Month: October 2022

During the peak of the pandemic, I spoke to John DeFries, head of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, about how tourism in the state (and on the island of Oahu, its largest tourism center) might be permanently altered once travel finally opened back up. DeFries had just started his post and his answers shed some light on how the various factions of Hawaiian culture — Indigenous leaders, business owners, and the government itself — felt about the future of tourism. Increased taxes for visitors, the closure of popular beaches for “Locals Days,” and bringing in fewer visitors (at higher dollar amounts) all came up during that conversation.

Precisely what would change was unclear. But the idea that Hawaiian tourism would forever shift was obvious.

More than two years later, we’re starting to see that shift in action. Meanwhile, the conversations about the future of Oahu tourism, and tourism across the state, have hit the mainstream — in some small part, thanks to issues explored on the HBO hit, White Lotus. It hasn’t been the easiest reckoning but that’s to be expected when you’re dealing with an island chain that has far fewer residents (1.42 M) than it did visitors in 2021 (6.77 M, in a pandemic year with no cruise ship visitors at all).

As the conversation continues to evolve, the state, in general, and Oahu in specific seem to be providing a model for how to manage over-tourism. Here are the wins that might provide a roadmap for other heavily-touristed destinations.

BIG CHANGES WITH AIRBNB

If 2022 travel has been defined by any one trend, it’s the sheen truly and finally coming off of Airbnb. While there has long been conversation about what the app does to communities while sending property values to the moon, this year, with Airbnb’s fees increasing and the user experience steadily decreasing (with cleaning and chores being increasingly passed onto users), many travelers seemed to fully sour on the platform.

Meanwhile, where Airbnb has refused to self-regulate in any measurable way, cities and counties are taking it into their own hands. And no with so much vigor as Oahu. In April, a measure passed the Honolulu City Council with a vote of 8-1 that changed the minimum rental length in much of the city from 30 days to 90 days.

“We could feel the outcry from our communities across the island on what had gone on with illegal vacation rentals,” Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said after the vote. “This is to bring back our neighborhoods, where people grow up, where families are raised and not have them be mini-hotels, but be the neighborhoods they were designed to be, a source of great pride for all of us who have raised families here in Oahu.”

A 90-day minimum, in all but a few “resort zoned” areas across the city sends a clear message about Airbnb in Oahu. Once the ordinance goes into effect on October 23rd, it’s likely to begin restoring some inventory to the home rental market — its stated goal. And after that? Perhaps the entire state will follow certain regions in Canada, where an Airbnb has to be your primary abode in order to be rented at all.

INCREASED CONVERSATIONS AROUND INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGNTY

On a recent episode of W. Kamau Bell’s United Shades of America, Bell asked the very fraught question:

“Is it possible to move to Hawaii and not be an asshole?”

The resounding answer was “no.” And it’s similar to answers I’ve gotten from surfers on Oahu’s North Shore over the years. Though its leader, Eddie Rothman, was born in Philly, not Oahu, the famed surf crew (and clothing label) Da Hui has been pulling people’s cards on the North Shore for decades.

As the conversation about Hawaiian tourism evolves, it’s sure to intersect at every stage with the push for sovereignty in Hawaii — where much of the Indigenous population has very valid and serious concerns about… well, their complete eradication, really. Tourists hoping to visit the island in a way that is conscientious will need to take the lead of organizations like ‘Āina Momona and follow the definitions of and requests for cultural respect that are handed down from Indigenous Hawaiians (who make up roughly 10% of the state’s population).

These conversations are going to continue in ways that are sure to be nuanced and tricky, as recent and even second and third-generation immigrants to Hawaii will have to sort out what supporting Hawaiian sovereignty means to them. Will Hawaii eventually secede from the union? Become a territory in the model of American Samoa?

Those questions might not need answering before you book a ticket but they certainly deserve contemplation. In fact, being willing to wrestle with these heady issues is sort of the price of admission on Oahu (along with rapidly increasing taxes on tourists). Will some visitors decide not to visit after contemplating the issues at stake? Absolutely. And that is how Indigenous Hawaiians want it.

THE REQUEST DEMAND FOR CULTURAL RESPECT

Where Hawaii is on the leading edge of tourism worldwide is in the push for cultural respect. It’s a phrase that could sound like lip service in certain destinations — don’t litter, respect the environment and local people, etc.– but is taken much more seriously in Hawaii. What does that look like, exactly?

It could look like foregoing tour operators that disturb residents. Or limiting which beaches you decide to surf on. Or researching the history of various hikes, landmarks, and beaches before you visit — with an openness to not visiting fraught locations. And while the request for respect of the culture and land from locals is certainly resonant (this Lonely Planet piece offers a wonderful primer), it also might need teeth, in the form of new laws with serious fines.

Just a few days ago, Maui enacted a ban on non-mineral sunscreens in an effort to protect their coral reefs. A similar ban on the big island goes into effect on December 1st. Sadly, these rules seem to often be what tourists need — real-world penalties for being reckless on the road. In the years to come, it will be interesting to see if more laws are enacted that, at their heart, are meant to protect the islands and their Indigenous residents from tourists themselves.

How exactly that takes shape will be determined but Indigenous (Native Hawaiian) leaders like DeFries and by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, which recently took over the marketing and promotion budget for the Hawaiian Islands from the Hawaiian Visitors and Convention Bureau. And while the exact shape of Hawaiian tourism is sure to shift, the commitment to wrestle with these issues is on a variety of levels is sure to build the one thing DeFries and every person in Hawaiian tourism (from surfers to hoteliers) that I’ve ever spoken to on the matter wants — a more sustainable future, where the whims of tourists don’t take precedence over Indigenous residents or the natural resources.

Today, Cardi B and GloRilla achieved a remarkable chart feat. Their collaboration, “Tomorrow 2” reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week, marking Glo’s first top 10 hit and Cardi B’s 11th. JT of rap duo City Girls shared a message congratulating Glo on the accomplishment, however, noticeably did not mention Cardi’s name.

One Twitter user referred to Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl (Queen Mix)“, which featured JT, along with Katie Got Bandz, Akbar V, Bia, and Maliibu Miitch, saying, “JT Akbar, BIA & Katie bandz after seeing Glorilla get a top 10 hit without doing all the d*ck riding and extra sh*t”

JT responded, saying, “im not like that at alllll I been doing remixes & never got credited ON A CHART BUT they get sung word for word and help push the original songs as intended unlike y’all well I can’t even say y’all cause you don’t rap,you TWEET! Congratulations Glo&stream FNF remix AND QUEENMIX.”

Many interpreted as a diss to Cardi, as JT didn’t mention “Tomorrow 2.”

Shortly after, Cardi B tweeted “Lapdog,” which was thought to be aimed at JT.

JT then tweeted, “I hope you don’t think you no BULLY!!!,” then said, Weiner dog.”

Afterwards, Cardi tweeted, “Go fetch,” to which JT finally responded in a quote-tweet and making it clear the two were subbing each other.

“Cardi you go fetch a real talent! We DM’ing why you come back here to put on a show for these KIDS?,” said JT.

Cardi then responded, saying, “So wait, me and you talking in the DM woman to woman, but YOU take it to your timeline and throw shots calling me a bully and a wiener… Why you playing dumb? And YOU talking about a talent?! haaaaa! You forgot P tried to put me on wit your writer?”

JT refuted Cardi’s claim that Pierre “P” Thomas has writers work with City Girls, saying, “No you wanted our written!!! For our hooks for our sound cause you clearly have none! Ask ANY writer! I write my OWN sh*t!!! You know this.”

Cardi previously collaborated with City Girls on a song called “Twerk” from their 2018 album, Girl Code while JT was serving time in prison for credit card fraud. During their back-and-forth, Cardi noted that the video for their collaboration pulled in 227 million views, and compared that to their other songs.

JT then said, “Cardi please I’m not impressed I don’t care I’m not bout to beef with you about YouTube girl is crazy?’

Cardi then said she was going to continue their argument privately in the DMs, saying their row had become too “repetitive for doggy treats.”

JT quoted the post, saying, “Wait I’m back for this last tweet cause who doing anything for doggy treats?? If anything glorilla [g]ave you a BONE that you need to go feed to that dog you was posing by the pool with for hot sh*t! Fancy pants”

“Hot sh*t debuted higher than any song you ever dropped or been on, prison pants,” Cardi responded. “Everybody has good and bad moments but you haven’t had one since what? ACT UP?,” referring to City Girls’ 2018 hit, “Act Up.”

At the time of writing, the two have not publicly responded to each other, however, JT reiterated that she is completely self-made.

“The industry not even designed for girls like me to really win! Let’s be real all this sh*t is politics!!! Pee always told us get that shit out the MUD grind hard I lay down because I get discouraged from all these labels paying for every mother f*cking thing,” she said.

Cardi then shared a video of P instructing JT to rap like Cardi.

She then changed her avatar to a picture of Remy Ma, who infamously began feuding with Nicki Minaj in 2017.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.“

The first teaser for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever featured a surprising sight: someone who’s acting an awful lot like T’Challa. It’s, of course, impossible that it’s the former king: Chadwick Boseman died in 2020, and Marvel brass decided not to recast him. So who is it? Some have speculated that the new protector of Wakanda might wind up being one of the big break-out characters from the 2018 original: Letitia Wright’s Shuri. So is it her?

The answer: Maybe! Possibly! Or maybe not! She’s certainly the odds-on favorite of a lot of Internet detectives, who’ve scoured the teaser and its new trailer for clues about who that mystery warrior is. One theory: The face paint Shuri wears early in the trailer closely resembles marks on the warrior’s mask. But like much reckless online theorizing, that’s still pretty wishy-washy. (But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t wind up being true. Besides, even though this looks more like an ensemble piece, it’s Wright who nabbed top billing.)

But who else could it be? Marvel has suggested that the next hero of this wing of the MCU will be female, and there are a lot of female characters in Black Panther. It could be Nakia, Lupita Nyong’o’s Wakandan spy. It could be Okoye, the head of Wakanda’s all-female Dora Milaje, played by Danai Gurai. It might even wind up being a newcomer: Michaela Coel’s Aneka, who in the comics, at least, is kicked out of the Dora Milaje after killing a chieftain, leaving her to co-form the vigilante duo known as the Midnight Angels.

So as per your question of whether Shuri will be the new Black Panther, the answer is: We’ll see! Seems likely. But it might be someone else. Check this space later, closer to when Wakanda Forever arrives, which it will on November 11. In the meantime, you can watch the new trailer in the video below.

More than a decade has passed since the NBA had a franchise in Seattle, with the SuperSonics infamously moving to Oklahoma City after the 2007-08 season. During the moving process, many pushed back on the decision to leave a strong market in Seattle and, since the moment the Sonics ceased to exist, calls have existed for the league to reach back into Washington with an expansion franchise. Most recently, native son Paolo Banchero indicated that the NBA landing a team in Seattle “should be mandatory” and another prominent local figure, 39-year-old rapper Macklemore, weighed in with a similar sentiment on Monday.

Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today, Macklemore said he believes “it’s a matter of time” before the NBA is back in his home city, and Macklemore also went as far as to say that NBA commissioner Adam Silver is “on board” with the movement.

To be fair, Macklemore was prompted to give a plea of sorts to bring a team back to Seattle, but he downplayed the need for a plea in this particular case. In fact, he said “I think that Adam (Silver) knows that we are absolutely ready” and extolled the virtues of Climate Pledge Arena as a venue that is “teed up for a team” at this stage.

It isn’t exactly clear as to whether Macklemore has any inside information on Silver’s intentions, but many believe that the NBA will eventually return to Seattle and buzz about a dual expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas has swirled for years. Macklemore went as far as to say “I think Adam (Silver) is with us,” sending a strong signal, and he certainly isn’t alone in hoping for a return to NBA basketball in a great market.

In the final minutes of this year’s The Batman, viewers were treated to a surprise (that wasn’t that surprising): the (distorted) appearance of yet another screen incarnation of Joker. Granted, he was billed as “Unseen Arkham Prisoner,” but you had to be pretty thick not to get it. The lucky actor was Barry Keoghan, the eccentric scene-stealer of movies like The Killing of a Sacred Deer and last year’s The Green Knight. And though it was hard to make out his face, even in a later-released deleted scene, Keoghan’s newly dropped audition video shows his (unused) idea of how he’d like the clown that fights Batman to look like.

The video, which runs a little over two minutes (and was caught by Deadline), is pretty simple: Keoghan all gussied up, in a suit and suspenders and a little bowler hat, plus a cane. He doesn’t say anything. Instead he struts down a hallway to Saint-Saëns’ classic tone poem “Danse Macabre.” This, the caption posted by British GQ, was what “got him the role of Joker,” even though they wound up going with a different vibe.

Keoghan told British GQ that he actually wanted to play Riddler, but that gig had already been handed to Jonah Hill, who later passed it on to Paul Dano. He described his take on Joker as a “broken-down boy.” He’s not sure when he’s set to play it again (or does know and can’t tell journalists), but he says he’s ready to get back in clown mode “as soon as that call comes.”

(Via British GQ and Deadline)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are among the teams hoping to take a leap forward in 2022-23, coming off of a strong season a year ago that saw them drop a pair of play-in games to just miss out on the playoffs.

This year, they’re hoping the addition of Donovan Mitchell will provide some much-needed juice to their offense, while looking to continue to be a dominant defensive team, led by their talented frontcourt. Jarrett Allen became an All-Star in his second year with the Cavs, while Evan Mobley had a sensational rookie campaign, narrowly missing out on Rookie of the Year honors.

Along with adding Mitchell, Cleveland is hoping to stay healthier this year, as they saw a number of their stars miss time with various ailments a year ago. Unfortunately, Mobley’s sophomore campaign is off to a rough start before it even really begins, as he picked up an ankle sprain during their first preseason game and will miss 1-2 weeks, potentially sitting out until the start of the regular season.

The hope, of course, is that it’s a mild sprain and Mobley is able to return by the start of the season without any lingering issues, but there will be some concern of aggravating it later on in the season.

(For You)r Consideration is a weekly column breaking down the rappers and singers doing it RIGHT on TikTok and the viral TikTok music trends and top songs taking over your FYP.

#ExplainingMyCameraRole

Creators successfully brought Instagram’s photo dump trend to TikTok with Future’s heartbreak anthem “Solo” as background noise. Using #ExplainingMyCamera, TikTokers are giving the FYP a peek into their lives through carefully curated photo swipes on the app. Populated with low-exposure photos of food, fits, and everything in between, the toxic king’s moody track from HNDRXX fits the vibe. Check out the trend here.

Sway Had The Answers

Ye has finally admitted that Sway Calloway actually did have the answers. In a recent interview with GMA, Kanye referenced his 2013 rant after the radio host asked him why he doesn’t push his namesake brand independently. His initial response to Sway’s assertion that Kanye should do his own thing? “You ain’t got the answers, man! You ain’t got the answers, Sway!” But now, after years in the industry and a soured deal with Gap, the rapper confesses: “You know what? I will go ahead and say that Sway had the answer.” TikTokers are running with this switch-up and merging the two soundbites to showcase when they’ve ignored sound advice, to realize they were steered in the right direction. The best of the trend? Teenagers now recognize the value of college after ignoring their parents and the hot girlies looking for a healing, disregarding the advice of their therapist.

2 Million Up

Peezy and his song “2 Million Up” have quietly dominated the FYP since July. The soulful track from the Detroit rapper has backed hair tutorials, skits, and workout videos. The record is similar to fellow viral hits like NLE Choppa’s “Shotta Flow” and King Von’s “Crazy Story,” with its vivid storytelling and addictive beat. Our favorite City Girl, JT, hopped on the trend, jokingly explaining why she went to jail in 2018. With just under 10k videos to the sound, there is potential for the track to continue to rise in popularity.

Some Cut

Singer-songwriter and all-around baddie Victoria Monet is leading a new dance trend to Trillville’s “Some Cut.” The choreography originates from a dance breakdown in one of her festival sets, and she later demoed the challenge step by step with her dancers on TikTok. This isn’t the first time the song has gained popularity on the FYP. In 2020, creators showed off their jaywalking skills to the 2000s classic. Catch the video below for Victoria’s original dance breakdown.

Kanye West has had the internet abuzz today, as he shared an image of himself wearing a shirt reading “White Lives Matter” at his Yeezy Season 9 fashion show. Ye added more fuel to the fire after he shared another image of himself with conservative commentator Candace Owens wearing a shirt with the same text.

Jaden Smith, who has previously collaborated with Ye and has even appeared in some of the Yeezy fashion shows and campaigns has seemingly responded to the shirt in a series of tweets.

“I Had To Dip Lol,” he said in a tweet, suggesting that he may have been present at the fashion show, but chose to leave after seeing the shirt. At the time of writing, no photos of Jaden at the show have surfaced

He quickly followed with another tweet, saying, “True Leaders Lead,” then said “I Don’t Care Who’s It Is If I Don’t Feel The Message I’m Out.”

Afterwards, he tweeted “Black Lives Matter, then said, “We Demand A More Progressive Future.”

While Ye has maintained a polarizing presence on social media over the years, it’s unclear whether or not he’ll respond to Jaden’s tweets. When asked about his relationship with social media in a recent interview with Good Morning America, Ye responded, saying, “We could use a car to rush somebody to the hospital, or we could use a car and accidentally hit somebody while we’re rushing somebody to the hospital. It all in how we use it.”

While preseason begins around the NBA, two games played in Las Vegas between non-NBA teams will be a focal point for many this week.

The G League Ignite and Metropolitans 92 will play a pair of exhibition games in Vegas on October 4 and 6 to provide talent evaluators, front offices, and fans a chance to see the presumptive top 2 prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft go head to head, as Scoot Henderson and Victor Wembanyama take center stage. On Monday, Wembanyama’s Metropolitans 92 squad held an open practice and the young French star met with the media afterwards, with his length as always providing some incredible visuals as he was nearly as tall as the PR guy standing next to him while sitting down.

For anyone wondering what Wembanyama’s level of Dog In Him is, he answered that with one of the greatest responses possible to being asked about his talented opponent this week. Wembanyama made sure to compliment Henderson’s talent and abilities as a player, noting he’s No. 1 pick material and would be considered that in the 2023 class, “if I was never born.”

It’s a tremendous response and wasn’t a dig at Henderson at all, he’s simply stating what pretty much every scout and draft analyst has said. Henderson’s an elite prospect, and his presence in this class is part of why the tank race this year figures to be stronger than we’ve seen in some time, because not only are you chasing a generational prospect in Wembanyama, but the consolation prize for landing the second pick is as strong (on paper) as we’ve seen in a long time.

Chadwick Boseman’s sudden death in 2020 hit people really hard. It obviously hit those closest to him harder than most. That includes those who worked with him, and were planning on doing so again. For Ryan Coogler, who directed him in Black Panther, it not only made him almost turn down helming the sequel, but it almost made him drop out of Hollywood completely.

“I was at a point when I was like, ‘I’m walking away from this business,’” Coogler recently told Entertainment Weekly. “I didn’t know if I could make another movie period, [let alone] another Black Panther movie, because it hurt a lot. I was like, ‘Man, how could I open myself up to feeling like this again?’”

Obviously he didn’t go through with that, and he did return for what looks like a very moving and very gorgeous-looking — and very long — sequel, Wakanda Forever, which deals with a T’Challa-less future. But it still took some doing. Coogler said he found himself checking out lots of Boseman footage and interviews, in which he would talk about how much the franchise meant to him. That got him motivated to get back into the swing of things.

“I was poring over a lot of our conversations that we had, towards what I realized was the end of his life,” the director explains. “I decided that it made more sense to keep going.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11.

(Via EW)