Oakland legend’s breakout in 1987, “Freaky Tales” wouldn’t end up being his biggest hit, but it is something like his signature song. While he insists that the song is meant to be satirical, that didn’t stop it from acquiring the dubious distinction of being the first “dirty’ rap song to gain mainstream exposure in the United States, making him an early target of prudish campaigns targeting the nascent genre. — Aaron Williams

Ice Cube — “Givin’ Up The Nappy Dug Out”

A relic of a time when rappers rebelliously pushed boundaries for sheer shock value as a contrarian response to the conservative backlash against them, “Givin’ Up The Nappy Dug Out” is also kind of an embarrassing example of just how, well, gross that impulse can get. Compare it to any of the more modern examples and the bawdy boasts sound more spiteful than sexy — another artifact of the wild west mentality that was spawned by the early ’90s fascination with dark, misogynistic humor that pervaded hip-hop in 1991. — AW

Snoop Dogg — “Ain’t No Fun” Feat. Warren G, Nate Dogg & Kurupt

Introducing his 213 and DPG homies on his 1993 debut Doggystyle, Snoop somehow dodged the criticisms suffered by his peers despite having one of the more profane mainstays of Golden Era raunch rap. Perhaps it’s because of Snoop’s charm, or may it’s the beat, but “Ain’t No Fun” has stood the test of time to become one of the West Coast’s most beloved hits. Whenever it comes on the radio, it’s practically all instrumental, yet seemingly everyone from Los Angeles can recite nearly every word by heart — and does, pretty much any time it comes on. — AW

Akinyele — “Put It In Your Mouth”

Akinyele’s best-known hit, “Put It In Your Mouth,” was something of a surprise success when it dropped in 1996, and remains a favorite among underground rap fans to this day. Maybe it’s because it’s more lighthearted than many of the more rugged sex raps that surrounded it, with a country-fried guitar riff and a catchy chorus sung by Kia Jefferies, whose feminine presence softens Akinyele’s aggressive delivery. There’s a reason that many of the biggest hits of recent years have come from female voices. While men’s raps often objectify them, women make themselves active participants when they chime in — which marks a welcome change and a more entertaining dynamic. — AW

Slick Rick — “Adults Only”

A Dame Grease-produced album cut from 1999’s The Art Of Storytelling, Rick the Ruler’s most ribald rhymes to date are an unfortunate byproduct of the decade’s ever-growing excesses. The verses veer even more porn-y than horny, with a mean-spiritedness that makes it a lot less fun to listen to than the playful products of the decades to come. Sometimes, to figure out what works, you’ve got to try something that doesn’t. — AW

Khia — “My Neck, My Back (Lick It)”

Ah, the song that launched a thousand ships. Well, maybe not, but nothing stoked fear into the hearts of conservatives quite like Tampa emcee Khia’s 2002 hit, which has since been sampled by Saweetie and covered by both Miley Cyrus and Elle King. Found on her Thug Misses LP, the dirty South club anthem doesn’t offer any “can you”s or “pretty please”s. Instead, Khia demands sexual pleasure “til the crack of dawn,” instructing her partner just how she wants to do it…do it, do it, do it, do it. When asked about the then-burgeoning track, Khia offered insight into its popularity: “I guess the world is just nasty and freaky like that.” Good answer. — J’na Jefferson

Lil Kim — “Magic Stick” Feat. 50 Cent

In this spirited cut from Lil Kim’s La Bella Mafia, the Queen Bee and 50 Cent trade bars about their incomprehensibly special privates. Kim’s exceptional parts will have men ready to pay her bills and ask her to marry them, while Fiddy’s will have his partner calling their mother, letting them know they’ve met “the one.” All in all, their superior skills in the bedroom are beyond their partners’ wildest dreams. With the string of mid-2000s raunch tracks hitting the Billboard charts, it’s no wonder that “Magic Stick” peaked at No. 2, making it Kim’s highest-charting solo hit, and one of 50 Cent’s biggest top 10 hits (they’ve since fallen out, though). Magical, indeed. — JJ

Ludacris — “Splash Waterfalls”

Let’s face it; there are 20 songs on this list and over half of them could have been Ludacris entries (before he became rap dad extraordinaire). There’s his breakout hit “What’s Your Fantasy” featuring Trina, his strip-club anthem “P-Poppin’” featuring Shawnna, and any number of featured verses alongside the likes of Fergie, John Legend, Missy Elliott, Usher, and more. But where usually, Luda’s lascivious lyrics are usually marked by clever double entendres, here, he’s refreshingly blunt, and while the remix adds a smooth chorus courtesy of soul legend Raphael Saadiq, the original makes his debauched desires deliciously plain. — AW

Petey Pablo — “Freek-A-Leek” Feat. Lil Jon

Now, this is a song that must be heard to be believed, as the heavily-edited version doesn’t do much to satiate the listener’s vivid imagination. In what reads like a thorough to-do list, the Crunk music superstar raps about not only the sexual acts he plans on doing, but also the women he plans on doing these things with (Shamika, Kiesha, Tara, hell, Sabrina, Crystal, and DaRhonda are there, too), and the accouterments for these rendezvous (alcohol and plenty of drugs). Like most Crunk songs during this era, the beat — consisting of a catchy synth and a cleverly-placed flute — will have you moving all night long, which is about the duration of time Petey will be doing what he plans to do. — JJ

Ying Yang Twins — “Wait (The Whisper Song)”

The Ying Yang Twins’ 2005 hit “Wait (The Whisper Song)” came together rather organically. According to the producer Mr. Collipark (are we seeing a trend?), he convinced the ATLiens to do an entire ASMR-style, dirty-talking track while dining at Harlem’s soul food staple Sylvia’s. The rest was (unintentional) history. While some have called the song’s explicit cut “predatory” in recent years, many others opt to celebrate the song for not only its filthy glory — “Wait ’til you see my d*ck…” is the chorus’ kicker — but also for showing that the then-growing style of crunk music had a sensual, rather seductive side to it. (We think you’re bluffing if you say you don’t bounce a little when that beat hits.) — JJ

David Banner — “Play”

Undeniably the most successful (and salacious) song of David Banner’s career, 2005’s “Play” takes the noted producer and puts him into the spotlight like never before. The dirty version of the Mr. Collipark-produced song is a far cry from the body-centric, nearly Kidz Bop-level version, featuring lyrics less about exercising and more about a…different form of physical euphoria. Every sexual act you could count is referenced in the track, making this one for the books. (And almost too dirty to write here.) Banner never really reached the same heights after this, so think of “Play” as his grand opening and glorious closing. — JJ

Trina — “Look Back At Me”

“I gotta ass so big like the sun…” Within the first few illuminating bars of Trina’s “Look Back At Me,” listeners should already know the ride that they’re about to be on. From straightforward admissions of knowing how to “spin around and keep the d**k still inside,” to making it rain (and not with golden coins), nothing is left to the imagination on the Killer Mike-assisted track from Trina’s 2008 album Still Da Baddest. But what’s even better is the song’s end, where the Miami-bred icon essentially proclaims that she’s still not satisfied and will be moving on to the next conquest—autonomy at its finest. — JJ

Lady — “Yankin”

Although this one wasn’t the biggest hit in its day when it dropped in 2011, it’s notable for basically predicting the whole “p*ssy rap” movement that was to come before the decade was out. At the time, it was considered something of a novelty, a viral joke rap in the vein of Awkafina’s “My Vag” or Yung Humma and Flynt Flossy’s “Smang It.” But had Lady not been so very ahead of her time, who knows whether there’d be so many women currently running rap? — AW

Nicki Minaj — “Anaconda”

Nicki’s got a mini-collection of impressive smash raps that could have filled this slot… [cough]… but 2014’s “Anaconda” easily takes the cake… [cough cough]… as her most raunchy song to date. Sure, “Barbie Dreams” (and its predecessor “Dreams”) saw Nicki figuratively bang half the rap game, but on “Anaconda,” she fills her verses with lines like “P*ssy put his ass to sleep, now he calling me NyQuil” — and it’s hard to argue that any of her songs focus so heavily on her own posterior. Plus, it’s one of her most fun songs and biggest hits, even if it isn’t one of her favorites — and her willingness to return to the formula for “Super Freaky Girl” shows she knows it’s a recipe for success. — AW

Cupcakke — “Deepthroat”

Newsflash: women enjoy sex. Cupcakke, the Chicago musician well-known for her bold, brazen, and libidinous rhymes, amplifies this “breaking news” in her sophomore single, 2016’s “Deepthroat” — which she credits for inspiring modern-day rappers. Encouraged by the vulgarity found in ‘90s- and early-aughts rap verses from Trina, Lil Kim, and Foxy Brown, the no-holds-barred track features erotic pleading and moaning from start to finish. Even more powerful, though, is the imagery Cupcakke evokes through her words on the over three-minute track. “My p*ssy pink just like salami,” she spits, before adding on the chorus, “don’t wanna f*ck up my nails, so I pick [that d*ck] up with chopsticks.” In an interview about the song, Cupcakke notes that when she’s writing, explicitness is the very least of her concerns. “People feel afraid to say, ‘Oh I suck d*ck…’ When I write, I’m free and I don’t care.” — JJ

Saweetie — “My Type (Remix)” Feat. City Girls & Jhené Aiko’s

Expectant mother Jhené Aiko is known for her duality. Not only can she sing about peace and good vibes, but she’s also no stranger to whipping out some positively filthy language. (But what do you expect from “a b*tch from Slauson”?) Case in point: her standout albeit much too short verse on Saweetie’s “My Type (Remix).” Jhené lets listeners know that she’s a fan of a partner who can not only “eat the p*ssy ’til [she] levitates”— this down-and-dirty lover must also be willing to meditate with her afterward, crystals and all. Never has there been a guest verse that defines the artist spitting it so succinctly. — JJ

Hitmaka — “Thot Box (Remix)” Feat. Young MA, Dreezy, DreamDoll, Mulatto, Chinese Kitty

One of the more recent additions to the sex rap canon, Hitmaka‘s 2019 hit offers the best example that the ladies just do it better. While the original, which featured 2 Chainz, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Meek Mill, Tyga, and YBN Nahmir, was a competent party jam, they girls-only remix flipped the concept and the power dynamic, holding up a mesmerizing mirror image that saw the women taking charge and coming way more clever with it. Dreezy’s verse remains a personal favorite. — AW

Cardi B — “WAP” Feat. Megan Thee Stallion

Pretty much THEE sex anthem of the 2020s so far, Cardi’s 2020 Jersey club-sampling hit came out of nowhere and put pop culture in a chokehold. Debuting at No. 1 and freaking out the entire contributing cast of Fox News, “WAP” introduced mainstream America to the concept of the kind of swimming pool sex where the participants bring the H2O themselves. Dominating radio and playlists despite its head-turning theme, Cardi B had us coming up with choruses of creative acronyms to throw our elders off the scent, lest they realize they’d been turning up to an ode to squirting. — AW

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