Month: April 2023

The Miami Heat and New York Knicks did not disappoint in Game 1 of their conference semifinals series at Madison Square Garden, as both teams took turns going on big runs before settling into a tense, tight game in the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately, the excitement was dampened considerably with five minutes to go when Jimmy Butler suffered a right ankle injury after contact with Josh Hart on a drive.

Butler would stay on the ground for a few minutes before re-entering the game for free throws, and while the expectation was the Heat would foul to get him out of the game, he stayed in for the remainder of the fourth quarter operating as a decoy on offense, occupying Josh Hart in the corner, while somehow not being targeted by the Knicks on the other end. The Heat would go on a 9-2 run after Butler went down to extend their lead out to 10 points, their largest of the night.

New York’s offense bogged down in spite of playing 5-on-4.5, with Kyle Lowry stymying multiple possessions with active hands as Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett tried to drive him into the paint. It was a rather unbelievable close to the game, with the Heat simply running better offense down the stretch despite their star being a non-factor. Lowry (18 points, six assists, four blocks) and Gabe Vincent (20 points, five assists) carried Miami home to a very important 108-101 win, particularly as Butler’s status going forward will be in question given the severity of that rolled ankle and the likelihood that he deals with swelling and soreness the further removed he is from the game.

After the game, Butler was asked by ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth how his ankle was feeling and responded very matter of factly: “like a rolled ankle.” His status for Game 2 on Tuesday night will be something everyone will monitor over the next two days, but given his health is now a lingering question, Miami swiping homecourt in the opener was huge for their chances in the series.

Drake works hard but plays even harder. Over the years, the “Search & Rescue” rapper has documented his outrageously massive sports bets, his latest being on the UConn Huskies. Now the musician’s love for a good adrenaline rush is on full display in Netflix’s new series King Of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch.

The series follows Ken Goldin, the owner of Golden Auctions, a company focused on tracking down the rarest collectibles item, most of which are related to sports. That’s where Drake comes in. In one of the series’ episodes, Goldin hops onto to plane to Toronto to help the rap star get his hands on a rare item from his longtime friend LeBron James.

Goldin is looking for the LeBron James “Triple Logoman” card. The item contains the individual NBA logos for each team James won titles with. The catch is only one of those cards exists. So if the pair does get their hands on it, the card could be worth millions. While we won’t spoil the results of the episode, that scene is certainly worth a watch.

In an interview with the Philly Voice, Goldin ensures that their show isn’t glamorous, saying, “Everything in the show is an actual transaction. I think people will enjoy seeing how business gets done. Not everything is a success.”

King Of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch is available for streaming exclusively via Netflix. Find more information here.

Daniel Craig wrapped his final day as James Bond some three-and-a-half years ago, and yet still to this day he doesn’t have a replacement — at least that the public knows about. There have been rumors. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s name was floated not long ago. (And no, Idris Elba won’t be taking the gig, stop asking.) Now there’s another.

Over the weekend, Stanley Tucci dropped a strange and cryptic video on Instagram showing him and his Citadel colleague Richard Madden sitting in a restaurant or bar, two martinis in front of them. They don’t say much. Awkward silences are followed by first quiet, barely discernible chatter. Finally they cheers and take a sip. A bit later Madden jokes, “Join us next week when we have dialogue.”

What is going on here? A lot of people in the comments had an idea. The martinis seemed to be a big tip, prompting many to speculate that this was Madden’s way of revealing that he’s the new 007.

Or, speculates The AV Club, this is a shameless way to get reporters to write pieces like this, speculating on Madden’s Bond chances…while also promoting Madden and Tucci’s new, expensive Amazon show Citadel, which is, like the Bond films, about globe-trotting spies. If so, it might just work.

(Via The AV Club)

Willie Nelson has had a stellar career in entertainment. To honor the multiple Grammy Award-winning country musician’s life, Snoop Dogg, Neil Young, Beck, Chris Stapleton, Margo Price, Kacey Musgraves, and more came together to celebrate Nelson’s 90th birthday concert.

Held at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, the event, officially named Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, A Star-Studded Concert Celebrating Willie’s 90th Birthday, brought out some of the biggest names in music, including Dave Matthews, Miranda Lambert, and Orville Peck.

Other featured acts included Allison Russell, Beck, Billy Strings, Bobby Weir, Charley Crockett, Edie Brickell, Leon Bridges, Lukas Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Nathaniel Rateliff, Norah Jones, Particle Kid, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Sturgill Simpson, The Avett Brothers, The Lumineers, Tom Jones, Tyler Childers, Warren Haynes, and Ziggy Marley.

When asked about the event and his legacy, Nelson told People, “I have been so fortunate this far that I just hope for things to continue the way they are. I think it would be too much to ask for anything more than what I already have experienced.”

A huge part of Nelson’s legacy includes his love of weed which led him to form a lasting relationship with Snoop Dogg. “I love Snoop. He and I are great friends — have been forever. It was a lot of fun just hanging out and getting to do some things — Snoop and I,” Nelson told the outlet.

Watch a few of the performances below.

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

After the Memphis Grizzlies were sent home after getting throttled by the Lakers in Game 6 of their first round series, one of the series’ main characters chose (for the second time) to not speak to the media.

Dillon Brooks quickly left the arena and walked to the team hotel, skipping out on postgame media responsibilities for the second time — he likewise chose not to speak after a loss in Game 4. Given Brooks had been so eager early in the series to try and get under LeBron James‘ skin, calling him old after Game 2, it was quite notable when Brooks declined requests to speak after the losses — Ja Morant likewise didn’t speak after Game 4, but did after the series ending loss in Game 6.

On Sunday, Brooks’ early exit from the locker room before taking questions from reporters earned him a $25,000 fine from the league for not taking part in postgame press responsibilities.

The loss will lead to some soul-searching in Memphis, as well as some likely changes to the roster where many expect Brooks to have played his final game in a Grizzlies uniform. The team seems to have grown out of needing Brooks’ brash attitude and over-confidence, and where he ends up next will be fascinating given his reputation has now tipped over from being a helpful defender and antagonizer to being considered a net negative when factoring in his shooting woes and refusal to accept a smaller role. Brooks has some serious work to do to change that perception of himself, and it seems likely he’ll have to do so somewhere other than Memphis.

Last week saw the final episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden. It was a star-studded affair. Tom Cruise was there (in a pre-recorded bit). So was Harry Styles. But it’s not just Corden’s run that came to a close. It’s the end of the Late Late Show franchise, after 28 long years on-air. There will (probably) be no replacement host. It’s (likely) over. And the reason? Because CBS simply couldn’t afford to make it anymore.

Sources told Brian Stelter for Los Angeles Magazine (in a bit teased out by Insider) that under Corden’s watch, the show cost a whopping $65 million to make a year. Alas, it made less than $45 million.

“It was simply not sustainable,” said the source, an anonymous executive. “CBS could not afford him anymore.”

The Late Late Show began in 1995 as a very different type of program. It was a serious chat show, hosted by the very serious Tom Snyder, who, unlike other late night talk show hosts, was not amused by Howard Stern. After Snyder left in 1999, it transitioned into a more comedic program, hosted by Craig Kilborn. Craig Ferguson succeeded him in 2005, who was followed by Corden in 2015.

Corden came under fire last year for his allegedly rude behavior in restaurants. But at least he managed to coax no less than Adele when he put together his final “Carpool Karaoke.”

(Via Los Angeles Magazine and Insider)

Kylian Mbappe is among the best soccer players in the world — arguably the best depending on who you ask. The 23-year-old French star has scored 157 goals in his eight club seasons, including 22 entering Sunday for Paris Saint-Germain, as they look to wrap up another Ligue 1 title.

PSG faced Lorient on Sunday afternoon and found themselves in a surprising 1-0 first half hole when Mbappe was gifted the easiest goal of his career by goalie Yvon Mvogo. Mvogo thought it was a goal kick, but was unaware that the referee had not blown the whistle and was just letting the game play on. So, as Mbappe walked by him, Mvogo just…rolled the ball out in front of him, allowing Mbappe to calmly turn around, dribble the ball once and calmly slot it into the back of the net.

The funniest part is his celebration, as he goes wild like he would after dribbling through a defense and firing one into the top corner. The goalie standing there in shock is tremendous as well, as he just looks at the referee with arms out while the defender covers his face with his shirt in disbelief at what just transpired. The good news for Lorient is they would get the goal back 10 minutes later, but instead of taking a 2-0 lead, they simply leapt back in front by one due to a mental error by Mvogo that Mbappe pounced on for the easiest goal he’ll ever have.

Roy Wood Jr. was the big draw at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and he delivered, with jokes about Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon, Clarence Thomas, and Mike Pence. But the guy who preceded him wasn’t bad either. That would be Joe Biden himself, who had his own set and his own jokes, including ones about himself.

Biden talked about the importance of a free press, he made a joke about his age, saying, “After all, I believe in the first amendment, not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it.”

The president also had jokes about some of his critics, including a guy who voted for him then slid over to the right and now owns a major social media service. He mentioned his adoration of NPR, but acknowledged that “not everyone loves NPR. Elon Musk tweeted that it should be defunded. Well, the best way to make NPR go away is for Elon Musk to buy it.”

He also came for the governor of Florida, who sure has been embarrassing himself a lot lately. “I had a lot of Ron DeSantis jokes ready, but Mickey Mouse beat the hell out of me and got there first,” Biden cracked.

Biden also had a couple decent dig at Fox News, including that some of their staff was here because, after the pricey Dominion Voting Systems settlement, “they couldn’t say no to a free meal.” He added, “I’d call Fox honest fair and truthful. But then I could be sued for defamation.”

Biden ended by pivoting to sincerity, slamming far right media for misleading the populace and pretending lies were truth.

You can watch Biden’s full set in the video above.

For the second year in a row, the White House Correspondents Dinner turned to The Daily Show for a main performer. Last year was now-former host Trevor Noah. This year was correspondent Roy Wood Jr. (In the past, they’ve gone with Michelle Wolf, Hasan Minhaj, and Larry Wilmore — all Daily Show alumni.) As ever in our topsy-turvy world, there was a lot to joke about. Let’s start with the sitting president.

Wood got Joe Biden himself to laugh when he discussed the very different situations here and in France, where people took to the streets over unpopular pension reform. “They rioted because they didn’t want to work until 64,” Wood said. “Meanwhile in America we have an 80-year-old man begging us for four more years of work.

“Let me finish the job,” he added. “That’s not a campaign slogan, that’s a plea.”

Wood then turned to the media, specifically the ones recently let go from sweet gigs.

“The untouchable Tucker Carlson is out of a job,” Wood told the crowd. “To Tucker’s staff, I want you to know that I know what you’re feeling. I work at The Daily Show so I too have been blindsided by the sudden departure of the host of a fake-news-program.”

Wood then pivoted to someone who had similar misfortune on the same day.

“Speaking of a**holes, Don Lemon is out of a job,” Wood said. “Don Lemon. My dog, Don Lemon. Don Lemon released a statement saying he got fired from CNN, then CNN released a statement saying that they offered Don a meeting. They had to part ways, because Don Lemon can’t even accurately report a story about Don Lemon.”

Wood also roasted Clarence Thomas, who’s been hammered for palling around with a GOP donor who collects Nazi memorabilia. “”Do you understand how rich you have to be to buy a supreme court — a black one, on top of that,” he said. “There’s only two in stock. And he owns half the inventory. We can all see Clarence Thomas, but he belongs to billionaire Harlan Crowe. And that’s what an NFT is.”

And he came for someone who’s no longer holding a big time government job. While slamming attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris for not doing enough, he turned to her predecessor, saying, “nobody ever asked that question of the vice president until a woman got the job. I don’t know what Mike Pence did. The only thing I know about Mike Pence is that he’s really good at playing hide-and-seek at the Capitol.”

You can watch Wood’s full set in the video above.

Even Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay could use a bit of a change of pace by the time the end of the NFL Draft rolls around. This year, it turned into ESPN’s dynamic duo having a lengthy conversation during the seventh round about a subject very near and dear to Kiper’s heart: pumpkin pie.

Kiper is known to have some very weird food habits — as an Italian-American, it pains me to link back to the blog about how he eats his pizza — but perhaps his most well-known is his love of pumpkin pie. As McShay says in here, Kiper eats an entire pumpkin pie every day (but not the crust because, and I promise you this is a real quote directly from the mouth of Mel Kiper Jr. because there is no universe where I could come up with this on my own, “that’s the hydrogenated oil”). Anyway here’s the clip, which revolves largely about the way that Kiper wants whipped cream to be put on his pumpkin pie, which, again, he eats an entire one every day.

Guy Fieri if you are reading this blog for one reason or another, I beg you, please have Mel on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives so the man can eat literally anything other than an entire pumpkin pie.