WWE is mixing up its announce teams across all three of its major shows beginning on October 7 with Smackdown, according to Variety.

About a year after joining the company, Jimmy Smith has wrapped up his time with WWE, as the new commentary team at Monday Night Raw will feature Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves. Byron Saxton will step out from behind the announce desk and back to conducting onscreen interviews alongside the returning Cathy Kelley.

On Smackdown, Michael Cole will be joined by Wade Barrett, with WWE acknowledging that Pat McAfee will return to the promotion following his commitments to ESPN’s College GameDay. Both McAfee and Triple H announced previously that due to his role with ESPN, he would have to put his WWE career on pause. The pair made it a point to say that this is not a permanent end to his time with the promotion, and WWE is following up on that with clear plans for his return in the future. Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant will serve as onscreen interviewers for the blue brand.

Booker T will head back behind the announce desk as well, joining Vic Joseph as the commentary team over at NXT.

The report also acknowledges Cole and Graves will join forces for WWE’s major live events, presumably setting the stage for the duo to call this weekend’s Extreme Rules show.

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Mixing his voice with Martinet, Morillo completely replaces Pratt’s voice and reimagines the trailer. People were quite pleased.

“Wow I was giving them the benefit of the doubt, that maybe Mario’s high pitched voice wouldn’t work for a full movie, but it’s actually way better like this. I now wish they weren’t using Chris Pratt,” one person wrote in the YouTube comments.

“This one makes me feel warm and fuzzy.. It actually made me laugh,” wrote another.

One commenter also pointed out perhaps the key ingredient to why Pratt’s performance seemed to fall flat. “Famous voices should stick to voiceovers of humorous documentaries; let the voice actors do the real work. There’s so much more life in a character voiced by a professional voice actor.”

Technically, no formal training is required to become a voice actor. However, it’s much more than simply speaking into a microphone—it can take years to acquire the skills required to bring a character to life in an authentic, engaging and lasting way. And that doesn’t just go for larger-than-life cartoon characters—the legendary speaking voice of James Earl Jones came as a result of voice lessons.

It’s not that celebrities don’t engage in this type of specialized training when preparing for a role, however there is often an unspoken permission to simply use their regular voice, as Pratt seemingly has for his Mario. Sometimes this takes viewers out of the story, thus making everyone lose out on the magic.

By contrast, Jack Black, whose experience as a singer clearly bleeds into his voiceover talents, has had overwhelmingly positive reviews for his portrayal of Mario’s most well-known nemesis—Bowser. He doesn’t sound much like Black at all, which helps the character stand out on its own.

The call to bring back trained professionals in the craft (yes, craft) of voice acting, rather than hoping a star-studded cast will fill seats for better box office numbers, is part of a larger conversation around producing quality art versus making a cash grab. It’s a conversation that perhaps will never come to full closure, but just like this faux “Mario Bros.” trailer, hopefully we can reimagine something better.

Lizzo embarked on The Special Tour last month and we’ve already had a slew of notable moments. In Washington D.C., the “About Damn Time” singer played a 200-year old crystal flute that was once owned by President James Madison (while somehow managing to draw the ire of conservative pundits for doing so.) In Detroit, she got teary-eyed on stage for her homecoming appearance saying, “It’s emotional being back where your roots began.” But her incredible antics at her performance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden might have just been the most Lizzo moment of them all.

Lizzo starts talking to a fan (Brittney) near the front row, who explains that she’s in a “situationship with this guy.” It seemed as though they’d been dating off and on, but there was no commitment from him and the relationship is at a standstill. Lizzo told the fan, “There should be no excuse in the world, if someone really f*cks with you, they’ll drop everything.” Then she pauses and says, “That being said, I still wanna be messy and call his ass!”

Lizzo takes Brittney’s phone and calls her fleeting lover (DJ) and asks him if he can do a FaceTime. DJ is confused for a moment and then realizes who he’s speaking with. “Oh my god is this Lizzo?” he asks. Lizzo wasted no time and says. “DJ you’re Facetiming me live on stage right now bitch. I’m wasting a lot of minutes at Madison Square [Garden]. So what’s the f*cking deal? You about to miss out on a bad bitch or what?”

The crowd goes wild and Lizzo smiles at Brittney and says, “He looks mad as hell.” Then sings to DJ on the phone, “You looooking maaad as helll!” and hangs up on him. Just another day at the office for Lizzo.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Quavo & Takeoff, Open Mike Eagle, and more.

As the weather turns cooler, so to does the machinery of the music industry begin to cool down in anticipation of the holiday season. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any new music coming out. On the contrary, this week saw a bunch of new releases from the likes of NLE Choppa, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Nicki MInaj, and the artists listed below.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending October 7, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

G Herbo — Survivor’s Remorse: Side A

Chicago’s haunted conscience returns with 12 new songs recounting the PTSD of growing up rough-and-tumble in the Windy City. This time, Herb secures the assistance of Benny The Butcher, Future, the incarcerated Gunna, and Offset (who’s been on a bit of a tear lately after ostensibly separating from Migos brethren Quavo and Takeoff).

Grip — 5 & A F*** You

The Georgia battle rapper’s latest bears the Stray Society label rather than Shady Records, but that doesn’t dull the horror movie aesthetics and interlocking rhymes on which he’s built his reputation. “Popular Demand” is a personal favorite, while “Cook Up” is perfect for your spooky season-themed workout playlists.

Quavo & Takeoff — Only Built For Infinity Links

Perhaps this week’s most anticipated release, Infinity Links seems calculated to get listeners to agree that “two out of three ain’t bad.” Ironically, this one is causing more controversy than it’s clearing up, as Quavo’s intentionally vague verse on “Messy” has prompted more speculation about the crew’s supposed breakup rather than less.

Open Mike Eagle — A Tape Called Component System With The Auto Reverse

There’s been a lot of chatter about this one on Twitter, considering how little press it’s received in comparison to some of his previous works. That said, it’s an Open Mike original from top to bottom, packed with quirky beats and witty wrestling references (“I say ‘Hey!’ like The Bushwackers” made your boy do a double take). Armand Hammer, RAP Ferreira, and Video Dave assist.

Rich Homie Quan — Family & Mula

I sh*t you not, I was just wondering where this guy has been. He might be nearly a decade removed from his breakout single “Type Of Way,” and there’s certainly been some separation between him and his closest comparisons, Future and Young Thug, but the melodic trap pioneer still has plenty to say and says it well on this short EP. If he’s going to regain his footing, this will be the project that does it for him.

Singles/Videos

Enny — “Champagne Problems”

Peng gyal Enny has been slowly but surely building a following with her unique approach to blending street-tough raps, moody R&B aesthetics, and a no-nonsense attitude. All three attributes stand out in her latest single, in which she points out one of hip-hop’s worst double standards: “If I rap about pussy I’m a sellout?” she wonders incredulously. Here’s looking forward to the day when this stops being the case.

Kay Flock — “Geeked Up” Feat. Gucci Mane

The Bronx drill artist is having an impressive year; after dropping “Shake It,” with Cardi B, Dougie B, and Bory300, in April, he returns with another big-name co-sign — this time from trap godfather Gucci Mane. Although drill and trap have plenty in common, it’s still thoroughly satisfying to hear Gucci sounding so at home with a completely different production style, and Kay Flock acquits himself well despite being blown away on his own song for the second time this year.

SleazyWorld Go — “Creepers”

The Midwest as a whole is such a fascinating incubator for emotive but menacing music. Artists from there truly capture both the sense of despair of coming up in flyover country, as well as the get-it-out-the-mud motivation that often offers the slimmest source of optimism for the future. Kansas City, Missouri’s SleazyWorld Go spits in the same vein as Midwestern neighbors like Polo G, but even more brokenhearted and snake-eyed, reflecting their disparate but similar circumstances.

Vado — “Fast Life” Feat. Dave East

Harlemites Vado and Dave East link up for a hardbody, back-and-forth cipher session, showing some appreciable chemistry. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind a full project from these two in this mode because they bring … well, if not the best, then some really effective stuff out of each other.

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

Small batch bourbon tends to be most people’s “next step” into bourbon after they get the bourbon bug. The juice in a “small batch” bottle tends to be more exclusive and, theoretically, “better” than your average bottle. While that’s not always true (more on that in a moment), small batch offerings do tend to lean toward a more refined flavor profile than the average bottle from any brand. To figure out which small batch bottles actually have the best flavor profiles, I’m stacking ten of them up against each other in a blind taste test.

Before we dive in, there’s no real law or rule for what makes a “small batch.” In fact, the number of barrels varies wildly from brand to brand — that means quality will too. The general rule is that a small batch expression is at least one barrel smaller than a standard batch of bourbon from any given brand. That can mean anything, as some standard expressions have over 1,000 barrels in each batch whereas other standard expressions have closer to 350 barrels or far less. That in turn means that there is no “x” number for making a small batch of bourbon “small batch.” In reality, we’re talking about a marketing term that denotes a slightly different/more refined flavor profile than an entry-level expression from any given brand.

Knowing that we’re really talking about flavor profile when we’re talking about small batch bourbon whiskey, a blind tasting is a great way to differentiate them. To do so, I grabbed ten small batch bourbons from my shelf. I specifically grabbed bottles that say “small batch” on them instead since going by how many barrels are in a particular whiskey would be pointless (I have plenty of bourbons that don’t call themselves “small batch” that I know have fewer barrels in the mix than some of the small batch whiskeys below).

After blindly tasting them, I’ll rank them by… what tastes best, of course. Spoiler alert, it did not shake out how I expected. A super cheap small batch expression damn near stole the whole show.

Our lineup today is:

• Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bottled In Bond
• Michter’s US *1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 1792 Small Batch
• Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 12 Years
• Kirkland Signature Small Batch by Barton 1792 Master Distillers
• Booker’s Small Batch Collection “The Lumberyard Batch”
• Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 2 Small Batch Aged 5 Years
• Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Aged 6 Years
• Bomberger’s Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Benchmark Small Batch

Okay, let’s get into it!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months

• We Blind Tasted A Whole Bunch Of $30-60 Bourbons To See If Any Could Beat Weller
• We Put A Whole Bunch Of Bourbons To A Giant Blind Test And Discovered Some Absolute Gems
• We Blind Tasted Classic Bourbons And Were Shocked By The Winner
• The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• All The Double Gold-Winning Straight Bourbons From This Year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a sense of soft corn mush with maple syrup, Saigon cinnamon (a little sweet), orchard tree bark, and the black mildew that grows on all the whiskey warehouses in Kentucky. The palate leans into buttery toffee with a twinge of black licorice next to cinnamon-spiced dark chocolate tobacco and a hint of huckleberry pie with vanilla ice cream. The end has a salted caramel sweetness that leads back to a hint of sweet cinnamon and dark tobacco with a light sense of the fermentation room with a hint of sweet gruel.

This smells like walking into Buffalo Trace on the nose, it’s unbelievably specific. The mix of softly sweetened mash turning into distiller’s beer and then spirit is hard to miss.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is very fruity with a mix of bruised peach, red berries (almost like in a cream soda), and apple wood next to a plate of waffles with brown butter and a good pour of maple syrup that leads to a hint of cotton candy. The sweetness ebbs on the palate as vanilla frosting leads to grilled peaches with a crack of black pepper next to singed marshmallows. The end is plummy and full of rich toffee next to a dash of cedar bark and vanilla tobacco.

This was pretty nice. Very fruity but that worked with the overall sweet vibe. It kind of ended up feeling like a bunch of fresh fruit piled into a vanilla pound cake with a boozy edge.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

This is very cherry/vanilla forward on the nose with a hint of sour apple fritter next to a mash of fermented/sweet grains (again with that distillery vibe). Sweet and lush caramel mingles with vanilla cookies as winter spice leads to a Cherry Coke vibe. The end holds onto that feeling with a bit more caramel next to spiced tobacco but ultimately thins out on the finish.

This is really classic but just doesn’t quite land the finish. It gets a little too thin and washes out a tad.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this one is thick and juicy with notes of dark cherries dipped in dark chocolate next to sourdough fritters with plenty of brown sugar, spicy cinnamon, and apple mush with this fleeting sense of dried mint way in the background. On the palate, there’s a sense of those dark cherries swimming in brandy next to blackberry pie with a big scoop of rich vanilla ice cream that’s countered by dried ancho chili flakes, a hint of pecan, and a whisper of espresso cream. The end has a spiced holiday cake vibe with some dried figs and plums next to a hint of marzipan and salted sour cherry.

This is f*cking delicious. It feels like you’re drinking the best from the nose to the finish. It’s luxurious yet never overpowering on the palate or the senses. There’s a balance that’s just right and plenty of great dark notes to dig into.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a cherry/vanilla vibe that drives toward peach candies, a touch of black licorice, and some nutty dark chocolate. The palate leans into the rich vanilla while a box of Hot Tamales adds some heat before a sense of apricot jam and buttermilk biscuits arrive. The end has a creamed honey feel with plenty of salted caramel, spicy cherry tobacco, and a hint of oak before fading pretty quickly.

This was nice. It felt classic. The end sort of petered out, but that’s not the end of the world.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Sour mash, dry pecans, old leather boots, dusty cellars, and dry tobacco mix with dark cherry, salted caramel, and vanilla cake on the nose. The palate starts off creamy and lush with that vanilla before hitting a moment of moist chocolate chip cookie with walnut and then serious heat (this is a barn burner). That heat pops through the mid-palate until a sense of sharp cinnamon and black pepper fade toward caramel apples, broom bristles, and dark chocolate laced spicy tobacco braided with old cedar bark and used wicker.

This really needed a rock to calm it down.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

The nose is hearty and full of holiday spices, old boot leather, very dark salted chocolate sauce, dry cedar, and a hint of an orange creamsicle. The palate has an old back porch vibe before hitting on fresh-baked zucchini bread with walnuts and nutmeg, rich toffee creaminess, and a subtle sense of Earl Grey. That creaminess drives the mid-palate to the finish with more walnuts, more old leather, and a whisper of dark chocolate creaminess layered into creamy orange sauce.

Well, I think that’s the most I’ve ever used some version of “creamy” in a review. But it’s apt. This was lush and silky with a real depth to it. It didn’t blow me away, but that’s going to be hard with the whiskeys that have already come and gone on this panel.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

There’s a light sense of sour mash with a hint of leather, wet cedar, old grain mills, and warm apple pies with plenty of brown spice and sugar. The palate leans into the graininess with a sweet edge (Hell, Tennessee) before vanilla Necco Wafers counter fresh ginger snaps, apple tobacco leaves, and a hint of dry cedar kindling. The end leans into the apple pie filling with a bit of vanilla bean and sweet oak before fading out pretty quickly.

This is a nice pour overall but didn’t really stand out.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

A dash of sweet mashed grains with a hint of sourdough leads on the nose next to rich sticky toffee pudding, old leather tobacco pouches, dry cellar beams, plenty of sweet cinnamon, and a hint of orange dark chocolate cut with nutmeg and salt. The palate is creamy and soft like a crème brûlée before hitting an easy warmth tied to winter spices (nutmeg, clove, allspice, star anise, etc.) with a nice balance of dry cedar and that orange/dark chocolate vibe now tied to marzipan and creamed honey. The end blends figs and prunes with spices and spreads the paste across chewy fresh tobacco leaves and rolls it all up with a few specks of salt and dark chocolate.

This was great. It’s so rich and approachable (no “too much heat” here). It’s just really good and I want to go back to this one.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

There’s that Buffalo Trace distillery vibe again with hints of old vanilla beans, fresh leather, old wicker porch furniture with a hint of black mold, and a hint of apple blossom next to honey. The palate leans into the apple and honey while adding rich caramel with a nice dose of sweet cinnamon, allspice, and freshly ground nutmeg with a hint of dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and dried corn husks. The end sweetens toward a corn mush cut with maple syrup and raisins next to vanilla pods and a hint of old leather tobacco pouches with a whisper of cherry wood in the background.

This is really nice. I can’t decide if it’s the Taylor or the Benchmark though. Either way, this is a winner through and through.

Part 2: The Ranking

10. Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Aged 6 Years — Taste 8

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

Bib & Tucker pulls barrels of Tennessee whiskey from an (undisclosed) old and quiet valley in the state. They then blend those barrels to meet their brand’s flavor notes. While they are laying down their own whiskey now, this is still all about the blending of those barrels in small batches.

Bottom Line:

This was fine. It felt like a great cocktail base bourbon but that’s about it.

9. 1792 Small Batch — Taste 3

ABV: 46.85%

Average Price: $28

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from Barton 1792 Distillery is a no-age-statement release made in “small batches.” The mash is unknown but Sazerac does mention that it’s a “high rye” mash bill, which could mean anything, really. The juice is batched from select barrels and then proofed down and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

Again, this was fine but really petered out in the end. That basically means that you can build a good cocktail with this to cover up that soft finish.

8. Kirkland Signature Small Batch by Barton 1792 Master Distillers — Taste 5

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $19 (1 liter)

The Whiskey:

This is the entry point to Costco’s new lineup of Kentucky bourbons (along with a Bottled-in-Bond and Single Barrel release). The whiskey in the bottle is from Sazerac’s Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown with a mash bill of 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% barley. That juice is left to age for four to five years before being blended, proofed, and bottled for Costco.

Bottom Line:

This had a bit more refinement than the last two and a stronger finish overall. That said, this felt more like a cocktail base that works as an on the rocks sipper in a pinch.

7. Booker’s Small Batch Collection “The Lumberyard Batch” — Taste 6

ABV: 62.4%

Average Price: $200

The Whiskey:

The second Booker’s release of 2022 is a masterful blend of barrels from seven locations around Jim Beam’s rickhouses. Those barrels are mostly from the seventh floor of those rickhouses, with one coming from the ninth floor. All of them averaged out to this whiskey being seven years, one month, and seven days old before it was batched and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was just a little too hot today. And that might not be fair to this whiskey. It’s really good but overwhelmed next to a lot of 45-55% ABV whiskeys. Aside from that, pour this over ice and you’ll be fine.

6. Michter’s US *1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 2

ABV: 45.7%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

Michter’s really means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended juice is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.

Bottom Line:

There’s a nice sense of classic, fruity bourbon on this sip. I think I’d lean more toward using this for cocktails based on that, hence it placing a little lower on this list.

5. Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 2 Small Batch Aged 5 Years — Taste 7

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $83

The Whiskey:

This bottle celebrates our National Parks with each limited edition release. In this case, the release celebrates Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary with part of the proceeds from each bottle sold going to Yellowstone Forever, which helps protect the park. The whiskey in the bottle is a special release from Wyoming grains — 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley — and water. After five years, the barrels are small-batch blended and bottled with a drop of proofing water.

Bottom Line:

This was lush and just really nice to drink. This is a clear winner as a sipper with or without ice.

4. Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bottled In Bond — Taste 1

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $129

The Whiskey:

Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is an entry point to the other 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon for Taylor.

Bottom Line:

I had to go back to this whiskey a couple of times to figure out where to rank it. It was good but wasn’t quite as full-bodied as the next three. That said, this is a really tasty whiskey when you’re not looking at it under a microscope while trying to rank it blind. Pour it over some ice or neat or mix an amazing cocktail with it, you will not be disappointed.

3. Benchmark Small Batch — Taste 10

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $19

The Whiskey:

This is a one-step-up “small batch” from Buffalo Trace’s budget brand, Benchmark. There’s not a whole lot of information on what this is exactly when it comes to the mash bill or aging. The “batch” could be 20 barrels or 200. We do know that the bourbon is cut down to 90-proof before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was a great pour and came out of left field. If I had been guessing these, I would have pegged this as the E.H. Taylor and been wrong. That said, this punches way above its weight class and is in contention for the best value-per-dollar whiskeys of 2022.

2. Bomberger’s Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 9

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The juice on the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak which was air-dried for three years before charring and filling. The Kentucky bourbon was then bottled in an extremely small batch that only yielded 2005 bottles this year.

Bottom Line:

This was dam near perfect. I toyed with this and the next both in the number one slot. So, basically, these are tied. I guess the next pour just had that little something extra.

1. Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 12 Years — Taste 4

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $67

The Whiskey:

This is classic Beam whiskey. The low-rye juice is left alone in the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky, for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and mingled to create this aged expression with a drop or two of that soft Kentucky limestone water.

Bottom Line:

This was a clear winner the moment it hit my senses today. It’s luxurious and unique while still feeling like a nostalgic pour of bourbon. It’s a great journey to go on in a glass.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Well, look at that! The cheapest bottles didn’t all fall to the bottom, nor did the lower ABV ones. This ended up being far more of a mix than I would have expected with seriously great-priced bottles beating out the expensive and very hyped ones.

In the end though, grab that Knob Creek 12. You can find it, it’s cheap, and it’s delicious. The Bomberger’s is great as well, but it’s going to be far and few between. Benchmark Small Batch is another great option, but might not be in your neck of the woods — though I’m still shocked how highly I ended up ranking it. Which leads us all back to Knob Creek. It’s unbeatable and findable.

The unprecedented, two-game exhibition series between Metropolitans 92 and the G League Ignite gave basketball fans a prequel to the story of two fantastic NBA Draft prospects in one of the most enticing classes in recent memory: Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson. The latter shined brightly in the first matchup, but exited the second early with an injury.

That game still captured the collective eyes of the basketball world, a testament to how impressive Wembanyama’s display was as he went for 36 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks on Thursday afternoon. On Tuesday, he lit up the box score with 37 points and five blocks, including a 7-for-11 showing from deep.

It’s simple to point out his size — the dude is 7’4! It’s what he’s doing at that size, and doing routinely while flashing the capability of doing even more, that has led to him receiving more hype than any prospect since LeBron James. Hype is not always a good thing, because the word ties into expectations and the difficulty that can come in trying to meet them.

To me, Wembanyama ascends the notion of hype, as he breaks the game and changes the dimensions of the court. You know how Fortnite removed building in some aspects of the game? That’s an apt analogy to how Wembanyama controls the court — the things he can do redefines how the game is played. It’s one thing to be 7’4 with an 8-foot wingspan, it’s another to have that size while being able to do this.

We’ve seen plenty of seven footers who can shoot. Some of them have been able to put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts, some of them are able to take defenders off the dribble. None have been able to do it with this level of quickness, fluidity, coordination, and touch around the basket. Wembanyama is consistently able to play through or over contact due to his height and release point, while his balance is also extremely good for his size. There is still room for him to grow, but as of right now, he is a good enough shooter that you can’t just leave him alone and live with the results.

He’s not just shooting open corner threes. Wembanyama is taking shots off of movement, trailing in transition, some self-created jumpers, and ghosting out of screens. His ability to self-gather and have advanced footwork prior to a shot are ultra-smooth and a joy to watch.

The shooting gravity combined with his downhill fluidity makes him a player who can legitimately utilize the majority of the half-court. His release point — which, I’d love to know what it is when measured out, because it has to be close to level with the basket — cannot be bothered. This is absurdity!

The mid-range tough shots have been a club in Wembanyama’s bag for a while, but Thursday was a clear and concerted effort to show what he can do, and it was the sort of performance that will stick with me for quite some time. Shot after shot after shot drew a reaction — see if your jaw hits the floor while you watch this, because mine sure did.

He was already the clear-cut No. 1 pick headed into the class at the end of last season, and his early season play with Metropolitans has been extraordinary for his development. His assertiveness and aggression have ratcheted up, while his overall feel for the game has grown, too. He’s that much better at finding ways to use his size to impact play. There’s still room for him to improve as a passer. He threw some wayward passes in that second game, but the court vision is solid. Repping out reads and continuing to work on his deliveries and accuracy will be worth tracking.

His defensive aptitude, event creation, mobility, and ground coverage are staggering. He’s starting to bend the court with his gravity offensively, but he’s been warping offenses with his stifling play on the other end of the floor for some time now. What stands out the most isn’t necessarily the blocks. Rather, it is the hesitation that he can cause, as his mere presence strikes fear into players on the other team. Numerous Ignite players showed timidity inside the arc, and understandably so.

A counter after the interior lane is shut off with a spin into the hook is a normal shot for Efe Abogidi. It’s a bit telegraphed, but look at the point where Wembanyama tips it. That’s at the very apex. Hook shots are normally getting blocked in a player’s hand, as they’re used to flip up and over length, but the geometry is changed here.

He doesn’t need to sit back in drop, even though he can thrive there. He’s an adept rim protector, but his defensive feel and timing are special. The mobility he possesses allows him to play multiple pick-and-roll coverages, while that awareness and timing are what make him so capable of putting those tools to use.

Henderson is a quality pull-up jump shooter, and usually, defenses will scheme to show high help and recover over top to live with the jumper and prevent paint touches, as that’s where the magic happens for Scoot.

It’s unquestionably a concession, and some teams could have benefitted from strong contests, but the math made sense for them in the moment. Henderson has a bit of a forward motion into his shots that he’ll use to get to the foul line, and it can deter defenders. It’s a nice tool to creak open even more space.

Once again, Wembanyama changes the equation. Watching opposing players truly gain an understanding of Wembanyama’s length and timing for the first time on the court is — and almost certainly will forever be — an endearing experience.

While Henderson didn’t get as much of a chance to shine due to his injury, these two games were a special showcase for Wembanyama and a phenomenal introduction to the general public of his impending stardom. The growth track he is on is exceptional. There has never been a player like him in my lifetime, and he’s not even in the NBA … yet.

With the Community movie officially confirmed, making good on the promise of “six seasons and a movie,” creator Dan Harmon dropped another major bombshell at New York Comic Con: There’s a chance that Donald Glover might be coming back after all. Glover famously left the show after Season 4 to pursue other creative endeavors, including his critically acclaimed series Atlanta. He’s also busy at Amazon working on a Mr. & Mrs. Smith TV series, so the assumption was that he’d be too busy for the film.

Not so much, according to Harmon.

“I think that Donald is coming, based on word of mouth, but it’s just the deal isn’t official or wasn’t official,” Harmon said via Variety. “It would be difficult to really commit to doing this thing without Donald. So I believe he is coming back.”

With that big news out of the way, Harmon got to work shutting down the inevitable questions about Chevy Chase also making a return. As fans know, Chase’s character Pierce Hawthorne was killed off amidst reports that the actor was difficult to work with. In fact, Chase confirmed those reports earlier this year by telling CBS Sunday Morning that he “doesn’t give a crap” if everyone hated him. So, yeah, the chances of Chase returning for the movie were already slim, and Harmon pretty much put a nail in that coffin.

“I don’t even know if it’s legal for him to come back,” Harmon said. “That may be out of my hands. There may be something I sign for with an insurance company.”

So there you have it: Solid maybe on Donald Glover coming back, and almost definitely a hard pass on Chevy Chase. What a day.

(Via Variety)

How far will British tabloid media go? According to a new lawsuit filed by Elton John, Prince Harry, actor Elizabeth Hurley, and three others against the Publisher of The Daily Mail, they will go to, “Illicit means and manipulation,” and engage in “gross breaches of privacy.” It seems that not even The Rocket Man or The Royal Family can escape the wrath of bloodthirsty tabloid journalists who they allege hired private investigators to tap phone calls and place listening devices in cars and homes to dig up anything they can on major celebrities, the lawsuit alleges.

In a press release obtained by Deadline, the plaintiff group led by Elton John and Prince Harry say that they are, “The victims of abhorrent criminal activity.” It alleges that Associated Newspapers (the publisher of The Daily Mail and affiliate media properties) hired private eyes who impersonated people in order to obtain medical records and illegally access bank accounts.

“The alleged crimes represent the tip of the iceberg,” the press release states. “[The six] have banded together to uncover the truth and hold the journalists responsible fully accountable, many of whom still hold senior positions of authority and power today.”

Meanwhile, Associated Newspapers have issued a statement regarding the lawsuit, saying that it’s merely a ploy to bring up old claims of phone hacking that are unrelated to this particular suite. A spokesman said that they, “Utterly and unambiguously refute these preposterous smears which appear to be nothing more than a pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone hacking scandal concerning articles up to 30 years old. These unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims – based on no credible evidence – appear to be simply a fishing expedition by claimants and their lawyers, some of whom have already pursued cases elsewhere.”

This boilerplate statement reads as if Elton John, Prince Harry, and company are trying to shake down The Daily Mail. Whether that’s more credible than British tabloids overstepping legal bounds in fishing for scoops may be for a court to decide.

We all know that Kevin Smith is a huge superhero buff, as noted by his daughter who was literally named after Harley Quinn. Smith has not only attempted to direct various superhero-adjacent movies, like an ill-fated Ben Affleck-led Superman movie, but he has also worked on various episodes of Supergirl and The Flash. The main point here is that this man knows comic book stuff. Which is why when he says he doesn’t want to direct a franchise movie, he really means it!

In a new interview with The Guardian, Smith explains that while he has a lot of love for Marvel and Star Wars properties, he would never direct an installment. “It’s a fool’s errand–you’re going to piss somebody off. Fandom is rabid and tribal. When I worked on Masters of the Universe, I took a lot of heat from people who felt like I had ruined their childhood. Going near a Marvel or a Star Wars would make me insanely reticent,” Smith explained. “They’ve got a billion people to make those movies, but nobody’s making Kevin Smith movies, so I might as well make them.” That’s true, not even Kevin Smith makes Kevin Smith movies sometimes!

Smith also admitted that he is better at writing and creating than actually translating them to screen. “I’m a way better talker than filmmaker. I would stop making films, but then I’d have nothing to recount,” he says. “Ironically, I make more money standing on stage talking about making movies than I do from actually making movies. I’ve backed into standup comedy, thanks to film-making. It’s like the universe is telling me: your movies are cute, but you’re best at talking.” Though he won’t be the next person to direct a Thor movie, at least he’s selling a ton of DVDs.

So we probably won’t get an MCU Smith crossover at any point in the near future. As far as DC is concerned…it doesn’t seem like Smith will be making a Batman movie anytime soon, either.

(Via The Guardian)

Catherine Called Birdy is a Newbury Medal-winning YA novel by Karen Cushman originally published in 1994, but it’s clear that Lena Dunham, writer and director of this movie version coming to Prime Video October 7th, understands how this story will be received in its 2022: as a sort of light comedy version of Game Of Thrones aimed at tween girls. Nobles plot, patriarchs preserve their glory, adults marry children, and many generally chafe at their positions, but for the most part, people are basically nice and no one gets their skull squashed gruesomely. It’s… kind of nice?

It feels slightly out of character for the Girls creator, whose show arguably started the ass-eating trend on premium television (for which The Staircase, White Lotus, and a handful of others owe a debt of gratitude) to do the wholesome version of anything, but Catherine Called Birdy does seem to suit Dunham in other ways. The title character, for instance, is a bratty rich girl.

Bella Ramsay, who Dunham presumably noticed during Ramsay’s turn as pre-pubescent boss bitch Lyanna Mormont on Game Of Thrones, plays Catherine, the 14-year-old daughter of Lord Rollo of Stonebridge. The big conflicts are that Rollo (played by Andrew Scott, aka The Hot Priest from Fleabag) has a noble name and position, but is short on fundage. Meanwhile, his wife, Lady Aislinn (Billie Piper) keeps having stillbirths — all pretty typical aristocratic family drama for 1290. The rub is that Rollo needs to cash in the one asset he still has: a daughter of marriagable age with a noble name, in order to keep the family in silks and partridges.

Only Birdy, as you might’ve guessed, has no interest in fancy dresses, acting demure, or being a lady, let alone becoming the sex slave of some gross old rich man. In fact, Birdy is pretty naive where sex is concerned, understanding neither how babies are made nor the meaning of “virgin.”

Birdy is spoiled, melodramatic, needlessly bratty, and wildly privileged for her time, and yet, you kind of have to admit she kind of has a point with the whole not-wanting-to-be-a-glorified-underage-concubine thing. It’s a natural lane for Dunham, whose saving grace (as an artist, if not as a persona) has always been her ability to lean into whatever her harshest critics say about her. Girls deftly skewered entitled 20-somethings in New York, even if lots of people didn’t seem to understand that Hannah was a deliberate and knowing self-parody, not Dunham’s id.

Birdy doesn’t offer quite the same opportunity for self-critique, but Dunham at least seems to understand the character, allowing Birdy to be believably grating but in partly relatable ways, and not entirely repellent. Admittedly, I might have turned off Catherine Called Birdy in the first two minutes had I not been reviewing it, during Birdy’s over-the-top act-out of what she just heard about how babies are made (something involving a red-hot poker and seeds up the nose). Child actors are “a lot” in general, and child actors acting out what “a lot” looks like are even more than that. Luckily I soon came to understand that Birdy was just meant to be acting obnoxiously melodramatic in this first scene, and this wasn’t her baseline.

Acting, in fact, is most of what makes Catherine Called Birdy work, which it does, if just so. It kept me just interested enough to enjoy the genuinely great one-liners it drops every 10 minutes or so — like Birdy, surveying the relatively paltry Christmas banquet spread and lamenting, “When I was young, my father had a golden Jesus who pissed wine.”

Dunham’s sense of humor has a decidedly blue streak (I’d bet my paycheck that that line about the pissing Jesus wasn’t in the book) which some will surely declare unsuitable for YA audiences, but for me is much of what makes Catherine Called Birdy tolerable. I have stepchild approaching tween age and I can confidently say that I’d much rather he watch something with subversive humor and the occasional naughty word than the weirdly sanitized PG porn of “wholesome” programming from Nickelodeon, supposedly aimed at his demo. (I will drink poison if forced to watch more than five minutes of Henry Danger).

The kids on those shows all look like future fashion models, styled within an inch of their lives, wearing four layers of brand new clothes at all times, with giant mops of hair drenched in product and piled high in overwrought coifs. Birdy by contrast looks genuinely like an adolescent, shiny-faced and fairly horrified by the usual degradations of adulthood (as well as the particular ones of life in 1290).

This doesn’t make Catherine Called Birdy watchable in and of itself, it’s more the enjoyable performances from just-recognizable character actors, from Hot Priest’s winning, nuanced turn as Birdy’s father to Ralph Ineson from The Witch, to Walder Frey from Game Of Thrones (memorable face-haver David Bradley), to Birdy’s Scottish attendant Morwenna (Leslie Sharp), to the rich widow (Sophie Okonedo) who marries Birdy’s young uncle and becomes her unlikely mentor.

In her ongoing objective to gross out each successive suitor, Birdy finally meets her match in the person of Sir John Henry Murgaw, aka Shaggy Beard, played brilliantly by Paul Kaye (the Red Priest from Game of Thrones) who seems to be her only competition in grossness. Shaggy Beard is arguably the film’s most interesting character, a slovenly germophobe who wants to marry a child, yet genuinely seems to respect her anarchic spirit and general independence. Normalizing child marriage turns out to be a bridge too far even for Dunham, and timidity towards this taboo keeps Catherine Called Birdy from deepening the relationship between this unlikely pair (possibly for the best morally, if not artistically).

In the end, Catherine Called Birdy is content to be a sweet-natured, mildly entertaining extended Medieval sitcom. Which, like a teenager, is maybe not such a bad thing to be in the end.

‘Catherine Called Birdy’ premieres October 7th on Prime Video. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. More reviews here.