Category: News

The nation’s collective attention may be moving back toward an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases across the south, but cities and towns across the country continue to see massive Black Lives Matter protests and people across the political spectrum calling for police reform. In an ongoing conversation about race and our nation’s perception of race relations and law enforcement, a number of shows in the entertainment industry have seen cancelation or changes made.

LivePD and the long-running Cops, for example, were cancelled. And according to Terry Crews the writers of Brooklyn 99 scrapped its new season entirely to start over with the sea change in progress in mind. Andy Samberg, who stars in the show, has also admitted that it will be a “challenge” to make new episodes of the comedy that focuses on a police precinct in Brooklyn.

In an interview with People, Samberg said the show’s writers and actors are doing their best to handle things sensitively, but he wasn’t entirely sure the show would be able to thread the needle.

“We’re taking a step back, and the writers are all rethinking how we’re going to move forward, as well as the cast,” Samberg, 41, tells PEOPLE. “We’re all in touch and kind of discussing how you make a comedy show about police right now, and if we can find a way of doing that that we all feel morally okay about.”

“I know that we’ll figure it out, but it’s definitely a challenge, so we’ll see how it goes,” adds the actor, who plays Det. Jake Peralta.

It’s not an easy thing to do, for sure, and some have even suggested changing the location of the show entirely and make it something other than a police drama. But given the troubles Crews has gotten himself into with critical comments about the Black Lives Matter movement in recent weeks, it makes sense that Samberg and the rest of the cast is trying to be careful in how they move forward. Right now, it doesn’t seem like they have any definitive solutions just yet.

[via People]

‘Misbehavin’ is a song that sounds like a show was built around it, but as Danny McBride revealed it was far more an afterthought than it seems. The Righteous Gemstones star and creator recently revealed that the song was far from central to the show, even though it’s become an instant classic in its own right.

The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Danny McBride and series composer Joseph Stevens about the music of the show. Of course, the interview largely focused on the earworm of a song that has become a cult favorite of sorts. McBride said the song wasn’t a necessity for the show, but something that evolved as part of a process that came with fleshing out the family history.

He described an album cover with a song called ‘Misbehavin” in the background as a stage direction that he took, then shaped into an entire flashback episode that involved actually creating the song that went with the title.

“We were never originally planning on doing that flashback episode [episode five, “Interlude”]. And about halfway through the season, I got to the point where I wanted to see what this [family] used to be when Aimee-Leigh was [alive],” McBride said. “So almost as an exercise, I wrote that [episode] just to know what the beef was with everyone so we can see it for ourselves. And in the script it seemed to make sense, like, “That song that we tipped in that third episode, we should just deal with that.””

The result was calling Stephens, who listened to Edi Patterson, who plays Judy Gemstone, singing some lines of what became the central theme of ‘Misbehavin” And as with many things in the “misunderstood angry man” trilogy McBride has assembled on HBO, the best line of the song came from a moment where the writing went just a bit outside of what’s comfortable.

MCBRIDE You added the best lyric: “Runnin’ through the house with a pickle in my mouth.” I knew we had hit something when you came back with that.

STEPHENS I was super pleased that you were down with that. Because when I sent it, I was like, “I don’t know what this means. It’s cute and innocent, but it’s pretty weird. Fuck it, I’m going to put it in there.”

MCBRIDE It sounds like something you could get in trouble for in a very religious household.

The line was instantly memorable and made the flashback episode a success, as well as set up the later parts of the season where the Gemstones try to reinvent the wheel with the in-universe classic. Stephens said he studied the Carter Family when trying to recreate the period-specific sound of the song, and the rest of the interview has a lot of fun tidbits about the writing process and how the song made an episode that was a departure for the already short series — a flashback episode missing a number of other characters central to the show — into an essential part of the Gemstones experience.

The Brooklyn Nets are currently the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, but when the NBA restarts, they will be without a number of key players. Wilson Chandler was the first member of the team to opt out, citing family health concerns, and shortly after Spencer Dinwiddie announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing symptoms.

Dinwiddie had hoped to recover and play, but after another positive test on Tuesday announced he would be sitting out. DeAndre Jordan likewise tested positive and announced he would not be going to Orlando with the team, and on Tuesday evening, we learned a third Nets player, Taurean Prince, has also tested positive and will not join the team for the restart, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Nets, already without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant for the season, are now down four other key contributors as they look to finish out the season. Given that when Dinwiddie announced his positive test he noted it came after he’d participated in activities with the team, one can’t help but wonder if the sudden spike in positive tests on the team are part of an internal outbreak — that, to be very clear, could have been caused by anyone that has since tested positive.

Prince averaged 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this season for the Nets, and with Chandler already opting out their options on the wing are growing slim. Should more tests come back positive from the team, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Nets may have to withdraw from the restart in whole, as FC Dallas did from the MLS Is Back Tournament in Orlando this week after 10 players and one coach tested positive or the virus.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson issued an apology on Tuesday afternoon following a controversy that stemmed from anti-Semitic Instagram posts he made over the weekend. At the heart of the controversy was Jackson’s decision to post a quote that is purportedly falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler, which you can read here.

Beyond that post, ESPN wrote that Jackson shared a pair of since-delete posts that expressed admiration for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who is classified as an anti-Semite by both the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. The Eagles’ owner, Jeffrey Lurie, and general manager, Howie Roseman, are both Jewish, and in a statement released on Tuesday, the franchise expressed that it finds Jackson’s posts unacceptable.

“We have spoken with DeSean Jackson about his social media posts,” the Eagles said in a statement. “Regardless of his intentions, the messages he shared were offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling. They have no place in our society, and are not condoned or supported in any way by the organization.

“We are disappointed and we reiterated to DeSean the importance of not only apologizing, but also using his platform to take action to promote unity, equality, and respect. We are continuing to evaluate the circumstances and will take appropriate action. We take these matters very seriously and are committed to continuing to have productive and meaningful conversations with DeSean, as well as all of our players and staff, in order to educate, learn, and grow.”

Jackson, in response to all of this, posted a video to his Instagram account in which he said, “My post was definitely not intended for anybody of any race to feel any type of way, especially the Jewish community. What I posted, I definitely didn’t mean it to the extent that you guys took it, and I just wanted to let you guys know that I’m, you know, very apologetic, and I just want you guys to understand that it never was intended … to put any race down or any religion down.”

Of course, there is a major difference between apologizing and apologizing for how something was taken. There is no word on whether Jackson will receive any sort of disciplinary action from the Eagles.

If you love peaty whisky, this post is for you. Ardbeg has been producing the smoky stuff since 1798 on the island of Islay in western Scotland. The small distillery has only two stills and sits right on the sea. It’s literally everything you think of when you think of a sea-washed Scottish distillery.

Last week, we went on Instagram to taste through Ardbeg’s main expressions with podcast host and travel writer Mike Schibel. Our tasting started with Ardbeg’s new expression, Wee Beastie, and ended with this year’s special release of Blaaack. It was an hour-or-so long whirlwind of some of the tastiest, smokiest, and award-winning peaty scotches on the market today.

There are no musician tie-ins here. No gimmicks. This is just damn-fine whisky that’ll help you fall in love with the peatier side of the whisky world.

Ardbeg Wee Beastie

ABV: 47.4%
Average Price: $50

The Whisky:

This is a very new expression from Ardbeg (it was released in April of 2020). The juice is aged for only five years in both ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks before marrying for the final product. The idea is to give a sense of the quality of the peaty juice from Port Ellen’s malting house.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a sharp sense of alcohol and peat up top with a hint of fruitiness. The fruit leans more pear, with a flourish of vanilla behind a real brininess and mild(ish) notes of peat. The rawness of the peaty tar sticks to your senses as a hint of smoked bacon fades alongside the fruit, brine, and peat.

Ardbeg Ten

ABV: 46%
Average Price: $60

The Whisky:

This is Ardbeg’s signature bottle and a true gateway to the peaty style of single malt scotches. The real highlight with this expression is the peat via sherry casking. It’s truly a classic.

Tasting Notes:

Smoke, fruit, and a hint of lemon zest lead the way. There’s a sense of black pepper spice, smoked meat, plenty of brine, a dose of vanilla, and a whisper of nuttiness. A sense of bitterness and a touch of licorice come into play as the sip very, very slowly fades through the smoke, nuttiness, and fruit.

Ardbeg Uigedail

ABV: 54.2%
Average Price: $90

The Whisky:

Pronounced “Oog-A-Dal,” this expression is all about being “dark and mysterious” — much like the lake the distillery pulls its water and the name of this expression from. The juice is a mix of single malts from both ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks and is bottled at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Smoked fruit and Christmas spices greet you with a hint of florals and… maybe even bananas. The dram has a fruity sweetness that counterpoints the heavier smoky nature of the sip. The sip opens up wonderfully with a drop of water as the spices, smoke, and fruit all balance each other out deftly. The sip ends quickly but with a nice dose of warmth.

Ardbeg Corryvrecken

ABV: 46%
Average Price: $100

The Whisky:

This whisky is named after the world’s second-largest ocean whirlpool, called Corryvrecken. The juice in the bottle is Ardbeg Ten blended with single malt that’s been aged exclusively in new French Limousin casks.

Tasting Notes:

Moments of spice, vanilla, brown sugar, and dark, tart fruit open this sip. Sea salt, black pepper, dark spices, and more tart berries mingle on the palate. The subtly of the sip hints at florals as and almost dark chocolate feeling arrives late on the lingering, peppery finish.

Ardbeg Blaaack

ABV: 46%
Average Price: $130

The Whisky:

Ardbeg’s Blaaack is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary this year. This specialty and very-limited release was aged in Pinto Noir casks from New Zealand this time around, adding a very plummy depth to the dram.

Tasting Notes:

Cedar, mushroom umami, mild smoke, cherry, vinous red wine, and a hint of citrus zest greet your nose. The sip is texturally reminiscent of velvet with plenty of peaty smoke, brine, ripe and sweet fruits, a vinous note, and powdery dark chocolate. The velvet texture of the sip really grabs your senses as the bitter chocolate, fruit, and spice fade out over time and another rush of peat and cedar flood the senses.

Check out the full tasting below!

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers will head to Orlando with championship aspirations, as they get a healthy Ben Simmons back on the floor for the eight-game push to the postseason. If at full strength, Philly figures to be a force to be reckoned with, but that of course comes with the giant caveat hanging over the NBA that is: Will this restart go off without a hitch?

We’ve already seen a number of players, most of whom are not on championship contenders, withdraw due to injury concerns, family concerns, or testing positive for COVID-19 prior to going to Orlando. As the MLS battles outbreaks within their bubble at Disney, with one team withdrawing and another having to have a game postponed, there has to be at least some concern something similar could happen to the NBA if they don’t take extreme precaution.

The league has done what it believes to be what is necessary with the guidelines in place for testing, isolation, and distancing — particularly important early on as players arrive from all around the country. Embiid himself isn’t a fan of the NBA’s restart plan and has plenty of concerns, one of which being that he doesn’t trust all of his fellow players to do their part in following those protocols and rules that are in place to try and mitigate any spread of the virus in the bubble, as he told reporters on Tuesday via Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

“I look at myself and I’ve been doing this for quite a bit now — six, seven years,” he said. “Like I said, all I do is play video games and stay in my room on the road, or even when I’m home. Just stay home, play video games, do what I’ve got to do. Just being with my family.

“And obviously we’re all different. Some guys like to go out and some guys like to do stuff, (there are) some guys that like adventure. So that’s the way I’m thinking. I know myself. I know I’m not going to put everybody else at risk, but the question is, is everybody else going to do the same? And just being around this business, I surely don’t think so.”

Embiid has concerns about the motivation for the league pushing so hard for the restart (money) and whether it will be truly safe, but also said he doesn’t want to let down his teammates and the city so he’ll be going and trying to play for a championship. His point on players potentially not following protocols is valid, and it remains to be seen if the league will be able to effectively enforce the rules to keep players from breaking the bubble or doing things inside of it that could put the restart in jeopardy.

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

Jim Jefferies: Indolerant — The Aussie comedian (who remains notorious for his gun-control opinion) pulls a 180 from where he was five years ago. He’s less focused on issues these days and grows incredibly banal at times, but he’s still uproariously funny. While reflecting upon the state of comedy today, he manages to dole out some hefty insight on life while telling an epic tale of the pursuit of lactose at all costs.

Netflix has also dropped many other comedy specials over the past few months, and here are the highlights:

Eric Andre: Legalize Everything — This New Orleans-filmed special shows Eric Andre once again busting through comedic boundaries while taking on the wars on sex, drugs, and… fart jokes? Alright. Seriously though, It’s the best comedy special of the year and highly relevant to the U.S. police-related discussion today.

Pete Davidson: Alive From New York — From SNL to a ton of upcoming movies, Pete Davidson’s doing everything, and now, he’s got his very first Netflix original comedy special. Yes, he’s dropping all kinds of unfiltered anecdotes on everything from his SNL-related discomfort to his Louis C.K. beef and Ariana Grande relationship.

Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything — The Emmy and Grammy winning comedian brings his newest comedy special to the streaming giant. Look forward to anecdotes involving a full-scale Millennium Falcon replica and how home buying gets tied to the term “suicide squad.” Stick around for the post-credits bonus, in which Patton introduces another one-hour comedy special, Bob Rubin: Oddities & Rarities.

Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours To Kill — The legendary Jerry Seinfeld has dropped his second Netflix special. Expect him to keep mining everyday life to unveil comedy in the commonplace. Although the title of this special feels Bond-esque, Seinfeld doesn’t disappoint those expecting his trademarked sharp perceptions about everyday life.

Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (Netflix stand-up special) — The newest Netflix comedy special arrives today with Hannah Gadsby following up on Nanette with a second turn named after one of her dogs. Gadsby’s hope was that Douglas would “inspire comedy disobedience,” according to Netflix, and this LA-filmed special promises to upend all expectations.

Marc Maron: End Times Fun — The long-time standup comic, GLOW star, and prolific podcaster unleashes his latest comedy special. Expect Maron’s thoughts on cell phones, vaccinations, and Tumeric. Oh, and he’s definitely talking about his ongoing beef with Marvel movie fans.

George Lopez: We’ll Do It For Half (Netflix stand-up special, Tuesday) — Somehow, this is Lopez’s first Netflix comedy special despite his storied stand-up roots. In one hour, Lopez dives into lessons that he’s learned from the Latino community, along with issues related to emotional support animals, gender reveal parties, and elevator etiquette.

Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis — Taylor Tomlinson has made a high-spirited appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, and Netflix now presents her first comedy special. Over the course of an hour, Tomlinson will discuss how she’s leaving the mistakes of her early 20s behind her (and tell us why why your twenties are not truly “the best years of your life”).

Tom Segura: Ball Hog — This special promises to not be for the faint of heart, and Segura is leaving no target-stone unturned. He tackles emotionally fragile people, arguments with one’s family, up-ending expectations, and he offers some common sense on following dreams, live from a recent performance in Austin, Texas.

Here are a few options elsewhere on TV:

Stargirl (CW, 8:00 p.m.) — Courtney’s unexpected confrontation convinces Pat that it’s time to tell Barbara what’s up, and Cindy’s catching heat from her own dad.

Dirty John (USA 10:00 p.m.) — The Betty Broderick Story is an irresistibly trashy series that’s even dirtier that last year’s effort. This week, Betty’s lost identity means that she’s turning her pain outward, with fatal results.

The WNBA is set to start its season later this month, as the teams have arrived at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida — where the conditions are, per videos from the bubble, less than ideal. Once games start, players will wear uniforms with Breonna Taylor’s name, as well as warmups that say Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name, continuing to spotlight the killing of Taylor and other women by police brutality.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Kelly Loeffler, a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream and appointed United States Senator from Georgia, opposed that idea.

U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler objected to the WNBA’s plans to honor the Black Lives Matter movement, warning Tuesday that subscribing to a “particular political agenda undermines the potential of the sport and sends a message of exclusion.”

Loeffler called for everyone to be “united” and to “remove politics from sports,” which only further illustrates how badly (and purposefully) she is missing the point of the Black Lives Matter movement. Calling for an end to police brutality and racism shouldn’t be a political issue — insisting it is political only further evidences what side Loeffler falls on with regards to race, and as such, there’s a push from within the WNBA by the players association for her to be removed as an owner in a league that is predominantly Black.

Loeffler, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate last year by Georgia governor Brian Kemp to replace Johnny Isakson and made headlines earlier this year when she and her husband sold $20 million in stock following a closed-door meeting on COVID-19 in February, will face her first election later this fall in November, and has clearly chosen to stake her opposition to Black Lives Matter as a campaign point. The WNBA quickly issued a statement, noting that Loeffler was “no longer involved in the day-to-day business” of the Dream since being appointed to the Senate in October 2019.

Her status as active or not likely won’t be relevant to players if there are any ties between Loeffler and the Dream, even as the WNBA clearly looks to distance themselves from Loeffler. Without completely removing her from any post as a co-owner of the Dream, this issue will remain and illustrates a broader problem the NBA and WNBA face with regards to making public, grand statements about supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and their players while some of those in ownership positions support and donate to candidates (like Loeffler) that vehemently oppose that movement and would prefer to maintain the status quo that assists in them keeping their immense wealth and power.

Over the past two months, as the nation has seen thousands take the streets to protest police violence and systemic inequality, athletes and celebrities have lent their voices and their influence in an effort to affect meaningful change. The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor have mobilized Americans in a way we haven’t seen in a generation.

Even as the NBA prepares to resume its season in Orlando later this month, many players and league officials have voiced concerns about how to make sure the return of professional sports doesn’t distract from the Black Lives Matter movement and instead leverages its platform to bring greater awareness to the cause and spur concrete action.

Kyrie Irving was one of the first to express reluctance about the NBA restart, and though he won’t be participating with the Nets as he continues to rehab from injury, he’s funneling his efforts elsewhere to make the most of this opportunity. On Tuesday, it was announced that he’s producing a television program designed specifically to bring justice for Breonna Taylor, an unarmed black woman who police shot to death in her apartment as the plainclothes officers executed a no-knock warrant.

Via ESPN:

The broadcast will include specific calls for action, such as calls to the offices of city and state officials, voter registrations and social media posts bringing attention to Taylor’s case.

Irving, who has been vocal about social justice issues, says as society is calling attention to police brutality and systemic racism, it is “critical to magnify how these unjust behaviors and practices are directly impacting Black women.”

The program will air PlayersTV, a digital platform on Samsung TV that is similar to the Players’ Tribune in that it is designed specifically for athletes to produce their own stories. The show will feature a variety of guests, such as Jemelle Hill and Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza.

(ESPN)

Vauhxx Booker, a civil rights activist from Bloomington, Indiana, claims that a group of white men threatened to lynch him during an altercation on July 4 near Lake Monroe, but he was saved by onlookers who intervened.

Video taken during the incident shows he was held down by a group of men who pinned him to a tree in a wooded area. Booker says that while he was being held down, the men threatened to break his arms, repeatedly said “get a noose,” and told his friends to leave the area.

The men later let him go after being confronted by onlookers who gathered at the scene.

The incident began, according to Booker, when he and his friends were making their way to the lake to see the lunar eclipse when a white man on an ATV told them they were trespassing. When Booker and his friends continued to walk to the lake, the man on the ATV and his friends allegedly shouted “white power” at them, which is when things turned violent.

Booker says that one man wore a hat with the confederate flag.

Booker recounting the story to reporters on Monday.via Cameron Ridle / Twitter

“I don’t want to recount this, but I was almost the victim of an attempted lynching,” he later wrote on Facebook. “I don’t want this to have happened to me or anyone. It hurts my soul and my pride, but there are multiple witnesses and it can’t be hidden or avoided.”

Multiple people recorded portions of the incident on their camera phones. In the videos, the white men can be heard calling someone a “nappy-headed bitch” and insulting “liberals.”

Video documentation of Bloomington resident Vauhxx Booker being attacked, July 4, 2020

www.youtube.com

The altercation caught the attention of other people making their way to the lake who intervened by filming the incident, calling the Department of Natural Resources, and demanding they let Booker go.

“I’m here alive today because folks stopped being bystanders. They didn’t just film me,” Booker said at a protest on Monday adding that their actions, “affirmed that black lives matter.”

In his Facebook post, Booker says that the crowd refused to leave him to be killed by the men.

According to witnesses, it took DNR agents one to two hours to arrive at the scene of the altercation. Booker says they refused to make any arrests.

“They left a clear and present danger loose in our community,” Booker said of the DNR officers. “I don’t have a doubt that if it would have been five Black men who had attacked a white man, they would have been in jail that night.”

The DNR says that the incident is still under investigation. Booker’s lawyer believes that arrests will be made soon.

On Monday, a Black Lives Matter group gathered in Bloomington, Indiana to protest the incident and support Booker.

The peaceful protest ended in violence when a red car sped through the gathering injuring two people who hung on as it drove away. The driver of the car has not been identified.

“The 35 year-old man that had clung to the side of the vehicle suffered abrasions to his arms as a result of falling from the vehicle. The 29 year-old woman that had been on the hood was said to have been knocked unconscious and suffered a laceration to her head,” the Bloomington Police Department wrote, according to NBC News.

The incident near Lake Monroe is another example that racially-motivated violence is still a problem that must be confronted. It also shows why the goals of the growing Black Lives Matter movement gaining traction across the country are so vital to the survival of people of color.

The bystanders who wouldn’t let Vauhxx Booker be the next victim is an inspiring example of what can happen when allies step in and refuse to accept violence. Wouldn’t it be great if the cops who stood by allowed George Floyd to be murdered did the same thing?

“We need to stop being bystanders,” Booker said on Monday. “I’m here today because folks stopped being bystanders.”