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Episode 10 of Pod Yourself The Wire is now available early at Patreon.com/frotcast.

“We have to turn our taste into politics to delude ourselves into thinking our consumption can change the direction of the ship of state.” -Matt Christman

This week on Pod Yourself The Wire, Matt and Vince invite the return of writer, podcaster, and self-proclaimed Bunk head, Matt Christman from The Chapo Trap House podcast (on tour now!) to talk about The Wire season one episode 10, “The Cost.”

This is a mid-aughts HBO prestige crime drama, so the crime guys have to have a strip club to use as a clubhouse. Fitting that The Sopranos’ dumbest character, Georgie, was running the Bada Bing, because The Wire’s dumbest character, Orlando, is running this show’s Balta Bing. As Vince points out, everyone in the aughts was trying to ball a little, and Orlando, tired of being the steady, nondescript hand behind the front, gets flipped by the detail after trying to buy heroin from a cop.

Things don’t end well for Orlando, or anyone else related to the Barksdale crew who tries to cooperate with the detail (poor Wallace). Don’t talk to the cops! Not even lovable, scampy, irish f*ckboy TV cops.

Tell us your favorite thing about Bunk Moreland in a five-star review on Apple Podcasts

Email us at [email protected]; leave us a voicemail at 415-275-0030

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-Description by Brent Flyberg

It’s happening: Two Uproxx cover stars — Latto, who graced our December 2021 cover, and Chlöe, who graced our August cover this year — have a collaboration on the horizon for a song called “For The Night,” which has been a highly anticipated release from Chlöe.

The two icons took to Twitter to make the announcement, which immediately prompted excitement from fans. First, Chlöe tweeted a screen recording of a wholesome FaceTime with Latto in which Chlöe says, “I’m so excited. I cannot wait for everyone to hear what you did on ‘For The Night!’” The video also came with a pre-save link of the track, which you can find here.

Latto shared the message in all caps: “CHLOE BAILEY X LATTO THIS FRIDAY,” and she added lots of emojis — fires, peaches, hearts. Chlöe then quote-tweeted to build the anticipation: “purrrrr THEY AINT READY,” she wrote, and added the release date of Oct. 28.

“For The Night” is something Chlöe has been cryptically teasing for a while with videos and hashtags. The singer first previewed the single in May alongside two other songs, asking fans for their help in deciding which one would follow up “Surprise” as her fourth solo single.

The Crown may be one of Netflix’s most unstoppable hits, but it has its critics. Members of the Royal Family, as one can imagine, aren’t terribly keen on the show, especially as it gets closer and closer to perhaps their biggest scandal: their treatment of Princess Diana and her subsequent violent death. Then there’s Dame Judi Dench, who recently penned a blistering takedown for The Times U.K. Now the same publication is reporting an odd twist in the story.

As caught by The A.V. Club, a source tells the publication that they were a little confused about Dench’s stance, and for good reason: She had reportedly been in talks to join the cast. Dench was courted to play Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, in talks that “went on for a few weeks.” The insider said, “Both sides were taking it seriously.”

The role eventually went to Marcia Warren, with Dench turning it down partly because the part was too small. But she was also, as a friend of now-Queen Camilla, “concerned that taking the role could compromise her relationship with the royal family.”

Among Dench’s complaints was that the show was heavily fictionalized, which would be fine if the show had a disclaimer saying as much, which they didn’t. That has since changed, perhaps in part due to Dench’s blistering open letter, but also perhaps in part due to the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who is currently being played by Imelda Staunton. There’s some additional signs that the show will take a less lurid portrayal of The Firm. For one thing, they won’t actually be showing Diana’s grisly car crash death, which occurred just over a quarter century ago.

(Via The Times U.K. and The A.V. Club)

For 31 years, Jim Nantz has been the voice of the men’s Final Four on CBS (and Turner), but this year will be his final one, as the legendary play-by-play man will make his homecoming to Houston his last time on the call with Bill Raftery and Grant Hill.

Nantz confirmed to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post that he will make his 32nd Final Four on the call his last one, ceding the lead play-by-play role in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament to Ian Eagle after this season.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” Nantz said. “I’m going to take Brent’s torch and pass it on to Ian. I’ve had the greatest seat in the house and it’s time for someone else to do it.”

Nantz cites his desire to spend more time with his children as the reason for stepping out of the March Madness booth, as he stays plenty busy with NFL and CBS’ coverage of the PGA Tour — where he will continue. However, an interesting wrinkle is that Nantz will still go to the Final Four and act as the trophy presenter, he just won’t call the games and will instead enjoy them from the stands.

“I would like to sit in the stands for the great majority of the game with my kids,” Nantz said. “And tell them that their dad used to call this game. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me for a few minutes, I’ve got to go down to the floor and give the trophy away.’ That will be a lot of fun.”

Not a bad gig if you can get it.

As for Eagle, he has plenty of tournament experience himself, works with Hill and Raftery during the college hoops season, and is a fan favorite, so him being selected as the successor to Nantz is of little surprise and also figures to be met with support.

It’ll be a bit odd in 2024 when we aren’t greeted to the Final Four with a “Hello, friends,” but sometimes it’s important to also know when to say goodbye.

Kanye West has lost a number of business partners in recent weeks as he has gone on numerous public anti-Semitic rants. This includes his bank, JP Morgan, and talent agency, CAA, cutting ties in the last two weeks.

In the NBA world, LeBron James’ The Shop had to scrap an episode with West after he continued with his attempts to spread hate speech — why they kept him booked in the first place is an entirely different question. Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is signed to West’s marketing agency, Donda Sports, and was asked on Monday by Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe whether he would remain with the agency and for a statement on West’s recent comments.

Brown said he doesn’t “condone any hurt, harm, or danger toward any group of people or individuals whatsoever,” but said he will remain with Donda Sports and tried to separate the agency from West. As for his personal relationship with West, he offered this statement to Washburn about why he will continue to offer “unconditional love” to West.

“He’s someone who’s obviously dealing with a lot of adversity that’s in front of him right now and everybody can see it and it’s public. But a lot of people in the world are dealing with adversity and things that are going on that’s in front of them and they need help. It’s a lot going on right now.”

“It’s tough to speak on because everybody is going to form their own opinions about what you have to say, but I look at people that I’ve been around, family, friends that you love,” he said. “To me, it’s unconditional. To me, as they’re working through problems, we’re working through it in unison.

“I don’t agree with everything that everybody does. Like I said, I don’t stand for any hurt, harm, or danger toward anybody, but sometimes people need unconditional love and help to get them through the situation.”

Brown doesn’t provide any specifics on the “adversity” that’s in front of West, which seems to all be self-inflicted by doubling and tripling down on spewing hate speech, and one could argue that what West needs is people who love him to call him out for being in the wrong rather than insist he’s just going through something and trying to brush it aside.

Today McDonald’s announced that its seasonal sandwich, the McRib is returning to the menu on October 31st, but in the same tweet announcing the return, the Golden Arches also revealed that this time it’ll be the sandwich’s “farewell tour.”

Generally, the McRib hits menus in late fall — because nothing says ‘autumn’ like processed meat with fake bones molded into the shape of some ribs right? — but this announcement is a bit surprising. Is McDonald’s actually going to ditch the McRib for good?

Before you start hyperventilating, relax, because there is a high chance we’ll see the McRib again. According to McDonald’s corporate website, it seems like the McRib is just going to be taking a bit of a break after three consecutive years of hitting menus nationwide between fall and winter. This isn’t the first time the McRib has gone on an extended break either, the McRib wasn’t available nationwide between 2012 and 2020, though it did appear in a more limited capacity.

“Like any true farewell tour, we’re hoping this isn’t a ‘goodbye’ but a ‘see you later.’ Because as our McRibs Stans have experienced time and time again: you never know when — or if — the McRib is coming back,” says the Mcdonald’s website.

So the McRib going on a farewell tour means just about as much as Jay-Z announcing he’s going into retirement. It’s just a thing being said to move more product. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that McDonald’s isn’t planning on actually axing the McRib considering they released an NFT of the product last year and have been selling the sandwich off and on for over 40 years. Clearly, McDonald’s is following Taco Bell which also has a habit of ditching fan favorites only to bring them back again and again.

Here is how people responded to the stunt on Twitter.

Responses seem to be mixed but hopefully, it’s given McDonald’s some insight into fan favorites that have yet to make a return. Also, here is to hoping McDonald’s never brings back the living horror that is Mac Tonight.

On Monday, the world lost a longtime staple of television, film, and social media: Leslie Jordan, the diminutive performer whose exuberance and Southern drawl made him a favorite regular of the screen. He was 67.

Jordan’s life came to a sudden conclusion: As per The New York Times, Jordan crashed his BMW into a building in Los Angeles after suffering what’s been called a medical emergency. Details on what befell him have yet to be made public.

Before he took a bus out west to L.A., Jordan wasn’t sure what to do with his life. His tiny frame led him to become a jockey in his 20s. He eventually gave that up, pursued a theater degree, then redirected his life to performing. He started in commercials before landing a flurry of guest spots on shows like The Fall Guy, Murphy Brown, and Newhart. He became a recurring figure on the early ‘90s D.C. show Hearts Afire, alongside John Ritter, Markie Post, and a pre-fame Billy Bob Thornton. He also made a welcome appearance on American Horror Story.

It was perhaps his 17 appearances on Will & Grace, the pioneering sitcom featuring an out gay co-protagonist, for which he’s best known. He won an Emmy in 2006 for playing Beverley Leslie, the sardonic socialite who stole scenes.

But Jordan’s biggest hit may have been what amounted to one-man shows. During the height of the pandemic, quarantining in Tennessee near his family, he began posting quickie videos on Instagram, showing him doing silly things, like twirling with a baton. The world needed distractions and Jordan did just that. Soon he’d amassed millions of followers, turning him into the star he’d always wanted to be.

Jordan’s sudden passing prompted an avalanche of tributes, from fans and colleagues alike. Many who worked with him over the years — he amassed some 130-plus credits starting in the mid-‘80s — publicly mourned his passing.

Some made sure to commemorate his pandemic videos.

Rest in peace, Leslie Jordan.

(Via NYT)

The rumor mill is abuzz with speculation that Travis Scott has been stepping out on Kylie Jenner, but Travis made it a point to shut it all down in no uncertain terms. According to E! News, an Instagram model by the name of Rojean Kar shared a video of Travis from the set of a shoot, prompting Travis to react on his own account.

“It’s a lot of weird sh*t going on,” he wrote. “An uninvited person was sneaking photos on, what was supposed to be, a closed set while I was directing a video. I’m saying this for the last time. I don’t know this person. I’ve never been with this person. So please stop with the continuous cyber games and the fictional storytelling.”

Kar returned fire on her account, writing, “Saying you don’t know me and you’ve never once been with me when you’ve definitely been with me, when f*cking everybody’s seen you with me, when I have pictures and videos of you with me, come on. Come on, Sir. This Valentine’s Day, I saw you. I ran out the door and you had every single girl I know blowing me up, like, ‘Trav’s asking for you, come back.’ Are we pretending that didn’t happen too? Like, come on. You cheat on that bitch every single f*cking night. The whole f*cking city sees it.”

Travis had a response to that as well, posting a photo of a dinner table covered in a festive spread and writing, “If u wasn’t at this table on V day then u wasn’t with me.”

Of course, there will always be fans who will keep speculating about any potential infidelity but until there’s solid evidence, it’s probably best to consign this one to the realm of rumor.

At some point this season, likely in February (health-pending), LeBron James will break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time NBA scoring record of 38,387 points. It will be the latest accomplishment by James and another accolade in his favor in the never-ending GOAT debate, but an interesting subplot to it all is that there likely won’t be a grand passing of the torch moment from one of the all-time Laker greats to the current top star in L.A.

As LeBron stated bluntly prior to the season, there is “no relationship” between he and Abdul-Jabbar.

As Magic Johnson laid out on Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe, Kareem probably won’t be too celebratory when it happens. When Sharpe asked what how Kareem will take it, Magic noted simply, “not well,” which sent Sharpe into hysterics, but the two then get into discussing why that is.

Kareem has held that record for a long time, and as Magic explains, it’s not one he probably ever thought he’d lose. This isn’t to say Kareem won’t offer a cordial statement congratulating LeBron, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for him to be on hand like Reggie Miller and Ray Allen for Stephen Curry breaking the all-time three-pointer record, holding a special ceremony on the court.

It’s honestly understandable why Kareem wouldn’t exactly be thrilled to be pushed down to No. 2, because as Sharpe says, they don’t talk about No. 2 all that often. While Abdul-Jabbar rarely features into most GOAT debates, his spot on top of the all-time scoring list was one of the great notches in his favor, with that gone, it’s fair that he might have some fear his place in the game’s history won’t be as prominent as we grow further and further away from his playing career.

Wheel of Fortune doesn’t always get the attention its brainer sister show Jeopardy! does, but when it does, it’s usually not flattering. It only makes the news if contestants catastrophically flub one of their typically easy puzzles, or if its longtime, Pat Sajak, does something weird, like pose for a picture with MAGA menace Marjorie Taylor Greene. Speaking of Sajak, on a recent episode, his banter went to some, well, very odd places.

It was actually an installment of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which has already resulted in some top shelf Snoop Dogg content. This time Sajak was shooting the stuff with Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden, as one does. Sajak asked him something he probably should have Googled before they started taping, namely if he’s still hosting the show tattoo show Ink Master. He is, but that only prompted Sajak to blurt out a joke about his co-host Vanna White — or at least we hope it’s a joke.

“I was going to have a little tattoo of Vanna put on my chest, but I didn’t,” Sajak cracked (or not?). A cut to White showed her laughing.

But Sajak wasn’t done. After Madden quipped, “It’s never too late!”, Sajak added, “I was afraid it would take away from my nipple ring.”

Madden was quick with a response, joking, “I think it would actually compliment the nipple rings, Pat.”

Anyway, does Pat Sajak have a nipple ring? And is he actually planning on getting his coworker tatted near to it? Stranger things have happened and game show hosts are infamously strange people. So while it seems unlikely that the host of Wheel of Fortune has a body piercing (or more than one?), if he does then you probably don’t want to know about it.

(Via Fox News)