Category: Worldwide

It’s slim pickins’, folks! We’re down to four teams left in the Bubble, and as a result, we are fishing in a shallower pool, reeling in fewer and fewer posts to sustain ourselves with, much like the bass in the Disney ponds which seemed to fall off pretty quick either due to overfishing or over-exposure. But I’m sure whatever fish are left are breathing (bubbling?) easy now that Playoff P is gone.

So this will be short and sweet, but as we move into the conference finals, it’s still been an eventful, “CLANKING” week. Here we go.

Jimmy Butler

Big Face Coffee is doing BUSINESS in the Bub but before we get to grind behind the macchiato mogul — it was also his birthday this week! That’s right, Jimmy Beans does age after all. The Heat rookies serenaded Butler as he interrupted them multiple times to insist they look him directly in the eye while they sang him “Happy Birthday.” The best part is, there’s no way Butler could look them all in the eye simultaneously.

Ok, onto our Big Face fix. In a very wise entrepreneurial move, Butler started to wear his own merch around this week, driving up interest (mine, for sure, and I assume everyone else who knows anything about fashion but more importantly style, taste, etc.) for when these pieces will be hitting the market.

Rating: Knock-offs are fine too, I’m not proud.

Jayson Tatum

Before the Celtics went radio silent, Tatum shared some pretty sweet moments of relief in having his son, Deuce, with him in the Bub. Here’s the little dude really extending diagonally into that king size bed.

Rating: If there are Celtics fans out there moaning that Tatum didn’t get a good enough night’s sleep because of this, so help me.

Goran Dragic

Loyal and supportive teammate of Butler and Big Face Coffee, Goran Dragic, headed down the hall to the Bubble’s best coffee shop only to find it closed. Distraught, because he had even brought cold hard cash, Dragic lamented that he may have no other choice but to go to Little Face Coffee. What!!!

Ok but don’t worry, the very next day Dragic got his fix and was comped one free coffee. Which honestly seems like winning the lottery.

Rating: I like to think Big Face’s hours are from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., anything later and you’ve already ruined your day by not seizing it, why bother.

Little Face Coffee Mystery: SOLVED

Ok, bear with me. I have some friends who have a friend who is a Heat insider and they said it was Bam Adebayo who made this sign and started up a rival coffee shop.

But, in the late hours Friday night, sitting out under some swaying palms, Dragic revealed to the world the coffee contender was none other than a Miami Heat trainer named Brandon Gilliam, who Dragic doesn’t seem to remember the name of? But maybe it was the excitement of the moment, like being there when Mr. Coke and Mr. Pepsi did their first duel at high noon.

Rating: Looking for a Medium Face Coffee to come in here and blow the disposable lid off this caffeine conglomerate.

Kyle Kuzma

Kuzma’s girlfriend, fashion model Winnie Harlow, has been and left the Bubble. The two are very cute. They made the most of being stuck in a small square-foot radius and also went golfing, Harlow being the power behind the wheel.

Rating: I like it better calling Kuz Winnie Harlow’s boyfriend, that’s the rule from here on out.

JaVale McGee

McGee’s daughter Genevieve, “Gigi,” is hands down the cutest of all the children we are lucky to get to know a little about in the NBA. I’m sorry, but she could clean to floor with all of them. Anyway! She’s really been enjoying her time in the Bubble, learning tae kwon do and meditating, doing pranks with straw wrappers (classic!), plus ripping down that huge Temple of Doom slide getting shamefully underutilized.

Rating: Yes, I said a child could defeat the other children and I stand by it — IT’S THE PLAYOFFS.

Dion Waiters

Waiters also had a family reunion this week! The Lakers are really making it hard to dislike them. His son, Dion Jr., played it kind of cool when he finally saw his dad but then he, and you when you see this, started to cry because holy it’s so hard for these families!

Rating: You thought you were going to get through this week without an emotional gut punch, sucker.

Mysterious Clanks

As I mentioned earlier the Celtics have been largely absent from all forms of social media since the ECF got underway, and especially since the Heat have gone a little, pun intended, scorched earth on ‘em. There were reports, after the Celtics fell 2-0 this week, of mysterious CLANKS coming from Boston’s locker room, plus a whole of shouting. The shouts were revealed to be Marcus Smart, reportedly, but the CLANKS have yet to be uncovered. The greedy Ghost of Christmas past? A spooky Frankenstein monster? Plumbing that should really be looked at? Rest assured, the CLANKS will be investigated.

Rating: Is it too late to nominate CLANKS for Sixth Man of the Year? I mean, depending on what happens in Game 3.

Spoiler: This article includes spoilers for The Dark Knight Rises. You’ve probably seen it, but we’re just being courteous.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is beloved for taking the Caped Crusader in darker directions than ever before. But they could have been even darker. None of them broke past a PG-13, but there was one bit in The Dark Knight Rises that, had it been included in the finished version, may have pushed farther than an R.

As caught by IGN, Matthew Modine, who played Peter Foley, Commissioner Gordon’s second-in-command, appeared on CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast. He wound up discussing his death scene, in which Foley is gunned down by Marion Cotillard’s Talia al Ghul. But originally the scene was far more graphic.

“[Nolan] cut my death scene out of Dark Knight Rises,” Modine explained. “Because he said it was so violent that it would have gotten an NC-17 rating.” So what happened?

“After Bane dies and Batman, Chris [Bale] gets stabbed, [Talia] gets in one of those vehicles … She starts to drive away, and I’m shooting at her. And I got run over. All it does is, it just cuts and I’m on the ground, dead. But it was so violent. The guy that was doubling me got hit by the car. They put a plexiglass thing on the front of [the car] and he got hit. They had ropes to pull him into the air, but he went up and they dropped him from about 15 feet, and the sound of his body hitting the cobblestone street in front of the New York Stock Exchange, it was sickening. And I remember I looked at Christopher Nolan when we shot it and his face was white. He was like, ‘OK, let’s move on. We got that.’ But it was like, ‘Oh my God, is that guy going to get up? Is he okay?’ But [Nolan] said that if he would have put it in the movie, it would’ve got an NC-17 rating because it was so violent.”

Perhaps Nolan was exaggerating, but it would be hard to justify making even an R-rated Dark Knight Rises just for one scene. Hell, he didn’t even include it as a Blu-ray deleted scene. Perhaps The Batman will be the one to go even darker.

(Via IGN and CinemaBlend)

Chloe x Halle are in the midst of their breakout year, which began with “Do It.” That hit song would later appear on their sophomore album, Ungodly Hour, which further boosted their popularity. Chloe x Halle sat down with Guardian to share their thoughts on their good fortune, but they also revealed one of the disheartening comments they received early in their career.

“People would tell us what we were creating was too complex for the average ear,” Chloe revealed in the interview. “I feel like that’s so not cool to tell two young creatives who are pushing the boundaries, especially when we’re in a world where everything’s so manufactured exactly the same.”

However, thanks to the constant approval from their mentor Beyonce — as well as their ensuing success — the duo says they no longer worry what other people say. “We really don’t need outside validation to tell us if something’s good or not,” they said. “I feel like we’re in a place where we don’t have to explain ourselves. Make the art, put it out, if people feel a way about it – oh well!”

Chloe x Halle’s interview comes after the duo honored George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in their NFL kickoff performance of the National Anthem.

(via Guardian)

The last few days have been tumultuous for Kanye West. On top of making public his lengthy recording contract with Universal, Kanye also shared a journalist’s phone number, peed on his Grammy award, tweeting about musicians not owning their masters, and claimed he was the head of Adidas. “I will bring adidas and puma back together and bring me and jay back together,” Kanye said about the shoe brands. “All pumas designs are embarrassingly trash but I will personally design puma and adidas and make everything ok.” It’s the comment about Puma’s “embarrassingly trash” designs that rubbed J. Cole’s manager, Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad, the wrong way.

Kanye’s words were posted in a picture on BRKicks’ Instagram post. In the comments section, Hamad mocked the rapper.

“Cole living in his head rent free at this point,” Hamad wrote, alongside a trio of laughing emojis. He ended his message with the word “DREAMER,” a reference to Dreamville and Puma’s shoe collaboration. Hamad’s comments come after Kanye came after J. Cole as well as Drake in a now-deleted tweet. “I need a public apology from J Cole and Drake to start with immediately,” he wrote. “I’m Nat Turner… I’m fighting for us.” Soon after deleting the tweet, Kanye sent out another one, in which he aimed to form an alliance with Drake, Cole, and Kendrick Lamar.

“We need Me J Cole Drake Kendrick all in a room 2gthr … it’s time to get free,” Kanye said in the tweet. “We will not argue amongst each other while somebody we don’t know in Europe is getting paid and putting that money in a hedge fund.”

Earlier this week, TMZ reported that revealed Cardi B filed for divorce from Offset. The two got married in 2017 and had their first child, Kulture, in 2018. They temporarily split in 2018, which Cardi revealed was a result of Offset’s infidelity, but they resolved their differences the same year. After news broke that they were officially parting ways, Cardi took to Instagram Live to let her fans know that she was doing fine.

“I’m okay. I wanted to let y’all know I have not shed not one tear,” she said. “Every single time that this guy has been so crazy, so f*cked up and it hits the media, I’m always crying, always sad because I don’t like that type of sh*t. This time, I wasn’t crying. You want to know why? The reason for my divorce is not because of none of that sh*t that ever happened before. It’s not because of cheating. I’m seeing people be like, ‘Oh, he has a baby on the way.’ That’s a whole f*cking complete lie. That’s the second time people are trying to pin babies over here. No, that’s bullsh*t.”

Cardi then revealed why she filed for divorce.

I just got tired of f*cking arguing. I got tired of not seeing things eye to eye. When you feel like it’s just not the same anymore, before you actually get cheated on, I’d rather just leave […] Nothing crazy out of this world happened, sometimes people really do grow apart.I been with this man for four years. I have a kid with this man, I have a household with this man…sometimes you’re just tired of the arguments and the build-up. You get tired sometimes and before something happens, you leave.

You can find a clip from Cardi B’s Instagram livestream in the video above.

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

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court justice, equality icon and a symbol of progressive defiance during the Trump era, died on Friday night at the age of 87. In her final years, she became more famous than ever, inspiring a biography, a documentary, even a beloved SNL impersonation (by Kate McKinnon). She was also the subject of a biopic, 2018’s On the Basis of Sex, in which she was played by Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Jones.

Upon news of her passing, tributes poured in, from celebrities and politicians and citizens, all of whom admired her tireless work on progressive causes. That includes one from Jones, who is not on social media but who, as per Entertainment Weekly, released a statement about the woman she embodied onscreen.

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave us hope, a public figure who stood for integrity and justice — a responsibility she did not wear lightly,” Jones said in her statement. “She will be missed not only as a beacon of light in these difficult times but for her razor sharp wit and extraordinary humanity. She taught us all so much. I will miss her deeply.”

On the Basis of Sex director Mimi Leder also weighed in. “RBG I will never forget you. Thank you for profoundly changing the world with your fiercely brilliant powerful mind, heart and soul!,” Leder wrote in an Instagram post. “Your courage and bravery paved the way for us all. We will continue the fight in your name. Warrior!!! Rest in Peace and Power my dear friend Madam Justice.”

On the Basis of Sex can currently be streamed on Showtime and purchased on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Vudu, et al.

(Via EW)

On Friday night, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to ever be named a Supreme Court justice, after Sandra Day O’Connor, died following a battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was 87 years old. Ginsburg held the position starting from 1993 until her death, having been nominated by then-president Bill Clinton.

Ginsburg was viewed as an equality icon, as well as someone who ensured a progressive slant to the Supreme Court. She was known for her pointed and well-argued dissents, particularly with her more conservative-leaning colleagues. Her importance to the Court, and to American life, was made more clear once Donald Trump assumed the presidency, appointing numerous justices to the court who aligned with his base’s interests.

During this time, Ginsburg became a household name and folk hero, lovingly parodied by Kate McKinnon on SNL and made the subject of a bestselling biography, a documentary, and a biopic starring Felicity Jones. As such, her passing sent shockwaves across social media, inspiring tributes from untold celebrities.

Ginsburg was also honored by politicians.

One of the more forceful tributes came from Samantha Bee, one of many to point out that her passing underlines the importance of the 2020 election, which is less than two months away.

The first season of Hulu’s PEN15 felt like the Cliff Notes version of a TV comedy.

Fans knew what the joke was from the beginning: two thirty-something actresses playing the 13-year-old versions of themselves against other pre-teen actors. That exaggerated surrealism was the set-up and the punchline, the lens through which every interaction could be viewed. It made universal coming-of-age woes like bad haircuts and puberty painfully relatable, even if it allowed audiences to distance themselves from those traumatic memories with visuals of Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle sporting Care Bear hoodies and playing with Sylvanian doll sets.

The show’s humor rested in its understanding of nostalgia, in how well-attuned its leads were to the age of dial-up, chatrooms, gel pens, and the almost otherworldly bliss of being the first in your friend group to blackout from huffing a permanent marker. The gift of hindsight, and the show’s running gimmick, made its first season an addictive, if a bit shallow, binge-watch. But we’ve all grown up since then, and the latest installment of PEN15 reflects that maturity — not just in how comfortable both Erskine and Konkle seem to be in their characters, but in the storylines they’re willing to sacrifice laughs for.

We’re not saying PEN15 isn’t funny anymore. It’s a f*cking riot, one filled with more middle school theatrics, cringe-worthy pool parties, twisted sleepovers, and witchcraft, but we’re not sure it fits the “feel-good” label its first season so clearly boasted. Maybe it’s a product of just living within this world that the women have created, maybe its some actual sorcery they’ve employed, but at some point, you stop paying attention to the gag, and you start becoming genuinely invested in these girls’ lives.

It’s like watching Sandra Bullock try to survive a threatening cloud of space debris in Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity. There are moments when the silence of the movie theater weighs down rational thought when you forget that Bullock is not actually in space, that she can’t use a fire extinguisher as a makeshift thruster to reach a foreign space station and return safely home. The CGI plays a good enough trick on the mind, the wires disappear, and you’re left leaving the theater with a ringing in your ears and the illusion-shattering realization you’re still on Earth, walking down a busy Upper West Side block, disoriented and sill high on adrenaline.

PEN15 season two is like Gravity, but with more comedy and fewer space-walks. It makes you believe so intently that Maya and Anna are actual preteens, suffering through crushes and debilitating social awkwardness and parental neglect that you forget to laugh when they don mouthguards and best friend necklaces and chunky hairclips. The show’s better for it, exploring some thematically darker issues this time around, like the divorce of Anna’s parents. The tension hinted at in season one becomes a full-on civil war as both adults decide to share the house while they begin the process of separating, putting Anna in the middle and straining her relationship with her mother.

And while Anna reconciles with her changing family dynamic, Maya caves to an unhealthy obsession with a boy at school, joining the wrestling team to impress him, leaving locks of her hair in his locker, and fielding nasty rumors about her promiscuity and sexual desperation. It all builds to an end of the year middle school play that pits the friends against one another, the arrival of a new girl who inserts herself in their relationship, and a sleepover party that turns into a Lord of the Flies moment when a maxi-pad clogs a toilet.

Some of these moments are laugh-out-loud funny, but most are accompanied by a bit of introspection, not just from Konkle and Erskine but from us, the fans, who are watching and are bound to have some long-buried memory dredged up to fixate on all over again. Maybe its chanting spells in the school greenhouse or having your first sip of liquor behind the auditorium or leaving your mom alone at a restaurant because your dad’s having a mid-life crisis in his new convertible. It’s funny to look back on now, but it was painful then, and that’s what the show does even better its second time around: it reminds us that both can be true.

Hulu’s ‘PEN15’ returns for Season 2 on September 18.

Not to be the bearer of (more) bad news, but the carefree (yeah, right), sun-filled days of summer are almost behind us. Fall and its brisk mornings are coming down the track. That means evenings will now be paired with a light jacket or sweatshirt and (hopefully) a glass of whisk(e)y.

While we’re all about dark beers during the autumnal months, there’s nothing quite like a mellow, warming dram of Scotch, bourbon, rye, or Irish whiskey on a cool evening. Especially if you’re still intrepid enough to get a little fire going and sip your drink while the crickets chirp. Since we want to get the most out of our fall drinking experience, we decided to ask some well-known bartenders to tell us their picks for the best whiskeys to warm you up on a chilly fall eve.

Knob Creek Smoked Maple

Reniel Garcia, bar director at Havana 1957 in Miami

Knob Creek Smoked Maple is my fall go-to. As the name suggests, it has a smoky flavor and a perfect touch of maple on the palate. It’s ideal for a cool fall evening.

Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie

Crystal Chasse, beverage director at Talk Story Rooftop in Brooklyn

Scotch is usually my go-to and on a cool night, I’d opt for a smooth drinking Scotch like Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie.

Made in Islay where most Scotches are peated heavily (including many from Bruichladdich), Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie is unpeated, with a silky body and notes of dried fruits and baking spices. It’s the perfect mix for a breezy fall evening.

Johnnie Walker Blue

Marla White, lead bartender at Lona Cocina & Tequilera in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Johnnie Walker, with your choice between the red, black, green, or blue. This whiskey is best served neat and is meant to be sipped — never to be rushed so that you can experience the evolving flavors.

Suntory Toki

Frantjesko Laonora, lead bartender at Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort in Curaçao

Japanese Whisky brand Suntory Toki is a whisky with simple fruity notes and hints of vanilla custard, toasted cereal, and wood spice that will inspire you to come back for more because of the light, refreshing and clean taste.

Kessler Whiskey

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

Kessler may not always live up to its “smooth as silk” tagline for every drinker but to me, it’s a throwback. Autumn sweaters and nostalgia can only be complemented by a bottle tied to memories — pick yours and reminisce.

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Molly Safuto, bartender at Mila Rooftop Bar in Glendale, California

Jameson Irish Whiskey will always be my favorite. From mixing it with ginger ale, to have it on the rocks it reminds me of holidays with my family and warming up by the fireplace.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

Mitchell Cochran, bar manager at Shades Bar & Grill in South Walton, Florida

Woodford Reserve Double Oak. It has flavors of caramel, honey, and vanilla it gives a very creamy finish. Great for sipping in cooler weather.

David Nicholson Reserve

Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis

The best whiskey for those cool fall evenings has to be David Nicholson Reserve. Originally an old “store” brand, this is a great high rye bourbon that Lux Row distillers have brought back to life. Punching much softer than the 100 proof on the label would suggest, this features tons of pecan and gingerbread up front and finishes with dry lumber and vanilla.

It’s very light and gently complex, this one is best served neat or just a bit of ice.

Bunnahabhain 18

Brendan Bartley, head bartender and beverage director at Bathtub Gin in New York City

I can recommend one of my guilty pleasures in whisky. Bunnahabhain 18 Year is my poison of choice. Islay is known for making smoky whiskies and very good ones at that. This is one of the best to come out of there, in my opinion. Natural color, no-chill filtration, aged in mainly sherry. It’s a whisky that, given the right environment, will whisper sweet nothings to your soul. Has a load of fruit flavors and baking spice, but also some lighter fruits you might not expect, like pineapple and pomegranate.

It may not be for everyone, but those who like it will love it.

Mister Katz’s Rock & Rye

Max Stampa-Brown, beverage director at Borrachito in New York City

Mister Katz’s Rock & Rye from New York Distilling Company is sweet and comforting. Lots of tobacco and husk cherry going on. I would gladly cozy up with a Manhattan made with this juice. A Manhattan with Mister Katz’s tastes like a damn sunset.

Sazerac Rye

Gavin Humes, bartender at Scratch | Bar & Restaurant in Encino, California

My favorite cocktail in the world is a beautifully made Sazerac. When I’m sipping one of those on one of the few cool fall evenings we have here in California, I’m reaching for the Sazerac Rye. It’s a fantastic pairing with the Peychaud’s bitters, and just makes an excellent Sazerac. It’s delicious neat as well.

LeBron James and the Lakers cruised to victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, sending a clear message that they are fully rested and ready to assert their dominance along the next leg of their quest for an NBA championship.

Anthony Davis led the way for L.A. with 37 points and 10 rebounds, but LeBron did a little bit of everything to help his team establish an early lead on his way to 15 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds on the night. It’s hard to properly quantify the impact he made on the game, which is at least partially at the heart of a major gripe he addressed when speaking to reporters afterward.

As it turns out, LeBron feels a certain way after all about how the MVP voting turned out, specifically voicing his displeasure that he only received 16 first-place votes in the final tally that was released on Friday.

Lakers’ LeBron James on finishing second in 2020 NBA MVP voting: “It pissed me off.” pic.twitter.com/TCiRHjujmn

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 19, 2020

Lebron was careful to make clear that he had no issue with Giannis Antetokounmpo winning his second straight MVP trophy. His issue apparently had more to do with the fact that he didn’t get more first-place votes in the process. LeBron finished with 16 first-place votes to Giannis’ 85 and was the only other player to receive first-place votes.

Giannis, to be fair, had better numbers across the board than LeBron and a better team record throughout the regular season. Jalen Rose made a key argument on Friday that announcing the winner during the postseason dilutes the impact of the award because of recency bias.

Regardless, it’s clear that LeBron feels somewhat snubbed by the outcome. Whether real or imagined on his part, it’s obviously giving him extra motivation as he and the Lakers continue their postseason run.