Category: Viral

For teaching us that a shoe doesn’t belong on your head, for her transformations into white witches and vampires, and for reminding the world that we NEED to talk about Kevin, Tilda Swinton was awarded a Golden Lion For Lifetime Achievement at the Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday. The Oscar-winning actress, known for playing androgynous and often-eccentric characters, began her acceptance speech by admitting that she’s been wondering two things: “One, how much exactly cinema means to me. Two, how to be able to accept this overwhelming honor with a straight face.”

Swinton called cinema her “happy place, my true motherland. Its fellowship is my heart’s family tree. The names on the list of those awarded this honor, meanwhile, they are the names of my masters. They’re the elders of my tribe. The poets of the language I love above others. I sing their songs in the bath. I’m the punk kid film nut hitching a ride to the station to get to the foothills of the heights of their achievements.” Acknowledging the sincere absurdity of talking about baths and punks and motherlands, she jokingly added, “By the way, I am only just beginning.”

You can read much of her speech here, but I’m going to cut to the end, where Swinton paid tribute to her Marvel Cinematic Universe co-star Chadwick Boseman, who died from colon cancer last week. “The magic carpet is flying still and ever shall be — the best possible personal protective equipment for the soul. Viva Venezia. Cinema cinema cinema. Wakanda Forever,” she said, in reference to the salute from Black Panther.

As seen here:

Congratulations to Tilda Swinton, who will soon appear in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio as The Fairy with Turquoise Hair. Sounds about right.

(Via Variety)

Sade captured hearts with her band’s debut 1984 record Diamond Life, and has since released five more soulful records, which have collectively been certified Platinum 24 times over. To celebrate their success, Sade has announced a complete remastered box set. Titled This Far, Sade’s box set boasts all six albums pressed to vinyl, remastered by Sade herself alongside the rest of the band.

The box set’s This Far title suggests there may be more from the group. Though Sade released their latest record, the slow-burning Soldier Of Love, in 2010 they also debuted the standalone track “The Big Unknown” in 2018 alongside the number “Flower Of The Universe,” which was written for Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time film.

Undertaking the remaster process, Sade and her band worked with acclaimed mastering engineer Miles Showell at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. Pulling each of the songs from the stereo master mixes, Showell was able to remaster the songs with exceptional clarity and pure fidelity, preserving the dynamic ranges and remaining faithful to the original work’s intended sound. Along with remastering Sade’s discography, each of their album’s cover art has been meticulously replicated and printed to high quality paper to be assembled into the complete box set.

Check out the complete This Far box set above.

This Far is out 10/9 via Sony. Pre-order it here.

There have been few scorers quite like Diana Taurasi. The three-time WNBA champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist takes over games to the beat of thrilling revelations — “Oh yeah,” she seems to say, “I can do that, too.” Before the best NBA players blurred the line between three-point specialist and No. 1 scoring option, Taurasi had already done it, first at UConn and then in the pros, winning an MVP in 2009 while taking nearly half her shots from deep. At age 38, Taurasi continues to find new ways to exploit defenses, and even in the strange confines of the WNBA’s Florida Bubble and after a lost 2019 season, the GOAT is putting on a show.

In leading her depleted Phoenix Mercury to a fourth straight win on Tuesday night over the dominant Las Vegas Aces, Taurasi put together her best game in nearly two years. While her career has been a loud proclamation against expectation on many fronts, playing elite basketball as you near 40 defies more than just normal, it defies nature. Taurasi should be getting worse, not better. Of course her athleticism is waning and she’s hardly much of a defender these days, but the shooting performance she’s put on in the back-nine of her career should not be possible.

Every basketball fan knows what it looks like when Taurasi is on a roll, but it was an open question after back and hamstring injuries in 2019 whether we’d ever see it again. The scoring explosion was both a reminder of what Taurasi is capable of and an upending of where we thought she was in her career.

Across basketball, great shooters are increasingly commonplace at every position. From Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu to Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic, shooting almost has to come from every spot on the court in 2020. And while Taurasi, a pretty long wing player by WNBA standards, was ahead of the curve, she’s also adjusted as time has passed to keep up with the transforming game.

The victory over Las Vegas on Tuesday night was a symbol of an evolving Taurasi, a player who changed the game, caught up to it, and is cutting through space and time to blaze another trail of outrageous offensive efficiency on her last legs. Not only is Taurasi’s release quick as ever, but she can create space even more effectively.

The other trademark part of Taurasi’s game is her driving and finishing ability. So long as she hasn’t pissed the referees off too much, Taurasi can create contact to get to the free-throw line just about any time she wants. Her length and balance allow her to instigate bumps inside and still finish or get a shot up. That same preternatural physical awareness transfers to the outside, too.

In the clip above, Taurasi is able to shove off smaller Aces defenders like Jackie Young and Kayla McBride with her shoulders and midsection to get just a few more inches of space to get her shot off with a quick flick. The process of working on the deep pull-up has been a focus for Taurasi since as far back as 2018.

“It’s just something that gives you more space on the court, and when you’re playing offense, you’re seeking space,” Taurasi said after the Aces game. “It gives me a little bit more time to get set and put pressure on the defense, and at the same time, it gives Skylar (Diggins-Smith) some more room, (the defense) is not helping as much (off of Taurasi).”

The addition of Diggins-Smith, a multi-time All-Star in her own right, has allowed Taurasi to also play off the ball more. Back in 2018, when Taurasi put up 21 points per game on an outrageous 63.8 true shooting percentage, most of her deep threes came off the bounce, typically coming off a screen from the great Brittney Griner.

Now, Diggins-Smith’s ability to initiate offense means Phoenix’s offense doesn’t run through the veteran as much, and Taurasi can help warp the defense from the wing without the ball in her hands while still scoring about as much as always. Take a look here at where the defense is when backup guard Shey Peddy dishes the ball to Taurasi for an open catch-and-shoot triple:

It’s one thing to be guarded out there and force the defense into a closeout because she’s the GOAT, but the ability to knock down those shots also signifies a healthier Taurasi. The hip rotation needed to launch from 25-plus feet wouldn’t be possible unless Taurasi was close to fully recovered from her April 2019 spinal disc surgery, and she’s clearly become stronger in her wrists too, exemplified by her instantaneous shot motion.

There may be some logic in how Taurasi’s game has evolved as she’s aged, but when the logical endpoint is still something that is basically unparalleled in basketball, it should not be taken for granted. After four straight wins, Phoenix is suddenly within shouting distance of a first-round bye in the WNBA playoffs. All four wins have come without Griner, yet Phoenix is third in the WNBA in offensive efficiency. That’s almost entirely because of a 38-year-old Taurasi, reimagining what is possible for herself and what is possible on a WNBA court.

It’s hard to say what will be possible for the depleted Mercury in 2020 or what Taurasi will do the rest of the way. But she’s opened up her game and isn’t the type to rein it back any time soon.

“Shooting threes has always been something that I’ve done, so we’ll just let it fly from here on out,” she said.

The #FreeBritney situation has gotten more attention in recent years, but it looks like Britney Spears may not actually need to be “freed” at all: New legal documents suggest that her conservatorship is voluntary.

Recent reports said that Spears didn’t want her father to be her sole conservator anymore and that she wants her situation to “be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes.” That doesn’t mean she doesn’t want a conservator at all, though. According to new legal documents filed in the Superior Court of California and obtained by The Blast and others, Spears’ conservatorship is legally recognized as being voluntary. The document reads in part, “This is a voluntary conservatorship. Conservatee wishes to exercise her right to nominate a conservator of the estate.”

Spears has a new conservator in mind, too, as the document notes that she wants “BESSEMER TRUST COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, N.A. as conservator of the estate be granted the following independent powers […] together with any other currently qualified and acting co-conservator of the estate: The power to operate at the risk of the estate business, farm, or enterprise constituting an asset of the estate.”

The document continues, “Conservatee’s father, JAMES P. SPEARS, is serving alone as conservator of BRITNEY’ s estate. BRITNEY is strongly opposed to her father continuing as the sole conservator of her estate. Rather, without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this conservatorship in the future, she strongly prefers to have a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed to serve in this role.”

So, it appears that while Spears is seeking the right to end her conservatorship at some point, she is fine with being in it now, just as long as her father isn’t the one in charge.

Find the full document here.

Hello September! We’re now officially in the last days of summer and even if it’s still unseasonably warm outside in some parts of the county, it’s time to start seriously thinking about layering up. We got you in that department.

But before we dive into this week’s SNX DLX, we should probably mention that one of our picks from last week, the Adidas YEEZY 700 V3 Arzareth, was postponed (along with a lot of other Adidas releases) as a company-wide call for justice over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Arzareth’s adjusted launch date was September 1st. And the sneaker is still available over at Yeezy Supply. Still, it didn’t feel right to include the sneaker in this week’s lineup again. This week we’ve got new releases from New Balance, Adidas, a Dunk-inspired Air Jordan 1, and a linkup between Puma and streetwear label Rhude. Let’s dive in!

Jaden Smith x New Balance Vision Racer Wavy White

When Jaden Smith decided to add “sneaker designer” to his ever-growing resume, many a sneakerhead rolled their eyes at the prospect of yet another celebrity dabbler invading the space. But, I don’t know. I think Jaden’s work with New Balance is pretty dope. The Vision Racer is a mashup of New Balance’s 1700 and X-Racer silhouettes and features an upper of mixed mesh and suede, reflective detailing along the New Balance “N,” and a mix of recycled and post-consumer plastic construction throughout.

Did we mention this sneaker is also fully vegan-friendly? You can roll your eyes, but then fix them to the fact that our planet is on fire. Who wouldn’t want a vegan semi-sustainable sneaker in 2020?

The Jaden Smith x New Balance Vision Racer Wavy White is out now for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair at the Nice Kicks online store.

Rhude x PUMA Cell King

PUMA has linked up yet again with luxury streetwear label Rhude for a Frankensteinian mashup of their King football boot and their CELL running sneaker. The result has a distinctive old-world quality about it, like the kind of shoe you’d need to entrust a cobbler with to maintain.

The Cell King features a quilted synthetic leather upper, an EVA midsole with CELL cushioning, asymmetrical cushion windows, and a fold-over tongue.

The Rhude x PUMA Cell King is set to drop on September 5th for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair at the PUMA webstore.

Air Jordan 1 Bio Hack/ Baroque Brown

A modern reinterpretation and remix of UNDEFEATED’s much-beloved 2005 Nike SB Dunk Hi, this Air Jordan in “Baroque Brown” is designed to resemble that original sneaker, which still sells on the aftermarket for prices above $1000. And you know what? We kind of like these more. Maybe…

Featuring a color-block upper, the Air Jordan 1 Bio Hack sports leather construction with soft suede overlays, an embroidered tongue, and a silver wrap around swoosh. Picking up a pair is a no brainer this week, so set yourself up for disappointment if you can’t manage to cop a pair.

The Air Jordan 1 Bio Hack is set to drop on September 4th for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app or select Nike retailers.

Nike Dunk Low Disrupt

A Dunk Low with a more pronounced and rounded-off shape, the Dunk Low Disrupt updates the Dunk Low silhouette with a platform stance and exaggerated proportions like extra dimension around the outsole, a padded collar, and the added upper panels.

While the sneaker is WMNS sized, Nike is launching the sneaker in an extended size run. We say, go full unisex Nike. What are you scared of?

The Nike Dunk Low Disrupt is set to drop on September 4th for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app.

Adidas YEEZY SLIDE Core/ Soot

Full disclosure — I don’t love these. The only reason I’m including them at all is that despite the fact that this week has some truly great releases, it’s also a little light on variety. If you love the YEEZY SLIDEs, which many do, you’ll be pleased to know that the sandal — that word makes us shudder — will be dropping in a new Core and Soot colorway, and the original Bone colorway will be receiving a restock.

How long before Ye straight up names one of his sandals colorways “Jesus?”

The Adidas YEEZY SLIDE is set to drop on September 4th for a retail price of $55. Pick up a pair through the Adidas online store and YEEZY Supply.

Anti Social Social Club x BAPE Fall 2020 Collection

Hands down one of the best drops of the season, Anti Social Social Club and BAPE will launch their third collaboration this week which consists of hooded camo sweaters and matching t-shirts in three beautiful colorways with Katakana characters written in ASSC’s wavy aesthetic.

The Anti Social Social Club BAPE Fall 2020 collection is set to drop on September 4th at the Anti Social Social Club webstore.

Nike x Supreme Fall/Winter 2020 Collection

If you’re looking for some fresh Supreme, you’re not going to want to miss their latest Fall/Winter drop with Nike. Consisting of a reversible anorak with matching pants, sweatshirts, sweaters, and polo shirts, this new collection is dressed in six alternate colorways throughout the entire line, which we appreciate as it gives the collection a more custom feel.

This collection is meant to be matched, the crewnecks and sweat shorts are constructed from the same cotton fleece and twill material and the reversible pants and Anorak both feature nylon construction with a semi-transparent makeup, so you’re probably not going to dig on this collection if you’re tired of the whole athleisure aesthetic.

The Nike Supreme Fall/Winter 2020 Collection is set to drop on September 3rd. Shop the capsule at the Supreme online store.

Chinatown Market Hoodie Drop/ Grateful Dead Croc

Chinatown Market has just dropped two psychedelic hoodie sweaters featuring minimalist Chinatown Market university-inspired branding. Doubling down on the whole ‘60s psychedelia vibe, Chinatown Market has also announced a surprise drop of their Grateful Dead Crocs, which also features a tie-dye all-over print and dancing bear medallions.

We’re not down for the Crocs, but since the Grateful Dead are enjoying a streetwear renaissance, we felt it was worth mentioning.

The Chinatown Market Hoodies and Grateful Dead Crocs are out now. The Hoodies are shoppable at the Chinatown Market online store and the Crocs are being sold at the Croc online store.

Chadwick Boseman’s death at age 43 came as a shock to almost everyone. Even Spike Lee, who directed Boseman in this year’s Da 5 Bloods, never suspected that anything was amiss with Boseman’s health. The Black Panther star shielded virtually everyone from news of his Stage 3 diagnosis in 2016 — the same year he first appeared as the MCU’s T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War, all the way though Avengers: Endgame. A new report from the Hollywood Reporter reveals that even Marvel Chief Kevin Feige had no idea that Boseman was ill, and of course, people are now wondering what this all means for Black Panther 2 (due to arrive in May 2022).

According to the report, Boseman (who suffered from Stage 4 colon cancer with noticeable weight loss this year) fully believed “until about a week before his death that he was going to beat cancer and would be able to gain the weight back.” He hoped to do so prior to Black Panther 2‘s planned filming date in March 2021. Boseman also wished to start training for the sequel in September, but then his health took a turn for the worse. Here’s more about Boseman’s desire to keep his condition under wraps:

Only a handful of non-family members knew that Boseman was sick, including producing partner Logan Coles, longtime agent Michael Greene, trainer Addison Henderson and 42 director Brian Helgeland — with varying degrees of knowledge about the severity of the actor’s condition. No one involved with Black Panther was aware, says a source. It was Boseman’s wish to keep his cancer battle private.

Given that Boseman was so beloved in the King T’Challa role (he was also heroic offscreen as well as in his other cinematic endeavors), there’s little reason to believe that Marvel Studios and Disney would dream of having another actor portray T’Challa in a sequel to the 2018 movie that grossed over $1 billion.

Hollywood Reporter discusses that point, as well as an option that might be feasible: to have Letitia Wright’s Shuri, sister of T’Challa become the new Black Panther. It’s an idea that will probably find (bittersweet) audience support, especially considering that fans panicked while worrying whether Shuri would survive the snap. The idea of Shuri becoming the new Black Panther also slides into comic-book lore, so surely, Feige and the rest of Marvel Studios will tie up all the proper knots if they decide to make it happen.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

Long the target of NBA teams in need of a strong player development mind in their head coaching seat, Villanova head men’s basketball coach Jay Wright was bound to get tied up in rumors again this offseason with the Philadelphia 76ers’ vacancy right in his backyard.

Wright is one of the most successful coaches in recent NCAA men’s basketball history, having won four national championships last decade and produced numerous NBA players in his program. And while he’s clearly qualified for an NBA job, rather than allow rumors to percolate, Wright announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he is not in the running to coach the Sixers.

“The 76ers have an incredible leader in Elton Brand, outstanding young talent, and an incredible opportunity for any coach to compete for a championship,” Wright wrote. “As a lifetime 76ers fan, I have confidence they will bring in the right coach to build on what Brett Brown has developed.”

In recent years, teams have targeted Wright to develop their young players and be a strong leader for their team. Wright turned numerous players into NBA prospects while building Villanova from an experimental program that played ultra-small into a consistent powerhouse in the sport, with two national championship rings as proof of concept. But it seems Wright’s comfort at Villanova and success every year are too good a gig to give up to coach elsewhere in Philadelphia.

Chicago’s Tobi Lou pays homage to his hometown in the oddly tranquil video for his new single, “Pretty Much.” Shot all in one day in Southern California, the Windy City native manages to throw a salute to his roots in the form of a video-in-a-video appearance from Chief Keef. While much of the video revolves around Tobi’s laid-back performance in a deserted poppy field, those shots are interspersed with an in-studio performance with Keef’s “I Don’t Like” video projected on the wall behind him while he raps on a stage.

“Pretty Much” is the first single from Tobi’s upcoming sophomore album, Parrish Blue, which is due this autumn and follows his recently-released EP, Lingo Starr. Parrish Blue appears on Uproxx’s Most Anticipated Albums Of Fall 2020 list after his debut album, Live On Ice, made waves last year, putting him in contention for a spot on XXL‘s coveted Freshman Class cover for 2020. While he didn’t quite make the cut, being included on the outlet’s shortlisted fan voting site undoubtedly raised his profile, as did appearances on Peter Cottontale’s recent album alongside Chance The Rapper, Kota The Friend’s Everything album on the song “Morocco,” and on the soundtrack to Netflix’s original film Beats. Although he stays out of the sort of controversies that granted Chief Keef notoriety, it won’t be long before Tobi Lou is just as well-known as his Second City compatriot.

Watch Tobi Lou’s “Pretty Much” video.

The November election is just over sixty days away and Kanye’s presidential campaign is continuing their push to have the rapper included on as many state ballots as possible. But the effort is proving difficult as Kanye has either been banned or removed from a handful of ballots. The rapper will not appear on Illinois’ ballot as his campaign was found of using thousands of false signatures. Now, Kanye’s campaign is once again being accused of fraudulent actions, this time in Virginia.

According to a report from Rolling Stone, Kanye’s campaign is facing legal challenges against appearing on Virginia’s ballot. Kanye’s campaign was originally successful getting the correct number of electors and voter signatures needed to secure a ballot slot, and it was announced that he would, in fact, appear on Virginia ballots. However, two electors are now claiming they were duped into vouching for Kanye’s presidency, and they want him removed from the ballot.

Matthan Wilson and Bryce Wright were two electors who had originally signed onto Kanye’s campaign. They’ve now filed a writ which claims they have no intention of voting for him in November. In the writ, Wilson alleges he was approached by a member of Kanye’s campaign, who never once mentioned the rapper’s name when asking for his support:

“On or about August 11, 2020, Plaintiff Matthan Wilson was approached by a representative of the West campaign while he was riding his bike. The representative asked Wilson to sign to be an ‘elector for the state’ and told him that his name ‘would be entered into a pool to be individually picked to be part of the Electoral College.’ Wilson was not told that he was committing to vote for West or any other candidate. At the time Wilson signed the Elector Oath, he did not know he was signing to be an elector for West: ‘Kanye West’s name was never mentioned.’”

Both Wilson and Wright are seeking immediate action from the Virginia Board of Elections as mail-in ballots will be sent out to citizens on September 4. As of now, Kanye remains on the ballot but time will tell if the rapper’s name will be removed.

Read the full writ here.

The sibling bond between Chadwick Boseman‘s T’Challa and Letitia Wright‘s Shuri is one of the numerous highlights of Black Panther, which presumably has a lot to do with the real-life bond that quickly formed between the two actors. As Boseman’s death continues to reverberate around the world, Wright shared a personal and touching visual poem on Instagram to honor the late actor.

In the 5-minute video, Wright narrates over a series of nature photos and candid moments featuring Boseman as she expresses the shock of losing the man she immediately loved as a brother. In an emotional moment, Wright shares that she messaged Boseman a few times before his death, but assumed he was just busy. “I didn’t know you were dealing with so much. But against all the odds, you remained focused on fulfilling your purpose with the time handed to you,” Wright says. “God told me that you are my brother and that I am to love you as such. And I always did, and I always will.”

You can watch Letitia Wright’s tribute to Chadwick Boseman below:

The instant connection between Boseman and Wright was also noted in Black Panther director Ryan Coogler’s tribute to Boseman who recalled the first time the actors met. While praising Boseman for coming to every audition for supporting roles, which most lead actors in major Hollywood movies don’t do, Coogler specifically remembered Wright’s ability to shatter Boseman’s defenses and break his stoic demeanor while in character.

“He was there for several M’Baku auditions,” Coogler wrote. “In Winston Duke’s, he turned a chemistry read into a wrestling match. Winston broke his bracelet. In Letitia Wright’s audition for Shuri, she pierced his royal poise with her signature humor, and would bring about a smile to T’Challa’s face that was 100% Chad.”

(Via Letitia Wright on Instagram)