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It’s travel hacking Thursday! So far, we’ve tapped travel experts and point hacking gurus for tips for earning and redeeming points, how to score last-minute deals, their favorite travel credit cards, and how to maximize points on everyday purchases.

One thing we haven’t yet touched on: is how to unlock incredible airfare deals. You can’t travel the world without getting yourself on a flight — so why not ensure that you’re practicing all the same strategies as travel experts to get the best deals?

If you want to get yourself to one of the coolest parties around the globe this winter and spring, head out on a gorilla trekking adventure in Rwanda, or make it to any of the month-long Mardi Gras parties in New Orleans this month, use these tips to unlock your greatest deals for airfare this year.

Thomas Lonergan (@travelliketommy): Use Positioning Flights & Sign Up For Award Alerts

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First thing is first: be flexible!!! Base your travel on flight availability, not off of set dates. Also, positioning flights is key! Bigger airports have more flights and more business/first-class availability. You also should consider either booking way in advance or last minute.

It’s actually easier to book last minute when using points! You should also 100% sign up for award alerts like Point.me and Roame.

Michele Lowery (@fancytravelpointers): Do “Dummy” Award Searches Two Weeks Before Flights Are Released

There are two strategies for getting the best international award flight deals – book as soon as they are released. Or book within two weeks of the flight.

For many families, like ours, booking early is the best option as you need to work around school schedules and can’t realistically pull your child out of school/sports for a good deal you found last minute.

Many airlines release award flights at 330 days (11 months) out. It is in your best interest to start doing “dummy” award searches about two weeks before flights are actually released. This will give you a good idea of what airlines/routes may have award seats, how many seats they are releasing, and if you have enough points/miles for that booking.

Also very important, is to focus on earning transferable/flexible points (like Chase Ultimate Reward points, American Express Membership points, or Capital One miles) so that you have more options. If you only have “airline miles” with one airline, you’ll be stuck with whatever award flights that specific airline releases. But if you have transferable/flexible points, you can find the best award flight deal and then transfer points/miles for that award flight.

Spencer Howard (@straighttothepoints): Have Flexible Dates

Sign up for business and first-class flight alerts here.
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Be flexible. Whether you’re looking for a cash ticket or an award ticket so you can use credit card points or airline miles, be flexible. The more flexible you are with your travel dates, your routing, and what airlines you’re willing to fly, the easier it will be to find something that works for you.

Adam Hill (@adamhillyeah): Flexibility Is Key

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First and foremost, flexibility. This is key. Airlines will release mistake fares, insane cash fares, and open coveted award availability for specific dates. When this happens, you either are an opportunist and jump on the deal or you miss out. Many people hold themselves back from this as they set a date first when they WANT to travel rather than having the mindset of when they CAN travel. People are bound by an allotment of vacation days or PTO available. I work as a fireman and am fortunate enough to have the ability to trade my 24-hour shifts with colleagues to have the flexibility to make travel dates possible. I still have to work the days my colleagues work, however.

For bragging purposes only: I managed to find a round-trip flight from LAX-CPH for $252. I was able to upgrade at the airport on the return leg to business class for $450. For those who rely on PTO or have to request vacation days, I recommend booking and securing a ticket first, then worrying about asking for PTO. With the DOT behind you, you have 24 hours to cancel an itinerary booked if it doesn’t work for you.

If you can try and incorporate your dates over a weekend or through the days you normally have off.

Finding good cash fares can be tricky. There are a ton of services like Going.com that alert paid subscribers of mistake fares or cheap cash fares, but that also require flexibility. Is there a theme arising here? Google Flights and Skyscanner.com is a superb way to search for flights. Using a VPN from another country can sometimes show lower fares, but we NEED to stop the myth of booking on a specific date or booking a specific number of days out and going incognito. Airlines typically publish fares based on demand and are dynamic. The cheaper fare class typically goes first and the price goes up from there, usually.

Using points for the lowest award rate can also be tricky as it requires the airline to release award space. You can make this easy on yourself by subscribing to a service like Straight To The Points or Thrifty Traveler. These sites alert you for award availability. If you are searching via airline award charts, I recommend starting early, or rolling the dice and booking close-in to the date you want to travel. I’ve found first-class award tickets two days before I wanted to travel.

Bottom line, there are many different methods and ways to go about finding cheap ways to travel, the biggest takeaway is being flexible. Happy travels!

Vivian Tu (your.richbff): If You’re A Student, Use Student Discounts To Get Cheap Airfare

Order “RICH AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life” here.

This one goes out to all of my youngins because I really wish I had known about this when I was in college. There are so many cool websites and brands that you can tap into that provide student discounts on flights. Student Universe is a top site where you can book your travel through them and it typically lends 10-15% off. That allows you to keep more money in your pocket and use that money for books, housing, food, and more.

You can also go to Kayak and search for your departing and returning dates on your flight, under the traveler section you can choose the option for “student.” Instead of putting adult, put your traveler search as a student. Kayak actually aggregates flights through Student Universe, Flyla, and Scholartrip to offer discounted flights for students across all major airlines so you can see all the discounts available. Most of these require you to be a student aged 18-24.

These can be especially useful for those flights home for holidays during school breaks

Allison Tackette (@luckytictac): Be Flexible & Search For Flights Out Of Neighboring Airports

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If you come into trip planning saying “I want to fly United on Saturday at 6 PM” — you’re setting yourself up for failure. Flexibility is the biggest factor in finding incredible airfare deals. Have flexibility with dates (even if it’s a day or two) and routing. There may not be a flight from your home airport, but there is out of different airport.

Your flexibility can be the difference between a 500,000-point flight and a 60,000-point business-class flight. The more flexible you can be the more successful your award searches will be. You might even get a better in-flight experience out of it!

Angel Trinh (@pennywisetraveler): Either Book Very Early Or Very Last Minute

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You need to either book very early or very last minute when award space opens up. Most airlines open up award space availability almost a year out, but sometimes award space is not released until two weeks before the date of travel.

I have booked flights within a few days because the business class seat opened up at the last minute. For example, sometimes I will book an economy ticket to get a seat to my destination and then I will cancel my flight (it’s free on American Airlines) and the miles will go straight back to my account. I will then use the miles to book my business class seat once American Airlines releases the seat for business.

Ryan Horn (@profitsandpoints): Join A Cheap Flight Newsletter

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There are five different strategies that I always use to make sure that I find the cheapest flights possible:

1) Join a Cheap Flight Newsletter: There are a growing number of cheap flight newsletters out on the market. For the price of a subscription, most of these newsletters will send the lowest-priced flight deals they can find right to your inbox. The companies that run these newsletters typically employ people who spend hours each day searching for the cheapest flights meaning you won’t only save money, but you’ll also save time.

2) Set Price Alerts: Google Flights has an awesome feature that allows you to receive an email whenever the price of a flight you’re looking at goes up or down. These alerts can help you time when to commit to purchasing your flight.

3) Consider Flying Out Of/Into Alternate Airports: Probably the biggest factor in determining the price of a flight is where you’re flying from or where you’re flying to. By looking at other airports that may be a short drive from your first choice airport, you open up the potential to save a lot of money. Advanced travelers may want to also consider positioning flights. A positioning flight is a flight that you would take to get to an airport whose airfare is cheaper to your final destination. It’s basically like creating your own layover. Just be careful to leave enough time in case something goes wrong with your positioning flight.

4) Rebook Your Flight If The Price Drops: Many airlines will allow you to receive a credit/points/refund if the price of your flight drops. My favorite example is Southwest Airlines. If the price of your flight drops, you can rebook your flight through Southwest and receive a credit for future travel equal to the difference in the fare. If you paid with points, the difference in Rapid Rewards points will automatically go back into your account.

5) Flexibility, Flexibility, Flexibility: Finding cheap flights ultimately comes down to flexibility. Are you willing to fly on a different day? Are you willing to have a longer layover? Are you willing to travel somewhere slightly different than you had first planned? The more flexible you are, the more likely you are to save money on air travel.

Angelo Minella (@paidwithpoints): Subscribe To Award Booking Newsletters

There are lots of newsletters that you can subscribe to such as Straight To The Points Premium Newsletter which sends out award bookings. This is a great way to always stay on top of when award availability opens up and to book your trip before news spreads too fast.

NBA All-Star Weekend brand tie-ins are unmissable, as each event holds a different title sponsor, sneaker and clothing companies do special All-Star drops, and every league partner has a pop-up on site.

On occasion, a brand promotion ends up being too good and ends up backfiring a bit for the league or its partner. This year, the NBA had a promo for All-Star along with Nike and Jordan Brand where fans could link their NBA account with their Nike account, vote for which shoe Jayson Tatum would wear in the All-Star Game, and they’d get 12 months of free NBA League Pass. That’s a considerable offer for fans, and many took advantage of it.

However, it was not the best conceived promo because all you had to do was use the ALLSTARTATUM promo code in the League Pass ordering menu and you could bypass the entire promotion to get free League Pass for a year. Unsurprisingly, once folks on social media recognized this on Thursday, the promo code got passed around and tens of thousands of people (or more) used the code to load a free year of League Pass to their account, causing the NBA to eventually shut down the code.

While the NBA probably wasn’t expecting to give out millions of dollars in free League Pass, it’s honestly not the worst thing that could happen. Having a promo go viral that gets fans access to watch a years worth of games isn’t really a bad thing for the league, especially since the NBA has been trying to bring in more eyeballs onto regular season games for years. This might not have been the way they wanted to do it, but maybe they end up with a few more folks watching a random Monday night slate in March this way.

There is definitely an action movie “type” that everyone can picture: a tall, muscular and/or jacked-up man with big arms and a vaguely threatening stance. Sometimes, he has an unruly beard and a sketchy past, but that’s an extra step. So it’s basically the opposite of Bob Odenkirk, a beloved 61-year-old comedian who does not have a beard (or an Emmy). But he has what all of those other guys don’t have: real-life enemies known as Emmy voters.

After being snubbed for just about every award out there, the Better Call Saul actor is channeling that anger into a new role. “I never went to acting school, but if you talk about motivation, using your past to inspire you, I can tell you I’ll be imagining all those enemies in Normal as Emmy voters coming to get me,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. Odenkirk is set to star in Normal from writer-director Derek Kolstad, who also penned Nobody.

Not only will the snub inspire Odenkirk’s drive, but he also has a specific advantage when it comes to his looks. “A lot of action movies, where the guys are too handsome and built, it’s hard for the audience to buy into the idea that they’re in danger,” Odenkirk explains. “I don’t have that problem. Audiences genuinely see me and go, ‘Oh, jeez, this guy is screwed.’” Perhaps he is just projecting the sins of his past characters onto his future ones, but the points are still valid.

This seems to be just the beginning of Odenkirk’s action movie career. After the success of Nobody, the actor expressed interest in pivoting to action star in 2022. “I still train multiple times a week and if I get my way you’re going to see me doing more action. I found the action sequences a great deal of fun and close to doing sketch comedy…I love the early Jackie Chan films which had humor in them. I’d like to get that in in future.” Finally, Odenkirk seems to be getting his way, for once.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

P.J. Tucker started this season as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, but back in October, the team sent him to Los Angeles as part of James Harden’s trade to the Clippers. It hasn’t gone especially well for Tucker since then, as he hasn’t appeared in a game since Nov. 27 and is not currently with the team due to the Clippers sending him home through the All-Star break.

Even though Tucker is still in Los Angeles, if he got his way, the team would have moved him at the trade deadline. That did not happen despite the fact that Tucker made clear he wanted to go somewhere that would give him the chance to play in the lead-up to last Thursday, and now, that’s going to cost him a bit of money.

“The NBA announced today that LA Clippers forward P.J. Tucker has been fined $75,000 by the NBA for public comments reported during the week of February 5 expressing a desire to be traded to another team,” the league announced in a statement.

Tucker expressed on a few occasions that he wanted a change in scenery due to his desire to get playing time, but nothing was able to materialize ahead of the deadline. A post on his Instagram Story indicated just how frustrated he was about his situation.

While Tucker has shown in the past that his ability to defend big wings and hit corner threes can be valuable, he’s struggled in the 12 games he’s played for the Clippers. We’ll see if he continues to stay on the bench or if Tyronn Lue gives him more opportunities for some plying time after the All-Star break.

When his presidential campaign was in full swing, Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida were on the forefront of banning books in schools, which picked up considerably following the passage of the state’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law. However, now that the governor has returned to Florida after washing out of the Republican primary, he’d like if folks could maybe cool it on the whole book banning thing. “Everyone take a chill pill” appears to be DeSantis’ new message.

During a news conference on Thursday, DeSantis showcased a surprising reversal as he acknowledged that the process for banning books has gotten way out of hand. Ironically, DeSantis echoed concerns that were expressed at the outset of Florida’s aggressive push towards challenging books and curriculums. These issues were raised from the start, but ignored as the governor launched his presidential run.

“Likewise, members of the community, although we like people wanting to be involved in what’s going on, to just show up and object to every single book under the sun, that is not an appropriate situation here,” DeSantis said via CBS News. “And we have seen that occasionally.”

“If you have a kid in school, OK. But if you’re somebody who doesn’t have a kid in schools and you’re going to object to 100 books – no, I don’t think that that’s appropriate,” DeSantis continued before announcing a plan to limit objections to books in school. “We just want to make sure we’re not trying to incentivize frivolous objections or any type of games being played.”

Meanwhile, state Republicans are reportedly pushing new legislation that would almost double DeSantis’ salary as governor. According to Newsweek, DeSantis currently makes $141,400 per year. That number would jump to $251,414.

Maybe word got out that the Governor and First Lady DeSantis are big into private jets now. Who knows?

(Via CBS News, Newsweek)

Record Store Day announced the 2024 list of titles, with lots of exclusive vinyl records that fans will be waiting in line for again this year. Between anniversary pressings and unique variants, RSD is not one to miss — and is perfect for showing love to your local record store.

This year, it will take place on Saturday, April 20. Here are a few of the key finds from the list.

What Record Store Day Vinyl Is Coming Out In 2024??

To kick off this year’s Record Store Day 2024 list highlights, Blur will release a 30th anniversary pressing of Parklife on a Zoetrope picture disc. As a limited-edition RSD Exclusive, there will only be 2,000 copies of this.

And on that note, if you prefer Gorillaz instead, they will be releasing a deluxe edition pressing of their 2023 album, Cracker Island, with new cover artwork.

At The Drive In will be releasing their previously out-of-print sophomore In/Casino/Out album on a purple and green smoke LP.

Freddie Gibbs and Madlib will release a tenth-anniversary pressing of Pinata, with 3,500 copies that will be available.

Key Glock’s debut album, Yellow Tape, is getting a vinyl copy for the first time on a yellow, black, and white tri-colored pressing with a gatefold jacket.

Uproxx cover star Ashnikko is treating fans to a vinyl of her debut mixtape, as Demidevil: Special Edition will be available on a transparent pink copy.

Holly Humberstone and Uproxx cover alums, Muna will be releasing their “Into Your Room” collaboration on a 7-inch.

Wilco fans can pick up the band’s box set with The Whole Love Expanded.

Lil Uzi Vert’s second commercial mixtape, Luv Is Rage, is on the list as an RSD Exclusive.

Another mixtape getting the vinyl treatment this year is Young Thug’s fourth one, Jeffery, which will have 6,000 copies for fans to buy.

Talking Heads will release their live performance recorded for WCOZ-FM in 1977 in full for the first time.

To view the complete list of Record Store Day’s 2024 titles, along with more information, visit their official website.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

20. Taylor Tomlinson: Have It All (Netflix)

Freshly minted late-night host Taylor Tomlinson is back with another standup special at Netflix. This one covers dream job, love, and anxiety, which… yeah. That seems pretty relatable. Looks like a fun little weekend watch.

Watch it on Netflix

19. Players (Netflix)

Netflix’s reigning rom-com queen Gina Rodriguez is back at it. This one kind of flips things on its head, though. Now it’s the ladies who are out partying and having one-night stands with no intention of settling down. At first. Will there be a twist? Maybe a meet-cute that makes our main character question everything they’ve believed to that point in their life?

Buddy, you know it.

Watch it on Netflix

18. Genius: MLK/X (Hulu)

The fourth season of this NatGeo series focuses on Civil Rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and will, as per the promotional materials “explore the formative years, where they were molded by strong fathers and traumatic injustices, and their rich, parallel stories as they shaped their identities and became the change they wished to see in the world.” Which sounds cool and informative and like everything television can be. The trick is making it work. Worth diving in to check it out.

Watch it on Hulu

17. Death and Other Details (Hulu)

What do you get if you cross Knives Out with Only Murders in the Building and add Mandy Patinkin and set it all on a boat? Well, this show, apparently, which is described thusly by Hulu: “Imogene Scott finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes the prime suspect in a locked-room murder mystery; to prove her innocence, she must partner with a man she despises, Rufus Cotesworth, the world’s greatest detective.”

It still feels like maybe we should just do a Knives Out/Only Murders crossover event series on a boat, but this works too.

Watch it on Hulu

16. This Is Me… Now: A Love Story (Prime Video)

Let’s go straight to Prime Video’s official description for this one: “This Is Me…Now is like nothing you’ve ever seen from Jennifer Lopez. Alongside director Dave Meyers, Jennifer has created a narrative-driven, cinematic original which showcases her journey to love through her own eyes.”

Hmm. As long as it features a minimum of 20 visits to Dunkin’ with her longtime partner Ben Affleck, we can support this.

Watch it on Prime Video

15. Saltburn (Prime Vdeo)

A movie that launched a thousand Etsy candles dedicated to nailing the scent of Jacob Elordi’s bathwater, this Emerald Fennel-directed monstrosity masterpiece is a twisted commentary on class, wealth, and obsession. Barry Keoghan is disturbingly good at playing a suburban psycho hoping to f*ck, slurp, and murder his way into the aristocratic ranks while Elordi plays the good-natured rich-boy naïve enough to think he can save him. Rosamund Pike is also here, chewing every bit of scenery as a vapid housewife, and all the stomach-churning twists culminate in a plot reveal that’s as sick as it is satisfying.

Watch it on Prime Video

14. Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (Hulu)

Tom Hollander (not Tom Holland) stars in Ryan Murphy’s latest FX creation that’s already dubbed itself the tale of the “Original Housewives of New York.” Hollander plays Truman Capote (yes, that Truman Capote) a writer with a standing invitation to the brunch table of New York’s wealthiest women. He trades on his status as their confidante, writing a book about the scandals and secrets harbored within their Upper East Side brownstones which leads to an all-out society war that no one escapes unscathed. Come for the clothes, stay for the drama and the veteran actresses like Demi Moore, Calista Flockhart, and Naomi Watts who make this thing so deliciously messy.

Watch it on Hulu

13. In the Know (Peacock)

Okay, Apple is getting into the adult animation game, making cartoons for grown-ups. And if you’re going to do that, you can sure do a lot worse than Beavis & Butthead creator Mike Judge, who teams up for a show with his Silicon Valley breakout Zach Woods that the service describes thusly:

The stop-motion comedy follows the staff of the public radio show, In the Know, hosted by Lauren Caspian (Zach Woods), a well-meaning but hypocritical nimrod. Each episode follows the making of an episode of the radio show, in which Lauren conducts in-depth interviews with real human guests and collaborates with a diverse crew of public radio staff (who are puppets).

Yes. Sure. This can work. All the pieces are right there.

Watch it on Peacock

12. Expats (Prime Video)

No one plays a grieving mother on the fringes of a mental breakdown quite like Nicole Kidman and this latest prestige drama from Amazon Prime Video she more than stakes her claim on the character archetype. As a wealthy American housewife living in Hong Kong and desperately searching for her missing child, Kidman anchors this Lulu Wang-created series about womanhood, identity, and loss. The subject matter is a bit heavy – best consumed in small portions instead of a full binge – but the visuals are stunning, as is the immersion into a culture we rarely see on screen. Will Nicole Kidman ever be happy on a TV show? We hope not.

Watch it on Netflix

11. The Holdovers (Peacock)

Paul Giamatti is picking up awards left and right for his performance in Alexander Payne’s latest film, which is great. For Paul Giamatti. But also for us. Like, as a society. Look at this: “A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school’s head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.”

Our official position here is twofold: one, we support anything where Paul Giamatti gets to be curmudgeonly; two, we love to see Paul Giamatti thrive. This checks both boxes.

Watch it on Peacock

10. Barbie (Max)

Greta Gerwig’s massive summer blockbuster hits streaming. There’s not much to say that hasn’t been said. It’s wickedly smart and funny and sly. It’s much weirder than people expected, in the best ways possible. Margot Robbie is incredible as Barbie, providing layers of depth to a character who has rarely before had more than one. Ryan Gosling is a delight as the deeply confused Ken who is watching his simple little world crumble around him. There are cameos galore and touching moments and belly laughs. If you haven’t seen it yet, now’s the time. If you have, well, now’s the time to watch it again. This one is worth a rewatch. Or two. Or five. How you spend your time is your business.

Watch it on Max

9. The New Look (Apple TV)

Two important things to know here. The first is that the premise of it all, summarized by Apple as “the story of how fashion icon Christian Dior and his contemporaries, including Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain and Cristóbal Balenciaga, navigate the horrors of World War II and launch modern fashion,” sounds interesting.

The second is that the cast is straight up loaded. Ben Mendelsohn, Maissie Williams, John Malkovich, etc. They really went all out on this one. That’s commendable.

Watch it on Apple TV+

8. Masters of the Air (Apple TV)

Here’s a stellar Band Of Brothers followup from Steven Spielberg (Amblin Television) in conjunction with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman (Playtone). This new series is based upon Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name about the “Bloody Hundredth,” i.e. the 100th Bomb Group, who risked everything they had to conduct bombing raids upon Nazi Germany. Austin Butler dropped his Elvis voice to portray a U.S. major alongside Callum Turner. There’s a “Buck” and a “Bucky” in the character list, and there’s also the ever-present Barry Keoghan joining in the camaraderie while the U.S. carries out perilous missions to take down Hitler’s Third Reich. It’s an adventure-filled yet harrowing viewing experience but fully worth the ride.

Watch it on Apple TV+

7. Halo (Paramount Plus)

Pablo Schreiber is back as Master Chief, and if he has any say in the matter, there won’t be Sexy Master Chief on display this season. Officially, he will be fretting about the changing tide of his war and how to prepare for what he believes is an imminent attack by the Covenant on the most valuable stronghold known to mankind. Can he finally find the Halo, which will either help humanity survive or kill it off forever? So much pressure! Yeah, please don’t have him wasting time getting down and dirty this season.

Paramount Plus

6. Curb Your Enthusiasm (Max)

24 years, 12 seasons, and countless social assassinations; Curb Your Enthusiasm is set to begin its end, promising a season filled with familiar faces (Ted Danson, Richard Lewis, Cheryl Hines, Vince Vaughn, JB Smoove) and misanthropic delights as Larry David readies to walk off into the sunset so he can strangle more muppets or do whatever else he does when he isn’t kvetching about required niceties and other peccadilloes. Whether this season will be funny is not in question. Whether Larry’s “character” makes it out alive is.

Watch it on Max

5. Griselda (Netflix)

Here comes “the Godmother” of cocaine. Original Narcos co-creator Doug Miro and Narcos: Mexico executive producer Eric Newman team up to tell the story of Colombian drug cartel leader Griselda Blanco, a prolific cocaine trafficker as portrayed by Sofia Vergara. We haven’t seen the Modern Family star get dramatic on TV yet, so this series should attract eyeballs for more reasons than one. Griselda reigned in Miami in the 1970-’80s, and her tour of terror included operating under 20 aliases, moving hundreds of kilos per month, and ordering dozens of murders.

Watch it on Netflix

4. Abbott Elementary (Hulu)

School’s back in session at Abbott Elementary and the show has made some big changes after the romantic cliffhanger that ended season two. Janine has a new job (and a new love interest), Gregory’s struggling to move on, Josh Segarra from The Other Two is auditing classrooms, and Ava Coleman is a Harvard (adjacent) graduate. Lord help Mrs. Howard. After a longer-than-expected hiatus it’s nice to see the Emmy-winning comedy reinventing itself instead of resting on its laurels, but don’t worry, there are plenty of Janelle James one-liners and Tyler James Williams pans to camera to keep things comfortably familiar.

Watch it on Hulu

3. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)

Did we really need a reimagining of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie? Watch the first few episodes, and you might agree that this effort was not wasted. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine pick up as assassins who happen to be paired together (and “married”), and you aren’t ready for the rollicking, madcap, action-packed set of missions that they must complete (or else?). Even better: John and Jane Smith’s onscreen relationship is as much of daredevil stunt as the action scenes.

Watch it on Prime Video

2. True Detective: Night Country (Max)

Can Season 4 recapture the magic of Season 1? At the very least, this new story seems to be hitting some of the same atmospheric and tonal notes as the original story starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who shall not be seen but are executive producing. There will be plenty of literal and figurative chills while Jodie Foster’s detective teams up with an old colleague portrayed by Evangeline Navarro. Together, they will attempt to unearth frozen truths involving horrors that took place during a Polar Night when an entire research died under mysterious circumstances. Are your teeth chattering already? Same.

Watch it on Max

1. Bottoms (Prime Video)

Bottoms is a screwball comedy about two gay teenage girls who start a high school fight club as a ploy to hook up with their cheerleader crushes. Ayo Edebiri is in it. So is Marshawn Lynch. There are acts of vandalism set to 80s bangers and football players in cages and none of it makes any sense but it’s absolutely worth just rolling with it.

This one is a blast. And it’s streaming on the same website you bought your coffee maker on. The future is kind of wild.

Watch it on Prime Video

Beyoncé had a massive hit on her hands with the Renaissance World Tour. The only bad thing about it is that it’s over, as the trek ran from May 10 to October 1, 2023. However, Bey used some Super Bowl commercial airtime to tease that a new album is on the way, which she previewed with two new country songs, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” So, that begs the question:

Will Beyoncé Go On Tour For Renaissance: Act II?

Perhaps.

A February 15 report from Hits Daily Double claims, “Coming off a massive, top-grossing global tour, Bey will be heading back onto the road again.” Currently, though, there is no official word that Beyoncé has a new tour on the way, so this report is currently just an unverified rumor. Still, Hits Daily Double has a decent track record of being correct with their reports, so it’s at least worth being aware of.

Act II is currently set for release on March 29, so presumably, if any news of a tour was to come, it would arrive either ahead of the project to help build up hype, or shortly after it to capitalize on the focus on Beyoncé and her new music. Either way, if a Bey tour really is coming, we would probably hear official word about it in the next month or two.

There are approximately 3,000 people named Zendaya in the world. But really, there’s only one Zendaya: the Zendaya.

The Dune: Part Two actress made quite an impression at the world premiere of the Dune sequel in London, wearing an outfit that looks like if Maschinenmensch from Metropolis went to fashion school. The ensemble is “an archival cyborg suit from Thierry Mugler’s fall/winter 1995 couture collection,” according to W magazine. “It’s quite a feat to obtain pieces from the Mugler archives, and even more of a feat to access this particular look which, seemingly, hasn’t been worn since it came down the ’90s catwalk.”

The look has inspired a lot of reactions:

Here’s more on Dune 2:

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Dune: Part Two, which also stars Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, and Anya Taylor-Joy, opens in theaters on March 1.

(Via W magazine)

NBA All-Star Saturday Night often garners more hype than the game itself on Sunday. That’s because the All-Star Game itself can’t reach the same heights in terms of sheer excitement and entertainment as the Saturday night festivities when they are at their best.

Charles Barkley has been on-hand, as either a player or broadcaster, for nearly 40 years of All-Star Weekends. When asked of his favorite memories from Saturday’s festivities he recalls great Dunk Contests from the past, but his favorite memory is from 1986, when he went to support Sixers teammate Leon Wood in the Three-Point Contest and was there when Larry Bird delivered his legendary pre-contest trash talk in the locker room.

“I think for me personally, the Slam Dunk is always the highlight event — you know, Michael Jordan against Dominique [Wilkins], Jason Richardson, Vince Carter. The Three-Point Shooting Contest is pretty special also,” Barkley says. “One time I remember one of my teammates was in the Three-Point Shooting Contest, Leon Wood, and Larry Bird comes in and says, ‘Which one of you guys is gonna come in second place?’ And I was like, ‘Oh sh*t.’ It was one of the coolest, funniest, hilarious moments, but you could have heard a f*ckin’ pin drop in there.”

Getting the NBA’s best all together under one roof is what makes All-Star Weekend so special. All-Star Saturday is particularly special because it’s the one night where the best players in the world turn into fans and kids again, as they all gather courtside to watch the competitions, losing their minds over wild dunks and shooting performances like everyone else.

“It is pretty special, especially when one of your teammates is in one of the events,” Barkley says of the Saturday night atmosphere. “Getting to be out there and watch them, having everybody there, all the players, that doesn’t happen often. The highlight of the weekend has always been the Three-Point shooting contest and the Slam Dunk.”

On occasion, there’s a special event added into the mix, like this year’s shootout between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu to determine the best shooter in the NBA and WNBA after Ionescu broke Curry’s contest record this past summer. Barkley has been part of one of those special events himself, although a very different kind of competition, as he raced Dick Bavetta at All-Star in 2007 in Las Vegas. That moment, complete with Barkley tumbling over at midcourt after running backwards and then giving Bavetta a kiss after, still lives on in All-Star lore.

It was also a moment that could only happen with Barkley, as it was borne out of an Inside the NBA tangent about how old Bavetta was and Kenny Smith prodding him about how Bavetta was probably faster than Chuck.

“It was fun. It started because I was joking during a game and said ‘how old is Dick Bavetta?,’” Barkley recalls. “And Kenny said, ‘I don’t know.’ And I said, ‘His old ass, it’s about time for him to retire.’ And then I think Kenny said Dick Bavetta probably can out-run you. And I said, Dick Bavetta cannot outrun me, he’s 102 years old.

I did not think I was gonna fall, I’m not gonna lie about that. But I wasn’t worried about that old man beating me.”

Aside from racing Bavetta in 2007, a moment that some fans will forever remember as a vintage Chuck moment from All-Star Saturday is from the year before when he was on the call for the Dunk Contest along with Magic Johnson and Kenny Smith and lost his mind over the coat Damon Jones was wearing courtside.

When I asked if he still thinks about Jones’ coat, Barkley let out a big laugh and pointed out that Jones is far from the first NBA player to make a regrettable fashion decision at All-Star.

“[Laughs.] No, I don’t think about that,” Chuck says. “But you know what’s so funny, looking back at some of those pictures sometimes you like — not just Damon, but you see some of the sh*t some of these guys are wearing, us included.

Like one year I had some sh*t on. I was hurt, it was like it was in the mid ’80s, I was hurt and I wore something that I thought looked really good. And then I saw it like 15 years later. I’m like, ‘What the f*ck was I thinking?’”

As we wrapped our conversation, I joked that’s the magic of having professional photographers around all the time, and he offered a parting word of wisdom (and warning) for players as they get set to make fashion statements this weekend.

“Nothing like it, brother. They’re around forever too. That’s what’s crazy.”