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The legacy that the original ’90s Fresh Prince of Bel-Air holds is undeniable. It was a case study in making hip-hop culture more palatable and accessible to mainstream audiences while, at the same time, perfecting how to depict the complexities of Black identity in a sitcom format. It also launched the acting career of Will Smith, one of the biggest box office draws in history and a three-time Oscar nominee (and one-time winner).

Still, with all of the cultural cachet the NBC show had, it ached for a definitive and academic exploration of how it came to be and why it still means so much to fans. Chris Palmer saw the need for this kind of deep-dive and used the skills he’s acquired over a long career covering the NBA to conduct the necessary interviews and research to share important stories and dispel longstanding rumors about the show.

Years later, The Fresh Prince Project: How the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Remixed America is now out (buy it here) for fans of the series, a bookend moment for Palmer, who told us about his initial excitement ahead of the series premiere in 1990 and how he loved DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (before even knowing his actual name. “My parents were like, you can’t listen to NWA, but you can listen to The Fresh Prince.”

We spoke with Palmer about the evolution of his Fresh Prince fandom, his interest in the origin stories of everyone involved in the show, the importance of the Will and Carlton relationship, why the show resonates to this day, and why the reinterpretation of the show with Bel-Air works as its own entity.

How did your perspective on the show evolve from when you grew up watching it as a fan?

When I first started watching the show, I watched it because it was cool. It was fun. It’s a funny show. First and foremost, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a comedy. It’s known for some of its serious episodes, but it’s a comedy, and that’s why I started watching it. But a lot of the things that I understand about the show now that I didn’t know then was how important familial relationships are. The relationship between Carlton and Will is the core of the show. It’s what drives the show for six seasons. And how different they seemed at the time, but now, as an adult, they’re more alike than they are different.

Will is perceived as the cool guy. He doesn’t have a care in the world, super confident. And Carlton is a stuffy guy. He doesn’t get the girls like Will does. But in reality, on the show, when you look at the characters, Carlton and Will, Carlton is way more confident than Will. He is completely self-assured because his life has already been patterned out and Will is directionless. And Will is very insecure, and he hides it by creating a persona called The Fresh Prince. And so, you don’t understand that kind of stuff when you’re young watching it and you don’t have that perspective.

And you don’t realize how every episode, they’re busting each other, telling all these jokes, trying to put each other down, competing, and all this other stuff. But you realize that they’re there for each other and they need each other. And Carlton is the most important person in Will’s life and the bond that they have. You don’t really pick that stuff up when you’re young. But now, researching the show and watching, all 148 episodes, from beginning to end, you see the arc of their relationship and how important it is.

You weren’t able to get access to Will Smith because he was working on his own memoir that’s come out since. What are some things you would’ve liked to talk to him about and how did you overcome that in the book that we ended up getting?

The main thing I wanted to talk to Will about is the famous fatherhood episode. That’s the one everyone knows. ‘How come he don’t want me?’ But what a lot of people don’t realize is, when Will taped that show, he had just become a father himself in real life. And a lot of people don’t realize that. So I would like to ask him, ‘How did that influence, affect the way that you did that scene?’ I know how his own relationship with his own father affected it, but I’d like to know from a different perspective.

You spend a lot of time in the buildup talking about the people behind the scenes, the names that people saw on their screens (during the credits) but don’t really know. How important was it to you to capture that part of the story?

Oh, it was really important. Because I think one thing I’m really into is people’s stories. Everyone has an origin story. Everyone is from somewhere. And it’s not just about the actors. I mean, where did the writers come from? Where did the directors come from? Where did the producers come from? What is their story? And how did that inform their work on the show, which ultimately shapes and molds the finished product? That’s a really important thing. If I’m going to talk to you about a writer, I want you to know who this person is and where he came from. For example, the writer of the famous fatherhood episode, Bill Boulware, we go into his backstory. And it was really important that I did that because he had a very tough relationship with his father, which is the reason that he wrote that episode.

And he told me, he said, “I wanted Will to experience what I experienced.” In the famous line when he says, “How come he don’t want me,” Bill Boulware, the writer, said in real life to his mom about his dad, “How come he don’t want me?” I was like, “Wow, that just blew my mind.” I was like, “That’s where it came from. His life informed the script, which became the show.” So that’s why it’s important to tell the stories of people who are in the background because you otherwise would never know their stories. But everyone has a story, and all you have to do is just ask them.

What were some of your favorite stories that readers can look forward to?

One of the best stories is about why Jazzy Jeff got thrown out the front door. Because they had written a script, Jazz’s first episode. He comes in, and there’s a lot of fat jokes on the show surrounded by Uncle Phil, fat jokes and bald jokes, and Jazz comes in and he’s just lighting Uncle Phil up. And the Black writers on the show were like, ‘Whoa, wait a second, wait a second, wait a second. You don’t walk into a Black man’s house, and the father figure, and you just bust him up and nothing happens.’

And the white writers didn’t understand it and the white producer didn’t understand it. And so, they got together, and the Black writers were like, ‘No, no, no. There has to be more of a level of respect there. That wouldn’t happen.’ And so, one of the Black writers says, ‘What if we do the jokes, we keep the jokes in there, and what if Uncle Phil literally throws him out the house?’ And everybody loved that idea.

And so the whole entire show is taped, during that time, the first three years taped at Sunset Gower Studios on Melrose. And the only time they actually shot at the actual mansion in Bel-Air is the scene where they throw Jazz out. You definitely don’t notice this when you’re watching the show back in the day, and most people don’t know this, (but) every time they used that gag, they only shot it on one day, but they used it through the whole six seasons. So every time Jazz walks in, no matter what season it is, and he’s wearing a specific shirt, you know he’s going to get thrown out because he has to wear that shirt in every scene throughout the six seasons that he gets thrown out. Now, when you go back and watch it, you’ll notice it. But there’s no way you would notice it if you’re just watching it in real-time, on streaming, or on reruns.

Can you speak to what it is about The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that gives it so much relevance even in modern-day pop culture?

So this was the first ever hip-hop-themed primetime network show. And while it’s very loud, bouncy, and cool, and stuff like that, one of the main components was its authenticity. Even though it was a crazy situation, like a kid coming from the hood staying with a rich Black family, most people wouldn’t even know that there would be Black families that rich and living in that type of area.

But even though it’s kind of set up like that, it’s a TV show. The nuances and the interactions between the characters were authentic in terms of how Black folks relate to each other and how Black folks don’t relate to each other, and that was very important. And what the writers, what Andy and Susan Borowitz wanted to do, they wanted to have a lot of input from the Black writers on set so it could be authentic.

Will would go home on hiatus, and he would come back to the set, and he would bring new language, new slang, and new words from the neighborhood. That’s how on top of it they were. But it resonates today because of its authenticity, and a lot of the themes. Driving while Black, fatherhood, colorism, racism, class, all these different things, all resonate today. And the show was funny. If it wasn’t funny, none of this would resonate today. But it was really, really funny. And so, that’s why it stood the test of time, and I just think that’s a huge part of the show’s legacy.

There was a mix of skepticism and excitement about the Peacock reboot, Bel-Air. Where did you fall when it came to that news? And how do you feel about the reboot, if you’ve watched it, measures up to what made the original so special?

I mean, there was no skepticism for me once I found out what they were actually trying to do. When you see the trailer, the original trailer, you knew what they were trying to do. It’s not a remake, because there’s no way they could come out with a remake, which would be a comedy. There’s no way you could do that because you can’t repaint the Mona Lisa.

So what they’re doing is they made it a drama. So I didn’t have any skepticism. I was only curious as to how they would approach it. And I think it stands on its own. It’s very well done. It’s very well cast. I think in terms of casting Will in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Jabari in Bel-Air, lightning struck twice. They hit it right out of the park with both of those casting decisions.

Take, for instance, the driving while Black episode from season one of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. They get pulled over because they’re Black and they get thrown in jail. But it’s funny and there’s comedy and everything that’s going on. But it’s not funny in real life. It’s very scary in real life with real-world consequences.

And that’s how Bel-Air approaches that same situation. Because they get pulled over in the new season coming up, and it’s a scary situation, because you know what happens when Black people get pulled over a lot of the times, and you can’t make a comedy about it. So that’s why, when I realized their take on it, I wasn’t skeptical at all, because it’s like a real show. It’s a real drama. And if The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air never existed, and only Bel-Air existed, it would still be a dope show.

Chris Palmer’s ‘The Fresh Prince Project: How the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Remixed America’ is available on Amazon and your local bookseller.

Fox News is still as Fox News-y as ever, but behind the scenes they’re in trouble. Ever since 2021 they’ve been embroiled in a $1.6 billion lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, which had been a frequent target of conspiracy theories spewed on the network soon after the 2020 election. Recently leaked texts between their own hosts reveal that even they knew a lot of what their guests were saying was pure uncut bunk. Now it’s been revealed that so did their big boss, at least to a certain degree.

As per The New York Times, Rupert Murdoch was deposed last month, during which he was asked if hosts like Sean Hannity, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Piro, and Lou Dobbs had promoted false narratives. “They endorsed,” Murdoch replied under oath. He added, “I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it in hindsight.”

At one point, Murdoch was asked if he could have stopped his employees from bringing on such nonsense-spouters as Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell — both of whom are also being sued by Dominion — he replied, “I could have. But I didn’t.”

Dominion’s central argument in their lawsuit is that Fox News hosts knew the conspiracy theories they were spreading were just that, and Murdoch’s testimony should help bolster that. Ditto his hosts’ texts, which include such things as Tucker Carlson saying Powell was “lying” and Laura Ingraham calling her a “complete nut.”

And if matters weren’t worse, their old favorite son, former president Donald Trump, just took his beef with them to a new, even more dumber level.

(Via NYT)

Is Chipotle the best fast food brand right now? Before you freak out in the comments and call me names, chill out. I’ve been roasting Chipotle for years, both professionally and personally — any criticism you have of the brand, I’ve heard it and probably said it myself. I’m from Los Angeles, so for my entire life I’ve been able to go outside and walk in any random direction and get really great Mexican food. When the world was going nuts for Chipotle, I would shrug it off and wonder, “Why is it okay for this brand to charge so much for food that is magically expected to be cheap when people who look like me make it?” Also, “Where is all the flavor?”

But over the last couple of years, things have been changing — at least from a flavor perspective. Last year, Chipotle dropped a whole bunch of new limited-time protein options that dunked on the permanent menu (why they didn’t keep them, I’ll never understand) and now for 2023, they’re giving a fan-favorite menu hack the official treatment — The Quesadilla with Fajita Veggies.

Popularized by TikTok creators Keith Lee and Alexis Frost, this fajitas quesadilla hack is super simple — it features Monterey Jack cheese and your protein of choice, folded in a tortilla with some fajitas thrown in. It shouldn’t have to be a hack, it’s so obvious that Chipotle should’ve made it a permanent menu item as soon as people started ordering quesadillas but it wasn’t, so credit where credit due — Frost and Lee got it done. To Chipotle’s credit, they haven’t forgotten that, and we think that’s kind of cool.

Seriously, Chipotle could’ve said “Thanks for the idea, now f*ck off” but instead they put Frost and Lee right in the marketing material. It was both creators’ coveted 10 out of 10 ratings that made the hack go viral after all, and Frost’s original review inspired Lee to stitch in his own hack to the recipe: Chipotle’s honey vinaigrette mixed with sour cream combination for a dip, a fan favorite which you’ll be able to recreate as an option on the app dubbed the “Keithadilla.”

So now that the Fajita Quesadilla will be officially available beginning March 2nd, we had to ask: was it worth the wait? We found out by tasting the official recipe early, here are our thoughts.

The Fajita Quesadilla

Before you make fun of me for my admittedly bad side choices, let me defend myself. My go-to at Chipotle is a burrito, I haven’t ordered a quesadilla since the days when it was an off-menu item and it came wrapped in foil. I had no idea that the quesadilla now comes in its own special little box with three side compartments for dips. Once I saw the packaging, I knew I f*cked up by asking for rice. Moving on!

Like all menu items at Chipotle, the fajita quesadilla is fully customizable, you can order it with barbacoa, sofritas, steak, chicken, or carnitas as a side option. Because I’ve rigorously sampled each of Chipotle’s protein options, I ordered the best choice — a barbacoa quesadilla with fajita veggies.

This just might be the best item on Chipotle’s entire menu. A common complaint of Chipotle is that their food isn’t hot, it’s lukewarm at best. But for a quesadilla to work cheese needs to be melted and it is. Each bite gave off a gooey trail of cheese that was satisfying to pull apart. This is also Chipotle’s messiest dish, your hands will be left greasy.

In terms of flavors, the fajitas make a world of difference. The earthy clove and oregano-heavy flavor of the tender barbacoa are paired with vegetal aromatics and a savory — almost buttery — top note that makes each bite more addicting than the last. My method of utilizing the sides included a big spoon scoop of tomatillo red salsa and beans on top of each bite, which added some mouthwatering heat and a bit more texture to the mouthfeel. Don’t ask about the rice.

Would I have swapped the beans and rice for a side of sour cream and some honey vinaigrette dressing? Absolutely, but luckily that gives me an excuse to order it again. And again. And Again.

Seriously, trust me when I tell you this is Chipotle’s best menu item — we’ve done the work and have built the best burrito, taco, and bowl the menu has to offer. As great as all of those are, this simple flavor combination is the best the brand has put out. Because it’s now official, that means Chipotle has an official method of making this combination work consistently. It sucks that you’ll have to wait until March 2nd to order it, but do it as soon as you can.

As a follow up allow us to offer Chipotle this suggestion — Nachos. I mean come on, the ingredients are all right there! Grab an order of chips (tamp down all the freaking lime, please), throw them in a bowl with a few scoops of pinto beans, add the protein of your choice, fajitas, the salsa of your choice, sour cream (optional), a whole bunch of cheese and a healthy scoop of guacamole and you’ll have the greatest dish Chipotle could ever offer.

The Bottom Line:

Instantly our favorite dish at Chipotle. This simple change-up elevates the quesadilla from an off-menu curiosity to a full-blown essential order.

Find your nearest Chipotle here.

Schitt’s Creek hasn’t been off the air that long. The finale aired less than three years ago. But after six seasons as the Rose family, it’d be no surprise to learn its cast missed their hot mess characters. Luckily this is an era when shows can always come back for more, even if it’s only for six more episodes. And if people want more Schitt’s Creek, at least two of its stars are in it.

Speaking to Radio Times (as caught by IndieWire) while promoting his new Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveler, Eugene Levy was perhaps inevitably asked about one of the most beloved shows of the last decade.

“I know my son Daniel has said this, we’d love to get together with these people again and take the show and the characters to yet another level,” Levy revealed. “There’s nothing in the works right now to be honest, but you know, we’ve never stopped thinking about what might happen down the line. We’re certainly open to anything, I think when the idea that is the right idea presents itself we’ll probably act on it, I guess.”

Let’s just stress that this is all purely speculative and if a Schitt’s Creek reunion or revival or whatever ever gets off the ground, it’ll take some time. Think of it the same way you would Succession creator Jesse Armstrong vaguely floating the idea of some potential spinoff, as he did recently. Even if he never returns to Schitt’s Creek itself, at least Levy already has four separate Emmys he won over the show’s beloved run.

(Via Radio Times and IndieWire)

It’s never a dull moment when Aubrey Plaza appears at an awards show. Once she blesses the audience with her presence and cracks a few off-putting jokes, then the party can really start!

At this year’s SAG awards, Plaza once again brought her signature scowl and managed to secure an award for best ensemble cast, thanks to The White Lotus. But it wouldn’t be an awards show without some sort of wardrobe malfunction, and fans seemed to theorize that the actress’s dress wasn’t fitting properly. Plaza’s sequined Michael Kors gown had a front cut-out that was only slightly revealing, though it could have been worse.

While Plaza and the cast took the stage after their big win, it appeared that her co-star John Gries might have been warning her about a potential slippage situation while they were on stage, leaving Plaza looking annoyed. But then again, Plaza always looks annoyed, so who is to say for certain?

Then today, Plaza’s stylist Jessica Paster responded to the backlash by saying they did “seven fittings” before the big day. The stylist took to Instagram to say that the look was done on purpose. “For real… I wanted underboob.” You see? A little underboob is both normal and funny.

No matter if it was intentional or not, Plaza still managed to be one of the most buzzed-about celebs of the night thanks to her viral moment with Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega, which has many fan-casting the duo as a pair of witchy siblings who seek to destroy everyone and everything. Or something like that! Oh, and she won a SAG award too, which is good for her.

(Via People)

The MAGA-thirsting insurrectionist crowd just keeps offering up completely moronic, admittedly funny excuses for trying to topple American Democracy on Jan. 6th.

The latest rioter to play dumb when law enforcement came knocking is retired New Jersey State Trooper Michael Daniele. Daniele was captured busting down police barricades and entering the Capitol building on videos posted to various social media accounts before an officer with the New Jersey State Police’s Cyber Intelligence Unit identified him as a former comrade. Naturally, the FBI had some questions and, in a recently released affidavit, Daniele had some ridiculous excuses for his behavior.

According to agents who visited Daniele’s home to get his side of the story before drawing up charges against him, the retired officer’s reason for trampling metal fences, ignoring the orders of the Capitol Police, and breaching the building by way of shattered windows and bulldozed doors was totally innocent: he just needed to visit the whiz palace.

“He stated that he walked with the crowd toward the Capitol and passed over fallen pedestrian barricades on the way,” the report reads. “He observed police using ‘flash bangs’ and riot control agents to disperse the crowd. Daniele admitted that he ultimately entered the Capitol building through a broken doorway that was next to a broken window. According to Daniele, he only entered one large space of the building and after looking for a bathroom and not finding one, he left thereafter.”

Is it on brand for Trump to not shell out for some public portapotties for his own rally? Sure, but there had to be better bathroom options than a ransacked, mob-infested federal building. The good news? He’ll have 24/7 access to a toilet in prison.

(Via The Daily Beast)

For as many benefits as there are to being one of the most famous entertainers, there are certainly a fair amount of drawbacks as well. Nobody knows this better than Drake; the tension between enjoying the good things and regretting the bad parts of being successful is one of the core tenets of his music output.

As it turns out, though, this isn’t just limited to his music. During his FUTUREMOOD conversation with Lil Yachty, the Canadian star recounted the extreme measures he sometimes takes to avoid causing a ruckus whenever he goes out. Drake recalled donning makeup and prosthetics provided by a Hollywood expert to make himself look like an old man in order to attend a friend’s court hearing.

However, it was all for naught; he says that despite the realistic makeup, people still recognized him. ““Everyone is like, ‘Is that Drake as an 80-year-old?’” he remembered. ” “Yo, I had one of the best Hollywood makeup artists in the world, and they were still like, ‘That’s definitely Drake in there. It did not work.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Drake addressed his habit of name-checking his exes in his music, saying that he regrets the disruptions it creates in their lives, as well as the potential for making a “graceful exit” from the spotlight — which may be harder for him a lot of his contemporaries, considering this story. Fortunately, he avoided having to make a court appearance in the case against XXXTentacion’s alleged killers.

Aside from the occasional past faux pas, Joey Badass has been relatively low-key on social media, letting his music do most of the talking for his public image. However, a recent post on his Instagram has prompted a flurry of speculative reactions from fans who think he might have revealed a rare personal detail.

In the post, Joey sits at a fancy-looking restaurant wearing a suit and a du-rag, getting cozy with actress/singer Serayah McNeill. Not only are they sitting extremely close together, but they’re also looking at each other with that instantly recognizable expression that says “let’s skip dessert and get straight to the fun part of the evening.”

The post has certainly inspired its fair share of breathless posts over in gossip blog land. Meanwhile, fans on Twitter were quick to express a variety of reactions ranging from disbelief to giddy excitement.

The two certainly have had time to get cozy in the past year, thanks to McNeill’s recurring role on Wu-Tang: An American Saga, on which Joey appeared as Inspectah Deck in its first season. However, he left the role in order to focus on his appearance in Power Book III: Raising Kanan — which is tied to McNeill’s own Black Mafia Family as both shows are produced by 50 Cent. Of course, this could also just be a promotion for a new project or release that Joey has coming out soon, as well. Time will tell.

In the meantime, Joey himself is set to appear on Logic’s new album College Park after releasing his own well-received album, 2000.

Last offseason, the Washington Commanders traded a pair of third round picks to (and swapped second-round picks with) the Indianapolis Colts to bring in Carson Wentz to be their new quarterback.

Almost exactly one year later, the team has announced Wentz has been cut, as the Commanders look to reshape their offense under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who arrives fresh off a Super Bowl win in Kansas City.

It’s not a surprise they’d move on from Wentz considering his struggles prior to getting hurt and remaining on the bench as Taylor Heinicke tried to push them to the postseason. The move will save Washington a significant amount of money, as he was due a $6.176 million roster bonus soon, along with his $20 million salary for next season.

Last year’s fifth round pick, Sam Howell, is on the roster, but with playoff hopes thanks to a strong defense, Washington figures to be active this offseason in upgrading the signalcaller position. The Commanders now join teams like the Falcons, Jets, Colts, Texans, Saints, and Panthers as teams seeking quarterback help, and can now go into this week’s NFL Draft Combine with that fully on their mind. Given they don’t have the draft ammo picking 16th to seem to get into the hunt for the No. 1 overall pick compared to the Colts or even Panthers who pick at 4th and 9th overall this year — unless they want to send out a boatload of future picks — it’s very possible they address their quarterback needs on the free agent market, where one would expect them to get in the mix for the top veterans out there.

Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo are the top names on the market, and while the Jets and Saints are also in the hunt, Washington can provide a pretty strong offer in terms of the team around the QB position. Terry McLaurin is a legit No. 1 receiver, the defense is a very good unit, and Bieniemy is going to be installing a new system, meaning a veteran like either Carr or Jimmy G could see Washington as a viable spot to chase a postseason berth in Year 1. There is also the lingering question of whether Lamar Jackson could hit the trade market, which is likely going to hold up any free agent QB deals getting done until his situation in Baltimore is clarified.

As for Wentz, it remains to be seen how the rest of the league views him. A team like Arizona could be a landing spot as they are preparing to go most of a season (if not a full one) without Kyler Murray and Wentz could be a cheaper stopgap starter on a team that would give him a chance to possibly revitalize his career. Otherwise, he could wait out the QB carousel and try and latch on with a team that misses out on a top pick or a top free agent, but one has to think his value is about as low as it’s ever been.

Donald Trump is continuing to melt down over Fox News seemingly getting behind Ron DeSantis even though the Florida governor has yet to declare he’s running for president in 2024. Depending on which polls you read, DeSantis could be a serious threat to Trump securing the Republican nomination, and the former president is predictably throwing temper tantrums on Truth Social. Trump also rolled out yet another new nickname for DeSantis, but your guess is as good as ours as to what the heck it even means.

“Fox News is promoting Ron DeSanctus so hard and so much that there’s not much time left for Real News,” Trump ranted before yelling at the conservative network some more. Via Mediaite:

Reminds me of 2016 when they were pushing “JEB!” The new Fox Poll, which have always been purposely terrible for me, has “TRUMP Crushing DeSanctimonious,” but they barely show it. Instead they go with losers like Karl Rove, Paul Ryan and now, even “Yesper,” who have been wrong about everything! Isn’t there a big, beautiful, Network which wants to do well, and make a fortune besides? FAKE NEWS!

Of course, it probably doesn’t help that some of Trump’s once-steadfast supporters at Fox News have turned him on. After Trump started calling DeSantis “Meatball Ron,” Mark Levin chastised the former president for the cheap insult. Although, he gave Trump some wiggle room by suggesting that maybe serial nickname maker Donald Trump didn’t come up with another nickname?

“I happen to like Meatballs,” Levin tweeted. “But this will turn off a lot of conservative voters. Not a wise move if true. I hope it’s not.”

It was.

(Via Mediaite)