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Since declaring national sports and media essential businesses, Florida has become the only place in America broadcasting live pro wrestling. WWE was broadcasting live from the Performance Center in Orlando until this weekend when they started taping multiple times a week instead, and All Elite Wrestling will start producing live shows in Florida next week. In his most recent press conference about the coronavirus pandemic, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mentioned WWE and talked about when he thinks sports in the state could have live audiences again.

The focus of this press conference was DeSantis laying out the plan to reopen the state’s economy, starting with restaurants and retail stores opening at twenty-five percent capacity this Monday. The governor criticized the lockdown measures undertaken by other states throughout the press conference and emphasized the negative economic and social impacts of the lockdown. Florida is still logging hundreds of new COVID-19 cases per day, though the average number of new cases per day has decreased since the state put a stay-at-home order in place at the beginning of April.

After going over the initial stages of the plan to lift coronavirus prevention restrictions in Florida, DeSantis brought up leisure activities like restaurant dining and sports. As with his initial explanation to ESPN about WWE being classified as an “essential business” and his later statements about the decision, DeSantis spoke highly of sports companies investing in Florida and about people having new sources of entertainment. About WWE specifically, he said:

I wanted the wrestling to be filmed in Orlando. I’d like them to do WrestleMania. They were going to do WrestleMania in April. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars. I want to keep that good relationship. I want them to invest in Florida.

DeSantis mentioned the upcoming UFC event in Jacksonville and charity golf event, then moved on to speculation about when sports could have live spectators again. “There’s going to be a lot of good stuff going on, ” the governor said, “but I don’t think we’re probably ready to have any fans. But I do think if the trends are good… as you get into June, July, I think there is a window.” DeSantis added that “you’re not going to have everyone packed in,” but hypothesized about people sitting ten feet apart at baseball games.

While the future of sports and just about everything else in America is uncertain, it’s at least a possibility that there could be WWE and AEW shows this summer soundtracked by live crowds, just a seventy-five percent quieter ones than usual.

Hello! Are we still here? We are! Do we want to be? Not really. A big reveal in week seven of NBA Self-Isolation and our own more rudimentary version is that personal forms of escape are on the rise.

For some, this is exercise and physical betterment, for others, building incredibly intricate models of fictitious universes or pretending to go on vacation. Players are testing the boundaries of their bodies and hobbies, seeking out small rushes in their daily routines meant to provoke themselves or, in one specific case, Dwyane Wade. Let’s see who pulls off a jailbreak of the mind, shall we?

Lou Williams

Sweet Lou has a story in three parts (well, in truth it was one fluid video but these are the relevant stills) for all of us struggling through this seventh week in self-ISO, contending with dwindling energy levels yet sleeping more than ever before!

First, escape from routine! Williams bursts out of his home into his backyard, already in the process of yanking his shirt off as he goes.

Then, gleeful, he goes sprinting full tilt toward something in the distance.

A pool! His pool! Mid-air, Williams holds his nose against the plunge and gives a quick thumbs-up to the viewer, before he goes hurtling under the water.

Rating: A lesson to symbolically bust loose when you need to, but do it within the advisable framework of public health and safety.

Mike Scott

Scott, not one to shy away from, well, anything, has been laying lowish these past weeks. But thankfully there was something to stir up his isolation this week — his teammate, Tobias Harris. Harris tweeted something of an inspirational message about harnessing the direction of your life through the power of positive thought and Scott, told him quite positively, what to do next. It was all just some friendly razzing between friends though because Scott shared Harris’s message on its own a little later.

Rating: Let us never forget to razz our friends and loved ones! For even when times are bleakest a good razzing will unite us. Razz the economy, razz leadership, razz, razz against the dying of the light.

Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell’s quar has been lifted for a little while now but it seems his spirits are soaring, too. First, wanting to get in on the trickshot from home trend many players are trying, Mitchell engaged in some backward shooting.

He had about, five tries? His delighted face falling anew with every shot that didn’t. Don’t worry, he made one in the end. Then, even though every single day is Sunday now, sure, Mitchell shared this cozy scene on this week’s actual Sunday showing that it is up to us to maintain traditions.

Rating: Be the wind beneath your own wings.

Patrick Beverley

Bev and the boys played a round of Scrabble at dusk, going for triple word scores in the fading, languid light of an L.A. sunset like an all-inclusive resort drink abandoned and melting down at the side of a pool.

Rating: ‘Lumen’! I’ve never in my life thought of that one. Yoink.

Fred VanVleet

It is hard to be a precious asset on a team full of literally priceless artefacts of the heart, but the Raptor’s Fred VanVleet is just that. VanVleet has spent his mostly private time in ISO with his family, perfecting the games of “I’m a scary lion” or “I’m a scary bear” with his two young kids. He’s branching out this week, giving his daughter a professional (professional basketball) pedicure, complete with mini UV lamp.

Rating: Had you cried yet today? It was time.

Ben Simmons

Simmons hauled out the ol’ rod and maybe hauled out some fish from this picturesque small lake or large pond. He didn’t share any catches so I’m guessing no nibbles, but still, doesn’t this look nice?

Rating: Be your own bait.

Ersan Ilyasova

I feared we hadn’t heard from this rangy deer in ISO and lo, here comes Ilyasova very wholesomely exploring some local woods with a child on his shoulder, something right out of a Turkish fable where all seems lost until a large and benevolent figure in sweatpants comes to rescue you so long as you keep the faith and respect the natural world.

Rating: The kid needs to watch for low and high canopy branches, though.

Terry Rozier

Not so scary Terry! I’ve used this line already, I think? It doesn’t matter. Everything is as fluid now as this sunlight cascading down onto Rozier and the little tiny puppy he loves, nestled safely in his arms.

Rating: Honestly I have never seen this guy so happy and he is giving us good reason to rescind on a nickname that perhaps never even fit his true, secret heart!

Boban Marjanović

Boby got on the world’s largest inflatable pool innertube and splashed around for an afternoon while Bad Bunny played in the background. Flexing and flopping in the water.

Rating: Really need dimensions on this innertube.

Kyle Kuzma

Here are Kuzma and Snoh, pulling up and imploring you to get in loser, we’re going on… safari?

Rating: Kuzma and a little husky puppy are not the pairing we knew a pandemic would give us but it’s the duo we needed plus, how nice is it to no longer have the sneaking, upsetting suspicion that Kuz was very lonely on the Lakers roster!

Aaron Gordon

As we’ve been seeing, Gordan has leaned very deeply into exploring new, creative pursuits in self-ISO. First there was painting, then artistic photography in the swamp at sunset and new modes of dress, now, he is exploring the traditional technique of the diss track. This one was aimed at Dwyane Wade’s questionable Dunk Content judging and opened with a bottle of Wade’s own D Wade Cellars wine. It feels fine if you think of it more as something Gordon had been meaning to get around to doing and less that way if it was something he’s been stewing on since February.

Oh phew, he was having fun.

Rating: D Wade wine, a perfect pairing for all of life’s dishes, even revenge.

Rudy Gay

A trend picked up with Rudy Gay in the literal middle of it, a picture of him screaming on court and photoshopped into various scenes. No, he didn’t really “do” anything but it is nice to picture his reaction to each one.

Rating: He said the iconic boxing photo was his fav but I think it’s really ‘Happy Fiesta’.

DeAndre Jordan

If there’s anyone who was going to get into tie-dye in lockdown it was going to be Jordan. Here’s hoping he gets so into this trend that he soon runs out of things in his home to tie-dye and sneaks, safely, into the Nets practice facility to clandestinely gather up his teammates jerseys to take home and go to tie-dye town on. It’s just good to see someone finally willing to step into Bill Walton’s shoes as the NBA’s leading tie-dye loving 7-footer.

Rating: But of course the Nets, the NBA team most likely to get right into tie-die of their own volition down the road, are super into it upon return to play. Looks like we have a new Association Edition uniform on our hands!

Jimmy Butler

Good news, Jimmy Butler’s mental and emotional state continues to hold up well in isolation. You can tell by decoding the subtle hints he gives such as harassing his friends who are doing nice things for him and fixating on Excel spreadsheets he’s meticulously keeping up that track his body fat.

Rating: The Miami system at work.

Lonnie Walker

For context, Lonnie Walker is a pretty big guy! I’ve been lucky enough to stand in front of him talking and he has a huge presence as much as frame. His hair is taller than people of a more diminutive stature, etc. When Walker got his great dane puppy, Bishop, in January, the little guy was as big as one of Walker’s shoes, now he’s about as big as half of Walker’s body and still, technically, a puppy.

Also, a bonus from Walker, we now know that he has a photo of himself, Gregg Popovich and Bruce Brown in heart-shaped frame in his house.

Rating: Get you a bundle of joy that doubles as a free weight.

Marco Belinelli

Belinelli’s been heavy into challenges! First, cinnamon, now, Lego. He did a full Jurassic Park set up a couple weeks back and has since done up a Stranger Things situation. Would love to know if he keeps these on shelves in a dedicated Lego room or reuses pieces to do some off-roading in his builds.

Rating: Lego is just a 3D puzzle so don’t be knocking on Beli when you or people you know are paying triple the list price on a 1000 piece puzzle of a windmill.

Myles Turner

Just your weekly reminder that Myles Turner is going to come out of this with core strength that makes the rest of us look like rapidly collapsing solar systems. Crumpling not in real time, but at light speed.

Rating: He even said next week he’d try this without the wall.

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Ah yes, another day in the week in the month in the life of being Tim Hardaway Jr. Lying on his back dock with a stogie, patiently awaiting the return of his manatee pals. [Editor’s Note: That’s a very nice Cuban cigar. Get you a cigar plug like Timmy has.]

Rating: If patience is a virtue then Hardaway Jr. makes waiting a fine art.

DeAndre Bembry

Bembry with the number one rule of dressing for the self-ISO you want.

Rating: In this case pulling a look off just involves leaving one room for another so congratulations, you did it. You’re doing it.

Jordan Bell

Uh sorry, Bell wishing his dog a happy birthday and referring to it as “my lil one” is what’s going to break your heart today, even if you were holding out for something else.

Rating: Don’t worry, there’ll be something tomorrow that equally shatters you!

Richard Jefferson

Some people are mourning the things that have been lost due to the pandemic, the economy, a sense of trust in government, things like that. But Richard Jefferson took a detour this week to say farewell to his heart’s purest joy, Coachella?

Rating: I am going to miss all the fake Coachella lineups though.

Isaiah Thomas

Thomas took a walk and got scared of a toad that seems more afraid of him, then had the gall to call the little, sort of ashamed looking guy “nasty”.

Rating: Let a warty guy live!

Dwyane Wade

We go live to Dwyane Wade to catch his real-time reaction to Aaron Gordon’s scathing dis track and, oh, here’s Wade and he appears to have his mind on other things, namely dressing for the vacation he wishes he was going on. Wade, can we get a sense of your feelings on the claims Gordon made about you, while really enjoying your wine?

You’re absolutely right, there is no law like that.

Rating: Wine maker, freedom fighter.

PAUL PIERCE’S PLACE

Bad and troubling news, Paul Pierce had been quiet this week. Did he get arrested breaking into closed beaches? Will Paul’s isolation jailbreak be from literal jail? Did he hurt himself running across the hot sands of freedom? It was starting to get tense but then,

Pierce showed up poolside with a towering hookah to let us know he is, for now, taking a breather from tempting fate. We love the beach too, Paul, but they have been there for literal eons and will continue to be once this is all behind us! The metaphor for time is sand!

Offset put on a livestream concert to benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank yesterday (April 29), and he was joined by Saint Jhn, Gunna, Rich The Kid, and Young Thug. The event had a number of highlights, but one of the most interesting takeaways was when Thug told the story about the time he says he “kinda died” due to liver and kidney failure.

He said, “I kinda just stayed in the bed and I was like, ‘Yo, call the ambulance. I can’t move my body.’ Then later, when the ambulance came, I couldn’t get out of the bed. They had to get me out of the bed, basically. I felt like my whole body was numb and I couldn’t move. I went to the hospital and I had found out that I had liver and kidney failure. And I kinda had sorta passed away, like I kinda died. I was in the hospital for like 17 days. I left the hospital, my mom didn’t trust it. So I left the hospital, went to another hospital, they was like, ‘Man, you got liver and kidney failure. You supposed to be dead. Basically, you’ve been dead.’ I’ve been killed before.”

There were a couple instances over the past few months where Thug found himself in the hospital for reasons that weren’t publicly disclosed, once in September and again this past January. It’s not clear if either of those visits are related to Thug’s story. The good news, ultimately, is that he seems to be doing just fine now.

Watch Thug tell the tale above.

It may not have been the flashiest performance (that would be tough in a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, AND Al Pacino), but Damian Lewis delivered some much-needed exposition in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. As Steve McQueen, the Billions star explained Sharon Tate’s relationship with director Roman Polanski and hairstylist/third-wheel Jay Sebring to a party-goer, and us, the viewers.

In a new interview with GQ, Lewis detailed what it’s like to receive a phone call from (a presumably excitable) Quentin Tarantino asking you to be in his movie:

“Look, I’m doing this movie… Steve McQueen’s in it, man… and I’ve just always thought, man, that you’d be a great Steve McQueen… and will you come and do my movie?”

Lewis said yes, obviously, although there was some hesitation. Not about the script, but his costume, specifically, his wig. “I just felt a bit like, basically, if Jon Bon Jovi was playing Robert Redford who was trying to play Steve McQueen — that’s sort of who I looked like. And it didn’t feel quite Steve McQueen enough. Because at least one of those people isn’t very cool,” he said. “It was too straight-flowing, and it just looked a bit sort of ’80s soft rock.” The wig was adjusted to what ends up in the film (“A bit sort of curlier and unkempt and matted”), but to be honest, I would not have minded seeing Brody from Homeland as Steve McQueen looking like the lead singer from Air Supply.

Distracting? Sure. But it would have looked cool as hell.

(Via GQ)

With so many Americans out of work due to coronavirus precautions, many have turned to alternative sources of income like Instagram Live dance sessions — aka “Demon Time” — and OnlyFans to stay afloat. In fact, the service has become so popular that it even earned a shout-out from one of music’s biggest stars. On the remix to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” Beyonce raps, “Hips TikTok when I dance / On that Demon Time, she might start an OnlyFans,” giving the subscription content service the best form of advertising any brand could get.

OnlyFans responded to the shout-out with a statement to Rolling Stone, inviting Beyonce to sign up. “Beyonce, and any artist, are welcome to join OnlyFans at any time to foster a deeper connection with their fans,” reads the statement, displaying an absolutely remarkable level of confidence.

For what it’s worth, there’s no requirement to post NSFW content on the service, as fans sign up only for the promise of “exclusive” content — whatever that may be — so there’s always a possibility, however slim, that Beyonce could find an excuse to finagle her way onto the service to drop new music or something.

…

Sike.

There’s no way Beyonce is ever signing up for OnlyFans. Her husband owns Tidal and Netflix gave her $60 million for three movies, two of which haven’t even come out yet. If anything, she might buy OnlyFans just to get a percentage of all the quarantine content being produced. However, Megan did shoot off a tweet that could be promising for anyone thirsty for more Stallion content.

Read Rolling Stone‘s original story — including more info about the rise of camming sites and subscription services — here.

Before Tekashi got out of prison, he knew he wanted to make more music once he was free. He was apparently “itching” to create new material as early as last September, and in October, it was reported that Tekashi was planning his next album out. He has been out of prison for a little while now, and he apparently has something cooking, as it looks like he has teased a release date for something new.

Taking to his Instagram Story yesterday, Tekashi wrote, “You ready? May 8,” which certainly seems to suggest that new material from the rapper will be released at the end of next week.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see new material from Tekashi drop soon, as all the signs point to him having been working on stuff. Earlier this week, it was reported that he was given the legal go-ahead to film music videos in his backyard, as he now has permission to spend two hours per week there, on one probation officer-approved day, for “employment-related activities.” Additionally, he can also spend eight hours per day in his basement recording studio, and the reason for the limit is that being in the basement interferes with Tekashi’s GPS monitor.

Our current situation has led to the creation of a charity that’s presenting interesting incentives for folks to throw in money for pandemic relief. The #ALLINCHALLENGE has, for example, led Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman to set aside that “feud” and auction off the chance for the duo to host your kid’s lemonade stand. The charity also received a boost from Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, who are offering an honest-to-god walk-on cameo for Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon. If you’re more of an action-adventure fan, though, you’ll want to hear about the below sweepstakes, announced by Chris Pratt, that’s letting people contribute their cash for a chance to be eaten by a dinosaur in Jurassic World: Dominion.

As Pratt explains in the below Instagram post, his bio link will take folks to a donation site, where you can have at it for only $10. There’s an additional auction for folks to throw in as much money as they can reasonably stomach for the same reward. “Two ways to win the same prize!” the Parks and Recreation reunion special (that’s happening Thursday night, by the way) star declared. “Get yourself immortalized in cinematic history! Talk about the greatest gift money can buy!!! Every dollar goes to helping those in need.”

This could be your legacy making moment, and Pratt even promises that neither of the two winners will possibly end up on the cutting-room floor. If you’d like to visit the #AllINCHALLENGE fundraising website, you can find out more about the charity’s mission, which is geared toward helping people during an unprecedented time where food insecurity and shortages are working devastating effects. For only $10, people can do their part and end up on movie screens after theaters reopen. It’ll then be time to celebrate in more ways than one, and Pratt wants to help make it happen.

Since ESPN shrewdly decided to move up the release date of their 10-part documentary on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, The Last Dance, as the world remains on lock-down amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it has dominated the cultural conversation in a way that few documentaries could ever dream of (Tiger King notwithstanding).

NBA diehards and casual fans alike are tuning in to ESPN in record numbers each Sunday to get yet another peak behind the curtain of one of the most compelling sports teams ever assembled, as we are made privy to all the inter-organizational machinations and salacious details as the iconic Bulls team of the 90s went for their sixth and final championship run.

The reception has been almost universally positive. Emphasis on the almost. Ken Burns, arguably the world’s most famous documentarian, isn’t as taken with all this as the rest of us, and this week, he did his best to dump a bucket of cold water on all the fun. Burns criticized the documentary for what he sees as a blatant conflict of interest that undermines its journalistic integrity.

Via Chris Kornelis of The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Burns has been spending the quarantine walking, writing poetry and working on the seven documentary films he has in production. But he has yet to watch ESPN’s popular Michael Jordan documentary series, “The Last Dance.” The series counts the basketball great’s production company as a partner, an arrangement Mr. Burns says he would “never, never, never, never” agree to. “I find it the opposite direction of where we need to be going,” he says.

“If you are there influencing the very fact of it getting made it means that certain aspects that you don’t necessarily want in aren’t going to be in, period,” he says. “And that’s not the way you do good journalism … and it’s certainly not the way you do good history, my business.”

First, it’s probably best not to pass judgment on something you haven’t even watched yet. It also begs the question of what level of investigatory journalism you expect from a documentary of this sort. Documentaries exist on a continuum, and they almost always have a particular point-of-view, despite the many pretenses of objectivity.

Some are more beholden to historical accuracy and rigorous objectivity than others. That’s not to say viewers shouldn’t be dubious of some of the many stories they’re hearing in The Last Dance or skeptical about how fairly some of the people involved are being depicted. Considering who’s in charge of the telling, you have to take it with a grain of salt.

This is particularly true when it comes to the portrait of GM Jerry Krause that has emerged over the first four episodes, as well as Isiah Thomas and his long-standing feud with Jordan stemming back to the heyday of the Bad Boy Pistons. With Jordan ultimately having control over the archival footage of their final season together, his involvement was inevitable — and was the reason for this footage remaining dormant for two decades.

And Michael Jordan being who he is, it was likewise inevitable that he would use the opportunity to settle old scores, a preoccupation of his throughout his career and in retirement. With six episodes still to come, it remains to be seen whether Jordan himself will come out of this relatively unscathed or whether we will end up with a more complicated portrayal. The mythology surrounding Jordan has morphed over the years into someone who was myopic in his competitive drive, a vicious and tyrannical leader who either broke you or elevated you to his level, and an aloof personality who carefully and consistently guarded his public image to suit his purposes.

It’s the latter part that carries the most concern for a documentary purist like Burns. Knowing the legend of Jordan’s iron-fisted rule over the Bulls is one thing. Seeing it in action is another thing entirely. The question of this series is just how much of it we’ll actually get to see by the end of it and how much that might alter our perception of him.

Ultimately, we’ll each have to judge for ourselves just how much he’s tailored and crafted the narrative in his favor, whether he’s given us just enough to feel like we’ve gotten our money’s worth and at the same time maintaining a relatively sanitized version of the “Michael Jordan” he so often speaks of in the third person.

Yesterday (April 29) marked the fourth anniversary of Views, which spawned “One Dance,” Drake’s first No. 1 single. It’s an album worth celebrating, and Drake has done so by sharing some classic studio footage from the making of the album. The clip only lasts about 20 seconds, and it features Drake leaving the studio as “Feel No Ways” plays.

Views debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, and it was a monster success, racking up over a million equivalent album units during the week ending May 5, 2016. It continued his run of six consecutive No. 1 albums in the US. Almost every song from the album appeared on the Hot 100 chart during its first week: Drake had 20 songs on the chart simultaneously, which was then a record. Views also impressively placed on the 2018 year-end Billboard 200 chart, two years after its release.

Of course, Drake’s chart success didn’t stop with Views, as all of Drake’s albums, mixtapes, and compilations since then have found their way to the top. His most recent wave of success has come courtesy of “Toosie Slide,” which enjoyed some time at No. 1 before getting dethroned by The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.” Despite that, the song is still an undeniable, record-breaking monolith on TikTok.