The coronavirus pandemic still killing thousands around the world and in the United States each day has had an unprecedented impact on the worldwide economy. It’s difficult to understand the scale of the pandemic for a variety of reasons, but one specific case that’s clear is the bankruptcy declaration by the XFL.

The rebooted spring football league started by WWE owner Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment got its start this spring but was forced to shut down and abandon its inaugural season as the pandemic’s impact became clear in the United States by March. The league soon declared bankruptcy, effectively ending the dream of two pro football leagues finding sustained success.

But according to a report by The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan, there’s some evidence to suggest that McMahon is not done with the XFL just yet. As the report detailed, some creditors to the XFL think McMahon is actually trying to force a quick sale of the defunct league’s assets to him in an attempt to reboot the rebooted league once again when the coast is clear.

It’s all a bit complicated, but the report details some of the legal proceedings currently underway that indicate something strange is happening in the league’s bankruptcy case. The article openly wonders if the league declaring bankruptcy three days after its shutdown is a “cutthroat finance ploy” to survive the pandemic without paying the full cost to operate the league.

A committee of unsecured creditors had plenty to say Tuesday in a series of court filings. Objecting to Alpha Entertainment’s proposal to pay $3.5 million in season ticket refunds, the committee wrote, “This is an unnecessary expenditure designed to buttress the Debtor’s argument that an abbreviated sales process is required and is being sought to further the efforts of the debtor’s controlling equity holder/secured lender, Vincent McMahon (“McMahon”), to acquire the debtor at a fire-sale price. … The debtor cannot possibly know at this time whether issuing refunds to season ticket holders will preserve the value of the debtor estate’s or benefit any creditor, other than possibly McMahon.”

In other words, the only reason to pay season ticket holders for games they did get would be to ensure goodwill to McMahon for if and when he returns with the XFL. The season ticket holders are unsecured creditors, so the chances they get paid in an orderly liquidation would be remote.

The committee also questioned why XFL headquarters is still open and executives like Pollack are drawing salaries.

Essentially, movements Alpha is making in these bankruptcy proceedings and some inquiries made in NFL-less markets like St. Louis have made some there wonder if Alpha Entertainment is not trying to make the most of the bankruptcy but reposition itself for yet another attempt at restarting the league. Doing it this way, in theory, would be much cheaper than simply putting the league on ice such as more established organizations like the NHL and NBA.

Kaplan’s report has many more details and information about the proceedings, as well as further reasons to think McMahon is actually making a bid for the defunct company. There was plenty to like about the TV product that the XFL provided, and it will be fascinating to see what happens with the bankruptcy and a potential sale of the league’s assets moving forward.

[via The Athletic]

SNL‘s 45th season may officially be in the books thanks to three SNL At Home episodes filmed from the comfort of the cast members’ own abodes, but the leftover sketches from those sessions keep hitting the interwebs. The latest came on Tuesday, when the show’s YouTube page shared a tour of “Your House.”

“Looking to get away?” the voiceover asked. “Then look no further than the only place you’re allowed to go right now.”

The wrestling-style promo highlights all the features of a lived-in dwelling in the middle of a Stay At Home order, which is what got SNL into this kind of thing to begin with.

“You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the disorganized pile of shoes by the door,” the voice says.

Billed as a look at the “the yoga mat that’s slowly becoming a rug” and plates in every single room. A running bit is about the little things eschew like loose AAA batteries everywhere, and just generally what happens when you’re trapped in the same place for a long time as life goes on. Perhaps the most improbably impressive joke from the sketch is the existence of a clearly-expired ketchup bottle advertising the Sochi Winter Olympics, which took place in 2014.

And while not everyone may have a broken gas oven worthy of emergency attention of disrespectful children running around, there are some more universal things in the sketch. A random jutting nail that ruins socks, for example, as well as the idea that everyone has some expired medicine in the cabinet and a random “drawer of sh*t.”

The sketch joins a belated Animal Crossing segment where the islanders are much meaner than they are in the actual game. It’s unclear how many more unaired sketches are left in the SNL At Home catalog, and if they keep coming as life in quarantine continues. But this one certainly hit close to home for many.

View Entire Post ›

Ahmad Rashad was a near ubiquitous presence in The Last Dance, as he popped up in Michael Jordan’s car driving to playoff games, in the back of the locker room chopping it up with Jordan, and, of course, hosting the infamous sunglasses interview in 1993 when Jordan addressed his gambling.

The former NFL Pro Bowler turned host and reporter for NBC had a close friendship with Jordan that began in the early 90s, and his proximity to Jordan — which continues to this day — often led to jealousy from his peers in the media. Rashad recalled getting torched in columns after the 93 interview, as other members of the media felt he was too soft on Jordan or wasn’t the right person to handle that interview after weeks of silence from Jordan — even though Rashad had NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol write the questions for him to avoid exactly that issue.

Rashad recently spoke with The Undefeated’s Marc Spears about The Last Dance, as well as his path from the NFL to NBC, and in it he relayed another story about how his close relationship with Jordan and the Bulls led to a frustrated Jim Gray calling David Stern to complain.

One time they were playing in Utah, and [journalist] Jim Gray came in the training room. And [Bulls head coach] Phil Jackson walked in and kicked him out. [Jackson] said, ‘Hey, hey, hey, hey, no meeting in here, you’ve got to get out of here.’ And Jim Gray looked over at me and said, ‘What about Ahmad?’ And Phil Jackson, without missing a beat, said, ‘Ahmad’s family, you’re media, get the f— out,’ in front of the whole team.

Jim Gray went back and told David Stern, and David called me. He goes, ‘Oh, God. He complained, he complained. Maybe if you go in there again, sneak in another door. … I don’t want to tell you that you’re not supposed to be in there.’ But it had been like five years, I’ve been going wherever I want to go in there.

While he had carte blanche to roam the Bulls locker room, Rashad’s relationship with Jordan sometimes played to the detriment of his ability to do his job.

One of the funny things we laugh at to this day is Pat Riley [when he was with the Miami Heat] wouldn’t let me come in his locker room because of my relationship with Michael. And then when Michael retired, I remember he goes, ‘Hey, Ahmad, you can come in now.’

It’s a pretty funny story, particularly David Stern saying he might should sneak into the back of the locker room next time. It also is further evidence of how Rashad was not exactly a favorite of the rest of the media who all were chasing Jordan stories at the time but could never get anywhere close to the access Rashad did. That reputation still irks Rashad, who detailed to Spears his journey from radio to local TV to national TV and how hard he worked to get in that position and simply became friends with Jordan after a Magic Johnson charity game in 1990.

Batwoman‘s second season will apparently feature a new, well, Batwoman. Deadline among others reported Tuesday that Ruby Rose, the titular star of the CW show that completed its first season in 2019, will leave amid preparation for a follow-up season.

Rose released a statement on Tuesday, saying the decision was not “made lightly.”

“I have made the very difficult decision to not return to <em>Batwoman</em> next season,” Rose said in a statement “This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.”

As Deadline noted, Rose sustained a stunt injury during filming of the show’s first season, which required emergency surgery and could have left her paralyzed.. But that’s apparently not related to her departure, seen as surprising considering the show already had a second season in the works. Rose’s Batwoman was the first openly gay superhero character to appear in a live-action series, and both Berlanti Prods. and WBTV, who make the show, released a statement effectively saying her replacement would continue with the character’s canon as laid out in season one.

“Warner Bros. Television, The CW and Berlanti Productions thank Ruby for her contributions to the success of our first season and wish her all the best,” the two companies said. “The studio and network are firmly committed to Batwoman’s second season and long-term future, and we — along with the show’s talented creative team — look forward to sharing its new direction, including the casting of a new lead actress and member of the LGBTQ community, in the coming months.”

It’s unclear who will replace Rose in the Arrowverse or what roles she will explore now that she’s free of Batwoman, but it’s clear both parties are set to move on without each other.

View Entire Post ›

Consider those annoying problems handled.

View Entire Post ›

Are all Australians really coffee snobs?

View Entire Post ›

I CHOKED ON MY OWN SALIVA.

View Entire Post ›

Healthy Together was supposed to help the state reopen. But very few people are using it.

View Entire Post ›