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Justin Townes Earle, the son of country music legend Steve Earle and a respected and beloved musician in his own right, has died at 38 years old. The cause of death has not yet been shared publicly.

The news was confirmed in a post on Earle’s Facebook page, which reads, “It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin. So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys. You will be missed dearly Justin.” The post then quotes Earle’s lyrics from “Looking For A Place To Land,” which appears on his 2015 album Absent Fathers: “I’ve crossed oceans / Fought freezing rain and blowing sand / I’ve crossed lines and roads and wondering rivers / Just looking for a place to land.”

Earle’s debut album was 2007’s Yuma, and he went on to find success from there. Between 2009 and 2017, he released a number of albums that approached the top of Billboard‘s indie, rock, and folk charts. That includes No. 3 peaks on the Folk Albums chart for 2010’s Harlem River Blues and 2014’s Single Mothers, as well as another No. 3 summit on the Independent Albums chart for 2017’s Kids In The Street. The final album Earle released during his lifetime (and eighth overall) was 2019’s The Saint Of Lost Causes.

In a 2019 interview, Earle reflected on his shortcomings and strengths, saying, “I’ve been committed to music since I was 15 years old. I’m a good father. I taught my daughter to cuss when the Cubs lose — she’s an Earle, so she’ll be fine. I’m a good father, but I’m a sh*tty husband. I’m built for the road; I don’t know what the hell to do at home. But you know what? I never said I’d be good at any of that. Nobody can ever ask me to stop doing what I do. If you want to do what I do — like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark — you’re committed to it. Everybody else around you has to understand that.”

Revisit our 2017 interview with Earle here.

The Democratic National Convention was held last week, and during Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver pointed out a few issues with the multi-day celebration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The DNC “spent the week steering hard toward middle of the road,” Oliver said, noting that instead of highlighting party stars like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “a lot of time was given to Republicans,” including Meg Whitman and Colin Powell (leading to the resurgence of this photo). “It’s hard to convince progressive voters that you’re a forward-looking party when your convention feels like a Zoom cast reunion except the show is the 2008 RNC,” he noted.

Oliver also observed that Biden’s warmly received speech played it safe, and “while he name-checked broad goals like expanding child care or ending racism, the speech was light on detail… Normally, I’d point out that compassion and decency are not concrete policy agendas, but considering open authoritarianism is also on the ballot, sure what the fuck? Adequate vs. evil, let’s go,” as photos of Biden and Trump appeared onscreen:

“I’m honestly not saying it’s a mistake for the DNC to spend four days pointing out that Joe Biden’s not Donald Trump. It’s a very attractive quality. But, spending so much of their convention underscoring Trump’s unfitness for office may have been redundant given that Trump spent the entire week basically making that case for them, by continuing to sow distrust of voting by mail, calling for a boycott of an American company that employs over 60,000 workers, and refusing to disavow the QAnon conspiracy theory.”

Oliver ended the segment by saying that he hopes “the DNC’s strategy this week of wooing undecided voters with the star power of John Kasich and Meg Whitman pays off. Because if the Democrats just spent a week trying to appear to conservatives who ultimately end up voting Republican, then this will actually turn out to be a depressingly conventional convention.” You can watch the full episode here.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

Nas recently found himself in a fued with Doja Cat due to his new song “Ultra Black,” on which he raps, “We going ultra black, unapologetically black / The opposite of Doja Cat, Michael Blackson black.” While it may seem evident that he was attacking Doja with his words, Nas says that actually wasn’t the case at all.

He recently spoke with Hit-Boy on Power 106, and the rapper insisted his line about Doja was just lyrical wordplay, saying, “I just really was saying a rhyme that rhymed with ‘Ultra Black.’ I rhymed that word with ‘ultra black,’ I didn’t even think of it. It’s all love, you know what I’m sayin’? It’s all love. […] It’s bars, it’s just lines. We play with words.”

Doja previously offered a reaction to the controversy, and she didn’t let on that she was bothered by it. She said in her response, with the song playing in the background, “I am so offended and upset about this song. Have you guys heard ‘Fruit Salad’ by The Wiggles?” She later made a Nas-related observation about her upcoming music, saying, “The song that I have coming out is called ‘Nas,’ but only if you abbreviate it. It’s three words. It’s funny, because that was before the fact. If you know what I’m talking about, you know what I’m talking about.”

After blowing out the Nuggets in Game 3 on Friday, the Utah Jazz entered Sunday night’s Game 4 with a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over 3-seeded Denver.

The Nuggets, backs against the wall, weren’t going to roll over and came out with a new starting five, moving Monte Morris and Jerami Grant in for Torrey Craig and Michael Porter Jr, and followed the lead of their two stars to make things very difficult for Utah. Murray had 50 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in a virtuoso performance, but in a reversal of Game 1, this time it was Donovan Mitchell who got to hand someone a loss in a career-night. Mitchell, for the second time this series, dropped 51 on the Jazz and continues to assert himself as one of the playoff’s most dominant offensive forces, and this time his Herculean effort went towards a 129-127 victory.

The Jazz took a 3-1 series lead with the victory, but Denver showed great fight and proved they won’t just hand Utah the series. Here are our three takeaways from Sunday night’s thriller.

1. The shot-making in the Bubble is absurd

It’s been a theme throughout the playoffs, but this game really highlighted just how amazing the shot-making has been in Orlando. Murray and Mitchell weren’t walking into wide open looks all night and while there’s something to be said for some defensive woes for both teams (we’ll get to that in a moment), a lot of what we saw on Sunday was just great offense. Murray was making seemingly everything he tossed up from deep, no matter which direction he came off the bounce, and was simply willing his team into the game.

For Mitchell, it was the same story on the other side as he carved up the Denver defense and even when they got a solid closeout and contest, he buried shots between their eyes.

Those two young star guards exemplified the shot-making we’ve seen in the Bubble — see also: Luka Doncic v. Kawhi Leonard and Lou Williams from earlier today. There are shooters gyms in Orlando and we’re reaping the rewards in the form of some all-time performances, and it’s just a blast to soak it all in.

2. The Nuggets defense is a problem (and not in the good, snorting emojis way)

There’s certainly a point where you just have to tip your cap to Mitchell and company, but it’s just way too easy for a Jazz offense that no one would’ve confused with an elite group prior to the playoffs. Mitchell has stepped his game up in a massive way, but it’s too easy for him to get into a rhythm. The Nuggets have tried everything against him, but simply don’t have the personnel to bother him for 48 minutes. They miss Gary Harris desperately as they don’t have anyone that can apply consistent pressure to Mitchell on the ball without fouling and also without giving up a lot on offense (both of which are problems for Torrey Craig).

There’s almost no one capable of protecting the rim, as no one confuses Jokic with a strong defender, and those issues shone brightly down the stretch as they didn’t get a single stop in the final three minutes of the game. It doesn’t matter how great your offense is, if you can’t get one (1) stop when you need it, you stand no chance long-term. Denver might be able to shoot their way into another win, but it’s hard to see how this series goes much further than six with the Nuggets defense the way it is.

3. The Jazz might have a path to the conference finals

It was almost unfathomable to think of a week ago given what this offense looked like without Bojan Bogdanovic, but with Mike Conley coming to life in the Bubble, some great play from Jordan Clarkson, and the leap forward taken by Donovan Mitchell, this is suddenly a team that looks extremely formidable. They’ll face either the Clippers or the Mavs in the second round as that series is tied at 2-2, and neither of those defenses has looked especially formidable. Luka Doncic is torching the Clippers vaunted perimeter defense on a nightly basis, and while it’s taking spectacular efforts from him to gut out wins, Mitchell is showing he’s capable of similar brilliance. Depth remains a question, but Quin Snyder has pressed all the right buttons in this series, finding a defensive gem in Juwan Morgan, and their starters have been blistering the Nuggets all series. A lot of this comes down to Mitchell continuing to play like a top 10 player in the NBA, but so far he’s looked the part through four games of this series and he will enter the second round with immense confidence he can continue on this pace.

While the NBA’s schedule for the restarted playoffs has room for every series to go a full seven games, that won’t be a necessity in every instance, as evidenced by the Raptors and Celtics both sweeping their first round opponents this week.

With both teams finishing off their opening series on Sunday evening in Orlando, the league was not going to make them both wait a full week to begin Round 2. Instead, the two teams will meet beginning Thursday, even as some first round series (like Mavs-Clippers) continue. The league announced the full schedule for their highly anticipated second round series on Sunday night, with times and TV network designations still to come.

It will be interesting to see when the league puts those second round tip times if Clippers-Mavs and Nuggets-Jazz continue to six or seven games. One would expect a series involving the Celtics and the defending champs to earn relative top billing even if the other series are hotly contested still. It also sets up the winner of that series to, potentially, earn a bit of a rest advantage over whomever makes it to the conference finals, as the Bucks still must play a Game 5 against the Magic before all-but assuredly squaring off with the Miami Heat in Round 2.

As expected, the Toronto Raptors sent the Brooklyn Nets packing on Sunday night in Orlando, finishing off a dominant four-game sweep with a thorough 150-122 win in Game 4.

Norm Powell and Serge Ibaka led the way for the Raptors with 29 points and 27 points respectively off the bench, as the starters got much of the night off once Toronto took control of the game — Pascal Siakam, who finished with 20 points and 10 assists, was the only player who logged over 30 minutes. Powell was tremendous and the Raptors were able to flaunt their depth in the win, scoring 100 bench points and seeing six players in double figures (and three more with nine points) en route to the highest scoring game in Raptors postseason history.

There is some reason for concern for the Raptors despite the impressive showing, as Kyle Lowry left the game in the first quarter after rolling his left ankle and was taken to the Bubble’s MRI machine off-site. The hope, of course, is that he’ll avoid a serious ankle injury and will be able to be at full strength when they tip-off their second round series with Boston, who likewise finished off a sweep on Sunday afternoon.

The Lowry injury put a damper on an otherwise spectacular performance from a Raptors team that continues to roll right along, looking as cohesive a team as there is in the Bubble. Now they’ll face a stern test in a Celtics team that is likewise playing excellent ball and will throw a perimeter trio at them that is arguably as good as any three-man unit in the league with Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum. The Raptors boast their own triumverate on the outside with Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Siakam, and the battle of those stars figures to play heavily into the series outcome.

However, even if those six players wash each other out, Toronto is banking on the fact that their role players can get the job done and keep the train rolling along on both ends to be the big difference in a series with Boston. On Sunday we got a reminder of just how deep their bench goes and what those guys are capable of when called upon, and this second round matchup figures to be a must-watch battle between two terrific teams.

Game 4 of the Nets-Raptors first round series didn’t have much in the way of intrigue with Toronto holding a 3-0 series lead and having dispatched of Brooklyn with relative ease in the first three games.

The main task at hand for the Raptors was putting away the Nets while staying sharp for their upcoming second round series with Boston. Unfortunately, things took a wrong turn in the first quarter for Toronto when Kyle Lowry rolled his left ankle stepping on the foot of a Brooklyn defender and, after trying to continue playing, almost immediately had to ask out and headed to the locker room for evaluation.

The initial update from the Raptors didn’t provide much in the way of information on the severity of the injury, noting his availability for the rest of Game 4 was still to be determined — but it was later announced he would not return.

One expected, given the Raptors 3-0 series lead and the talent discrepancy even without Lowry, they would err on the side of caution here and so his day being done isn’t necessarily an indication of something too severe. With a second round matchup against the Celtics looming after Boston capped off a sweep of the Sixers earlier in the day, Toronto will need Lowry as healthy as possible given Boston’s strength in the backcourt, and keeping him from aggravating his injury further is the prudent move.

Later in the second quarter, the team confirmed Lowry had left the arena to go get an MRI on his ankle.

In case his performances in the first three games of the series weren’t enough, Luka Doncic announced his arrival on the NBA’s biggest stage with an exclamation point on Sunday evening in Orlando. The second-year star had 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists, including burying the game-winner in overtime at the buzzer with a stepback three over Reggie Jackson after the Clippers had just taken a one-point advantage.

It was the kind of shot that lives on highlight reels for perpetuity, and it’s one that ensured everyone in the league took notice of what the Slovenian sensation is doing. That he did it against a Clippers team that most believe is one of the top three title contenders in the league — with some of the league’s best wing defenders — only further amplifies what he’s doing. Doncic is already on the shortlist of the league’s best players, and almost all of the others that populate that list were dialed in to his performance on Sunday.

When his stepback three dropped, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, and a whole host of NBA stars reacted like every fan at home, hopping on Twitter to share their thoughts and reaction to an unbelievable shot from a budding superstar in the league.

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1297664572883709953https://twitter.com/RealDealBeal23/status/1297663841329963011

It’s always cool to see the best in the league giving flowers to the next generation of stars when they are doing incredible things on the floor, and there’s little doubt Doncic will be providing jaw-dropping moments on the court for years to come.

The Mavericks entered Game 4 of their first round series with the Clippers down 2-1 and with their superstar Luka Doncic battling a sprained left ankle that had him listed as a gametime decision. Doncic would be cleared to play, but Dallas saw its other young star, Kristaps Porzingis, end up as a late scratch with knee soreness. To start the game, it looked like the Mavs playoff hopes might end up being squashed on Sunday afternoon.

The Clippers ran out to a 21-point lead in the mid-second quarter and there seemed to be little in the way of hope for the Mavs. Kawhi Leonard and Lou Williams led the way for the L.A. offense, as Williams erupted for his best performance of the Bubble, a positive sign for a team that could use his on-ball creation. However, the Mavs crept back into the game, closing the deficit to just eight at the half and then came out on a tear in the third quarter, led by Doncic, to take an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter.It was Leonard and Williams who pulled the Clippers back into the game down the stretch to force overtime, where L.A. took a late 133-132 lead after Leonard found Marcus Morris Sr. in the corner for the go-ahead bucket with nine seconds to play.

But this was a game where Doncic was not going to be denied, as the Slovenian superstar had 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists. His final act was one of sheer brilliance, as he took the inbound on the Mavs final possession, got to his spot deep on the left wing, and drilled a stepback game-winner between the eyes of Reggie Jackson to give Dallas a 135-133 victory and even the series at 2-2.

Doncic’s performance all night was sublime, as he kept Dallas ahead late in the fourth quarter with a pair of deep threes, and even played some strong defense on Paul George.

He had a few ridiculous passes, as we’ve come to expect from the young All-Star, and he went toe to toe with one of the game’s very best in Leonard, who, while George remains lost in the wilderness, showed in Game 4 why he’s still so hard to beat. Leonard hit big buckets late in the fourth and to open overtime, while also putting the clamps on Doncic on a couple key late possessions.

On this Sunday evening, it was Doncic’s time to shine as he showed little in the way of ill-effects of his sprained ankle on the court and powered this Mavs team — with some big help from Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke — past tremendous outings from Leonard and Williams, who combined for 68 points in the loss.

John Oliver has a tendency to go off. Each episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight finds the former Daily Show correspondent zeroing in on an important subject and unrelentingly calling out those he thinks makes life for all of us worse than it is already. He’s also prone to absurdist asides. One of those came during Oliver’s most recent episode, when he singled out a Connecticut city for scorn and wound up getting met in kind by its current mayor.

This comes from The Hollywood Reporter, who noted that Oliver had brought up Danbury, Connecticut during an episode about racial disparities in jury selection. While speaking about how Danbury is one of many sources of this problem, he made sure to get in a little dig as well. “If you’re going to forget a town in Connecticut, why not forget Danbury?” Oliver said. “Because, and this is true, f*ck Danbury!”

One person not amused — or rather, willing to throw clap back — was Danbury mayor Mark Boughton, who responded with a more long-lasting gag. In a tongue-in-cheek video posted to Facebook, Boughton said he was going to name the local sewage plant after the Last Week Tonight host.

“We are going to rename it the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant,” the Republican mayor said. “Why? Because it’s full of crap just like you, John.”

For the record, Oliver did have a few nice things to say about Danbury before he sounded off. He noted its “charming railway museum” and its “historic Hearthstone Castle.” He also pointed out some of its achievements. “I know exactly three things about Danbury,” Oliver said. “USA Today ranked it the second-best city to live in in 2015, it was once the center of the American hat industry and if you’re from there, you have a standing invite to come get a thrashing from John Oliver — children included — f*ck you.”

Anyway, congrats? Then again, maybe this isn’t the best way to respond to accusations of racial disparity in jury selection.

(Via THR)