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Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Wesley Snipes stands out in a supporting role, supplying gravitas, charm, and/or energy, causing people to remember that this dude is one of the true movie stars of the last 30 years with a run of classics across comedy, action, and drama that’s hard to best. That’s been the narrative surrounding Snipes’ performances in Dolemite Is My Name and Coming 2 America, and so it shall be in True Story, a tense slow-burn tale about family, fame, lies, and what we’re capable of when we feel like someone is trying to take everything from us.

In the seven-episode Netflix series from former Narcos showrunner Eric Newman, Wesley Snipes plays Carlton, a prideful drain on his famous comedian brother’s bank account and an impediment to him getting some distance from his bad habits. Kevin Hart is the star of the show as The Kid, and he’s never been better as his character is pushed deeper and deeper in a hole with the aid of Carlton. But Hart feeds off of Snipes’ layered and wildly compelling portrait of a conman trying to work the angles no matter the heaving danger in front of him or the evidence against him, navigating these moments with a mix of bluster, charm, and pitty.

We spoke with Snipes and Newman about building this character, how Snipes set the tone and Hart had something to prove, comeback kid labels, how True Story definitely isn’t Curb Your Enthusiasm, and more.

How did this story come to be?

Eric Newman: Kevin [Hart] called me sometime during, I think, the fifth season of Narcos. Kevin called me out of the blue, and he said he wanted to kill someone. He said he wanted to do something dark and different and get his hands dirty. And I thought about it a bit and came up with a version of it that worked for me. I kept coming back to this character of his brother, the betrayer. In all great stories and perhaps in even not great stories, each person is a victim or hero in their own story. And in Kid’s brother Carlton, we needed a little bit of both. And for this whole exercise to work, that part became essential.

I remember having a conversation. I’ve been a fan of Wesley’s forever. And I tried to put him into Narcos at one point. We met, and that didn’t work out. But I said to Kevin, “The guy that should be your brother is Wesley.” And we got on the phone with Wesley, and he either thought we were insane or that we were going to fail spectacularly. And he wanted a front-row seat to that. Or perhaps more likely, he saw that we were serious, and he joined us. And I think he tied the whole thing together.

Wesley, is that your memory of it? Were you just trying to get a front-row seat?

Wesley Snipes: That’s not the memory I have of it at all! [Laughs] Actually, I thought it was going to be like Curb Your Enthusiasm. And if you remember, Eric, I said that on our first Zoom meeting, and the whole conference call went silent. Everybody went quiet. Not Curb Your Enthusiasm. I don’t know. Like some other comedy? They were like, “No, no, this is serious. Very serious.”

Maybe on the next season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, they make a hard turn. Larry kills somebody. You never know.

Snipes: I gotta get Eric a commission off of that.

Wesley, did I hear a little Charlie Murphy in the voice that you use for Carlton? Is that just me?

Snipes: Very good! Very good. I did draw a little bit from Charlie Murphy. And me and Charlie knew each other. Rest in peace, my brother. Oh, man. Yeah. We knew each other very well. We used to go to the same places to get our hair trimmed, our lines and stuff. And I always thought Charlie’s way of talking was very unique. You know? Trying to look at how the Philly guys talk and what that tone is like and how they use their fingers and then use their hands and talk with their hands and all of this kind of stuff. I said, “Okay, let me try to bring a little bit of this into it, to give it some authenticity.” My training is to go and find those pieces of personality that people recognize or are familiar with and try to make it organic and authentic. And yeah, I looked at a lot of tapes and listened to a lot of Roots music. You know who The Roots are?

Yes, I do.

Neo-soul, and how these cats talk and try to bring some of that to it.

This is really a different look for Kevin Hart in a lot of ways. Did he just completely blow away your expectations?

Snipes: Definitely. He did more than I expected. He was much more committed than I anticipated. And he recognized that to be someone else and to create a narrative that’s not you, you got to go in deep, you got to be focused. You got to be emotionally committed to it. And he went there. Yeah. I was most pleased with it. But for me, the best thing is the process. While we’re doing it, I’m enjoying it… I’m like a pig in slop, baby. I am enjoying myself. You know what I’m saying? The magic that emerges from one of those moments where the fire is really there and it really connects, I get off on that. I love it.

Eric, same question to you about Kevin’s performance.

Newman: I credit Kevin’s determination and ambition, but I think Wesley raised the bar for everybody. You don’t show up to set if you’re in a scene with Wesley Snipes where you are not prepared, and you’re not willing to rise to the challenge. And I think it set a great bar. To be honest, some of the most complicated stuff we did in the first five days of shooting, Kevin and Wesley together, Kevin’s big scene with Billy Zane, all of these scenes were… You try to set a tone. And the hope is you have a schedule that allows you to kind of get into it a bit and everyone to get comfortable. We didn’t have that, but we had Wesley. And when Wesley walked on set, you felt it, you felt it for the whole crew. I have so much respect for what actors do. Great actors. And so, we didn’t cast this show because of the way anyone looked, though, they all look great. It was, who’s the best person for this part who understands the part, and who can deliver? And truthfully, and Kevin will admit this, Kevin was the one that had to grow into this. Kevin was the one with something to prove. And I think that this cast came through for him, and he came through for it. And as I said, and Wesley knows this, because I’ve said it to him a million times, I’m so grateful to have Wesley in this show. And part of me still can’t believe that I have Wesley in this show.

Wesley, I can see the future and see what the reviews are going to be. And it’s kind of along what Eric was saying. So often in your most recent projects you stand out and everyone calls it a comeback. You’ve been doing this for a long time, and you’ve been amazing for a long time. How do you take that praise?

Snipes: Yeah. I take it with a grain of salt, you know? For us, it’s about learning to master the craft, similar to a martial artist or a boxer, an athlete, learning to really be a master of the craft and being able to demonstrate your proficiency in any circumstances, regardless of what it is. The show must go on. So, COVID protocols, no COVID protocols, 12 weeks, 30 weeks to film? The goal is to be ready for all of it and still push the envelope of your talent and your skills and make it believable and hopefully entertaining it at the same time.

Last question, and it’s a silly one, but it’s on my mind. Demolition Man era, the hair. When you see Dennis Rodman with the same hair back in the ’90s, does that make you feel good? Or are you like, “This man’s ripping off my look?”

Snipes: [in mock anger] Hell no, I’m mad! You owe me money! All of them cats, man. Black guy with blonde hair. [Laughs]

Should have trademarked it. Should’ve trademarked that and that three seashells thing.

Yeah. Next time. Next time. I got new hairdos I’m coming up with, so I’ll get another shot at it.

‘True Story’ will be available to stream on Netflix starting November 24

Hawkeye (for the holidays) premiered two episodes on this pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday, and the show’s surprisingly (to me) engaging. Hailee Steinfeld rocks her Kate Bishop role while wearing a suit and roasting Clint Barton for needing a good rebranding. For his part, Hawkeye only wants to go home and retire again, so he is overall miserable, but he should be able to pass the bow and arrow on soon. And not only will his successor be worthy, but she’ll also enjoy what she’s doing.

Yep, Kate grew up in the shadow of the Avengers’ global introduction during the Attack on New York, and fans are (of course) looking forward to seeing Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova come for Hawkeye after Valentina blamed him for Natasha’s death. However, the premiere episodes revealed a few other new MCU characters, and one of them could capture the hardest of hearts. That would be Lucky, a.k.a. “Pizza Dog.” He is one of the goodest of boys, and because of that, he got his own poster.

Lucky, of course, took a fancy to Kate, and he’s got quite an action-packed history in the comics. Dating back to 2012, the comics painted him as a dog (previously named Arrow) owned by a Tracksuit Gang member. He lost an eye while saving Hawkeye’s butt, and Clint changed his name to Lucky. And as Marvel has previously demonstrated with Goose from Captain Marvel, Alligator Loki (from Loki, obv), and Morris from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Kevin Feige sure knows how to do mascots well.

Everyone is ready to throw down for Lucky’s continued safety, too.

Another little gut punch happened along the way: the “Thanos was right” message scrawled as bathroom graffiti.

And then there was the villainous reveal at the end, which will undoubtedly see followup in the coming weeks. Echo will get her own Disney+ MCU show, but in the meantime, she’s coming for Hawkeye. She’s the orphaned daughter of Kingpin/William Fisk and a previous adversary of Daredevil/Matt Murdock. The decision to introduce her as the head of the Tracksuit Gang (before she later switches sides and becomes heroic) is a telling one, so watch out for next week, Hawkeye and Kate.

And where is Yelena? We’re waiting for her, too.

Hawkeye debuts new episodes on Wednesdays.

The Recording Academy unveiled the full list of nominees for the 2022 Grammys yesterday, and naturally, people were displeased with how some areas of the list went. Some were upset, for example, when they noticed that Marilyn Manson, who is currently facing multiple sexual assault and emotional abuse lawsuits, earned an Album Of The Year nomination thanks to his work on Ye’s Donda.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. was asked specifically about Manson’s nomination by TheWrap and he responded:

“We won’t restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration. We won’t look back at people’s history, we won’t look at their criminal record, we won’t look at anything other than the legality within our rules of, is this recording for this work eligible based on date and other criteria. If it is, they can submit for consideration.

What we will control is our stages, our shows, our events, our red carpets. We’ll take a look at anyone who is asking to be a part of that, asking to be in attendance, and we’ll make our decisions at that point. But we’re not going to be in the business of restricting people from submitting their work for our voters to decide on.”

At the previous Grammys, the rules for Album Of The Year stated that the “award credited artists, features artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, engineers with 33 percent playing time of the album.” For the 2022 Grammys, though, the “33 percent” part of the rule has been removed, which means Manson is included as part of Donda‘s nomination.

Find the full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.

How To With John Wilson hit with a lingering blow when it dropped in October of 2020, right before the winter COVID surge and a time of crushed holiday plans that deepened the despair and disconnection felt by millions who had sheltered in place and socially distanced in the months prior. For me, personally, it was a reminder of the joys of people watching and the charming weirdness so many of us put out into the world in our daily actions. But as season 2 nears its launch, the world is a bit different. How will that impact our collective reaction to the show? That remains to be seen, but there is no shortage of endearing, relatable, fascinating, and odd threads spun into the quilt of this new season.

In the following conversation with Wilson that touches on the vibe and composition of these new six episodes (which launch on Friday at 10PM on HBO), getting more personal about his own life in the show (with a couple of, “wait, what?” moments that we won’t spoil), and the response from some of the first season’s standouts (foreskin guy!), he matter of factly reconfirms the truth about the show: “this is the world we live in.” So true, so simple. What we take from it says a lot about us and where we are, which isn’t something Wilson can control. He’s just out there reminding us of how fascinating people can be when we actually look at them. Especially through his lens.

Last year, I wrote about how the show made me believe in humanity again. Praise like that… I know the show got such a great reception and so much praise. How does that kind of get into the gears of your creative process?

I really try not to let it get to my head and my day-to-day, honestly, hasn’t really changed that much. I am still just in my apartment. Like if I’m filming sausages in a frying pan, that usually doesn’t change. But I don’t know. I mean people that I talk to in season two; some of them have definitely seen season one. And it actually helped a lot of the time, because there’s almost like this proof of concept now and they understand what the tone is in a way that they didn’t in season one. Like in season one, I think some people were kind of suspicious sometimes because they were only familiar with the kind of Sascha Baron Cohen [style], you know? And even though Nathan [Felder, show producer] is a genius and involved, his show is tonally different than mine, so it’s like when they look that up, they just don’t really understand how they’re going to be treated. Yeah, [that familiarity] opened more doors this season than I ever thought it would.

Is there any concern about that ever flipping over the other way, where people start to be a little bit more performative and start trying to lean into the pieces, jeopardizing the authenticity? Like Real World back in the day, where you saw it change eventually to where people realized it was a chance to get famous.

That’s the producer’s fault that they chose people that performed. I’m extremely sensitive to stuff like that and I don’t like to feature people that are at all performing. I know what that looks like and it just takes the life out of it for me. There are way more real people in the world than there are performers and I… so I don’t think there’ll ever be a shortage of that. Is there anyone in season two… stuff you’ve seen from season two, that you feel like would fit that bill?

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the energy drink guy and what that was about.

[Laughs] Well, okay, that’s a good example, right? So it’s like he is just naturally an exhibitionist. I think a lot of people are in the show. Whether it’s the foreskin guy [from last season] or whoever. And that’s like a point of entry for that person and you… like of course he’s trying to sell his energy drink.

Oh yeah, I mean he basically treats the episode like it’s an episode of MTV Cribs.

Yeah. But also at the same time, it is within this larger framework that kind of tells a much larger story, that is not just about his drink. And that’s the kind of performance that I’m okay with. Just because… I understand that he is trying to use this as a commercial, while I’m personally looking for something much deeper there. And the relationship is what’s interesting about a scene like that.

Did you hear from anyone from season one with any negative feelings from their portrayals?

Not really. I was worried about one or two people, but like the circumcision guy loves it. He is promoting the show constantly. The Mandela Effect people love it, like the international Mandela Effect community; they’re constantly tweeting about the show and how to find it. It’s like the circumcision guy; he sends me photos of people watching the show on planes, you know? He’s really proud of it and that’s the thing, it’s like… context aside, everyone that I feature, I like to keep their messaging intact. No pun intended. [Laughs]

So if you wanted to lift a segment out of it, that is like a true platform for whoever is featured.

Going back to what I was saying at the start, with how much the show connected with people at a very specific time, is there pressure on you going into season two, to have that same connection when things are a bit different?

That’s just the default, you know? I really don’t feel as much pressure to have the same kind of imagery, because that’s just all the show is. And here’s more imagery like that, there’s more interesting imagery now than there was when we shot the first season. It made it so much easier. I mean we shot the first season mostly during the winter of 2019. And this season, we shot all during the summer, which was such a dream; everybody’s out, and a lot of it was in that sweet spot. Like when the vaccine was administered and before Delta, it was like when people had this kind of weird confidence to kind of bloom in the streets. I don’t know. I mean there’s always pressure because you’re not sure how much lightning in a bottle you’re really going to be able to capture. But if you just spend enough time and have enough people working, doing the thing that you need to do, it just yields so much amazing stuff. And that’s just like part of the experiment.

That space between winter ’19 when you filmed season one [including the finale, which focused on the early days of the pandemic in 2020] and summer ’21 when you filmed this season… There isn’t a lot of COVID in this season. Was there a choice made to not really show some of the heavier moments? I assume you documented all of that in-between time. Is that going to live someplace?

Yeah, I mean I have like an overwhelming amount of material from the empty streets kind of phase of the pandemic. You may not notice it, but a lot of it is in episodes one through five. But like a lot of times when I’m filming someone on the street, it’s just like an isolated person, so it doesn’t have the kind of panoramic effect that the season one finale did. I wanted to just have this be almost like a relief for the audience to not have to stare directly in the face… You say that it doesn’t have as much of the pandemic in it…
That specific period of the pandemic doesn’t seem like it’s the key focus. Not that season one was dripping with it. It’s not a disappointment. I understand what you’re saying and I honestly feel everyone’s doing this. No one is wanting to go back and focus on stories showing that. I think I had an expectation when I turned it on, based on our conversation last year, because I know you had footage.

Like indirectly, it’s like if the pandemic didn’t happen, I don’t think my landlord would have moved to Las Vegas, you know? I think that was like a direct kind of cause or something that you can definitely point at that happened because of the pandemic, but I just didn’t want to like, acknowledge it in that way, you know?

It would also date it quite a bit, wouldn’t it?

Exactly. Like even when I watch the finale from the first season now; I watched it again recently and I started to cringe at points, being like this almost feels too dated to me, now. Like I almost wish I even talked about what was happening, less. I don’t know. But I never want to George Lucas my shit, you know? [Laughs]

Correct me if I’m wrong on this but is the show a little bit more of a personal story this season?

Yeah, totally. It’s like when you make a new friend. You begin to learn just a little about them at first, and then like after a few months, they might start to tell you all these stories that they wouldn’t tell an acquaintance. I wanted to get people comfortable and familiar with the format and just me as like a narrator who has a personal history that I dip in and out of. And the fact that people responded positively to that, I felt comfortable kind of putting all this other stuff in that I really wanted to put in the first season. So it feels very much like the evolution that I created and I can finally put all of this stuff from my personal history that I think that people would maybe care a bit more about now.

Season 2 of ‘How To With John Wilson’ premieres on Friday November 26 on HBO at 10PM ET

Anyone who has ever watched The Wire (and, side note: if you haven’t, you should) knows that you only use a burner phone when you’re up to some no-good shenanigans and want to eliminate any possible trail of your shady-ass activities linking back to you. While the folks who stormed the Capitol on January 6th didn’t seem to be nearly as organized as the Barksdale Organization, it appears they took a hint from Stringer Bell when they planned out how the organizers of the day’s events would communicate with White House higher-ups.

According to a new report in Rolling Stone, which was confirmed by three different sources who worked with the March for Trump group, say that the group’s leader had three burner phones purchases—one of which she kept for herself—to speak with White House staffers and members of Trump’s inner circle (including family members) while planning for the events of January 6th.

As Hunter Walker writes for Rolling Stone:

Kylie Kremer, a top official in the “March for Trump” group that helped plan the Ellipse rally, directed an aide to pick up three burner phones days before Jan. 6, according to three sources who were involved in the event. One of the sources, a member of the “March for Trump” team, says Kremer insisted the phones be purchased using cash and described this as being “of the utmost importance.”

The three sources said Kylie Kremer took one of the phones and used it to communicate with top White House and Trump campaign officials, including Eric Trump, the president’s second-oldest son, who leads the family’s real-estate business; Lara Trump, Eric’s wife and a former senior Trump campaign consultant; Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff; and Katrina Pierson, a Trump surrogate and campaign consultant.

While Kylie had one of the phones and her mother/fellow organizer, Amy Kremer, kept another, it is not yet known who received the third phone.

A March for Trump team member, whose claims were confirmed by two others, said that Kylie “said she needed burner phones in order to communicate with high-level people” and that “any conversation she had with the White House or Trump family took place on those phones.” No one on Team Trump—including Trump himself, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, or his family members—responded to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.

Rolling Stone was able to review some of the Kremers’ group messages and other communications, and did not find evidence of planning for any sort of violence, though Walker writes that:

There could still be some evidence of direct communications between Kylie Kremer and the White House in more traditional phone records. The team member says that there were rare exceptions in which Kylie Kremer used her regular phone to communicate with Trump officials. “She talked with Mark Meadows on her personal phone once, but mainly on the burner phone,” the team member says.

But the conversations on those phones were not just limited to the MAGA riots of January 6th. One source recalled that around December 2020, just as the “March for Trump” tour began its journey in Las Vegas, the group stayed at the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, which is co-owned and managed by Trump’s former real estate company. When the group asked to park their bus—which was decked out with ginormous pictures of the then-president and divisive messaging about the 2020 presidential election results—in front of the property, hotel management said no… unless they could get a Trump family member to approve it. Photos from that event show the bus parked front and center, with the Rolling Stone source noting that “Amy and Kylie got Eric and Lara on the phone right away.”

(Via Rolling Stone)

For someone who Tucker Carlson says is “not particularly political,” Kyle Rittenhouse sure does seem to have a type. It has been just five days since the 18-year-old was acquitted of all charges after fatally shooting two men, and wounding another, with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August of 2020. And already he has managed to sit down with Carlson for an exclusive—and lengthy—one-on-one with the Fox News host, then apparently made his way to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, where he caught up with a certain former president who has yet to concede the 2020 election.

According to Politico, Donald Trump held a press conference (really?) on Tuesday during which he shared the news that Rittenhouse had just left Mar-a-Lago. Exactly how did that meeting come to be? Flattery.

“He called,” Trump told Sean Hannity during an hour-long interview that aired on Tuesday. “He wanted to know if he could come over, say hello, because he was a fan.”

“He came over with his mother. Really a nice young man,” Trump—echoing Carlson’s description of Rittenhouse as a “sweet kid”—continued. “What he went through… that was prosecutorial misconduct,” Trump said, according to Politico. “He should not have had to suffer through a trial for that. He was going to be dead. If he didn’t pull that trigger, that guy that put the gun to his head, in one quarter of a second, he was going to pull the trigger—Kyle would’ve been dead.”

Trump, of course, was nowhere near the scene of the incident.

Donald Trump Jr. shared a picture of his pops with the freshly acquitted teen, which he cringingly captioned “GOATs.”

Though Rittenhouse himself has stressed that “No matter what your opinion is or where you stand, this wasn’t a political case,” the teen seems to be embracing the hero status he has gained amongst some of the GOP’s most controversial members; Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Madison Cawthorn, and Lauren Boebert are among the loose cannons currently engaged in a friendly battle to prove who loves Rittenhouse the most. While Paul Gosar has challenged Matt Gaetz to an arm-wrestling match to decide who’ll get to offer Rittenhouse an internship first, Lauren Boebert went one step further (as she often does) by suggesting that she and Madison Cawthorn, who uses a wheelchair, have a foot race to determine who gets the kid.

Then there’s kooky Marjorie Taylor Greene, who praised Rittenhouse as “one of the good ones.”

Meanwhile, as Reuters reported, the family of Anthony Huber, one of Rittenhouse’s victims, issued a statement noting that the not guilty verdict “means there is no accountability for the person who murdered our son. It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street. We hope that decent people will join us in forcefully rejecting that message and demanding more of our laws, our officials, and our justice system.”

(Via Politico)

Although it’s been a few years since since Rihanna dropped a new single, don’t forget that she’s one of the biggest artists ever in terms of chart performance. Billboard has actually confirmed that: On their new Greatest Of All-Time Hot 100 Artists chart, Rihanna finds herself in the top 10.

The list is as follows:

1. The Beatles
2. Madonna
3. Elton John
4. Elvis Presley
5. Mariah Carey
6. Stevie Wonder
7. Janet Jackson
8. Michael Jackson
9. Whitney Houston
10. Rihanna

Of those, Rihanna is the only artist whose first single — 2005’s “Pon De Replay” — was released in the 2000s. Billboard notes that Drake was really close to also making the top 10, as he ranks No. 11 (compared to No. 22 on the 2018 chart). Also making the top 100 list are Taylor Swift (No. 21), Maroon 5 (24), Bruno Mars (29), and Justin Bieber (38). Additionally, a handful of artists who made their Hot 100 debut in the 2010s are also appearing on the chart for the first time: The Weeknd (No. 43), Post Malone (77), Ariana Grande (78), and Ed Sheeran (87).

As for how this chart was put together, Billboard notes, “Billboard‘s Greatest Of All-Time Hot 100 Songs and Artists rankings are based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 (from its inception on Aug. 4, 1958, through Nov. 6, 2021). Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods. Artists are ranked based on a formula blending performance, as outlined above, of all their Hot 100 chart entries.”

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

Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two men and severely wounded another in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020, was found not guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and four other felony charges last week — and he already has multiple job offers. Matt Gaetz wants to make him a congressional intern; Paul Gosar (the same Paul Gosar who shared a video where he’s depicted as murdering Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) tweeted that he would “arm wrestle” the Florida congressman “to get dibs for Kyle as an intern”; and Madison Cawthorn also offered him an internship following the not guilty verdict.

Not so fast, says rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert.

Speaking with Seb Gorka on Tuesday night, Boebert mentioned that Cawthorn has seemingly called dibs on any Rittenhouse congressional internship, however fantastical the notion may be. The congresswoman then suggested that she and Cawthorn, who is partially paralyzed and uses a wheelchair after a car accident in 2014, settle the matter by sprinting against one another.

“Now, I do have some colleagues on the Hill who have, just like me, offered Kyle Rittenhouse an internship in their office and Madison Cawthorn, he said that he would arm wrestle me for this Kyle Rittenhouse internship,” she said. “But Madison Cawthorn has some pretty big guns, and so I would like to challenge him to a sprint instead. Let’s make this fair.” Boebert thought her offer was hilarious; others disagreed.

(Via Mediaite)

GOAT, grail, brick, deadstock, size run, OG, retro, aftermarket, these are all words you’ve probably heard from that sneakerhead in your family or friend circle. Phrases and terms that you’ve probably pretended to know as you politely nod while they talk your ear off about the latest “must cop drop.” As someone who spends every week writing about and looking at sneakers, I get it — keeping up with the world of hype beasts can be exhausting. But if you’ll take a look at the calendar you’ll notice we’re rapidly approaching the holiday season and I’m willing to bet now you’re wishing you paid a little more attention to the wants of the sneakerhead in your life.

Luckily, we’ve got your back! Sneakerheads are a highly picky bunch, while it may seem like shoe culture is all the same to the outside eye, the wants and needs of the average sneakerhead are full of nuance. Is your sneakerhead about checks or stripes? Did you just gift PUMAs to a staunch Jordan head? Do you even know what we’re talking about?

Using this well-curated shopping guide for sneakerheads will help to ensure that your gift doesn’t fall flat this holiday season. Let’s dive in!

Deadstock Los Angeles Shoe Cleaner Kit

Price: $18.99

Yes, buying a sneaker cleaner kit almost seems too obvious, but the simple fact is, every sneakerhead needs one of these. Even if you’re dealing with a person who likes to rock their shoes a little worn and grungy, they likely have one pair they’ve reserved for any occasions when they need to look squeaky clean. Help them make their lives easier by picking up this sneaker cleaner kit from Deadstock Los Angeles.

This kit features an eight-ounce bottle of cleaning solution, which will work on canvas, cloth, mesh, knit, and other common sneaker materials, a bristled cleaning brush, and a cloth to wipe it all down. It’s not the most exciting gift, but the sneakerhead in your life will appreciate it.

Buy Here

Jason Markk Repel Spray

Price: $17

We’re in the winter months, which means temperatures are dipping, rains are coming, roads and walkways are getting wet, and that’s a bit problem for almost any pair of sneakers. A sneaker cleaning kit will definitely help to keep sneakers looking as good as new but if you want to prolong the lifespan of every pair, you’re going to need a repel spray, like this one made by Jason Markk.

Repel spray creates a liquid and stain repelling barrier that surrounds the sneaker and keeps them safe from superficial stains. Whether you’re dealing with suede, nubuck, leather, nylon, or canvas, repel spray will keep sneakers fresh without altering the look or feel of the original material.

Buy Here

Gift Cards

Price: Varies

The next time you find yourself in a mall you might think it would be a good idea to grab a gift card from Foot Locker or Finish Line while you’re out shopping for everything else. That’s a rookie move. These days with the massive popularity of sneakers and the realities of shopping during a pandemic, the best sneakers are generally sold direct to consumers, so you’re better off grabbing a gift card that can be used at the Nike or Adidas online store than you are a gift card to a generic sneaker retailer.

Don’t know if the sneakerhead in your life is a Nike or Adidas person? Buy a generic cash-loaded gift card that they can use anywhere they want. Buying sneakers can be expensive, so help fatten wallets by taking care of some of the cost for them.

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Socks

Price: Varies

For every other person aside from sneakerheads, socks are a joke gift. It’s what you get from the in-law who doesn’t know you, a gift for a person whose shopping list consists of only names, no actual gifts. But sneakerheads can never have too many socks.

Buying socks for the sneakerhead in your life will take a bit of easy investigation. Take notice of what they wear, if you never see their socks, buy no-shoe ankle socks, if they wear their socks high and coordinate the colors with their outfit, get them colorful high socks. It’s simple!

As for where you should get your socks, you’ll be happy to know there isn’t a single place sneakerheads flock to. Socks are socks, so just make sure they are soft and 100% cotton and you’re golden. Personally, I like UNIQLO since it’s a store that already caters to the streetwear-wearing crowd.

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Shoe Surgeon Academy Creators’ Paint Kit

Price: $100

This won’t appeal to every single sneakerhead, but the sneaker customization scene is growing day by day. It’s never been cooler to add your own personal touch to your footwear but that’s easier said than done. You can’t just pick up any marker and expect it to stand up to everyday wear and the elements. So buy a proper painting kit to help lengthen the life span of the creative sneakerhead in your life’s greatest creations.

The Shoe Surgeon Academy Creators’ Paint Kit features a set of 15 oil-based markers, a custom creator’s stencil, collectible pins, and a t-shirt that reads “never stop creating.” The stencil can be used with markers, spray paint, and airbrushes, and can be used on a variety of different materials.

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Shoe Surgeon Academy Shoemaking Toolkit

Price: $200

This is an even more advanced version of our previous entry and is more geared toward the aspiring sneaker designer in your life. Everyone needs to get their start somewhere, and if you have a sneakerhead in your life who has big dreams of being the next Kanye West or Virgil Abloh, they’ll massively appreciate this tool kit which covers everything they’ll need to deconstruct and reconstruct sneakers.

The full it includes a hammer, safety beveler, scratch awl, bone folder, thread snipper, seam ripper, marking compass, hook awl, leather scissors, lasting pincers, measuring tape, silver marking pen, and two heat erasable fabric pens.

A lot of those terms probably read like gibberish to you, but if you’re working on the bones of a sneaker, they make sense. We promise.

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Nike Air Force 1

Price: $90

I can’t think of a single sneaker more universally loved than the Nike Air Force 1, which you can generally find for just under $100 dollars. Given the popularity of this sneaker that price is an absolute steal.

Universally loved by both men and women, every sneakerhead has owned a pair of Air Force 1s in their life. If they don’t currently have one in rotation, it’s probably because they don’t want to drop the money on yet another pair. It’s not the kind of gift that’s going to make the sneakerhead in your life break down into tears of happiness, but it’s definitely a sneaker they’re going to love and get a lot of use out of.

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A Ma Maniére Air Jordan 3 Retro

Price: Varies Based On Size

Sneaker culture is no longer completely dominated by men. Don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying women aren’t into sneakers, they’ve always been, but now brands are finally listening and curtailing releases that better represent and speak to the woman who loves and lives for sneakers.

There isn’t a single better women’s exclusive sneaker that dropped this year than the A Ma Maniére Jordan 3. It’s a beautiful sneaker with a crisp white leather upper with grey suede paneling and accents and was such a sought-after release this year that men are still crying that it was a women’s only release.

Blow her mind by picking up a pair of Jordan 3 A Ma Maniére from the aftermarket where prices are hovering between $300 and $500 depending on size.

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Salehe Bembury New Balance 574 Yurt Team Forest Green

Price: Varies Based On Size

Maybe the sneakerhead in your life isn’t about Nike or Adidas, and that’s perfectly fine and it probably means they rock New Balances. Maybe they’re into PUMAs, but I know one person who likes PUMAs, and it’s my boss. No one else. There is no designer currently designing New Balance sneakers that is more respected than Salehe Bembury, who dropped this hiking-inspired sneaker a couple of months back.

The 574 Yurt is made with trails in mind so if you have a sneakerhead that also spends a lot of time in nature, this is an easy way to merge their two favorite interests into one.

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Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 V2

Price: Varies Based On Size

The most popular Yeezy silhouette (think of a sneaker silhouette like you would the model of a car) is still the Yeezy BOOST 350 V2, but unlike previous years, they’re now easier to find than ever. That doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to cruise into an Adidas store and pick them up off the shelf, but it does mean when you hit the aftermarket (where you buy authenticated resold shoes from individual sellers) you won’t have to pay too high above the shoe’s list price.

This year’s Light Bone colorway of the Yeezy 350 V2 is a dope sneaker and right now it’s selling for just over list price on aftermarket sites like StockX. That’s not exactly a steal, but it’s not going to break the bank either.

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Air Jordan 4 Retro University Blue

Price: Varies Based On Size

With prices hovering between $350 and $400 on the aftermarket, this is a big purchase, but if you’re buying it for the right person it’s the kind of gift that is going to make their holiday. The one that is going to illicit the biggest freakout. Not only is the Jordan 4 one of the best and most popular sneaker silhouettes of all time, this year’s University Blue color is one of the best released all year.

There is a high chance if you’re buying this for a sneakerhead that doesn’t already own it, they probably tried in vain to score a pair only to have their heart’s broken. Mend a heart, buy the University Blue AJ-4.

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There’s not a lot of love lost between Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Clippers after back-to-back postseason matchups. The Clippers have beaten the Dallas Mavericks in both series, but each time, Doncic has given them all that they can handle. The two teams squared off again on Tuesday evening at the Staples Center, and it didn’t take long for Doncic to run into some trouble with the officials.

Doncic backed down Clippers guard Terance Mann, got into the paint, and made a little baby hook for a pretty easy bucket. Right after he scored, Doncic let Mann know he was “too f*cking small” to check him, which led to the Mavericks’ All-Star getting hit with a technical foul.

The pair got face-to-face and exchanged some pleasantries after the call. While few NBA players will ever straight up say they deserved to get hit with a tech, Doncic did look to be a little confused about why he got hit with a T on this one. Anyway, this happened in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game, and we have a hunch that it won’t be the last time this season that a game between the Mavs and the Clippers features Doncic getting into it with someone on L.A.