While everyone is discussing the recent shoegaze renaissance, there has been another subgenre resurgence brewing in the 2020s. Post-punk, with its talky cadences, labyrinthine song arrangements, and, dare I say, angular guitar work, has been thriving, with groups like Dry Cleaning, Black Country, New Road, and Fontaines D.C. at its helm. English Teacher, a four-piece from Leeds, formed in 2020 to make their own contributions to this scene.
Only recently, however, have they shared their full-length debut, This Could Be Texas. Expanding on the framework of their 2021 EP, Polyawkward, English Teacher takes a wide-screen approach to the post-punk foundation, presenting a live-band feel rife with lush string arrangements, complex time signatures, and a dynamism that keeps you on your toes for 50 straight minutes.
Following the record’s release in April, drummer Douglas Frost sat down with Uproxx to talk about LCD Soundsystem, Robert Pattinson, and doing crow impressions in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Really makes you think.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I’d like it to just simply still be there. Still be sitting proudly in record collections (physically or digitally). Still be music that people frequently return to, whether it’s been a week, a month or five years. I just want it to still be enjoyable, in whatever capacity.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
All of our mothers, for without them there would be no work.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
New York. A chicken cheddar club sandwich from a deli in Brooklyn at 3 a.m.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
LCD Soundsystem at Brixton Academy, London. You dance, you cry, and you sweat (buckets). I sincerely believe it’s impossible not to enjoy their shows. Period.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
A hostel with a sewage problem.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?
Honorable mentions include Manchester, Glasgow, and Dublin. However, the hometown shows in Leeds will always have a huge place in our hearts.
I’m aching to get myself to Japan so fingers crossed Tokyo appears on a tour schedule one day.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Everyone is more afraid of you than you are of them.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
Crow impression.
If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support?
Humanitarian aid in Gaza.
What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?
Music is such an innate part of human life that I do believe people will forever choose human-made music over AI, but perhaps I’m being too optimistic and a little naive.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.
Location: the moon!!!!!!!
Doja Cat
Natasha Bedingfield
Radiohead
Sixpence None The Richer
Philip Glass
Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?
@superpedjason
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
My one and only tattoo is of a fetus baby wearing a cowboy hat and using its umbilical cord as a lasso. A friend did it randomly one night and now this little guy is just there hanging out on my ankle like a yeehaw guardian angel.
What is your pre-show ritual?
Dance to pop music from 2010.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Robert Pattinson.
You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?
I’m going on a 30-day hike across a mountain range anywhere in Europe, and I’ll be taking absolutely nobody.
What is your biggest fear?
Losing your memory, or maybe small talk with a stranger in public toilets.
This Could Be Texas is available now via Island Records. Find more information here.
Kevin Costner finalized a divorce earlier this year, while Jewel has been divorced since 2014. So, when the two were spotted together, dating rumors flew.
Are Jewel And Kevin Costner Dating?
In an appearance on The Howard Stern Show yesterday (June 18), Stern said he “heard rumors,” and Costner replied with, “That’s what they are.” He continued, “Jewel and I are friends, we’ve never gone out, ever. She’s special, and I don’t want these rumors to ruin our friendship, because that’s what we have. She’s special. I mean, she’s beautiful enough to go out with.”
As USA Today notes, the rumors started when Costner and Jewel were both at Richard Branson’s Necker Island in the Caribbean for a fundraiser. Costner explained, “The rumor was I went down on a private plane with her, I went back on a private plane. I was on with nine people, and I don’t want the press to ruin this for us, because I’ve had conversations with her, text-wise, and she’s so smart, and she’s been through a lot herself. We have a friendship. We don’t have a romance. We’ve not dated. She’s beautiful and smart enough for all those things. It just has never happened for us.”
Jewel was less direct when she addressed the rumors in an April interview, saying of Costner, “He’s a great person. The public fascination is intense, for sure.”
The United States men’s national team looked like it was in a bad place earlier this month. With the eyes of the football watching world preparing to focus on the U.S. when it hosts Copa America in June and July, the Americans went out and got steamrolled by Colombia, 5-1. It was a drubbing — Colombia, one of the hottest teams in world football entering this summer, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes. While the Americans grew into the game admirably and Timothy Weah scored a goal to cut into the deficit in the second half, the team completely let go of the rope over the final 15 minutes, as Colombia put three goals past Matt Turner due to their ability to pounce on mistakes.
Gregg Berhalter — who got the usual calls for his job from fans that any international manager receives following a shambolic performance — was brutally honest about the performance in the aftermath, and with a test against world power Brazil in their final friendly before the tournament days away, spirits seemed to be low. And then, something funny happened: the USMNT dug deep and drew the No. 5 team in the world, 1-1, behind a gem of a free kick by Christian Pulisic.
“Whenever we’re at our best is whenever everyone’s playing at a high intensity and has a maximum effort,” USMNT star Weston McKennie told Uproxx over Zoom about the lead-up to the game. “And so, we didn’t even want to focus on the result against Brazil, we were just focused on the performance. We said that we want to give our maximum performance, we want to give a performance that we’re happy with, that we can walk off feeling good about. And in return, if we can do that, then the result should be in our favor.”
McKennie is heading into this summer off of the best year of his career as a midfielder for Serie A giants Juventus. While he did not score in the campaign, McKennie led the team with 10 assists across all competitions and became a stalwart in the midfield, which was quite the turn of events considering how he described his return to the club after a loan spell with English side Leeds United last year that didn’t go especially well.
Now, McKennie is preparing for an important stretch, which goes well beyond a rumored return to the English top flight. He’ll be one of the leaders of the USMNT, someone who shoulders a gigantic load as a player and a personality both on and off the pitch. And if he’s showing off the mix of playmaking chops and good old fashioned American tenacity that have come to define him as a player, the aspirations of making noise on their home soil ahead of the 2026 World Cup won’t seem all that far-fetched for the young Yanks.
Prior to the start of Copa America, Uproxx caught up with McKennie to discuss his partnership with Puma, living at the intersection of sport and culture, his year at Juventus, all things USMNT, and that one video clip where he told an all-time great Italian footballer that he puts ranch dressing on his pizza.
What do you have going on with Puma?
We have a lot of stuff, actually. I just came from Miami, was at Christian’s stomping grounds in Little Havana. One of my buddies actually was just walking around because when I first started my journey with Puma, I always said I really love the marketing aspect of it, and just like the visibility of everything. And one of my buddies sent me a picture in Brickell City Center of me, Yunus [Musah], and Christian’s posters and stuff up in Brickell’s space, it’s pretty dope.
But no, we have a lot. I was just actually with Puma and Ferrari in Monaco recently, before I came here. It was amazing.
What was it about Puma that stuck out before you joined them, when you’re just seeing other athletes in Puma gear, or seeing Puma outside of the world of football?
Honestly, I’m someone … I love football. But I’m also someone that loves many other things, as well. I love golf, I love cars, I love fashion. And Puma is one of those brands that I started to notice that was very big in all these other things.
And that’s what I love, I love a brand that is well-connected in those aspects of things, because it represents me. I identify with that a lot. And honestly, also, I’ve been wearing Puma, I think probably six months before I even signed with them, because it was just a comfortable ass cleat. The traction whenever I cut, I have really bad plantar fasciitis, my problems were kind of going away whenever I was starting to wear Puma. So, I just figured, hey, it’s a brand that’s growing a lot. It’s big. I really love streetwear and the baggy kind of look and everything.
So, it was a brand that just fit with me, that I identified with a lot, and just their thought process of where they want to grow the game, how they want to help grow the game, as well. That is right in line with the motto that we have with the national team with change soccer in America forever. So, it linked up pretty well.
I know a big thing with you joining Puma was sitting at that intersection of culture and sport. What is so appealing to you about being able to merge those two worlds together?
It’s very big, honestly. I think one of the leading guys, I want to say, that really helped merge and kind of bring a big eye to culture and sport was Memphis Depay. He was very big into fashion, very big into music. You have people like Rihanna, as well, that were a part of the brand that, merging the music industry and sport, as well.
So, it was one of those things that, you know, I go to fashion week, I go to events, I do all these things. And even right now, for instance, whenever I’m going around and I’m walking around the city and whatnot, I actually enjoy wearing Puma gear. And I haven’t had that in a long time where I’ve enjoyed wearing something and it just identifies with me very well, and my style, and my comfort, and my personality.
I’m talking to you on the heels of a big year for Juventus where you led them in assists, towards the top of Serie A, a lot of your general passing stats were the best in your career. What was it about this Juve team, or what did you do, that really unlocked that creative side of your game to the extent that we saw?
Honestly, I think it was just one of those things where my back was against the wall and I had no other way to go but forward, and so that’s what I kind of did. We can also say that maybe it was the FUTUREs from Puma that helped me with the accuracy and everything, because honestly, when I started wearing those, everyone was looking at me like, oh, keep wearing those, bro, you look like a baller, actually. Now when you have those on your feet, people are maybe afraid to approach you versus whenever you have other shoes on. It’s like, okay, it’s whatever, I can go take the ball from them.
But nah, it was it was one of those things where, like I said, I had my back against wall, I had no other way to go. And I think I perform best whenever I have everyone doubting me and kind of pushing me on the way out. So, I just put my head down and do what I do best, and that’s work.
If I may ask, how did you feel your back was against the wall? Did you really feel like it was coming to a big fork in the road moment in your career, where it’s like, “I gotta perform, or I don’t know what that next chapter is going to be”?
I think honestly, yeah. I think it was one of those, even coming back, it was difficult. I’m sure you’ve heard, I’ve had all the problems that I had with Juventus when I first came back, and yeah, it was one of those things where it wasn’t the first time in my career — it was the first time in my pro career, but not the first time in my career in general — where I’ve been doubted and been kind of pushed on the way out of things. And that’s whenever I became me and reverted back to the things that I know best, which is believing in myself, cutting out all the noise, putting my head down, going to work, and doing 100 percent in everything that I do. I think honestly, if I didn’t do that, then where I’m at right now, it’d be a little bit different.
Right now, you are getting ready for a huge summer for the national team. I want to start by asking you what I asked Tim Weah a few weeks ago: Just generally, how are the vibes around the team heading into Copa America?
They’re amazing. Literally as we’re speaking, we have Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Brenden Aaronson walking by. We have a team lounge, we all get along so well, it’s like a big family. It’s family away from my original family from home, it’s amazing. The guys, we’re starting to click a little bit more on the field, as well, because this is the longest period of time that we’ve been together.
The last game against Brazil, you can kind of see it, that it was a little bit piecing together. You can look at the Colombia game and say, well, that was the complete opposite. But I think it was just a lot of mistakes on our own that caused the game to turn out the way it did. But I think we’re a team that, we kind of have our bases and the American culture in general has its bases — whenever you think of U.S. Soccer, you think they’ll fight til the end, play hard and honest and everything. And so, we have those anchors, but we also have our own little way of adding some things to it, as well.
So, I think it’ll be an interesting Copa America for us, and a big chance for us to show ourselves against other top level countries again.
You mentioned those two friendlies, and you guys really did show some serious resiliency against Brazil. And I guess want to know what happened in the three days between Colombia and Brazil, because it would have been very easy to just go through the motions in a friendly against Brazil, but I got the sense all 11 guys were hell bent on putting forth the best effort they could.
We spoke about it, obviously. And we realized, we asked ourselves questions in meetings, and we said, look, what does it look like to be successful? We named off a bunch of things, and kinda came to a realization that all those things that we named off to become successful was everything that we could actually control. Because there’s some things you can’t control in the game — you can’t control the referee, you can’t control the pitch, you can’t control the weather.
But the things that we named off — our effort, our intensity, knowing our roles, doing our roles to the best ability that we can, those are things that we can control. Whenever we’re at our best is whenever everyone’s playing at a high intensity and has a maximum effort. And so, we didn’t even want to focus on the result against Brazil, we were just focused on the performance. We said that we want to give our maximum performance, we want to give a performance that we’re happy with, that we can walk off feeling good about. And in return, if we can do that, then the result should be in our favor. The way that it ends up, obviously, sometimes doesn’t work like that. But that’s what we wanted, and that’s how we went into that game, as well.
So something you mentioned to me, and I heard you mention in other interviews, is that you guys have never been in the camp this long together. And I’m interested in how you guys have taken advantage of that, either on or off the pitch, to get yourselves in a place where you are locked in and ready to go come June 23.
I think there’s a balance that needs to be had whenever you’re in camps, as far as like, you know, freedom whenever we’re not training and freedom whenever things are close to the game and stuff. I think the coaching staff and Gregg do a very good job in terms of not making it feel like we’re in a prison. We have things around the hotel that we can do, we have a lounge, we have mini basketball hoops, we have a screen projector, we have Jenga, we have a ping pong table, kind of free flowing. We can leave the hotel after training and go just visit around and whatnot and come back for dinner, and sometimes we have dinners on our own, as well.
I think it’s really important in terms of the mental aspect of the players to feel like this is a family environment. It’s like you’re going home and visiting your family. So that’s how it is whenever I, at least, come into camp. I just feel like, yeah, maybe I’m not with my family, but I’m with my other family, because I’m spending time with these guys a lot throughout the year. And sometimes I see these guys more than I do my own family.
So yeah, I think heading into Copa America, it’s really important to keep that balance and make sure that everyone is happy and has enough energy to go into these games.
I want to ask about Gregg, because any national team manager is always going to be under a ton of pressure from people on the outside. And then I watch you guys, and there’s a clear connection with him and the players — someone scores and guys are running over to him and celebrating, you doing that during the Nations League in 2021 was the first time I noticed guys do that. What is it about Gregg that makes you guys go out there and give it your all for him?
Obviously, it’s a journey that we’ve been through together. A lot of us, we didn’t start our journey with him, but our four-year build-up to the World Cup started with him. And also, just because he’s a relatable coach. He was a player himself. He’s a coach that listens to the players in terms of, if he asks us things or asks our opinions on things, he’ll listen to it actually, and take into consideration, and try to accommodate for those things.
So, I think that’s what ultimately makes it easier to go out run through a brick wall for him. And he’s a very good player’s coach. He’ll talk to you about life in general. I’ve had moments in my career, and I’ve had heartbreaks in my career, and I’ve confided in and talked to him, and I’ve cried in front of him. And he holds everyone accountable — he really puts forward the whole thing, no player is bigger than the team. And I think that’s what also is valued in terms of the way players view him.
Honestly, I don’t know if he’s tried it, to be fair. Every time I see him, I just ask him how he’s liking America and what’s his plan and everything. And honestly, he loves it in America, which I was very surprised about because he’s a very traditional Italian type guy. But he came to America, and he’s actually, I think, he’s still in America right now working with LAFC a bit. It’s lovely to see that, his English is getting better, he’s just an all-around good guy. And hopefully if I see next time, or if I know that I’m gonna see him, I’ll just bring him a ranch bottle.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Kevin Durant is the latest to enter the discourse, but only because he was directly asked about it by The Wall Street Journal‘s Emma Tucker at Cannes Lions 2024.
“I still think it’s proper steps you gotta take in our world to be considered an Olympian,” Durant said around the seven-minute mark of the 34-minute conversation. “I think she’s gonna definitely be on one of these teams going forward, but right now, there was better candidates out there, I think.”
The 2024 USA Basketball Women’s Olympic Team will be Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young. Head coach Cheryl Reeve will look to guide the program to its eighth-straight Olympic gold medal. Meanwhile, Durant will make the trip to Paris to represent USA Basketball for a fourth consecutive Olympics, as the men seek their fifth-straight gold.
To Durant’s point, a subset of women’s basketball fans were upset that Arike Ogunbowale missed the cut, despite starting the 2024 WNBA season by recording at least 20 points in each of the first 11 games. However, Ogunbowale revealed on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe, Ochocinco, and Gilbert Arenas that she had withdrawn her name from the Olympic pool “months ago” because of how subjective it is.
Clark’s fervent fan base was very upset that she didn’t make the team for too many reasons to list out here, but a through line in the outrage was the belief that nobody would watch the USA Basketball Women’s team compete without her because Clark drives ratings.
On June 11, USA Basketball Selection Committee Chair Jen Rizzotti explained “the basketball criteria” involved in finalizing the roster.
“When you base your decision on criteria, there were other players that were harder to cut because they checked a lot more boxes,” Rizzotti told The Associated Press. Rizzotti additionally noted that choosing a player can depend on “position, style of play for [Reeve], and then sometimes a vote.”
Rizzotti emphasized, “It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team. Because it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for Cheryl.”
Clark gracefully addressed missing the squad, acknowledging that “it’s the most competitive team in the world” and clarifying that she wasn’t disappointed because “it just gives you something to work for.”
A new documentary tracking the rise and fall of music mogul Lou Pearlman will stream on Netflix this summer. In Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam, viewers will learn how Pearlman formed some of the biggest boy bands of the ’90s, including Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and O-Town. The documentary will also explore allegations against Pearlman, who, in his lifetime, was accused and charged with racketeering, money laundering, and ponzi schemes.
“Lou Pearlman changed music culture forever,” reads a description of the documentary on Netflix’s publication, Tudum. “The architect of an extraordinary era of pop, he launched the careers of The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, O-Town and so many more. But he also carried a dark secret. With never-before-seen archive and unique access highlighting the artists’ epic rise to global stardom, this series uncovers Pearlman’s web of lies, revealing the harsh realities of fame, power, exploitation and greed.”
Dirty Pop is directed by David Terry Fine, known for his work on documentaries like Can You Read My Lips? and Salaam Dunk. The title alludes to the 2001 song “Pop” by *NSYNC.
Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam will stream on Netflix beginning July 24, which, coincidentally is the 23rd anniversary of *NSYNC’s Celebrity album.
Earlier this week, Justin Timberlake had a run-in with the law, as it was reported that he was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Sag Harbor, New York. Timberlake has yet to publicly address the situation, but now his lawyer apparently has.
Edward Burke Jr., Timberlake’s defense attorney, reportedly told TMZ, “[We] look forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake against these allegations. He will have a lot to say at the appropriate time. He is currently awaiting full discovery from the DA’s office.”
So, it would appear that Timberlake and his lawyer believe that his arrest and charges are somehow unjust.
The publication also notes that Timberlake was pulled over by police on June 17, after driving through a stop sign and was seen swerving. Timberlake allegedly told the arresting officer all he had to drink was one martini at The American Hotel. Officers apparently claim Timberlake had bloodshoot and glassy eyes, the smell of alcohol on his breath, and slowed speech, and that he failed a field sobriety test and refused to do a breathalyzer.
Timberlake supposedly spent the night in jail before being released without bail the next morning, June 18. He is due to make a court appearance in July.
If there is one thing Norman Reedus loves, it’s motorcycles. If there are two things that Norman Reedus loves, it’s motorcycles and hyping up Keanu Reeves, and luckily, he has gotten to do both over the years. Sometimes at the same time!
Reedus appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where the concept of Reeves came up, as it often does. Kimmel asked the actor how he met Keanu, when he revealed that they met in the most cosmic way: at a red light.
“I originally met Keanu at a red light. It was like ‘Hey!’ ‘Hey!’” He started. What else are you going to say to someone at a stoplight, after all. After the two met, Reedus really wanted him on his motorcycle docuseries, Ride With Norman Reedus.
“Then I tried to get him on Ride, obviously, because he’s a big bike guy,” Reedus began. He explained, “But I was up at the top of Mount Fuji during a snow storm and I rode up there with two bald monks on Harleys. And I’m calling Keanu from the top of the mountain and I’m like, ‘Can you hear me? It’s Norman,’” he said, mimicking a missed connection. Reportedly the service is quite spotty up there. “And then I was like ‘It’s not meant to happen, I’ll try next year!’
Reedus is also joining the John Wick universe by appearing in the spinoff, Ballerina. It turned out to be a lot harder than a scenic bike ride.
“I know Keanu, and my hat’s off to him because it’s a very physical, full-on, I-need-a-bottle-of-Advil-all-day-long type of job,” Reedus recently told Collider. “But it’s fun. It’s super fun,” he admitted.
Maybe one day Keanu and Norman can do a normal friend activity, like grabbing a coffee or going out to dinner or throwing around a football. There doesn’t always have to be intense action sequences going on!
However, social media has also connected people around the world in a way that humanity has never seen before. That can be both good and bad, but when it’s good, it can delight and inspire people around the globe.
That’s where an Icelandic puffin sweater comes in.
Celia Robbins shared a post on X explaining that her 14-year-old daughter had asked her if she ever has any regrets.
“While I know she was asking this question on a philosophical level, my mind immediately went to this puffin sweater I saw in Iceland,” she wrote. “It’s been 3 years since I saw it in a shop there, & I still regret not buying it.”
— (@)
Three years may seem like a long time to be pining for a sweater, but non-buyer’s remorse is a real thing, especially when you can’t just hop online and order something. Robbins really loves puffins, but the sweater was too expensive for her buy at the time, and when she went back to Iceland in 2022, she couldn’t find it again.
Fortunately—but unexpectedly—a random stranger who lives 4,000 miles away had the exact opposite regret about exactly the same sweater.
My regret is that I bought this exact sweater for my wife two years ago. She has worn it zero times. I’m in NYC. Cover shipping and it’s yours.
David Wiskus, who is the CEO of Nebula and lives in New York, shared that his regret was that he bought that puffin sweater for his wife two years ago on a trip to Iceland.
“She has worn it zero times,” he wrote. “I’m in NYC. Cover shipping and it’s yours.”
Robbins was incredulous, but Wiskus was serious. “I would never joke about a puffin sweater,” he wrote.
— (@)
The people of X became invested in the puffin sweater exchange. What are the chances, after all?
But sure enough, 10 days after Robbins posted the photo of the sweater she wished she’d bought, it arrived at her home in Berlin, Germany. Wiskus even covered the shipping and expedited it, despite Robbins offering to pay for it.
And wouldn’t you know, it fits her perfectly.
People are amazing!
Just 10 days ago, I shared a thought about one of my regrets in life. Of course, not buying a sweater sounds like a minor regret, but SO MANY could relate!
Robbins told TODAY.com she almost started crying when she received the package.
“I don’t know how else to explain it, but it’s like a tiny little moment where the universe cared about me,” she said. “I’m living in a new country. We’ve only been in Berlin for like 11 months, and sometimes life is really hard. I don’t speak German. I thankfully have a job where I get to speak English, but this was just the universe being like, ‘Hey, I care about you and what you want.’”
Wiskus told TODAY.com that he was on a work trip to Amsterdam when he happened to come across Robbins’ tweet and immediately recognized the sweater. It still had the tags on it in his wife’s closet.
“I was sincere. I would happily get rid of that sweater,” he said. “I didn’t realize so many people on the internet would be that excited about it.”
“I can’t stress enough, I really thought this was just, like, doing a funny bit with a random stranger on (X) and it’s just turned into this other thing,” he added. “But the sincerity of it is what I find so charming.”
How does his wife feel about him giving away her sweater? She’s okay with it, he said, but she did tell him, “you’re going to have to take me to Iceland so I can get another sweater.”
People have loved the story on Upworthy’s Instagram page, celebrating the internet being utilized for something so wholesome and magical:
“This is ABSOLUTELY what the internet is for. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“This is what I had hoped the internet and social media would partly be, connecting people around the world in really zany but loving ways. Keeping hope alive.”
“Stories like these keep me coming back to the internet 😍👏🐧”
“This is the best damn use of the internet—more like this story!”
Who knew it a puffin sweater would bring people together to gush over the positive side of social media.
Instead of signing the agreement, Swift opted to re-record her first six albums released under Big Machine, which would allow her full ownership of the new masters.
In a two-episode docuseries called Taylor Swift Vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood, viewers will get a look at each side of the argument, with one episode exploring Swift’s side that the sale was conducted behind her back and that she has since been blocked from purchasing her recordings, and the other episode examining Braun’s allegations that Swift refused to negotiate and instead, prompted her fan base against him in a public feud.
As Swift maintains her status as a household name, and the biggest pop star in the world right now, Swifties aren’t going to want to miss this television event.
How to watch Taylor Swift Vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood
According to a press release from Warner Bros. Discovery, Taylor Swift Vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood will stream on various platforms worldwide.
In the US, the docuseries will stream on Max, and in the UK, fans can stream it on Discovery+.
“Taylor Swift’s dispute with Scooter Braun over the ownership of her music exploded into the mainstream, taking contract law from boardroom to social media and into public interest,” said Charlotte Reid, Vice President of Commissioning, Networks & Streaming at WBD U.K. & Ireland, in a statement. “It’s a high-profile, high-interest story that opened debate on fandom and dominated headlines, one which will resonate with our viewers who are highly engaged with access-led documentaries like ‘vs’, which continues to be a popular format on discovery+.”
Taylor Swift Vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood is executive produced by Matt Reid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
The Worldwide Leader in Sports has broadcast the NBA Finals for years, and based on all the reporting around the upcoming media rights deal, that’s not going to change. That said — and I’m saying this purely anecdotally — this year, it really felt like the gripes about the way ESPN presents the Finals were ramped up. A part of this was the series itself, which featured three blowouts, but there are clearly some things that just aren’t working as they should.
We’ve seen what ESPN is capable of at its very best when it’s broadcasting an event, and the Finals just don’t seem to be getting the four-letter’s very best. It can only play the hand it’s dealt based on the caliber of the games it broadcasts — during the blowout win by Dallas in Game 4, Mike Breen just flat out asked the rest of the booth “So, what do you guys wanna talk about?” — but there are important tweaks that need to be made around the presentation of the whole thing to really hammer home that we’re watching something important.
The good news is that the baby doesn’t have to be thrown out with the bath water here, as there are a number of pieces in place around the broadcast that do work really well. ESPN has a very talented crew both in front of and behind the camera, but not everything is clicking, nor is everyone being given the full opportunity to shine. Today, we wanted to separate things into two camps: what ESPN should keep as part of its Finals broadcast, and what needs to be changed.
KEEP: Mike Breen and Doris Burke
Breen is the best of the best, and that’s not just in basketball. Think through the other major American sports and try to think of which other broadcasters bring the gravitas that he does to a specific sporting event. Jim Nantz does it with the Masters, and … that might be it. It’s not a knock on anyone else, but Breen’s got the right voice and the right energy, has built himself as an institution in his sport over his many years at ESPN, and is still exceptional at calling games and meeting the moment.
As for Burke, she’s been a great basketball analyst for a long time in just about every capacity, and getting moved to the top booth in the aftermath of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson’s departures made a ton of sense. Her love of the game and her ability to break things down for a viewer make her really great on television, plus she’s really good at sliding in lines that are just great, like her Caitlin Clark quip from Game 5 of the NBA Finals. She should not go anywhere any time soon, and I think having a new color commentator alongside her would go a long way.
CHANGE: JJ Redick (because they may have to)
Redick got thrown into a pretty impossible spot this year, and in fairness to him, he did about as good of a job as he could for someone who was dropped into the top booth midseason because Doc Rivers took the Milwaukee Bucks job. Part of the issue is, he and Burke want to be in sort of the same spots as analysts. That can lead to some really good basketball conversation between the two, but it also created some awkwardness when the booth just needed some excitement. Redick is so serious about basketball (which is possibly going to land him the Lakers job) that he didn’t always seem natural doing fun, in-game banter with Breen and Burke, or reading highlights going into breaks.
He’s a leading candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job, and even if he doesn’t get it, going through a proper search to find a replacement for Rivers would make sense. That’s especially true now that Breen and Burke have a year under their belt, giving us a real sense for what the booth needs next to them — I think someone a little more lighthearted, with Breen playing it straight with the play-by-play and Burke as the link between the two, would work well. Whether that’s someone already on the ESPN roster like Richard Jefferson, or if they were to go out and try to poach a TNT analyst with Turner seemingly losing broadcasts rights after next season, a mild shakeup to the top booth may be in order to loosen up what felt at times to be a stiff trio.
KEEP: Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski
Andrews has turned into a very good point guard between her NBA Today and NBA Countdown responsibilities. She knows how to set up the rest of the panel and keep a conversation moving, which is the most important job of a studio show host, especially when they’re comfortable being part of the conversation and not just getting steamrolled all the time. After years of NBA Countdown trying its hardest to find a long-term host, Andrews has answered the call, and she should stay behind the desk for as long as she wants. On top of her duties on set, she’s also terrific handling sit-down interviews with players.
As for Wojnarowski, listen, it’s not super necessary to have an insider on the broadcasts, but ESPN does a good job using him during the pregame show for quick segments and not overextending him. Here’s some insight on the Kristaps Porzingis injury, here’s an update on the biggest news elsewhere in basketball, boom, done. You get the exact right amount of Woj on NBA Countdown, and unless you’re someone who just hates slop in all forms (which, I get it), it’s worth keeping him in his current role.
CHANGE: Everything else about the pregame/halftime show
Building the whole plane out of Stephen A. Smith has come under a ton of fire over the years, dating back to when the show was hosted by Mike Greenberg and briefly featured Magic Johnson on the panel (remember that?!). Now, it’s just a mess. The only way Stephen A.’s entire schtick works is if he has someone capable of at least trying to match his energy on set. Instead, you have Smith riling himself up opposite two much more low-key counterparts in Michael Wilbon and Bob Myers. Myers wants to be positive all the time, which is certainly not a bad thing generally, but it’s just not the right energy to bring across the desk from Stephen A. Then there’s Wilbon, who is a Hall of Famer for good reason, but is much better on PTI where he and Tony Kornheiser can be curmudgeons together, as opposed to trying to get into debates with Stephen A.
The lack of a former player on set also makes for a bit of a strange feeling, although Kendrick Perkins does make the occasional appearance to fill that void, as that perspective is particularly valuable on a show that looks to provide analysis — especially in the NBA Finals, where someone with Finals experience can really speak authoritatively to the situation the players are about to face. ESPN kept bringing in active players during the Finals, but they were thrown into an already awkward panel with no one to really relate to on the desk. Chris Paul, Josh Hart, Paul George, and Julius Randle were all fine, but they would’ve looked much more comfortable on a desk with someone they view more as a peer.
While Wilbon is a Hall of Fame inductee for a reason and Myers can add insight as someone who has been an agent and a team executive, the show is crying out for perspective from ex-players with big personalities who know how to balance providing analysis with letting loose. We’ll see if Smith’s contract negotiations forces their hand in one way or the other here — I wonder if Smith coming back could lead to ESPN making a monster push for his friend, Charles Barkley, despite his recent claims he is going to retire, and then Countdown is built around those two and Wilbon, who is close with both Smith and Barkley.
And then, of course, there is the fact that the halftime show is objectively a disaster. ESPN would be better running 15 straight minutes of commercials instead of what it does now. Even when they gave their panel a bit more time in Game 5, Stephen A. just Stephen A.’d it up after there were attempts by the other analysts to praise the Celtics for how well they played in a title clinching game. He went on a very First Take-y rant about how Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic weren’t playing well enough, which works a lot better at 10:00 a.m. on a debate show than it does at 10:00 p.m. while the Finals are happening. Smith is undoubtedly a draw, but the attempts to embrace debate on this stage just haven’t worked, especially with this current crew.
“So where the hell is the disgust? Because I’m disgusted! This is Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and you’re on the road, the stars show up!… Luka is holding on to the ball too damn much… Kyrie is just a no-show! Just an absolute no-show right now!…” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/rKSkhZlr1y
Seriously, watch the intermission show during a Stanley Cup Final game. Obviously, the crew of Steve Levy, Mark Messier, and PK Subban (go Devils) get two 20-minute blocks that they have to fill, but they actually get the time and space to talk about the game within that, while Emily Kaplan interviews players and gets insight into what’s happened in the game so far. The NBA Finals broadcast does get that second thing in between quarters, but the differences between the two studio shows is night and day.
If I was made the supreme overlord of ESPN, I’d buy a beach house somewhere because I would presumably have a lot more money. And then, I’d keep Andrews as the host before overhauling the analysts. Have Redick (who I think would be awesome in a studio role with a touchscreen to break things down) on there if he doesn’t head to the Lakers, then hit up someone from NBA Today about moving to Countdown — I’d pick Chiney Ogwumike, who is very good at television and has earned this spot. Finally, I’d chase at least one of Jamal Crawford or Candace Parker from Turner, assuming the network is indeed going to miss out on the next NBA media rights deal. Those two are lights out in the studio, and would immediately bring a ton of respectability and a unique voice to ESPN’s coverage — I wouldn’t be opposed to Crawford as the person next to Burke and Breen, either, as he really blossomed in that role for Turner in the playoffs. You can even keep Wilbon as part of the show by having him do sit down interviews with players and pre-recorded featurettes, which he’s great at.
Do that, let them cook before the game starts, give actual space for a halftime show, have an actual postgame show (more on this later), and we have something special here.
KEEP: Lisa Salters
A pro’s pro, Salters has been good at sideline reporting forever, knows what to ask in the 20 seconds she has with someone in between quarters, and is a great emcee when it’s time to hand a team the Larry O’Brien trophy. The ultimate “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Salters is as reliable as they come. Unless she ever wants to lighten her workload and focus entirely on Monday Night Football before taking a few months to unwind — which, ESPN has a loaded roster of NBA sideline reporters, so someone good would get promoted — this is Salters’ job as long as she wants it.
CHANGE: More big video packages
It is completely insane to me — like, actively makes me upset — that we do not get more big video packages from ESPN. The introductory video leading into the start of the game broadcast is pretty good (it’s a little later in the post, where I bring up something else), but jump to the 6:14 mark of the below video:
While it’s not as over the top as something like this, it’s still awesome. That’s a pregame video for a Game 7 in the first round between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic! It was the single best thing that ESPN created all postseason, and it made the game feel even more important. Every NBA Finals game should get its own — we go through the entire season for the series that determines a champion, and special video packages would go a long way towards making them feel like the biggest thing on earth. One day after the NBA Finals came to an end, Sportsnet (which has a reputation for doing this) gave us exactly the sort of thing I’m talking about here with this incredible video package before Game 5 of Oilers-Panthers.
ESPN and the NBA are sitting on a treasure trove of footage that it can use to piece together gigantic video packages that set the tone for the game that you are about to watch, and the Worldwide Leader has one of the best video production teams on earth. This shouldn’t just be used, this should be a crucial and frequent part of broadcasts. Would anyone complain about a 2-3 minute long video package before games that gets you fired up to watch, either because it features clips from this series or iconic old moments from the franchises participating in it? Of course not! This is a great way to make the NBA Finals feel gigantic, and there’s no reason not to take advantage.
KEEP: Scott Van Pelt and Tim Legler on the postgame SportsCenter
Already said it about Salters, but it also applies here: Van Pelt and Legler are just great pros. The former is great at interviewing athletes after games and getting them to let their guard down a bit, which leads to especially good insight into the game they just played. The latter is ESPN’s single best basketball analyst, and watching him go to work with the telestrator is a delight. Plus the pair have an incredible mutual respect for one another, as evidenced by Van Pelt showing Legler love after Game 5.
The one thing I will say is that I do think there needs to be a real postgame show with the NBA Countdown crew, one which lets them flex their muscles a bit as analysts and give insights into what players think about a game that just happened. Give them 30 minutes to do that, then let Van Pelt and Legler do what they do best (Van Pelt’s interviews with players could be recorded during this time), and all of a sudden, you have at least an hour of awesome postgame content from a bunch of different perspectives, all of which will make sure talking about the game is the No. 1 priority. You could also bump Legler into a Countdown role, where I think he’d also shine, but selfishly, I really enjoy the rapport he has with SVP.
CHANGE: Give me a big musical score that says “NBA Finals”
Here (the 3:30 mark of the below video) is what greets us when broadcasts start.
The song is … fine? It’s a collection of strings that seem like they are designed to not overtake the visuals, which I do get. But let’s compare it to all four of the songs you get for a random ass NFL game.
All of these sound like they’re for a thing that is supposed to be a huge deal, and I have heard them played before regular season games that involve the Washington Commanders. Obviously, ESPN decided to go in a different direction, as it used the above song for its introduction and leaned into its ad campaign built around Metro Boomin’s “Runnin Outta Time” as a source of music. But going forward, I really want to hear a gigantic, epic musical score that makes me go “I am about to witness something special,” all while Breen welcomes me onto the grandest stage in the sport.
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has broadcast the NBA Finals for years, and based on all the reporting around the upcoming media rights deal, that’s not going to change. That said — and I’m saying this purely anecdotally — this year, it really felt like the gripes about the way ESPN presents the Finals were ramped up. A part of this was the series itself, which featured three blowouts, but there are clearly some things that just aren’t working as they should.
