Category: Worldwide

On Tuesday, Twitter introduced a new function called “Fleets,” which are just Instagram stories for your Twitter account. It gathered mixed reviews, from some excited to bring the story concept to Twitter where they may have a much larger following than on IG to those confused as to what the point of them was.

We’ll have to see how well Fleets catch on — and they’ll surely become a bit of a thing — but no one will use them better than Stephen A. Smith did on the first day of the function. ESPN’s most famous talking head, who appears on seemingly every show the network has and has even become a ubiquitous presence in commercials for everything from Comcast to the new Spider-Man: Miles Morales game, also has a history of some legendary tweets. Many of them have become longtime favorites because you can hear the indignation of the tweets in his exact voice — i.e., him being appalled at a user with the handle @BiblesNBlowjobs — as you read them, while others were accidental errors that never got deleted, like this perfect tweet from 2015.

Five years later, Stephen A. has become very self-aware of his Twitter reputation and some of the tweets that people love, and as such, he debuted his first Fleet by poking fun at himself in an incredible way.

It’s perfect. I don’t know if someone at ESPN assists Smith with his social media at this point or if this was all on his own, but either way it’s sensational.

Shortly after dropping a new trailer for the Justice League director’s cut, Zack Snyder officially unveiled the new look for the movie’s main villain Steppenwolf. The DC Comics character was a constant source of criticism due to the lackluster CGI used in Joss Whedon’s theatrical version of the film, but the new image revealed by Snyder is prompting its own reactions.

As always, Snyder debuted Steppenwolf on Vero, and apparently the villain’s latest look is what the director originally had in mind before exiting the Justice League production. You can see the new Steppenwolf look below, and clearly, Snyder made some very, uh, interesting choices. With the new look out in the wild, folks are having a field day on Twitter where Steppenwolf is currently trending and for all of the wrong reasons. Namely that he looks less like an inter-dimensional badass and more like a shiny wicker basket.

In fairness, fans who have been eagerly awaiting the release of the Snyder Cut are absolutely loving the new Steppenwolf look. The consensus is that’s it’s a vast improvement over the original look and catapults Justice League into a “Lord of the Rings” level of visual effects.

But mostly the reactions were dunks. Just dunk after dunk.

And while all of the joke tweets are pretty great, a special hats off to Tormod’s Trick here who didn’t shy away from going for a pun that was staring everyone right in the face. Fortune favors the bold.

(Via Zack Snyder on Vero)

In recent months, the closest thing we’ve had to a true adventure was choosing whether or not we wanted to vote in person or by mail. But as soon as it’s safe and feels like it can be done pragmatically, we’re looking forward to packing up, hitting the road, and visiting one of the countless National Parks spread throughout the country. If you’re willing to respect social distancing and mask orders, you might even go on a “low contact” trip sooner rather than later.

To help get you inspired about reconnecting with all the majesty of the great outdoors, we reached out to professional photographer and climber Drew Smith to share the secrets of some of his favorite climbing spots paired with a collection of jaw-dropping photos. Drew was recently the subject of a new documentary, A Young Man’s Road, directed by fellow adventure photographer Dylan Gordon — chronicling the young climber’s passion for adventure.

The documentary is a brief 12 minutes that packs a lot of action, giving you an overview of Drew’s life set to moody and sweeping visuals of some of the world’s greatest climbs. Give it a watch above and then dive into Drew’s favorite socially distanced adventure spots below.

The Canadian Rockies, British Columbia/Alberta, Canada

Winter in The Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Rockies boast an impressive array of both classic ice lines and nearly insurmountable alpine summits. If you’re looking for an easy-to-reach spot to get your feet wet, experience some truly difficult climbs, or just take some photos, this is it.

Cochamó Valley, Chile

Cochamó Valley, Chilean Patagonia. This area is often compared to California’s Yosemite Valley. It features clear blue lakes and rivers, stunning waterfalls and vistas, and granite walls the size of El Capitan. With the remote location you get away from any crowds and the adventure is endless.

The Grand Tetons, Wyoming, United States of America

The Grand Teton Mountain Range, Wyoming. The range is 55 miles long, consisting of 12 peaks over 12,000-feet including the 13,770-foot Grand Teton. Several hundred climbs are located in the park along with beautiful lakes and many small alpine glaciers.

The Tetons are the closest thing the US has to the extreme terrain in Chamonix and the Alps of Europe.

Nordland, Norway

For those with a love of all things Arctic. Nordland, Norway might be my favorite place on earth, both for the climbing and landscape. Lush fields give way to lakes and forests, summits sharpen in between picturesque fjords. You get a taste of the midnight sun in summer. While in winter, the Northern Lights dance across the night sky.

Yosemite National Park, California, United States of America

Yosemite National Park in California is by far my favorite place to shoot and climb. No place on earth has a 3000 foot formation with exposure like El Capitan so accessible. You can’t beat the stable California weather with almost year round sun. You can climb and shoot all your heart desires.

The Fitz Roy Massif, Patagonia, Argentina

The Fitz Roy Massif in southern Argentina is every climber’s dream. Vast golden faces of solid granite and large glaciers stretch as far as the eye can see. Bad weather is exceedingly common with very windy conditions, challenging even the most experienced climbers.

El Potreto Chico, Nuevo León, Mexico

El Potreto Chico, is an internationally renowned rock climbing area in Mexico. It is considered to be one of the top 10 locations to sport climb in the world. With unique limestone cliffs and spires as high as 2,000 feet and fresh street tacos with margaritas, it’s hard to go wrong here.

Squamish, British Columbia, Canada

Squamish, Canada’s rock climbing mecca located in the Coast Mountains on the Howe Sound. Very accessible granite walls and bluffs surrounded by old growth forest. If you’re a rock climber, Squamish genuinely has something for everyone. If it’s not raining, you’ll love it.

Canadian singer-songwriter Hannah Georgas just released her latest album, All That Emotion, last month. The record was produced by Aaron Dessner, and now she has recruited Dessner’s The National bandmate Matt Berninger to provide vocals on a new version of “Pray It Away.” Berninger’s baritone is a perfect addition to the track, and Georgas says of it:

“In a lot of ways, All That Emotion is a personal record, but ‘Pray It Away’ ended up being very collaborative. I co-wrote the song with my producer Aaron Dessner, who sent me an instrumental during the time I was writing and demoing.

A close friend of mine inspired the lyrics. She told me over dinner one night that a family member didn’t want to attend her wedding because she was marrying a woman. I wrote the song the next day using the chord progression from Aaron’s demo. It was upsetting to see my friend go through what she was dealing with at a time where she should have been celebrating.

While Aaron and I were recording this song together, he mentioned it could be really great to ask Matt Berninger to sing on it. Ironically, it wasn’t until the pandemic hit when we were actually able to follow through with this idea, together. It’s so lovely it all worked out and we were able to make it happen in the end.”

Meanwhile, Georgas recently participated in our Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A series, and the four words she chose to describe her music were “Personal, emotive, indie, pop.”

Listen to “Pray It Away” above, and check out our recent interview with Berninger here.

Megan Thee Stallion’s case against Tory Lanez has been closely watched ever since Meg confirmed he was the one who shot her in the foot last July. The rapper has revealed a few details about the fateful night, like when she alleged Lanez’s team tried to pay her off to keep her silent. But fans think they will soon get a better understanding of the story now that Megan has dropped the tracklist to her upcoming album Good News.

Megan’s 17-track Good News features a handful of guest verses by the likes of SZA, City Girls, and others. But more interestingly to fans, the album opener is a song called “Shots Fired.” Because of the recent shooting incident, Megan’s listeners are convinced the track will diss Lanez and reveal even more information about what went down.

Sharing their reactions on Twitter, some fans are shocked at the idea that Megan would have a diss track as her debut album’s opener.

Others, however, are simply excited to hear the song.

While Megan hasn’t confirmed what her inspiration was for the “Shots Fired,” the rapper did recently reveal a few of the record’s themes as a whole. Speaking to Variety about her upcoming record last month, Megan said some of her songs will address the Black Lives Matter movement: “I feel like everything that’s going on right now, if it hasn’t moved you to speak out or try to make some type of difference, then something might be slightly wrong with you. Even though I haven’t already come out with a song with that messaging, I definitely plan on it.”

See fans react to Megan’s Good News tracklist above.

Good News is out 11/20 via 1501/300 Entertainment. Pre-order it here.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

George Clooney’s gearing up for the release of his Netflix movie, The Midnight Sky, in which he plays a cancer-afflicted, lonely scientist in the Arctic who’s also struggling to survive on post-apocalyptic Earth. That sounds like a lot, and to support the role, he’s covering the GQ Men of the Year issue in a wide-ranging interview that’s well worth a full read. One of the more interesting nuggets, however, involves Clooney responding to a question about how his good friend, Rande Gerber, told a reporter that George once packed suitcases with $1 million apiece and handed them to 14 of his closest friends.

The talk is true, said Clooney, and then he elaborated on how he pulled off this 2013 movie. It, uh, doesn’t sound simple! But it sounds pretty cool because Clooney wanted to return some favors for the guys who loaned him money back when he was a struggling actor. He’d already put them all in his will but he then figured, “So why the fuck am I waiting to get hit by a bus?” And then he had to figure out the logistics of rounding up $14 million in cash. Apparently, there’s an “undisclosed location” where “they have giant pallets of cash” in Los Angeles. The word “heist” does come up:

So Clooney got an old beat-up van that said “Florist” on it, like he was in a heist movie, and he drove downtown, and he got in an elevator with the florist’s van, and he took the van down to the vault and loaded it up with cash. He told no one but his assistant “and a couple of security guys that were sh(tting themselves. And we brought it up, and I bought 14 Tumi bags, and then I packed in a million bucks, cash, which isn’t as much as you think it is, weight-wise, into these Tumi bags.

It’s a heck of a story, including how a “rich old a**hole in” in Vegas later asked the actor why he did this, and Clooney responded, “‘Why wouldn’t you do that, you schmuck?’” What a comeback, and yep, you should go read the full piece at GQ, which includes Clooney tossing a slight jab in his long-standing non-friendship with Russell Crowe.

(Via GQ)

Republican Senator Ted Cruz is getting dragged again on Twitter, this time for failing to understand how the spread of COVID-19 works.

Cruz, who’s solidly repped the “masks are pointless” faction of his party for months, supporting President Trump as he continues to downplay the virus, attacked Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown on social media yesterday for, you guessed it, wearing a face-covering while speaking on the Senate floor. Brown took to the podium during another rushed judge appointment lead by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to ask presiding Republican Senator Dan Sullivan to don a mask while speaking.

“I don’t wear a mask when I’m speaking like most senators…I don’t need your instruction,” Sullivan angrily responded before Brown continued his testimony, calling out the Trump administration’s failure to contain the virus and the president’s lack of interest in attending his own Coronavirus Task Force meetings. The whole exchange quickly landed on Twitter which is where Senator Cruz decided to speak up, safely hiding behind his keyboard as he called Brown an “ass.”

Cruz has been happy to push Coronavirus conspiracies weeks after the presidential election. He retweeted GOP Rapid Response Director Steve Guest who questioned why CNN had gotten rid of their COVID-19 tracker, implying the network only focused on Coronavirus cases and deaths during the election to hurt Trump’s public image.

But Cruz may have underestimated just how much Twitter hates him because he got trolled hard for his emotional outburst.

Ironically, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has just been put under quarantine after being exposed to the Coronavirus, a fact Cruz has remained oddly silent on following his latest Twitter rant.

Hopefully, someone in his camp has explained how airborne viruses travel in contained spaces in terms Cruz can understand.

It’s been less than a year since Andy Shauf released his latest album The Neon Skyline, but seeing as he penned over 50 songs for the 11-track record, the singer has no shortage of music. Back in July, Shauf shared a pair of singles, “Judy” and “Jeremy’s Wedding.” Now, the singer returns with the soulful number “You Slipped Away.”

The single crafts a sense of lovelorn nostalgia with rolling guitar chords and eloquent piano scales. With his gentle lyrical delivery, Shauf sings of trying — but ultimately failing — to hold onto love. “There was love in my heart / And I wanted it to stay / But as the night, surely turns to day / You slipped away,” he sings.

Speaking about the new song in a statement, Shauf said it is his take on an American standard. “‘You Slipped Away’ was a song that I wrote shortly after moving to Toronto, right after I’d just moved into an apartment and had acquired an 80s Yamaha CP60 stage piano,” Shauf said. “This song was an attempt to write something that sounded like an old standard, using big general metaphors and universal themes.”

Listen to “You Slipped Away” above.

The Neon Skyline is out now via Anti. Get it here.

It likely comes as no surprise that Future and Lil Uzi Vert were planning to release a deluxe version of their joint album Pluto X Baby Pluto all along. What may be a little astonishing is how little fans had to wait for it after the release of the original. While Uzi Vert waited all of a week between releasing both editions of his long-awaited Eternal Atake album earlier this year, Pluto X Baby Pluto didn’t even get to live that long before receiving a six-song upgrade. The new songs include “Tic Tac,” “My Legacy,” “Heart in Pieces,” “Because of You,” Bust a Move,” and “Baby Sasuke” but do not add any additional features.

Meanwhile, Uzi recently insisted that he was done with the rap game after he drops two more albums — although the phrasing was ambiguous enough that he could be referring to any number of outcomes. The unpredictable Philly rapper jostled fans’ expectations around a bunch in 2019, promising to release his album at various points only to push it back further and further, finally releasing it — and its deluxe version — without warning this spring. It probably wouldn’t be too shocking if he did so again. After all, it wouldn’t be the first fake retirement in hip-hop — not even this year.

As for Future, he’s been High Off Life for the past several months, dropping off occasional guest features and music videos to keep his buzz alive.

The 2020 NBA Draft arrives on Nov. 18 and, after the longest draft cycle in recorded history, the league’s offseason will zoom into hyperdrive. In fact, free agency begins on the evening 0f Nov. 20 and, while NBA franchises theoretically had months to prepare, there will be an element of frenzy when transactions are finally allowed.

To that end, free agents will be jockeying for position and, earlier this month, we took a look at the 20 best free agents set to hit the market. Today, the goal is to drill down even further, highlighting the 20 best wing players, effectively taking the full league and removing point guards and big men from the mix. One of the top targets has already left the board, as Bogdan Bogdanovic (who initially occupied the third spot on this list) is headed to Milwaukee in a sign-and-trade as the Bucks load up on talent to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With that out of the way, here are the top 20 unrestricted and restricted free agents that will be available in short order, including those players who have already declined to pick up their player options.

1. Brandon Ingram (RFA, Pelicans): There is a pretty big gap in projected contract value between Ingram and everyone else on this list. Everyone assumes he will be garnering the max, or at least something close to it, from New Orleans, and it would be a surprise if he left. That is the nature of the beast with a player that just averaged 23.8 points per game on strong efficiency at the age of 22. He’s really good, and should continue to improve.

2. Danilo Gallinari (UFA, Thunder): Gallinari isn’t really a wing, but he isn’t a big either. In fact, he is a member of what is kind of a dying breed as a pure power forward, but he remains an exceptionally valuable offensive player. The 32-year-old averaged 18.8 points per game (on good efficiency) over the last five seasons, and he can score in a number of ways. His age and defense may not help him in this (very) tight market, but Gallinari remains a very good player.

3. Joe Harris (UFA, Nets): Harris led the NBA in three-point shooting in 2018-19, making 47 percent of his attempts, and he followed that up with 42.4 percent on increased volume in 2019-20. That makes him one of the best marksman in the league and, unlike some of his contemporaries in that premium shooting realm, Harris can make solid decisions with the ball his hands and pull his own weight defensively. He can (and would) fit just about anywhere as a premium 3-and-D option, and the Nets will have some pressure to bring him back.

4. Davis Bertans (UFA, Wizards): Not only did Bertans shoot 42.4 percent from three-point range last season, but he did it with obscene range and impressive volume. Bertans has no conscience (in the best possible way) and he got up 13.9 threes per 100 possessions. To be fair, Bertans is pretty limited in other areas and, from a team-building standpoint, it is tough to plan around his defense. There is no denying his court-bending ability as a shooter, though, and he has real value.

5. Jerami Grant (UFA, Nuggets): Grant is in a fantastic position to capitalize on something of a breakout during the 2020 playoffs. He definitely isn’t a high-upside player at this stage, but Grant has some juice offensively, and he brings positional flexibility and defense. Denver has incentive to keep Grant around, but perhaps a team with space gets (very) aggressive to lure him away. After all, he’s only 26 years old.

6. Jordan Clarkson (UFA, Jazz): Clarkson has been a punchline at times, but he was genuinely good in Utah. He isn’t really a “wing” in a traditional sense, mostly because his value comes in creating his own shot with the ball in his hands, but Clarkson also isn’t a pure lead guard. Teams should know what they’re getting in the 28-year-old, and that is instant offense with the hope of reasonable play in other areas.

7. Jae Crowder (UFA, Heat): It is too simplistic to suggest that everything with Crowder comes down to three-point shooting, but it’s not far off. He knocked down a ridiculous 44.5 percent of his threes after getting to Miami midseason but, before that, he shot 29.3 percent in Memphis. That has been the story of Crowder’s career as a hot/cold shooter but, at his core, Crowder’s value is significant as a strong defensive wing that is switchable and malleable.

8. Marcus Morris (UFA, Clippers): Morris put up obscene numbers, including a 44 percent clip from three-point distance, in New York and that earned him a trade to the Clippers. His production dipped in L.A., though, and Morris now hits the market at 31. On the bright side for him, the Clippers can’t really replace him in conventional fashion, giving him leverage, and Morris could help a ton of teams as a two-way combo forward with experience.

9. Derrick Jones Jr. (UFA, Heat): Jones Jr. is younger than most of the restricted free agents on the market, yet he is unencumbered from a contract perspective. Some of his value is speculative, but Jones Jr. is a long, athletic defender that can function as a player finisher on offense. His ceiling will be limited if his jump shot doesn’t improve, but Jones Jr. is very intriguing for younger teams trying to add on the margins.

10. Malik Beasley (RFA, Wolves): The Wolves have the No. 1 pick and, in theory, that selection could impact Beasley’s long-term future. It has to be noted, though, that Minnesota gave up assets for the right to match any offer on Beasley. If nothing else, Beasley turns 24 in November and he exploded for 20.7 points per game after arriving in the Twin Cities.

11. Wesley Matthews (UFA, Bucks): It wasn’t a surprise to Matthews opting out of a $2.7 million player option, simply because he is worth more than that. Matthews is 34 years old, though, and that could temper the market in a way that it wouldn’t if he was 28. Contenders should be pursuing him as a quality 3-and-D option at modest cost, and he would help pretty much any playoff-bound squad.

12. Justin Holiday (UFA, Pacers): Holiday, now 31 years old, enjoyed the best shooting season of his career in 2019-20, knocking down 40 percent from three-point range. With that uptick and his plug-and-play appeal as a role player, teams should be lining up to give him a few million annually.

13. Dario Saric (RFA, Suns): The Suns making the Chris Paul trade (and doing so officially on Monday) increases the chances they look to bring Saric back as they don’t have any cap space currently, with just their exceptions and minimums left to add more pieces they don’t have rights to. Independent of that, he’s a big, skilled forward that is reasonably young (26), and Saric has two-way appeal. He also seemed to find his footing during Phoenix’s bubble run, and that showing could earn him a few extra dollars and interest from others.

14. Kent Bazemore (UFA, Kings): After benefitting from the free agent frenzy in 2016, Bazemore won’t be making $17 million a year ever again. At the same time, he’s highly useful as a two-way wing, and Bazemore was sneakily effective in limited deployment with the Kings after a mid-season trade last season.

15. Moe Harkless (UFA, Knicks): There is absolutely nothing sexy about Harkless. He is a 3-and-D forward that leans toward the defensive side, and he was salary dumped before last season. Harkless can still help a playoff team as a depth piece, though, and he’s only 27 years old.

16. Alec Burks (UFA, Sixers): Burks had a hard time staying healthy for a long time, but he put together a strong performance in 2019-20. His best value comes in shot creation, and Burks is big enough at 6’6 where he won’t get embarrassed on defense. Ideally, he’s probably a third guard that provides second-unit punch, but we aren’t that far away from Burks being quite good in Utah and he is now underrated.

17. Glenn Robinson III (UFA, Sixers): A lot of his good work came with the hapless Warriors last season, but Robinson III shot 39.1 percent from three-point range, and he’s a good athlete that can hold up reasonably on the defensive end. Given that he’s only 26 and unrestricted, he should have suitors.

18. E’Twaun Moore (UFA, Pelicans): New Orleans could be leaning on their young guys a bit more next season, and Moore is a free agent at 31. As such, he could be heading elsewhere, but Moore is a career 39 percent three-point shooter that can also defend at both guard spots. That’s not a bad combination for a role player.

19. Carmelo Anthony (UFA, Blazers): The future Hall of Fame forward is 36 now and Anthony isn’t a perfect player by any means. He did earn some redemption, though, with the way he played offensively in Portland, and he can still score with reasonable efficiency when needed. Teams have to know what he can and can’t do, but Anthony more than earned a job for 2020-21.

20. Torrey Craig (RFA, Nuggets): Craig is a very solid defender and that’s where his greatest value lies. He’s a long, strong wing who often draws some of the top perimeter matchups for the Nuggets. The problem is the lack of impact he has on the offensive end, as he’s a career 32 percent shooter from three-point range and doesn’t provide anything really on the ball either. Still, his defense is going to keep him in the league for a long while as it’s a genuine asset and he’ll have suitors for that reason.