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The skill it takes to be great at something like NBA 2K is very different from playing basketball in real life. There’s nuance and an opportunity to appreciate both for what they are. Getting people to buy into that idea, however, is not always easy, but that’s where the 2K League has been trying to find new and creative ways to bring in fans and viewers.

One way they’ve been doing this is by creating offseason tournaments that keep players engaged and competing beyond the playoffs. These tournaments allow them to try new things with how they approach 2K. There is, of course, the traditional 5-on-5 basketball that pits the league’s best against one another in traditional 2K League matches, but they have also been experimenting with new formats such as a 3-on-3 tournament.

This new format isn’t new to the sport of basketball, or even to casual 2K players. But for the 2K League, it’s an opportunity to let players break from the norm and play a different style of basketball. Ryan “Dayfri” Conger, a player for Wizards District Gaming, tells UPROXX that “the preparation process is a little different,” and that when you’re playing 5v5, it’s a little easier to be able to survive a bad day.

“But if you’re in 3v3 and you only have three guys playing,” Conger says, “if I have a bad scrim day, then that’s something that I need to be working on.”

This was echoed by everyone we talked to about the 3v3 tournaments. Similar to actual basketball, there is the ability to hide someone having an off game in the corner or on a weaker player in 5v5 matchups. When it gets into the open world of 3v3, though, everything changes. Weaknesses are exploited and the best players find ways to seek them out.

“I think the biggest difference, for sure, is the spacing of the court,” says Jomar “Jomar” Varela-Escapa, a player for Pacers Gaming. “It’s a lot more space with three players on the court. So as a player, understanding that in 5v5, you have help on both sides of the court — like, you got people on the wing and the corner at the same time, you got the centers rolling, the court gets shrunk. So for sure, without a doubt, the hardest thing in 3v3 compared to 5v5 is the spacing of the court and how much harder it is to play defense, because offense is a lot easier”

This adds a new element for the viewer. There’s an old adage that defense wins championships but offense sells tickets, and in a way, that is what the 3v3 tournaments encourage. It’s a chance to give these incredibly skilled players more space to put up points, do so in a hurry, and showcase their best skills to the viewing audience. It’s that extra spice that an esports league like the 2K League can as it works to continue establishing itself.

While the 2K League has the backing of the NBA and 2K Studios behind it, that means nothing in an industry where fans can grow tired and move on to something else at a moment’s notice. Esports is not a kind industry, and even the most popular among them are always coming up with new ways to keep viewers engaged while compelling new folks to tune in. Thankfully for the 2K League, there are a number of different ways to play the game of basketball that they can use as a blueprint.

“Whatever makes this league grow, I’m down for it,” says Nick Gartrelle, coach of T-Wolves Gaming. “Let’s say they want to make it more streetball. You could pull off cooler moves, like maybe letting you throw the ball between your legs. Making it more of a streetball feel would be cool. I also feel like they should put every build out there, personally. Every build should be able to get a bucket.”

This is yet another idea to add even more life into a league that, while potentially very fun, needs a little more variety. Thankfully, the league recognizes this, which has spawned new ideas like its latest 3v3 tournament, the Coinbase NBA 2KL 3v3 SWITCH OPEN. With a pool of teams featuring both pro and amateur players, there’s never been a better time to watch.

The Rundown is a weekly column that highlights some of the biggest, weirdest, and most notable events of the week in entertainment. The number of items could vary, as could the subject matter. It will not always make a ton of sense. Some items might not even be about entertainment, to be honest, or from this week. The important thing is that it’s Friday, and we are here to have some fun.

ITEM NUMBER ONE – Look at him!

This was a busy week for Henry Winkler, which is really just a wonderful thing to get to type in 2022. The third season of Barry wrapped up on Sunday with a stressful episode that changed the series forever — both plotwise and tone-wise, because, like, it’s going to be hard to slip back into goofs after all that — and saw his character, Gene Cousineau, get some closure on something that had been lingering since season one. Later in the week, he got in a Twitter feud with former NFL running back and current aspiring politician Herschel Walker, which is another incredible thing to type out, and one of those things that really makes me wish I had a time machine so I could go back to, say, 1984 and attempt to explain it to every single person I encounter there.

And those are both fine, if that’s the type of Winkler-related business you want to focus on this week. I won’t stop you. But I also won’t have much time to discuss it with you. You’ll have to find someone else to yammer about that with. No, my energy is focused elsewhere. Specifically, my energy is focused on this.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. Henry Winkler is on his annual fishing trip and he is posting the pictures on Twitter. Again. He does this every summer and it thrills me more than you can possibly imagine. I texted everyone I know when the first picture popped up. I demanded to write about it in the opening section of this column even though I’ve written about it before, kind of a lot. It is Henry Winkler Fish Picture Season. It might be my favorite time of the whole year. Just look at his face.

LOOK AT HIS FACE.

It is so beautiful. My favorite part about this year’s fishing trip is that it is the first one after I got to ask him about them in an interview that was allegedly about this season of Barry. I just went and looked at it again now to post it in here and realized what a lunatic I look like. I feel okay about it.

I have followed you on Twitter for years now. I consider you to be one of my favorite people on that website. You’re a lovely man, and you’re better at Twitter than most people I know. It seems like almost every summer you go on a fishing trip and you post these pictures of yourself with the fish.

Yes.

It is one of my favorite things that happens on Twitter, because, you know Twitter, it’s like a stream of “everyone’s miserable, everyone’s angry, everyone’s upset”… and then blammo, there’s Henry Winkler holding a fish. It makes me so happy.

Thank you.

I owe all of you an apology. I lied to you in the last paragraph I typed, the one before the blockquote, where I said that my favorite part of all of this was that I just got to ask him about it a few weeks ago. That wasn’t true. It never could have been true. Not when this tweet exists.

Henry Winkler is an American treasure and has been for something approaching 50 years. Please do not forget this. Please do not let anyone else forget this. Ever.

ITEM NUMBER TWO — LET PADDINGTON SOLVE A MURDER

Two important things happened this week. Actually, no. A lot of important things happened this week. These two things aren’t even really all that important in the grand scheme of things. I was just looking for a good way to start this paragraph and move quickly into a discussion about some movies I like. Which, I think we all can agree, has not happened. I’m still typing. It’s ridiculous. And, sure, I could delete all of this and give it another try, but who knows how that would go? It could be worse than this. I can’t risk it. Let’s just go to the next paragraph and pretend this didn’t happen.

The sequel to Knives Out — the one that is coming to Netflix and will take place in Greece and will feature Daniel Craig investigating an all-new all-star cast — has a title. Rian Johnson announced it this week on Twitter. Here, look:

Glass Onion. That’s… cool. It’s a cool name for a movie. It also sounds like the name of a band that opened for Phish at some concert in 1998 that your friend’s older brother went to and came home from caked in mud. But still, cool. I dig it. I’m in.

Then, later the same day, the third movie in the Paddington franchise got a title. It’s going to be called Paddington in Peru and I am very excited about it because Paddington is a sweet boy who I love very much. I’m barely joking about this. Paddington 2 is a legitimately good movie. I will tell anyone this. I have told most people about it. Hugh Grant is a delightful villain. Paddington melts the hearts of 1000 hardened criminals. I cry at the end every time. Yes, I’ve seen it multiple times. How I spend my afternoons is none of your business.

Anyway, these two things being announced on the same day gave me an idea. Hear me out. We let Paddington solve a murder. Make that Paddington 4. Or cross it over with Knives Out and let him solve a murder with Daniel Craig. Both franchises are trotting around the globe now anyway, apparently. Let them solve a murder together in Hawaii. Let Jason Momoa play the murderer. Put Jake Gyllenhaal and his crazy eyes in there, too. Give Jean Smart a chainsaw. Do all of my favorite things once and let me see it for free in Carnegie Hall.

I do not ask for much.

ITEM NUMBER THREE — Let’s remember one of the greats

Philip Baker Hall passed away this week, which stinks. He had a long career and was great in so many things and it sucks whenever we lose someone who had such a cool run doing cool stuff. The silver lining here, as with most deaths, is that it makes you remember a life, and for me that meant watching his performance as Bookman the Library Cop on Seinfeld about eight times in a row. I’ve embedded it up there. Watch it again now yourself. It’s so good.

It’s all so good, too, from beginning to end. It’s one of my favorite television scenes ever. Filming shows in front of a live studio audience has fallen out of favor in the last decade or so, but this is one example where it really added to the action. Look at Jerry trying to hold it together. Look at them having to pause for the audience to laugh. Look at how that heightens everything another degree or two. It’s cool.

My favorite part of the scene has always been the little pivot-turn-point move he does before delivering some snappy line. I love all of these so much.

That last one is my favorite, though. I’ll still text my friends every now and then to call them “joy-boy.” I don’t even know what that means, exactly. I can kind of guess. It’s great either way. And it’s great that we’re talking about him and this scene again. It’s a nice legacy to have under your belt, even if it had been the only thing he ever did, which it wasn’t. Joy-boy. I’m going to take that one with me to the grave. I might take it to the Pearly Gates. I could be the first person ever to get sent to hell for calling Saint Peter a joy-boy. If I do, I mean…

Worth it.

ITEM NUMBER FOUR — Rhea Seehorn rules

Rhea Seehorn is so good. I don’t know how anyone could watch Better Call Saul and come away thinking otherwise. She deserves so much more credit than she gets, part of which is my fault, because I’m out here writing thousands of words about Lalo Salamanca and not about her. It’s not okay. I need to remedy this. I will before the season ends. I swear.

Until then, at least Variety is picking up the slack. There’s a long profile over there this week and it is littered with A+ Rhea Seehorn stuff, from her work directing an episode of the show to how her performance holds things together to quotes like this from her one-time co-star Whitney Cummings…

“There’s a lore of Rhea Seehorn,” Cummings says. “If you’re an actress, where it’s like if you’re testing for a TV show, if Rhea’s going in, just don’t go. There’s no point. Like, she’s the one to beat.”

… and this one from Saul showrunner Peter Gould.

“I think every writer and producer in Hollywood should be writing Rhea Seehorn projects and trying to get her,” Gould says. “I think everyone who worked on this show is trying to think about how she can be part of whatever their next project is.”

The takeaways here are as follows:

• Rhea Seehorn rules
• I needed to say that again
• There should be like a heist movie where she and Sam Richardson steal the Mona Lisa

I’m glad we had this chat.

ITEM NUMBER FIVE — Tom Cruise is a maniac, yes, again

There are not many things in this world I like more than stories about Tom Cruise being a weirdo intense goofball. I could read them constantly. All day. Someone please collect them in a book. Let Tom narrate the audiobook himself. I’ll listen to it at the beach and be the happiest person alive.

This was a great week for that because there were two great new weirdo intense goofball stories about him. The first came from Joseph Kahn, the director responsible for, among other things, the music videos for “Toxic” by Britney Spears and “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift and “Triumph” by Wu-Tang Clan, which is maybe the most awesome résumé anyone has ever had in any field of work. Anyway, look at this.

DIGITAL TOM

THERE IS NO DIGITAL TOM

I CAN’T STOP SAYING IT

I’M GOING TO MOVE ON BUT PLEASE KNOW I AM STILL SAYING THIS OUT LOUD AT MY COMPUTER

WE HAVE TO GET TO THE STORY MILES TELLER TOLD TO SETH MEYERS

Let’s go to the transcription on this to drive it home. What you need to know going in is that Teller got sick on the set of Top Gun: Maverick. Fever, itchiness, the whole deal. He went to a doctor for bloodwork. That’s all the setup we need. Here we go.

“My bloodwork comes back, and I have flame-retardant, pesticides, and jet fuel in my blood,” Teller said.

“I go to set the next day, and Tom’s like, ‘So, how did it go, Miles what did they find?’” Teller recalled to Meyers. “I was like, ‘Well, Tom, it turns out I have jet fuel in my blood.’ And without even skipping a beat, Tom just goes, ‘Yeah, I was born with it, kid.’”

It’s perfect. I’m serious about that book. And the audiobook. Tom Cruise is a weird little man and I do not want to know too too much about him because there are some corners of that funhouse I do not need to examine, but these… these are good. Digital Tom. Come on.

READER MAIL

If you have questions about television, movies, food, local news, weather, or whatever you want, shoot them to me on Twitter or at [email protected] (put “RUNDOWN” in the subject line). I am the first writer to ever answer reader mail in a column. Do not look up this last part.

From Anne Marie:

Something just occurred to me recently … Why has Wile E. Coyote never stopped mid-misadventure and said, “Holy shit, I can’t be killed! I AM A GOD!” and then just partied the rest of his eternal life?

Realizing that he’s just as indestructible as the Road Runner has both delighted me and completely shaken me. I mean, I thought Wile E. was the underdog!

This is really just a fantastic email, for a handful of reasons. First, because it is correct, and a little foundation-shaking. What we thought was a struggle between predator and prey was actually, all along, an endless battle between two immortal deities. There’s a lot to consider here. This dance could conceivably go on forever.

Which brings me to the second reason this email is good: it resulted in me watching a slew of these cartoons again this week. They’re on HBO Max. I’ve said this before but I truly do not think there’s even been a more pure delivery system for comedy than this and, like, Tom & Jerry. You can draw a straight line from those cartoons to Jackass, too. This is important. There should be museums dedicated to this.

Which brings me to the third reason this is a good email: it gives me another excuse to post my favorite Wile E. Coyote GIFs. Yes, again. Look at my guy.

Watch it this weekend. Watch it all weekend. Come over to my place with a pizza or some donuts and watch it with me. We can make it a whole thing.

AND NOW, THE NEWS

To Louisiana!

A Popeyes in southern Louisiana has a feathered fan that it can’t seem to shake, to the delight of many customers.

A stoutly rooster has seemingly taken up residence at the Popeyes on East Gause Boulevard in Slidell, becoming a community “icon” of sorts, according to the police department.

Hmm.

Yup. I love this guy.

The rooster, affectionately known as Rocco, has gained a family and internet fame since he arrived after Hurricane Ida last year, police spokesman Daniel Seuzeneau told McClatchy News.

“There was a lot of effort into trying to find the rightful owner, but no one ever came forward,” Seuzeneau said. “Now the chicken lives and is maintained by employees at Popeyes and some Slidell citizens.”

A couple of things are worth noting here:

• This is a brave chicken
• It is my opinion based on absolutely nothing that he is doing surveillance and is planning something

Let’s read on.

“He’ll go around to the front door, look around,” Shepherd told the news station. “He’ll go around to the window, the drive-thru window and just look.”

Okay, yes, this is definitely a John Wick situation. John Chick. I’m sorry. But it’s true. This will not end well for the employees of this Popeyes, and for whichever one Rocco goes to next. He is out for blood to avenge his fallen brothers and sisters. Mark my words. Rocco is just waiting. For now. The time is coming, though. Everyone will be sorry soon.

(Spoilers for this week’s episode of The Boys will be found below.)

People who watch The Boys know that the show specializes in graphic violence and gore that somehow doesn’t feel (too) gratuitous because it’s always in furtherance of the story. And even when things go a little too far, the show manages to wield satire like the most delicate of a surgeon’s sword. Somehow, Season 3 goes even further than we’ve seen before without feeling like they’re simply hitting the calculator on the number of buckets of blood, bare butts, and so on.

However, one can always use a little break from the mayhem, especially when these characters embed themselves so deeply into the audience’s psyches. People get attached to both the baddest of the Supes (admit it, you would really miss Homelander if Eric Kripke and the rest of the powers that be decided to off him). And on The Boys side of things, two characters have been growing their relationship over the course of the past few years, and it’s genuinely sweet stuff.

I’m referring to Kimiko (portrayed by Karen Fukuhara) and Frenchie (played by Tomer Kapon), who appeared in their very own musical sequence this week. It was freaking adorable, and I’m not the only one who felt that way:

And then there was that kiss. ‘Shippers everywhere were thrilled.

Naturally, there was some danger afoot that threatened to ruin everything, inspired a layered (and ALL CAPS) reference of a reaction.

And is Kimiko the most lovable of all The Boys characters? It sure feels like it. She truly does deserve the world.

Amazon’s ‘The Boys’ is currently cranking through weekly episodes of Season 3.

As one of the godfathers of Atlanta’s trap rap sound, Gucci Mane has come to play a similar role in his city and region to Snoop Dogg in LA. He’s a mentor of sorts to any number of artists from the A, and a Southern icon in general, lending out his co-sign to up-and-coming acts while giving all sorts of useful advice about music, money, and even dating. Uncle Guwop doles out some of the latter in his new video for “First Impression” with Yung Miami and Quavo, offering the truism that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

Between the two guests, the real revelation is Yung Miami. Ever since City Girls blew up with their breakout hit “Act Up,” Miami has taken criticism for being the less lyrical half of the Miami duo. Some fans have even (incorrectly) asserted that her flow is often off-beat, and while Miami herself has laughed off those accusations, there’s clear proof here that she actually has been taking the craft seriously and working to improve her pen. “Pucci purse and a Patek all off of pussy power — now that’s ‘Pushin P’,” she wisecracks in her verse. Not gonna lie; I smirked.

“First Impressions” is the latest single from Gucci and 1017’s new compilation album So Icy Gang: The ReUp, which is out now via Atlantic. You can watch the video above.

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

After the climactic ending to Avengers: Endgame, Chris Evans has been keeping a relatively low profile. Maybe starring in a Pixar movie isn’t that low of a profile, but still! While promoting Lightyear, Evans spoke about his post-MCU life, which consists of very little working out, as it turns out.

“I’ve shed like 15 pounds,” Evans told Yahoo at a recent press event. Since he no longer has to be the gigantic Captain America, he can take it pretty easy. “Every time people see me they’re like, ‘Are you OK? You lost a little bit of weight.’ I haven’t had to hit the gym as hard.” That does not sound like a bad thing.

Not only is he taking it slow at the gym, but he also just generally lives a calmer life since hanging up his superhero costume. “For 10 years you always have a movie around the corner. For 10 years, you finish one, your life is scheduled by, ‘OK, in six months we have press, six more months we start the next movie.’ To kind of have open waters… there are parts of it that are nice, and there are parts of it that I really, really miss because it was a role that meant a lot to me.” Evans adds. “And I love those people. And it’ll be the best 10 years of my professional life without any question, forever.”

While Evans seems relieved to be a retired Captain America, he is also excited to see how Anthony Mackie takes over the role. “No one better to do it,” Evans said. “I mean he does it justice and I’m so proud of him and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future with it.”

As for Evans, he is booked out for the foreseeable future, starring alongside Ryan Gosling in Netflix’s massively expensive The Gray Man and gearing up to film a Christmas movie with The Rock. But where will Buzz’s robotic cat companion Sox fit into this? Where is HIS spin-off movie?!

(Via Yahoo!)

In the words of NBA Finals star and one of the sunnier characters we got to know throughout the series, Klay Thompson (Klay Thompson), “Holy cannoli!”

‘Game 6’ turned out to be the surprise ending no one saw coming, wrapping the show an episode earlier than expected. Was this a case of budgeting restraints? Summer blockbuster competition? Performer fatigue? Or was it the plan all along? Let’s dive into the dramatic closing of the series to figure it out.

Early on, ‘Game 6’ began to feel familiar in that it shared a lot of the pacing problems of the last couple of episodes. Any momentum gained in the storyline for either the ‘Warriors’ or the ‘Celtics’ was pretty much immediately snubbed out by the other in a lurching, effortful call-and-response. The physicality of ‘Game 5’ was also back, though the stunts seemed ill-timed and awkward. For example, Draymond Green (Draymond Green) doing the rote dance moves for the song ‘YMCA’ in Jayson Tatum’s (Jayson Tatum) face within the first 12 minutes, a choice even co-director Steve Kerr appeared confused about.

However just when it seemed like we were bound for the same pacing pitfalls and rote corporeal concerns, and that Finals was going to be remembered as a show that shifted to stunt work to save itself, ‘Game 6’ suddenly turned to comedy.

It started subtly, a few off the finger losses of the all-important ball that this series has been centered on. At first it was easy enough to think, “Okay, here we go, another clumsy allegory of how the tools of daily life have come to overtake us,” but the slapstick sloppiness continued to pile up. There was Draymond Green bungling a behind the back transfer of the ball to Klay Thompson when the two had just deftly stolen it away and gone running down the length of the floor. There were even more misfired transfers ricocheting off the actors feet, hands and shoulders. There were cartoon pile-ons where a tangle of bodies looked like a Looney Tunes fight — and indeed, involving Kevon Looney (Kevon Looney).

The break of ‘halftime’ saw a lopsided tally of points — 54-39 — in favor of the ‘Warriors’ group, who found themselves again on the parquet floors of a believable interpretation of a demoralized ‘Boston.’ Before there was time to consider whether numerology was meant to play a role (the ‘Warriors’ had a tally of 27 in both of the show’s first two acts), and really it was for the best because it felt late, even for Adam Silver, to introduce yet another mystical element, there was the over the top somber mood the ‘halftime’ scene worked to strike.

Huge funeral-esque bouquets flanked the half moon desk where the four familiar men sat hunched together — an aside: there haven’t been five of them again since ‘Game 1’ and the absence of Magic Johnson (Magic Johnson) was never explained, is he back consulting on season two of HBO’s Winning Time? — and their collective tone was made pitch-perfect to match. All four of the hosts sounded on the verge of terror when consulting on the action that had just unfolded, but rather than shroud ‘Game 6’ in doubt, they helped dial up its comedic energy. Here were four modern day Pagliaccis but without any of the murderous intent, only the dole dour demeanors.

The transition into the second half of action was swift and moved adeptly from slapstick comedy into high-stakes drama in major part to the show’s prevalent hero, Steph Curry (Steph Curry). The fabled third quarter opened into what the narrators adeptly (for the first time) labeled “Curry chaos.” Oh, this isn’t a comedy, Steph Curry seems to say, casting a calm glance across the floor and shifting the action into a high-flying content of gymnastics. Indeed, we saw that done very well by his co-star, Klay Thompson, who seems to have figured out a way to move faster through space and time.

Ever the showman, Steph Curry’s character has appeared to take the earlier strife he felt in the series and his usual metronomic bearing and alchemize them into something playfully austere. He single-handedly flung the ball on five long arcs toward the solitary stanchion, sinking three cleanly and gracefully through that circle of consequence. The only adversary brave enough to try and stop him came in the late series emergence of Al Horford (Al Horford), who, after seeing his companion Grant Williams (Grant Williams) bloodied and battered, seemed ready to take revenge.

It was a deft though no doubt difficult decision by co-directors Steve Kerr and Ime Udoka to tarnish that once golden third quarter with a blood price, but after the camp and satire ‘Game 6’ started with, the move makes sense. And Steph Curry worked to further incense his opponents on the ‘Celtics’ by kissing his ring finger, the place we understand to be wanting for him and where the prize of this match-up will sit for its winner.

There were still a few confusing cuts in Finals penultimate episode. The genie Steve Javie (Steve Javie), for example, was back to talk about blood. The camera cut to him in a peaked sequence of events and took us visibly far from the action, to that dark and sparsely maintained control room somewhere. Then after all their success in “making shots,” the ‘Warriors’ group suddenly went cold, missing ten attempts in a row but without it meaning much for the ‘Celtics.’ A missed opportunity to further elaborate on how the narrative trope of a hero’s journey is overused in today’s television.

While the finale was quiet — the ‘Warriors’ group holding close to the ball as if hesitant to part with it, the ‘Celtics’ group tired, replaced by extras so close to the finish and unable to muster much of their earlier energy for the stage — the emotion was raw. Steph Curry openly wept as the production ended and turned meta, stagehands scrambling to build a stage on the stage. All of the actors embraced at length while the green-clad and once furious crowd stirred in their seats, confused at what to do, or else streamed to the exits like exorcised ghosts.

The theme in ‘Game 6,’ and certainly the whole of NBA Finals, was that for triumph to really take hold, poise had to be thrown through a window, like a brick, in real time. This was a series that was as elaborate as it was bizarre, played with concepts of masculinity, vulnerability, the limits of physicality and even of our concept of the universe as we know it. While all the hints at alternate realities and clones never came to anything, we can appreciate how creative showrunner Silver was in this production (thought he was, perhaps not wanting to hog the spotlight, absent in it’s award ceremony) even if those risks didn’t quite have the big payoff fans of his earlier shows wanted.

And really, wasn’t this all to show that life is the biggest production within a production of all?

South Shore-style bar pizza has been kicking off on the socials lately. The hyper-regional take on pizza is finding fans outside of the small communities south of Boston and along Cape Cod, which have been enjoying this style for decades. And, as a lover of unique regional pizzas, the buzz inspired me.

It was time to make a pie. One which I’ve had before but haven’t actually cooked very much.

Before we dive into the recipe, let’s get a little pizza context. South Shore-style bar pizza — or just “bar pizza” if you’re actually in South Mass or on the Cape — does have its own nuances. The crust is the biggest variable. Like all bar or tavern-style pizzas from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, it’s cooked at high heat in an electric oven in a pan with a ton of oil. But in this case, the dough has a lot of fat — butter and corn oil — and is flattened, not stretched, to create a bit of a harder crust. Some crusts will be close to a thick cracker like Massachusetts Greek-style (a recipe post for another day). Other crusts will just be buttery but a tad soft while still holding their shape when sliced (no NY slice folding here). Of the few bar pizzas I’ve had in the region, I remember that buttery semi-hard crust character the most.

The next nuance is that the cheese is all (or mostly, depending on who you ask) white cheddar. Which, yeah, that’s cool. I love white cheddar. Some recipes call for a mix of white cheddar and low moisture mozz as well. Then there’s the presentation. The dough is pressed up against the edges of the pan and the toppings (tomato, cheese, etc.) all hit the edges of the pan too, making this a “no crust” pizza. But that does create the crucial “lacing” effect on the edges of the crust that are touching the pan’s edges (more on that below).

Then there are the toppings. I’ve had the hyper-local baked bean pie and it’s … fine. I actually kind of dig the crinkle-cut french fry version. It reminds me of the french fry and hot dog pizzas you get in Sicily. Other than that, it’s basically dealer’s choice of toppings with classic pepperoni being the most iconic.

Lastly, the pizzas are usually baked and then packed in brown grocery store bags for transport/service. This is very close to how street margherita pies are served up in Naples (portafoglio) and in both cases adds something quaint and rustic to the whole experience. While I didn’t wrap mine in brown paper, the crust did get a little denser as the pie cooled. So, take that into account when making this kind of pizza.

To make this at home, I scoured the internet for recipes and found this was the most local and used it for reference. I also used the look and the size of Boston’s Hot Box as my guide in this endeavor.

One last quick note before we dive in. I made one pizza in the requisite ten-inch pizza pan and the crust pretty much did as was expected. I only had one of those pans though. So I put the other dough into an eight-inch cast iron skillet. Because I couldn’t stretch the dough as far, it did puff up a little more and created a very buttery slice that was closer to a grandma-style than bar-style. So make sure to use the right pan.

Okay, let’s get into it!

Related: The Only Cornbread Recipe You Need For The Best BBQ Season Ever

South Shore-Style Bar Pizza

Makes two ten-inch pies

Ingredients:

• 500 grams 00 pizza flour (or all-purpose)
• 9 grams of dry yeast
• 6 grams of white sugar
• 6 grams of sea salt
• 30 grams of corn oil
• 30 grams of melted butter
• 1 cup hot tap water (around 100F)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, strained
• Dried oregano
• 3 cups of shredded white cheddar
• 1.5 cups of shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Pepperoni
• Toppings of your choosing
• Extra corn oil and flour
• Salt

I have a lot of 00 pizza flour on the shelf, so I just used that. Traditionally, you’ll want to use standard AP flour. I also went the “mix of cheddar and mozz” route as a lot of recipes called for it. If you’re going very old-school, just use the white cheddar — it’ll be greasy AF though.

Lastly, always weigh out your bread ingredients. Accuracy is important in the chemistry of bread making. And if you have a scale, just set it to grams. It’s more accurate in that one gram equals 0.035 ounces. Most scales measure ounces by 0.1 increments. Moving on!

What You’ll Need:

• 10-inch pizza pan (like the ones from Pizza Hut)
• Large bowl
• Stand mixer with a dough hook
• Plastic wrap
• Pizza cuter
• Strainer

Method:

• Add the water, yeast, and sugar to a small bowl and let activate (about five minutes) until it’s frothy.
• Add the dry flour and salt to a mixing bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add the frothy yeast water and start mixing. While mixing add the corn oil and melted butter. The dough should come together quickly. If it’s not coming off the sides of the bowl, add a little more flour until a ball forms. Once a cohesive ball has formed, stop the mixer and place. You don’t want to over-knead this dough. Place the dough ball in a pre-oiled (again with corn oil) bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 48 hours to allow it to cold ferment.
• Take the dough out of the fridge and cut it into two pieces. Roll it into a ball and place it in your pre-oiled (yes, with corn oil) pizza pans. Place the pans on the stovetop and turn on the oven to preheat to 500F. The dough will warm up on the stovetop thanks to the excess heat from the oven as it heats up.
• Once the dough is proofed (soft and malleable to touch), push/press it out toward the edges of the pizza pan. The dough should easily stretch to fill in the whole pan.
• Once the dough is stretched, prick the dough with a fork to stop it from bubbling/raising up later in the oven, and then add a layer of strained tomatoes (water is not your friend with this crust) with a good pinch of salt and a mix of both kinds of cheese (I used 2:1 cheddar:mozz). Make sure the sauce and cheese go all the way to the edges of the pan. Then top the other pizza however you like. I’m using bell pepper, onion, sausage, mushrooms, and olives — a classic supreme pizza to go with a classic pepperoni.
• Bake the pies in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how many toppings you’re putting on there.
• Once the pies are nice and bubbly on top and crispy around the edges, remove them from the oven and plate them up on a pizza plate and let them chill for a few minutes. Hit them with some dried oregano, cut, and serve.

Bottom Line:

So, let’s talk about “lacing” first as that’s something people seemed obsessed with up in Massachusetts. This had it in spades! Look at that crunchy edge on that crust.

Even the cast iron pie had good lacing all around the edges, as you can see below.

Okay, let’s talk about the pie. I’m going to focus on the classic pepperoni one as that crust turned out very close to a bar pizza.

The crust was nice and buttery with good heft. The bottom layer of the crust and the edges were crunchy and almost cracker-like with plenty of butteriness. The inner layer of the crust (near the tomato and cheese) had a softness to it that wasn’t airy but was leaven. As the pizza cooled, that heft and crack to the outer layer of the crust heightened while the beard near the toppings stayed softer but did compress.

As for the topping and overall vibe, this pizza rules. There’s a great sharpness thanks to the white cheddar. The pepperoni was nice and spicy, providing that classic cheese/fat/spice matrix.

Overall, this is totally worth making at home if you’re not in Massachusetts. The dough just has to sit in the fridge. So it’s out of sight, out of mind. And in the end, you’ll have a very flavorful and comforting pizza to enjoy.

Back in January, during Sundance (which was, once again, virtual only for the second year in a row), I got a text from a friend of mine telling me I had to watch Brian and Charles before the festival ended. I, in turn, texted back, “What’s that?” He then sold me on the movie in one sentence, “It’s about an inventor who invents things that don’t work, but then accidentally invents a robot with actual artificial intelligence.” Alright, I’m in. I watched Brian and Charles. So late, in fact, that we had already done our site’s “best movies of Sundance” list, which is why I didn’t get to include Brian and Charles, or I certainly would have. Anyway, I was smitten. It’s the kind of movie that, if the festival had been in person, it would have gotten the word of mouth bump. But now, it was relegated to word of text message.

Brian (David Earl) is that said inventor, who has played this character on a stage show and in a short film, but as director Jim Archer says ahead, the character in the feature film is far less crude. Here, he’s incredibly sweet. And by the time Brian invents Charles (Chris Hayward) out of a mannequin head and an old washing machine (who gives himself the last name Petrescu, and it’s never not funny when Charles says, “I’m Charles Petrescu,” and he says this a lot), we, the audience, are just so happy Brian finally has a friend. Of course, local town bullies take notice of Charles Petrescu.

Being released by Focus Features in theaters, Archer doesn’t know what to expect really. It seems like he just hopes enough people see it, tell their friends, then someday it becomes enough of a cult classic where they can make another one. Or, as he suggests, maybe they can put Paddington in the movie then people will see it. (But, seriously, if you have a chance to see Brian and Charles, you will love Brian and Charles.)

This feels like a true word-of-mouth movie. The only reason I saw it is because during virtual Sundance a friend texted me and said I’d like this.

I mean, I think that’s basically our marketing campaign from now on. Some people see it and then some people say it’s good. Folks do an amazing job. But we’re still a low-budget thing so I think word of mouth is the key.

I didn’t expect to feel so emotionally connected to Charles Petrescu. First of all, where does that last name come from?

Well, Petrescu actually, do you know what? The original thing, I think it’s probably just because it’s funny.

It is a funny name for a robot. Every time he says it I laughed.

Yeah. And I like that. I like that he just literally comes up with it on the fly. But if you pause the film at the right moment, there is one of the books on the shelves is by someone Petrescu. We have printed and put something in there. I think it’s just funny. It’s funny that he gives himself some sort of Eastern European surname for no reason.

Was the look of Charles difficult? Because I feel there’s a fine line between Charles looking grotesque and Charles looking too funny. Because you want to hit that sweet spot where people feel empathy towards him.

Yeah, exactly. I think he is a very kind of blank slate, which works for that. I mean, he is actually, weirdly, he’s quite handsome. This sort of mannequin head. It’s a real mannequin’s head so it’s got all the high cheekbones and stuff like that. But we just sort of made him into this old man thing. And I think the first version of him, the one that we did for the short, was slightly more janky and a bit probably more on the side of scary. So when we did the film version, we slightly wanted to give it a bit more logic, and make the eye metal, and make him look more like he’s been built from a washing machine.

The concept is easy to pitch to people: “This inventor who invents things that don’t work accidentally invents artificial life.”

“It’s a park full of dinosaurs that come to life.” Okay. I’m in.

Yeah, that one did really well.

Yeah, I’ve heard of it.

That should be your new line. “We are the new Jurassic Park.”

Yeah, exactly. I think that sounds like a slightly different version of the film we could have made.

What are you hoping for, release-wise, with the release date? As we were saying, it’s the kind of movie that needs people to see it, then tell someone.

I don’t know. I don’t know. This is my first film and so this is my first experience of all this stuff. You’re right, though. I think it’ll be a slow open, and hopefully people will see it and like it and tell their friends to watch it. But I think it will still be… it’ll be a slow burn. Or it’ll just fizzle out and its life will be beyond that. Maybe it’ll be a cult film in a year’s time. Or maybe it’ll live on on-demand. Who knows? But hopefully, everyone goes to the cinemas to it.

I know there’s a short film. But how does this come to fruition?

I sort of got involved halfway through. But it existed, David Earl was doing the character of Brian Gittins as a live comedy act. Since 2006 or something. And then there was a radio show where Rupert did a call-in with the voice of Charles, so that started to do a thing. And then Chris listened to that and was like, Oh, maybe I’ll build the robot and we’ll do this as a live act. And then I came involved when they’re like, we want to make a short film. The live act is kind of crude and big and completely chaotic.

And this movie is very sweet and not crude.

Do you know what? I think just when translating that to cinema, you want people to engage with the characters most. And to do that, you just need to find the heart. And just treat everything super seriously and cinematically. And suddenly, you take these characters that are in this chaotic, weird universe on live comedy stages and then be like, right, let’s make them as real as we can.

If these characters are crude, maybe I’m not feeling as bad for them when they’re being picked on by the bullies.

Exactly. Yeah, it just doesn’t work.

Let this man have his friend that he built.

Exactly. When we are doing Brian, we were like this is our version of Brian, not the stage version. We even softened his voice a little bit.

I would watch more movies with Brian and Charles.

Well, we are up for it. I think it requires this film to do well which is… It’s not Paddington. It’s a low-budget, British feature, so we’ll see. If it does well, maybe there will be more. Although maybe there will be a TV show? Who knows?

Paddington fans should see this. “You’ll like this thing just as much. The fun bear and Charles are the same thing.”

So I’m seeing Charles pop up in the Paddington universe…

Now you’re thinking. That’s the future, here. Get Charles and Paddington together.

Yeah, I’ll call Paul King and see what he says.

‘Brian And Charles’ opens in theaters this weekend. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

In another crushing financial blow, Mike Lindell has revealed that Walmart won’t sell MyPillow products anymore. Lindell disclosed the news in a rambling Facebook video where he accused the retail giant of “cancel talk.” According to the crazed MyPillow CEO, Walmart’s decision is a whopping $100 million loss in wholesale sales, which arrives on the heel of Lindell disclosing that he’s dropped at least $30 million of his own money in his election fraud crusade. Lindell has vowed to go down in flames proving that the election was stolen from Donald Trump, and he just might get his wish.

As for what made Walmart pull the plug, Lindell has had trouble getting a straight answer thanks to executives ignoring him, which only further angered the hot-tempered CEO. Via New York Daily News:

Initially, according to Lindell, he was told sales had “fatigued” which is why the retail giants moved his product out of a highly visible “As Seen On TV” section. Now, the store will stop selling MyPillow products altogether. The 60-year-old Minnesota native said that after some back and forth, he got an executive vice president who was “kind of ignoring me” on a video conference call.

According to Lindell, Walmart claims his products no longer meet a satisfactory customer rating. Lindell blames “bots and trolls” for trying to shut him down by posting fake reviews. However, he didn’t help his case by losing his cool and blasting Walmart for selling “China pillows.” He also accused the retail giant of being “liars.”

“You’re a liar, liars and you’re liars, just like people on that January 6 committee,” Lindell ranted.

(Via New York Daily News)

A couple of days ago, Foo Fighters announced tribute shows in honor of their drummer Taylor Hawkins, who tragically passed in March. One will take place at London’s Wembley Stadium on September 3rd, and the other at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on September 27th. New guests have just been announced.

In Los Angeles, the artists added to the roster are Pink, LeAnn Rimes, John Paul Jones, Alain Johannes, Nancy Wilson, Krist Novoselic, and Greg Kurstin. In London, the additions are John Paul Jones, Alain Johannes, Nandi Bushell, Nile Rodgers, Krist Novoselic, Greg Kurstin, and a special appearance by Chris Rock.

Already-announced guests for Los Angeles are Miley Cyrus, Joan Jett, Chris Chaney of Jane’s Addiction, Gene Simmons of Kiss, Alanis Morissette, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Luke Spiller of The Struts, The Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore, Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine, Mark Ronson, and an appearance by Hawkins’ cover band Chevy Metal.

For London: Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush, Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age, Mark Ronson, Oasis’ Liam Gallagher, former Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Chris Chaney of Jane’s Addiction, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, Wolfgang Van Halen, members of Hawkins’ cover band Chevy Metal, Supergrass, drummer Omar Hakim, and a special appearance from Dave Chappelle.