Category: Worldwide

Lucille Bridges has passed away at the age of 86.

Lucille Bridges was the mother of Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to go to school in the newly integrated school system in Louisiana in 1960. At six years old, little Ruby Bridges had to be accompanied by a team of U.S. marshals and walk through crowds of angry white adults screaming racist hate at her just to go to school. She learned in a classroom with a kind teacher who was kind, but with zero other students because none of the white parents of the white kids would allow them to go to class with her.

The more you read of Ruby Bridges’ story, the more mind-blowingly awful it becomes. The viciousness of people’s hatred was palpable. The videos of the rabid mobs of outright racists yelling at a first grader are heartbreaking. The fact Ruby Bridges says the only time she felt scared was when a woman showed her a black baby doll in a coffin is both disturbing and at testament to Ruby’s innate courage.

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I grew up hearing Ruby Bridges’ story and looking at the experience through her eyes. It’s hard to imagine how resilient she had to be. Seeing racist hatred through the eyes of a first grader is awful enough.

But seeing Ruby Bridges’ experience through Lucille Bridges’ eyes makes it so much worse.

Until you’re a parent, you don’t truly understand how much pain you experience on your children’s behalf. As a parent, you feel what your children feel. Their joy is your joy. Their pain is your pain. When my own kids are suffering, I suffer right along with them. It just comes with the territory.

But you also have an instinct to protect your children from harm. You know they have to go through difficulties to grow, but you still try to protect the from genuine danger.

So to imagine what it must have been like for Lucille Bridges to walk her little girl through the screaming racists hoards is unfathomable. The fear and frustration she must have felt for her child, as well as for herself. The anger she must have swallowed. The pride and dignity she had to pull forth and put on display. The sheer, unrelenting exhaustion of it all.

Then add to that wondering if she and her husband were doing right by Ruby. We all worry about the decisions we make for our children. In hindsight it’s easy to see the Bridges’ courage and conviction as vital threads in the now iconic civil rights movement, but in the moment it had to have been a grueling decision. Ruby’s father had reservations about it—it was Lucille who insisted that Ruby get the opportunity for equal education—and not just for her, but for all Black children. She knew the importance of what they were doing. And not only was she willing to do it, but she was able to instill into Ruby the character qualities she needed to be able to withstand it all.

My Story: Mrs. Lucille Bridges (The Power of Children)

www.youtube.com

Ruby Bridges shared a short tribute to her mother in her announcement of her passing on Instagram. She wrote, “Today our country lost a hero. Brave, progressive, a champion for change. She helped alter the course of so many lives by setting me out on my path as a six year old little girl. Our nation lost a Mother of the Civil Rights Movement today. And I lost my mom. I love you and am grateful for you. May you Rest In Peace.”

Rest in peace and power, Mrs. Bridges. Thank you for your leonine heart that pushed us forward as a nation and served as an example of strength and bravery to us all.

The Crown has proven itself, over the course of three seasons so far, to be frustratingly addictive even for viewers who otherwise don’t invest energy in thinking about royals. It’s Netflix’s crown jewel, jam-packed with talent, a prestige sheen, and production values out the bum (as the Brits say), but yes, it’s essentially a soap opera about the monarchy. So, I still feel a little bit aghast to be seduced by the lavish and voyeuristic aspects of the show. Yet one really needn’t feel guilty about enjoying it. The show gives an admittedly fictionalized peek behind the stuffy curtain to see exactly how the most upper-crusty of Brits interact, and it’s a weirdly relaxing watch. Get ready, though, because The Crown‘s fourth-round takes some sharp detours. Bye-bye, comfort, and hello, chaos.

Granted, we’ve seen some mayhem along the way, as with Vanessa Kirby’s rage-filled incarnation of Princess Margaret. With time, Helena Bonham Carter’s Margaret grew content with her place among the royal hierarchy and found amusement where possible. Yet in the late 1970s, Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor) isn’t handling his similar situation well. With the introduction of two movers and shakers, it quickly becomes apparent that the Windsor fairy tale is about to crumble, and Downing Street’s not doing so hot either.

Welcome to the era of Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) and Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson), neither of whom fit in with the long-standing, carefully-crafted veneer that they experience in their dealings with the royal family. Things get dark, which is to be expected, given what the world already knew about Diana’s soul-deep unhappiness despite (and partially due to) the public’s embrace of her refreshing ways, but boy, the show does not shy away from the strategic and tactical decisions that made the Iron Lady such a deeply unpopular figure.

Telling the tales of these two polarizing women, and how they measured up against the public’s perception of Queen Elizabeth, was a careful needle to thread. That’s especially the case because The Crown has never explicitly taken a pro- or anti-monarchy stance, but there are shades of judgment now, and the monarchy was never quite the same following this era. While this transformation goes down, Olivia Colman’s resolute portrayal of The Queen (which followed a slightly breezier but still stoic take by Claire Foy) continues, but it’s telling to see where she lands on the Diana-Thatcher spectrum. If the show wanted to play by Goldilocks standards, Diana could be considered “too soft” and Thatcher “too hard” with Elizabeth falling in the middle as some sort of “ideal.”

That would be too easy, though. Viewers of this show are well aware of Diana’s ultimately tragic, 1990s fate (while fleeing from paparazzi in Paris). The show doesn’t go there this season, but what Diana endures isn’t pretty. Her coping mechanisms, likewise, are self-punishing ones and fueled by Charles’ behavior as a scorn-filled spouse and total cad. In sharp contrast, Diana’s embraced by the public for her decidedly un-Windsor ways, which only perpetuates the cycle. It’s impressive, really, how the show finally allows the British royals to show their asses, and it took Diana to make it happen. Not that she wanted it to be that way, but The Crown does not hold back while pointing the finger at how wolves were allowed to descend, and the Queen let it happen.

While it’s difficult in 2020 to feel sorry for any reality-based figure — due to current events with massive economic repercussions — who sits in a so-called “gilded cage,” The Crown gets the job done with Diana. She’s utterly miserable and left without much recourse, all in the name of royal succession. For her, the fairy tale collapses as soon as it began, which happens in lockstep with the Thatcher-fueled disillusion of the British people. An episode where Thatcherism’s effect on the poor arrives on the Queen’s doorstep feels difficult to watch but impossible to ignore. And Elizabeth’s response to a growing (and justifiable) movement against Thatcher results in remarkable maneuvering on the monarch’s behalf.

The Elizabeth-Margaret Thatcher dynamic (since the Diana-Charles one becomes quite grueling) actually turns out to be the most entertaining relationship of this season. Of course, the set up — both being female leaders who are the same age — is there to be f*cked with. Both women realize that they’re held to different standards than men. They will be accused of being difficult or argumentative in positions where men would be called “strong leaders.” And yes, their advisors and spouses very well expect the women to tear each other apart for sport. That doesn’t happen. Instead, we get a chess game that isn’t quite as freshly compelling as literal chess-drama The Queen’s Gambit, but it’s still invigorating to witness. The Queen is tasked with keeping up a certain set of appearances, while Thatcher can make more outwardly visible moves, but Olivia Colman has a ball while secretly jousting and adhering to the rule that the Queen’s never supposed to take a political position (but you know she does).

History tells us that Elizabeth’s reign has endured fourteen prime ministers thus far. Thatcher arrived smack in the middle of that order, so we know that Thatcher’s presence has an end date, but before that happens, England reaches pressure-cooker status. Seeing these two women learn to agree to disagree, and disagree to agree, is quite something. Thankfully, this is never played up in a sexist way, although politically speaking, it’s clear that England’s wretched position during this era will ease up, further down the line. However, Diana’s presence had an enduring effect upon the monarchy, and they don’t come off looking so great.

Look, all seasons of The Crown are very watchable, but Season 3 did dial back on dramatic momentum by being just fine but a bit of a placeholder. Some of the interpersonal focus, for example, focused on the Duke of Edinburgh’s masculinity crisis that was fueled by space-race envy. Giant rockets = penises, right? That was a silly story arc with very little consequence, but with Season 4, the stakes are higher across the board and the bingeworthiness returns. Spectacular performances go down. Corrin is heartbreaking during many moments, and Gillian Anderson is reaching out for an Emmy. She must have gone hoarse due to pulling off Thatcher’s distinctively authoritative (and some might even say authoritarian) tones. Yet there are moments where Britain’s first female prime minister is allowed, behind closed doors, to show emotion. It’s a startling contrast from her public persona, and this season feels resoundingly “human” while underscoring the inhumanity of some leaders’ behavior.

This season of The Crown‘s an intense one and driven by conflict, but it’s not all serious. There are, after all, silly parlor games to be witnessed at Balmoral. And Margaret’s still bringing the bawdiness, thank goodness, yet history pushes England forward, relentlessly at times, to vanquish the overall fairy tale of the Windsors as two more seasons beckon from the horizon.

Netflix’s fourth season of ‘The Crown’ streams on November 15.

Michael Bay may make the bro-iest action movies, arguably in history, but he’s often managed to attract a diverse group of non-bro-y actors. His last movie, the pricey Netflix thriller 6 Underground, starred goofball Ryan Reynolds, while his second-ever blockbuster, The Rock, co-starred an even-more-wigged-out-than-usual Nicolas Cage — hot off his Oscar win for Leaving Las Vegas, no less. His latest get is a good one, too: nice guy and occasional weirdo Jake Gyllenhaal.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the acclaimed actor is in talks to headline Ambulance, the latest powder keg of Bayhem. It sounds a touch smaller than the usual Michael Bay extravaganza, though its plot seems no less ridiculous. THR describes the plot like this: “The project is described as a three-hander that tells of two brothers that steal an ambulance that is already in a heightened state with a female paramedic and a patient who is in critical condition.” Gyllenhaal would play one of the brothers, with Dylan O’Brien circling the other. Eiza Gonzalez is also in talks.

It’s currently unclear who would be paying for it. Bay got Netflix to put up 6 Underground’s hefty budget after burning through arguably too many Transformer episodes, which got increasingly bizarre and, with The Last Knight, finally stopped making money. Will Bay tap into Gyllenhaal’s recent yen for wacky roles, some of which feature him singing about music? Here’s hoping.

(Via THR)

Let Him Go, in select theaters this past weekend from Focus Features, is an odd one. The producers clearly saw Kevin Costner and Diane Lane playing Ma and Pa Kent in those Superman movies and thought Costner/Lane as a married couple from the great plains was worth another 90 minutes or so. I can’t say I blame them, Costner/Lane do make effective avatars of homespun Americana, effortlessly evoking prairie populism and moral rectitude with one wizened squint towards the horizon, like Diane Arbus shooting a Viagra ad.

Which is to say: Let Him Go is strong on people and place. Costner and Lane play George and Margaret Blackledge, living on a farm in sixties Montana with their son, stepdaughter, and grandson, hooking us with setting. But soon as the story kicks in, it sort of falls apart. Let Him Go, adapted by director Thomas Bezucha from a Larry Watson novel, is a bit of a tweener, unable to find a balance between realism and genre pulp, playing like a weird mishmash of Yellowstone, Taken, and Tyler Perry. It comes off as not quite exciting enough for genre movie and not quite believable enough for cinema.

The Blackledges are a big happy family until one day, George and Margaret’s son falls off his horse and breaks his neck and dies. As if the heartbreak from a dead son wasn’t tragedy enough, they soon lose their new stepdaughter, Lorna (Kayli Carter) and grandson too (a big fat adorable baby) when Lorna goes off to live with her new husband, Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain). Margaret’s unease with Donnie is confirmed when she’s driving by one day and sees Donnie beat both his new wife and stepson.

Much as in a Tyler Perry movie where no character is ever forced to make a truly difficult decision and the audience need not ever ponder where they should stand, Let Him Go is almost entirely without nuance or subtext. When Lorna gets a new husband, we don’t like him already for taking away Margaret’s grandson. Before we can even process that, he’s also revealed to be a wife-beating child abuser, thereby absolving us of any empathy or uncertainty whatsoever. Well shucks, it sure is nice not to have to think!

At Margaret’s behest (she’s the stubborn one, you see) she and George eventually set out after Lorna and Donnie, who have mysteriously packed up and left town one night. George, a retired lawman, eventually tracks them to North Dakota, where they’ve gone to live with Donnie’s family, the Weboys, who are, according to the locals, not to be trifled with. But trifle they do, and George and Margaret eventually meet Blanche and Bill Weboy (Leslie Manville and Jeffrey Donovan) who immediately announce themselves as EVIL with shark-toothed smiles and lengthy Bond-villain monologues. It must be so disconcerting to meet someone who immediately starts vamping around the kitchen spilling whiskey and delivering their entire life story, can’t say it’s ever happened to me. The Blackledges, meanwhile, can’t even feign politeness. Which seems like both a strategic error on their part and not that interesting for us to watch.

White hats and black hats work better in a shoot-em-up. Let Him Go instead requires us to sit through less than believable conversation. It eventually gets to the shooting (and worse), but by then we’ve sort of lost interest. It’s a shame, because Kevin Costner and Diane Lane do look great as a cowboy couple, our idealized rural mom and dad. Turns out Let Him Go is better as a catalogue than it is a movie.

‘Let Him Go’ hit theaters November 6th. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

Rising Dallas rapper Mo3, whose real name is Melvin Noble, has died on Wednesday. The Dallas Police Department has confirmed that the rapper was shot while driving on Robert L. Thornton Freeway in Dallas, Texas.

According to CBS 11 News in Dallas, Mo3 was driving northbound on the freeway around 12pm local time when a car pulled up next to him. The suspect then stepped out of the vehicle with a gun and approached Noble’s vehicle. Officers say Noble stepped out of his car and began running southbound on the freeway before the gunman shot at him multiple times, with at least one round hitting him. TMZ reports that the fatal wound was a shot to the back of Mo3’s head.

An innocent bystander was also injured in the wave of gunshots, but they were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. News of Mo3’s death comes after a graphic video circulated on social media, showing Mo3 laying on his back while a bystander performed CPR.

This was apparently not the first time Mo3 was shot in recent months. Back in December, he had survived a bullet injury in his hand. Seconds after the shooting, Mo3 had taken to his Instagram stories to show his wound and assure people he was alright.

Mo3’s musical career was on a steady rise before his tragic death. He had just finished a stint of successful shows which had recently seen a sold-out crowd in Indianapolis. Mo3 was associated with Boosie Badazz’s label Bad Azz Music and the two even teamed up earlier this year for the 15-track LP Badazz MO3.

(via CBS 11 News and TMZ)

Hugh Grant has more range than he’s sometimes given credit for. You can currently see him being incredibly serious — and incredibly good — on the HBO’s The Undoing, opposite fellow Paddington baddie Nicole Kidman. But in the public eye, he’s still known as the type he’s played in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and others: witty, self-deprecating, stammering, and cartoonishly British. It’s a role he often leans into in his talk show appearances, even when — as on Tuesday night’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert — he was talking about what it was like to suffer through COVID-19.

As the pandemic seems to be exploding into another wave in the U.S., we could all use some levity, even gallows humor. Grant provided it. He surprised Colbert by revealing that he, and his wife, actually tested positive for the virus in the early days. He started off seriously but quickly turned to amplifying his Hugh Grant-ness.

“It started as just a very strange syndrome where I kept breaking into a terrible sweat. It was like a poncho of sweat. Embarrassing, really,” Grant recalled. “Then my eyeballs felt about three sizes too big and this feeling as though some enormous man was sitting on my chest — sort of Harvey Weinstein or someone.”

This was early days, mind you, back during the last winter, so when Grant realized he was one of the people who’d lost his sense of smell — as some who tested positive did — he was confused. “I thought, ‘I don’t know what this is,’” he said. “And then I was walking down the street one day and I thought, ‘I can’t smell a damn thing.’ And you start to panic.”

Grant said he then started smelling everything he could find. “I started sniffing flowers, nothing,” he said. “And you get more and more desperate. I started sniffing in garbage cans. You know, you want to sniff strangers’ armpits because you just can’t smell anything.”

“I eventually went home and sprayed my wife’s Chanel No. 5 directly into my face,” he added. “Couldn’t smell a thing. But I did go blind!”

It’s classic Hugh Grant. It just happens to be about a highly contagious pandemic that has made 2020 one of the worst on record. But we need some quality humor now, so thank you, Hugh.

You can watch the full interview above. The stuff about COVID starts around the 3:20 mark.

After an admittedly slow week, SNX DLX is back with not just a top-five but a top-six! Six dope sneaker drops in one SNX DLX? Believe it, folks. The weeks ahead are either going to feed us some of the year’s best colorways or we’re going to hit a sharp decline until 2021. But considering the sustained drops during the pandemic, we’re going to bet on the former.

This week, we’ve got amazing colorways out of Nike, a dual drop of Yeezys, and what may go down as Supreme’s final brand collaboration before their $2.5 billion dollar sale goes through. On the apparel end, we’ve got a light week — with collections from Stüssy and Comme des Garçons and a winter-focused Palace drop that should have us well equipped for cold weather.

Let’s dive into the best sneaker and apparel drops of the week!

Nike SB Dunk Low Elephant

This is the type of release that alienates people from diving into the sneaker game. The Nike SB Dunk Low Elephant is a colorway Nike should be dropping on their main site, it’s not a cross-brand collaboration, so why Nike? Why limit one of the best SB Dunk colorways to a small release through skate shops and Nike Orange Label retailers like Berrics Canteen?

That move ensures that a lot of people won’t be able to get their hands on a pair of these and that’s unfortunate. You just can’t beat a liberal use of elephant print with a bright teal swoosh. It just dope, through and through. (And yes, we get the exclusivity/rareness factor that Nike is trying for here.)

The Nike SB Dunk Low Elephant is set to drop on November 11th for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair at The Berrics Canteen or other Nike Orange Label retailers.

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Adidas Yeezy 700 V3 Safflower

Ye makes two types of Yeezys. There are the ’90s-influenced earthy barf colored sneakers, ala The Powerphase, or the Wave Runners. And there are the alien-looking futuristic silhouettes, like the 350s, 380s, and 500s. The 700 V3 lands in that latter camp.

The Safflower is dressed in a mix of white, grey, and tans, and is the first 700 V3 to use Ye’s dusty Calabasas color palette, as all the 700 V3s to date have utilized more stark combinations. We’re loving this change-up.

The Adidas Yeezy 700 V3 Safflower is set to drop on November 14th for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair at Yeezy Supply or through the Adidas webstore.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 Fade

Lately, Ye has been borrowing some of the colorway ideas from the V1 BOOST 350s and applying them to the V2, which is resulting in some of the best designs for the silhouette to date. The 350 V2 Fade uses a heavily woven look on its Primeknit upper with a stripe that resembles denim and pairs nicely with the haphazard patterning it’s laid against.

Unfortunately for us, this one is an Asia Pacific market exclusive. This means you’re going to pay a chunk of change in shipping or you’ll have to grab this one from a reseller. So far, there is no indication that a stateside release is coming, either — so don’t hold your breath.

The Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 Fade is set to drop in November 12th for a retail price of $220. Pick up a pair at Yeezy Supply or through aftermarket sites like StockX.

Air Jordan 1 CO.JP Midnight Navy

I will not stop beating on this drum: the best Nike colorways come from Japan, specifically the CO.JP branded label.

This week sees the release of the Midnight Navy colorway, which dropped a month ago in Japan and Europe and features navy nubuck leather paneling over a pure white leather upper with a metallic silver swoosh and Air Jordan emblem. Easily a top tier colorway for the Jordan 1.

The Air Jordan 1 CO.JP Midnight Navy is set to drop on November 14th for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app or Nice Kicks.

Nike Dunk High Pure Platinum

The Nike Dunk is experiencing a bit of renaissance in the sneaker world, this we’ve seen the Chunky Dunkies, the Grateful Dead Dunks, and now we’re getting an ultra-clean Pure Platinum colorway of the Dunk High. This drop is so fire that we’re hoping it kicks off a high-top Dunk renaissance in 2021 to match the steady clip of Dunk Lows we’ve been getting in 2020.

The Pure Platinum features a premium white leather upper with a platinum wrap around swoosh, and high-top padded collars for extra support.

The Nike Dunk High in Pure Platinum is set to drop on November 13th for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app.

Supreme x Timberland Fall Winter 2020 Collaboration

Supreme was just sold to VF Corp — the same brand that owns Dickies and Timberland — in a 2.5 billion dollar deal, and while that has definitely affected the brand’s counter-culture cool, it hasn’t watered down any of their collaborations. Yet.

This three colorway 6-inch boot still looks like classic Supreme. The collection is an updated take on Timberland’s classic 6-inch Waterproof Boot and features a premium nubuck leather upper with Timberland’s rugged work-site focused construction with some of Supreme’s high fashion design flair.

The boots drop in a beige, black, and powder blue colorway. Our pick is powder blue, easily.

The Supreme Timberland FW 2020 collection is set to release on November 12th at the Supreme webstore.

CDG x Stüssy 40th Anniversary Collection

Stüssy has been steadily collaborating with all sorts of different streetwear labels this year, in celebration of the label’s 40th Anniversary. This week sees the California label linking up with Comme des Garçons for an exclusive capsule of winter-focused fits. The collection features a green satin MA1 bomber jacket, Bing pinstripe jacket, and a few dual-branded graphic t-shirts.

Rounding out the collection is a cotton tote bag and of course, a bucket hat. It wouldn’t be a new Stüssy collection without a bucket hat.

The Comme des Garçons Stüssy 40th Anniversary Collection is set to drop On November 13th. Shop the looks at the Comme des Garçons online store and the Stüssy webstore.

Palace Winter 2020 Drop 7

If selling out ends up ruining Supreme — for the record, we don’t think it will — then Palace will be there to pick up the crown. For their seventh Winter 2020 drop, the brand is unloading some warm layers to bundle up in, like the GORE-TEX equipped Infinium Puffa in four alternate colorways (already picking up where Supreme left off), and India, New Zealand, South Africa, or West Indies-branded Bowl Out Crewneck Sweaters.

Rounding out the collection is a substantial collection of hats including 6-panels, beanies, and a plaid Palace logo set.

The 7th Palace Winter 2020 Drop will release on November 13th. Shop the looks at the Palace webstore.

HBO Max been around since late May, for nearly half a year, and it’s honestly an incredible streamer. Not only does it have HBO stuff but also DC, Adult Swim, TCM, Studio Ghibli, tons and tons of Looney Tunes, plus a lot of other assorted miscellany buried on its vast coffers. There’s just one catch: It isn’t available to stream on Roku. Still. But now there’s a workaround for those sick of using their HDMI cables to connect their laptops with their giant television just to watch Citizen Kane, Sealab 2021, or the cartoon where Bugs Bunny repeatedly humiliates a snooty opera singer.

This life hack comes from Variety, which notes that a new Roku update allows select 4K streaming devices, soundbars, and TVs to connect with Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. That means Roku users can now stream content directly from their Apple gizmos — their iPhones, iPads or Macs. And that means they have a way — a roundabout way, but still a way — to “cast” HBO Max content through Roku. (So, just as there’s a catch with HBO Max, there’s a catch with this update: it only works for those with 4K devices.)

No, it’s not the same as having a native HBO Max app on Roku, but it’s still less of a hassle than other HBO Max-to-Roku workarounds. For now, you’ll simply have to wait for WarnerMedia and Roku to cut a deal, although it’s a little more complicated than one side asking for too much money. According to Variety, “Roku wants to continue to sell HBO as a channel, while WarnerMedia wants HBO Max to be a discrete app in the same way Roku distributes Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and other services.” So there!

The Roku devices that qualify for this update, FYI, include: Roku Ultra (4800x, 4670x, 4661x, 4662x, 4660x, 4640x); Roku Premiere (4630x, 4620x, 3920x); Roku Streaming Stick Plus (3811x, 3810x); Roku Streambar (9102x); and Roku Smart Soundbar (9101x, 9100x). The updates have reportedly already started rolling out, so a number of you may already have an easier way to watch old Mr. Show episodes or the 1976 version of King Kong starring Jeff Bridges without busting out your HDMI cable.

(Via Variety)

Visionary writer and director Taika Waititi is the creative force behind the new Coca-Cola Christmas commercial, and man, we hope you asked for a box of tissues this year because you’re gonna need them. The two minute spot features an oil worker who finds himself locked into an unyielding quest to deliver his daugther’s letter to Santa. While the ad doesn’t feature the CGI wizardry and outlandish humor of Waititis’s Thor Ragnarok, the emotional journey will hit you harder than the God of Thunder’s hammer when it reaches its surprise ending.

In a sign of these pandemic times, Coca-Cola also included a special message on YouTube that encourages everyone to embrace the spirit of the holidays by reaching out to friends and family however you can:

This Christmas, give something only you can give.

Be it in person, over an awkward video call, or just a quick message, making time for the ones you love is what makes Christmas truly the most special time of year, no matter how you do it.

Wherever you are, we hope you have a good one.

Merry Christmas

The Christmas commercial is an unexpected treat from Waititi who’s had a very busy schedule. He’s been showing off his acting chops on The Mandalorian and upcoming roles in The Suicide Squad and Free Guy. He’s also about to start production on Thor: Love and Thunder, and shortly after that, he’ll be delivering a new Star Wars movie for Disney. That film will have the daunting task of kicking off a new era in Star Wars following the conclusion of The Skywalker Saga in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Like we said, the guy has a full plate, so we have no idea how Taika found the time to deliver what’s essentially a short film for Coca-Cola, but he sure as hell pulled it off.

Tim Duncan decided to make the leap into coaching full-time this past season with the San Antonio Spurs, but the future Hall of Famer and arguably the best power forward to ever live will apparently be cutting his coaching career off after just one season.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Duncan’s foray into the coaching space will not continue in the 2020-21 season with the Spurs, as he returns to the retired life.

This was apparently expected all along by the Spurs, per Stein, and it isn’t a huge surprise as the grind of being an assistant coach in the league is pretty grueling. What we do know is that this surely won’t be Duncan stepping back completely from the Spurs, as before he became a full-time assistant coach he was a regular fixture in the practice facility, helping the Spurs bigs work on their craft and offering some tips and tricks of the trade. That will continue, but he just won’t be on Gregg Popovich’s bench anymore for games, as he’ll likely return to his car shop and do the things a retired legend is afforded.

Duncan will retire at an unofficial 1-0 as a head coach, as he picked up a win in Charlotte while filling in for Pop back in March.