Category: Worldwide

The Orlando Magic have been one of the most pleasant surprises through two games of the NBA’s restart in their backyard at Disney. The Magic have routed the Nets and Kings in the first two games, and although those are two of the worst teams in Orlando, it’s still been an impressive start for a team few discussed going in.

The Magic had gotten a big boost during restart camp when Jonathan Isaac was announced as available to play, after having suffered a sprained left knee on January 1 that ended his season. Orlando had initially said they’d be cautious with Isaac and were going into the restart not expecting him to play, but he cleared all of the necessary medical hurdles to get back on the court once scrimmages began.

Isaac showed flashes of the incredible defensive talent he is as he ramped up his on-court minutes, and the boost he gives the Magic on that end of the floor is undeniable. Sadly, on Sunday, Isaac was taken off the court in a wheelchair after a non-contact injury to that same left knee early in the fourth quarter against Sacramento. Later that night, the Magic confirmed that an MRI revealed Isaac had torn his ACL.

It’s a brutal way for Isaac’s season to end once again, and now he faces another arduous rehab and lengthy recovery that could potentially keep him out for much of, if not all of, next season depending on when the league starts the 2020-21 campaign. The Magic lose a versatile defensive presence as they look to challenge a top seed, likely Toronto, in a first round series, and maybe more importantly, lose significant time with their young budding star for next season.

The Houston Rockets have proven to be one of the bubble’s most exciting teams through two games, which comes as little surprise given their style of play, but what does raise eyebrows is that they are off to a 2-0 start. After dispatching of the Mavs thanks to a furious second half comeback to win in overtime in the opener, they stared down the Milwaukee Bucks in their second game in primetime en route to a 120-116 win that was as impressive as any this season.

Houston’s frantic small-ball approach has been much discussed since they debuted it after the trade deadline, but what they’ve proven is that it can work against the league’s best. On Sunday, we got another data point with that as the Rockets downed a Bucks team that got tremendous play from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez. As expected, the length of Milwaukee gave Houston problems on the glass as the Bucks out-rebounded the Rockets 65-36, but like so often with this Rockets team, it was the havoc they can create, forcing 22 Milwaukee turnovers, and their three-point shooting that carried the day.

The Rockets tied the NBA record for threes taken in a game with 61, making 21 of those, while the Bucks were a rather dismal 9-of-25 from distance. Houston created a ton of great looks, and it felt like they missed a lot of open corner threes they should’ve made, as James Harden and Russell Westbrook probed the paint, collapsed the Bucks defense, and put passes right in the pocket for their shooters.

As has been the case often in the super small-ball era, Westbrook thrived in this one with 31 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Harden, meanwhile, had 24 points, seven boards, and seven assists in a somewhat pedestrian offensive outing for him, but he was engaged on defense and came up with six steals as he was part of the key Rockets effort late in forcing Milwaukee into turnovers to finish things off.

For the Bucks, they were led by Giannis, Middleton, and Lopez who combined for 86 of their 116 points, with Giannis posting an absurd 36 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists.

Lopez had 23 points and 12 rebounds, playing spectacularly despite how Houston has been able to at times play traditional centers off the court with their small lineups.

Middleton had 27 and 12, and was the catalyst for their late run that put them ahead by what seemed to be enough to pull away before they found themselves ice cold for the final two minutes.

In the end, it was Houston’s defense that came through when they needed it most. P.J. Tucker, Robert Covington, and Danuel House all made some big plays, as their effort and energy on that end continues to allow them to overcome size disadvantages with active hands and forcing tons of turnovers.

The takeaways from this game are pretty simple. The Rockets, when at their best, are capable of playing with anyone in the league and it just remains to be seen how long they can keep the necessary energy level up to play this style come playoff time. The Bucks are a dominant force, but when they don’t get quality perimeter shooting from role players, they’re beatable. We’ve learned this in the past two postseasons and that remains their biggest question moving forward, but both are going to be very tough outs in the postseason.

It may have a 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 63 “fresh” reviews — a number that seems worryingly high — but there’s been few movies more unloved than Cats, last year’s instant anti- classic movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s beloved musical. Even the writer of Battleship Earth — one of bad cinema’s brightest lights — thought it was an all-time worst. Six months after its disastrous theatrical release, the Cats earned another hater: the man who wrote its once-popular songs.

As per Deadline, Andrew Lloyd Webber finally broke his silence about the movie that may have permanently destroyed the reputation of one of his most popular productions. Part of the problem, he surmised, was that the filmmakers never consulted him, perhaps afraid that the composer for Phantom of the Opera, Evita, and Jesus Christ Superstar might point out that having visible buttholes and humans as puny mice might be kind of creepy.

“The problem with the film was that Tom Hooper decided that he didn’t want anybody involved in it who was involved in the original show,” Webber recently told The Sunday Times. “The whole thing was ridiculous.”

Webber is far from the only person whose name is on the film — which reportedly lost Universal Pictures some $113 million — to diss Hooper’s movie. Stars James Corden and Rebel Wilson mocked its visual effects at the Oscars — rightfully earning the ire of some of its hard-working tech crew — and Judi Dench mocked her “battered, mangy” look as the eldest feline. Meanwhile, “Macavity” chanteuse Taylor Swift survived the ordeal, and half a year later scored her seventh-ever No. 1 album.

Webber’s choice words for the Cats movie may be him trying to salvage both his name and his show, which for decades has been mounted all over the world and whose rep may forever be tainted by a movie that started getting The Room-style laugh-at-it screenings within its first week of release. Maybe it will work and a major studio will think it’s smart to pour a ton of money into a movie version of Webber’s model train musical, Starlight Express.

(Via Deadline)

As the NFL prepares to come back and training camp gets set to begin, they face the same challenges as Major League Baseball, which has seen some teams struggle to avoid internal outbreaks as they operate without a bubble and players remain at their homes and able to interact with the outside world as the U.S. continues to see tens of thousands of cases per day.

The NFL, like other leagues, has given players the option to opt out of the season for no penalty (aside from giving up their salary), and a number have taken advantage. There have also been some key players that have been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list, including Matthew Stafford and Gardner Minshew, who plan to play but have either tested positive or have been exposed to someone who has.

However, this is something that impacts far more than just the players, as there are coaches, staffers, equipment personnel, and more that have to be in these facilities to make them go. On Sunday, we learned through multiple reports that Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has tested positive, per ESPN’s Tim McManus, and informed the team of that result on Sunday evening.

The team confirmed the news shortly after.

Assistant head coach Duce Staley will take over in-house head coaching responsibilities, while Pederson continues to work virtually while he quarantines, per Jeff McLane.

The good news is that he’s asymptomatic, but the 52-year-old Pederson’s positive test represents just how massive an undertaking this is for the league, and how difficult it will be to pull off a season. A head coach testing positive offers just as serious a chance at an internal outbreak as he conducts meetings with other coaches and interacts with players and executive personnel. On top of that, a head coach potentially having to miss games represents another potential in-season hurdle the league would have to figure out how to clear, even if that case is somehow isolated.

Hopefully Pederson’s case remains asymptomatic and he is cleared to return in the relatively near future, but as test results from around the league continue be released, the reality of the situation for the NFL becomes increasingly clear of just how massive an undertaking this all is — and precarious a position the season’s start is in.

There has been a concerted effort from players and coaches during the NBA and WNBA restarts to keep attention on the issues of social justice whenever possible. Most every player availability features some sort of statement on the racial injustice the Black community faces, calls for the police who killed Breonna Taylor to be arrested, and/or calls for people to get out and vote.

Jaylen Brown has been one of the most prominent voices in speaking out against racial injustice in recent months, as the Celtics third-year star wing has taken on a leadership role in the league and the community. During the bubble, Brown has used his press conferences to call attention to issues he finds critical, encouraging people to get out and vote and, on Sunday, taking some time to lay out why he appreciates the league allowing players to peacefully protest during the anthem — and why the anthem itself is an example of systemic racism in the United States

“I want to address the national anthem. I want to show my solidarity to the NBA and Adam Silver for allowing us to peacefully protest some of the injustices that we felt. Proud of the Boston Celtics as well. Angela Davis once said that racism is so dangerous not because of individual actors but because it’s deeply embedded in the apparatus. I think about that quote a lot when I think about the national anthem, which was written by Francis Scott Key, who was a slave owner. When we talk about the national anthem we don’t talk a lot about the third verse that was written, which addresses slavery, mentions there’s no hope for a “hierling” or a slave but the gloom of the grave. So, racism is so deeply embedded in our country that people don’t even flinch or even shift at the idea, it kind of is what it is. It’s not the police officers or police brutality — it is, all of that is important — but it’s also the framework that starts systemic oppression, and that’s starting with the national anthem. I think being able to take a knee is appropriate, and it may not even be enough. But I’m proud of the NBA for being a part of the right side of how people feel.”

That third verse Brown references goes as follows.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Brown’s point is to show how deeply ingrained racism is in America and why the steps to eradicate must go so much farther than many are willing to admit. He continues to come to his postgame pressers not just wanting to talk about these issues, but is well prepared with examples to help prove his point. His comments are based in fact and he presents those to back up his points, which make them all the more powerful and make them impossible to ignore.

The Orlando Magic have been one of the teams that has looked the strongest out of the gate in the NBA restart, having dispatched of the Nets with ease in their opener and were dominating the Kings by 30 in the fourth quarter of their second game.

Orlando is seeking a 7-seed in the East, which would set up a second straight first round series with Toronto, and with Jonathan Isaac making a surprise return to the team, they’ve looked like a team that could at least give a good team a spot of bother in a first round series. Isaac is the Magic’s top defensive player and was looking to get back in rhythm and make an impact for Orlando in the restart after missing all of 2020 with a knee injury suffered on January 1.

Unfortunately, during their blowout of the Kings on Sunday evening, Isaac appeared to re-injure that same left knee that was in a brace on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter. Isaac split two Kings defenders but when his left foot hit the ground to take off to the basket, his knee buckled to the inside and he collapsed to the floor.

The Magic training staff would bring a wheelchair out to take the young star big man to the locker room, as he writhed in pain on the floor.

It is a devastating injury for a player who had just made his return to the floor and hoped to get back into rhythm after getting four extra months of rehab before the restart. We will provide an update on his status when one becomes available on the specific details of this injury, but for now we will hope that it isn’t as severe as it looked.

When the NBA announced its plans for the eight-game seeding round prior to the playoffs, with a play-in series for the eight seed in each conference if the ninth place team is within four games, the focus of most went to the Western Conference race. The Grizzlies had a 3.5 game edge on Portland, New Orleans, and Sacramento, while the Spurs and Suns were also lurking, but with little expectation of leapfrogging their way into contention.

However, a slow start for the Grizzlies, Kings, Blazers, and Pelicans, has suddenly allowed San Antonio, despite the absence of LaMarcus Aldridge, to move into ninth just two games behind Memphis for eighth after back-to-back wins over Sacramento and, on Sunday evening, Memphis. The Spurs beat Memphis 108-106 in a game in which they lead for most of the game, but did see the Grizzlies claw their way back to tie it with 10 seconds to go.

Jaren Jackson Jr., who has emerged as one of the league’s best shooting big men in his second year, hit a ridiculous three-pointer from the corner on an inbounds play to tie things, but on the ensuing possession, DeMar DeRozan used his wily veteran tricks to get Dillon Brooks in the air on a pumpfake to earn two free throws with just a second to play.

DeRozan made his two free throws — after having just missed a pair to give Memphis a chance to tie — and a Jackson deep three from the top of the key bounced harmlessly off the backboard on the Grizzlies last gasp attempt. The loss moved Memphis to 0-2 in the restart, having also lost to Portland in the opener, and the four teams who came in eighth and ninth in the West are now 1-6 in their opening games (with Sacramento on down 21 to Orlando in the first half at the time of writing).

That’s opened the door for San Antonio to suddenly take control of their destiny in the bubble, which has to be the nightmare situation for the NBA. The Spurs are solid, if unspectacular, and in a West race filled with young budding stars, the league was surely hoping to see those players take center stage. Instead, it’s the team with the league’s longest playoff streak that is threatening to extend it, behind the play of DeRozan, who was dismal for much of Sunday’s game before coming to life late with some huge baskets, and a mixture of young talent in Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, and veterans like Rudy Gay.

Murray paced the Spurs on Sunday with 21 points and 10 assists, while white filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, seven rebounds, and six dimes. DeRozan had just 14 points, but they came when it counted most, including this preposterous shot over a textbook contest from Jaren Jackson Jr.

It maybe shouldn’t be a surprise that the Spurs and Blazers, two teams with the biggest leading veteran presences in the West race, have looked the most solid out of the gates. The Pelicans, Kings, and Grizzlies all fed off of the energy, momentum, and confidence they gained during regular season runs and now have to find a way to manufacture that again. San Antonio, meanwhile, plods along steadily and the Blazers look solid, even with a loss to Boston on Sunday that was not for a lack of effort in coming back from 24 down to take a late lead.

There was plenty of fascination entering the seeding round with the race for eighth in the West, but now it’s only become more of a jumbled mess, with the Spurs and Blazers separated by just a half game and New Orleans and Sacramento desperate to stop the bleeding and get back into the mix, 1.5 back of Sacramento.

It’s safe to say Elon Musk is almost certainly the world’s most eccentric billionaire, from his weird baby names to getting high with Joe Rogan to sharing beliefs that shock his also famous wife, Grimes. So perhaps you didn’t bat an eye if you caught him tweeting an old, tired claim: that the Egyptian pyramids, some of the wonders of the world, were built not by humans, but by aliens.

But there were some people who did bat their eyes: Egyptian officials. As per the BBC, Musk’s tweet — which simply read “Aliens built the pyramids obv,” seemingly apropos of nothing — was politely attacked by Egyptian Minister of International Co-operation Rania al-Mashat, who urged the entrepreneur to maybe do some research before disseminating easily debunked urban legends to his 37.4 million followers.

“I follow your work with a lot of admiration,” Mashat tweeted to Musk. “I invite you & Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr. Musk, we are waiting for you.”

Musk’s tweet also received pushback from Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who responded with a short video in Arabic. In it, he says (as translated by EgyptToday), “I found the tombs of the pyramids builders that tell everyone that the builders of the pyramids are Egyptians and they were not slaves.”

To his credit, when confronted, Musk relented, even tweeting out some helpful info to off-set his previous tall claims.

Though it’s incredibly easy to not reiterate claims of alien interference repeated in the 1994 blockbuster Stargate, the details of how the pyramids at Giza were constructed remains a mystery. Their purpose, however, is clear: They were intended as massive tombs to their mighty pharaohs. So even if you didn’t learn anything didn’t already know, at least Elon Musk did.

(Via BBC)

Throughout his basketball career Michael Jordan has been criticized for not letting his voice be heard when it came to political change. That does not appear to be the case anymore. In the month of June alone, Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand have donated $100 million dollars to organizations committed to race equality. A portion of the funds will be allocated to organizations helping to protect black voting rights.

In the latest announcement, Jordan himself and his Jordan Brand are investing $2.5 in organizations to help combat Black voter suppression. In a statement from the Jordan Brand, it was announced: $1 million dollars is being donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. and $1 million to the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People and Families Movement. The Black Voters Matter organization will receive $500,000 in the statement which was first reported by CNN.

In his own statement, Jordan says, “I’m all in with Jordan Brand, the Jordan family and our partners, who share a commitment to address the historical inequality that continues to plague Black communities in the U.S. There is a long history of oppression against Black Americans that holds us back from full participation in American society. We understand that one of the main ways we can change systemic racism is at the polls. We know it will take time for us to create the change we want to see, but we are working quickly to take action for the Black community’s voice to be heard,”

Examples of voter suppression range from uneven voting resource allocations to denying the right to vote for felons who have served their sentence. According to NBC News, the lawmakers who denied ex-felons voting rights said that it was up to them to decide when their sentence was complete. Third-party groups that register people to vote can also be charged with criminal penalties if the forms arrive with a mistake or are incomplete.

Back in June, Jordan made it clear he was personally moved by the protests around the country sparked by the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis.

However, it wasn’t always like that. During his playing career, Jordan once infamously joked that “Republicans by shoes too,” when asked why he didn’t leverage his global celebrity for cultural and political causes. Back in 2000, Jordan did endorse Bill Bradley’s run for president but that was largely seen as stemming from Jordan’s professional ties to Bradley, a former NBA star. Jordan also largely stayed silent during the late 1990’s when Nike came under fire for its labor practices and questions over alleged sweatshop labor.

In 2015, Jordan was called out in an ESPN article for his lack of philanthropy. The truth is Michael Jordan has given to over 20 charities including the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the Special Olympics and the United Negro College Fund.

On the court, Michael Jordan led by example. He has said that he never asked anything of a teammate that he wouldn’t do himself. Let’s hope that the ones who can afford to help are inspired by the likes of Jordan, LeBron James, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to name a few. Whether it is donating money or volunteering, let’s all be a little more like Mike.

Seth Rogen is in the middle of a strange controversy right now over comments he made that seemed to question the legitimacy of Israel — words he may have made in jest. Perhaps that’s why some people missed another big revelation the actor and filmmaker made while promoting his HBO movie An American Pickle: Hollywood, it seems, wasn’t interested in a sequel to one of his biggest hits, Pineapple Express.

As caught by Entertainment Weekly, Rogen was speaking to Howard Stern, and the two got on the subject of the 2008 movie that arguably proved the fame he acquired after Knocked Up was no fluke. A “weed action-comedy,” as Rogen put it, the film paired him and fellow Freaks and Geeks alum James Franco as a stoner and his dealer who get embroiled in some dangerous mayhem. It was a smash, which these days automatically leads to a sequel, a franchise, etc. But 2008 seems to have been a very different time. When Rogen and team circled back, they had the door slammed in their faces.

“We tried to make one and thanks to the Sony hack you can actually find the email when Sony decided to kill the movie and not make it,” Rogen told Stern, referring to 2014 incident when Wikileaks published oft-shocking emails stolen from the super-company. “So, it was something we were very open to several years ago but Sony was not that interested in it.”

Why on earth did Sony not want a Pineapple Express 2? Rogen has one theory. “I think we probably wanted too much money,” Rogen said. “Studios, they don’t like giving away money. Weird thing.”

But don’t cry too hard for Rogen, et al. He’s had plenty of hits since then, and he and Franco even returned to Sony for a movie that nearly caused an international incident: the Kim Jong-un satire The Interview. Meanwhile, supporting player Danny McBride and director David Gordon Green recently collaborated on the latest Halloween reboot whose sequel you’ll have to wait till next year to see.

Rogen also reflected upon how unique Pineapple Express was then (and, one could argue, now). “It’s a tough genre,” Rogen added. “When we made Pineapple Express there were not a lot of great weed movies. As we would tell people we were making a weed action movie, they looked at us like we were f*cking so stupid and crazy.”

(Via EW)