Category: News

The 2020 offseason was one-of-a-kind in NBA circles, with a full-blown sprint through the transaction cycle in advance of a late December start. For eight teams, however, the offseason was seemingly endless, as the organizations not invited to the Orlando bubble didn’t participate in fully sanctioned regular season games for more than nine months. As such, there is special attention to be paid to how those teams, all of which struggled (by definition) last season, perform in 2020-21, but the early returns are positive for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland finished the 2019-20 season with the NBA’s second-worst record, winning only 29.2 percent of their games. From there, the Cavs were one of the quieter teams in the offseason from a transaction perspective, instead relying on internal development and keeping their powder dry for the future. To that end, expectations were (very) modest for the team as the 2020-21 season arrived, but Cleveland has been one of the early surprises by winning the first three games.

Granted, the Cavaliers have not played the most difficult schedule, prevailing over the Hornets, Pistons and Joel Embiid-less Sixers to begin the campaign. Still, last season’s Cleveland bunch may not have been able to take care of business in this manner, especially on the defensive end of the floor. The schedule is worth noting, but the Cavs are holding opponents to just 1.003 points per possession so far this season and, after finishing dead-last in defensive rating last season, that is a notable improvement.

The team’s current personnel isn’t conducive to that kind of defensive leap, but Andre Drummond is making an impact, Larry Nance Jr. is a stabilizing piece and rookie lottery pick Isaac Okoro projects to be a positive on that end of the floor. Offensively, Cleveland is also playing quite well, led by its pair of young guards in Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Sexton is averaging 27.0 points per game and shooting 59.3 percent from the floor, while Garland is adding 19.0 points and 8.3 assists per game and shooting 54.8 percent from the floor in his own right. Both will cool off from an efficiency perspective, but the internal development of young players is key for Cleveland, both in the present and the future.

Even with three wins in the bank, it would be too aggressive to start talking about the playoffs for the Cavs. After all, they are coming from an exceptionally modest baseline with only a few things to point to in terms of tangible growth from the 2019-20 season. With all of that said, it is unquestionably encouraging to see Cleveland come out of the gate in a positive manner and, if Drummond and Nance continue to anchor an improved defense with Sexton and Garland taking the next step, there is no reason the Cavs need to stay in the league’s basement as preseason over/under projections suggested.

What does a 3-0 start do for the Cavaliers in our DIME power rankings? Let’s find out.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (2-2, Last week — 1st)

It’s a little weird to leave the Lakers here after two losses, but it’s still early. This is a team that hasn’t even ventured away from STAPLES Center yet and, perhaps more importantly, no other squad did enough to take the top spot when considering priors.

2. Brooklyn Nets (2-2, Last week — 7th)

Wait, another 2-2 team? Well, the Lakers still have a +10.7 net rating so far and the Nets…. have a +10.6 net rating. Also, Brooklyn’s second loss came without both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, with thoroughly dominant play in a couple of contests. It will be interesting to see what happens without Spencer Dinwiddie, but Brooklyn still impressed early.

3. L.A. Clippers (2-1, Last week — 2nd)

So, the Clippers trailed by 50 points at the half on Sunday. That happened. I also don’t care much about it. Quite obviously, L.A. wasn’t dialed in against Dallas in that matchup, but they started the season with a win over the Lakers and a road win over the Nuggets. I’m inclined to trust that sample more, especially when taking the roster into account.

4. Utah Jazz (2-1, Last week — 9th)

This entire tier is a mess, mostly because there are so few results. Utah has performed well (+5.6 net rating) and they’re doing so with Donovan Mitchell shooting 32 percent from the floor. They have an interesting showdown looming on New Year’s Eve with the Suns that will reveal more information on both sides.

5. Philadelphia 76ers (2-1, Last week — 8th)

The Sixers haven’t played a top-tier opponent yet, and their one loss came without Joel Embiid. We’re all going to need to see more to make sweeping conclusions.

6. Portland Trail Blazers (2-1, Last week — 13th)

After a blowout home loss to Utah in the opener, Portland stabilized with wins over the Rockets and Lakers. The Blazers actually went into STAPLES Center and got the best of the champs (with both LeBron and AD playing) on Monday, which is one of the better wins any team has this season.

7. Phoenix Suns (2-1, Last week — 12th)

Phoenix hasn’t quite found the groove on offense, scoring 1.06 points per possession, but their defense been stout to this point. Oh, and if Mikal Bridges is going to make threes again, good luck to everyone trying to go against him.

8. Atlanta Hawks (3-0, Last week — 16th)

The Hawks are real offensively. That wasn’t a secret after they invested a ton of money in veterans to add more scoring pop during the offseason, but the Hawks are scoring 1.2 points per possession through three games. Trae Young is out of his mind and, even with the caveat of a pretty easy schedule so far, Atlanta looks good. They’ll face a big test this week with two games in Brooklyn.

9. Indiana Pacers (3-0, Last week — 17th)

Of course the Pacers are 3-0. Why wouldn’t they be? The best early development for Indiana is probably the play of Victor Oladipo, but Domantas Sabonis looks to be in line for another leap from an already stout baseline in 2019-20.

10. Denver Nuggets (1-2, Last week — 5th)

This is some respect for Denver, because they haven’t played like a top-10 team yet. Nikola Jokic was brilliant on Monday, however, producing 19 points, 18 assists and 12 rebounds in the team’s first win.

11. Orlando Magic (3-0, Last week — 21st)

The Magic are undefeated in the almighty Southeast Division. Orlando did knock off Miami, which explains the ranking of the next team on this list, but in all seriousness, it’s a good start for an undermanned team. Steve Clifford is a wizard.

12. Miami Heat (1-1, Last week — 4th)

Miami split their first two games in relatively anonymous fashion. Everyone is looking toward a back-to-back against Milwaukee that begins on Tuesday, which should inform opinions on both teams.

13. Boston Celtics (1-2, Last week — 6th)

The Celtics… have not played well. They’re getting torched defensively (116.9 points per 100 possessions) and their offense hasn’t been up to its usual baseline either. Small sample size caveats apply, but there is some actual concern right now after that opening night win over Milwaukee. Speaking off…

14. Milwaukee Bucks (1-2, Last week — 3rd)

Boston beat Milwaukee this week, and the Celtics hop ahead of the Bucks as a result. None of that actually matters, but Milwaukee had two weird results after the opener. The Bucks absolutely annihilated the Warriors on the Christmas stage… only to go on the road and lose by 20… to the Knicks? Best of luck trying to decipher that but, as noted above, a back-to-back against Miami should answer questions about where both teams are right now.

15. Dallas Mavericks (1-2, Last week — 10th)

I have no idea what to do with the Mavs. They looked pretty bad in a blowout loss to the Lakers, then beat the Clippers by approximately one hundred points. It’s early, folks.

16. New Orleans Pelicans (2-1, Last week — 18th)

Because they were outmatched by the Heat on Christmas, the buzz isn’t necessarily there for New Orleans right now. The Pelicans are playing well, though, and their defense (!) has been the better unit through three games. That won’t continue in all likelihood, but it’s noteworthy.

17. Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0, Last week — 27th)

The Cavs! Without any priors, they would be even higher, but the ten-spot jump tells the story.

18. San Antonio Spurs (2-1, Last week — 20th)

Derrick White hasn’t played yet and the Spurs are 2-1 with wins over the Grizzlies and Raptors. San Antonio is also reasonably fun to watch, with some interesting lineup combinations and young players. It wouldn’t be wise to ignore them.

19. Sacramento Kings (2-1, Last week — 23rd)

Sacramento went on the road and beat Denver before splitting a pair of games against Phoenix. It’s only three games, but that is a very nice start for a team with modest expectations. They’ll get another test on Tuesday evening against Denver because, as usual, the Western Conference is unrelenting.

20. Houston Rockets (0-2, Last week — 14th)

The Rockets have been in the news! On the court, Houston is 0-2, but both losses came on the road to good teams, so that isn’t too alarming. James Harden and Christian Wood are putting up video game numbers and, eventually, the Rockets will play some games they are favored to win once they get more than nine players on the active roster.

21. Toronto Raptors (0-2, Last week — 11th)

Toronto is better than this, but they haven’t played well on either end of the floor. In conjunction with an offseason that saw the roster get worse and the bizarre circumstances of their operation in Tampa, it wasn’t a perfect start for Nick Nurse’s team. They’ll be fine.

22. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1, Last week — 25th)

It was a mixed bag for Minnesota this week. No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards looked good and the Wolves started with two wins in three games. On the flip side, Karl-Anthony Towns is battling a wrist issue that could sideline him for a bit, and that isn’t ideal.

23. Memphis Grizzlies (1-2, Last week — 22nd)

The Grizzlies’ win over the Nets looks more impressive than it actually is, as Brooklyn was without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie in the game. Before that, Memphis was pretty shaky in home losses to Atlanta and San Antonio, and they need to get healthy in a hurry, particularly with Jaren Jackson Jr. still on the shelf and Ja Morant suffering a nasty looking ankle injury in that win in Brooklyn.

24. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1, Last week — 30th)

It’s hard to figure out the Thunder, simply because they are not constructed to win now. Still, they have enough competent pieces like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Al Horford to be competitive on a nightly basis for a while, and that is already on display through two games.

25. Charlotte Hornets (1-2, Last week — 26th)

The Hornets are probably better than the Thunder, but Charlotte lost to OKC at home this week. That explains the disparity, but the Hornets did knock off the full-strength Nets in a very solid performance to end the week.

26. New York Knicks (1-2, Last week — 29th)

After two lopsided defeats, the Knicks beat the Bucks by 20 on Sunday, and Milwaukee had its core pieces on the floor. That is quite a bizarre result, but it bumps New York up a few spots because all of the games count.

27. Washington Wizards (0-3, Last week — 19th)

To be fair to Washington, the 0-3 start includes losses to the Magic (twice) and 76ers. They also weren’t blown out in any game. The Wizards still gave up almost 1.14 points per possession defensively, and it would be tough to argue that this is the start Scott Brooks envisioned in a season that actually has some expectations.

28. Golden State Warriors (1-2, Last week — 15th)

I don’t actually think the Warriors are a bottom-three team if Stephen Curry is playing, but the first week was not encouraging. Golden State has the worst net rating in the league (-18.4) and that includes a very narrow win over the Bulls. Granted, the Warriors got bludgeoned by two very good teams in Milwaukee and Brooklyn, but they are essentially non-competitive in those games. There is a lot of work to do, and they need Draymond Green.

29. Detroit Pistons (0-3, Last week — 28th)

Detroit actually battled impressively without both Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose on Monday evening. That’s the kindest thing that should be said after an 0-3 start with losses to the Hawks, Wolves and Cavs.

30. Chicago Bulls (0-3, Last week — 24th)

It’s been ugly for Chicago. The Bulls opened with three straight home losses, giving up more than 1.15 points per possession, and lost to a pair of non-playoff teams from last season in the process. Chicago shouldn’t be this bad overall, but they earned the bottom spot this week.

Three projects in, you know what you’re getting with a Playboi Carti album. When the squeaky-voiced, non-sequitur technician first appeared on the scene in 2017 with “Magnolia,” his style was a revelation — or the death of hip-hop as we know it, depending largely on your personal taste and, well, yes, how old you were. Now, though, no matter how unhinged his chaotic energy becomes, there are essentially no surprises on a Playboi Carti album — other than the fact that the album even exists.

Such is the case with Whole Lotta Red, the long-awaited, oft-delayed, most recent effort from ATL’s hip-hop Dadaist. The fact the thing even exists feels something like a minor miracle; after a year-long hype cycle that saw deconstructed tweets teasing its coming, several aborted release dates, and increasing fan fervor, it finally arrived, fittingly, on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, it didn’t get the triumphant reception one might have expected from such an anticipated release.

Instead, fans complained that the album represented a “whole lotta skips” rather than a compilation worthy of the hype. It has its defenders, to be sure — and I find myself alarmed to be one of them — but on the whole, it’s garnered the sort of collective response that in hindsight would seem a foregone conclusion for an album this magnified in the public consciousness. Simply put, there is no way to live up to this kind of hype, at least not in the moment.

But with Carti, it’s hard to know what anyone could have expected in the first place. More than anything else, it seemed what drew so many young fans to Carti in 2017 was his rebellious refusal to adhere to any accepted convention of hip-hop. “Magnolia” was nothing if not a three-minute collection of ad-libs over an absolutely slobber-knocking Pi’erre Bourne beat. He wasn’t so much rapping as he was being raptured, speaking in tongues more than he was expressing a gift of gab.

When he delivered more of the same in 2018 with Die Lit, there was a similar expectant backlash as well. Fans who’d since grown a little, learned about some new artists, and grown in their musical sophistication perhaps expected proportionate growth from Carti as well. However, appearing in a perhaps even more stripped-down form, Carti’s gift for expressing himself through dizzying displays of cathartic yelping and mangled chants probably disappointed those fans, who are likely the ones even more disappointed by Whole Lotta Red, because they were probably looking to the new project to “make up for” its predecessor.

Those who wanted Carti to restore the feeling of three years ago might have been better served searching elsewhere for their hit of nostalgia. The very essence of what he does rejects that sort of codification, rejects formalism, resists categorization and classification. Besides, in the meantime, we’ve experienced a hellish presidency, a global pandemic, social upheaval on an international scale, and the “a-woken-ing” of social media — all such chaotic events that looking for comfort in the chaos Carti peddles is like jumping into the ocean during a typhoon, just hoping to get dry.

For one thing, the leaks that had fans clamoring for the finished product, like the TikTok-favorite Young Thug collaboration “Pissy Pamper,” are nowhere in evidence here. Nor is false start lead single “@ meh,” which arrived with a dull thud in April, just as global lockdowns were beginning to put a damper on summer festival plans. Perhaps it was knowing there’d be no mosh pits that numbed fans to its release and now that the year has dragged on long enough for us to adjust our brains to a new normal, those kinds of works just can’t hold the same excitement.

That’s a shame too because if you approach Whole Lotta Red without the expectation of formalistic “growth” from Carti, it’s a pretty enjoyable, throw-on-and-veg-out, vibe-generating hour of unconventional party music. The rumbling “Rockstar Mode” the moody “M3tamorphosis” with Kid Cudi, the quirkily-titled “Meh,” “ILoveUIHateU,” and more are exactly the sort of frantic, skin-tingling trap that antsy hip-hop fans miffed by the constraints of this year’s wordy, regimented spate of critical favorite rap records would look to for relief in simpler times.

Although Kanye delivers an uninspiring verse on “Go2DaMoon” and the album meanders around the time “Punk Monk” kicks in at track 15 — with nine more tracks to go — Whole Lotta Red is, for better or worse, as close to a classic Carti album as it gets. He’s never been the lyrical mastermind, or even much of a hook master. He’s energy, raw, diffuse, crackling, and yes, chaotic. While there are definitely some skips here, they’re the result of conventional or repetitive production, not Carti’s yelping and yowling. If audiences are finally getting bored with his anti-real-hip-hop stance, the good news is that there are plenty of choices along the spectrum to offer some more predictable comforts.

Whole Lotta Red is out now on AWGE / Interscope. Get it here.

Adidas bought Reebok in 2005 in an attempt to compete with Nike in the US, but expectations were not met. Now, they’re looking to sell. The sportswear brand has a pair of serious potential buyers in rapper and businessman Percy Miller (aka Master P) and former NBA all-star Baron Davis, Forbes reports.

Adidas scooped up Reebok for $3.8 billion fifteen years ago, but last year, Adidas declared Reebok’s book value had fallen to $995 million. Now it appears the asking price to sell will be around $2.4 billion, and Miller and Davis are apparently in talks to make a deal happen.

Miller said of Reebok, “As we focus on turning Reebok into a lifestyle brand — not just a basketball brand — our most important initiative will be to put money back into the community that built this company.” Davis also noted of the brand, “I think Reebok is being undervalued. I left Nike as a 22-year-old kid representing myself and made the jump to Reebok, which took a chance on me as a creative and as an athlete. I want the people I know athletes, influencers, designers, celebs to sit at the table with me.”

It’s not yet clear how negotiations have gone so far and whether or not this deal is closer to reality than it is to dream. If it does come to fruition, though, it would be a significant addition to Miller’s already stacked business portfolio.

Throughout the year, we’ve seen some truly interesting — and odd — brand synergy between big-name businesses and rappers as both tried to weather the economic downturn brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic. McDonald’s reached out to Travis Scott and J Balvin, resulting in a pair of personalized meals and some truly outrageous merchandise, while Puma outfitted the NBA with J Cole’s signature shoe as the rapper himself aimed at a training camp experience for a possible roster slot. But the latest brand collab may be one of the most unusual as you’ll soon find a rapper’s face gracing your cereal aisle.

A month after releasing his “Reese’s Puffs Rap (The REE-MIX)” on SoundCloud, Lil Yachty posted a photo of himself to social media, posted up with several boxes of the cereal all featuring his signature beaded braids and grinning face. “I’ve done a lot of things in my career, but this is one I’m probably most proud of,” reads the caption. The rapper has made Saturday morning cartoons a huge part of his brand. Now, he’s adding the other half of the equation. Intriguingly enough, the last rapper to execute such collaboration was none other than Travis Scott, who appeared on the Reese’s Puffs box in 2019.

According to a press release, the box will roll out in 2021, and in an interview with Hypebeast, he called the collab a “super cool and crazy accomplishment.”

Yachty is also one of the performers for TikTok’s upcoming New Year’s Eve live stream.

Dionne Warwick may be an acclaimed musician and one of the most-charting singers of all time, but she’s now gained quite the following on Twitter as she tries to decode trends of the younger generation (like how to pronounce Billie Eilish’s name). Now, she’s begun interacting with one of music’s (in)famous fandoms: Nicki Minaj’s barbz.

After appeasing Taylor Swift fans earlier this month by giving the singer a heartwarming hello, Warwick is now getting on the barbz’s good side. One fan tweeted the singer to ask, “queen are you a barb?” Warwick wasn’t privy to the term’s meaning at first, but fans flooded the replies with explanations (and casual threats) until Warwick admitted that she is a fan. “Nicki Minaj has a wonderful career. Yes,” she said.

Ahead of says she’s a fan of Minaj, Warwick was singing praises for Teyana Taylor. Talking about the possibility of turning her life’s work into a Netflix series, Warwick said there’s only one person who could ever portray her onscreen. “Please don’t ask who I would cast to play me as it would obviously be Teyana Taylor,” she said. Netflix responded that they’re “taking notes,” and Taylor was overjoyed at the shout out.

Check out Warwick’s tweets above.

Pandemic be damned, Travis Barker managed to stay not only active, but extremely busy this year. He kicked off 2020 playing a handful of shows with Blink-182 in support of the band’s latest effort Nine, before the world went into lockdown and he was forced to slow things down just a tad and raise a few million dollars for charity covering Nirvana songs with Post Malone during a livestream, co-produce a No. 1 album by Machine Gun Kelly, and officially launch his new label. You know, nothing too intense. Barker’s final 2020 accomplishment? Winner of a custom build-off for a Polaris Slingshot, the eye-catching three-wheeled vehicle that lands somewhere between a motorcycle and a car.

In an East Coast vs West Coast competition, Barker faced off against Teyana Taylor to create a one of a kind custom Slingshot suited to each artist’s specifications. While Taylor opted to create a flashy closed-top vehicle, Barker leaned into the Slingshot’s design as a motorcycle-car hybrid and keep the top open for free-flowing ideas and connection. Together with custom car publication and manufacturer Dub Publishing, the team transformed the vehicle into what Barker calls a Concert On Wheels, an all-black ride featuring a state-of-the-art sound system.

“I’m super into black cars right now,” Barker tells me over the phone. “I actually got rid of everything in my fleet except one car because they weren’t black. When I went to go meet with Miles from Dub, he was like, ‘I have this idea it’s gonna be burgundy, like this rich burgundy, and we’re gonna do these accents in this cream color.’ And I said, ‘Miles I hate to break it to you but it’s gonna be all black and matte black.’”

To celebrate finding success in a difficult year, I spoke with Barker about everything from his custom Slingshot to the best up and coming artists, and the possibility of new music from Box Car Racer. Our conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Can you tell me a little bit more about the sound system in your Slingshot and the vision that you had for exterior speakers?

Yeah, we actually found a few places in the car where we could add these panels and add these speakers. So we created a couple of other places that are actually outside the vehicle that point to almost the car next to you or outside the vehicle. The system is really loud, and we got twelve-inch speakers behind the seats so we have like a good subwoofer behind there. For me it was like, “let’s find that cross between listening to rap music, punk rock music, you know just everything to where you have a system that sounds accurate.”

When you were driving it around, did you use those exterior speakers to blast anyone next to you?

Absolutely. [Laughs] Not only was the system really loud and everything, but those cars are just eye-catchers. People don’t know what they are when they see them on the road. You get a lot of people breaking their necks to look at it.

You’re a punk rock legend, but you also have your hands in a lot of hip hop adjacent projects. Who is your favorite punk act and hip-hop act that people might not know yet but they should?

As far as a new pop-punk act that not a lot of people are hip to, his name is Kennyhoopla; he’s really, really talented. He would have to be my pick for a new pop-punk artist. And for a young rapper, I actually just signed one to my label, his name is 637Godwin. He’s really talented, as well.

Are there any other artists that you have your eye on that everyone should know about?

I can’t tell you. [Laughs] Someone else will sign them immediately. But, there is a lot of young talent out there, there are tons of talented kids. There’s like this whole genre of hybrid-pop music that’s coming out right now. Music’s in a good place. It’s really innovative and different and people are really mixing a lot of genres together and it’s cool.

For me, one of the silver linings about the pandemic has been that I’ve been able to sit down and explore a lot of music that I might not have heard otherwise. I actually have the time to listen to everything.

Yeah, it’s true. And I feel like artists have the time to make great music and they’re not forced to be out on the road, or worrying about touring, or rushing albums. I feel like with music streaming and video streaming, people are making some of the best videos. I just did an MTV Movie Awards, and they went above and beyond for that show. The quality of what people are making for streaming, whether it be video or audio, is better than it’s ever been.

Do you think that the pandemic mindset encourages more experimentation?

Oh for sure. What’s happening in the world is unfortunate, but it’s definitely affected music, it’s affected art. I think it has a long-lasting effect on everything, from art to music to video, just creation in general.

To that end, what album or artist did you discover this year that you couldn’t get enough of?

Jean Dawson. That record is amazing, and he’s still kind of slept on. Not that many people know about him, and hopefully you and I talking about him helps get his name out there even more. He made an incredible album.

It’s funny you say that — Jean Dawson is one of the artists that I had in mind earlier, when I said I’m hearing things that I might not have before.

Yeah, he’s someone that’s really taking genres and throwing them all together and doing something different, in a time where so many people determine what their sound is gonna be like by whatever’s popular on the radio. And then you have a fresh breath of air like Jean Dawson. Like, thank God, you know?

When I was playing in bands, I was basing my music off Blink-182, pretty much exclusively. But kids these days are pulling from a lot of different places and it’s resulting in some really cool new stuff.

For sure. I agree one hundred.

Okay, one last question: will there ever be new Box Car Racer music?

So, there is a Box Car song that’s unreleased. I think whenever the time’s right or it makes sense, we’re gonna release it. I would just love for the fans to hear that song.

Is that track from the archives or newly recorded?

I can’t say. [Laughs]

Okay, fair enough. Thank you so much Travis, it was so nice talking to you. Like I said, Blink-182 had a huge impact on my life, so it’s really been an honor to speak with you.

Yeah, nice talking to you too man! I appreciate your time.

Cobra Kai successfully does the underdog-success thing in more ways than one. Not only does it continue building upon the actual underdog story that the first The Karate Kid movie started back in 1984, but the series began as an unlikely success due to the whole reboot factor. You know how that usually goes (not good). One can’t dodge the avalanches of attempts to reinvigorate long-dead franchises. Reboots, remakes, reunions, revivals, or however they’re classified: we could do without most of them. These usually end up being misguided stabs at harnessing nostalgia. Yet Cobra Kai brought the warring dojos back and conquered all odds to capture a multi-generational audience. The series successfully ignites sentimental feelings for beloved returning characters while investing in new players and appealing to the young-adult crowd. And yes, it’s almost infuriating how well the show pulls off this feat.

Let me be clear here: I am not actually furious at Cobra Kai for being so good. Well, maybe a little bit. It’s not fair to stage such well-choreographed mall fights and school hallway throwdowns in the midst of story arcs that make me genuinely care about these characters. It’s almost heartless for this show to be so grump-lovable, to the point where I gobbled up the entire third season in a time period that makes me feel like a glutton. Now I’ll have to wait god knows how long for the greenlit fourth round. Meanwhile, all of those other re-vival-boot-unions are out there, putting up half-assed efforts to make lighting strike twice while clumsily roundhousing childhoods, and that is inexcusable.

[John Kreese voice] No mercy.

By now, I’ve given away how Cobra Kai is still a champion after crushing the first two YouTube Premium seasons and moving over to Netflix, where a larger audience could catch up while awaiting the third round. With that acknowledged, I must also say that Netflix passed out an enormous list of plot points that cannot be mentioned. Even if that wasn’t the case, it would be really uncool for me to spoil the hell out of this season for you, so I’m going to stay as vague as possible here. I can still dance around things to express how wonderful these young fighters are, even when they’re behaving very badly. The flaring nostrils of Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) and the pouty abandon of Tory (Peyton List) get fleshed out more this year, and they are so much fun to watch.

Obviously, the show must pick up after that peril-filled cliffhanger. The karate surrogates of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), respectively, threw down in a knock-down, drag-out battle that left Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) gravely injured in the hospital and Robby (Tanner Buchanan) in hot water with authorities. This seemed impossible to sort out in a satisfying manner, but Macchio promised us that “the best is yet to come in this series! And I believe in that.” Did I believe him? I mean, c’mon. What else was Ralph Macchio gonna say, right?

I was reluctant to believe him because those first two seasons were a tough self-act to follow. Could the show really keep the same momentum going? Could the awakening of Johnny continue to charm viewers after he and Daniel-san had so righteously f*cked up with their charges? Well, the show still works, and Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg again proved that they’re beholden to the spirit of the The Karate Kid franchise. They’re resurfacing old tensions and settling scores in an honorable way, one that would make Mr. Miyagi (RIP Pat Morita) proud. It’s a triumph.

Many cool things happen this season, including the following:

— Both Johnny and Daniel must look within to help repair the damage they caused. In Daniel-san’s case, he undertakes a spiritual quest while returning to Okinawa, the original home of the Miyagi-Do. There, he meets up with a few familiar faces from The Karate Kid Part II, including Chozen (Yuji Okumoto reprises his antagonistic role), who is still steamed about losing his honor to the “honk!” all those years ago. Daniel also meets up with Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), who helps him recapture the Miyagi spirit in a touching way. Those two aren’t the only two new comebacks, but I shall say no more.

— The younger generation of dojo members remain both kickass while gaining added dimension. Miguel and Robby both have enormous hurdles to conquer after their tragic showdown, and these issues are treated with appropriate emotional heft but enough lightness to keep this show’s tone consistent. Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) grows far beyond her borderline-bratty earlier days, Demetri (Gianni Decenzo) continues to be the most lovable geek of the bunch, and these “kids” maneuver remarkably well for being buried in the collateral damage of their senseis’ lingering beefs. The younger generation doesn’t quite carry the torch yet, but they are moving in that direction, and I feel confident about their abilities. Their relationships, their motivations, their fears, and their successes all feel very realistic.

— John Kreese (Martin Kove) is handled with a careful threading of the needle this year. In short, he transforms into a somewhat more complex character with the exploration of his backstory. There are some touches of softness up in that bad boy, but don’t get me wrong. This is no antihero game. The franchise knows better than that, and Kreese remains the most imposing villain of the franchise. This season simply makes him a more interesting, textured, and less cartoony, villain.

– A Twisted Sister concert turns out to be a game-changing pusher of the plot. I never thought I’d type those words, but here we are.

Cobra Kai Season 3 is a crowd-pleaser, pure and simple. It’s a shot of adrenaline that’s sorely needed right now, and it’s wild that this show can still bring the heart, hurt, healing, and honor while revisiting two men whose life paths diverged following one fateful crane kick. Both are looking for redemption in different ways, and although I feel that I’m still being teased without the answer to one lingering question, the new batch of episodes is a satisfying one that sets up even more conflict for season(s) to come. Cobra Kai fills itself with the best kind of drama, and I’m so looking forward to watching these senseis and students continue to hold court in the future.

Netflix’s ‘Cobra Kai’ returns for Season 3 on January 1.

For a brief, shining moment, Chris Pratt finally wasn’t the “Worst Chris” after dominating the Marvel universe in the AGBO Fantasy Football League. However, it didn’t take long for his Guardians of the Galaxy co-star, Pom Klementieff, to drop in on Pratt’s victory with a light-hearted troll. Klementieff, who played Mantis in the second Guardians film along with Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, praised Pratt for his win by sharing a photo of herself reading a book with his face on it. Except the title says, “The One and Only Hemsworth.”

“Congrats Chris on winning the superhero fantasy football league!” Klementieff wrote on Instagram. “So proud of you. I will re-read my favourite book ever, in your honor. Yay!”

You can see Klementieff’s Instagram post below:

Pratt’s victory in the AGBO Fantasy Football League was announced on Monday night by Marvel directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who organized the event that saw Pratt and other MCU heavy-hitters like Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Paul Rudd, and Tom Holland compete against each other for charity. Thanks to Pratt’s win, the Special Olympics Washington will now receive a $150,000 check.

In the lead-up to his victory, Pratt surprisingly acknowledged being dubbed by Twitter as the “Worst Chris” back in October. The actor had ignored the controversy, opting instead to let his wife and Marvel co-stars defend him. But when Pratt made his way to the finals just before the holidays, he couldn’t help but have some fun with the social media scandal.

“I’m in the finals! How did this happen? It’s a 14-man league. I had 14th draft pick. You know how hard that is?” Pratt said in an Instagram video. “I guess we can finally put an end to that debate of who’s the better Chris? (whispering) It’s one of them.”

(Via Pom Klementieff on Instagram)

As the new social app Clubhouse gains popularity and momentum, it continues to be a focal point for both education and drama. While many users note that it has offered a chance to network with luminaries in numerous fields, learning from the best in music and entertainment, not every room has proven to be productive. Unmoderated arguments and shameful antics are just as likely to break out, while calling celebrities to the stage sometimes becomes a bad idea, resulting in Twitter trending topics meting out judgment on their behavior.

The latest star to receive this treatment is Meek Mill, who somehow found himself in a heated argument with another man in a Philadelphia meet-and-greet discussion. A recording of the intense shouting match found its way onto Twitter and from there, the boo birds came out in force to make fun of Meek for his impassioned responses.

For his part, Meek seems to have calmed down and acknowledged his overreaction. He appeared on Twitter in the wee hours of the morning today to apologize and explain himself. “Ima have a better reaction in 2021,” he promised. “I apologize when snap out sometimes ..then convos that stem from hatred, strike me hard from my upbringing!” He related the antsy feelings that prompted his outburst to recently losing a close friend. “After that nip sh*t my hatred level went up,” he explained. “I’ma boss up leave it in 2020!”

Check out Meek’s response above.

Between Christmas and the start of the next year, there’s usually a bit of a lull in the music world. Many artists don’t really feel like releasing new music or doing much of anything beyond relaxing and preparing themselves for next year, and who can blame them? Thankfully, Kevin Bacon has come through in the clutch to give music fans some delightful new material with which to obsess.

Yesterday, he shared a video of himself covering Radiohead’s classic “Creep” on acoustic guitar. He delivers a totally serviceable performance, but what sets the video apart is the fact that he is joined by some goats, one of which (an adorable baby) settles next to him and nibbles on his shirt sleeve. Bacon captioned his Instagram post, “The goats were insisting, so I had to try. Here’s Creep by @radiohead #GoatSongs.”

As for Radiohead themselves, there’s hope that 2021 will bring new music from the group. In a letter to fans, Jonny Greenwood wrote, “Right now, I just feel this: I hope you are safe and well and not too scared, or too bored. I also hope that somehow we can be part of making music for you soon, and that the pleasure of making music, and hearing music, whether in a gig, concert hall, church, or at home with friends — is not forgotten in this desolate year.”

Check out our interview with Bacon from this summer here.