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He publicly defended the police. Four months later, an officer shot and killed Jonathan Price.

Four months ago, Jonathan Price wrote a post to Facebook explaining how he’d always had positive interactions with white police officers in and around his hometown of Wolfe City, Texas, and urged people to look at their own experiences to make judgments. On Saturday night, he was shot and killed by one of those officers.

Witnesses say the 31-year-old personal trainer intervened when a fight broke out between a couple at a gas station convenience store. When the altercation spilled outside into the parking lot, police arrived at the scene and one of them shot and killed Price. The officer who shot him has been placed on paid administrative leave, and Texas Rangers are investigating the killing that has rocked the town of 1500.

According to interviews with people who knew him, Price was loved by everyone and a “pillar in the community.” Price’s mother, Marcella Louis, said she went to the gas station when she heard her son had been shot. They wouldn’t let her hold his hand. “They took my son from me,” Louis told ABC affiliate WFAA in tears. “They took my baby.”


Former third baseman for the Boston Red Sox, Will Middlebrooks, was a childhood friend of Price. He expressed his grief in news interviews and in a post on Facebook, writing, “This was purely an act of racism. Period. So, for all of you that think this is all bullshit, you need to check yourselves.” In an interview with WFAA, he also urged calm in the town as those who knew and loved Price sought justice.

“What’s really sickening is that he was doing the right thing…” Middleton told WFAA. “He saw a man putting his hands on a woman and stepped in to stop the altercation. The man then fought him… then the police shot him. He was unarmed. I’m heartbroken.”

Price’s mother told WFAA she had taught him to be helpful. “He had a good heart. He always tried to help others. I taught him that all through the years,” Louis said.

Price had other mentors who had taught him the same thing. He had been an active athlete and his high school football coach, Dale Trompler, told WFAA that he had preached to Price to always do the right thing. “I never thought that doing so would cost him his life,” he said.

Middlebrooks created a GoFundMe to cover funeral and memorial expenses, which has already exceeded its $50,000 goal.

As of now, there are more questions than answers about the officer who killed Price and the details about exactly what prompted the shooting. But we do know that a town has lost a beloved community member and family member, and a Black man who harbored no ill will towards the police, and who was trying to help put a stop to violence, was killed by someone who was supposed to serve and protect.

This is why people across the country and around the world keep saying it and hoping it will sink in. Black. Lives. Matter.

Learn more about Jonathan Price from his friends and family here:


Who was Jonathan Price? Family, friends describe beloved man killed in police shooting

www.youtube.com

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Netflix Has Canceled ‘GLOW’ Despite Filming An Episode Of Its Final Season

Despite plans for a fourth and final season of GLOW, Netflix apparently has reversed course and given the show an abrupt conclusion thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deadline reported on Monday that GLOW‘s fourth and final season won’t happen, apparently due to coronavirus. According to the report, GLOW had finished a single episode and was three weeks into shooting its final season before the mid-March COVID-19 shutdown hit. Citing difficulty in getting the show back up and running, Netflix decided to pull the plug:

Shot entirely in Los Angeles, which has proven to be one of the more challenging locations to get large scale productions back up and running, GLOW faced its own unique challenges with the physical requirements of wrestling — a focal point of the show — that make it high-risk to produce safely during COVID. That includes physical contact, heavy breathing and exertion, which are required for wrestling but should be avoided during a pandemic because of danger spreading the virus.

Already an expensive, high-end series. GLOW faced high additional, COVID-related costs for its large cast of 20. That, combined with the uncertainty around COVID-19, the inherent physicality of the series whose risk had to be mitigated, ultimately pushed the budget of the series too high for Netflix to proceed, sources said.

Another concern was apparently what would have been a long delay between the third and fourth season actually hitting Netflix. If the show were able to resume production, it reportedly wouldn’t get on air until at least 2022. Despite the bad news, the report indicated the cast was paid in full for what would have been Season 4. And even GLOW‘s creators gave a rather upbeat and introspective statement about its abrupt demise:

“COVID has killed actual humans. It’s a national tragedy and should be our focus. COVID also apparently took down our show. Netflix has decided not to finish filming the final season of GLOW,” series creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch said in a statement to Deadline. “We were handed the creative freedom to make a complicated comedy about women and tell their stories. And wrestle. And now that’s gone. There’s a lot of sh*tty things happening in the world that are much bigger than this right now. But it still sucks that we don’t get to see these 15 women in a frame together again.”

It’s a sobering statement about the current state of things, but it’s certainly another loss for fans who were hoping to see the show finish the way its showrunners had intended. Netflix had quietly trimmed some shows from its roster and even went back on other renewals as pandemic fallout hit the streaming giant, but GLOW seeing an abrupt end is certainly the biggest entertainment casualty from Netflix to date.

Alison Brie and Marc Maron have bid farewell to the show on social media.

(Via Deadline)

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What’s On Tonight: HBO’s ‘We Are Who We Are’ Airs Its Most ‘Euphoria’-Like Episode Yet

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

We Are Who We Are (HBO, 10:00pm EST) — So far, this show’s followed a dreamy narrative, but tonight, sh*t gets real, Euphoria-style. The entire episode is essentially a hedonistic party that follows a quickie marriage for a soldier on the fast-track to deployment. Sure, this relationship will last, right? Probably not, but it’s a party that no one will forget and helmed by Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino, who’s taking his first stab at a TV series with less nihilism than the Zendaya-starring series.

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Netflix documentary) — This doc follows the life of the man who’s seen more of this Earth’s national state than any other person over the course of 90 years. Challenges on every continent shall be addressed while the movie hopes to spread optimism to future generations.

Filthy Rich (FOX, 9:00pm EST) — Kim Cattrall returns to TV in a super-soapy turn, and this week, Ginger’s live, televised baptism is causing an uproar. Elsewhere, Jason’s lies that were also exposed on TV are causing troubles.

Manhunt: Deadly Games (CBS, 10:00pm EST) — This week, Richard Jewell fights back against both the FBI and the press that’s hounding him. As that’s ongoing, ATF Agent Embry discovers a crucial link to a serial bomber. You’ve heard the story of the fallout from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, now witness the TV dramatization (as opposed to the sensationalized movie version) of one of the most complex manhunts on U.S. soil.

The Third Day (HBO, 9:00pm EST) — Jude Law and Naomie Harris star in this series, which sees Helen surprising her daughter with a trip to Osea island. However, there’s a booking SNAFU that seems more than a little bit suspicious.

Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Jon Bon Jovi and the rest of Bon Jovi, Laura Benanti

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon — Daniel Craig, Billie Eilish, Finneas

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Jessica Chastain, John Slattery

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You Can Still Register To Vote In (Almost) Every State, Here’s How

Election 2020 is less than 30 days away and… not to go hyperbolic here, but it may go down as the most consequential election any of us will ever vote in. The political landscape is contentious, fraught, and genuinely dangerous for many Americans. Last week alone we saw one of the most insane televised debates in the history of American politics, we found out Melania hates Christmas, and the President of the United States contracted COVID-19 and had to be flown to Walter Reed Medical Center. So we don’t blame you for lagging on your voting plan for November 3rd.

But the days of lagging need to officially end today. In fact, if you’re not registered and live in Alaska, you’re already too late.

Assuming you live in one of the other 47 states, here’s a little checklist to help you out:

Most of all…

  • Do you live in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, or Texas? If so, you need to get registered this week (and in some cases today)!

This election is going to be a difficult one on every level. Poll closures, a lack of election volunteers, and different state rules on mail-in ballots are setting us up for an absolute sh*tshow, and whether you’re a longtime voter or a someone who is voting for the first time, you shouldn’t have any expectations about how the process will go down. Take time and go with the flow.

Here’s everything you need to do right now to prepare for the 2020 Election. Which is on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020, by the way. 11/3/2020. Lock it in.

STEP 1: Register to Vote/Check Your Voter Registration

Are you registered to vote? If not, what the hell are you waiting for?

It’s definitely time to register if you haven’t. If you are already registered to vote but for some reason have a sneaking suspicion that you’ve been removed from a voter roll or you’re just (reasonably) paranoid, head to Vote.org, which has links to check your voter registration for each state.

Please note that while several states allow you to register to vote in person on Election Day if you’ve missed your state’s deadline, we are living in pandemic times, so how available and convenient that process will be may vary on a county to county basis.

Here’s an easy, UPROXX-supported way to register online:

Or you can follow these instructions for your state below.

Voter registration is closed in the following states:

Alaska, Rhode Island (RI has in-person, day-of registration), South Carolina (online registration is closed, mail-in registration closes Oct. 5th)

Voter registration will close this week in the following states:

Arizona (Oct. 5th), Arkansas (Oct. 5th), Delaware (Oct. 10th), Florida (Oct. 5th), Georgia (Oct. 5th), Hawaii (Oct. 5th), Idaho (Oct. 9th), Indiana (Oct. 5th), Kentucky (Oct. 5th), Mississippi (Oct. 5th), Missouri (Oct. 7th), Montana (Oct. 5th), New York (Oct. 9th), Ohio (Oct. 5th), Oklahoma (Oct. 9th), Tennesse (Oct. 5th), Texas (Oct. 5th>)

Voters May Register To Vote In Person On Election Day In The Following States If They Missed The Voter Registration Deadline:

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Washington D.C., Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Voter Registration is still open in the following states:

Alabama — October 19th, 2020. Alabama voters register here.

Arizona — October 5th, 2020. Arizona voters register here.

Arkansas — October 5th, 2020. Arkansas does not offer online registration. Fill out an application to vote in Arkansas here.

California — California voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered by October 19th, 2020. California voters register here.

Colorado — Colorado voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered by October 26th, 2020. Colorado voters register here.

Connecticut — Connecticut voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered by October 27th, 2020. Connecticut voters register here.

Delaware — October 10th. Delaware voters register here.

Florida — October 5th. Florida voters register here.

Georgia — October 5th, Georgia voters register here.

Hawaii — Hawaii voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered by October 5th, 2020. Hawaii voters register here.

Idaho — Idaho voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t register by October 9th, 2020. Idaho voters register here.

Illinois — Illinois voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 6th, 2020 for mail-in applications, and October 18th, 2020 for online applications. Illinois voters register here.

Indiana — October 5th, 2020. Indiana voters register here.

Iowa — Iowa voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 24th, 2020. Iowa voters register here.

Kansas — October 13th. Kansas voters register here.

Kentucky — October 5th, 2020. Kentucky voters register here.

Louisiana — October 5th, 2020 if registering in person or by mail. October 13th to register online. Louisiana voters register here.

Maine — Maine voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 13th, 2020. Maine does not offer online voter registration, voters must register at their town hall. For more information on register to vote in Maine, click here.

Maryland — Maryland voters can register to vote on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 13, 2020. Maryland voters register here.

Massachusetts — October 24th, 2020. Massachusetts voters register here.

Michigan — Michigan voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 19th, 2020. Michigan voters register here.

Minnesota — Minnesota voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote in person by October 13th, 2020. Minnesota voters register here.

Mississippi — October 5th, 2020. Mississippi does not offer online voter registration and voters must register to vote 30 days prior to Election Day either in person or by mail. To learn more about registering to vote in Missippi click here.

Missouri — October 7th, 2020. Missouri voters register here.

Montana — Montana voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 5th, 2020. Montana does not offer online voter registration. To learn more about register to vote in Montana, click here.

Nebraska — October 16th, 2020 for voters registering by mail on online, October 23rd, 2020 for voters voting in person. Nebraska voters register here.

Nevada — Nevada voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 6th, 2020 by mail or in person, or October 29th, 2020 online. Nevada voters register here.

New Hampshire — New Hampshire voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 21st, 2020. New Hampshire does not offer online voter registration, voters must register in person or via mail. To find out more information about voting in New Hampshire, click here.

New Jersey — October 13th, 2020. New Jersey voters register here.

New Mexico — October 6th, 2020 online, or October 31, 2020, if registering in person. New Mexico voters register here.

New York — October 9th, 2020. New York voters register here.

North Carolina — October 9th, 2020, or October 15th-31st to register in person. North Carolina voters register here.

North Dakota — North Dakota is doing it right. You do not need to register to vote in the state of North Dakota, just bring valid ID and proof of residency to vote. North Dakota voters find your polling place here.

Ohio — October 5th, 2020. Ohio voters register here.

Oklahoma — October 9th, 2020. Oklahoma does not allow online voter registration, voters must print-out an application and mail it to their local election office. To print out an application, click here.

Oregon — October 13th, 2020. Oregon voters register here.

Pennsylvania — October 19th, 2020. Pennsylvania voters register here.

South Dakota — October 19th, 2020. South Dakota does not allow online voter registration. Voters must print-out an application and mail it to their local election office. To print out an application, click here.

Tennesse — October 5th, 2020. Tennessee voters register here.

Texas — October 5th, 2020. Texas does not offer online voter registration. Voters must print out an application and send it to their local election office. To print out an application, click here.

Utah — Utah voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 23rd, 2020. Utah voters register here.

Vermont — Vermont voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by November 3rd, 2020. Vermont voters register here.

Virginia — October 13th, 2020. Virginia voters register here.

Washington — Washington voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 26th, 2020. Washington voters register here.

Washington D.C. — D.C. voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 13th, 2020. Washington D.C. does not allow for online registration, voters must register by mail or in person. For more information on voting in Washington D.C. click here.

West Virginia — October 13th, 2020. West Virginia voters register here.

Wisconsin — Wisconsin voters can register to vote in person on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 14th, 2020 online or by mail, or October 30th, 2020 in person. Wisconsin voters register here.

Wyoming — Wyoming voters can register in-person to vote on Election Day if they haven’t registered to vote by October 19th, 2020 by mail. Wyoming voters must register to vote via mail in the presence of a notary or in person. For more information on voting in Wyoming, click here.

Decide If You Want To Vote By Mail

Like registering to vote, the rules for voting by mail differ from state to state. The rules can get so complicated, that an entire article is needed just to cover each rule. Luckily for you, we already put that one together.

If you’d like to learn how to register to vote by mail for your state, go here.

Research Your State’s Propositions, Local Politicians, And Sheriffs

There is a very good chance that if you’re voting for the first time or don’t often engage in the political process, you’re heading to the polls (or voting by mail) for the sole reason of voting for who you believe should be our president. That’s fair — but since you’re heading to the polls, you might as well vote for everything you can. That means state propositions, local offices, and, on some occasions, who you believe the sheriff of your county, the mayor of your town, or the governor of your state should be. Do you have a bone to pick with how your mayor or governor has handled the pandemic? Let them know at the polls. Not happy with the police response to the ongoing protests in your area this spring and summer? Definitely check in on if someone is running for sheriff and whether they have a record of conduct or an opinion on law enforcement you don’t agree with.

Think your state should legalize weed, raise taxes, lower taxes, provide more benefits for people working in the gig economy? Your state has at least one or two propositions that you probably feel very strongly about. Let your opinion be known, decisions that happen on the state and local level are the type of governance that you can truly feel and see.

It’s really not enough to blindly vote along party lines. Don’t vote for that judge or official just because they have Republican or Democratic affiliation, look into their record, and decide if this is someone you feel good about voting for. You might find yourself skipping out on certain positions because you don’t agree with either candidate, that’s totally okay too!

Volunteer To Be A Poll Worker (If You Can)

In a perfect world, we would’ve all been registered to vote by mail automatically. But we’d also like to remind you that in a perfect world, we wouldn’t be living through a pandemic. We have no real choice but to play the cards we were dealt — and if we want this election to go down as smoothly as possible, we need to seriously consider becoming poll workers this year. If you’ve ever voted before, you may have noticed that a vast majority of the smiling faces you see at the polls who are there to give you a ballot and that coveted “I Voted” sticker are old. Grandmas, grandpas, swinging seniors… over half of all poll workers in the 2016 election were over the age of 60.

That’s not great, especially considering older people, and people with compromised immune systems are particularly susceptible to COVID-19. Which means this election needs healthy young people to put themselves at risk. So if you’re young and healthy and aren’t terrified of the possibility of catching COVID-19 (or have a preexisting condition), you should volunteer to be a poll worker (if you can).

After Election Day, you should limit your contact with people until you can get tested for COVID-19. It’s going to suck and be an inconvenience, but as we mentioned before — this election is pretty damn important. If you’re interested, Crooked Media has an easy portal for registering to be trained as a poll worker at your local polling place.


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Indigenous woman dies in Canadian hospital after filming racist taunts  from nurses

A disturbing video out of Quebec has brought attention to the issue of systemic racism against Indigenous people in Canada’s healthcare system.

Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Atikamekw woman and mother of seven, was admitted to a hospital in the Quebec city of Joliette for severe stomach pain on September 26. Two days after being admitted, she posted a live video on Facebook of the nurses taunting her with racial jibes.

In the video, nurses can be heard calling her “stupid as hell” in French and asking “What are your children going to think, seeing you like this?”

“She’s good at having sex, more than anything else,” another nurse says.


The comments are heard while Echaquan moans in pain. She died shortly after posting the live video.

The actions of the staff were condemned by Quebec premier, François Legault. At least one of the nurses has been fired for their behavior and the province has launched an investigation into the circumstances of Echaquan’s death.

Marc Miller, federal Indigenous services minister, has called the video “gut-wrenching” and gave his condolences to the victim’s family.

“This is the worst face of racism,” Miller told reporters. “This is someone who is at their most vulnerable. And they are dying, having heard racist words expressed towards them.”

“Discrimination against First Nations people remains prevalent in the healthcare system and this needs to stop,” the Assembly of First Nations national chief, Perry Bellegarde, said in a statement.

Lorraine Whitman, the president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, also spoke out against the horrifying incident.

“It was with disgust that we heard a nurse, a woman who was supposed to care for her, utter racial slurs rather than come to her aid,” she said. Whitman also wondered whether other Indigenous women have suffered the same treatment but didn’t have the “courage or ability to film their own distress.”

A study from 2015 called “First Peoples, Second Class Treatment” by the Wellesley Institute found there is a deep-seeded racial bias in Canada’s healthcare system and much of it stems from country’s colonial past.

The inequity faced by indigenous people is rooted in government policies that encouraged segregation. Further, negative stereotypes about Indigenous people have created an “unconscious, pro-white bias” among healthcare workers.

The study also found that Indigenous people experience racism in healthcare settings so regularly they often strategize about how to deal with it before admitting themselves to the hospital. The prejudice has also forced some to avoid the healthcare system altogether.

via GoFundMe

This isn’t the first incident of its kind to make headlines in Canada this year.

Staff at a hospital in British Columbia allegedly bet on the blood alcohol content of the Indigenous people admitted to the hospital.

“The allegation is that a game was being played to investigate the blood alcohol level of patients in the emergency rooms, in particular with Indigenous people and perhaps others,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a statement.

“And if true, it is intolerable and racist and of course (has) affected profoundly patient care,” Dix continued.

Echaquan’s death has inspired people to join the Justice Pour Joyce moment which seeks to end systemic racism in Canada’s healthcare system.

Nakuset, the executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter and organizer of a Justice Pour Joyce march in downtown Montreal, is hopeful that Echaquan’s death will inspire systemic change in healthcare.

However, that’ll only happen if Canadians from all backgrounds come together to support Indigenous people.

“The only way that we can make changes as a society is to show up,” she said, “because actions speak louder than words.”

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The New ‘Dune’ Release Date Is Sad News For Timothée Chalamet And Zendaya (And Robert Pattinson) Fans

Along with Free Guy, Soul, and Wonder Woman 1984, Dune was among the few (overly-optimistic) blockbusters still scheduled to be released in theaters in 2020.

That changed on Monday: Variety reports that Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Oscar Isaac, has been pushed back to October 1, 2021. Dune had been scheduled to come out on December 18, 2020, making for an unlikely Christmas movie, but Warner Bros. wouldn’t want to compete with its own WW84 (Dec. 25). There is another scheduling issue, however.

The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, also comes out on October 1 of next year, so unless Warner Bros wants to see who the internet’s one true boyfriend is — Timmy or R-Pattz? — expect the Matt Reeves film to be delayed until later in 2021:

Also accelerating the news: James Bond sequel No Time to Die, which was originally set to launch at the end of November, was pushed back to 2021. That decision prompted Regal, the second-biggest U.S. theater chain, to close down its venues after reopening in August. If major movies continue to vacate their release dates, other circuits may be forced to shut down again.

Not a great time for movie-goers. But it could be worse.

WARNER BROS/GIZMODO

At least we don’t have to deal with that (only this).

(Via Variety)

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One Of Britney Spears’ Biggest Songs Was Originally Written For Another Pop Star

A pretty famous piece of Britney Spears trivia is that one of her biggest hits, “Toxic,” was originally offered to Kylie Minogue. Minogue has confirmed that story and commented on the song’s success, saying, “I wasn’t at all angry when it worked for her. It’s like the fish that got away. You just have to accept it.” However, it turns out Minogue wasn’t the artist for whom songwriter Cathy Dennis initially created the track.

In a recently shared interview, Dennis told the story of how she and the song’s co-writers penned the track for Janet Jackson:

“That was written in Sweden with Bloodshy & Avant [Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg] and Henrik Jonback. I went over there to write with Janet Jackson in mind. I was there for about ten days in total. I’d had a meeting with Janet, I think in London, but it may have been in New York. I thought I’d have a go at writing something that would work for her and it didn’t come out at the time. We did have this song ‘Toxic,’ though. It was started on day one of seven… then took part of day two to try to finish it. And because I couldn’t quite finish it, I said, ‘Look, let’s start on something else.’ So we wrote another three songs that week and in my spare time while I was in my hotel room I was very busy editing my lyrics on ‘Toxic.’ Eventually on day seven, which was the day I was flying back to England, I had run out of time. I knew that it was D-Day and I had to sing and that was what I came up with after a lot of editing.”

Spears previously shared her take on the song in 2003, telling MTV, “It’s basically about a girl addicted to a guy. I really like ‘Toxic.’ It’s an upbeat song. It’s really different, that’s why I like it so much. This villain girl, she’ll do anything to get what she wants. She goes through different obstacles.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Dennis discusses a track that she actually wrote for Minogue and that Minogue ended up releasing, so read more here.

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Mac Miller’s Estate Announces His Upcoming ‘Swimming In Circles’ Box Set

Before he passed away in 2018, Mac Miller planned to release his albums Swimming and Circles as companion pieces in a trilogy. However, he died during the creation of Circles, which was finished by his production partner Jon Brion. That won’t stop his estate from combining the two finished albums into a collection for Mac’s fans, fulfilling his wishes as best they can.

The Swimming In Circles box set, which Miller’s estate announced today, will include a double-disc set, a booklet featuring photos from the making of the albums, a poster, and a “six-panel lyric scroll.” The estate also shared a behind-the-scenes video from the recording sessions in Hawaii, where he told Vulture‘s Craig Jenkins he recorded “Hurt Feelings” and “Wings” from Swimming, which released just a month before Miller’s death in 2018 and for which he was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Album.

Earlier this year, Miller’s family also released a deluxe version of Circles. Whether this was the unnamed project his estate asked fans to contribute to in July remains to be seen.

Swimming In Circles is due 12/18 through Warner Records. You can pre-order it here.

Mac Miller is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Holly Rowe Is Doing It All For ESPN Inside The WNBA Bubble

About 120 miles away from where the Milwaukee Bucks staged a playoff game strike on Aug. 26, Holly Rowe was watching a similar scene unfold in the WNBA Bubble at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. As she got ready to report on the scheduled double-header on ESPN that night, Rowe realized the WNBA, led by the Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream, might soon follow the Bucks’ lead. As the only media member in the WNBA Bubble, Rowe sprung into action.

On Twitter, Rowe initially reported games would go on, a sign of the uncertainty the sporting world faced that day, before officially declaring the WNBA would take the night off. With ESPN producers in her ear clamoring for an update, Rowe grabbed Mystics guard Ariel Atkins and Dream center Elizabeth Williams for live interviews to explain their decision. Then, she dashed down the hallway to grab WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for an explanation on the league’s stance toward the strike. WNBPA executive committee president Nneka Ogwumike had entered the court to help her players make a unified decision, so Rowe threw a few questions her way as well.

Work wasn’t over. As dusk turned to night, Rowe’s phone chirped and she got word of a candlelight vigil being put together by the players to honor Jacob Blake, the victim of the latest police shooting that had spurred the demonstrations across sports, and mourn as a league. Rowe captured intimate video footage that soon went viral.

Another quick foray back to her hotel to edit the video together was interrupted when Rowe received another message, this time from Ogwumike, who wanted her to come sit in on an executive committee meeting. By this time it was morning, but Rowe hustled over to a conference room where she was greeted by the most powerful players in the league, who had a simple question: If they chose not to play again on Thursday, what type of platform might they get? Rowe reached out to ESPN’s producers to gauge the next day’s schedule while at the same time, she texted Doris Burke in the NBA Bubble to get a sense of that league’s plans. Once it was clear the men would not play either, Rowe and the executive committee put together a 12-minute roundtable that ended with a powerful shot of the entire league standing with arms linked in unity.

The strike leading into the roundtable was not only the “most fascinating” 48 hours of Rowe’s career, but a symbol of what it’s been like the past 12 weeks reporting from the IMG Bubble.

“It’s this crazy blend of (being) on television and being a news-breaker and documenting what’s happening in an unprecedented way, and then you’re your own producer scrambling to find a guest to explain the situation,” Rowe tells Dime.

Whereas the NBA Bubble has everyone from Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes doing double-duty with digital content and TNT sideline reporting to Rachel Nichols hosting The Jump on ESPN, in Bradenton there is only Rowe. The shot she captured of the WNBA standing arm-in-arm only happened with the help of the New York Liberty public relations staff, who pointed Rowe’s TVU kit — a live gateway to ESPN broadcasts — at the women from a completely different room than where Rowe was.

“I just want to cry when I think about it because that shot will go down as one of the most powerful if not the most powerful images in WNBA history, and it took teamwork to get it,” Rowe says. “I’m just so proud of all of us pulling together.”

Having cultivated relationships covering women’s basketball for over a decade and earned the trust of ESPN producers who made a big bet on the WNBA this summer, Rowe was ready for the moment. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been trying. After a back-and-forth all summer about whether the WNBA could host her, Rowe got a call on July 15 with the news that she’d have to report to Bradenton that day. A seven-day quarantine awaited her once she arrived, and because of the tighter confines of IMG compared to the Wide World of Sport complex where the NBA lived all summer, Rowe could see and hear everything going on in the WNBA ecosystem while she waited out her quarantine.

Before she could even head out and start working, the intrigue of the Bubble experience had already worn off.

“It was really weird because at first I was really excited and thought I was so creative, I brought my Nespresso, brought a blender, I was so proud of myself,” says Rowe. “And after day three in the hotel room, I was going crazy, like, ‘I’ve done yoga, I’ve learned every TikTok dance, I’ve done 10 or 12 Zoom calls with every team today, and I’ve listened to JJ Redick’s podcast, and it’s 4 p.m. Now what?’”

When she was let out, Rowe got to work immediately. Not only was she the on-site eyes and ears for each of ESPN’s 37 regular-season broadcasts and the network’s coverage of each of the league’s 22 potential playoff games, but she has fueled content across ESPN’s digital platforms as well. Rowe shot the viral pictures of the Storm and Mercury wearing “Vote Warnock” shirts as part of their endorsement of Rev. Raphael Warnock in the race for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. She is working with The Undefeated on a documentary short on the league’s fight for racial justice this summer, as well as a separate short for ESPN’s digital platform on life in the #Wubble, which players delightfully renamed the IMG Academy.

Shortly after the season began, WNBA PR head Ron Howard sat Rowe down with reps from all 12 teams in the league for a breakfast pitch meeting. Team reps got the chance to give Rowe their best ideas for what could be featured in a halftime feature story or a SportsCenter feature this season. Rowe grinded to get all 12 done before the end of the season, which lasted less than two months.

Still, Rowe has had to find a balance. Because she is so tightly wound up with the players, referees and executives of the league, she has had to craft her own line in the sand as a reporter. When Rowe fell off her bike while recording from her phone and trying to steer midway through the season and had to take some time off, she was told by league medical staff to do some rehab work in the pool to ease the pain. Right next to her during an early session were Sydney Wiese and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt of the Los Angeles Sparks, who were also rehabbing from injury. Rather than “crossing a boundary,” Rowe decided whatever news she gathered from moments like those would be for others to report, not her.

“I’ve had to be really careful (and) I don’t just report everything I see here because I’m here at the pleasure of the WNBA and I want to be respectful of all else,” Rowe said.

As a reporter, Rowe has felt a bit conflicted to be “at the pleasure” of anyone rather than stationed as an unbiased observer, but the nature of the pandemic and the Wubble has changed the shape of journalistic ethics a bit for her. Many have wondered why the WNBA only allowed one reporter in, even as the Bubble emptied out for the playoffs, meaning there was even more pressure on Rowe to nail the opportunity. So if the choice was to stifle certain news-breaking impulses in order to cover the season, the decision was relatively easy.

“I am conflicted because you’re a reporter because you have news instincts,” Rowe explained. “I’ve had to kind of be like, ‘It’s OK if that news gets out another way or if that gets out through the team and how they release it instead of me breaking news.’ That’s not my job here, to break news, my job is to cover games and be respectful.”

At the same time she is navigating the WNBA calendar, Rowe still hosts a daily Big 12 football show on SiriusXM from her hotel room. Because Rowe is on-campus with the players unlike in the NBA Bubble where media is separated from teams, she shares a wall with Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, who will sometimes overhear Rowe when she winds up for her loudest takes on air. Rowe recently ordered a box of chocolates for Young as an apology for the noise.

All these projects fill up the extra time in her schedule, but game broadcasts are a full-time job. Because everything is virtual these days, Rowe sat through meetings with all four coaches from that night’s double-header before another meeting with producers and broadcasters in Bristol before running away to do in-person interviews with players. Those interviews fill in the gaps where NBA broadcasts are able to do “Wired” segments on players and coaches or cut-aways to broadcasters who are in the building. While ESPN’s WNBA team of Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Pam Ward, and LaChina Robinson call games from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Rowe configures most of the broadcast from on the ground.

“We certainly wouldn’t have had the quality of broadcast we had, if it wasn’t for Holly not only being in the bubble, but Holly being in the bubble,” says Lobo. “She just brings something a little bit different than anybody else, and some of that is her relationships with the players, some of that a lot of that is, she just has a really … exceptional ability to just take in everything she’s seeing.

“She is a great observer, and that adds a lot to our telecast, even if it’s been she’s relaying all of that on the air.”

Back in Bristol, Lobo and her counterparts are calling games from a studio that might normally house a halftime show. Big monitors cloak the walls around them as producers orchestrate the broadcast nearby, negotiating camera angles and commercial breaks. All the while, Rowe is in everyone’s ear with tidbits of news or stories to watch.

Shouldering the success of a league’s entire national television slate would be stressful for most, but for Rowe, who had been antsy to get back on the court since finding out the NBA shut down while in a gym at the women’s Big 12 tournament, it was a gift.

“I don’t think pressure is what I would say, but more excitement,” Rowe says. “I had been sitting home without sports for five months. The more games, the more opportunities to work, the better for me.”

The pride in her work and ability to coax out interesting stories is what makes Rowe so easy to work with for Lobo and others at ESPN, but it’s also what makes for great broadcasts. During the opening day of WNBA games in late July, Layshia Clarendon and Breanna Stewart took a moment pregame to dedicate the season to the Say Her Name campaign and the movement for Black lives. Teams left the court prior to the playing of the national anthem in an act of dissent. Throughout the weekend, players refused to answer basketball questions in favor of drawing attention to Breonna Taylor’s case in Louisville and ongoing systemic racism in the country.

Rowe was able to pivot quickly to these issues in a compassionate way while also keeping the broadcast moving, balancing basketball and the big picture just like the players on the court. When it comes time to ask a tough question — or question Bill Laimbeer’s haircut — it’s a natural conversation.

“Because of her personality, she has a way of being able to do things without in any way being off putting” Lobo says. “She’s like this bossy teddy bear, she gets the content that is so good just because people like her.”

Anyone watching would understand that some of what sports reporters have had to confront in 2020 is more visceral than in years past as the line blurs between sport and society, but Rowe still sometimes worries that the emotional response in certain moments goes too far. When players like Ogwumike are standing and pleading for fans to care about Black life and join their effort to beat back racism, it’s hard not to respond genuinely to it. And to not do so would be against who Rowe is.

“Sometimes I second-guess myself and think that’s unprofessional and (I) shouldn’t be like that, (I’ve) gotta be stoic and just a reporter, but it’s who I am and I just have to be myself,” Rowe says. “I think I’m just a really big-hearted, soft person that loves people and I got into sports because I love telling stories and I’m such a fan of people. That naturally transcends to my reporting.”

Yet as players like Paul George and Fred VanVleet have attested to on the NBA side, the Bubble is enough to compromise anyone’s cheer and positive outlook. Rowe has been in the same squished hotel room for three months. She hasn’t seen her son since she jetted out after that call on July 15. She has watched as players have left with joy on their faces, happy to escape even as their seasons came to an end. The sick trick of the Bubble is that those who play the best must suffer the longest. For reporters, the job’s not over until a champion is crowned.

Rowe recently ordered shirts for the playoff teams left on campus that said “I survived the Wubble” and has heard from even ultra-competitive players like Diana Taurasi that the chance to leave and be back home was enough to outweigh the disappointment of failure. “Unless you’re here, you don’t understand the mental challenges,” Rowe says. “I don’t know if anyone will truly understand.” Still, Rowe remains energized after moments like that one with Taurasi, when the legendary scorer offered a sincere thanks to Rowe for sticking it out. “It was important,” Taurasi told Rowe.

Her assignment is winding down as the Finals between the Storm and Aces now reaches a potential conclusion with Seattle up 2-0 heading into Game 3, but Rowe earned the opportunity to see the season through even as her college football slate picks up. Lobo and Ruocco are still calling the Finals from Bristol, where they’ve fashioned a great routine with Rowe from hundreds of miles away. At this point, it’s hard to see the season throwing Rowe a curveball crazier than what she’s already seen. Rowe has made sure every women’s basketball fan knows the temperature in the Wubble from start to finish.

Whether it be Laimbeer’s haircut or the union reps’ roundtable or a pitch meeting over eggs and bacon, the WNBA family knows what to do when something happens: Find Holly.

“She really is unique in this business,” Lobo says. “It’s just different. People love Holly Rowe, and it comes across on the air. If it’s Holly, she just gets more.”

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Allen Maldonado of ‘Sneakerheads’ Shares His Real-Life Sneaker Stories And Talks About His Signature AJ1s

If you’re anything like our style team, you’ve already burned through the six short episodes that make up Netflix’s Sneakerheads — a new sitcom that explores the modern culture of sneakers and follows one sneaker-buying squad’s quest to track down an elusive pair of Jordan Zeroes (they don’t actually exist, don’t worry). From the absurdity of ultra-exclusive drops and heated auctions to the terminology that can make outsiders feel like hypebeasts are speaking another language entirely, Sneakerheads does a great job of exploring sneaker culture while informing newcomers of its more obscure aspects. That move was very much by design according to Allen Maldonado, who plays the show’s lead.

“My character, Devin… he’s coming in as the person who takes all the shots when he doesn’t know what a ‘hyperstrike’ is or what these auctions are,” he explains. “So you live through Devin, as far as the sneaker culture aspect of it.”

Watching Maldonado as Devin fighting to keeps his life together when a passion he’s been trying to bury comes bubbling to the surface might leave you wondering if Sneakerheads is a reflection of the actor’s own life. The short answer is “no.” While Devin is straight-laced, Maldonado is unafraid to express his passion for kicks. He brims with energy when asked to share his real-life sneaker-buying experiences, from growing up in a single-parent home and forcing himself to ignore all-things Jordan to going HAM at the sneaker store when he finally made it.

We chopped it up with Maldonado this week about the wide appeal of Sneakerheads, the pivotal sneakers that shaped his tastes, the signature AJ-1 he dropped to coincide with the show, and the one sneaker trend he can’t get behind.

Netflix

Near the end of Sneakerheads your character Devin exclaims, “Nobody wants to watch a tv show about shoes!” How did you react when you first saw the script?

I immediately loved the idea of doing a show about sneakers, because it’s never been done. This is the first scripted series about it and I was willing to take the risk just because I believe in the culture and I believe the culture would respond the way they have, and… it’s been incredible, man!

Sneaker culture has a lot of gatekeepers that can really alienate casual sneaker fans. What will non-sneakerheads find in the show that won’t make them feel left out?

I believe the show educates you about the sneaker culture and doesn’t make you feel bad for not knowing it. My character Devin, even though he was a sneakerhead in the past, in the past five years the game has totally changed and he’s coming in as the new person. He’s coming in as the person who takes all the shots when he doesn’t know what a “hyperstrike” is or what these auctions are. You live through Devin as far as the sneaker culture aspect of it.

But what I think people really enjoy — outside of the sneakers — is the self-improvement that Devin is going through. He’s going through a mid-life crisis, he’s at a point where his life in the present doesn’t really match his life in the past and he’s unsure of how he wants to have his life in the future. I feel like during this pandemic and during this time, a lot of people have been dealing with themselves in a similar way, and I think that’s an aspect of the story people are really gravitating too because we are all in that position.

The world is changing now — do I change with it or do I stay the same? Devin is going through that in the world of sneakers.

One of the best parts of the show is the dynamic between Devin and Bobby. I read that you hand-selected Andrew Bach (King Bach) for that role, what was your thinking behind that, why was it so important work alongside Andrew?

It was important for me because I was playing the straight character for the first time in a series. I’m known for playing the Bobby type characters, the high-energy funny man who energizes the scene comedically, so I knew I needed someone I could trust to stay as grounded as I need to be and not feel forced to bring up my comedy in order to get a laugh.

Having someone you could trust, that makes me feel like I don’t need to do anything funny — because he’s going to ignite that comedy in that scenario — is important. We worked together in a movie called Where’s The Money? a couple of years before, and I felt like we had amazing chemistry but I felt like we were in the wrong position. He was the straight man and I was the big comedy guy and I was like “man if we switch places, I think we can make magic,” and that’s basically what we did for Sneakerheads.

NETFLIX

What’s the furthest you’ve ever gone to for a pair of sneakers?

I like to consider myself a novice sneakerhead. Because there are levels — there are gentlemen who have shoe collections worth millions, I’m not that and I’m not the guy who is heavily informed about when the next shoe is gonna drop. For me, it’s the special moment rather than the lengths of going to get the shoe.

The first shoe I ever got that was expensive was in high school. My mom was a single mom raising three kids so buying expensive shoes was not an option, it was ludicrous, like, “No, we need to pay the bills.” But she bought me a pair of Crazy 8s. As I got older, I walked into a shoe store and they had the Crazy 8s in there, and I asked for every Crazy 8 in every colorway, I said “I want to buy them all.”

It meant something to me because I remember when I could barely afford one, and now I’m in a position where I can buy as many as I want. That’s a pat on my back, like “You did it, kid! You moved the chips forward and you deserve this!” that was a special moment for me.

So were the Crazy 8s that pivotal first pair of sneakers that made you realize you were a sneaker guy?

No. This is a story I haven’t shared, but early on because I couldn’t afford these shoes, I would basically make myself not like them. I was like “If I can’t have them I don’t like them. I don’t like those Jordans — cool whatever!” I had to really force myself to believe that I didn’t really care about these sneakers.

Coming from the situation of growing up in a single-parent home, we had a lot of struggling. I didn’t buy my first pair of Jordans until I was 25, 26, it wasn’t that I wasn’t making any money, it was just that I really tricked myself into not liking these shoes because I couldn’t afford it.

The first time I bought sneakers as a “sneaker guy,” I think I bought like seven pairs of Jordans. It was just excessive! But it was making up for the time when I had to dictate my decisions due to my situation rather than from my heart and that’s something I’ve continuously grown better at as I’ve grown successful. I’m kinda dealing with survivor’s remorse!

Cedric Terrell

I went through a similar thing in my 20s, where I realized I didn’t need to keep wearing Vans Classics because my mom wasn’t buying my shoes anymore.

Right right, exactly man! “Yo give me that two for $89 man. Just run them, I don’t know what they are just run them. I know they some Nikes or something, run me those I’m good.” That’s how it had to be, it was cool, it was a school year, I got the two for $89!

Let’s talk about your sneakers The Wild Ms, what’s behind the name and what were you going for with that mixed animal print design? You’ve got zebra print, tiger, leopard…

Shout out to Katty Customs. I’ve said it before and I continue to say it, because I believe the world is going to realize that she is iconic. The type of creativity that she’s been able to execute with shoes is ridiculous. We began to talk as Sneakerheads was set to release and I wanted to do something special for the culture along with the drop of the series.

Look I’m not going to take any credit for the design, because all I said was, “AJ1s are the shoe, do your magic!” and that’s what Katty Customs came with man. She came with some fire, I love it.

I can guess where she got the motivation from as far as the animal print. The different things that I do as a person, how it represents me, not only am I an actor, writer, producer, I’m an entrepreneur, long-distance runner — I’m not one animal. I’m not one thing and at any moment I can be what I need to be and that’s what I feel she got the energy from to come up with that particular print for the shoe. Just because I am who I need to be when I need to be, that’s the gift that God gave me.

Katty Customs

What is it about the AJ1s that you love?

Man, you can just wear the AJ1s with anything! They’re a universal shoe. I’m talking casual, formal, you can bust them with a suit you can wear them with sweats. They can be the only thing you’re wearing, you can be wearing a white t-shirt and some regular jeans but if your AJ1s are crisp you don’t need anything else. It’ll be the highlight of whatever ensemble you’re putting together.

I used to be about the 11s, but the AJ1s won me over just because they just go on and off so easy. I’m all about efficiency. I don’t want to touch my laces — I want to slide my shoes on and off and get to moving. It’s a no shoe in the house policy, so its just convenient to my lifestyle!

What’s your least favorite modern sneaker design trend?

Ahh man, what’s the shoes man — I gotta keep it all the way 100, what are those called? The Balenciagas…

Oh, you mean the Triple-S, the “ugly shoe?”

That’s what I’m saying, see?! You even gotta mention it’s the “ugly shoe.” I ain’t feeling that I feel like somebody lying to me like this is a joke. This is one big joke that someone is making.

“We are being laughed at, people!”

This is how I feel about that shoe. Respectfully of course…

Sneakerheads is all about celebrating the modern sneaker scene, but I think an important thing the scene needs to do is self-examine. I know you’re a novice — in terms of the sneaker world — but what is something about modern sneaker culture you wish was different?

Oh wow, that’s a very good question… I guess the exclusivity of it all. The idea of what makes sneaker culture great is that, but what also turns people off is that exclusivity. For a novice getting into the game, they’re going to get ridiculed for not knowing certain things, and sometimes that can discourage people from immersing themselves into that culture.

Allowing everybody to grow as a sneakerhead without any type of criticism — I wish the culture would embrace new sneakerheads to the culture rather than make people feel bad for not knowing everything.