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Blackstarkids’ ‘Acting Normal’ Offers ’00s Nostalgia Through A Gen Z Lens

After debuting a handful of self-released albums as well as a collection of demos, Blackstarkids have signed to Dirty Hit and now share a label with the likes of The 1975, Rina Sawayama, Beabadoobee, and The Japanese House. The Kansas City trio are days away from releasing their next full-length effort and have already caused a stir with their recent singles. Offering one last taste of their LP Whatever, Man, Blackstarkids share the buzzing track “Acting Normal.”

Tapping into early ’00s nostalgia through the lens of suburban, Gen Z musicians, “Acting Normal” boasts videogame-like synths, fuzzy guitar, and driving drums. While upbeat, the instrumentals leave ample room for each member of Blackstarkids to offer their own daydream about a day as a “normal” person. “I’m done acting normal / No I don’t give a damn / About what they say / ‘Cause I know who I am,” they sing.

“Acting Normal” is the latest single released off of Whatever, Man and follows a handful of well-received tracks. Their recent single titled “Frankie Muniz” even saw a sincere co-sign from the Malcolm In The Middle actor himself.

Listen to Blackstarkids’ “Acting Normal” above.

Whatever, Man is out 10/22 via Dirty Hit. Pre-order it here.

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Skullcrusher Shares The Chilling Track ‘Farm’ And A Wistful Cover Of Radiohead’s ‘Lift’

Helen Ballentine introduced the world to her moniker Skullcrusher with her 4-track self-titled EP back in July. Her gentle melodies and enthralling lyrical delivery quickly captured a large fanbase. Riding the momentum of her EP, Skullcrusher returns with two new songs.

Skullcrusher’s track “Farm” arrived alongside an artful video. Directed by Silken Weinberg, the visual depicts Skullcrusher as the lead role in her own play. The singer holds a glazed look as the set continuously morphs around her.

About “Farm,” Skullcrusher said she was inspired by reflecting on vignettes of her childhood:

“‘Farm’ was created out of time I spent reflecting on my childhood and family. The process of developing it to its current version ended up being really tied to these reflections. Noah and I were visiting my family on the East Coast when the decision was made to release it in the coming months. We went up to a studio in Woodstock, a couple hours from where I grew up, and recorded the song in a day. I was able to gather a lot of really nostalgic sounds from the area: crickets, cicadas, the beach in CT and the creaking of old homes. I had the ability to really talk through the memories and emotions of the song and how they could be manifested sonically.”

Along with “Farm,” Skullcrusher also appeased fans with a cover of Radiohead’s 1997 track “Lift.” Infusing her own style into the track, the singer transformed the song into a wistful ballad complete with banjo, rolling snares, and Skullcrusher’s folksy lilt.

Watch “Farm” and listen to Skullcrusher’s “Lift” Radiohead cover above.

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Robert Downey Jr. Did Not Enjoy The Original Version Of His Iron Man Helmet

Robert Downey Jr. is retired, at least from the MCU, meaning he never has to strap on that clunky helmet again. And that’s good news for him because he hated wearing it. The actor and occasional singer was one of David Letterman’s guests on the upcoming season of his Netflix chat show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, alongside the likes of Lizzo, Kim Kardashian West, and Dave Chappelle. And when the aggressively bearded former late night host about Iron Man helmet, saying “Is that thing really there?”, his guest had some thoughts.

“Excellent question,” Downey replied with a big smirk, ready to reveal the irksome evolution of the costume that helped take his career next level. It didn’t start off so well. “Initially everything was there. They wanted to spend as little as they could on CG replacements.” (As you’ll recall, the first Iron Man was seen as a potentially risky proposition, “only” costing about $140 million in 2008 dollars.)

Downey went on to describe how the filmmakers assumed he could actually act with the helmet on.

I remember this helmet went on, then there’d be a shot, I’d be in this whole suit. And they’d say, ‘Alright, Robert, it’s like you’ve landed on the roof, so when we say action, just go like that, like you just landed, and start moving forward.’ So I moved with this helmet on, and it slammed closed, so I couldn’t see anything. And then these LED lights went on, and it was like Manchurian Candidate, like I was absolutely blinded.

It got better, but it appears he grew reluctant to have an actual helmet on his actual head at all. “By the time we were doing the last Avengers, they’d be like, ‘Hey, Robert, would you mind putting on that…’,” Downey said. To which he would reply, “Helmet? No. Yes? No. Paint two dots here and you can paint it in later.”

You can find out what other tidbits Downey dished out to Letterman when the show’s third season drops on Netflix on October 21. Perhaps he has some choice words about acting with another menace — CGI talking animals — in his notorious stab at Doctor Dolittle.

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Zendaya Has Revealed That HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ Will Soon Return With Two Special Episodes

Zendaya says that more episodes of Euphoria are coming a lot sooner than we anticipated. The 2019 smash hit on HBO, which helped earn its lead actress a milestone Emmy award earlier this year, seems to have more episodes on the way before the end of 2020.

The award-winning actress shared on social media that two new episodes are on the way, and she shared a cryptic image to Instagram that looks like a reflection of her character in the blue eyes of another person.

“We really missed them. Two special Euphoria episodes coming soon. First one December 6th on @hbo,” Zendaya shared.

The “them” is perhaps a reference to Zendaya’s Rue and Hunter Schafer’s Jules Vaughn, the two main characters of the show. But details about what actually are coming in early December, or whether these two episodes are the start of a new full season or a pandemic-created interlude of sorts, were initially scarce.

HBO later shared a press release with more details about the first of the two special episodes, which were shot amid the pandemic.

In the aftermath of being left by Jules at the train station and relapsing, the first special episode follows Rue (played by Emmy®-winner Zendaya) as she celebrates Christmas. Written and directed by series creator Sam Levinson, the episode, titled “Trouble Don’t Last Always,” also stars Colman Domingo, who appeared in season one. The title and date of the second episode are forthcoming. Both special episodes were produced under COVID-19 guidelines.

Regardless, it’s sure to be exciting news for the show’s legion of fans, who either identified with or were transfixed by Rue’s ups and downs when it came to drug addiction, young love and just generally trying to survive Sam Levinson’s take on modern high school life. Hopefully, the announcement means a trailer of some sort is on the way soon, but we do know we’ll see Zendaya and Schafer back a lot sooner than many anticipated.

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A short, simple and irrefutable explanation why there’s no such thing as ‘white pride’

When it comes to the topic of race, we all have questions. And sometimes, it honestly can be embarrassing to ask perfectly well-intentioned questions lest someone accuse you of being ignorant, or worse, racist, for simply admitting you don’t know the answer.

America has a complicated history with race. For as long as we’ve been a country, our culture, politics and commerce have been structured in a way to deny our nation’s past crimes, minimize the structural and systemic racism that still exists and make the entire discussion one that most people would rather simply not have.

For example, have you ever wondered what’s really behind the term Black Pride? Is it an uplifting phrase for the Black community or a divisive term? Most people instinctively put the term “White Pride” in a negative context. Is there such a thing as non-racist, racial pride for white people? And while we’re at it, what about Asian people, Native Americans, and so on?

Yes, a lot of people raise these questions with bad intent. But if you’ve ever genuinely wanted an answer, either for yourself or so that you best know how to handle the question when talking to someone with racist views, writer/director Michael McWhorter put together a short, simple and irrefutable video clip explaining why “White Pride” isn’t a real thing, why “Black Pride” is and all the little details in between.


“I knew this question was coming and I waited until someone asked nicely to respond,” McWhorter says at the beginning of his video. “So, no, there’s no such thing as ‘White Pride.’ In part, because there is no white culture.”

Now, “hold on,” you might be thinking. Is this another try-hard white guy attacking fellow white people to appear woke? No, what McWhorter says next is one of the most insightful, and inclusive, explanations for anyone who is white, or really anyone who isn’t Black, and might be wondering how they can identify with their own cultural heritage in a constructive and meaningful way. Also, as a Southern, white man, McWhortner might be just the perfect messenger for those who have been unable or unwilling to answer the question on their own.

Viola Davis on Facebook Watch

“You can have pride based on your ethnicity, like Scottish, German, Irish,” he says. “You can even have regional pride, like Southern Pride. These things usually apply to your cultural identity, like how you grew up, etc.”

OK, hard to argue with that. And a handy explanation for how to positively celebrate your culture as a white person. But what about those who still want to generally “take back” the idea of White Pride or who attack the concept/origins of Black Pride?

“Some people argue, ‘well, others have pride.’ And no, they don’t,” he continues. Chicano, Latino pride, Asian pride, those are not colors. The one exception is Black pride. And that’s because they’ve had a unique experience no one else has. Black Americans were robbed of their culture. They don’t know where they come from.”

McWhorter goes on to explain the basics of the African-American diaspora and how it is different than other cultural heritages or even legacies of racism that other ethic or religious groups have experienced.

And if someone still needs an explanation of why the term itself is unnecessary, problematic and makes almost everyone more than a little uncomfortable, McWhorter reminds us simply that, “White Pride was coined by white supremacists.”

So, there you have it. It’s perfectly OK to celebrate your heritage without being a racist. And Black pride is an inclusive, uplifting term used to help people whose ancestor had their freedom and their heritage itself stolen from them. It’s not that complicated!

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Khabib On McGregor-Poirier: ‘It’s Not A Lightweight Contender Fight At 170 Or 185 Pounds’

Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are set to meet in a rematch of their 2014 fight that saw McGregor win by way of a first round knockout, with both fighters agreeing in principle to the January 23 date but with contracts still needing to be finalized and signed — which means it is not exactly a 100 percent certainty the fight happens.

If they do get pens to paper, the bout could be for No. 1 contender status in the lightweight division, with the winner in line for a shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s belt. However, given that McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh noted he’d like to see them fight at 170 pounds rather than 155 pounds, there are some concerns from Khabib’s camp about such a fight serving as a battle for the top contender at 155 pounds.

Khabib spoke with SportsCentre on TSN on Monday as he gets ready for his title fight with Justin Gaethje this coming Saturday, and reaffirmed that he will consider whomever comes out on top of Poirier’s next bout the top contender, provided they fight at 155 pounds.

This makes complete and total sense, as if you are wondering who is the best at 155 pounds you should, well, probably fight at 155 pounds and not 170. That said, it wouldn’t be the fight game if there wasn’t some silly controversy and what’s more ridiculous than judging the best fighter at 155 pounds based off how they fare while 15 pounds heavier.

The biggest point of contention is that, if McGregor wants to fight at 170 then he should fight at 170. To say they should see who’s best when fully hydrated is certainly a valid point from Kavanagh, as weight-cutting remains an issue in combat sports, but if it’s a concern that McGregor wouldn’t be at his best at 155 then maybe he shouldn’t be gunning for contendership at that weight.

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Billie Eilish’s Shoes Spark A Debate Reminiscent Of The Dress Meme As People Argue About Their Color

Billie Eilish’s shoes gave fans a flashback to the 2015 viral photo of a dress which the internet couldn’t decide if it was blue and black or pink and white. During a recent Q&A session on her Instagram Stories, the singer gave her own version of the optical illusion — this time involving sneakers.

Fielding a variety of questions from fans about her music and personal life, Eilish was asked about the original 2015 meme and urged to give her opinion on the colors she saw. Taking things one step further, the singer revealed she was in a similar situation recently after she showed off a pair of her sneakers to her father. Eilish’s father apparently incorrectly saw her Uptempo Nike sneakers as pink and white, when they are supposed to be mint green and white.

Many of Eilish’s followers said they also saw pink and white, and Eilish wasn’t having it. “So listen. You guys are all my f*cking dad,” she said.

Still, several of Eilish’s followers weren’t convinced and a debate ensued over the proper color of the shoes.

After seeing the arguments, Eilish attempted to settle the debate once and for all and leaned on Google to provide a final answer.

Check out photos of Eilish’s sneakers above.

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Meet Victor Wembanyama, The Best Basketball Prospect On Earth

By now, you’ve probably seen the viral footage of NBA pros Rudy Gobert and Vincent Poirier playing 2-on-2 with Nanterre’s Maxime Reynaud and Victor Wembanyama. If not, enjoy this clip of a very tall teen pulling up over one of the best defensive big men on earth.

It’s a fun little video, with Gobert hitting threes and generally seeming to have fun with the next generation of French big men. What you also noticed in that tweet are the words “arguably the best prospect in the world” in reference to Wembanyama. This isn’t just a fun video of a couple of NBA players having fun during the offseason with their fellow countrymen, it’s the present running headlong into the future and being scarcely capable of comprehending what it is they’re seeing.

Wembanyama is 16 years old (he turns 17 in January) and stands at least 7’2 already. Here he is next to Gobert, listed at 7’1, where he is obviously quite a bit taller.

You look at that footage, along with basically any other clip of his game, and Wembanyama’s skill level for a 16 year old big man is beyond anything we’ve seen before. He’s the closest thing to a 99 overall MyPlayer on NBA 2K that we have on earth right now, and he’s utterly dominated everywhere he’s been thus far.

Even being on this Nanterre team at all is an incredible accomplishment for someone who legally cannot drive a car in France yet. Nanterre plays in the Pro A, the same league that Gobert himself once played in and the league that has produced NBA players like Tony Parker, Evan Fournier, Boris Diaw, Nic Batum, Frank Ntilikina, and Ronny Turiaf. He’s the second-youngest player to ever compete in Eurocup, the second-largest European continental club basketball competition.

At the Under-18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Kaunas this past February, Wembanyama dropped Per 36s of 20.7 points, 15.3 rebounds, and truly staggering defensive numbers — 7.6 blocks and 3.5 steals. He did this a month and a half after turning 16, against players that were up to two and half years older than him. His game log included a 22-point, 15-rebound, 9-block game against Zaragoza. I shouldn’t have to say this, but one of the first and best barometers for a prospect’s ability is dominating their peers, and the argument exists that Wembanyama has been dominating his peers for almost two years now.

So what kind of player is he, really? He’s not the most physical youngster on earth, but his basketball IQ and ability to make reads on defense is perhaps second only to Yannick Nzosa among all under-18 players alive right now. His wingspan, estimated at around eight feet, allows him to recover even when he makes mistakes and grab every possible rebound. Most frightening is Wembanyama’s coordination and ability to put the ball on the floor and shoot off dribble. There are stretch bigs in the NBA right now, some of them 7 feet or taller, who cannot shoot and handle the ball like Wembanyama can. A player like Lauri Markkanen’s entire value is based around being able to shoot off movement at his size, and even he cannot hope to hit shots like Wembanyama can.

Perhaps most enticingly, he seems to have terrific vision as a passer, he just hasn’t played anywhere that utilizes him as one.

Really, the only knock on Victor right now is his frame. A 7’2 (or more!), 195 pound basketball player is just not tenable. He’s only 16, though, which means he’ll probably put on at least another 30 or 40 pounds before he’s physically matured, like you or I did. Besides, by this point, I think we’ve learned to not let thin arms dissuade us from an otherwise flawless prospect — remember when Texas’ can’t-miss forward Kevin Durant couldn’t bench press 185 pounds at the combine, or frail Kentucky standout Anthony Davis was going to injure himself out of the NBA?

That is what Victor Wembanyama is — so far beyond his peers that only the brightest stars in the basketball universe can compare to him. He is a complete and utter phenom who is plying his trade against grown, adult men and still standing out. With all due respect to Emoni Bates, A.J. Griffin, Dajuan Wagner Jr., and everyone else, he is the most promising basketball prospect alive. All we can do now is wait, although rest assured, we’ll be marveling about his game whenever he steps on the floor for the next few years.

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The Very Cool And Hip Donald Trump Roasted Anthony Fauci With A Reference To… Uh, Bob Hope?”

While the main character of the Internet on Monday was either a woman with an extremely Boston accent or an indecent exposure incident over Zoom, the main character in Donald Trump’s world was definitely Anthony Fauci. Trump woke up angry at Fauci on Monday after a 60 Minutes interview appearance on Sunday night, and so he spent his day of campaigning attacking a man who has preached vigilance and safety during a pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans this year.

Trump mentioned Fauci, an immunologist who has served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, a number of times on Monday and introduced a new ad attacking Joe Biden as someone who would, well, listen to one of the top medical officials in America if he were elected president. Which Biden seems OK with, quite frankly.

It started with a phone call in which reporters heard him criticize Fauci and his understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Later, there were a series of tweets on Monday where Trump used a bizarrely dated reference to Bob Hope to criticize how often Fauci is on TV.

“Fauci says we don’t allow him to do television, and yet I saw him last night on @60Minutes,” Trump tweeted. “He seems to get more airtime than anybody since the late, great, Bob Hope.”

Trump, who is doing three rallies a day like a high school football player trying to catch up after a late August family vacation, mentioned Fauci and his less-than-ideal first pitch before a Washington Nationals game earlier in the summer several times on Monday. He also mocked him with his own version of the throw in Arizona.

It’s important to note that Trump — who was booed the last time he showed up to a baseball stadium with fans in it — did not throw out a first pitch this year. He threatened to do so at a Yankees/Red Sox game after word came out that Fauci would throw one out this year. After his pitch, well, didn’t go so well, Trump abruptly canceled and it was later learned that Trump announced his pitch before anyone at the Yankees organization confirmed it.

With two weeks left before the election, it seems that Trump has decided his closing argument to voters is that Fauci hasn’t done his job as well as he should. That election, however, will be a clear indicator of how Americans think Trump has done his job, not Fauci.

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What’s On Tonight: ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ Introduces More Cold Cases And Spooky Supernatural Happenings

If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.

Unsolved Mysteries: Vol 2. (Netflix series) — Following a successful summer revival, the second batch of cold-case deep dives are here to spook the hell out of you. We ranked the six episodes — which include a mysterious death in a luxury hotel, the disappearance and murder of a Washington insider, and a mass haunting following a tsunami — that invite citizen detectives to do their thing. This reinvigorated take on the classic series comes from the original creators (Cosgrove/Meurer Productions), who teamed up with the Stranger Things production company (21 Laps Entertainment), and hopefully, some justice and closure can be found for victims’ families.

The Third Day (HBO, 9:00pm EST) — The Jude Law and Naomie Harris-starring series sees Helen dodge the power struggle when she finally finds what she’s been searching for on the island. Meanwhile, Tallulah stumbles upon an act of violence, and Ellie discovers one of her mother’s secrets.

We Are Who We Are (HBO, 10:00pm EST) — Sarah’s happy that Fraser finally has a strong male influence, but Maggie simply doesn’t understand. This show is Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s first stab at a TV series, and it will appeal to the Euphoria audience while they await Season 2.

Manhunt: Deadly Games (CBS, 10:00pm EST) — The FBI’s in hot pursuit of serial bomber Eric Randolph, all while Richard Jewell and Watson find evidence that could finally exonerate the wrongfully accused Richard following fallout from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

In case you missed these selections from over the weekend:

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon — Gwen Stefani, Swizz Beatz & Timbaland, Bebe Rexha ft. Doja Cat

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Ego Nwodim