Category: Viral

For years, Nas’ worst enemy — aside from Jay-Z, of course — was himself. In 2010, he explained the then-burgeoning sentiment that his albums weren’t representative of his talent, saying, “What happens is, a lot of time goes by with me being indecisive so it winds up with me kind of doing what I have to do really fast because I played around for so long. Then, the deadlines come.”

Then, in 2018, it seemed he’d found the perfect remedy in Kanye West, only for the equation to flip. Kanye was pulled into multiple directions by the disparate needs of each of his GOOD Music artists, with the result that very few of the Wyoming-recorded projects lived up to the considerable hype, including Nas’ own rushed project. Nas’ album Nasir may have been the greatest casualty, as fans had clamored for a Kanye-produced project from the rap pioneer for years, since at least their 2006 collaboration, “Still Dreaming” from Nas’ mistitled Hip-Hop Is Dead album.

Now, with another hit-making producer in his corner, Nas tries again and mostly succeeds. While he sounds revitalized here for sure, the true star here is Hit-Boy, who curates guests and beats for the Thug Poet’s most cohesive project in years. There are a few reasons that California-bred producer makes for a more potent partner for the Queensbridge rap icon.

For one thing, the two creators share a surprisingly similar artistic sensibility. Although Hit-Boy is best known for boisterous, well, hits like “N****s In Paris,” “Clique,” “Feelin’ Myself,” and “Racks In The Middle,” his preference has long been for the soulful, ‘90s-influenced loops evidenced on his work with underrated work with Audio Push and Dom Kennedy, the latter as the duo Half-A-Mil. In fact, the first fruits of Hit’s creative partnership with Nas can be heard on Half-A-Mil’s most recent project, Also Known As…

So while many excited observers were likely anxious to hear Nas’ complicated cadences touch something like the hard-hitting beat for “Backseat Freestyle” or Hit’s roof-raising work with Beyonce, the truth was that the two were always more likely to turn in something closer to a redux of Nas’ better-received mid-90s album, It Was Written. Which, when compared to most of his more recent output, is a definite plus.

Where Hit-Boy really benefits Nas’ sometimes scatterbrained and stodgy approach is in providing both focus and a long list of contacts who help ground him, making him more of a wise uncle sharing knowledge than an old man yelling at clouds. Without Hit as an anchor, would Nas have had the wherewithal to employ Lil Durk on the chin-lifting “Til The War Is Won” or add Don Toliver to his and Big Sean’s confessional “Replace Me?” Considering some of his choices on albums like Untitled or Life Is Good, it doesn’t seem likely he’d find those younger rappers as compelling as they really are with his old-head taste.

That’s not to say there isn’t anything here for Nas’ core fanbase. While Gen Xers may find names like Fivio Foreign and ASAP Ferg off-putting, they can find comfort in the reunion of the original lineup of The Firm (plus Cormega, minus Nature) on “Full Circle,” a warm slice of nostalgia to fend off the icy touch of Father Time. Uncle Charlie Wilson pops up as well, on “Car #85,” easily the album’s highlight and a chance for Nas to revert to the Nasty of old, recounting tales of his salad days in the peak of hip-hop’s Golden Era.

Although Hit’s production and excellent guest curation does inject Nas with a much-needed dose of youthful energy and hunger, it’s debatable how good a thing that is. There’s a lot of historical value in Nas’ ‘90s narratives but little in the way of emotional weight, and things get awkward when he overreaches. It’s certainly weird to hear him doing his best Drake impression on “All Bad” with Anderson .Paak — especially with the two-ton elephant in the studio.

Oh, come on. You knew this was coming. It’s the easiest target to aim for if you’re looking for a knock on this album, and Nas couldn’t even move it an inch to the left. Once again, he fails to use his art — the one place where he has absolute control over the narrative — to address Kelis’ accusations of domestic abuse. The failure is made even more stark by the vulnerability displayed by some of his guests — Big Sean reveals some of his and Jhene Aiko’s relationship woes and puts his and Kendrick Lamar’s tiff over “Control” to bed once and for all — and Nas’ own tendency to use women as his strawmen to make muddled points.

On “The Definition,” Nas takes aim at Gayle King for… being a good journalist, I guess? Then, he compares the likes of Gayle to more “respectable” examples like Shirley Chisholm, who lived and died in the pre-social media era and would likely have had far more to say on similar topics than Nas himself ever has. Sound familiar? In a time when Black women have consistently called out these false binaries and double standards, to go in the studio, write several bars about it, record them, listen to them back several times, and decide, “Sure, let’s go with that,” is beyond tone deaf, it’s outright misogynistic.

Which is… pretty much par for the course with this particular MC. No matter how good the production is, there’s always that looming respectability politician hovering over even his best work, ready to shush an outspoken woman or make a dull-witted, half-baked comparison. Someone, maybe one of Nas’ rivals, pointed out the discrepancy once upon a time: “Is it ‘Black Girl Lost’ or shorty owe you for ice?’” On King’s Disease, Nas’ flows and name recognition provide the perfect showcase for Hit-Boy’s impressive versatility, but the content, however well it’s presented, still seems to fall short where it counts. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

King’s Disease is out now on Mass Appeal Records. Get it here.

Heading into a critical Game 5, the Houston Rockets could finally get star guard Russell Westbrook back from an injury that has held him out of the postseason thus far. Westbrook has been upgraded to questionable on the Rockets’ injury report.

Westbrook has missed the first four games of the first-round series due to a right quad strain, but will reportedly test the quad on Wednesday afternoon during warmups and determine his status for the game, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The Rockets have scored thanks to a patchwork of perimeter scoring threats so far in the series, but were out-executed by Oklahoma City in Game 4 despite making 23 three-pointers. A series that looked to be firmly in Houston’s control is suddenly even, but the Rockets could boast a trump card if Westbrook is able to make his way back.

The initial prognosis for Westbrook was that he could return near the end of the first round, so he is right on track here, and returning to a series that has been pretty even throughout. Of course, the storylines should Westbrook return to the court will be plentiful as well, with Westbrook returning to take on the franchise where he spent the first 12 years of his career before trading him last offseason.

By this time next week, SNX DLX will officially be in September, leaving only four months of new sneakers and apparel left for the year! It’s already been a rad year. If we wanted to make a list of the top ten sneakers of 2020 — which come on, we’ll probably do — we’d easily be able to fill it up! Of course, that doesn’t mean the best sneaker drops of the year are behind us. In fact, if this is week is any indication, narrowing down the best sneakers of the year into a list of just ten sounds like a tall order as we’ve already had a hell of a year for dope shoes.

Although we spent a fraction of the time outside in public this summer than we normally would have, at least when all of this is behind us we’ll be able to step out into the world with more fresh looks than we’ll be able to deal with. We can’t tell you how excited we are for that day! For now, we’ll just have to keep stocking up with the best of the best.

So let’s dive into the best sneaker and apparel releases of the week!

Sean Wotherspoon x Adidas SuperEarth Superstar

Sean Wotherspoon and Adidas are teaming up for a kind-vibe revamp of the Adidas Superstar which swaps out the sneaker’s original leather upper with a plant-based recycled alternative that gives the sneaker a completely vegan makeover. Every material used in the making of the shoe — from the upper to the dyes to the glue that holds them together — is completely free from animal ingredients. They’re using an upper made with partially recycled polyester and an insole made from renewable cork.

Keeping in line with his textural-aesthetic, each pair features a mix of embroidered and printed flowers designed to age on each wearer in a completely unique way, letting each pair feel extremely personal. We dig that! This is another home run by Wotherspoon.

The Sean Wotherspoon Adidas Superstar is set to drop on August 29th for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair at the Adidas online store.

Adidas YEEZY 700 V3 Arzareth

Another week goes by, a new Biblically named YEEZY drops from the sky. Only this time we’re sitting up in attention. This week’s 700 V3 Arzareth was named for the “land beyond the great river where the Ten Tribes of Israel will dwell in full observance of the laws of Moses.” Surprisingly, this is actually Ye’s least biblical looking sneaker. Featuring a sky-blue monofilament mesh upper (dammit, I guess that is biblical) and an RPU cage overall. This latest iteration of the 700 V3 is a literal bright spot in the entire YEEZY line, which generally revers earth-toned colorways over vibrant tones.

Oh, and did we mention this baby glows in the dark?

The Adidas YEEZY 700 V3 Arzareth is set to drop on August 29th for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair at the Adidas online store or via YEEZY Supply.

New Balance 327 Undyed

New Balance has been killing it this year and to add fuel to that fire, they’re dropping an eco-friendly iteration of a classic ‘70s silhouette in the 327 Undyed. The Undyed is just that, undyed, resulting in significantly less water, energy, and waste which cuts down on each pair’s carbon footprint. Featuring a light grey and ivory upper with suede overlays, the 327 features oversized “N” branding with a thick tread and rubber outsole.

The New Balance 327 Undyed is available now for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair at the New Balance online store.

Fear of God x Converse Skidgrip

If you told us this was the latest Fear of God sneaker to drop, we just wouldn’t believe it. The Converse Skidgrip looks like the last colorway we’d see come from the mind of Fear of God’s Jerry Lorenzo until you learn that this vibrant color makeup is a call back to the late ‘80s Skidgrip Con-Rad that was a young Lorenzo’s childhood favorite. While the loud colorway is a far cry from what we’ve come to expect from Fear of God, the sneaker’s shape is all Lorenzo. It’s sleek (sleekest pair of sneakers to bear the Converse name). It’s strong. It’s incredibly clean.

We’re loving Lorenzo’s ability to surprise us again and again!

The Fear of God Converse Skidgrip is set to drop on August 27th for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair exclusively at the Converse online store.

Union x Air Jordan 4 Guava

Anytime a dope AJ4 colorway drops, we take notice. Yet, no single iteration of the classic silhouette has drawn our eye quite like this Guava makeup from Union LA. Featuring an extra-panel, this iteration presents the Air Jordan 4 in a new light, giving the sneaker an altered toe-vamp view and a more balanced ratio for its suede and mesh upper. Union founder Chris Gibbs pulled plush Birkenstock suede and old school 1980’s mesh for this take, and dressed the sneaker in muted tones of yellow, red, blue, and pink. They gave the sneaker a controversial foldable tongue that led many to believe in early photos that the sneaker’s tongue had been shortened. The result is, quite frankly, a beautiful sight.

The Union x Air Jordan 4 is set to drop on August 29th for a retail price of $250. Pick up a pair exclusively at Union.

The North Face x Brain Dead Fall/Winter 2020

For their fall and winter collection, Los Angeles based Brain Dead and The North Face have linked up for a climber’s inspired collection of outerwear that features Brain Dead’s very first women-specific silhouettes. The collection utilizes The North Face’s 1976 Mountain Parka and their 1989 Placket Pullover Classic Fleece and is rounded out by some new Brain Dead pieces that combine the North Face’s performance-based aesthetic with Brain Dead’s loud graphical stylings. The collection is quite extensive, so we’ve shared some extra pictures to help give you a better scope of what’s available.

The North Face Brain Dead Fall/Winter 2020 collection is set to drop on August 28th at Dover Street Market, the Brain Dead online store, and additional Brain Dead and North Face retailers.

Palace Fall 2020 Drop 4

For Palace’s fourth drop of the season, the British skatewear label is moving comfortably into fall with a collection that goes heavy on the crewneck sweaters and hoodies. The whole thing is strangely elegant, as the skatewear brand opts out of offering their usual wild graphics and giant logos in favor of simple Palace branding and a muted set of color options. If you’re not yet feeling the cold bite of Fall — ahem, anyone living in this California heatwave — you’ll probably be a lot more drawn to the t-shirts or the variety of six-panel hats, which we’re not entirely in love with.

Palace’s fourth Fall 2020 drop is set to release on August 29th. Shop the looks at the Palace online store.

BAPE Marilyn Monroe Capsule Collection

BAPE has tapped the Marilyn Monroe Estate for a new capsule collection of t-shirts that celebrate the Hollywood icon. While we’re a little disappointed there is no Baby Milofied version of a cartoon Marilyn Monroe, the collection still manages to be pretty dope. Featuring archival photographs of Marilyn, BAPE has found subtle ways to combine its branding with the actress’s likeness, whether they’re dressing Marilyn in a BAPE Camo patterned dress or combing her iconic 7 Year Itch air shaft dress pose with the BAPE Gorilla.

The collaboration manages to look fresh across each piece, despite Marilyn not exactly being a prominent figure in the current cultural zeitgeist. Here is to hoping this collaboration brings her to a brand new audience!

The BAPE Marilyn Monroe capsule collection is set to drop on August 29th. Shop the collection at the BAPE online store.

As protests continue to break out over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the controversial topic of how to accurately portray the police in TV and films is back in the forefront. While sitting down for Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast, Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andre Braugher made it very clear that he supports tearing down the long-standing myth that cops can break the law whenever they want.

While addressing the “new challenge” faced by the show’s eighth season, Braugher says changes are afoot due to how this year’s George Floyd protests have “profoundly affected” the public’s perception about police:

“It’s a very complicated subject, but I think they have to be portrayed much more realistically, in terms of this: The convention… that police breaking the law is okay because somehow it’s in the service of some greater good, is a myth that needs to be destroyed,” says Braugher. The actor adds that Brooklyn Nine-Nine will also need to grapple with the reality of widespread police misconduct moving forward.

According to Braugher, “the Nine-Nine is going to have to deal with what we know about the New York Police Department,” and that plan appears to already be in the works. In the wake of the George Floyd protests, Terry Crews revealed that showrunner Dan Goor threw out scripts for the eighth season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine after the cast and writers had somber talks about how the show will portray the police going forward. Andy Samberg also confirmed the change of course in an interview with People.

“We’re all in touch and kind of discussing how you make a comedy show about police right now, and if we can find a way of doing that that we all feel morally okay about,” Samberg said. “I know that we’ll figure it out, but it’s definitely a challenge.”

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

XXL Freshman Fivio Foreign has taken on the mantle of vanguard of the New York drill movement and it seems like he’s pushing as hard as anyone to expose it to a wider audience over the past few months. In doing so, he’s pursued a few collaborations outside of subgenre’s usual suspects, hoping to get it on more folks’ radars. In May this year, he linked with emerging Bronx, New York star Lil Tjay for “Zoo York,” then in July, he hooked up with “Ooouuu” rapper Young MA for the “Move Like A Boss” video.

Today, he’s added another unexpected collaborator to his growing list: DreamDoll. The Bronx-born Love & Hip-Hop star taps Fivio to guest on her new single “Ah Ah Ah,” a raucous party cut that utilizes a churning drill instrumental to put her and Fivio’s assertive bars front-and-center. Meanwhile, the video also allows Dream and Fivio to show off drill’s lighter side via a selection of bouncy dances that looks made for TikTok videos and boisterous neighborhood block parties. Meanwhile, the track serves as a noteworthy introduction for the former strip club bartender-turned-bar-spitter — along with her recent appearance on Hitmaka’s “Thot Box” remix — as she works toward releasing a full body of work.

Watch DreamDoll’s “Ah Ah Ah” video with Fivio Foreign above.

Grammy-nominated UK brothers Disclosure returned earlier this year to usher in a new era of music, by releasing a new song every day for five days in a row. The collection of singles formed the EP Ecstasy, but it wasn’t long before the duo began releasing even more music to tease their full length Energy, with artists like Amine and Slowthai. Energy is due out in a few days and Disclosure offered one last taste of the record with their anticipated Kehlani collaboration, “Birthday.”

The single features Disclosure’s signature layered beats, but takes the tempo down a few notches to match Kehlani and Syd’s soulful delivery. On the concept of the song, Disclosure’s Howard explains: “Syd & I were going through a similar thing at the time, trying to work out if it was cool to call your ex to say hi or is it too awkward/mean to do so out of the blue?”

Guy, the other half of Disclosure, added the song has “stood the test of time” as the four musicians had recorded the track a while back: “It’s the oldest song on the album by far so has definitely stood the test of time and deservedly made the cut. And the addition of Kehlani just took it to the next level and turned into a fire duet.”

Listen to “Birthday” above.

Energy is out 8/28 via Island/Universal. Pre-order it here.

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

There are biographical commonalities when it comes to people that gravitate toward a stage and the company of other theater kids, comedy nerds, and creative weirdos. Tons of celebrity profiles touch on those foundational years of acting out, getting labeled the “class clown,” and discovering the magic of the spotlight hitting for the first time; how good and right it feels and how it’s a predictor for more grown and financially rewarding versions. D’Arcy Carden knows this, which is why she jokes that she probably sounds annoying when answering my questions about her early on-stage experiences and inspirations. Things that sparked a career that seems to be hitting a new level with an Emmy nomination for her beloved performance as Janet on The Good Place and the pick up for her next ensemble project, the reimaging of A League Of Their Own as a series for Amazon. But it’s not annoying, at least not the way she tells it.

To hear Carden talk about acting feels the same as listening to someone talking about how they fell in love with their soul mate. I know saying that kind of cliched thing should get me thrown in writer jail, but it’s true. From the time she saw her father on stage at a community theater production and took it to mean she too could get up there to rejecting the thought that she needed to find a fallback, and her time in UCB, Carden has been falling deeper and deeper in love with performing and working with other performers. In the following interview, we talk about that, what the new normal might look like when it comes to on-set camaraderie, and how she feels about individual accolades like that Emmy nomination. We also take a nuanced look at The Good Place finale and whether she walked away from the show with any deep philosophical learnings.

What was your first experience on a stage?

The first experience I had on stage was in second grade. My school was doing the show You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I was cast as Lucy, which was a very big deal for me because the third graders were doing it too and I was only in second grade. It was really fun and great. Whatever age that is, I was like, “Yep, I was right. This is what I want to do.” I have such a clear memory of opening night, singing my big old song, and absolutely blowing it. Totally screwing up lyrics, looking at the pianist and being like, “What next,” and she fed the lyric, and onstage I was like, “But I already sang that one.”I remember the audience laughing in a way where I was like, “Oh, I like that.”

I remember, a few years later in junior high doing the talent show with some friends, just the usual lip-syncing to some song. We were doing the song “No Rain” by Blind Melon. I was dressed up as the bee girl. I went out to do my little beginning dance or whatever, and the music didn’t come on and I was sort of improvising, sort of making a joke to the audience or whatever. Being scared, like, “Shit, the music isn’t coming on. What do I do?” Whatever it was that I did or said, the audience laughed. And it was like breathing air for the first time. It was like, “Ah. Oh, that’s the best feeling. Okay. That’s the best feeling. I like that.” That kind of informed the rest of it, my life. I just never, ever decided to do anything else. Really, truly, even in high school and college where I’m like, “I know I should have a plan B. I know I should have the other idea if this doesn’t work out,” but I just couldn’t, didn’t, wouldn’t.

Between sports and plays and watching sitcoms that I loved, I knew I wanted to be in a funny ensemble. Then I went to theater school and did Shakespeare and stuff. I was sort of trying to figure it out. I sort of found my spot when I went to New York. I got involved with the Upright Citizens Brigade, which is the sketch and improv school in New York. That became my full obsession and my full life for basically a decade, a little more.
How does an Emmy nomination and that personal recognition hit you when you’re coming from this background where everything is the ensemble first and team first with UCB? Is it weird?

It is weird. Yeah. It totally is weird. Thank you for even allowing me to say that. I’m grateful. It’s very surreal. I’m sort of stunned by it all. It’s such a weird thing to say [that] it’s not a nomination for me, it’s a nomination for all of us, but it really is. The show is an ensemble. It’s about the group. It’s not even just the six of us. It’s Mark Evan Jackson and Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Brandon Scott Jones and Maya Rudolph and all the people that make our show great. Don’t even get me started on the writers and the crew. It’s such a group effort. It does feel a little embarrassing or whatever to be singled out. But it’s just so nice. It’s just so sweet. It makes you feel like you’re getting a big warm hug.

The thing that was so thrilling is that William [Jackson Harper] got it as well. I was watching the announcement. During the announcement, during the Emmy announcements, they don’t mention the supporting actors and actresses. They just say the shows and the leads. I didn’t even have to worry about hearing anything about my category. I got to see that The Good Place was nominated and Ted was nominated. I was so happy. Then I got a text that I was nominated and then I heard that Will was nominated. It was such a fun surprise. I was in full shock when I heard that I was nominated. Then when I heard that Will was nominated, I was screaming and jumping up and down and talking to him and yelling into the camera.

With the finale of the show, when you find out about that, are you instantly okay with that ending or did it take you a minute to kind of accept it and get to where you were right with it?

I really, really loved the ending as soon as I heard about it. The thing I wasn’t okay with was ending the show. That’s what I was bummed about. Not to say I wasn’t okay with it. I was like, “I trust you, Mike [Schur]. I trust that you’re making the right decision. I wish we were doing a couple more seasons of it, but I get it.” When he told me what the season was going to look like, but more importantly what that finale was going to look like and what the last scene was going to look like and what the last line was going to be, I was like, “Oh, yeah, that’s totally correct. You are right. That’s it. That’s the end.” I was fully onboard. When he told me that the last line of the show was going to be “take it sleazy,” I burst out crying. Then I went home and I told my husband, and he burst out crying. I knew it was, for people that love the show like we do, it was the right move.

You have a little bit more weight to carry in that finale because you’re basically having to say individual goodbyes to every character, both you for your character, and for us really. How that was filmed, logistically? Was that towards the beginning of the production of the episode? Was that the very end thing? Is Mike Schur that evil?

Great question. It was a bit of torture, but it was also so beautiful to end that way. Our last day of filming was in the redwoods in Northern California. It’s beautiful. I mean, just a breathtakingly beautiful location. Yes. We were saying goodbye to each other in character and as real people. It was terrible, but it was amazing. It was really beautiful.

But you had to do it four times! Everybody else did it once. You had to do it four times.

I know, dude!

That’s a lot.

I know. I know, and I’m by far the one that cries the most. He [Schur] knew that going into it. He knew that I was going to cry and that I was going to ruin takes because Janet shouldn’t cry and I would cry. Saying goodbye with Ted, he went through a different door to go back to Earth. That was a couple of days before our last day. That one was equally as rough, but I knew I was going to at least see him at work the next day. The hard part was saying goodbye to them. Actually, the truth is, we were all saying goodbye to each other in the redwoods, and then we had a work event the next morning. It was like, “Goodbye. I mean, see you tomorrow, but goodbye. See you also because we’re all friends and live near each other and see you in a couple of days anyway and talk to you in five minutes.” But still, it’s this whole thing, this whole show, this whole world we created coming to an end. That was what was so heartbreaking. It was definitely felt in the lines we were saying to each other.

The way I look at the finale… I’m in the middle on a few things. This is going to be schmaltzy, but I’ll say it anyway.

Schmaltz away.

The very end, if you’re at the end of the universe and you’ve got nothing but time, it’s hard for me to imagine (and of course it’s impossible to imagine), that I would be able to be like, “You know what? I’m good. Bye, soulmate.” I’ve been with my wife for 17 years. It would be hard for me to be like, “I’m just going to bounce and see what’s in the great beyond.”

I know. I know.

Do you view that ending through the prism of your own relationship too or am I just way in my head about it?

No. No. I feel you. To me, that’s kind of the genius of this finale, is that I think the easiest way to end the show would be like, “and they all lived happily ever after in a big juicy rainbow in the sky.” But it was like, “let’s take that one step beyond. What happens when you’ve been in the good place for an eternity?” We explore it so much in the last couple of episodes. “Then what?” Even in eternity, the best thing becomes old at some point. It just was like, oof. That was such a gut punch to me. The line that Chidi said to Eleanor when he says, I guess they say it to each other, basically like, “The Good Place is just more time with the people you love.” I honestly could cry right now just talking about this. That scene is killing me, and honestly it’s killing me right now in this particular time when we’re all sort of, yeah, having to be away from our loved ones. I’m five hours away from my parents. I can’t see them. You know what I mean? It’s that type of thing where it’s just time is passing by and we’re getting less time with the people we love, which is just really messing with me.

I think the end is not 100% happy, even though I think ultimately it is. It’s really hard to take. It’s a hard pill to swallow. It’s a hard reality to grasp. I don’t think it’s like, “ah yes, perfect, and now I feel good about all this. It’s like, shit, that’s it? Chidi’s done? He’s just done? How can he be done? She’s not done.” It makes you think. That’s kind of a dumb way to say it, but it does. I know Manny [Jacinto] said that when he heard what the finale was going to be, when Mike told him everything, he got in his car and called the parents and was like, “I love you.” I wish you could talk to Ted [Danson] about this. Because and Mary [Steenburgen] have been together for a long time and they’re older than you and I are. He really had some cool insights about the ending and sort of how perfect it is. Him saying, “I really hope that’s what it’s like,” really made me sort of deeply happy.

It’s an interesting thing to consider. The show was so good at sparking these philosophical conversations, so of course, it would exit with the same kind of thing. In terms of philosophy and thoughts about the afterlife and things of that nature, is that something that you considered during the show? Did it open your mind to some new things?

I do think it opened my mind, for sure. Even just from scene one or reading that first script. Honestly, when I read the first script, I didn’t know what the twist was going to be. The first half of the first season, most of us, four of us, not Ted and Kristen [Bell], we weren’t in on the twist. I was sort of taking it all at face value and the point system and all that stuff. It made me think and it was really in my head a lot. Then as the season progressed and all these big, huge ideas were explored, yes, for sure, it crept in. I mean, I will also admit that I tried to read some of these books and I can’t do it. I am not Chidi. I am not a good student. I’m like, “Oh, these are a lot of words that I can’t understand.” I really appreciate Mike and the writers kind of dumbing it down for us because I don’t know how else I could have understood all this stuff. Will and Kristen did a lot of reading. They’re the heroes. The writers, that goes without saying. They had to read so much, but Will and Kristen really understood what they were talking about. Whereas, me? I just read the lines and hit my mark, baby. [Laughs]

Congratulations on the League of Their Own pickup. How are you looking at that process? Is it with kind of grim acceptance of there being a new normal that makes it hard to be near people and establish camaraderie for a little while or is it just excitement about the idea of getting to create again?

I definitely am so excited to get to create again and be with the cast and do all the things that I love about acting. Just the simple things like sitting in your cast chairs while they’re setting up the scene and talking, those things are what I love. I love working with other creative people, actors and writers and the crew. It’s really my favorite place to be. Like, I think everybody, the kind of unknown of it all stresses me out and the will it ever be the same of it all stresses me out and sort of worries me and sort of makes me sad. I think I’m also overly optimistic that things will kind of go back to normal. I know that that I might wish I wasn’t that way because I might be rudely awakened. I think everybody just wants to do what we do. I think like it’ll be there for a little while for sure, but I think… God, I don’t know.

Yeah, it’s hard. Because everything you talk about, about sitting with the cast and everything like that, it’s like, is that reality for right now or is it just going to be everyone kind of cordoned off? It’s really weird and scary to think about it.

It might take a while. Who knows what it will look like? The best part of this job is each other. You know what I mean? Without a doubt. It’s fun to go to the Emmy’s or get a nomination. The Hollywood-y sort of glamorous glitzy part of it is fun, for sure, but without a doubt the best part of it is sort of falling in love with your castmates and your crew and your writers and creating a little family and a little world together. It’s the same feeling I had when I was in junior high doing a community theater play. It’s like, you just kind of want to stare in each other’s eyes and talk all day. Truly, when you distill down what actors do, it’s so goofy. We play pretend like little kids for a living, but it’s all we know or it’s what we’re good at or whatever. It’s so much more to be on a set than just the TV show you see. It’s drinking coffee with your makeup artists in the morning. There are so many pieces to it. It’s such a big team. The idea of it not being a team is so heartbreaking. I know everyone is trying to make it work. Hopefully, at some point, it’ll go back to normal.

Joe Rogan’s been pretty quiet this week ahead of a few changes: (1) The Joe Rogan Experience moving to Spotify on September 1; (2) The host himself moving to Texas. Still, his words about Twitter (during a recent episode with guests Whitney Cummings and Annie Lederman) are making the rounds. He remains moderately active on the social media platform by linking his “satanic” Instagram posts and retweeting stories, but he’s not diving into arguments in that realm. And as it turns out, Rogan thinks that Twitter’s pretty “toxic” and that it’s days are numbered.

“I think Twitter’s gonna be like Blockbuster video. I think we’re gonna look back, ‘You remember when we used to communicate through Twitter? Like, oh my God, it was so toxic. Everybody was so mean,” the podcast host declared.

He’s not wrong at all about the level of vitriol that gets churned up on Twitter on a minute-by-minute basis, and he might be correct because, really, who’s using MySpace these days? Even though Twitter’s been hanging on for over a decade, plenty of people have to take regular breaks from all the negativity on the platform. New social media platforms will continue to surface, and one of them might grab enough people away from the urge to tweet. Rogan agrees and looks at Blockbusters’s demise (due to the rise of streaming) as an example.

“We’re going to hit some new thing, next, that is going to read each other’s minds… It’s going to make this seem like nonsense,” Rogan said. “There is no empathy in these conversations and that’s a big part of the problem.”

Yep, Joe Rogan’s looking for some empathy in this world, and there’s not too much to be found on Twitter. There might be some left in the the last Blockbuster, though, since it’s an Airbnb and looks pretty cozy these days.

Dua Lipa dropped her highly-anticipated sophomore record Future Nostalgia at the onset of the lockdown. While the singer managed to share a handful of videos ahead of quarantine, Lipa is now asking fans to get directly involved in her next “Levitating” visual with a new contest.

Announcing the casting call on social media, Lipa described the TikTok contest’s entry rules:

“Hey guys! I’m so excited to tell you that I’m working on a music video for ‘Levitating,’ and I want you to be a part of it! Whether it’s choreography, makeup, animation, it starts on TikTok. Take part in the #DuaVideo challenge and you or your work could be featured in the official music video. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”

Ahead of putting out the call for contributors, Dua Lipa tapped DJ Blessed Madonna to serve up a remix of “Levitating” featuring icons Madonna and Missy Elliot. The remix is just one of the singles off the singer’s upcoming Club Future Nostalgia record, out Friday, which also boasts collaborations from the likes of Mark Ronson and Gwen Stefani.

See Dua Lipa’s casting call above and find the contest’s terms and conditions here.

Club Future Nostalgia is out 8/28 via Warner. Pre-order it here.

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

The Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors are slated to square off in a highly-anticipated conference semifinal series. Game 1 is currently scheduled to tip off on Thursday evening, but according to a report by Marc Spears of ESPN, players on both teams have met to discuss a potential boycott of the game.

Spears brings word that players discussed taking some sort of serious measure following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot multiple times in the back by police officers as he was getting into his car, where his three children were seated. Blake, whose lawyers say he was attempting to de-escalate an incident when the police arrived, is currently paralyzed from the waist down, and it is not expected that he will be able to walk again.

As Spears reports, the players are putting every potential option on the table, and the expectations that they will discuss next steps on Wednesday night.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse confirmed both elements of this reporting on Wednesday afternoon, adding that some players have discussed leaving the Bubble to go home.

More broadly speaking, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports that the NBPA, including president Chris Paul and vice president Andre Iguodala, are part of discussions about what players can do in response to the incident.

A number of players have spoken out in recent days about the morale around the Bubble following Blake’s shooting. While it is unclear who was part of the conversations that occurred between the two teams, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart and Toronto’s Norman Powell and Fred VanVleet were candid in media sessions about the situation, saying that the current plan to keep social justice in the public discourse with the hopes of spurring societal change while in the Bubble has been unsuccessful.