Category: News

Fresh Pair is back with another customized set of kicks for a guest who confirms one of hip-hop’s longest-held urban myths. In this week’s episode, Just Blaze and Katty Customs ask Redman about the rumored longer version of his and Method Man‘s 1999 hit “Da Rockwilder.” Notoriously, the song ends with the “La-la-la-la” ad-lib after just two verses clocking in at two minutes and twenty seconds, but in what has long felt like the ultimate case of Mandela Effect, many hip-hop heads are convinced they’ve heard a longer version with extra verses.

Just decides to get to the bottom of this, asking Redman straight-up, “Why did y’all not release the full version ever? Because I know it exists. I heard a longer version at the office — once.” Obviously, he’s referring to the Def Jam office in New York City, where Red and Meth were signed at the time and where Just, then just starting out as a producer, would show up to drop off beats for Def Jam artists (namely, the ones on Roc-A-Fella Records like Jay-Z).

“First off, I wanna thank you for clearing up 20-25 years of history of debating, ‘Was there a longer version of ‘Rockwilder?’” Red laughs. “I told them it was. I’m a big fan of editing. It was dope, but it didn’t resonate the way it did if I hadn’t cut it.” They go on to discuss how well the song works in a live environment as a result of the edit but Just laments not ever having the longer version — and producer Rockwilder’s insistence that no longer version exists. However, when Katty asks whether Redman has the full version on his phone, his answer is definitive.

You can watch the clip of Redman and Just Blaze discussing “Da Rockwilder” above.

With all of the various reboots and revivals that have been flooding the movie market lately, there is one Disney movie that has been perpetually left out of the conversation, and that is Enchanted.

The 2007 movie acted almost as a parody of past Disney movies like Snow White and also introduced new audiences to that fun live-action/animated hybrid that we all know and love from Roger Rabbit. Plus, it helped launch the iconic career of Amy Adams into breakout status. Maybe this will give her the Oscar she deserves. Moral of the story: this movie should have its own chapter in U.S. history books. And now, finally, we are getting the long-awaited sequel.

The long-awaited sequel, Disenchanted brings back Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Idina Menzel, and James Marsden alongside new cast members Maya Rudolph, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jayma Mays, and Gabriella Baldacchino. Just like its predecessor, the movie will blend animation and live-action while also playing with some classic tropes, and more importantly, introduce the world to another cute new cat sidekick. We can always use more of those.

As per the synopsis:

It has been more than ten years since Giselle (Amy Adams) and Robert (Patrick Dempsey) wed, but Giselle has grown disillusioned with life in the city, so they move their growing family to the sleepy suburban community of Monroeville in search of a more fairy tale life. Unfortunately, it isn’t the quick fix she had hoped for. Suburbia has a whole new set of rules and a local queen bee, Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph), who makes Giselle feel more out of place than ever. Frustrated that her happily ever after hasn’t been so easy to find, she turns to the magic of Andalasia for help, accidentally transforming the entire town into a real-life fairy tale and placing her family’s future happiness in jeopardy. Now, Giselle is in a race against time to reverse the spell and determine what happily ever after truly means to her and her family.

Disenchanted will premiere on Disney+ on November 18th. Check out the trailer above.

Approximately two weeks of the 2022-23 NBA season are in the books and the Portland Trail Blazers sit atop the Western Conference standings. While the Blazers did make offseason moves aimed clearly at short-term improvement, preseason expectations were relatively modest for Portland, with most of the focus on whether Damian Lillard and company could threaten for inclusion in the 2023 playoffs. Though it is still quite early, Portland has impressed, posting a 5-1 record that includes a comfortable, 14-point win without Lillard on the floor on Friday, and optimism is bubbling around the organization.

Lillard’s status was one of the great intrigue coming into the year, simply because he appeared in only 29 games before season-ending surgery a year ago. Immediately, Lillard reminded observers of his brilliance, scoring 31 points or more in three of the first four games, and he is shooting 39.2 percent from three-point range and generating 8.4 free throw attempts per game in the early going. Unfortunately, Lillard will be sidelined for a bit with a calf strain but, provided that injury heals in accordance with the public timetable, he’ll be back soon and spearheading a dynamic offense.

At the end of October, the Blazers ranked in the top ten of the NBA in both offensive and defensive efficiency, out-scoring opponents by nearly five points per 100 possessions. Portland’s defense may be a bit weaker in time, but the offense has a 59.5% true shooting mark and plenty of firepower. That includes Anfernee Simons, who will step into the No. 1 creation role as long as Lillard is out, and the $100 million man is averaging 20.5 points per game in his follow-up to a 2021-22 breakout. Jerami Grant brings two-way appeal and, even in a small sample, lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe has shown highly intriguing flashes.

As with any early-season success story, the Blazers will need to prove it over a larger sample. Portland hasn’t faced the most difficult schedule to this point, with four games at home and two road games against scuffling opponents in Sacramento and Los Angeles. Still, the Blazers have shown enough to create some excitement, and the team’s next contest is a nationally televised showcase spot against Memphis on Wednesday, with Portland entering on three days rest.

Where do the Blazers stack up in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s explore the week two space.

1. Milwaukee Bucks (6-0, Last week — 1st)

One NBA team remains unbeaten, making this an easy choice. Milwaukee has the best defensive rating (103.7) in the NBA to go along with Giannis and a proven group. The Bucks could certainly use Khris Middleton on offense and the schedule has been soft, but they’ve taken care of business.

2. Phoenix Suns (5-1, Last week — 3rd)

Phoenix is on a four-game winning streak, and the Suns have quality wins this season. The Suns have toppled the Pelicans, Warriors, Clippers, and Mavericks, with the team’s only loss coming by a single possession in a road game against Portland. Deandre Ayton is banged-up, but the Suns are still operating as a high-quality regular season entity.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (5-1, Last week — 10th)

After a season-opening road loss in Toronto, Cleveland is on a five-game winning streak. The crown jewel is a road win over Boston, but Cleveland also beat up the Knicks over the weekend and blasted the Bulls earlier in the month. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 32.2 points per game in his new home, and Cleveland is scoring almost 1.17 points per possession as a team despite the absence of Darius Garland.

4. Boston Celtics (4-2, Last week — 4th)

Based on this season alone, the Celtics wouldn’t be this high. Boston looks fine, especially on offense, but the defense isn’t quite in high gear just yet (which isn’t a shock given the absence of Robert Williams). That led to a 132-point allowance to the Cavs (that pushed Cleveland above Boston on this list) and another loss to Chicago. No one should be worried, but that’s at least worth noting.

5. Portland Trail Blazers (5-1, Last week — 6th)

As noted above, the Blazers have a nice test on Wednesday against Memphis. After that comes road games in Phoenix (twice) and Miami, so we’ll learn a lot about Portland in the next week or so.

6. New Orleans Pelicans (4-2, Last week — 8th)

Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson have appeared for three and four games respectively, and the Pelicans are 4-2. New Orleans has real depth (hello, Trey Murphy), and the Pelicans have a sparkling 117.5 offensive rating in the early going. There are steps to take to reincorporate Zion, but he looks good, and there is a ton of optimism in New Orleans.

7. Golden State Warriors (3-4, Last week — 2nd)

The Warriors are higher on this list than a typical team would be with this seven-game profile. Golden State is 3-4 after losing three games this week, Klay Thompson is struggling badly, and the Warriors are No. 23 in defense. Does this matter? We’ll see, but I lean to “no.”

8. Utah Jazz (6-2, Last week — 15th)

We covered the Jazz in depth a week ago and Utah went out and won three of the next four games. That included a mini-sweep of the Grizzlies and, against all odds, this group has a top-10 defensive rating. That is the end of the floor where the results are far less believable in the long term, but the Jazz are just playing well.

9. San Antonio Spurs (5-2, Last week — 16th)

The Josh Primo situation drew the headlines around the Spurs this week, and nothing about that is good. On the floor, the Spurs have won five of six, and they are the inverse of Golden State in that the profile might even be better than this ranking. To be fair, San Antonio has been out-scored for the season despite a 5-2 record, but it’s been an intriguing start.

10. Philadelphia 76ers (4-4, Last week — 20th)

It’s not as if the Sixers are suddenly firing on all cylinders, but they’ve won four of the last five. That was needed after an 0-3 start, and the Sixers are in the top eight of the NBA in offensive rating. Philadelphia’s defensive rating was 111.2 over the five-game uptick, and the panic has subsided at the very least.

11. Toronto Raptors (4-3, Last week — 17th)

There was a 22-point loss in the middle, but the Raptors just beat the Heat, Sixers, and Hawks over an eight-day span. That run was punctuated by an absolute blasting of Atlanta on Monday, and Toronto’s roster weirdness was on full display. In a game without Fred VanVleet, the Raptors flooded the zone with 6’8 guys and forced Trae Young into 10 turnovers while torching Atlanta’s defense for 48 minutes.

12. Memphis Grizzlies (4-3, Last week — 7th)

Memphis dips after back-to-back losses to Utah. Given where the Jazz are on this list, those defeats aren’t as ugly as you may think, but the Grizzlies currently rank dead-last (!) in the NBA in defense. That isn’t going to continue, but they are getting lit up in the paint on defense and that needs to change.

13. Dallas Mavericks (3-3, Last week — 11th)

The underlying data is positive on Dallas despite a 3-3 record. The Mavericks have alternated losses and wins in every game, but the defeats came by two points, two points, and six points (in overtime). Luka Doncic has a usage rate of approximately 40 percent, which is wild, but it’s working for the most part.

14. Denver Nuggets (4-3, Last week — 12th)

It’s not a full-fledged concern yet, but the Nuggets are giving up almost 1.16 points per possession on defense. The offense remains good, and Nikola Jokic is an alien, but Denver has two losses of 20-plus points and it’s been a roller coaster to start.

15. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-3, Last week — 18th)

You would need 1,000 words to break down the start of Minnesota. The Wolves have played the Spurs three times already this season, and Minnesota also has two games against OKC, one against Utah, and one against the Lakers. Minnesota is 4-3, which is nice, but the offense is still rough and the defense craters anytime Rudy Gobert sits. They need time.

16. Atlanta Hawks (4-3, Last week — 9th)

The Hawks ran into a Toronto buzzsaw on Monday, but that’s a one-off that shouldn’t inspire too much panic. Atlanta competed all the way to the end against Milwaukee on the road on a back-to-back and held serve against a soft early schedule. November brings more challenges for the Hawks, but the issue might be that the defense, particularly at the point of attack, hasn’t been fixed by Dejounte Murray’s arrival.

17. L.A. Clippers (3-4, Last week — 5th)

After four straight losses, the Clippers narrowly beat the lowly Rockets on Monday. Kawhi Leonard has played in four games and won’t be on a two-game trip this week. Encouragingly, the defense has been excellent, but the Clippers haven’t been able to score and, uh, they need Kawhi to play.

18. New York Knicks (3-3, Last week — 14th)

There is amusing synergy for the Knicks right now. New York is 3-0 at Madison Square Garden and 0-3 on the road. The Knicks also beat three bad teams in the Pistons, Magic, and Hornets, while losing to three good teams in the Grizzlies, Bucks, and Cavaliers. The next five games could be revealing, with New York facing Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Minnesota, and Brooklyn in succession.

19. Chicago Bulls (3-4, Last week — 23rd)

Chicago travels to Brooklyn for a TNT battle on Tuesday that should be… interesting. The Bulls have been largely uninspiring through seven games, suffering losses to the Wizards and Spurs in addition to a throttling at home against Cleveland. DeMar DeRozan is doing his best to keep the offense afloat, but Zach LaVine has played in only four games and any hope of a Patrick Williams breakout may already be gone.

20. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3, Last week — 29th)

The Thunder played legitimately impressive defense last season, at least until they shut everyone down. That might be happening again after a three-game winning streak in which OKC allowed only 101.3 points per 100 possessions. The Thunder are No. 7 in the league in defensive rating and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is generating 31.0 points and 7.0 assists per game. That’s not the worst baseline recipe.

21. Washington Wizards (3-4, Last week — 13th)

Washington has lost four of five, and it might be time to worry. Bradley Beal had a rough season in 2021-22, and his usage rate is down. The Wizards’ bench is an adventure, especially with Delon Wright now injured, and Anthony Gill got a start at the end of the week. With Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Memphis on the schedule for the next three games, Washington might continue to slip.

22. Sacramento Kings (2-4, Last week — 21st)

After an 0-4 start, the Kings won back-to-back games over the Heat and Hornets. That explains the positioning on this list, and the duo of De’Aaron Fox and Kevin Huerter has it going on offense. Sacramento is going to need more from Domantas Sabonis on both ends, but all four losses came to quality teams, and the Kings might just be fine.

23. Charlotte Hornets (3-4, Last week — 13th)

It was a weird week for Charlotte. The Hornets went 1-3 with losses to Orlando (by 20 points) and Sacramento. The Hornets also beat the Warriors, so it wasn’t void of upside, but the highs are high and the lows are low.

24. Miami Heat (2-5, Last week — 22nd)

It’s early, but should there be some worry about the Heat? Miami’s record is one thing, but the Heat are below-average in both offensive and defensive rating, all while Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have played in every game. There isn’t a single loss that is staggeringly bad, but the latest was a defeat in Sacramento, and only a good road win in Portland keeps the Heat from dropping further.

25. Brooklyn Nets (2-5, Last week — 19th)

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are each averaging more than 30 points per game. That isn’t close to enough. Even if you look past the ongoing absurdity of Irving off the floor, the Nets can’t get stops and Brooklyn has to be a top-tier offense to have the success that is possible for this team. Through Monday, the Nets are No. 16 in offensive rating.

26. Indiana Pacers (3-5, Last week — 24th)

Myles Turner went on a podcast with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and effectively made the case for the Lakers to trade for him. That is easy to make fun of, but it’s also a stark reminder of where the Pacers are right now. Turner promptly struggled in a loss to Brooklyn, and the Pacers are a bottom-five defensive team at the moment.

27. Los Angeles Lakers (1-5, Last week — 25th)

Hey, the Lakers won a game this week. Honestly, Los Angeles looked good in the win over Denver, hitting 13 three-pointers, and Russell Westbrook has been better since moving to the bench. The Lakers are probably (?) better than this, but they still maintain the worst offensive rating (100.3) in the NBA.

28. Detroit Pistons (2-6, Last week — 27th)

Detroit is talented and spunky. Detroit is also quite bad on defense, giving up almost 1.19 points per possession. All of that is fine and, particularly in the case of Jaden Ivey, the future is brighter than the present. The Pistons are getting the breakout from Cade Cunningham, though, with the second-year standout averaging 23.1 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per contest through eight games.

29. Orlando Magic (1-6, Last week — 30th)

The Magic did blast the Hornets this week but 1-6 is 1-6. One encouraging sign is that Orlando hasn’t been blown out yet this season, and Paolo Banchero is cooking with gas. The rookie forward has led the team in scoring in five of the first seven games.

30. Houston Rockets (1-7, Last week — 28th)

Houston pushed the Clippers on Monday evening but ultimately succumbed to a fourth consecutive loss. Houston has the league’s worst record and net rating, with bottom-tier marks on both ends of the floor. Jabari Smith is scuffling a bit and, with the exception of offensive rebounding and individual work from Jalen Green, the Rockets aren’t impressing on offense.

We’re still one week out from the midterm elections, meaning we’re at least one week away from hearing which candidates won and lost their races, but MAGA Republicans across the country are already expecting the worst — and laying the groundwork for if and when that happens. Taking a page directly from Donald Trump’s playbook, several unhinged candidates are already calling foul play… but if, and only if, they lose. Seth Meyers already seems exhausted.

On Monday night, the Late Night host dedicated the bulk of his “A Closer Look” segment to the “anxiety-ridden times” we are living through. Especially given the statistical chances that a number of individuals who actually believe that Trump won the 2020 election could soon be in positions that will allow them to have a say over our elections. According to Meyers:

Republicans have made it clear if they win back power they’ll do things like impeach Joe Biden, pass a national abortion ban, and threaten to detonate the economy to force cuts to social security and Medicare. But it’s not just congress where pivotal elections are being held. Pro-Trump election deniers across the country are running for key positions that would allow them to supervise elections in swing states, and some are poised to win.

The Washington Post conducted an exhaustive survey and found that a majority of GOP nominees on the ballots this fall deny or question the 2020 results. And the website FiveThirtyEight found that most of those candidates are likely to win.

Just how bad is it? It’s estimated that 60 percent of American voters are expected to have an election denier on their ballots next week. It’s a startling statistic, and a terrifying one because, as Meyers said, “We simply cannot have a functioning democracy where one party denies the legitimacy of any election they don’t win.”

Unsurprisingly, these win-at-all-costs belief that Republicans can be the only winners, have led to some suspicious and outright dangerous behaviors on the part of some MAGAts who believe they’re on the right side of history. “In Arizona, for example, self-appointed ‘poll watchers’ — some with guns and tactical gear — have been loitering near early voting drop boxes to intimidate voters,” Meyers explained.

Ultimately, Meyers admitted that “It continues to shock me how these guys continue to be both incredibly dangerous menaces and also compete dipsh*ts at the same time. We are living in an era of lethal dipsh*ts!”

You can watch the full segment above.

Halloween was yesterday, which means today, we start looking forward to Christmas. That’s what Mariah Carey is doing in a new video, anyway.

The video starts with a black-and-white clip of Carey riding a stationary bike in a witch get-up, presumably a reference to the famous Wizard Of Oz scene. All the while, calendar dates progress towards the end of October as Carey starts laughing maniacally. Once they finally hit November, the scene transitions to Carey wearing a Santa-like suit and sitting on a reindeer, and she sings in a whistle register, “It’s time!” She captioned the video, “IT’S TIIIIIIIIME!!!!!!!! [Christmas tree emoji] [party popper emoji] [heart emoji] #MariahSZN.”

Carey’s enthusiasm for the holiday season is completely understandable. After all, her 1994 hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has gone No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during each of the past three holiday seasons and in each of the past four years (2019 to 2022). Already, the song is building up momentum again: As of this morning, it’s back in the top 40 of the US iTunes chart.

The singer has already announced plans for this holiday season, too. They include Christmas concerts in New York and Toronto for mid-December, as well as a brand new children’s book, The Christmas Princess.

Saweetie get personal in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, opening up about her breakup with Migos rapper Quavo, meditation, and her upcoming projects — The Single Life and Pretty B*tch Music, which are expected to debut before the end of the year.

The California rapper revealed that both projects will trek though her journey with heartbreak, bouncing back, and reclaiming her single womanhood.

“I’m excited to share what I went through,” Saweetie told RS. “I think as I was making it, I was more proud to be single. Because I realized that I was growing, I realized that I was elevating. And I realized that I was becoming a better woman.”

Later, Saweetie shared how meditation has been the “antidote to her heartbreak,” helping her find inner peace amid the storm. “If you can’t be by yourself, I think it’s a reflection of how you feel internally,” she said.

Currently, there are no release dates for The Single Life or Pretty Bitch Music, but Saweetie wants fans to know they won’t have to wait much longer.

“She’s coming,” Saweetie said in regards to PBM. “She’s still in the womb, I haven’t popped her out. I want to thank my fans for patiently waiting. It’s been a year. It’s been a while. I’ve been recording officially for a year, non-stop.”

Rina Sawayama dropped by Late Night With Seth Meyers for a special Halloween performance of her single, “Frankenstein,” and she sure brought the spooky energy. With purple fog, green lighting, and an all-black outfit, Sawayama’s live take of the track was truly electrifying. She even committed to the theme, with hair reminiscent of the Bride Of Frankenstein. If you perform on a holiday, it just has to be great. And it was.

“Her US tour kicks off tomorrow night with two sold-out shows here in New York,” Meyers introduced Sawayama before the song started, referencing her two shows at the Great Hall at Avant Gardner in Brooklyn. Her North American tour continues through the winter, with a continued leg in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in 2023. More information is available here.

“Frankenstein” appears on Sawayama’s sophomore album, Hold The Girl. “I wanted to write about how I’ve relied on my partner to help put me back together, but I realized it’s no one’s job but mine,” she said of the song in a statement. It also recently received a music video, which finds the boss b*tch version of herself dancing — while the original is locked in the bathroom.

Watch Sawayama perform “Frankenstein” on Late Night above.

Margot Robbie has played an Olympic figure skater, a baseball bat-wielding anti-hero, and the “hottest blonde ever.” But her most demanding performance is still to come.

“I’ve never worked that hard in my life,” Robbie told the Wall Street Journal about her role in Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, where she plays “fully animalistic” 1920s actress Nellie LaRoy. “[I was] shattered by the end of that job.” She channeled two animals to prepare for the part: an octopus (“She could be both fluid and transformative”) and a honey badger (“She is ready for a fight — constantly. They’re just so thick skinned”).

Chazelle praised Robbie for being “utterly fearless,” adding, “There’s this sort of ravenous physical bravado to her. On the other hand, she’s also the most technically skilled thespian you could hope to work with as a director.”

Robbie, who will follow her role in Babylon by portraying Barbie in the most important movie of 2023, also discussed the “hottest blonde ever” designation, which is how her The Wolf of Wall Street character was described in the script. “I was going to have to show people that I could do something different,” she said. “I didn’t want to get pigeonholed.”

Babylon comes out on December 23.

(Via the Wall Street Journal)

‘Tis the season to role play! While Halloween has become synonymous with ghouls, gore, and all things spooky, it’s also a time for the flattered to do the flattering. As many of our favorite musical acts rushed to social media to share their over-the-top costumes, none quite stood out like that of Metallica legend James Hetfield.

Instead of opting for a gruesome getup, the Grammy winner traveled back in time to cosplay as himself, or at least the Stranger Things version of himself. Sporting a denim jacket with leather sleeves, faded black jeans, high-top Air Force Ones, and a Hellfire Club graphic tee, Hetfield stepped into the role of Eddie Munson effortlessly.

Since the character’s debut on the show, Munson, a magnetic metalhead, electric guitar player, and leader of the Hellfire Club has drawn comparisons to Hetfield, most notably for performing “Master Of Puppets” on the program.

While some fans were upset by the portrayal calling for supporters of the group to boycott the show, the vocalist seemed quite flattered.
Supportive fans joined in on the joke writing, “James was doing this look in the early 80s of course he’ll nail it,” and, “Eddie modeling himself after James Hetfield [then] James Hetfield dressing up as Eddie for Halloween it all comes full circle.”

If Hetfield likes it, we love it.

If Keke Palmer is angling for a role in Marvel’s reboot of the X-Men, the Nope star just came out swinging hard. For this year’s Halloween costume, Palmer dressed up as Rogue, and she showed off the end product in a set of stunning photos that would look right at home in a Marvel movie. Palmer went for Rogue’s classic look from the comics, which has been all the rage in the MCU lately. She even threw in an homage to the X-Men’s original costumes from the ’60s for a particularly eye-popping and nerdy touch.

Palmer also dropped a hilarious video where she couldn’t help but make a joke about “going Rogue” on some ass. More importantly, she nailed Rogue’s southern accent and her “Sorry, sugar” line delivery sounds right out of the ’90s animated series.

Palmer also shared her Rogue costume on Twitter where Marvel fans went freaking bananas. It didn’t take long before people starting demanding that Kevin Feige cast Palmer as the iconic mutant because she clearly has the looks for the part and the acting chops. Palmer recently crushed it in Nope, so she’s ready for some more blockbuster action.

Anna Paquin played Rogue in the original X-Men movies, but due to rights issues, that interpretation of the character had to stray away from the source of Rogue’s powers. In the comics, she gained her strength and flying ability by absorbing Captain Marvel‘s powers, so it’ll be interesting to see if the MCU goes that route now that it has all the Marvel characters under one roof and a fantastic Keke Palmer waiting in the wings.

(Via Keke Palmer on Instagram)