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Ozzy Osbourne’s 13th album, Patient Number 9, was released last week. The day before it dropped, Osbourne was playing a medley of songs as part of the NFL season’s kickoff halftime show in the game between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills at LA’s SoFi Stadium. It was a high-profile moment for Osbourne, who earlier this year left LA and moved back to London with his wife Sharon.

But while Ozzy was in LA and recording Patient Number 9 with producer Andrew Watt, he had an opportunity to work with a number of collaborators, including late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins before he died this past March. Hawkins appears on three songs on Patient Number 9, but apparently, he and Osbourne recorded much more than just that.

Watt revealed to Rolling Stone that not only does Hawkins play drums on “Parasite,” “Mr. Darkness,” and “God Only Knows,” but that Hawkins and Osbourne made ‘”a bunch” of recordings, which Watt says are “going to be used for another thing.”

Both Hawkins and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers appear across the 13-track Patient Number 9, as well as other collaborators like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi. But Osbourne dedicated the album to the memory of Taylor Hawkins and any future releases of their recordings together will certainly serve as another homage to Hawkins.

The last time we checked in on those shirtless dancers over at Magic Mike HQ, it seemed like the upcoming installment was going to skip the theatrical release and dance head first into living rooms via HBO Max. Then…a bunch of stuff happened and suddenly the future of HBO Max became a little more uncertain. But! There is good news! The sweaty men of Magic Mike will be getting their big screen premiere after all.

Deadline broke the incredible news that Magic Mike’s Last Dance will head to theaters over Super Bowl weekend on February 10th, 2023. If there’s anything that goes well together, it’s shirtless men and football, right?

While the details of the movie are mostly under wraps, director Steven Soderbergh recently gave a sneak peek into what fans can expect from the third installment in the franchise, which stars Channing Tatum alongside Salma Hayek, who replaced Thandiwe Newton while filming earlier this spring.

“The movie is sort of a fictionalized procedural on how Mike comes up with the idea of a show — and then the obstacles, of which there are many, to trying to realize his vision of what this new thing could be.” Soderbergh explained, adding “It’s a variation on All That Jazz.” Hopefully, Warner Bros will announce some Rocky Horror Picture Show-esque showings with dancing in the aisle. It’s what we deserve after Tom Cruise single-handedly brought movie theaters back from the dead using nothing but his own two hands and a plane.

(Via Deadline)

Adewole Adamson, MD, of the University of Texas, Austin, aims to create more equity in health care by gathering data from more diverse populations by using artificial intelligence (AI), a type of machine learning. Dr. Adamson’s work is funded by the American Cancer Society (ACS), an organization committed to advancing health equity through research priorities, programs and services for groups who have been marginalized.

Melanoma became a particular focus for Dr. Adamson after meeting Avery Smith, who lost his wife—a Black woman—to the deadly disease.

Avery Smith (left) and Adamson (sidenote)

This personal encounter, coupled with multiple conversations with Black dermatology patients, drove Dr. Adamson to a concerning discovery: as advanced as AI is at detecting possible skin cancers, it is heavily biased.

To understand this bias, it helps to first know how AI works in the early detection of skin cancer, which Dr. Adamson explains in his paper for the New England Journal of Medicine (paywall). The process uses computers that rely on sets of accumulated data to learn what healthy or unhealthy skin looks like and then create an algorithm to predict diagnoses based on those data sets.

This process, known as supervised learning, could lead to huge benefits in preventive care.

After all, early detection is key to better outcomes. The problem is that the data sets don’t include enough information about darker skin tones. As Adamson put it, “everything is viewed through a ‘white lens.’”

“If you don’t teach the algorithm with a diverse set of images, then that algorithm won’t work out in the public that is diverse,” writes Adamson in a study he co-wrote with Smith (according to a story in The Atlantic). “So there’s risk, then, for people with skin of color to fall through the cracks.”

Tragically, Smith’s wife was diagnosed with melanoma too late and paid the ultimate price for it. And she was not an anomaly—though the disease is more common for White patients, Black cancer patients are far more likely to be diagnosed at later stages, causing a notable disparity in survival rates between non-Hispanics whites (90%) and non-Hispanic blacks (66%).

As a computer scientist, Smith suspected this racial bias and reached out to Adamson, hoping a Black dermatologist would have more diverse data sets. Though Adamson didn’t have what Smith was initially looking for, this realization ignited a personal mission to investigate and reduce disparities.

Now, Adamson uses the knowledge gained through his years of research to help advance the fight for health equity. To him, that means not only gaining a wider array of data sets, but also having more conversations with patients to understand how socioeconomic status impacts the level and efficiency of care.

“At the end of the day, what matters most is how we help patients at the patient level,” Adamson told Upworthy. “And how can you do that without knowing exactly what barriers they face?”

“What matters most is how we help patients at the patient level.”https://www.kellydavidsonstudio.com/

The American Cancer Society believes everyone deserves a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer—regardless of how much money they make, the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, gender identity, their disability status, or where they live. Inclusive tools and resources on the Health Equity section of their website can be found here. For more information about skin cancer, visit cancer.org/skincancer.

Donald Trump does not like paying for things. Ever. As the search of Mar-a-Lago went public, the former president was hounded by reports that he was having trouble finding legal representation because he routinely stiffs his counsel. (Or tries to pay them with horses. That really happened.) Making matters worse, the Republican National Committee has refused to pay his legal fees for the increasing quagmire around the documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Trump is essentially on his own as he faces a possible indictment.

Knowing Trump’s penchant for not paying his attorneys, Maggie Haberman provided evidence this week that seemingly proves Trump knows he’s in serious trouble. His newest lawyer just got a fat check for $3 million. Granted, the money came from Trump’s Save America PAC, but that’s a very rare move for the former president who, again, notoriously loves to stiff people.

Here’s what Haberman recently told Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s The Situation Room. Via Mediaite:

Privately, he has said a range of things, Wolf. But, generally speaking, people around him have started to detect anxiety, not the least of which he just hired a very new high-priced lawyer who is being paid through PAC money. Even if it isn’t Donald Trump’s personal money, he doesn’t like parting with it if it is in his control. This tells me that there is a real level of concern here despite whatever bravado he is showing.

It’s neat to know that Trump actually paying for goods and services is up there with pigs flying or Hell freezing over. Cool stuff.

(Via Mediaite)

Calling a bourbon whiskey the “last of its kind” feels pretty inflated from the jump. Some might even call it hyperbole. But it’s true. Wild Turkey’s new limited release of Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse is never going to be seen again, and that’s kind of the whole point.

Let’s get some details out of the way before we dive into the review of the juice. The new Russell’s Reserve line is a limited edition and the first in a yearly expression drop, or “limited collection” if you will. The inaugural edition of the new Rickhouse Collection is from Wild Turkey’s famed and very old Rickhouse C in Camp Nelson, an off-site set of rickhouses where barrels are stored. Rickhouse C at Camp Nelson was literally falling apart and has since been bulldozed. Before that happened, Eddie Russell, Wild Turkey’s Master Distiller, went through and tasted all the barrels and found that the center cut was a honey pot of amazing bourbon barrels. He found 72 prime barrels and made this whiskey.

Here’s what makes this special: each rickhouse/warehouse has its own vibe and biome (if you really want to get scientific). Different warehouses will produce barrels of whiskey with wildly different flavor profiles even though those warehouses are mere yards apart — florae and fauna, atmospheric pressure, stock, weather patterns (and protection from treelines or other warehouses), and human interaction all help create little micro-biomes in each warehouse. So the juice in this bottle of Russell’s Reserve will never be tasted again. That environmental biome that it was made in is gone… forever.

That makes this whiskey something truly special and worth a stand-alone review. So let’s get into what’s actually in this bottle!

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Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Limited Release Rickhouse Collection Camp Nelson C

ABV: 56.2%

Average Price: $249 (Limited time and only in CA, FL, NY, TX, and CO)

The Whiskey:

All of Wild Turkey’s bourbon is made from the same mash of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. Comparatively, Turkey uses less rye and more barley than your average bourbon. These barrels were loaded into Rickhouse C in Camp Nelson and left alone on floors three and four for years (those are the central floors of the seven-story rickhouse). As the rickhouse was falling apart and it became clear it was beyond repair (nearly hundred-year-old structures tend to do that), the Russell crew started tasting whiskey to see what they could do with it. 72 barrels rose to the surface with a parallel flavor structure that became this whiskey, which was bottled completely as-is without filtration or proofing.

The Bottle:

The bottle is a classic Russell’s Reserve bottle with a wide body. The label is dark forest green and feels like something you’d see on a bar cart in a Wyoming cabin/lodge deep in the Tetons. It’s woodsy, which is appealing and helps it stand out from the white and red labels on the rest of the Russell’s line.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is super supple with a soft marzipan fondant that leads to mince meat pies with plenty of rum-raisin, brown sugar, and mild cinnamon/nutmeg/clove spice with a thin layer of powdered sugar frosting over the buttery crust. The nose also has a sense of brandy butter with a hint of salted caramel and vanilla taffy next to a faint whisper of apple fritters. The palate is lush and silky with rich buttery toffee rolled in roasted almonds and coconut and dipped in dark and creamy chocolate sauce with plenty of orange zest and flakes of salt. The mid-palate leans into cinnamon bark, allspice berries, and a freshly ground nutmeg next to tart apple pies loaded with pecans. The mid-palate stays silken as mild hints of soft cedar bark mingle with cardamon pods and more of the nutmeg (almost like eggnog) and maybe a hint of dried mint. The finish circles back around the brandy butter, rum-raisin, and powdered sugar frosting for a sweet and luxurious end.

Bottom Line:

This is dessert in a glass. When I tasted this, I was in a group and everyone felt a different nostalgic dessert when they sipped. The signature Wild Turkey spice on the mid-palate was drawn back a bit, but still just there. What’s wild is that this is a barrel-proof whiskey at 112.4 proof and it has zero burn or high-ABV warmth. It’s truly silky smooth and soft.

This was a stellar sipper neat. I added a little water (maybe three or four drops) and it really bloomed in the glass. The creaminess of the dark chocolate and toffee amped up and the orange zest got brighter. The whole thing became a cream and bright delight.

Ranking:

95/100 — This is a great whiskey. It’s unexpected (from Turkey) and truly unique. The only thing keeping this from a perfect score is that it was a little sweet and that can be off-putting for someone looking for a little more spice/sweet balance. I can put that aside and confidently say this is a solid A. It’s just freakin’ delicious.

Paramore is a legendary band that has given so much to music, but when anyone reaches that status, the desire for more music seems to grow. After a five-year hiatus, it looks like that thirst will soon be quenched as the band announced via Twitter that they have new music coming soon.

On Friday morning, the official Paramore Twitter account announced that their forthcoming single “This Is Why” will be shared with the world on September 28. The tweet was accompanied by a photo of the band members’ faces pressed against glass and a pre-save link.

Paramore hasn’t left the fans totally hanging, as their bandleader and vocalist has released two solo albums in 2020’s Petals For Armor and 2021’s Flowers For Vases / Descansos. As a whole, they have been missing from the music scene since 2017’s After Laughter.

Williams told Rolling Stone back in January that the band was working on new music, saying “The music we were first excited by wasn’t exactly the kind of music we went on to make. Our output has always been all over the place and with this project, it’s not that different. We’re still in the thick of it but some things have remained consistent from the start.”

With this official announcement, it will be a short wait before the world sees what Paramore has in store.

Check out Paramore’s promotional tweet above.

“This Is Why” is out 9/28 via Atlantic/WEA International. Pre-order it here.

HBO’s Los Espookys is one of those rare shows that’s impossible to predict, constantly bouncing back and forth between dreamlike surrealism and comic absurdism. At the start of a typical Los Espookys episode, you never know where you’ll end up by episode’s end (one character might end up arguing with a water shadow about watching the movie The King’s Speech while another takes a job as the second’s hand of a giant city clock), but one thing is for certain, it’s going to be a hilarious ride that pulls you in, puzzles you, and thanks to a brilliant costume designer (Muriel Parra) and some lo-fi synth wave both looks and sounds amazing.

“We don’t have a thesis statement when we start writing, ” show co-creator and co-writer Julio Torres told me over Zoom recently while discussing the new season (which premieres today on HBO), “we just sort of start writing for the fun of it and see where it takes us.” And again, the show can and does go anywhere.

As weird as this bi-lingual, magical realist, mystical, comedy, horror set in an un-named Latin American country is, however, it doesn’t ask much of its viewers aside from hoping you approach it with the same playful attitude it was conceived with by co-writers Torres and Ana Fabrega.

If you don’t try to make sense of anything that happens in Los Espookys, you’ll see that at its heart it’s a story about dreams, struggles, friendship, and found family.

Here, we talk with Torres the show, its playful spirit, and its influences.

For this season, when we catch up with the Los Espookys team, I noticed everyone is in a state of transition. Why was that aspect of struggle and that sense of everyone feeling lost such a heavy theme this season?

Well, I think that the first season really focused on this common goal of finding your dream, or finding what it is that you like to do. And in the case of our main characters, it’s to be a part of this group and have this weird business. But then it just sort of like, yeah, you can find the job that you like, but it doesn’t mean that you are whole or resolved.

We don’t have a thesis statement when we start writing where we’re like, “we need to tell a story that shows X, Y, Z.” We just sort of start writing for the fun of it and see where it takes us. But I think subconsciously, and even though we started writing before the pandemic or well before the pandemic, it’s felt like we were subconsciously interested in not so much exploring the idea of following your dream (which has been a theme in TV and film forever), but what happens when you get there?

This season you dive a little bit into the politics of this particular world they live in. I just want to know how you approach the political angle because obviously at the heart of the show is a lot of fun. It does kind of show the political environment to be a little bit corrupt, but at the same time it’s also really colorful and fun.

I think that with everything, we’re using fun tropes that we’ve observed in our lives. I know that speaking for myself, I grew up in El Salvador with inept, corrupt politician after inept, corrupt politician. And seeing the US Embassy breathing down their necks and doing what they can to advance their agenda. That’s sort of the satire that I feel my observations and experience bring to the table. Again, we didn’t set out to be like, this is what we think of politics, how do we show that? But more like, oh, she runs for president. Oh well, this X, Y, Z would happen.

One of my favorite aspects of the show is the [creative] freedom. Supernatural and weird things happen without explanation. They don’t need to be explained. I actually think it makes the world more real in a way. Where does that playful spirit come from with you and Ana? Is it just about having fun at the end of the day?

Yeah, it really is just about having fun and just feeling. We’re just sort of instinctual. It’s a very instinctual writing process. We’re just really following what we are interested in. And I feel very privileged that Ana and I have had both very freeing writing careers. And I think that we didn’t study this, we didn’t take any courses, any comedy courses or anything like that. And at Saturday Night Live, I really was granted the freedom to write things in my own way, that didn’t adhere to any formula. So we never got sat down and explained how to write efficiently, or what the show’s supposed to look like. And I think that that has been a good thing.

What comes first, the personality or the character names? Because I feel like with characters like Pony or Oliver Twix, they feel so fully realized before we even really get to know them.

Well, the reason Pony specifically feels completely realized is because Pony’s a real person whose name is Pony. And the Pony that you see on screen was a wardrobe assistant the first season. We absolutely fell in love with him and we were like, you have to be in the show. And so it was like, yeah, it’s just Pony as Pony. Pony our wardrobe assistant. And so that’s why Pony feels realized because Pony is a person with agency who has a name and a look.

But as for all Oliver Twix, I think that, I don’t know, a lot of the characters are an amalgamation of people that we’ve seen or know. And then because Oliver Twix is clearly not a given name, but a chosen name, it’s like, well, what would this character name themselves? I think it’s definitely the personality that comes first and then the names.

I noticed that there seems to be heavy aquatic themes throughout the show. You have the Water Demon, the ghost haunting Renaldo. Even Andrés relationship with the Moon, which is also connected to water. Why is water such a strong presence in this little universe?

I don’t know. I don’t know! And to be honest, it’s a strong presence in my work outside of it, kind of. I don’t know. There’s just something mysterious and alluring about water. And you can see it, but you can’t quite understand it. And it’s just like you see a part of it, but you can never see the whole. I’m just naturally drawn to aquatic themes for some reason.

Obviously horror is an influence on the show. What’s your personal relationship with horror media?

Strained. I actually don’t consume horror. I scare very easily. I love the eerie and I love suspense and I love unsettling [things]. So I will not watch a zombie movie, but I will consume David Lynch movies or anything like eerie and odd and suspenseful.

I wanted to ask, what’s the deal with the app everyone uses in the show, Yippy? I know there is a Yippy app in real life, but it’s not the same Yippy.

No, it’s their WhatsApp. And it’s just…

Fun to say Yippy?

Yeah, I think it’s funny like these dumb names just become part of the lexicon. TikTok, what a dumb name. ‘Can you see this TikTok?’ ‘I’ll send you this TikTok.’ Like Twitter. ‘Oh no, do you see what’s happening on Twitter?’ It just becomes like what? Or WhatsApp. People are breaking up with people over WhatsApp. It’s so dumb. Yippy is like another dumb name.

I was reading in an older interview, and you mentioned how originally the show was written in English for studio executives so that they would be able to understand it and how that led to you guys writing in English jokes that were intended to work in Spanish. I just wanted to know, what are the kind of things that work comedically in Spanish that don’t translate to English?

I think a lot of phonetic things. I mean, I don’t know if they do or if they don’t, but a lot of specific character traits. I do wonder if you really get the kind of person that the mayor is without having the cultural context. Just the way that she pronounces the names of food. I wonder if someone who doesn’t know Spanish catches onto the comedy of that.

Season 2 of ‘Los Espookys’ premiers on HBO September 16th at 11PM ET

Rian Johnson is a pretty brave person to continue to make movies after directing The Last Jedi. Not because that movie was bad (though that’s a whole different conversation) but because of the intricate stories he was tasked with telling for such a wide range of fans. He knew it was impossible to make everyone happy, but he still made a memorable Star Wars installment, whether you like it or not.

But when it was time for Jonhson to pen the follow-up to the hit murder mystery Knives Out, Johnson said that the pressure was even greater than when he was directing in a galaxy far far away. “[Glass Onion] is a very different animal for a couple of reasons,” Johnson told The Los Angeles Times when asked about how making this movie compares to The Last Jedi.

“First of all, Last Jedi was actually a proper sequel, continuing the events from a movie that I didn’t write. With [Glass Onion] it’s not even really a sequel, it’s kind of like another book, basically another mystery with the same detective,” Johnson explained. The second instalmment features Daniel Craig returning as Detective Benoit Blanc alongside a fresh new cast of suspects.

Johnson continued that this made it harder for him to pen the story, because he was granted a whole new slate. “If anything, going into it was a little scarier even than the Star Wars movie, because the first one, when we made it, it was in such a vacuum and we had no idea if people would be into this kind of thing. Genuinely, it was just something that I really loved, a genre I loved, and I’m like, ‘Let’s try this.’” When the movie became an unexpected hit, Johnson became worried that he couldn’t deliver a worthwhile sequel.

“The fact that people enjoyed [Knives Out] and the fact that it was popular — when you put something out there, this happens anyway, but especially, I think, in this case — it becomes something outside of you and you kind of forget how you made it. And so, it was scary. I’ve never experienced nerves quite like actually sitting down to write something. I also spent 10 years planning Knives Out, whereas this, I was kind of starting from scratch.”

Based on the glowing early reviews, it seems like starting from scratch was the way to go for this one. That definitely was not the case for The Last Jedi, but who can blame Johnson for that?! Daniel Craig can’t save every franchise out there, after all.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery premieres December 23 on Netflix.

(Via The Los Angeles Times)

The rookies who attracted much of the attention heading into the 2021-22 campaign doubled as the top-three selections in that year’s Draft: Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Green. Each player had long been viewed at or near the top of the class and maintained that status ahead of last summer’s Draft all the way through the end of their rookie campaigns.

And yet by season’s end, Scottie Barnes was the one holding the Rookie of the Year crown. Evidenced by their All-Rookie First Team nods, the quartet enjoyed impressive and encouraging NBA debuts, but the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year trophy eternally resides in Barnes’ estate.

Across 74 games, the Toronto Raptors’ 6’7 forward and the No. 4 pick last year averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals on 55.2 percent true shooting (.492/.301/.735 split). He led all rookies in minutes (2,617), while ranking second in boards (557) and steals (80), third in points (1,134) and fourth in assists (256). He emerged as an integral member of the upstart 48-win Raptors and looked en route to a sensational playoff opener (15-10-8-1 in 32 Game 1 minutes) before an unfortunate ankle injury compromised him the rest of the first round.

As he stares down year two, both Barnes and the Raptors will hope to parlay the promise of 2021-22 into a developmental springboard toward the next step. His progress likely overlaps prominently with Toronto’s chances of ascending beyond the Eastern Conference’s middle class, and accomplishing that task necessitates expanding upon his strengths, refining his areas for improvement, and a continued solidifying of his standing among a talented starting unit.

Leaving Florida State, Barnes’ primary allure rested in his playmaking and defensive aptitude, while concerns revolved around his scoring capacity. He alleviated many of the latter worries — Barnes emerged as quite the prolific self-creator, particularly from midrange, where he punished in-over-their-heads defenders. According to Cleaning The Glass, 52 percent of his buckets were unassisted, which ranked in the 91st percentile among forwards. His ability to play through contact and convert from unorthodox angles, especially at his size, is atypical. He exhibited a knack for orienting his body toward the rim regardless of how defenders treated him and his touch inside the paint is special.

When outmatched opponents wrangle with him, his 7’3 wingspan enables him to extend around or over them and leverage that delicate touch. So often last season, the ball would just trickle in after a few bounces on the rim, and his touch means that he doesn’t require a consistent release angle to thrive. His scoring approach is remarkably distinct in that contact and discomfort are his ally. Wonky possessions behoove his game. Whether it’s a bump with his shoulder, chest, or torso, he slyly applies his strength to chisel subtle openings and gobbles up space behind bounding strides.

Not only could Barnes catalyze possessions individually, his understanding of how to capitalize on open space ensured he was similarly adept functioning off the ball. When somebody else flung the defense into a tizzy, he routinely ventured into vacancies in the lane and spotlighted his immaculate touch. There are layers to the manner in which he found midrange scoring opportunities. Given his creation is still being fine-tuned, the multifaceted nature of his style proved crucial in a winning environment.

The relevance of Barnes’ off-ball savvy ballooned throughout the year as he and Pascal Siakam’s synergy blossomed. Between a heightened understanding of how to succeed together and a more pressing emphasis to involve them schematically, the two’s connection looked radically different come spring time.

Before the All-Star Break, Barnes shot 66 percent at the rim on 180 attempts. After the All-Star Break, he shot 77 percent on 119 attempts. Before the All-Star Break, he received 17 passes per game from Siakam, attempted two shots from his deliveries and shot 37 percent on those field goals; after the All-Star Break, the numbers vaulted respectively to 29, four and 50.5 (data shared by Raptors Republic’s Samson Folk, go follow him). These upticks, in part, illuminate how Barnes averaged 14.4 points on 53.6 percent true shooting pre-All-Star Break and 17.1 points on 58.1 percent true shooting post-All-Star Break.

The rangy forward tandem teamed up for more high-low actions and feeds out of drives or dives to the rim. I’d expect them to further sharpen their chemistry next season, which should boost Barnes’ scoring efficiency once again. Eventually, Barnes will succeed Siakam as Toronto’s foremost initiator. For now, though, it remains the All-NBA 28-year-old’s gig, much to the immediate benefit of Barnes and the Raptors’ offense.

Barnes’ most frequent means to create was backing defenders down, shielding the ball from them, and wrenching his way toward favorable spots. Pressure at the point-of-attack tended to disrupt him and attacking defenses with his chest facing them, as most perimeter scorers do, could be arduous. I’m curious as to how Barnes addresses his stiff, somewhat cumbersome handle as he aims to assume a grander scoring load.

Maybe I’m incorrect, but constant mismatch-hunting with the back to the defense seems like a challenging method to really tout high-level usage and aptly spearhead an offense. There’s a degree of homeostasis with it that doesn’t pressure or tilt the defense into motion upon which to act promptly. Even a post-centric big like Joel Embiid reached his current offensive peak by adding face-ups and drives to his repertoire in conjunction with the back-to-the-basket dominance.

I don’t want to be skeptical of Barnes’ outlook, it’s more that this is a facet of his arsenal that I’m keeping tabs on moving forward. His midrange touch and balance are elite. The next steps are establishing other on-ball avenues to consistently deploy those standout traits.

His adaptability as a scorer was admirable last season, which bodes well for his evolution. When defenses mitigated his mismatch-hunting, he dialed up the end-to-end transition forays, launched more triples, and crashed the glass for offensive rebounds. Those aren’t necessarily each on the ball, but they underscore that Barnes recognized how to maintain a footprint on games when his first option wasn’t readily available.

Where I do anticipate him to be much more impactful offensively in the coming seasons is as a facilitator. At lower levels, he enjoyed lengthy periods piloting offenses from the point guard spot because of his intrepid, creative passing gene. Teams and coaches afforded him the autonomy to cook and endured all that such freedom invited. This past season, the long-standing leeway didn’t always work in he and the Raptors’ favor.

While his vision and talent was on display in the open floor — no-look reads, dimes on the move, well-timed assists to in-stride teammates — his half-court passing was erratic. It seemed as though he never quite adjusted to the increased discipline and awareness of NBA-caliber defenders.

Flashes of ingenuity and feel percolated, only to be accompanied by poor placement and decision-making another time. (Major caveat: That’s usually the norm with rookies.) Barnes entered the league already a good player and one folks banked on to translate his passing prowess potentially from the jump. I’d bank on him reaffirming that pre-draft sentiment in 2022-23, both as a catalyst and connective playmaker.

Ideally, we’ll see more ball-screens involving some combination of Barnes, Siakam, and Fred VanVleet; I’d also entertain more dribble handoffs between Barnes and VanVleet. Barnes displayed craft as a DHO conductor last season, though was limited by the Raptors’ lack of perimeter shooting. VanVleet is probably the best option for this usage with Barnes.

According to Synergy, Toronto ranked in the bottom five in pick-and-roll ball-handler and roll man frequency a season ago. Head coach Nick Nurse has typically shied away from a heavy pick-and-roll-based offense, but an uptick there may invigorate an offense that relied considerably on transition, offensive rebounding, and live-ball turnovers, three components that are prone to drying up in the playoffs. Embracing that gambit may further diversify Barnes’ scoring portfolio, harmonize the Raptors’ bedrocks, and elevate their collective ceiling.

Barnes is such a fascinating player to assess. His offensive ethos is dissimilar from his peers and the creation leap he authored between Florida State and the NBA is staggering. Once a vaunted passer whose scoring gave folks pause, the inverse dynamic surfaced during his rookie campaign, which may actually be good for him. The fact he’s previously and recently been a high-value facilitator should provide optimism he arrives there again soon.

Various 2021 draftees are candidates to become inaugural All-Stars in 2022-23. Barnes is among that group, and offensive strides would surely factor into said rise. Where those strides manifest stands as a captivating storyline for him and the Raptors, both in the interim and long-term. Fortunately, his developmental history is the sort of thing that leads to optimism.

It was inevitable that a TV movie would be called Hot Take eventually. The twist is that it’s not on Lifetime or the Hallmark Channel, or even really on TV. Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial is coming to the Tubi streaming service, and yes, it’s about the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial that brought out the worst takes from your relatives on Facebook. Who knew your uncle was such a huge The Lone Ranger fan?

The Tubi original “follows the tumultuous relationship — in and out of court — of Depp and Heard, dramatizing the two-month defamation trial that concluded June 1, with the jury finding that Heard had defamed Depp by alluding to domestic violence allegations against him in a December 2018 op-ed piece,” according to Variety. Depp and Heard will be portrayed by actor Mark Hapka and actress Megan Davis, respectively.

The movie was fast-tracked into production by Tubi and MarVista “to capture a timely take on a story that became part of the cultural zeitgeist, painting a unique picture of what millions watched play out in the headlines over the summer,” Adam Lewinson, Tubi’s chief content officer, said in a statement.

Tubi is owned by Fox, so you know it will be tasteful.

But not even the Tubi version of the trial would be able to think of anything as weird as “Depp grumbling about bar mitzvahs and wakes while appearing at the MTV Video Music Awards inside the helmet of a floating spaceman.” That’s the post-credits scene.

Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial will stream on Tubi beginning September 30.

(Via Variety)