Atlanta (finally!) comes back after a nearly four-year break next week, which means you still have time to re-watch Donald Glover’s other brilliant show, Community, for the 13th time. But if you don’t have the time or energy to make it through the gas leak season, how about watching the best Troy Barnes episodes instead? A few suggestions: there’s “Mixology Certification,” where the Greendale study group celebrates “the month and day of which coincide numerically with your expulsion from a uterus,” and “Remedial Chaos Theory,” arguably the best episode of Community period, and of course, “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking,” in which Troy meets his hero, LeVar Burton.
In a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything, the Star Trek and Reading Rainbow legend was asked whether he had any fun stories from his time on the Community set.
“I need to say here just how impressed I was with the level of commitment Donald Glover brought to those moments between Troy and LeVar. For instance, I wasn’t present for the bathroom scene where he sings RR and delivers the line, ‘Set phasers to stun!’, but when I saw the finished episode I was floored. Arguably one of the best lines in TV history.”
Not to correct Burton, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do: the line is “set phasers to love me.” He was probably thinking of the Taking Back Sunday song, as one does.
The musical abilities of The Roots are a core component of The Tonight Show and that was on display yesterday, when the show tasked Black Thought (aka Tariq Trotter) to come up with some new rap verses for non-rap songs. Trotter understood the assignment, as the kids say, and came through with some clever lines.
The “Rap Remix” segment started with a gaffe, as Trotter rapped about St. Patrick’s Day, the upcoming holiday most commonly associated with Ireland, over bagpipes, the instrument most commonly associated with Scotland. While uilleann pipes (listen to an example of them being played here) are a type of bagpipe associated with traditional Irish music, the ones heard on Fallon did not sound to be of that variety. Furthermore, the song being played was “Scotland The Brave.”
From there, Trotter rapped over the ’60s Batman theme song before wrapping up the segment with a take on beloved Frozen cut “Do You Want To Build A Snowman?.” The song was remixed into a more hip-hop-appropriate instrumental and Trotter really closed out the verse strong, concluding, “Up in a cyclone, we’ll build him together / Spring is upon us, I’m sweating, so / if he melts, just say, ‘Oh well’ / ’cause look: You gotta let it go.”
In 2021, singer Joyce Wrice had one of the best R&B albums with her debut Overgrown. It’s a project that arrived after she released a collection of singles, and as for the album itself, it came with features from Lucky Daye, Freddie Gibbs, Masego, Westside Gunn, Kaytranada, Devin Morrison, and UMI. Overgrown brought Wrice plenty of well-deserved attention as she earned a slot at this year’s Broccoli City Festival and was enlisted to sing the theme song for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, a reboot of the mid-2000s Disney series.
Nearly a year after Wrice released Overgrown, she’s back with new music and it features one of her past collaborators. She and Kaytranada unite for the groovy “Ice Tea.” On the new track, Wrice is nothing short of carefree as she flaunts her style and good looks while comparing their sweetness to that of cocoa and iced tea.
Wrice’s new song comes as she prepares to head out on tour with Lucky Daye for his Candydrip Tour. The string of shows kicks off on March 18 in Portland, Oregon, and continues for five weeks before coming to an end in New York City on April 25. As for Kaytranada, he’s fresh off the release of his Intimidated EP which presented three songs and features from HER, Thundercat, and Mach Hommy.
You can listen to the duo’s new track in the video above.
During his one-term presidency, Donald Trump cozied up to a lot of authoritarians. Along with being North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s pen pal, he got along swimmingly with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The two were so tight that when he invaded Ukraine nearly four weeks ago, the former U.S. president thought nothing of publicly calling the move “savvy” and “genius.” Since then, even those in his circle have begged him to stop heaping praise upon the deeply unpopular world leader. And now he has, sort of.
“I’m surprised — I’m surprised. I thought he was negotiating when he sent his troops to the border. I thought he was negotiating,” Trump told the publication. “I thought it was a tough way to negotiate but a smart way to negotiate,” he added, not able to resist slipping in a compliment anyway.
Trump then tried to rewrite history, contradicting past comments in which he praised the invasion. “I figured he was going to make a good deal like everybody else does with the United States and the other people they tend to deal with — you know, like every trade deal. We’ve never made a good trade deal until I came along,” Trump asserted. “And then he went in — and I think he’s changed. I think he’s changed. It’s a very sad thing for the world. He’s very much changed.”
But what will Putin think? Perhaps he’ll see through someone who mere days before this Washington Examiner interview was given the chance to denounce him — by Sean Hannity, no less — and simply couldn’t.
Since Bob Chapek took over Disney in 2020, he hasn’t had a problem on his hands like he has now. The CEO is under fire for not doing enough to combat what’s been called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the GOP-backed legislation in Florida seen by critics as anti-LGBTQIA+. His attempts at mollifying revolting employees haven’t worked. But at least one wing of the company is coming out full force against the bill.
As per Variety, Marvel Studios, which was purchased by Walt Disney Studios in 2015, did what Chapek has not, issuing a blistering condemnation of the bill.
“We strongly denounce any and ALL legislation that infringes on the basic human rights of the LGBTQIA+ community,” the statement read. “Marvel Studios stands for hope, inclusivity and strength; and we proudly stand with the community. Today, we pledge to continue our strong commitment as allies who promote the values of equality, acceptance and respect.”
It stands in contrast to Chapek’s own actions against the bill. Inititally, he released an internal memo claiming the company’s “unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ+ community,” but drawing the line at taking a public stance. That seemed to make employees more mad. Chapek subsequently announced he was pausing donations to politicians who voted for the bill, which passed both Florida’s House and Senate and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.
The same day as Marvel’s statement, employees at Disney announced a week of walkouts, following by an even bigger protest. Many schools across the state have seen protests as well.
The bill, which bears the generic-sounding “Parental Rights in Education” bill, seeks to remove any discussion of “sexual orientation or gender identity” from younger public school classes. Critics worry that it will lead to further marginalization of already marginalized group. DeSantis, who was recently caught on video bullying students, has responded to pushback by yelling at journalists and deriding Disney as “woke,” forgetting nearly a century of often un-“woke” product.
These days “Nitro” is more than just a ripped American Gladiator. Chances are you’re probably already familiar with a nitrogen-infused beverage or two, whether it’s “nitro cold brew” coffee, a creamy Guinness stout, or some other craft brew utilizing the particular creamy qualities of the nitrogen bubble — which are smaller and more numerous than their carbon dioxide (“carbonated”) cousins.
This month, Pepsi is getting in on the nitro craze, releasing what they’re calling “the first nitrogen-infused cola” (and I have no reason to doubt this claim): Pepsi Nitro — available nationwide on March 28th and ready for preorder on Walmart.com.
Who knows how long Pepsi has been wanting to produce this product. Just like James Cameron with the Avatar sequels, they may have had to wait for the technology to catch up to their ambitions. Perhaps you remember the old “widgets” from Guinness cans? Nitro Pepsi comes in a specially-designed can with the nitrogen widget built into the base of the can (meaning that they don’t rattle around like spray paint cans and you can’t easily pop them out for use as a projectile or dog toy like with the old Guinness tallboys — mildly disappointing, if we’re being honest).
Pepsi is calling the new soda (or “pop,” if you nasty) “softer than a soft drink,” a solution for consumers who found traditional colas too harsh. “Some people still cite heavy carbonation as a barrier to enjoying an ice-cold cola,” Todd Kaplan, Pepsi VP of Marketing said in a press release.
Well, we wouldn’t want any barriers between us and some ice-cold cola, now would we? To that end, the kinder, gentler new Nitro Pepsi is available in “Draft Cola” and “Vanilla Draft Cola,” sold in packs of four. The announcement notes that it’s best served cold, without ice, and “hard poured” (FULLY INVERT THAT CAN, BRO) with no straw.
With Nitro Pepsi set to hit stores this month, we got the opportunity to test drive a few samples in the comfort of my own home. We tried them fully chilled, of course (like me after a day enjoying some tasty waves), iced and non-iced, in cola and vanilla.
SAMPLE ONE, DRAFT COLA
Vince Mancini
My thoughts: Definitely creamier than a regular Pepsi, and I can see why they suggest we drink it without the ice, which floats to the top and cheapens the effect of the velvety head. You’re gonna want that “Nitro Pepsi mustache” effect.
Audience Reviews:
“I don’t like it.” -My brother-in-law.
“I love it.” -My wife.
“Tastes like a flat Pepsi.” -My sister-in-law.
SAMPLE TWO, VANILLA DRAFT COLA
Vince Mancini
My thoughts: The natural creaminess of the nitro makes a better complement with the vanilla flavor. Almost the first thought when drinking the non-vanilla version was “I bet this would go great with a vanilla or cream soda.” Hey, “cream soda,” that’s a free idea for you, Mr. Pepsi.
Audience Reviews:
“I like this a lot better.” -My brother-in-law.
“Yeah this is better.” -My wife.
“Eh.” -My sister-in-law.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Certainly one flaw of this test is that none of us sampling were big soda drinkers — more like once-a-week or once-a-month soda enjoyers at best. But for occasional soda drinkers like us, a big part of the appeal of that occasional soda is the carbonated “bite,” the crisp “ahhh” feeling you get when you crack open a soda and have a few gulps on a hot day. It’s hard not to expect that from a soda, and the nitro version feels distinctly lacking in that department. It even seems to turn flat faster, though it could just be that my pours weren’t HARD enough. Years of keg parties have turned me into a gentle pourer and it’s hard to just turn it off.
Conversely, Nitro Pepsi is smoother and creamier, more like a sweet version of a draft beer or a root beer float. It definitely is “less harsh,” in that sense, and makes you burp a lot less than a regular carbonated soda would, though as one of my tasters pointed out, “I like the burping.”
I don’t know if this would be my choice if I was just looking for a nice crispy sweet boy on a hot day. But it probably has its place. It’d make a great podcasting beverage; something you can enjoy with a little caffeine kick that doesn’t require you to stifle belches mid-sentence. Have we considered this market, Pepsi?? Please make me the VP of Podcaster Relations.
To me, Nitro Pepsi seems less like a carbonated soda replacement than a beer replacement for non-drinkers. I could see enjoying a creamy pint of this if the alternatives were seltzer water or something. It’s not exactly a revelation, but hey, why not?
The NBA is in the midst of quite the scoring spree, as someone is seemingly eclipsing the 50-point barrier each and every night since the calendar turned to March. On Monday night, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves became the latest player to join those ranks, setting a new bar for scoring in the league this year with a 60-point outing against the San Antonio Spurs.
It took one day for someone to match Towns’ mark. Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets went down to Orlando to take on the lowly Magic, and Irving managed to put forth the best scoring performance of his NBA career. Irving exploded for 60 points in a 150-108 Nets win, one that was much-needed as the team tries to make a late push to avoid the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.
Irving started the evening by playing one of the best halves of basketball we have ever seen. The Nets throttled the Magic in the game’s first half, taking an 86-56 lead into the locker room thanks to Irving’s ability to relentlessly score. The All-Star guard had 41 points on 14-for-19 shooting while connecting on six of his seven attempts from three and all seven of his free throws.
He didn’t just score, as Irving found a number of other ways to stuff the stat sheet, registering three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Still, his scoring was the story of the evening, and his first half put him in rarified air — Irving joined Kobe Bryant and Klay Thompson as the only players to have a 40-point first half in the last 25 years, while Irving had the same number of points as Wilt Chamberlain when he dropped 100 in a game.
He didn’t quite match Wilt’s all-time scoring record, but a little more than midway through the third quarter, Irving got to 50 off of a nifty finish through contact by Wendell Carter Jr. The bucket marked a milestone, as Irving and Kevin Durant became the first teammates in league history to score at least 50 points in back-to-back games.
Despite being on the road, Irving’s ability to score got the crowd in Orlando fired up. That was especially true when he pulled up from way downtown and buried a three to get himself to 60 points on the night.
Irving went to the bench after that bucket and did not return, much to the chagrin of Magic fans. With the team getting demolished, the Orlando faithful started chanting “we want Kyrie” after his night came to an end.
Magic are down 41 points and the Orlando crowd is chanting “We want Kyrie” who was benched after scoring 60 points pic.twitter.com/Do2lqMjiya
Irving’s night eclipsed the previous franchise record of 57 points, held by Deron Williams. On the night, Irving connected on 20 of his 31 attempts from the floor, eight of his 12 threes, and 12 of his 13 free throws with six rebounds, four assists, four steals, and a block in 35 minutes of work.
Unfortunately for Brooklyn, this is the last time Irving will play in a game for more than a week, as they’re headed back to Brooklyn for a three-game homestand and he is still ineligible to take the floor due to the city’s vaccine mandate. Unless that gets changed, Irving will next play on March 23 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Republican party hasn’t tried to come for biological evolution in a while. It’s been a decade-and-a-half since the mishegoss over “intelligent design,” evangelical’s failed attempt at marrying creationism with actual science, which was laughed out of even the most conservative courts. But on Tuesday, one of the most controversial GOP candidates decided he’d try to bring the anti-evolution nonsense back — while, of course, getting one of the theory’s most basic fundamentals painfully wrong.
As per HuffPost, Herschel Walker — former footballer and current Trumpist candidate, running for the Senate seat in Georgia — made an appearance at a Georgia church on Sunday, when he decided to weigh in on one of biology’s most robust and most misunderstood theories, which he did not understand.
“At one time, science said man came from apes, did it not?” Walker told the crowd. “If that is true, why are there still apes? Think about it.”
Yes, please, think about it. Walker didn’t. Because if you do think about it, you’ll remember that no scientist claims humans come from apes. The two share a common ancestor from roughly 10 million years ago. Technically, humans are apes, though the two species have been on very different evolutionary paths for quite a long time. Generally speaking, if someone claims humans sprang from apes — or if they even question the veracity of biological evolution — they’re admitting they have no idea what they’re talking about.
Walker has been making should-be-disastrous headlines long before he decided to become a Trump-approved political candidate. Years after a brief foray into MMA in his late 40s (to his credit, he won both of his two fights), he swore he could do it again in his mid-50s. He didn’t actually attempt that.
He has since glommed onto a former president who may be losing everything but his token pensions, and has done well among GOP voters, despite accusations of threatening his ex-wife, having a son who hawks “All-American” swag that’s made in India, and actually hawking snake oil. He’s running against Raphael Warnock, who won his Georgia’s senate seat after defeating a GOP candidate who was mocked for sounding like a robot during debates.
Vince Staples has never been afraid to speak his mind, and even through his hilarious tweets that his fans enjoy, there’s always a hit of truth in them. An example of his honest thoughts came last summer when he said the music industry “monetizes people’s struggles” during a sit-down with The Independent. “We’ve seen people market and distribute death and destruction within our communities for decades; they do these things because it gets attention,” he said. Vince took a deeper dive into this topic during a recent interview with HOT 97’s Peter Rosenberg.
About an hour into the conversation, Vince slammed record labels for capitalizing on the deaths of rappers and finding “money in the violence” when that wasn’t always the case. “I feel like it was more protected,” he said while reflecting on hip-hop’s past. “When you hear N.O.R.E. and all those other people talk about the role that their A&R’s and executives had in their life, moving them out and doing certain things for them, like when Snoop talks about Master P moving him out to New Orleans. I don’t think anyone’s doing that anymore. I think they see the money in the violence. Back then, the violence ruined the money.”
He continued, “It’s money in it and they gonna keep selling it and we gonna keep perpetuating it and we gon’ be hurt when somebody die. I don’t necessarily know if they care. If they did, man the album ready in four weeks once you die. You get more press on the album after you die.” He concluded his message by directly addressing record labels.
“When it comes to these systems, they look at you like, ‘Oh, you’re dead, now we got something to move with,’” he said. “To the people that’s running music, just treat these people with humanity. You’re worth something before you die.”
You can view the full interview in the video above.
Who hasn’t been led astray by dumb bet? The promise of five bucks to name every state capitol, or a whopping $50 to eat something bizarre or grotesque … why, it’s a classic form of mindless (but mostly harmless) entertainment. And sometimes the entire plot of a movie.
When the chance of winning money is involved, that little voice inside our head that says “hey, since when can you do parkour?” can become nothing more than a whisper. Think Truth or Dare, but with a tiny capitalist twist. Plus, there’s the thrill of defying the odds. Get lucky, prove your friend wrong. What could be better?
Personally, I still tend to play it safe. I’ll make some quick cash testing my obscure sci-fi knowledge, but that’s about it. But clearly, some people take it up a notch. Jimmy Fallon recently asked his “Tonight Show” audience to share some of of their wagers with #MyDumbBet on Twitter. Here are 20 of the silliest, most satisfying responses. Bet you can’t get through them all without shaking your head.
1.
My friend bet me $50 he could finish his beer without touching it. He then paid the bartender $5 to pour it in his mouth. #MyDumbBet
in HS – friend bet me to hop out the window at school, run across the lot, and sneak back in – I did it!
I bet him to do it…he got out and ran, but as he returned, the teacher came to the window and stopped him dead in his tracks – his face was PRICELESS #mydumbbet
When we were kids I bet my brother he couldn’t sit in the babies safety swing at the park. Technically he won the bet but it took over an hour to free him and we had to call Mum and Dad #MyDumbBet
Last year in a snowy winter, I bet my friend if he touch the pole with his tongue 😛 then i will give him $20. He told me to give him a demo and I ended up with my tongue stuck in the pole for 30min.🤣
On the first day of my new high school, a classmate was reading the roll sheet and bet me $10 that I couldn’t spell a student’s first name since it’s “so odd”. The name was Shayna. I spelled it right and he asked how. I smiled and said, “That’s me”. Easiest $10 ever. #MyDumbBet
In high school, my friend Nancy and I couldn’t get to the ice cream shop fast enough after school, so I bet her we could beat the train that was coming down the tracks in my 1978 Ford named “Bucky.” Yeah. We made it in the nick of time. Dumb, invincible teenagers.#MyDumbBet
My anxiety shot through the roof after reading this one.
10.
I bet my friend $20 that a large trash bag could be used as a parachute. After breaking his ankles from jumping off the house, I’d say that I lost. Not as bad as him though. #MyDumbBet
It’s actually a cute one for me, a dumb one for my friend… I asked my friend if her gf would propose to her first, and she said her gf would never propose. I bet my friend she would… fully knowing that her gf was about to propose. Easiest $100 I ever won. #MyDumbBet
My cocky highschool friend was 3 weeks into martial arts lessons and was boasting his reflexes. He challenged me to red hands. He said “bet you $20 you can’t slap my hands”. SLAP. Then he got mad and said “double or nothin!”…SLAP. #MyDumbBet
This guy knew how to use language to his advantage.
14.
In high school I bet my coworker I could “open” the ice cream store in 15 min (usually took an hour). Going great until I poured 6 gallons of liquid froyo into the machine. Heard splattering. I forgot to put the fronts of the machines on. Took an hour to mop it up. #MyDumbBet
I bet my dad 100 bucks he couldn’t eat a slice of pizza with chopsticks in 30 seconds. He then somehow managed to fit the entire slice in his mouth in one big bite. #MyDumbBet
I bet my friend he couldn’t slap my teacher on his head He proceeded to the board and gave him a hot slap… He told Mr. Charles that there was a mosquito on his head.🤣🤣🤣
I was riding on the church bus going to Sunday School and a girl put her glasses on the floor and bet that I wouldn’t step on them. I put my foot over them, not intending to step on them but we hit a bump and I crushed them. #MyDumbBet
That’s the thing about dumb bets … you never know when you’re being set up for failure.
18.
I bet my nephew $50 he couldn’t stop saying the word “like” for one hour. Without hesitating he said, “This is gonna be like the easiest 50 bucks…Doh!” #MyDumbBet
#MyDumbBet I bet my college friend that she couldn’t catch more 10 peanuts in her mouth from across the room… She caught them all, but also found out she had an allergy…
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