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What’s up, my estival experts, my Aestas admirers, my sommar seekers? If you, like me, are wondering why it feels like summer – already the briefest of seasons – has blown by, I’m sorry to say I don’t have a good explanation. Only that you are not alone in those feelings, and that they probably speak to enjoying the season as best you can. I know it feels like you have to take some far-flung escape to pristine and turquoise waters on a borrowed yacht with 20 of your closest friends just to throw a birthday cake overboard, but you don’t, and even James Harden hasn’t done that again this summer.

So just enjoy the weeks of fun, sun, and balmy weather we’ve got left, break out the summer fit you’ve been waiting for a reason to wear (this is the reason), and enjoy this latest dispatch of your big ballin’ favs experiencing the ephemeral joys of ripping around on a jet ski.

Klay Thompson

The Warriors’ preeminent water baby (Thompson’s an Aquarius – so it also cosmically tracks) went to Greece and ticked off most of the major Hellenic holiday boxes. Bopping around on a boat in a matching leisure set, jumping off some cliffs (the form here, too bad Phidias isn’t still around to make a sculpture about it), eating whole grilled fish, tagging the MLB (again, Phidias is spinning in his grave with this form) and playing pickup in a nondescript gym.

Rating: Not sure what the surgeon general recommends in terms of servings of Vitamin Sea per day, but Klay would tell you whatever it is, you could use more.

Devin Booker

Color me having had my know-it-all vacation prediction ass handed to me, because Devin Booker went ahead and left the rugged backcountry of America to vacation abroad! Did he go to the rugged backcountry of another country? He did. But biking around the Swiss Alps looked as beautiful as it was a comfortable departure for him.

And just in case you thought he was finished, Booker went on to chill at a quaint holiday home in France, before continuing on to London, England, and, I believe, a first time visit to the Tate.

Rating: A dream trip, innit?

Jimmy Butler

Bad news for everyone who does this as a hobby or a beloved pastime, but Jimmy Butler baked some cookies on his offseason recently and now baking is illegal.

Rating: Even the kind you do using boiling water or whatever. Even no-bake bakes. All of it. It had a good run.

Steph Curry

Steph and Ayesha Curry went on vacation to Greece for their anniversary, where Ayesha got fits off and Steph, endearing, had the tag of his swim trunks flipped up more often than not. Anyway, aside from all the chartered boats it looks like a relatable and nice vacation!!

Rating: Sorry, I start to get emotional when it gets to be this point in August.

Jaylen Brown

Brown went to Japan for the first time and enjoyed the hell out of it. He shopped for some pottery, ate really nice looking food, wrote some heartwarming as hell captions about a rice cracker, and went on a shopping spree that yielded a receipt likely as tall as you.

Rating: I have already begun to picture the tunnel looks those two dozen or so shopping bags will yield this season, this counts as meditation.

Buddy Hield

Lots to take in here and in two parts, so let’s get started. First, we have a wonderful photo dump of Buddy Hield home for the summer, the only person who that otherwise banal act counts as a vacation for. Hield pops the cap off a beer with his teeth (who amongst us but also PLEASE stop), holds a little swimming piglet, lines up some mangos, eats some fritters and fish and does what looks like a camp for some kids.

Next, Buddy went to Dubai to rip around on some camels and ATVs in the desert, and pose like Cristo Redeemer on a NOT RUNNING yellow buggy.

Rating: Whether you are barefoot in the Al Faya Desert or just in your own backyard opening bottles with your teeth (I said stop!), take this wise caption from Buddy Hield to heart.

Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam, still on vacation. This time, the Raptors star whose name is still hanging around the late summer trade rumor mill made it over to Germany. Pascal took a plane/chopper ride over, maybe, the Black Forest, then returned city-side for some kebabs. Did Dennis Schroder have anything to do with this destination? I mean, probably! At the very least he gave Pascal some reccos.

Rating: Once again, if you are able, when your workplace dangles your name in trade talks and you’re already off and able to – stay on vacation.

Ben Simmons

At the risk of turning this column into a dating app profile, I’m just going to share one photo of Ben Simmons fishing and call it a day. But when I say Ben Simmons has been fishing, believe me, he’s really been fishing.

Rating: I hope his confusion at the shirt is more like regret at not buying it, then not getting it.

Jusuf Nurkic

Nurk alert! Nurkic got married in Dubrovnik at one of the Game of Thrones castles which is, yes, ignorant of me, but helped you place it right away.

He also got together with Pau Gasol at some point before Gasol’s induction into the Hall of Fame, though I wish Pau had worn a bucket hat to that, too.

Rating: Shaping up to be a Bosnian Beast of a summer so far!

Norman Powell

Sometimes there’s a fair amount of research/legwork/informed guesswork on my part that goes into locating the destinations of NBA summer vacations, and sometime Norman Powell just goes ahead and tells you.

Rating: Thank you, Norm, I hope it was a great family trip!

Blake Griffin

To the above point, even with some digging, the nighttime scene, photo angle, and architectural style of that dome makes me think this could be anywhere along the Mediterranean, from Italy to Turkey. But if anyone deserves a little intrigue, it’s Blake Griffin.

Rating: Still, would a daytime shot with a geotag kill you?

Bismack Biyombo

Biz has had a busy summer. He took part in the NBPA’s The Sanctuary program in Andalusia, Spain, then made his way to the DRC to run basketball camps and take a couple day trips – like this one out to the Kahuzi-Biega wildlife park, a UNESCO heritage site, to meet the rangers.

Rating: When you’re this busy they call you Bi– No, I’m not going to do that.

Cam Payne (Josh Okogie)

Cam Payne celebrated his birthday in Paris and also made sure to have the signature dish of Josh Okogie in Paris, which is, inexplicably, spaghetti.

Rating: Sometimes you just gotta go with it, it makes for a better vacation.

Scottie Barnes

Scottie Barnes went to Jamaica for his 22nd birthday and tied a jaunty bandana around his neck to pair with a bucket hair for that perfect “I’m going to wade into the sea for spontaneous photos” look.

Rating: Nailed it.

DeAndre Jordan

Sometimes summer vacation is about trying out new hobbies you didn’t have time to explore during the rest of the year. The only bummer with this is I bet DeAndre Jordan was wearing an incredible hat when he did his guitar lesson.

Rating: Something lost, but something gained.

Tacko Fall

During some downtime during coaching in Johannesburg at a BWB camp, Fall went on safari and seemed to blow a giraffe’s mind at being nearly chest-height to it.

Rating: That beautiful creature is about to faint.

Horse Girl Summer

They say the NBA’s a copycat league and that’s finally come true in the best way possible. Has Nikola Jokic brought the horse lover out of his peers? Or have there always been more horse girls in waiting than we’ve known about, and now they finally have the courage to come forward? Whatever the case, it’s perfect.

Also bonus points for Aaron Gordon traveling to Serbia to support Nikola Jokic and one of his horse’s in a race, which the team won and Jokic let Gordon hoist the trophy for.

Rating: There are colleagues you complain with while walking to get a coffee, and colleagues who make the monumental leap from the office into real life, and showing up at a Serbian racetrack is a good way to achieve the latter.

Bonus: NBA SVW Couples Retreat

The beauty of this photo (slide 7) is that it’s a Hieronymus Bosch for the modern NBA fan. What action is your eye most drawn to? Karl-Anthony Towns’ floating head popping in at the upper margins? Ivica Zubac breaking the 4th wall with a level stare of “you’re-in-on-this-too” and confusion? Patrick Beverley, fleeing? Paul George hiding in plain sight? Patrick Patterson, sort of pouting? Whatever you see is just what you’re meant to.

Have Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard used their $600 worth of pillows and blankets with other couples?

On the latest episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, Bell and Shepard addressed the rumors that they’re part of the swingers community — rumors that Shepard basically started himself. “There was one that said we hosted orgies or swingers parties,” he said. Bell quickly replied that she knows “exactly” how the gossip started. “It’s because you frequently make key party jokes,” The Good Place actress explained. “We’ll have a dinner party or something, and as we’re sitting down, you’ll say, ‘Everybody leave your keys.’”

Shepard conceded that he’s made similar jokes to “many of the guests” who’ve appeared on Armchair Expert in the past. “Some of them, I realize afterwards, ‘Oh, we do not have the same sense of humor,’” he said. “I was like, ‘Hey, if you guys are ever in L.A. and you wanna swing.’”

Bell turned her husband’s jokes about swinging into a commentary about society at large. “A lot of people don’t get jokes,” she said. “That’s actually something I have been thinking about lately, because it’s such a bummer that everything you say has to be taken so literally that there’s no room for fun in expression or language anymore when you’re telling a story, because you better have the facts right. It’s just such a lame way to communicate.”

If this is Bell and Shepard’s sneaky way of trying to star in a Swingers remake, except this time it’s about swingers, not swing dancing, all I can say is: touché.

(Via US Weekly)

Drake and 21 Savage have been entertaining fans across the country with their It’s All A Blur Tour. Throughout the stops along the way, the two rappers have also hosted special celebrity guests, including Bad Bunny and other performers.

At the recent Los Angeles stop, SZA dropped by to watch the show — but she kept her presence undercover in a hilarious disguise. She would later share the photos on social media, as she wore a baseball cap, a hoodie, a pair of glasses, and a fake mustache.

“Lost in the bit or is the bit lost in me,” SZA captioned a selfie of the outfit on her Instagram story.

It’s also no surprise that she decided to catch the show, as she and Drake have been longtime friends. The Canadian rapper was also supposed to appear on SZA’s recent album, although the collab didn’t work out this time.

Back in 2020, Drake also used a 21 Savage song to reveal that he and SZA used to date over a decade earlier.

“In this case a year of poetic rap license mattered lol,” SZA responded at the time. “I think he jus innocently rhymed 08 w wait. Anybody who really knows me and was around during this time can confirm.. it’s all love all peace. I just didn’t want anybody thinking anything underage or creepy was happening. Completely innocent. Lifetimes ago.”

Check out SZA’s disguise at Drake and 21 Savage’s tour above.

Nicki Minaj is no stranger to social media. Whenever she’s not taking a temporary hiatus for personal reasons, the “Barbie World” rapper actively engages with her massive Barb fan base across platforms or claps back at rumors.

As she continues to work hard on the final touches of her forthcoming album, Pink Friday 2, Nicki took a break to let loose on TikTok. During her livestream on Sunday (August 13), she jumped on the viral NPC TikTok trend but had a hilariously hard time keeping up.

In the screen-recorded clip shared by Pop Base, as fans flood her broadcast with different virtual skins and items for her to turn into a sound effect, she couldn’t keep up. Nicki is a lyrical beast on the microphone, but her on-the-spot improvisation in alignment with the fad could use some work.

To explain the movement, the NPC (or “non-playable character”) trend, made popular by viral star PinkyDoll, is a role-play exercise where the broadcast pretends to be an idle background user in a video game controlled by those in the stream. With each gift, item, or skin donated, the streamer must incorporate a fun verbal quip about it once it appears on the screen.

Nicki managed to nail the microphone emoji effect, saying, “You know what I do on the mic. I destroy these h*es.” However, as more items, including an animated breakfast combo and a medieval helmet (great helm), she laughed her way through it as she tried to find the perfect catchphrase.

At one point, she even broke character when fans shared a hearted hand gif with her. “I told y’all about them hands. Don’t get blocked,” yelled Nicki.

Nicki Minaj might not have a future as the next big NPC TikToker, but she still is one of the greatest rappers ever to enter the spotlight.

A new advanced screening of Blue Beetle has sparked another round of social media reactions as critics continue to praise the Latin-based superhero film. Once again, Xolo Maridueńa‘s performance is the highlight as well as the film’s heartfelt message of family.

Directed by Angel Manuel Soto, Blue Beetle focuses on Jaime Reyes, a recent college grad who’s not exactly thrilled with his current job prospects. After stumbling upon a mysterious Scarab, Jamie finds himself infused with alien tech that gives him incredible powers, but also makes him and his family a target for nefarious forces that want the Scarab back.

You can see what the critics are saying below:

“Saw an early screening of #BlueBeetle today,” Noah Villaverde tweeted. “It’s a sweet, self-contained superhero origin story that has even more heart than I expected thanks to the direction of Angel Manuel Soto and a remarkably charismatic turn from Xolo Maridueña.”

“#BlueBeetle is incredible, and the best superhero film in the last few years next to #AcrossTheSpiderverse,” Swara Salih wrote. “Director @angelmanuelsoto and writer Gareth Dunnet Alcocer made something so heartfelt, and hilarious (I laughed so much), with great action scenes and so much commentary.”

“#BlueBeetle brought a huge smile to my face, laughter out of me, & even a tear to my eye,” Zach Pope tweeted. “A gigantic throwback to 2000’s era filmmaking with a beautiful Latin culture mixed all into it. Come for Blue Beetle and be ready to fall in love with Xolo Maridueña & the Reyes family.”

“#BlueBeetle is quite enjoyable!” Sheraz Farooqi wrote. “A focus on family and Latin culture keeps the film grounded in heart. Xolo Maridueña is fantastic throughout. The film can feel like a Power Rangers special at times but the third act is strong. It’s a mix between the first Shazam! and Ms. Marvel.”

You can see more Blue Beetle reactions below:

Blue Beetle hits theaters on August 18.

It’s been over two years since our favorite French thief Assane Diop was last seen wandering around Paris and avenging his father by taking down the very wealthy Hubert Pellegrini. Of course, now that the most powerful man in France is on his back, it’s a lot harder for him to, say, go out into town and grab a baguette. So he has to spend some time on the run. And this is where Lupin season three begins.

Season three (also known as Part 3, thanks to it being European) will debut this fall as we revisit Assane as he tries to rebuild a life on the run. The series was an unexpected hit for the streamer, and became the first-ever French series to crack the Top 10, so here is everything you need to know before the show makes its highly anticipated return.

Plot:

Assane revealed some of Hubert Pellegrini’s high-profile crimes, though not before Pellegrini framed him for murder and put and made him the most wanted man in the city. Assane wants to start a new life, though thanks to the events of Part 2, it seems like that’s not an easy feat. Here is the official description for Part 3:

Now in hiding, Assane must learn to live far from his wife and son. With the suffering they endure because of him, Assane can’t stand it any longer and decides to return to Paris to make them a crazy proposal: leave France and start a new life elsewhere. But the ghosts of the past are never far away, and an unexpected return will turn his plans upside down.

Cast

The series stars Omar Sy as Assane Diop, Ludivine Sagnier as his estranged wife Claire, and Hervé Pierre as Hubert Pellegrini, the wealthy business tycoon who initially causes the death of Assane’s father. Most importantly, the canine companion J’accuse should be making a comeback.

Release Date

The seven-episode season will premiere on October 5th, 2023.

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

On April 10, “White Iverson,” the debut single that was the start of Post Malone’s ascent to global superstardom, reached 1 billion streams on Spotify. Now, Spotify has shared a video marking the occasion, and in it, Allen Iverson, the song’s inspiration, offered a congratulatory message.

The NBA legend and Hall Of Fame member said, “Congrats on 1 billion Spotify streams and your tenth plaque. The whole world loves this song and I’m honored to be a part of it. Keep that same form, Post.”

As Iverson noted, “White Iverson” is Malone’s tenth song to reach a billion Spotify streams. The others are, going from most recent to least, “Goodbyes” Feat. Young Thug, “Rockstar” Feat. 21 Savage, “Psycho” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign, “Better Now,” “Circles,” “Wow,” “Sunflower” with Swae Lee, “I Fall Apart,” and “Congratulations.”

Elsewhere in the video, Malone was asked to explain the song in ten seconds, and he said, “I made the beat and I wrote the song, but I didn’t know how to work Pro Tools, and so I took it over to my buddy’s house. He gave me a crash course on Pro Tools and I couldn’t do it, so he came back in and recorded it, but I guess I originally tried to record it myself.”

Check out the video, which also features Malone playing beer pong with his new plaque, above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

We all knew that Loki would be coming back one way or another, it’s just not every day when you learn Marvel spoilers in a Mcdonald’s ad. But hey, there’s a time and place for everything!

In a recent McDonald’s ad campaign, the fast food giant has been showing off clips of various TV shows and movies mentioning the chain, all leading up to a split second of Loki himself at the order kiosk. Maybe the McFlurry machine isn’t broken in this timeline. The ad ends with Mobius (Owen Wilson) sitting down to enjoy his own meal, which has reignited some fan theories from the end of season one.

Fans may remember that Mobius runs into a distressed Loki who tries to warn him that there might be a Multiverse war about to break out. Mobius shockingly doesn’t recognize Loki, asking him if he’s an analyst. So…what exactly went down there? There are a few fan theories.

One theory is that Loki actually ended up in a past TVA, which would mean that Mobius doesn’t even know him yet. He has to somehow rebuild that trust and friendship with Mobius, which might not be easy. Not only does Mobius not know him, but the TVA is so recent, and He Who Remains (AKA Kang) could have his guard down. Another theory is that this is an entirely different timeline or “branch” altogether since the TVA exists outside of time. Sounds straightforward, no?

It’s tough to say, but thanks to McDonald’s, we know that Mobius will be back, so questions will likely be answered when Loki returns to Disney+ on October 6th. Maybe with a McFlurry.

(Via ScreenRant, Reddit)

Over the past few weeks, DJ Crazy Times has taken the internet by storm with his ’90s European dance song viral video. Filmed at NYC’s The Oculus, the artist/comedian (whose real name is Kyle Gordon) and Ms. Biljana Electronica (Audrey Trullinger) danced around, mimicking the style and sound of that era’s music.

“All of the dream / How does it mean,” Trullinger’s character of Biljana sings, while rocking a very fun outfit and sunglasses. It then cuts to DJ Crazy Times, who performs a rap verse. “Life, it never die / Women are my favorite guy,” the addictive verse goes.

“Sex! I’m wanting more! Tell the world, stop the war!” he adds.

Since the original video went viral, Gordon has followed the dance trend by replacing the girl in subsequent videos — including one with a lip sync done by TikTok star Sabrina Brier. (The real singer is Chrissi Poland, who has yet to appear in a video.)

Now, the “Planet Of The Bass” has landed on streaming services, with a music video that reportedly is also on the way. This new version expands on the video into a three-minute track, as Gordon encourages world peace in the intro.

“If it starts off as ironic but people genuinely love it. And let’s say it does chart: at a certain point, the irony has to wear off,” Gordon told the New York Times.

Check out Gordon’s various “Planet Of The Bass” viral videos and listen to the full song above.

Ex-President Trump cannot stop collecting indictments and could very well be witness tampering over on Truth Social, so he has obviously learned no lesson by now. At this point, it’s almost difficult to keep track of all the charges, but the fourth indictment (out of Georgia on Monday) would be enough, if he is found guilty, to put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

Things also do not bode well for Trump’s fellow indictees, which include his so-called “Elite Force Strike Team” of attorneys who helped him attempt to overturn the election. That includes unwitting fart sniffer Jenna Ellis and “America’s Mayor” Rudy Giuliani. More irony can be found in the biggest whopper of this indictment, which is that these are RICO-themed charges, meaning that Rudy could be put away by the very type of anti-racketeering statute that he once used to nail mafiosos as a U.S. attorney in the mid 1980s.

How is Trump responding to all of this? About as gracefully as to be expected. Well after midnight on Truth Social, Trump went to town. Let’s get real here — the substance of this “truth” does not matter much, but what is notable is that he couldn’t even muster up enough strength to hit the CAPS LOCK. That might be more telling than how “indicted” somehow became “Indicated”:

“So, the Witch Hunt continues! 19 people Indicated tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, ‘I will get Trump.’ And what about those Indictment Documents put out today, long before the Grand Jury even voted, and then quickly withdrawn? Sounds Rigged to me! Why didn’t they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!”

Well, at least Hillary got to crack a smile over all this in a display of good TV timing.

UPDATE: Trump is still going. Here’s a screencap of his Truth Social ranting this morning. He did muster up some CAPS, but not as much as usual.