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The QAnon Shaman (real name Jacob Chansley) must be stunned that he didn’t catch a break this month as a result of his guilty plea (for obstruction) following his participation in the MAGA insurrection/failed coup on the U.S. Capitol. Chansley received a relatively hefty 41-month prison sentence (with no credit for time served). And although he mostly wandered the halls wearing a “Chewbacca Bikini” outfit while shouting for freedom and claimed to have peacefully saved the Senate’s muffins, the DOJ and Judge Royce Lamberth did not go easy on him. His sentence is just shy of the largest insurrectionist sentence thus far (42 months to Scott Kevin Fairlamb), and as it turns out, the Shaman wants a do-over, at least in the sentence department.

The Shaman’s decision follows an unorthodox approach from Albert Watkins, who may no longer be Chansley’s attorney. Watkins famously framed his client as a total idiot, which isn’t great by any stretch. He even described the rioters as “f*cking short-bus people” and “f*cking ret*rded,” and that was before he suggested that his client was in “love” with Trump. Via Bloomberg, the Shaman has replaced Watkins, and his new lawyer is formally appealing the sentence that followed his guilty plea:

Jacob Chansley, who was sentenced this month to more than three years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, filed a notice of appeal on Tuesday “from the judgment and sentence” of the court.

John Pierce, Chansley’s new lawyer in the case, filed the notice in federal court in Washington, where his client was convicted, and is appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The two-page notice will be followed by a memo laying out his arguments. Pierce replaced attorney Albert Watkins on the case on Monday at Chansley’s request.

Appealing a guilty plea is tricky business because a defendant would need to prove that the plea didn’t qualify as “knowing, voluntary, and intelligent.” One can speculate that Chansley’s new attorney would like to prove that this is the case, and certainly, Watkins had no problem trashing his previous client’s intelligence. However, it seems that John Pierce (a former Kyle Rittenhouse lawyer) is focusing upon the consequences of the appeal and wants the sentence reconsidered, rather than the plea itself.

(For what it’s worth, Watkins is claiming that he’s still on the Shaman’s legal team, so that should be an interesting thread to follow as well.)

In any event, it’s refreshing to see that no one here is attempting to use the term “Foxitis” as an approach to leniency (as one insurrectionist’s attorney has actually tried to do). And we’ll see how things go for the Shaman, who’s presumably not thrilled about 41 months of prison-vegan meals, but only time will tell if his sentence will shrink.

(Via Bloomberg & Business Insider)

The legendary designer Virgil Abloh passed away over the weekend at the far-too-young age of 41, ending a private battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Abloh’s mark on streetwear and modern fashion is undeniable and will be forever felt, but before he solidified himself as certified streetwear royalty, long before he landed the job as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, before Off-White, and the global DJ Sets, he was just a kid sketching shoes in his spare time.

That’s important to remember. Abloh wasn’t born into the house of Gucci. He had an ambition that truly knew no bounds and a vision that could not be denied. He took those early sneaker sketches and sent them to Nike. Nothing came of them but that didn’t slow him down for even a beat. By 2017, after a brief stint in architecture, an internship in Rome at Fendi, and the successful launch of his own label, Abloh’s swoosh dreams became a reality when he designed, “The Ten,” a collection that would go down in history as the greatest sneaker collaboration of all time.

That’s not hyperbole, ask any sneakerhead, they’ll tell you: nothing beats The Ten. Abloh would follow up that historic run by producing a fleet of fifty Nike Dunks a few years later. His was truly an insatiable spirit for creation.

Many publications make note of Abloh’s time studying architecture like it’s some sort of footnote in his career, but the truth is Abloh never stopped being an architect. Through his design work — which, in addition to sneakers, included album covers, commissioned art pieces, and more — he always treated whatever he was approaching as more than an object, everything, even a water bottle, was a monument. You and I look at a Jordan 1 and see a sneaker, Abloh saw a skyscraper of possibilities. Abloh’s best design moments catch your eye, spark conversations, and create trends. It’s a trifecta that even the most well-respected designers (besides Abloh’s friend and collaborator Ye) can’t lay claim to.

“What we’re talking about here is larger than sneakers, it’s larger than design culture… It’s nothing short of state-of-the-art design,” Abloh said when he first debuted “The Ten.” “To me, they are on the same level as a sculpture of David or the Mona Lisa. You can debate it all you want, but they mean something. And that’s what’s important.”

Ultimately, Abloh’s greatest contribution to the world of streetwear wasn’t a specific sneaker, or a brand, or any single collaboration. It was his unmatched ability to recognize and what sneakerheads all around the world know inside their bones: that a pair of fire Jordans aren’t just shoes, they’re modern-day canvases. A piece of wearable contemporary art to be collected, coveted, cared for, loved, and inspired by.

To celebrate Abloh’s vision and philosophy, we’ve collected the late designer’s 30 best contributions to the world of sneakers. This isn’t a ranking. Instead, we’ve presented the sneakers here as the truly astounding body of work that they always will be, even as Abloh has left a generation of designers to forge their own path without his guiding hand. His influence will always be felt, like the great masters before him that he revered but never hesitated to push past. Abloh viewed sneakers like they were the Mona Lisa, and we’ll always remember him like he was our Da Vinci.

Off-White Nike Air Max 90 ‘The Ten,’ 2017

We’re kicking the list off with Abloh’s take on the Air Max 90. The Ten dropped in two sets of five, dubbed “Revealing” and “Ghosting” with the Air Max 90 leading the pack and exceeding expectations. With this design, Abloh deemphasized Tinker Hatfield’s original look, breaking the sneaker down to its silhouette and paneling with a few minimalist accents that help the design feel fresh.

With a pristine white leather upper, an oversized white Swoosh, and grey suede overlays atop an icy blue midsole, and yes, zip ties, The Ten’s Air Max 90 almost looks like it should be in a museum.

Off-White Nike Air Presto ‘The Ten,’ 2017

You’ll find The Ten’s Air Presto topping a lot of lists chronicling Abloh’s greatest designs and for good reason. For the Air Presto, Abloh once again broke down the sneaker to its skeleton, stripping away the sleek layers of the original design for a lightweight mesh upper with a bone-like lace cage. Even four years later, they just look so damn cool. By 2021s standards, the idea of deconstruction in sneakers has been done to death, but at the time of its release, this kick was truly revolutionary.

Off-White Nike Air VaporMax ‘The Ten,’ 2017

Off-White has dropped two other Nike Air VaporMax sneakers since the original black pair from The Ten, but nothing matches these. This is simply one of the best VaporMax colorways and designs of all time.

Abloh’s VaporMax features a Flyknit upper with a bright white oversized swoosh stitched on, atop a blacked-out VaporMax sole that gives off heavy Darth Vader vibes. Abloh is a Star Wars head, so we’re almost certain that’s what this big (very cool) nerd was going for.

Off-White Nike Air Jordan 1 ‘The Ten’ 2017

C’mon, you knew you were going to come across this pair. It’s easily the most recognizable sneaker Virgil Abloh has ever designed. This is the shoe that Abloh-haters use to discredit his craft and that’s probably because it includes every cringey Abloh trademark, from the “Air” quotation marks, the visible stitching on the swoosh, the Beaverton, Oregon production stamp. Ugh, right?

It isn’t even an original colorway, borrowing the original “Chicago” makeup, which is legendary unto itself. Does this dude even actually design anything? But look closer and you’ll see that this is how Abloh infuses the spirit of hip-hop into his design work, and why it catches hold with heads worldwide. Abloh is sampling a piece of sneaker history and recontextualizing it for a modern sensibility. Is Drake’s “Nice for What” any less of a great song because it owes a debt to Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” which itself sampled “Can It Be All So Simple” by the Wu-Tang Clan, which draws from “The Way We Were/Try To Remember” by Gladys Knight & The Pips?

Nope — that’s what art does. Borrows, remixes, and makes the old new again. That’s where Abloh excelled.

Off-White Nike Blazer ‘The Ten,’ 2017

We have Virgil Abloh to thank for breathing new life into Nike’s Blazer sneaker which, prior to 2017, was a seriously overlooked shoe. Nowadays, even Nike is showing the Blazer constant love, releasing vintage colorways on a yearly basis. For The Ten’s Blazer, the upper is dressed in white leather with a descending swoosh that dives into an off-white midsole. The inner side of the sneaker features the Beaverton, Oregon production stamp, which is a call back to where the original design was crafted.

Off-White Nike Air Force 1 ‘The Ten,’ 2017

While Abloh’s “Revealing” set from The Ten shed away layers to reveal the inner workings of these iconic silhouettes, for his “Ghosting” set, Abloh opened a window, dressing each sneaker in a translucent upper, another trend that has become pervasive since the designer popularized it.

Abloh’s Air Force 1 is probably the most extreme design out of the “Ghosting” collection, it’s so broken down that it almost looks like it’s still midway through production. If you don’t like deconstructed sneakers, you probably won’t like these, though it’s pretty hard to mess up the Air Force 1.

Off-White Nike Hyperdunk ‘The Ten,’ 2017

The Ten’s Hyperdunk was a way for Abloh to prove that he wasn’t just about style over substance. Through and through, this Hyperdunk is a court-performance sneaker, despite its high-fashion appearance. A breathable FlyKnit upper keeps players light on their feet, with an added midfoot strap for extra support atop a bouncy React midsole. The hype for The Ten was so great that you’d have to be insane to actually wear these on the court, but we like to spend some time imagining what that might look like every time we see them.

Off-White Nike Zoom Fly ‘The Ten,’ 2018

This pair truly comes alive with your sock game, making the Zoom Fly one of the most visually varied sneakers Off-White and Nike have ever made, and giving it a slight edge over the Tulip Pink — which are a little harder to rock.

Off-White Nike Air Max 97 ‘The Ten,’ 2017

Virgil Abloh’s Air Max 97 is pretty interesting in that its design changes the way you normally see the Air Max 97. Usually known for its aerodynamic waves, Abloh instead obscures those eye-leading lines beneath a translucent upper, with a large, long swoosh in place of the sneaker’s usual tiny swoosh — which works to highlight the sneaker’s aerodynamic shape.

This very minor change really manages to give the Air Max 97 a totally unique look within its own history. It’s proof that small changes can equal out to really radical results.

Off-White Chuck 70, The Ten 2017

Released as the final piece of “The Ten,” Abloh’s take on the legendary Chuck Taylor All-Star sees the designer take on yet another legendary design. But unlike the AJ-1, which leaned on the sneaker’s heritage by utilizing one of its most recognizable colorways, this take on the Chuck 70 ignores the past and attempts to contextualize the sneaker for the modern age.

Gone are all the recognizable markers of the Chuck 70, that iconic star label is obfuscated under a ghostly translucent upper, the familiar color patterns are replaced with a monochromatic design, that signature toe cap is rendered icy and cold. This release sees Abloh paying tribute to the foundation of this great sneaker, no doubt a call back to his days in architecture.

Off-White Nike Air Force 1 ComplexCon, 2017

We’re finally out of The Ten territory with this ComplexCon exclusive. If The Ten’s AF-1 was a little too stripped back for your liking, Abloh released a design that played things pretty close to the original with his second Air Force 1. Featuring a clean all-white leather upper, the ComplexCon sneaker sports a metallic swoosh with exposed stitching, and orange branding tags on the exposed foam tongue and Nike check.

In terms of moving the AF-1 forward, this sneaker doesn’t do too much to change the game — but it’s quite the sight regardless. Unfortunately, giving this sneaker’s exclusive status, there aren’t many pairs out there floating around.

Off-White Air Jordan 1 White, 2018

It won’t come as a surprise to find out that the second Off-White Jordan 1 was actually Abloh’s original idea for the sneaker’s entry in The Ten, as its all-white upper with off-white overlays looks a lot more visually consistent with the rest of the collection. But then, it’s hard to blame Abloh for taking a crack at the OG Chicago colorway.

It might be a controversial opinion, but we dig these over the original pair from The Ten. Easily. That pop of orange just works.

Off White Nike Air Jordan 1 UNC, 2018

Naturally, you’re going to find a lot of Air Jordan 1s on this list and while we tried to avoid too many doubles, Abloh has a particular talent for understanding what makes the Air Jordan 1 so great. Featuring a powder blue paneled upper with white accents and contrasting orange stitching, the UNC continues Abloh’s practice of taking the absolute best
Air Jordan 1 colorways — in this case, the Michael Jordan University of North Carolina Blue — and giving them a modern revamp.

Off-White x MoMa x Nike Air Force 1, 2018

We don’t know why Virgil Abloh insists on making his Air Force 1s — probably one of Nike’s most popular silhouettes — the most exclusive Off-White and Nike link up, but with the instant sell-out of the AF-1 from The Ten, the hard to find ComplexCon exclusive, and this three-way collaboration between Nike, Off-White, and the Museum of Modern Art, AF-1s designed by Abloh is a rare find.

This 2018 release is essentially identical to the ComplexCon exclusive, only this time it’s dressed in black.

Off-White Nike Air Presto White, 2018

The dominant color palette of The Ten was white, which made the black upper Air Presto a standout amongst the collection. But plenty of people in the sneaker world wished the Presto adopted the same translucent colorway enjoyed by the rest of The Ten. Those people had their wish granted in 2018 when Abloh finally dropped a white iteration of the Presto.

With gentle accents of orange and red, the white Presto presents the design in a cleaner futuristic light than the more worn and gritty Presto found in The Ten.

Off-White Nike Blazer Hallow’s Eve, 2018

Released for the Halloween season, Abloh’s All Hallow’s Eve colorway feels more targeted toward Thanksgiving than All Hallows Eve itself, but we’ll try not to get too hung up on that fact. Featuring an orange-toned tan upper with a deep-diving wrap-around pumpkin swoosh, the Blazer All Hallow’s Eve is the best Nike Blazer Off-White has ever put out.

If this didn’t have the teal swoosh tag and the “Shoelaces” text, you might even be able to fool a staunch Abloh hater into admitting that these are pretty dope.

Off-White Nike Blazer Grim Reaper, 2018

See, now this sneaker should’ve been given the “All Hallow’s Eve” name! Oh well, the Grim Reaper differs from the other Nike Blazer Off-White silhouettes in its use of a translucent black panel along the upper coupled with a bright white wrap-around swoosh.

It’s hard to not love this sleek pair, though it does feel like a step down in general creativity from the All Hallow’s Eve.

Off-White Nike Air Max 97 Serena. 2018

Ahead of Serena Williams’s opening match at the 2018 US open, Abloh dropped a few silhouettes that bear the tennis legend’s name — the best of which was the Air Max 97 Serena. Ditching the translucent sheath obscuring the 97’s wavy lines, the Serena features a soft pink-toned upper with a pink, purple, and gold gradient midsole, a yellow tab, and an oversized swoosh.

Off-White Nike Blazer Serena Queen, 2018

There are a lot of great Off-White Nike Blazers, they’ve pretty much all made the list, but none feel more underrated than this pair designed with tennis legend Serena Williams in mind. Featuring a hot pink to platinum midsole with an oversized wraparound Swoosh over a wolf grey upper, the Serena Queen Blazer looks like a sneaker that exists with its own permanent blacklight hovering over it.

Off-White Nike Air Force 1 MCA, 2019

It’s pretty clear that while Abloh might’ve had a knack for producing fire colorways of the Air Jordan 1, it’s the AF-1 that he truly considered a masterpiece. Why else would he drop another exclusive fine art Air Force 1 with the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art? This pair is dressed in a beautiful University Blue all leather upper with a metallic silver swoosh.

These are so beautiful that a part of us absolutely hates the idea of someone wearing them.

Off-White Nike Air Max 90 Desert Ore, 2019

The Off-White Air Max 90 Desert Ores represent a transition in design styles for Abloh, featuring touchstones from his work immediately proceeding The Ten to the more modern Off-White Nikes we see today.

Featuring a dark beige upper with a bright mango swoosh, the Desert Ores look a bit like what we imagine a Yeezy and Off-White link up might look like — thanks to its dusty earthy appearance.

Off-White Nike Dunk Low Pine Green, 2019

Before Abloh would go on to release a 50 sneaker collection consisting solely of the low-top Nike Dunk, he was prepping himself for that ambitious project in 2019 by dropping this Pine Green take on the design. Featuring a radical inclusion to the original design by way of a zig-zagging lacing system, this design laid the groundwork for Abloh’s most ambitious Nike project.

Off-White Nike Dunk Low University Red, 2019

Released alongside the Pine Green colorway, this University Red edition was made in tribute to Nike original 1985 College Colors program which introduced the world to seven different, but legendary, Nike Dunk colorways. It’s an improvement over the Pine Green, that Wolf Grey causes such an eye-catching contrast to the bright red panels and laces.

Off-White Nike Air Jordan V Muslin, 2020

It’s a little hard to believe there aren’t more Air Jordan Vs by Abloh. An often overlooked sneaker in the Jordan brand line, the V Muslins represented a new aesthetic era for the designer. Sure, he was still using translucent textiles and breaking the sneakers down to their rough interiors, but now he was doing it in a much more refined way. While it doesn’t feel as groundbreaking as anything from The Ten, we appreciated Abloh’s commitment to always pushing his designs forward and not just cashing in on the trends he made popular.

Off-White Nike Air Jordan IV Sail, 2020

Released as a women’s size exclusive — much to the dismay of big-footed sneakerheads — this Air Jordan 4 features a full-grain leather and grid mesh upper, with clear textiles, air cushioning, exposed foam, and a totally monochromatic makeup.

These sneakers were an instant sell-out and are currently fetching prices well above $1000 on the aftermarket, making them the most beloved Off-White Nike’s since The Ten era. In a dark year, they were a bright reminder that even three years into their extended collaboration, Off-White and Nike were a natural matchup.

Off-White Air Jordan V Sail, 2020

For Abloh’s second AJ-V colorway, he adopted a colorway that paid homage to the legendary Fire Red Jordan V while retaining his translucent additions to the design. Featuring a sail textile mesh upper with 3M reflective details and a translucent outsole the Off-White Jordan V Sail is equal parts traditional and futuristic, which feels more like a trademark of Abloh’s overall design than superficial details like Helvetica branding and zip-ties.

Off-White Nike Air Force 1 Lemonade 2021

Debuted at the pre-game tunnel at this year’s NBA All-Star Game by LeBron James, the Lemonade sees Abloh following the template laid out by his previous Air Force 1 collaborations, this time dipping the sneaker in an impossible to ignore mustard yellow colorway.

Rounding out the design is a silver Swoosh outlined with contrasting stitching, with an exposed foam tongue, and a woven tag. Abloh always hit the AF-1 with the boldest colorway choices.

Off-White Nike Dunk Low Lot 1/50, 2021

This year saw Abloh embark on a journey that would serve as an official follow-up to the Ten, a fifty sneaker collection focused on a singular silhouette — the Nike Dunk. Abloh transformed the Dunk with the inclusion of Flywire laces that zig-zag across a crisp white upper with an exposed foam tongue, Helvetica branding, a metallic silver swoosh, and a yellow midsole.

It was a design inspiring enough that Abloh saw fit to reiterate on it forty-nine more times. A testament to his restless work ethic.

Off-White Nike Dunk Low Lot 50/50, 2021

Bookending the fifty sneaker collection is this moody blacked-out version of the Dunk Low. Featuring an all-black canvas upper with leather paneling, purple accents, and a metallic swoosh, this is a special pair in the collection and stands in stark contrast to the 49 proceeding colorways.

Abloh kept color to a minimum throughout the Dunk collection, restricting pops of color to the Flywire laces and keeping the sneaker primarily dressed in white and grey tones, for the final pair he threw that idea out the window. When you look at the entirety of the fifty Dunk collection, you realize the whole thing is one big color gradient. Abloh was always one to paint a bigger picture

Off-White Nike Air Jordan II Low, 2021

Closing out our list of Virgil Abloh’s greatest sneaker designs is the final Off-White Nike sneaker to be released in Abloh’s lifetime, the Off-White Air Jordan II. The Air Jordan II has for some time been an underrated silhouette in the lineage of early Jordans, the always ambitious Abloh attempted to rewrite history and overhaul the silhouette’s image in the cultural zeitgeist not by radically reimagining it, but by paying tribute to its history.

The sneaker’s design is an attempt to recreate the natural aging process of a vintage pair of Jordan IIs and features an artificially decaying midsole that is patched over with translucent materials, and Jordan’s signature adorning each pair, a call back to Jordan’s practice of signing and giving out his shoes to kids at Bulls games.

It’s not a radical departure from the original, instead, it presents the shoe not simply as a design, but as an artifact of time, like a great skyscraper designed by the geniuses of a bygone era made more beautiful with age. There is that connection to architecture again, it stands as one of Abloh’s best and most subtle reimaginings and shows just how deeply he cared about what came before, even as he always forged ahead.

Band Of Horses’ most recent album, Why Are You OK, came out in 2016, so fans have been waiting for a follow-up for some time now. The band’s sixth album, Things Are Great, is set to drop in 2022, though, which was announced last month. Band Of Horses shared “Crush” alongside that announcement, and today, they return with “In Need Of Repair,” an easygoing and heartfelt single.

Singer Ben Bridwell sees the album as a return to the band’s roots — “It’s just f*cking us,” as he puts it. He also notes, “When I started, I was a crappy drummer in a slowcore band that broke up because it wasn’t going nowhere. All of a sudden, I had to figure out how to do guitar stuff [for this band]. I put my hands where they’re comfortable, my fingers on the fretboard and detune the strings to make it comfortable for the shapes. I didn’t have to learn all these g*ddamn f*cking chords. Now I’m stuck with all these weird tunings that don’t make sense to anyone else. It’s kinda hilarious showing them to accomplished players or guitar techs. It’s hard for them to play much of anything in those tunings. I was f*cking around figuring things out as I went along, but looking back, I realize the way I played guitar was the main identity of the band.”

Listen to “In Need Of Repair” above.

Things Are Great is out 1/15/2022 via BMG. Pre-order it here.

The 2022 Oscars aren’t until next March and many of the year’s buzziest movies haven’t been released to the public yet (looking at you, West Side Story). But it’s beginning to feel like one of the races might already be over.

Kristen Stewart has 18/5 odds on Gold Derby to win Best Actress for her performance in Spencer — in second place is Nicole Kidman for Being the Ricardos at 5/1. (Awards Watch also has Stewart as the winner). There’s no such thing as a lock when it comes to the Oscars, but Frances McDormand was the frontrunner for months and, well.

Stewart won the first of likely many trophies on Monday night at the Gotham Awards, where she received the Performer Tribute award. “I was so lucky to be able to work with someone who has such an audacious and strange, vivid, committed, unique, wild, f*cked up vision,” she said about Spencer director Pablo Larraín during her earnest and charmingly rambling speech. She wrapped things up by saying, “Thank you so much. Blah, yeah, done. Love you. Yeah.” More speeches should end with a “blah.” And more Oscar winners should also work on “gay ghost-hunting” reality shows. Just saying.

You can watch the full speech above, or enjoy this looped clip:

Other big winners at the Gotham Awards include The Lost Daughter (Best Feature, Best Screenplay for Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Outstanding Lead Performance for Olivia Colman), Drive My Car (Best International Feature), and CODA (Outstanding Supporting Performance for Troy Kotsur and Breakthrough Performer for Emilia Jones).

You can see the full list here.

Shan has always dreamed of dancing since they were little, even when it wasn’t possible for them. As someone diagnosed with the chronic pain disorder Fibromyalgia at a young age, Shan was told that they wouldn’t be able to do much physically as they got older. But as they started to dance, Shan learned that with the help of determination and their community, nothing could hold them back.

For Uproxx’s New Normalists series presented by Instagram, Shan explains how their love for dance has helped them stay more in touch with themselves. Through mastering different choreography, Shan started to become more connected with their body and with what dance meant to their efforts to live with Fibromyalgia. “I feel so much and I feel so intensely and I think dance was the only thing that I could utilize to get that energy and anger and sadness out because it would have destroyed me otherwise quite honestly,” they said.

While they have to spend more time warming up before practicing a routine, Shan has come to understand that dance is more than simply moving your body — it’s about “healing and bringing people together.” Shan stays connected to the dance world through Instagram. By sharing their routines and connecting with other disabled dancers on the platform, Shan continues to stay inspired spread awareness about the importance of accessibility. “Accessibility is really important in discussing ableism in dance and how accessibility looks different for every single person,” they said. “You don’t have to be a professional dancer and go to crazy classes and do all these moves. Everyone functions differently and can bring different things to the table.”

Watch Shan share their passion for dance above and find more of Uproxx’s New Normalists series here.

Mrs. Maisel is back and as marvelous (and ambitious) as ever in the first trailer for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s fourth season. The short teaser comes less than two months before the Emmy award-winning series’ makes its big return to Amazon Prime on February 18, when the show’s first two episodes are slated to hit the streaming service. Two additional episodes will then debut for three weeks following the premiere, making for a grand total of eight new Midge Maisel-filled episodes.

In the teaser, we see Midge reunited with her manager, Susie (Alex Borstein), and in the middle of an intense discussion about how she can go from beaten-down and practically unbookable to headliner in a system where that seldom (if ever) happens. While Susie points this out, telling Midge “that’s not how the business works,” despite all her shortcomings Midge is unshaken, and replies somewhat deviously, “then let’s change the business.”

Set in 1960, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s fourth season picks up directly after the events of the season three finale, in which Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) lost out on a prime gig opening for pop star Shy Baldwin (LeRoy McClain) after divulging far too much about Shy during a stop on their tour and losing his trust (via The Hollywood Reporter). According to creator Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), Midge’s failures are all a part of the show’s accurate portrayal of the life of a comic, which is full of “one step forward, two steps back” moments.

“We f**ked her up pretty good at the end of this season. We’ve knocked her back a few times on the show,” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. “But that’s what show business is. It’s one step forward, two steps back — that’s the life of a comic.”

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel returns February 18 exclusively on Amazon Prime.

Earlier this year Megan Thee Stallion embarked on a brand partnership with Cash App with the purpose of teaching investing and financial literacy for fans. In addition to giving away $1 million in Cash App stock, Meg also starred in a series of educational videos teaching fans about such subjects as NFTs and cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. However, it seems she wasn’t content with just making those moves — or with just having one co-branded merch line with Popeyes — as she has released a new clothing collection in collaboration with Cash App, with the proceeds going to charity.

The Hot Girl Enterprise collection is available on shop.cash.app and includes a t-shirt, shorts, and a bucket hat, all in warm weather-friendly colors that’ll come in handy when Hot Girl Summer rolls back around. Here’s a photo of Meg wearing the shirt and shorts:

In a press release, the Houston rapper said she was “really proud of this collection,” because “not only did we create a fierce and stylish look for my Hotties, but we’re also giving back to communities in need in a meaningful way.” All proceeds will be donated to Houston charities focusing on education, health, and housing. You can check out the collection here.

Tragedy struck during Travis Scott’s set at his Astroworld festival earlier this month. A massive crowd surge suffocated attendees, leaving countless injuries and ten dead, including a 9-year-old. The friends and families of victims are still coping with the aftermath and Scott has been sued by many festivalgoers. As a result of the tragedy, Megan Thee Stallion has decided to cancel a show she was set to play in Houston later this week.

The rapper is currently on tour in support of her recent music. She even surprised fans at a BTS show over the weekend to perform her remix of their No. 1 track “Butter.” While she was previously set to return to her home state of Texas to play a show in Houston, the rapper has decided to forgo the show “out of respect” to the Astroworld victims.

In a statement given to the Houston Chronicle, Megan explained her decision to cancel the performance:

“Out of respect for the lives lost in Houston earlier this month, I have decided to cancel my show at 713 Music Hall on Dec 3. Houston is still healing and it’s important that our community be given the appropriate time to grieve. My heart goes out to all the families that are suffering during this difficult time.”

Read the Houston Chronicle‘s full report here.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Native American Heritage Month ends today, November 30th. That means many Indigenous issues are going to be forgotten by mainstream media, schools, and fair-weather advocates. That’s why we’re talking about it now. Come December 1st, the harrowing difficulties facing Indian Country aren’t going away, but the spotlight is.

With all that in mind, I reached out to Emma Robbins, a Diné artist and Executive Director of the Navajo Water Project. Robbins works tirelessly to help bring water to one of the nation’s more water-depleted communities, the Navajo Nation — where 30 percent of the population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water or sanitation. That lack of water has led to dire living conditions which, in turn, have contributed to Indigenous people dying at twice the rate as white Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I know this and Robbins knows this because our families are living on Indian reservations, where these issues are inescapable. But these problems simply aren’t covered on a national stage very often. To help keep the conversation moving, I reached out to Robbins to chat about her work in Navajo Nation with getting water to people, the cultural impact of having running water, and how you can actually keep this stuff on your radar beyond 30 days in November.

Can you first tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into water conservation?

Definitely, so, I am Diné. I’m from the Navajo Nation. I am from the largest community, which is Tuba City, Arizona. My family — my cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles — are from Cameron, Arizona, which is a small community about 30 miles away. There isn’t water infrastructure there like there is where I grew up, and that was a big thing in terms of getting into water conservation and rights, and making sure that people had clean running water because I grew up seeing the big differences of how my family lived versus how I lived during the week.

How so?

On the weekends, we — my sisters and me — would spend time at my grandparents’ house in Cameron. There’s a lot of uranium contamination in the water there, and that made a lot of my family members, specifically my grandmother, sick. She eventually passed from the uranium in the groundwater and air.

And … that was something that really affected me because I didn’t want to see anybody else get sick from that … and I think you can’t be Native and not care about water or the earth because it’s just so much a part of our culture and who we are.

Absolutely. Let’s talk about the Navajo Water Project. Can you walk us through how it was founded and its purpose?

I’m the executive director of the Navajo Water Project with DigDeep. DigDeep is an organization that works with 2.2 million Americans, getting them access to safe drinking water and both hot and cold running water in their homes.

The Navajo Water Project is the largest project to date. We work across the entire Navajo Nation, which is a sovereign nation that occupies three states — so Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. We’re doing a variety of projects there, but the main point is that 30 percent of Diné living on the reservation don’t have access to clean running water in their homes.

That number always shocks me.

And as I mentioned, not only is there a lack of infrastructure and clean running water and sanitation because not having a bathroom is a huge issue, they’re also living very close to unsafe water sources. That means that those people might have to haul water from a too far away potable source.

So, we do a variety of projects. We install what are called hauled water systems in homes. These are off-grid systems that consist of an underground water tank that pumps the water into the houses. There’ll be one sink for this. This water comes from a route of delivery trucks that haul water from safe, potable sources. So, it’s really important that we find new water sources and help develop them across all three states.

We also worked with St. Michael’s Association for Special Education — a special needs school close to our capital of Window Rock. This is a school that has a very medically fragile population, and it’s something where they shouldn’t have to have this water and rely on bottled water. They had running water and the water was technically “safe,” but it wasn’t meeting secondary standards. That means the water was stinky, didn’t taste good, and was discolored. So, we helped replace their plumbing there, installed filters, and put new fixtures in and new water heaters powered by solar panels — all of which were the cause of the water issues that they were having.

Another facet of our work is helping people with bill pay, which is something we saw a rise in during COVID. In the beginning, when people weren’t able to work, they needed assistance paying simple bills. Then another element that came up due to COVID was in terms of water delivery. We stopped working inside of homes. So, that was a huge shift that we did during COVID. We delivered water to two 785 gallon storage tanks, which now were outside of the homes. We ended up installing about 1400 of those.

Wow.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we did emergency bottled water delivery while we sort of started figuring things out like how to make things more sustainable. What’s interesting is then that work took us into many new communities that we weren’t working in yet. That was really exciting for me because we got to work in Cameron again where my family’s from and where I’m technically from, and so that was a really big moment for me.

So now, what we’re doing is bringing families the 1200 gallon cisterns so that they can get running water from safe sources. We’re installing the entire systems that flow indoors, but it’s all outside, and there’s an outdoor spigot instead of an inside sink. Our plans are that when we move back into working inside of homes which will be in 2022, we’re going to take those spigots and convert them to indoor systems with a sink that has a water heater. Then, the next step is moving towards septic and sanitation so that people can get bathrooms as well.

What about maintenance because the Navajo Nation is in a very unforgiving climate? If somebody’s tank breaks down or their piping breaks down, what happens then?

That’s a super important question and something that we’re constantly thinking about when we’re doing planning ahead of time. I’ve seen this growing up on the reservation where people have really great intentions and there’s really great technology, but they’ll come in, install them, and then they leave. And that happens with a lot of things…

What we do is employ staff from the community and we are working in these communities for years. So we have people who call and say, “Hey, my system is freezing,” or “my pump stop working,” and so we’re able to send our people — who are amazing solar and water technicians — back to help families problem solve. Sometimes it requires a new part or sometimes it requires digging up the tank, there’s a variety of things.

When we do leave a community, which we still haven’t done yet, we want to make sure that we’re doing it correctly. So, we do train up community members who are working with our project partners on the ground. So, basically, there will be water and solar technicians there who will be doing what we were doing, but after we leave.

Where is the potable water actually coming from? What’s the process of getting that water onto trucks?

It’s a mix, depending on what part of the rez people are in. So in New Mexico, on the Eastern side of the reservation, we don’t just work in one small community, it’s basically a bunch of chapters.

Chapters?

Very briefly, our reservation is split up into what are called chapters. 110 chapters. Those are basically local government, but they’re also community centers, and oftentimes they’ll have a well, which has a watering point. But New Mexico, specifically, we get water from our project partner there, St. Bonaventure, who owns it, and so that’s on private land.

Whereas, in another chapter, we’ve developed a well working with the chapter’s local government. That’s something that we’ve identified and worked with engineers and consultants to make sure it’s safe when putting in that well.

Then in the other areas, we get water from the chapters’ watering points, or we’ll get water from the tribal utility authority, NTUA — Navajo Tribal Utility Authority — all of which are regulated and tested for safety.

And then during COVID, we did have to go off of the rez to areas like Winslow or Flagstaff to use their watering points because we didn’t want to have to travel very far with water because of fuel costs.

So looking at the importance of water, there is the very obvious importance in running waters necessary for sanitation, cooking, and everyday life, but how is water also important for the Navajo Nation in a cultural way?

I think there are probably two main parts that I can think of. You mentioned the cultural element. So, as you know, elders are the keeper of our language, our traditions, and our culture. So when we lose elders, we’re losing the libraries of that information, and our culture can potentially slowly die because those people are no longer around to teach us. So, one big thing is when an elder gets running water in their homes, they’re able to stay in their homes.

What we see is elders specifically need water to be healthy and to be safe. If they don’t have that, they might go to live with a family in a larger community or go to a nursing home where they’re no longer practicing the traditions or able to meet with people to share these things. And so, it’s important that we put running water into their homes so that they can stay and continue to do that.

Also when it comes to things like families who have sheep, or livestock, or who are growing their own food, and when they have to move to another community, they might not be able to maintain that lifestyle and their tradition. So, that is a really important element of making sure that people have water so that they can continue to live in their traditional ways.

Another element is mental help, right? If you constantly have to think about where your water is coming from or hauling that water, you’re putting in physical energy, money into gas, you need to have a truck, you need to make sure that you have tanks or clean receptacles to haul that water, you have to wait in line at different watering points. That’s a lot of mental stress. It’s something that’s on your mind constantly. Plus, you can only store so much water at a time. We’re in a desert and we’re at a high elevation. Those water receptacles could be exposed to the sun or there could be algae growth. So it’s something that you’re potentially thinking about 24/7.

And then related to that is if you’re going to school or work and you’re with other people who have had showers or who were able to take their medicine in the morning easily, or make a coffee, or feed their animals and give them water, it’s something that you feel very different … and there’s like this otherization there.

It’s really important that people get that water because I always think about this. Navajos, since the creation of the reservation, so for hundreds of years, we’ve had to be in this survival mode, and there hasn’t been an element of our lives where we all have been able to thrive. It’s constantly surviving and not thriving, and so if you have something like a basic need taken care of, you’re able to do things like spend that money somewhere else or rest, do arts, or participate in other events, or be with your family. So, those are two really important things to think about.

Absolutely! There are so many layers just to something as simple as water that most people take for granted. And part of that is the Navajo Nation is so vast and so rural, and in many cases disconnected from the outside world, what sort of long-term solutions are you looking at to make water more accessible while also keeping the character of the reservation and the culture intact?

The desert is a huge part of who we are and we don’t want to change everything, but I think what the future holds is making sure that people have that option. If they want to live near a water line, it shouldn’t be something that they have to wait years to be able to do. I mean, my grandparents waited decades to get running water in their home and it wasn’t until towards the end of my grandfather’s life that he was able to get that. He lived very traditionally. But it shouldn’t be something where people have to constantly fight for that option. I always think this is related back to treaties and broken treaties. I mean, every issue like this in Native nations can be traced back to a broken treaty.

So, I think the long-term is installing water lines so that people have running water throughout their entire home so that there’s no trucking involved, and so that people are able to just not worry about that. And I think that’s something that we’re still as the Navajo people are constantly thinking about. “How do we live in the 21st century and be modern?” Or, “How do we live and continue to be traditional?” Because a lot of people do equate not having water or electricity as continuing to live traditionally, but not everybody wants to live that way.

So, I think it’s about really pushing for infrastructure, working with the federal and tribal government to make sure that these things happen, and accountability — just making sure that we’re saying not only do these treaties need to be upheld for a trillion other reasons, but because we need things like water.

How can people support you and the Navajo Water Project and support people getting this water?

I think one of the main things is I always start out with learning more about the Diné because I think a lot of times, I used this word already, but there’s like this otherization and exotification like, “Oh, these poor Indians, they don’t have water.” You know?

Oh, for sure.

But there are a lot of movements going on apart from the Navajo Water Project and DigDeep. I mean, there are so many people who have been working on this problem and coming up with solutions forever. It’s not just like, “Oh, okay, we came in and nobody was doing anything before.” So, I think just learning about the Diné people and not continuing to practice this otherization, or just feeling sorry for people. So, I’d say learning a little bit about that and knowing why these problems exist in terms of helping us with the solutions, visiting our website, and following us on social media, and donating because, of course, that helps us with our projects.

I’d say that education is super important, and not only educating yourself but spreading that word to other people as well.

Right, and that’s what something like Giving Tuesday is about next week, it’s finding a chance to really dive into something like this.

Yeah, for sure, and it’s interesting because I think things like the Navajo Water Project because I think a lot of times people think, “Well, you can just give money and that’s the end of it.”

But we want to make sure that people are constantly thinking about this and remembering that there are so many people, who are probably nearby them with water issues. I mean, this isn’t an issue that only exists in one reservation far away. So thinking about ways to creatively educate people is always something good too past Giving Tuesday.

Yeah. And that leads to this month and how we started talking, in that it’s “Native American Heritage Month” right now. And we both see what happens after November: the posts stop coming up on social media, the news reports stop, the so-called coverage stops in schools. Our issues all go black and barely flicker in people’s again next November. What are some ways people can stay engaged the other eleven months that you have found to be very useful?

That’s a great question. I also run an Indigenous arts org. We’re called the Chapter House, based on our community centers of local government. And it’s something where I feel like we purposely don’t post stuff in November. Not because we’re, like, too good for it, but because our pitch in December is, “Hey, this is still continuing, let’s talk about that!”

I think one thing that people can do is Indigenizing their feed. Make sure you follow people who are posting about NDN Collective or the Chapter House or IllumiNatives or putting influencers, designers, or comedians on there. Then make sure that you follow them throughout the year. If it’s on your feed every day, you’re going to be reminded to continue to look at that. I mean, it seems silly, but who isn’t looking at their phone hours a day?

I know, right…

Also, follow what’s going on with our relatives, the Wet’suwet’en and Yintah Access Point for instance, and all of these movements that are in Canada. If you’re following one of those accounts I mentioned, they’re going to be constantly up to date with Indigenous events elsewhere.

I’d also say no matter where you are in the world, but, specifically, if you’re in this part of the so-called “Americas,” research whose land you’re on. Native-land.ca is a great tool for finding that out. Constantly looking at that when you move throughout any space is something to really think about. Once you learn who’s land you’re on, research the treaties that are in that area because these aren’t like relics of the past, they’re living documents.

And I’d say also just making a point to set aside some time to look at it because it is an actual huge issue for anyone who’s occupying this country. It’s something where you should constantly learn about it, not just in November.

You can support the Navajo Water Project here.

Dig Deep is also matching Giving Tuesday donations to the Navajo Water Project here.

Jason Alexander‘s portrayal of George Costanza on the hit TV series, Seinfeld, is easily one of the top sitcom characters of all time. From the “Summer of George” to “It’s gold, Jerry!” the actor turned in an iconic performance full of countless memorable lines over nine seasons. However, as the legend goes, the role of George almost went to some very famous actors, and Alexander recently revealed how he managed to land the part despite some stiff competition.

While talking to Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Alexander opened up about the audition process, and how he somehow ended up in the room. Apparently, his work in Pretty Women put him on Rob Reiner’s radar, which scored him a reading for George as creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were having trouble casting the role. According to Alexander, Danny DeVito and Chris Rock were two big names in the mix, and even more surprisingly, Seinfeld and David aggressively pursued The Late Show band leader Paul Shaffer, who turned down the role.

With those names out of the way, Alexander went into the audition with a full-on, all-New York attitude-laden Woody Allen impression that he openly admits was not great. A few weeks later, David called and said they wanted him to read for the network and do everything he did in the audition except the Woody Allen impression. However, when Alexander got to the network read, he noticed that Seinfeld’s best friend and fellow comedian Larry Miller was there. Figuring that there’s no way he’s getting the part, Alexander said he did the whole reading “loosey goosey” and just assumed he was out of the running. Obviously, not.

Seinfeld, David, and the network liked what they saw, and to this day, Alexander still can’t walk down the street without people calling him “George.”

(Via Inside of You)