Jason Isbell is gearing up for the release of his upcoming record Reunions. The singer has previewed the album through the singles “Only Children,” “What’ve I Done To Help,” and “Be Afraid.” But as the singer is looking to release the album amid an unexpected pandemic, Isbell has become concerned with how the release will impact record stores. So, the singer has found a solution that will benefit his fans and independent record stores alike.

Last month, Isbell shared his concern about how digital-only releases during this time will impact independent record stores. Isbell wrote on Twitter that he doesn’t “want to release an album online right now and add to their troubles.” But since many states have extended a stay-at-home order until after his Reunions record is released, Isbell cooked up a plan that will benefit both record stores and his fans. Isbell is releasing Reunions a week early only to independent record stores. Fans can pick up a physical copy of the album ahead of its scheduled release, all while financially assisting their local record store.

Isbell shared the news on social media. “That’s right folks,” he wrote. “Order the album through an independent record store and you’ll get it before everybody else.”

Ahead of his early release announcement, Isbell elaborated on Reunions‘ theme in a statement: “There are a lot of ghosts on this album. Sometimes the songs are about the ghosts of people who aren’t around anymore, but they’re also about who I used to be, the ghost of myself. I found myself writing songs that I wanted to write fifteen years ago, but in those days, I hadn’t written enough songs to know how to do it yet. Just now have I been able to pull it off to my own satisfaction. In that sense, it’s a reunion with the me I was back then.”

Reunions is out 5/15 via Southeastern Records. Pre-order it here or find it at a local record store.

With its launch just a month away, HBO Max continues to carpet bomb audiences with its impressive library of titles that will be available on the upcoming streaming service.

In a new promo voiced by Kristen Bell (a clever reference to the Gossip Girl revival that’s in the works), HBO Max leans heavily into its vast assortment of characters and offerings that include everyone from Batman to South Park, Game of Thrones, Succession, The Wizard of Oz, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and tons more. Because not only will HBO Max pull from its deep library of HBO Originals, but the service also locked down the streaming rights to hit shows like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and Rick and Morty.

“HBO is the gold standard in terms of premium original content, and we are going to market on the strength of that brand and the power of the library,” said Chris Spadaccini, Chief Marketing Officer, WarnerMedia Entertainment & Direct-to-Consumer. “But HBO Max offers so much more than just HBO. We are establishing HBO Max as a place where all your favorite shows and movies intersect in unexpected ways. There’s a really fun attitude and personality to the campaign and each one of our ads has an element of surprise and delight.”

HBO Max also recently revealed that it’s very much in the J.J. Abrams business. The streaming service has given series orders to three major one-hour dramas from Abrams’ Bad Robot company: Duster, a gritty tale of a “gutsy getaway driver” trying to make it in the 1970’s Southwest; Overlook, a horror series that expands on the universe of Stephen King’s The Shining; and Justice League Dark, which has struggled to find its way to theaters over the years, but has finally found a permanent home as a live-action series on HBO Max.

College cornerbacks are not supposed to do all of the things that former Ohio State standout Jeffrey Okudah is already capable of doing on the football field. A unanimous All-American selection last season, Okudah’s physicality, technique, instincts, football IQ, and mentality are all top-notch. As a result, he’s expected to go high in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Plenty of mocks have him tabbed at No. 3 overall to the Detroit Lions, which would make him the highest cornerback drafted since at least the turn of the millennium.

Okudah, a former five-star recruit out of Texas, was one of the centerpieces of a stout Buckeye defense last season. Now, he’s ready to take on his next chapter, one that seems destined to end up with Okudah’s name being kicked around in any discussions of the best cornerbacks in the league.

One day before Okudah learns where he’s going to start his NFL career, we spoke to him from his home in Texas about the process, playing his college ball in Columbus, and the role his family has played in getting him to this point.

I know the process has been a bit different than usual but how’s it been for you and what all have you done as you get ready for the draft?

It’s definitely been different. Just finding ways to work out, kinda innovative about it and just being smart about it with COVID-19. I’ve been going to the top floor of my parking garage, running around it for cardio, working out in my living room. It’s just been a different process.

I know there are rules, regulations every has to follow, but what’s the plan for draft night?

Going to my family’s house, being with loved ones, and celebrating with them.

You came to Ohio State as a blue-chip corner, where’s the area you believe you’ve grown the most as a football player during your time in Columbus?

I think it’s my knowledge of the game, just knowing the Xs and Os, learning the why behind what offenses do. I think once I started to learn that, the game just started to slow down so much for me.

What is the thing in your game you’re the most proud of and why?

The biggest thing I’m most proud of is the ability to keep wanting to learn, learn more things, never feel complacent. I know my freshman year, there were things I couldn’t do in press man that I can do now. I just learned from watching film how that’s supposed to look, just studying that and studying that and getting it figured out. A few years later now, I can do it.

Corner is an interesting position because I think it has to blend a bunch of different things. I wanna ask, what do you think is the most important thing for a cornerback to have: Good technique, the knowledge of what an opposing offense wants to do, or reliable instincts that never let you down?

Having good eye discipline, so just always know where to place your eyes in zone, or you have different eyes in man-to-man. So just knowing what you’re looking for, how to look for it, little keys that can help you play faster.

I always like asking dudes who are the guys you model your game after and what do you like about their games? It can be NFL, college, current guys, older guys, whomever.

I like Stephon Gilmore’s game a lot, I like Pat Pete, and I like Sherman, I think the way he reads route concepts, the way he makes plays on the ball, is first-class.

It seems like you like bigger, physical cornerbacks. Is that how you like to play?

Yeah, I’ve got to. I’m 6’1, 205, so I don’t have a choice at this point. [laughs]

During your time in Columbus, you played huge games against Penn State, against Michigan, against Michigan State, Big Ten Championships, bowl games, the playoff. How do you think being this battle-tested and playing in so many big games makes you uniquely ready for the NFL?

I think it’ll translate a lot. We played a lot of games, but we also won a lot of games, so having that winner’s mentality, anyone at Ohio State will do anything to win a game. So I think just having that winner’s mentality, it’ll be contagious, and I feel like you pass it along in the locker room and have a team turn around pretty fast.

I can ask you about any number of guys at Ohio State, but there’s one in particular. I’m gonna ask you the exact question you asked Mel Kiper: Why is Damon Arnette not considered one of the top DBs in the draft right now?

That’s something that I just sit here and I think about a lot. I really don’t know, I’m genuinely confused, because I think if you look at the tape, you look at the numbers, he has some of the better numbers in the country, and guys didn’t catch a lot of balls with him. So I feel like he should be one of the top cornerback prospects.

Can I get a very quick scouting report on him?

He definitely wears his heart on his sleeve. Aggressive, he’ll wear down a lot of receivers. If you’re not mentally tough, he’s gonna wear you down for four quarters.

Ohio States sends a ton of dudes to the NFL every year, who are the guys you’re tightest with and have they given you any advice on becoming an NFL player?

I’m really cool with Marshon [Lattimore] and Gareon [Conley], which is kinda weird because they left right before I got there. But they’ve been giving me a bunch of advice about how to go about your rookie year, routines that worked from them. So I’m just taking notes from everybody and just trying to figure out how to twist it into my way.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve gotten? It can be from someone in the league, someone at Ohio State, someone not even in football.

I was talking to LaDainian Tomlinson about a month or two ago and was asking him, “So, what advice would you give a rookie coming in?” And he was like, “Shut up and work, and let your work ethic speak for you.” To me, it’s not a big thing, it’s kind of something that I’ve always just thought about, anyway. And so once he told me that, it sounded like … if he tells me to do it, I’m gonna do it.

The last football question, how did Ohio State prepare you for this moment?

Definitely prepared me for this moment just because we’ve had a lot of secondhand experiences just watching guys get drafted. And on top of that, at Ohio State, there’s been adversity that we’ve had to go through. So with this whole coronavirus pandemic, I think the locker room at Ohio State, the highs and lows, have prepared me for tomorrow. So I think whatever happens, I think that I’ll be just fine.

What do you have going on with Old Spice?

It’s actually really cool. We’re not physically at the draft this year, but the NFL and Old Spice, they teamed up to give us a red carpet experience, and this is virtual. Everyone can check out the hashtag #NFLDraftRedCarpet and see what everyone’s wearing tomorrow on Draft Day.

You’ve got something special planned out? Any scarlet and gray in that thing?

I actually think there will be some scarlet and gray. I think, about the colors, it will definitely incorporate some scarlet and gray.

What’s Jeff Okudah favorite thing to do off the field?

I’m a big Netflix guy. I like to sit on Netflix and I’ll watch a whole season maybe in a day or two.

You can watch one thing on Netflix, what are you gonna be checking out?

Prison Break.

I know family is something important to you — I read your piece in the Players Tribune from 2017 last night. Can you speak to how important your family has been in getting you to where you are today?

Family’s definitely been big. Having their support, I would say, it takes a village to raise a child, so having a lot of support, a lot of sacrifices, to see everything come together. Obviously I’m grateful for all of that. I don’t take it lightly and I just wanna make everyone proud.

Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd only just became the first two amateur athletes to make the leap to the G League by signing new-and-improved Select Contracts, and already, the NBA is thinking about ways to maximize the concept.

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported on Wednesday morning that “the NBA has long-range hopes of growing” the Select Team into a full division within the G League that would pit multiple teams made up of Select Contract players against one another.

As Stein acknowledges, much of the potential for such a setup would be determined by how the project goes in year one with Green and Todd.

Another concern would be finding enough G League lifers to fill out these rosters, understanding their job would be much different than most G League players. Well-traveled hoops veterans like Jarrett Jack still dot the league, and it wouldn’t be hard to imagine guys like that taking on mentorship roles, provided their compensation was still the same despite the Select Team playing a reduced schedule. At the same time, the opportunity may even be more appealing to certain players who see it as a chance to be in the spotlight far more than they otherwise would.

Before the NBA can even think long-term, though, it still has to figure out what the Select Team’s schedule will look like, who the team will compete against, where they will play and train, who will coach the team, and who will fill out the roster alongside Green and Todd. But if this all works out, the NBA appears to have some lofty aspirations for what this experiment could become.

The Matterhorn is a sight to behold all on its own, with its near-symmetrical pyramid peak jutting out from the earth. But when the village of Zermatt at the foot of the mountain projects flags from countries around the world onto its snowy slopes, the effect is breathtaking.

Since March 24th, light artist Gerry Hofstetter has illuminated the mountain side with flags in solidarity with countries that have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus, and the village has been sharing the stunning photos on Instagram.

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The town’s tourism website states:

“With this light projection, Zermatt wants to give people a sign of hope and solidarity in these difficult times. The village shows solidarity with all the people who are currently suffering and is grateful to all those who are helping to overcome the crisis.”

“Our thoughts are with all the American people,” the village wrote on Instagram with a photo of the stars and stripes illuminating the mountainside.

India got a message of “hope and strength.”

Japan was sent “a sign of hope.”

In French, one of Switzerland’s four national languages, Zermatt wrote “Hello from the Matterhorn to the Eiffel Tower!”

The U.K. received a “sign of hope” as well.

Before the U.S. overtook it, Zermatt acknowledged that Italy had been hit the hardest by the virus.

Messages of hope and peace have also been projected onto the Matterhorn in recent weeks, as the whole world battles their way through this pandemic.

It’s been said that nothing unites people like a common enemy, and we now face one that knows no borders and attacks without prejudice. Let’s all encourage all nations to stand in solidarity, pool our knowledge and resources, collaborate on solutions, and present a united front to defeat this virus.

Thank you, Zermatt, for the beautiful reminder that we are truly all in this together.

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The sports world is revisiting the Jordan Bulls in rapt attention over the next few weeks thanks to “The Last Dance” on ESPN, and having just come out of another NBA dynasty, it would have come as no surprise if another such film was in the works on the Light Years Warriors.

However, according to Mark Medina of USA TODAY, don’t expect it. Despite being co-owned by Mandalay Entertainment executive and movie producer Peter Guber, the Warriors last year opted out of the type of intrusive access Chicago allowed during the 1997-98. But it wasn’t for a lack of interest.

“Once you do that, you actually affect the outcome of other things,” Guber told Medina. “Turning the camera on with an expectation that you’re going to get to a particular point with a sports team or career or something like that? It’s a dangerous business. It’s hubris.”

Makes total sense, right? It’s not as if these Warriors ever engaged in hubris of any sort. They surely never proclaimed to be “light years” ahead of the competition, actively embraced the villain role that came with fielding a veritable cheat code of a roster, or played the part of showboats on the court.

When you consider that, in fact, the Warriors did all of those things and even amidst the franchise’s worst season in over a decade, they still played up the opening of the Chase Center in downtown San Francisco and found a way to turn the D’Angelo Russell experiment into the NBA trade deadline’s biggest moment, it’s a legitimate surprise that they turned down the chance to chronicle their greatness in a film. Doing so maybe could have been seen as some sort of hubris — Michael Jordan was certainly not short on that — but when did that ever stop these guys before?

Still, while Guber and his franchise shied away from behind-the-scenes access for NBA Entertainment or ESPN producer Mike Tollin (an executive producer on “The Last Dance” and a business partner of Guber’s), the franchise isn’t shutting the door completely on such a project.

Said Guber: “Then you go back and try to paint the painting of it with a film or documentary afterwards, rather than say, ‘Let’s capture it now because we’re going to win nine championships in a row or something like that.’ I don’t think you can do that. I don’t think that’s a good undertaking. It will affect what you are doing.”

Helado Negro has essentially released an album every year since 2017. Last year’s This Is How You Smile arrived as a strong addition to the band’s expansive catalog and received an honorable mention in The 2019 Uproxx Music Critics Poll. Now, the group fronted by Roberto Carlos Lange is gearing up for more music in 2020. The band released the pacifying track “I Fell In Love” as the first new track since their previous record.

Featuring harmonies by Xenia Rubinos, the song uses rhythm and sound as a medium to explore the euphoric and comforting feeling of first falling in love. Lange’s musings are partially drowned out by a grumbling percussion that colors the background of the track, mimicking the palpitation of a fluttering heartbeat.

In a statement, Lange detailed his inspiration behind the single. “It’s a song about love! It’s about all the ways we feel and the complicated things we do to try to understand this feeling,” Lange said. “‘Spaceship shaped words fly through your world unheard’ is a lyric that describes how alien the feeling can be and how hard we make it to be known. It’s not simple – it’s too complex to ever say ‘love is like this.’ Movies and songs always get it wrong. Maybe we are wrong too but I know the love I have.”

Listen to “I Fell In Love” above.

Val Kilmer is following in the grand tradition of publishing a revealing memoir about his wild adventures in Hollywood, and man, does the prolific actor have some stories to tell.

Titled I’m Your Huckleberry, a reference to his scene-stealing role as Doc Holliday to Kurt Russell’s Wyatt Earp in 1993’s Tombstone, Kilmer’s memoirs are filled with a laundry list of celebrity lost loves, behind-the-scenes drama, an arduous battle with throat cancer, and a candid admission about the current state of his career. Despite making headlines with the news that he’ll be reprising the role of Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick, Kilmer doesn’t hold back on the truth that he actually had to beg Tom Cruise and the producers to return, which was a stunning reversal, given how indifferent he was about starring in the original Top Gun. Kilmer’s agent practically had to force him to take the now-iconic Iceman part. Via USA Today:

Decades later, when the sequel starring Tom Cruise was announced, the tables were turned; Kilmer initially wasn’t tapped to reprise his role as Iceman in “Top Gun: Maverick.” But, Kilmer writes, “as the Temptations sang in the heyday of Motown soul, ‘ain’t too proud to beg.’” And his begging worked. “The producers went for it. Cruise went for it. Cruise couldn’t have been cooler… Tom and I took up where we left off. The reunion felt great.” But don’t turn to Kilmer’s book looking for spoilers. “As far as the film’s plot goes,” Kilmer writes, “I’m sworn to secrecy.”

On top of Top Gun anecdotes and tales of romantic flings with Angelina Jolie and Cindy Crawford, Kilmer’s memoir also includes a passage detailing his life as a devout Christian Scientist, which he attributes to healing his throat cancer and not the medical treatments that Cher helped pay for. (Kilmer famously dated Cher early in his career, and the two have remained close friends ever since.) As part of his faith, Kilmer also believes that an angel once physically replaced his heart:

On a trip to New Mexico when he was 24, Kilmer awoke to an “amorphous black figure.” He writes, “It will ruin the absolute gravity of this moment but in truth this dark angel looked very like Darth Vader, though without the helmet.”

Kilmer claims the angel reached into his body and extracted his heart to replace it with a bigger one. “At first I thought it was the Angel of Death before realizing it was the Angel of Life. I wish I could elucidate the experience more than I have already done, but I can’t. It simply happened,” Kilmer writes. “I have nothing else to say about this, except that I am grateful for the new heart. It has served me well. And I’ve only just begun to use it.”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Fortunately, I’m Your Huckleberry<?em> is available for purchase now, so if you want to take a journey through Kilmer’s unorthodox and star-studded life while self-isolated, there’s nothing holding you back.

(Via USA Today)

While Spotify has garnered much criticism in that past for how the streaming service pays artists, a new feature aims to ensure musicians are receiving the funds they need. In light of the current pandemic, Spotify launched a new feature Wednesday that allows musicians to raise money directly through the app. Spotify’s Artist Fundraising Pick will allow fans to donate money to their favorite artists.

Artists who share their music on Spotify can opt to have the new feature, the Artist Fundraising Pick, appear as a badge atop their page. Fans can click on the feature and donate money through CashApp, GoFundMe, or PayPal to financially support their favorite musicians and touring crews. Appearing next to the existing Artist’s Pick section, the Artist Fundraising Pick badge makes it easy for artists who have been forced to cancel tours and other live shows seek financial assistance.

In a statement announcing the feature, Spotify said the Artist Fundraising Pick will play a “key role” in curbing the financial effect of the virus. “Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spotify has engaged our partners across the industry to discuss how we can support artists and the creative community who have been deeply impacted by the effects of the devastating virus. Though streaming continues to play a key role in connecting creators with their fans, numerous other sources of revenue have been interrupted or stopped altogether by this crisis.”

Read Spotify’s full statement here.