Category: News

Welcome to SNX DLX! Before we get into this week’s best sneaker and apparel drops, we’re going to go ahead and assume you are in holiday shopping mode, in which case you should check out our sneakerhead gift guide as well as our streetwear gift guide (tomorrow!). Using all three of these articles should give you a pretty substantial list of sneakers and apparel that are sure to make perfect gifts for the most fashionable person in your life.

If that person is you, well… you’ve got three dope lists to dive into in order to pull together your 2021 look.

Things on the apparel end are a little light this week as brands ready their 2021 drops, but things are still bubbling in the world of sneakers. This week brought the debut of J Balvin’s Jordan 1s, a 25th-anniversary edition of the Jordan 11, and a Prada and Adidas linkup. Let’s dive in!

Adidas Performance Ultra 4D x SNS Green Teatime

Adidas has linked up with shoe retailer Sneakersnstuff for their best colorway of the performance-focused Adidas Ultra 4D. Its a mint on mint on core black colorway they are calling “Green Teatime.” This matcha-toned design is the sleekest this silhouette has ever looked.

The Green Teatime features a Primeknit upper with TPE overlays and that now-iconic lattice midsole to round out the slightly futuristic look.

The Adidas Performance Ultra 4D Green Teatime is set to drop on December 10th for a retail price of $249, pick up a pair exclusively at Sneakersnstuff.

J Balvin x Air Jordan 1

Are musicians the new athletes?

Seriously, because we see more musician sneaker collaborations than we do athletes these days. On one hand, you’ve got Travis Scott, Beyonce, and Kanye, who are clearly killing It, and then you’ve got Post Malone making Crocs, and Anderson .Paak making shoes for kids. So where does J Balvin fit in all of this? We’re going to say he’s leaning more toward the cool crowd on this one.

This sneaker is history in the making, Balvin is the first Latino ever with a Jordan collab and his AJ-1 is unlike any colorway we’ve ever seen. Most importantly, the shoe reflects the artist, and that’s a recipe for success. Yeezys look like weird cult shoes, Ivy Park is classy and dignified, Cactus Jack looks befitting of a pirate, a great collaboration is the artist in shoe form!

By that logic, maybe we need to take a second look at those Post Malone Crocs…

The J Balvin Air Jordan 1 are out now for a retail price of $190. The sneakers are sold out on Nike’s SNKRS app but has started popping up at aftermarket sites like StockX.

Stüssy x Nike Air Force 1 Fossil Stone/Black

This year has been a little light on dope AF-1s but we have Stüssy to thank for coming to the rescue with not just one dope colorway, but two in the Fossil Stone and Black. And by “dope” we really mean dope, because both of these babies are constructed from hemp. Okay, that was a bad joke, we apologize. Anyway, the sleek all-black rendition will be dropping globally while the Fossil Stone will be exclusive to the Stüssy webstore.

Honestly, both look great so whichever you can cop and fits your lifestyle is officially the best one.

The Stüssy x Nike Air Force 1 in Fossil Stone and Black are set to drop on December 11th for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app or at the Stüssy webstore.

Air Jordan 11 Jubilee

In celebration of the Air Jordan 11’s 25th anniversary, this Tinker Hatfield design is getting a super sleek commemorative colorway known as the Jubilee. This AJ-11 comes dressed in a classy black and white color scheme with metallic Jumpman and 23 insignia detailing on the heel, giving this iteration of the sneaker an added level of luxury. Peep those “Jordan” spelling lace eyelets!

We couldn’t think of a better Christmas present for the Jordan-head in your life than this commemorative pair.

The Air Jordan 1 Jubilee is set to drop December 12th for a retail price of $220, pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app or select Nike retailers like Foot Locker.

Prada x Adidas A+P LUNA ROSSA 21

We don’t normally cover luxury sneakers, mostly because high fashion collabs with sneakers end up resulting in little more than slapping “Dior” on a pair of Nikes and calling it a day. This collaboration between Prada and Adidas is not that, though. Instead, the design is a play on Prada’s 1997 boat shoe but is infused with so many iconic Adidas details that it looks more like something that would come straight from the three stripes.

The sneaker is wrapped in a transparent TPU shell, which houses an upper made from Primegreen recycled materials, Prada and Adidas branding, and a big cushy BOOST midsole.

The Prada x Adidas A+P LUNA ROSSA 21 is set to drop on December 9th for a retail price of… wait for it… $650. It’s Prada what did you expect? Pick up a pair at the Prada webstore or at Adidas.

Supreme Winter Drop 16

It’s impossible to talk about Supreme’s 16th-week drop of their Fall/Winter 2020 collection without mentioning the Supreme branded Mortal Kombat Arcade cabinet. Yes, it is a legit, playable Supreme-branded cabinet with a 17” inch screen that plays Mortal Kombat I, II, and Ultimate with two-player functionality. That’s a pretty fucking dope birthday present for anyone who loves streetwear or gaming in your life.

If you’re here for the fits, Supreme delivers there, too — linking up with the North Face for a collection of dope gear including fuzzy Nuptse jackets, bags, backpacks and more.

The Supreme Week 16 drop is set for release on December 10th at 11 a.m. EST. Shop the collection at the Supreme webstore.

John Mayer x HODINKEE Casio G-Shock 6900

John Mayer is dropping a new Casio G-Shock made in collaboration with HODINKEE that is any music nerd’s dream. Studio rats like Mayer are more likely to associate the Casio name with digital synthesizers than watches (or calculators) and it shows here in this G-Shock 6900 that takes direct inspiration from the 1980’s Casiotone SK-5 sampling keyboard.

If you’re looking for a high function timepiece, this isn’t that — things are kept simple here, with alarm functionality and 24-hour display time options — but it’s a great first effort from Mayer, who is continually popping up in unexpected places (The Grateful Dead, Cazzie David merch) and absolutely killing it.

The John Mayer x HODINKEE Casio G-Shock 6900 is set to drop on December 8th for a retail price of $180. Pick up the watch at the HODINKEE online store.

James Harden wants out of Houston. The former league MVP and stat sheet stuffing guard is in a curious spot, though, as the Rockets are both in no rush to try and move him — he has two years left on his current contract — and have set a remarkably high bar for what they want back for him. Via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

Houston hasn’t wavered in what the Rockets consider a fair asking price for Harden: a package that includes a young franchise cornerstone and a bundle of first-round picks and/or talented players on rookie contracts, sources said.

Houston’s logic is sound. As long as Harden is on a team that was specifically built for him at every single turn, he is going to put up numbers, and he is going to draw intrigue from other teams. Plus there doesn’t seem to be a frenzied market building up for him, and while that might change now that word has leaked that Harden isn’t dead-set on playing for the Brooklyn Nets, the Rockets have the luxury of taking their time working the phones, letting this move into the season, and giving the other 29 teams a chance to gauge where they are and whether going all-in for Harden is worth it, even if he turns into a rental like Kawhi Leonard in Toronto.

Still, mapping out teams that sit in the center of the “can meet Houston’s asking price” and “give Harden a chance to win” Venn diagram isn’t too tough. There are several teams that have players and picks that can pique anyone’s interest. With a little help from the fine folks at TradeNBA.com‘s trade machine, we decided to examine some of the teams that can make a move happen and what those might look like — as well as recognizing the pitfalls in each.

The obvious trade: James Harden to Brooklyn; Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, unprotected first-round picks in 2021, 2023, and 2025 to Houston

This is not the best deal that Houston can get if they are hell-bent on acquiring a young franchise cornerstone. Still, they’d get a pair of very, very good youngsters in LeVert and Allen, a heady veteran in Dinwiddie who is a nice fit next to John Wall if the latter is healthy, an interesting young player in Luwawu-Cabarrot who played really well in the Bubble, and a whole lot of picks that would get increasingly more lucrative as the Nets’ core of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving ages, especially because Harden will presumably want to get paid when he hits free agency and having a ton of money tied up in mid-to-late 30s versions of all three players, whose bodies have taken a beating throughout their NBA careers, would make the 2025 pick, in particular, quite appealing.

This is, admittedly, what happens if the Rockets’ brass sits down and decides it wants as drama-free of a split from Harden as possible. It’s also a deal that will almost certainly be either on the table or largely on the table as time moves on — perhaps there’s some quibbling over pick protections or when they convey, but if Brooklyn wants Harden, something like this is the blueprint. Let’s move onto some more fun stuff.

The Ben Simmons deal: James Harden to Philadelphia; Ben Simmons and ??? to Houston

The question marks there are dependent on about a billion different things. How aggressive is the market for Harden and how much else would Philadelphia have to add? Is Simmons, someone solely to make the money work (say, Mike Scott), and a pick enough? If there is a market and Philly has to get aggressive, does something like what Adam Aaronson of Rights to Ricky Sanchez laid out — Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton, firsts in 2021 and 2027 — appease Houston more? Is the Simmons/Joel Embiid pairing working out under Doc Rivers on a roster built by Harden’s old boss, Daryl Morey, to be more well-suited to maximize their skillsets? If so, one can only assume this deal isn’t happening in any form or fashion. If not, and the East is winnable right now, and there is no path to things working out on any timetable, how aggressive do the Sixers get?

An argument can be made that if there isn’t much of a market, Philly should offer Simmons and as little else as possible. There is no better player that the Rockets can get back than a 24-year-old, 6’10 point guard who is one of the best defenders in the world and also happens to be in year one of a five-year contract extension. But this also presupposes that the Sixers even want to part with Simmons in the first place. If Houston does, indeed, want to wait this out, then they’ll have to wait for the window on a Simmons deal to open. It very much may not.

The pick stash deal: James Harden to New Orleans; Brandon Ingram, Jaxson Hayes, Wenyen Gabriel, five first round picks (NO 2021, L.A. 2021, L.A. 2023, MIL 2024, MIL 2026) to Houston

Because of Ingram’s extension, this deal cannot happen until the calendar turns to March — according to Shams Charania, the NBA is looking to the end of the third month of the year for this season’s trade deadline. But in terms of getting a metric ton of picks back, New Orleans is uniquely positioned due to the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trades, which give them the flexibility of being able to toss a bunch of trades in consecutive seasons into a deal and still have some in the bank. One thing Morey did during his tenure was deplete the team’s stash of picks in pursuit of stars, an understandable decision but one that has had consequences. The team’s future pick situation is rather awkward, which makes any sort of post-Harden rebuild difficult. This is a way to remedy that.

It’s not like Ingram is a slouch, either, not by any stretch. While not as flashy a name as Simmons, he was an All-Star last season and can really score, giving Houston some perimeter dynamism that the Sixers star wouldn’t bring. Plus Hayes is a really fun young big man and Gabriel would give them a good bench piece who also plays hilariously hard. Yes, questions exist about whether it’s a good idea for New Orleans to trade for someone who would immediately take the ball away from Zion Williamson as much as Harden would, and that might be enough for this to be dead on arrival. But like Philly, New Orleans can wait and gauge things before putting together a package that could thread the needle for the Rockets of being reasonable in the short-term and appealing in the long-term.

The wild card, Eastern Conference (Pt. 1): James Harden to Boston; Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Romeo Langford, two first round picks (BOS 2021, BOS 2023), two second round picks (2022 and 2023 from other teams) to Houston

Let’s get weird. I have zero idea if Boston would consider doing something like this (i.e., trading for Harden), particularly if it means parting with two core players like Brown and Smart. It’d be a bit odd to have another ball-handler in Boston to the extent Harden would need it with Kemba Walker still in town and Jayson Tatum perpetually on the ascent. The Celtics may already have enough to make it through the Eastern Conference and compete for a title right now.

But man, if there is one thing that is well-documented about Danny Ainge, it’s that he loves to sniff around when superstars are itching to go someplace else, and the Celtics would hit the sweet spot of giving Houston a lot back and giving Harden a place to go compete. It is more likely that Boston would be willing to part with the Green Monster than it would Tatum, but Brown and Smart, the latter of whom is a Texas native, is quite the package. Langford gives Houston a youngster on a rookie deal, and they can replenish their pick stash a little with this deal. Like the Philly deal, it is probably in Boston’s best interest to wait and see what this season looks like before pursuing this, if they want to at all.

The wild card, Eastern Conference (Pt. 2): James Harden to Miami; Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala, Tyler Herro, at least one of Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson, 2022 and 2026 first round picks to Houston

There is a big ol question mark in Milwaukee that looms over this pick, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because Dragic’s extension means he cannot be traded until February. Miami loves stars, and while all of the players they’d have to give up in this deal are major contributors, none of them are anywhere near as good as Harden. There’s also the matter of whether guys like Herro, Nunn, and to a lesser extent Robinson will be as valuable as they are after last season — Robinson should be due to his ability to shoot and his size, but Nunn struggled in the Bubble and Herro has remarkably high expectations that might be hard to meet.

Houston would probably have to talk themselves into this deal. Dragic is the best player right now and could end up being the best player in general, which isn’t a bad thing, but for a squad looking for a cornerstone, that might not tickle the Rockets’ fancy. Iguodala is more or less here to make the money line up. Miami’s 2022 pick won’t be particularly appealing if this trade turns the Heat into a superteam. Let’s dog ear this one as “no one else meets the Rockets’ asking price.”

The wild card, Western Conference: James Harden to Denver; Will Barton, Gary Harris, Michael Porter Jr., 2022 first-round pick, 2024 and 2026 pick swaps to Houston

Here’s a question: How good is Michael Porter Jr., both right now and when he reaches his ceiling in the NBA? Denver seems to think the answer, at least on the latter, is “extremely,” which might make a deal for him hard to pull off. Perhaps I am lower on him than others, but if this sort of deal is on the table, it’s worth Denver saying yes and immediately hanging up the phone to celebrate. Barton and Harris are two good NBA players on reasonable contracts — Harris, in particular, is on a deal that could be good if he’s able to stay healthy and find the form that earned him this deal — and Porter is a wild card, someone whose range of outcomes go from “taller Jordan Clarkson” to “6’10 matchup nightmare who turns into a legitimate No. 1 option.”

Now, whether Denver wants another ball-handler alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray is a very fair question, and after his performance in the Bubble, any request from the Rockets to include Murray in this deal should be a non-starter. But Denver might be incredibly close to winning the West, and adding Harden to those two is the sort of thing that puts them in a position to get over the hump. Plus with both of their young stars under contract for the foreseeable future, the Nuggets are the kind of team that can theoretically bring Harden on board, and if they lose him, not be hurt too badly. This might be more of a 2k trade than a real trade, but at the very least, it’d be a fun trade in a video game.

Celebrity feuds are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. Some are real (Elton John and Madonna, Kanye West and, well, everybody), some are played for laughs (Jimmy Kimmel and frenemy Matt Damon), and some have transformed into philanthropic catapults from which worldwide charitable campaigns are launched.

We’re talking about Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, two A-listers wielding their considerable clout for good – and bringing us all a bit of joy in the process.

Reynolds and Jackman began their friendly rivalry on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2008. Jackman was fully entrenched in the superhero universe, gaining an impressive fandom thanks to his turn as the mutant anti-hero with bushy sideburns. Reynolds was newer to the game, playing the smart-mouthed mercenary-turned villain, Wade Wilson – a character he’d reprise in the Deadpool franchise. The two struck up a friendship.

“I used to ream him because I was very close friends with Scarlett [Johansson], and Scarlett had just married Ryan, so when he came on set I was like, ‘Hey, you better be on your best behavior here, pal, because I’m watching,’” Jackman told The Daily Beast. Reynolds would divorce Johansson two years later, but his adversarial back-and-forth with Jackman would go on, reigniting with every People’s Sexiest Man Alive crowning, blockbuster premiere, and box office bomb.

Reynolds, as Deadpool, would mock Jackman in a climactic action sequence of his cult action flick.

Jackman would accuse Reynolds of stalking him on Twitter.

Reynolds would pose as a journalist during the press tour for Jackman’s biopic Eddie the Eagle and accuse him of faking his Australian accent.

Jackman would post a viral video urging fans to urinate on Reynolds’ newly christened Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

Like all good comedic bits, the feud took on a life of its own. Studios marketed films off it. The actors gained new followings because of it, and it could’ve easily continued to exist as just another long-running joke paraded around the internet to make two famous, removed-from-real-life icons seem more down-to-earth, more likable. Instead, Jackman and Reynolds, both humanitarian figures and philanthropic role models, decided to harness the attention (from the fans and the media) to do some good in the world.

Jackman launched his Laughing Man Foundation in 2011 after a trip to Ethiopia sparked a friendship with a local coffee farmer named Dukale. The actor shot a documentary, Dukale’s Dream, to shed light on the poor working conditions and malpractices when it came to coffee farming in third world countries before creating his own brand of beans and expanding his charitable endeavors to communities in Columbia and Peru. Jackman’s Laughing Man Cafe has two locations in New York City and 100% of the profits from all coffee sales go back to these communities, where his foundation aids in everything from building housing for farmers in South America to purchasing new equipment for farmers in Ethiopia.

When Jackman and Reynold’s decided to “end” their feud last year, they did so by offering to fund and shoot commercials for each other’s budding brands. For Jackman, that was Laughing Man Coffee. For Reynolds, that was his newly formed Aviation Gin — which has contributed to charities like the Air Force Association to help military families in need and recently donated 30% of its proceeds to helping bartenders hit hard by global lockdowns.

In a viral video, Reynolds can be seen using his marketing skills — he owns his own agency, Maximum Effort Marketing after all — to craft a beautiful ode to Jackman’s charity and all the work it does. Jackman’s ad for Aviation Gin was a bit less … inspiring.

The war may have raged on but the publicity the pair received thanks to this skit benefitted their charitable endeavors perhaps more than your average donation campaign ever could. And it’s success has led the two leading men to pursue more fundraising campaigns to contribute to causes close to their hearts.

After Jackman roped Jake Gyllenhaal into pranking Reynolds, convincing him to wear an ugly sweater to his annual Christmas party two years ago, the actor got revenge by recycling the tacky knitwear to raise money for the SickKids Hospital — an organization he’s donated to in the past. His promise to match donations up to $100,000, and his ability to get Jackman to participate in the campaign in a hilarious way, meant Reynolds and company were able to raise over $300,000 for the hospital. (He’s partnering with Samsung to bring the ugly sweater back this year for the organization’s fundraising efforts if you’d like to donate.)

And this year, as a pandemic upended the status quo and millions lost their jobs, both Jackman and Reynolds have fanned the flames of their conflict with the hope we’ll get some joy and those struggling will get some much-needed aid from it. After calling a “truce” to participate in the All-In challenge to raise money to feed hungry families, the actors have now partnered with Sam’s Club to force fans to choose sides in this eons-long war. Each purchase of Jackman’s Laughing Man Coffee and Reynolds’ Aviation Gin counts as a point for their respective “teams” and a portion of proceeds will be directed to their charities (Laughing Man Foundation and SickKids) though even if you don’t buy a product, you can still vote for which actor you like more. The company plans to pick five winners to attend a virtual party with the stars and, no matter who wins the popularity contest, they’ll donate an equal amount to each nonprofit.

Will this latest battle be the one to end the feud? Not likely, but it looks like that might be a good thing for the world right now.

Of the approximately 700 Pinocchio movies over the years, only one of which is any good, Roberto Benigni starred in arguably the worst. His 2002 adaptation has a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes (a.k.a. it pulled a Bucky Larson) with scathing reviews like, “The idea of 49-year-old Roberto Benigni playing the wooden boy Pinocchio is scary enough. The reality of the new live-action Pinocchio he directed, cowrote and starred in borders on the grotesque.” But despite the critical drubbing and low box-office total, the Life Is Beautiful star made another Pinocchio movie, this time as a director and with an actual child as the wooden boy. Maybe this one will be better and cuter?

Definitely not cuter! (He looks like Russell Crowe in Les Misérables meets Cats). But it is supposedly better. If Benigni’s Pinocchio doesn’t do it for you, however, there’s always Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio or Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio or the inevitable prequel series where we see Geppetto as a young man. He will be played by a hot 24-year-old.

Here’s the official plot synopsis.

Shot in stunning Italian locations, Matteo Garrone’s rich world of mystery and wonder stars Academy Award-winning actor Roberto Benigni as Geppetto, the old woodcarver whose puppet creation, Pinocchio, magically comes to life with dreams of becoming a real boy. Easily led astray, Pinocchio (nine-year-old Federico Ielapi) tumbles from one misadventure to another as he is tricked, kidnapped and chased by bandits through a wonderful world full of imaginative creatures – from the belly of a giant fish, to the Land of Toys and the Field of Miracles.

Pinocchio opens in limited theaters on Christmas.

When Marc Gasol joined the Lakers in free agency this offseason, many assumed the chance to play in California near where his brother Pau lives was a driving force in his decision. But in an interview with Zach Lowe of ESPN on Wednesday, Pau himself made it known that he is working toward a return to the NBA and would also like to join the Lakers.

Gasol last played in the NBA on March 10, 2019, with the Spurs and is already 40 years old, but told Lowe he is not interested in joining a roster to merely provide veteran leadership at the end of the bench. The two-time NBA champ told Lowe he wants to “feel needed” by whichever team he lands with and is confident he can still contribute.

Since his last NBA game, Gasol has continued to rehab from a left navicular bone fracture that forced him under the knife for two surgeries. He told Lowe he turned down training camp deals this season in order to chart his own course to a team situation he likes, with the Lakers being his top choice.

Alongside a return to the NBA, Gasol also is seeking to join the Spanish National Team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which would be his fifth Olympics. That would put Gasol in the company of the legendary Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, who have won four gold medals with USA Basketball. Spain, which won the 2019 FIBA World Cup, could have a real shot at earning a medal in Tokyo next year.

After injuries and age forced him out of the league, Gasol’s career was thought to be over, but it’s clear he has been putting in work to get back on the floor and build on his already impressive legacy.

After Johnny Depp was forced to exit the Fantastic Beasts franchise after his disastrous U.K. libel lawsuit loss — he asked for “vindication” over an article from The Sun that labeled him as a “wife beater,” and the court handed him the opposite of vindication by ruling that Heard’s several accounts of physical assault by Depp were “substantially true” — he managed to still keep his whole salary (eight figures) for the film. However, he’s not faring as well with an upcoming movie, as revealed by the Hollywood Reporter.

In a feature that deep-dives into “radioactive” Depp’s career implosion, the former Pirates of the Caribbean frontman gains even more of a bad look. Transcripts of his text conversations, in which he insulted Elon Musk’s manhood and tried to drag Paul Bettany into helping him “burn” Amber Heard (who he called a “50 cent stripper”), are really something. Then there’s a discussion of Depp’s salary on Minemata, which was “likely intended as a creative reset” but “appears to be something of a career humbling.” Depp started with a relatively low salary compared to his blockbuster movies, and then producers decided to cut that salary in half because financiers weren’t thrilled over a lawsuit, in which Depp was accused of punching a crew member on another film set:

Depp was to be paid $6 million — light-years from the $40 million he earned on each of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies after profit participation, but financiers became skittish about even that figure after a lawsuit filed by a crewmember on the actor’s City of Lies, a crime drama about the unsolved murders of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur that was pulled before its September 2018 release by distributor Global Road Entertainment. (The crewmember claimed an intoxicated Depp punched him twice on set.) Depp’s Minamata salary was cut in half, and the film was shot in Romania instead of a more authentic-looking but also more expensive Asian locale, as originally envisioned.

The Minamata production itself sounds like a hot mess with Depp demanding “a personal sound technician to handle his earpiece needs — ‘so he doesn’t have to learn lines’” and three personal assistants (including one who was paid $200,000-a-year). The salary slashing went down in 2018, and the film went unsold for two years before MGM’s American International Pictures label picked it up in late 2020.

As for the City Of Lies-related lawsuit in question, The Wrap previously obtained legal documents, in which Depp’s attorneys don’t admit to the punching but still claim that location manager Gregg “Rocky” Brooks “provoked” actions that led to his injuries. This is some strange language, which appears to be a self-defense claim by Depp?

“The acts complained of by Plaintiff were provoked by Plaintiff’s unlawful and wrongful conduct in that Plaintiff willfully and maliciously acted out and conducted his activities in such a manner as to cause, Defendant Depp to fear for his safety, and according to Defendant Depp’s observations, Defendant Brad Furman for his safety.”

The full Hollywood Reporter piece on Depp’s career implosion is worth a read, if you’ve got a hankering to see how Depp has steadily torpedoed all chances for a comeback.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

Summer Walker has been busy this year. Not only did the singer drop the new EP Life On Earth and share a deluxe version of her breakout record Over It, but she also recently confirmed she’s pregnant. Now, Walker returns with another exciting announcement: she’s officially launching her own record label.

Walker unveiled her label Ghetto Earth Records Wednesday, a joint venture with Interscope. Alongside the official news, Walker shared that her label’s first signee is singer/songwriter NO1-NOAH, who collaborated with Walker both on Over It and Life On Earth.

Explaining the imprint’s name, Walker said, “I came up with Ghetto Earth because earth is ghetto. I don’t wanna be controlling over my artist’s music. I want them to be fully involved in everything they put out. I’m just here to support and help them get to wherever it is they’re trying to go in life.”

NO1-NOAH expressed his anticipation about joining Walker’s team, saying the singer understands his vision, “I’m excited to show people my music, and what I have to offer. I feel like being on Summer’s team, Ghetto Earth Records, is the right home for me to be as creative as possible as an artist. She’s really understanding of what a true artist is, as she is one herself. I’m free to create here and it’s always a great feeling as an artist to be able to make music for a team that gets the sound that you’re trying to create.”

Interscope Records’ Nicole Wyskoarko echoed NO1-NOAH’s statement, pointing to Walker’s talent as an artists and entrepreneur. “Summer is a true visionary. She’s writing her own rules as one of the most talented artists in R&B music today and is now adding entrepreneur to her vast repertoire,” Wyskoarko said. “Summer brings an unapologetically outspoken and empowering voice to Ghetto Earth and a radically different and much-needed perspective to developing emerging talent such as NO1-NOAH. We are thrilled that Summer has chosen Interscope as Ghetto Earth’s partner and home.”

Earlier this year, Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz shared Haunted Painting, her sophomore solo album under the moniker Sad13. It’s a deeply personal and introspective record, written as a document of her return to the creative process after reconciling with a delayed processing of grief. Heavy in its subject matter but light on its feet, Haunted Painting is some of Dupuis’ strongest work to date.

To celebrate the album, as well as the recent Simply Having a Wonderful Compilation covers album that she released in partnership with Father/Daughter Records, Dupuis sat down to talk decorations, recording a new holiday cover every year, and mushroom gravy, in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A holiday edition.

What’s the best holiday gift you’ve ever received?

When I was 17 my mom bought a drum set from my friend’s dad and it’s in her basement to this day. I used it to record a lot of the earliest solo Speedy Ortiz stuff, and the snare actually toured with us on Mike’s kit from about 2011 til last year. So it’s got a lot of use over the last 15 years and you can’t really beat that as far as presents go.

What is your earliest holiday memory?

Driving around Jersey suburbs with my family, looking at people’s over-the-top lights and animatronics.

What’s on your wish list for this year?

I’m easy to please. A good hot sauce or book makes me happy. But if Santa was really looking out for me, I’d be psyched to upgrade my audio interface. Like, if Santa happens to work at Apogee, Santa should hit me up.

What holiday song can you not resist singing along to?

Really loving “Hating You For Christmas” by Everclear lately, thanks to Melkbelly’s very good cover.

What’s the holiday song you wish you could zap out of existence?

I believe this is a popular opinion, but “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” gives me the creeps!

What is your strangest holiday tradition?

I write and record an original holiday song EVERY SINGLE YEAR, all of which are here. You’d think I’d be tired of doing it by now, and I’m running out of traditional Christmas songs to interpolate as guitar solos. But I actually upped the ante this year and co-released a holiday compilation, another collaboration between my label Wax Nine and Father/Daughter Records.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Haunted Painting by Sad13 OBVIOUSLY. But I have enough copies of it at home, so if it were me being gifted, I would really like the Charli XCX Number 1 Angel/Pop 2 LP.

Thoughts on snow?

It’s cool to look at once or twice a year. Beyond that, it limits my wardrobe too much and I fantasize about becoming a snowbird.

What holiday movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Black Christmas, Christmas Evil, Nightmare Before Christmas – all classics. Muppets Christmas Carol is also pretty great and, of course, I especially love Marley & Marley.

Marry, F*ck, Kill: Santa, Thanksgiving Turkey, Hannukah Harry.

I guess I’ll marry the turkey to save its life and the other two can fight it out for f*ck or death. I’m Jewish and somehow have never in my life heard of Hanukkah Harry before this moment?

What’s the one food you need on your Thanksgiving table?

As a vegan I’m all about the veggie sides. And a good mushroom gravy ties them all together.

Where’s the most interesting place you’ve ever spent the holidays?

Now that I’ve spent the last eight years on the road nonstop, it’s a gift in itself to NOT fly or drive places on holidays – or at least I felt that way in years prior. My mom and I did go to Austin a few years ago and got to see an outlaw country Christmas show at a bar, which is about as perfect a Christmas as I can imagine.

You decide to blow off the holidays and travel instead. Where are you going?

Nobody’s traveling right??? Stay home please! I do love Mexico City more than most cities and would be pretty happy to spend any holiday there. But only when the pandemic’s over!

If the holidays are a time for giving, what’s the charity you’d like to big up for the season?

I’m donating $1/sale of my album in 2020 to Prevention Point Philadelphia, a really crucial local harm reduction organization and health resource. So obviously I think folks should support them. And if you happen to buy Haunted Painting before the ball drops, you’re gonna support them involuntarily. 😉

What’s your favorite holiday drink?

Polar Seltzer limited edition Winter flavors! I’m also excited for their Ginger Lime Mule in early 2021.

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

Anything’s a Christmas movie if you believe!

How early is too early to decorate for the holiday season?

Keep the Halloween decorations up all year round.

What’s your ideal way to spend New Years Eve?

Wearing a fancy outfit eating junk food at a friend’s apartment is ideal. I’m gonna miss it this year.

As the year ends, how are you going to remember 2020?

I don’t wanna get too dark in a holiday Q+A, but there was a lot of needless death and suffering exacerbated by and even caused by our government and its agents. It would be hard to look back on 2020 without that at the forefront. But a lot of people also came to activism for the first time this year, and I hope that continues into 2021 and beyond – there’s a ton of work to do as a country and for our communities regardless of who’s in office. It’s also the year Union Of Musicians And Allied Workers started, and I hope as a union we’re able to do a lot as we grow.

The ball is dropping. What are you wishing for in the new year?

The other day at 11:11 on the phone with my health insurance for the eighth hour that week I wished for Medicare for All. I think that’s a good 2021 wish too!

Simply Having a Wonderful Compilation is out now. Listen and purchase here.

Like a terrible car crash you crane your neck at while speeding on past, people can’t stop watching Trump’s very public meltdown on Twitter right now.

The president of the United States — he holds onto that title and all its responsibilities until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in next year, in case he didn’t know — is currently performing a spectacular feat of cognitive dissonance on social media, marathon-tweeting his outrage at losing the 2020 election. And it’s so easy to read into this wildly inaccurate drivel. It seems Trump is all up in his feels.

That is a lot of typing for such small hands. Unfortunately for Trump, Twitter was not impressed by his loquaciousness or sympathetic to his recent acceptance of reality.

Look, we get it, losing is hard. But it’s not half as hard what a lot of people are going through right now: losing a loved one to COVID or losing their homes and job because their government won’t give a monthly stipend from the taxes that they’ve paid for years, so maybe it’s best if Trump goes and cries in a closet like many other people have been doing this year.

The classic Crocs model is an iconic piece of footwear, for reasons good or bad depending on your perspective. One thing that is for certain, though, is that Post Malone is generating attention for the brand. He has been a valuable partner with Crocs over the past few years, and his latest new model, the Post Malone x Crocs Duet Max Clog II, is an instant hit. The shoes were were released in the US yesterday and quickly sold out after fans waited in long online queues to get a pair.

Posty put a few pair aside, though, for a group of people who are special to him: The fine people at his old high school, Grapevine High School in Grapevine, Texas. TMZ reports that every student and faculty member at the school got themselves a pair courtesy of Posty. Before the news was revealed, a spreadsheet was apparently passed around the school, on which people were asked to note their shoe size.

Principal Alex Fingers shared the news on social media, posting some photos of students getting their shoes and writing, “Thank you @PostMalone for always giving back to your community! Your fellow @Grapevine_HS Mustangs are so proud of your success!”

While fans in the US are currently out of luck, the shoes go on sale today in Europe and tomorrow in Japan, South Korea, and Australia.

Check out our recent interview with Malone here.