Category: News

Michael Porter Jr. has to be one of the most intriguing young players around the league. Prior to suffering a back injury during his senior year in college, he was widely considered one of the top two or three players in the 2018 Draft class, so the Nuggets felt like they got a steal when he nearly fell out of the lottery altogether.

He’s shown flashes of what made him such a sought-after talent during his time in Denver, and with the Nuggets once again primed to contend in the West, he figures to be integral part of their long-term plan as he’s now assumed a starting role. At the moment, however, all that will have to remain on hold.

According to the latest reports, MPJ is set to miss multiple games because of COVID contact tracing protocols. It remains unclear whether Porter has tested positive for COVID or whether he’s simply been exposed somewhere along the way, but nonetheless, the league is taking every precaution.

Via Mike Singer of The Denver Post:

The team’s internal expectation is that Porter will miss multiple games, the source said. The start of his protocol began Thursday. After Friday’s game against Phoenix, the Nuggets take on the Timberwolves on Sunday and again on Tuesday.

Porter was among numerous Nuggets players late to the “Bubble,” when he arrived in late July more than two weeks after the rest of the team did. Team officials later confirmed numerous cases of COVID, though Porter’s case was never specifically confirmed.

It’s also unclear exactly how many games Porter might miss, as Will Barton is reportedly set to start in his place. Porter has been averaging 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds so far this season.

(The Denver Post)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has really upped her clout in the music video world lately. Last month, she directed name buddy Phoebe Bridgers’ Paul Mescal-starring clip for “Savior Complex,” and lately, it has been rumored that she would be starring in a Harry Styles video. Sure enough, that has been confirmed, as she and Styles have started off the new year with a video for “Treat People With Kindness.”

It’s a fun black-and-white clip that begins with Styles performing on stage with backing dancers in a fancy club. Eventually, Waller-Bridge, who seems to be in charge of the place, enters the room, and as Styles dances on tables, he notices Waller-Bridge, pulls her on stage, and the two wrap things up by dancing together in a delightful display.

Styles concluded his 2020 by facing backlash from conservative critics over his gender-bending sense of style, sparked by him wearing a dress in a magazine profile. This all went down in November, but even as the year was drawing to a close, Styles was still a topic of conversation. His former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne weighed in, saying, “I thought it was great. He’s enjoying himself and he’s free to do as he wishes. I think people don’t need to be so bothered about stuff.”

Watch the “Treat People With Kindness” video above.

Foo Fighters have a new album, Medicine At Midnight, on the way, which they have revealed previously has been done for a while now. The pandemic forced them to do some waiting, but now that’s it’s 2020, Dave Grohl and company are done being patient. To kick off the new year, the band has shared a new single, an aggressive rocker called “No Son Of Mine.”

Grohl shared a note about the song and the band overall to fans, noting that they got tired of waiting to release the music they made:

“Dear everyone —

It was almost exactly a year ago that we finished recording out ‘new’ record Medicine At Midnight, with a massive world tour planned that would have taken us around the globe celebrating our 25th anniversary as a band. But, well…. you know……

So we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until we finally realized that our music is made to be heard, whether it’s in a festival field with 50,000 of our closest friends, or alone in your living room on a Saturday night with a stiff cocktail.

So, the wait is over.

As we say goodbye (f*ck you) to 2020, and flip the calendar page to 2021, let’s ring in the new year with a new rocker, ‘No Son Of Mine’

Pour a drink, turn it up, close your eyes and imagine that festival field blowing up to this.

Because it f*cking will.

Happy New Year x

Dave.”

Listen to “No Son Of Mine” above.

Netflix loaded up plenty of holiday-themed goodness in case you’re still in that mood, but the streaming service also knows that you’re ready to get the heck out of 2020. This week’s fresh offerings include the next trip to the dojo for Cobra Kai with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka still bringing the rivalry with returning and fresh faces. The lineup also includes the final season (or “part”) for Kiernan Shipka’s teenage witch and friends, who are trying to save the world from Satan, of course.

Here’s everything else coming to (and leaving) the streaming platform this week.

Cobra Kai: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 1/1)

The good news? This The Karate Kid revival is still as much of an adrenaline shot as the last two rounds. The bad news? It’s also infuriatingly good. After Johnny and Daniel’s combined bad moves contributed heavily to Miguel landing in a hospital bed, Johnny’s looking for redemption. While he does the hard work in the hospital — and Kreese re-takes the dubious reigns of the Cobra Kai dojo, which makes me worried about him instructing Hawk to be even more of an anger-bear monster — Daniel-san heads to Okinawa, where an old rival is ready for him. The soul and fate of every sensei (and their students) are up for grabs. Hopefully, they’ll all make the right moves.

The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina: Part Four (Netflix series streaming 12/31)

The Riverdale spinoff will come to a (planned) end with this installment starring Kiernan Shipka. This time around, the Devil-afflicted Nick’s attempting to win Sabrina back after surrendering to his darker urges, but The Eldritch Terrors have descended upon Greendale, and The Void could truly be the End of All Things. Can the Fright Club save the day? I’m (strangely) pulling for Harvey over here. And Salem the Cat. Meow.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 12/25
Bridgerton

Avail. 12/26
Asphalt Burning
DNA
Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 3: Sahara
Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 3
The Magic School Bus Rides Again In the Zone

Avail. 12/27
Sakho & Mangane: Season 1

Avail. 12/28
Death To 2020
Cops and Robbers
Rango

Avail. 12/29
Dare Me: Season 1

Avail. 12/30
Best Leftovers Ever!
Equinox
Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy: Chapter 2: Earthrise

Avail. 12/31
Best of Stand-Up 2020
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 4

And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:

Leaving 1/1
Bloodsport

Leaving 1/3
QB1: Beyond the Lights: Season 2

Leaving 1/4
Mara

Leaving 1/5
The Monster

Leaving 1/7
The Tudors: Seasons 1-4

Leaving 1/8
Mary Poppins Returns

After making a run to the 2020 Western Conference Finals that included a monumental comeback win over the L.A. Clippers, the Denver Nuggets are off to a bit of a shaky start in 2020-21. Denver opened the season with a 1-3 record that included two home losses but, even in a shortened 72-game campaign, the Nuggets have plenty of time to right the ship. Even with the (very slight) hiccup at the outset, Denver’s centerpiece, All-NBA center Nikola Jokic, is operating at an obscenely high level, and he even drew quite a compliment from veteran teammate Paul Millsap on New Year’s Eve.

Though Millsap’s characterization involving the big man “throwing cheeseburgers” is objectively hilarious, Jokic does make life incredibly easy for his teammates, and that is very much on display so far in 2020-21. The 25-year-old center struggled out of the gate in 2019-20, averaging just 14.9 points in the first 19 games and scuffling from an efficiency perspective. This time around, though, Jokic was in a complete groove from the outset, putting up 24.5 points, 13.5 assists and 11.5 rebounds per game in the first four contests.

Obviously, that isn’t a huge sample size, but Jokic has generate three triple-doubles in four games, shooting 62.5 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point distance along the way. Denver’s success as a team hasn’t yet arrived, but the Nuggets have some of their best on-off numbers with Jokic on the floor, which is anything but a surprise.

With the elite big man in the middle of the action, the Nuggets are scoring more than 1.2 points per possession (and outscoring their opponents overall), and Jokic’s combination of shooting efficiency and playmaking is the biggest reason for that success. His defensive acumen is always a significant topic of discussion, and it is at least somewhat limiting from a team-wide standpoint, but Jokic has been dialed in to begin the season and it is a joy to watch.

Jokic isn’t the only player for which Millsap’s cheeseburger reference would have made sense but, as of Dec. 31, he leads the NBA in assists per game. As a center, that is a wild accomplishment, even in a small sample, and when a player like Millsap speaks like this, it is a reminder that Jokic remains the best passing big man in NBA history, and he’s still in the middle of his prime.

Earlier today TDE’s Reason, born Robert Lee Gill, Jr., dropped an extended remix of his song “Extinct” off his excellent 2020 album New Beginnings featuring lots of new guests — Joey Badass, Westside Boogie, Denzel Curry and Jack Harlow. He was excited to give fans a gift before the end of the year, especially since this version of the song is packed with high-profile guests. As chance would have it, the song also samples the song “Pennyroyal” by the producer Metal Fingers (MF), another alias of MF Doom, the man born Daniel Dumile Thompson.

But today has been a heavy day in hip-hop because news broke that legendary rapper had passed away earlier in the year. The hip-hop world has been reacting with grief and an outpouring of admiration for the producer, who died at just 49. One of Doom’s frequent collaborators, Flying Lotus, also told fans that he and Doom had been working on a collaborative EP together.

For his part, Reason was surprised by the coincidence, and said he had no idea he’d be dropping a song with a prominent sample from the producer with such surreal timing. He said he “didn’t plan to drop the day Doom left us,” although today is likely just the day the news was shared. In her post honoring her husband, the late producer’s wife Jasmine said he transitioned on October 31, 2020.

https://twitter.com/reasonTDE/status/1344812815245144064

Check out Reason’s song sampling “Pennyroyal” above, and listen to the original below.

The (expanded) playoffs are coming but, well, the end of the 2020 NFL regular season is here. The first 16 weeks were quite interesting, to say the least, but there are some intriguing match-ups to monitor in the season finale. Of course, there are also some hideous football game set to take place, with nothing on the line for one or both teams taking the field. As such, Week 17 is always a minefield, and you should consider that a disclaimer in this space.

With that said, Week 16 was a nice uptick for us and, before we dive into this week’s card, it is time to take stock of the full-season progress.

• Week 16: 4-1
• 2020 Season: 39-39-2

Come get these winners.

New York Giants (+1.5) over Dallas Cowboys

This is a somewhat rare must-win for both teams in Week 17, but it could also be completely irrelevant. Washington actually holds the keys to the NFC East title, but they won’t be playing until Sunday evening. As such, the winner of Giants-Cowboys will stay alive in pursuit of a playoff berth and, at least in my view, this line is silly. The Giants were as high as 3.5-point favorites on the look-ahead, but New York lost three games in a row, which took away some of the public steam. At the same time, Dallas showed life recently, but this is an overreaction of the highest order. Give me the G-Men at home getting the small number.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+9) over Cleveland Browns

Mason Rudolph is playing quarterback for Pittsburgh, and that is the biggest reason this number is nine. I get that it isn’t ideal to back Rudolph against a team that absolutely has to win, but this number is still inflated. Cleveland is dealing with COVID-related issues, and Pittsburgh isn’t resting everyone. They are planning to play their defensive strongholds by all accounts, and Mike Tomlin also has a tremendous track record of success when leading his team as an underdog. Oh, and the Browns just can’t be laying nine points against a real team in this spot. They should win, but no thanks.

Baltimore Ravens (-12) over Cincinnati Bengals

This is weird, and I know it. Our ethos does not usually align with laying double-digits on the road in the NFL, but this is an exception. Baltimore should be at least a 14-point favorite in my view, with Cincinnati receiving a bump in the market because of their performance last week. Let’s just say the Ravens, who need to win this game for their season, will not be deploying a defense similar to Houston’s from Week 16, and Baltimore has been lights-out in recent weeks.

Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers UNDER 46.5 points

The Niners don’t have anything to play for, but this is a real rivalry and San Francisco’s defense should show up in a spoiler role. From there, I don’t trust Kyle Shanahan’s crew to do all that much offensively and, for better or worse, Seattle has decided to really grind things out offensively again in the last several weeks. It’s not a massive edge, but this is my favorite total of the week. Root for punts and field goals.

Los Angeles Rams (+3.5) over Arizona Cardinals

This is hideous, but I secretly love it. This is a must-win on both sides, but Los Angeles doesn’t have its quarterback in Jared Goff or one of its best weapons in Cooper Kupp. The Kupp absence is a big one, but the line movement (from the Rams being a substantial favorite previously) is due to Goff. John Wolford is making his first start and, yes, the line should move when accounting for a virtual unknown. At the same time, this move is far too significant, especially if you believe that Goff is a product of the system, rather than a player that the Rams have built around specifically. Los Angeles has the (much) better defense and the better head coach. Kyler Murray is terrifying, but he’s not 100 percent healthy, and the opportunity to get more than a field goal at home with the Rams is too juicy to pass up.

The hip-hop world is still reeling over the unexpected news that legendary rapper MF Doom died this year. His wife shared a message on Instagram letting fans know that he “transitioned” back in October of this year, and his death was also confirmed to HipHopDX in a statement. The outpouring of sadness and admiration from the hip-hop community in the wake of his passing has been overwhelming, as rappers and producers of all ages and from all over the country have taken to social media to mourn the loss.

One of Doom’s frequent collaborators, Flying Lotus, shared some even more sad news when a fan mentioned the dreams many fans had that the two would work on a full-length project together. “Lots of us always dreamed of a long-length project between you and MF DOOM,” the fan wrote in a response to a tweet FlyLo posted of the Doom song “Lunch Break,” which he produced.. “Now that hits differently. But I’m glad to know that both of you collaborated from time to time,” the fan continued. In response, Flying Lotus shared that he and the late rapper were in the middle of working on an EP together. “I hate to say this but we were actually working on an EP. There were more songs that I haven’t even heard.”

Maybe those collaborations will the see the light some day in the future. Rest in peace to an artist who touched many lives.

The Indiana Pacers cruised to a win on Thursday afternoon as they capped of 2020 with a 119-99 win over the Cavaliers, but after the game they got some unfortunate news.

T.J. Warren was not active for Thursday’s game as he was officially listed as dealing with a sore foot coming off of Indiana’s loss on Tuesday to Boston, but it appears the injury is worse than just discomfort. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Warren has a fractured left foot that will require surgery and keep him out indefinitely.

Warren was one of the stars of the NBA Bubble and after a quiet opener against New York seemed to be finding his stride once again with outings of 23, 17, and 17 points in the next three games. Now, the Pacers will have to turn elsewhere for scoring punch from their small forward spot. Against the Cavaliers, they turned to Aaron Holiday to step into the starting lineup and Doug McDermott found himself with a major role, and the two combined for 30 points in Warren’s absence.

They’ll need McDermott to continue his strong play to start the season, as well as both of the Holiday brothers, Aaron and Justin, who both figure to take on larger roles as the rotation for Nate Bjorkgren will shuffle. Hopefully Warren will make a full and speedy recovery and can pick back up where he left off to end 2020 whenever he returns, as his presence is important for the Pacers balanced scoring attack.

According to an interview with UK-based paper The Independent, a beloved Paula Cole track is being reinstated as the introduction and theme song to the teen drama Dawson’s Creek on streaming services. “I had no idea it was going to be such a smash, totally eclipsing my own career,” Cole told The Independent about the hit song “I Don’t Want To Wait,” which became so connected to the show that it has moved beyond just theme song.

Apparently though, a recent resurgence of fans watching old episodes of the show — possibly due to being stuck inside because of the pandemic — had been complaining that Cole’s hit had been replaced. Back in the day, when Dawson Creek showrunner Kevin Williamson heard “I Don’t Want To Wait,” he called Cole and asked to use it for his pilot. Williamson also had Alanis Morissette’s “Hand In Pocket” in mind, but that song was too expensive to license, so the network had also commissioned Canadian singer Jann Arden to write “Run Like Mad” as an option.

On the DVDs and streaming services, Sony executives opted to swap in Arden’s song instead of Cole’s, basically because it was a cheaper option. “It was really just a financial decision that was made precipitously by one executive at Sony,” Cole said. “If you start doing that with a network and with large companies, you’re throwing every artist under the bus.” But fan desire for the original theme song has been so strong that Cole and Sony are now in discussions to reinstate “I Don’t Want To Wait.”

“We’re in discussions now,” Cole said. “The main thing about it all is that it was due to fan reaction. It was due to all of their posts and their tweets and their fabulous feedback. Sony finally noticed and wanted to please their fans. I’m just really happy about that. I’m really happy that they listen and they care.”

Cole said she recorded a newer version of the song that she owns the masters to, and that will be the version that’s reinstated in the show. In that case, maybe I’ll wait to binge it until they fix the theme song.