Even before winning the 2019 WNBA MVP award and her first championship that year, Elena Delle Donne has had just about as bad a run of health problems as an athlete can have, one that was extended this week when Washington Mystics head coach Mike Thibault said he was unsure of her status for the rest of the year due to complications from two back surgeries last year.
During her MVP run on a revolutionary spread-out Mystics squad, Delle Donne made good on the promise she had long flashed, and it seemed a dynasty might be in the works centered on the preternatural scoring ability Delle Donne has at her size. Washington won the 2019 title and then traded for future Hall of Famer Tina Charles the following offseason.
Of course, the WNBA season went sideways in 2020, but Delle Donne’s luck was particularly bad. She initially requested out of the Bubble due to COVID concerns after a Lyme disease diagnosis that she has said forces her to take 20-plus pills on a daily basis, but the request was denied by the league’s medical panel. Later, the team was able to get a medical exemption by way of Delle Donne’s back injury, meaning she had two health scares bad enough to opt out of an entire season.
Those back injuries intensified in the months following, prompting two surgeries to repair multiple broken discs. Delle Donne’s recovery was expected to be complete in time for opening day of the 2021 season, but instead, her debut did not come until last month, when the WNBA returned from its Olympic break (Delle Donne was not on Team USA in Tokyo, either).
After a nearly two-year wait, Delle Donne looked like her usual self as a scorer but was pulled from an Aug. 26 game and has not played since. The return lasted just three games. Now, Thibault has said Delle Donne is not even practicing with the team and described her physical progression as “not great improvement.”
The fallout of Delle Donne’s ongoing misfortune and consequences of her increasingly brittle body are that one of the greatest basketball players ever may miss chunks of three out of four playoffs and effectively two straight full seasons.
For the last year Apple and Epic Games have been embroiled a lawsuit in relation to the Fortnite app and purchases within it. The short version is that Apple was charging more for in-game purchases in the app than if someone were to make those same purchases straight through Epic, so Epic was telling everyone to use external links to make purchases for Fortnite instead of using the ones inside Apple’s app.
Unsurprisingly, Apple wasn’t very happy about this and banned Fortnite from the app store. In response, Epic sued Apple and began a very posturing campaign about how they were fighting for the rights of gamers. What the lawsuit was really about, though, was that Epic didn’t like how much of a cut Apple was taking from their in-app purchases so they wanted to send buyers straight to the source.
When they entered into the lawsuit with Apple they came at it from the standpoint that Apple was monopolizing the market through the app store. Essentially, to them, the app store violates anti-trust law. Despite the posturing, Epic had an intriguing case because their argument that Apple received too much of a cut.
On Friday, the year-long court case came to a conclusion. The result of it? Well, Epic technically won what they were originally fighting over but they lost the rest of their arguments. We broke down the general news of what happened in today’s rulings here. What a lot of people are interested in, however, is what this means for gaming as a whole. Did Epic succeed in their quest for “gamers” and what does this mean long term?
Fortnite doesn’t have to return to the app store
The biggest result of this entire case has to be in regards to the status of Fortnite on the app store and if Apple was considered a monopoly. The court ruled that Apple did not violate any anti-trust laws, but not only that they said in the process Epic violated their terms of agreement with Apple. Because of that they aren’t required to put Fortnite back into the app store. Not being able to have Fortnite available on Apple devices is a huge blow to Epic.
Why is that? Well, consider how many people own an iPhone. That’s the potential install base of Fortnite on mobile devices alone. Not to mention Apple TV. Mac users have been dealing with limited features ever since Epic and Apple’s feud began. Fortnite is still a lesser experience on Apple devices and that’s a hit that is going to hurt Epic for sure.
In-app purchases may change because of this suit
The original big argument point between Epic and Apple was over Epic providing links to make purchases without going through Apple. This is the one part of the lawsuit that Epic won. The court ruled that Apple has to allow apps to use external payment options which, of course, is not good for Apple because when purchases are made through the app store they then get a more significant amount of money. It would be one thing if only Epic couldn’t do this, however, but starting on December 9 all companies will be allowed to provide external payment links. Essentially circumventing Apple’s revenue stream.
This will leave Apple with two options. They can either continue to provide in-app purchases at current prices, hoping people pay extra for the convenience of not clicking on a link, or they can work with developers to reach an agreement on pricing. Either way, Apple will no longer be able to charge extra just because it’s Apple and they control the store. Considering how many apps there are on the app store this has the potential to cost Apple billions.
Epic wanted the judge to declare Apple a monopoly and force it to lower fees below 30%, neither of which happened. The judge also ruled that Epic violated Apple’s terms and did not rule that Fortnite must be reinstated to the App Store. This was a big loss for Epic
While Epic won the original argument, it’s hard to say that they’re coming out of this case on top. Of the 10 rulings the court made in the Epic vs. Apple case, they ruled in favor of Apple in nine of them. Epic is, of course, going to appeal, but it’s safe to say that they didn’t win outright. The results of this case is going to cost them millions of dollars down the line. Not that Apple losing where it did is going to help them much better. Apple survived most of the rulings, but the external payments costing them billions are going to be a huge hit that may change how they approach the app store. If you were hoping this was all over though then think again.
Today’s ruling isn’t a win for developers or for consumers. Epic is fighting for fair competition among in-app payment methods and app stores for a billion consumers. https://t.co/cGTBxThnsP
Epic isn’t going to give up this one without fighting so we might see these two back in court again in the very near future.
At least we got this
Epic vs. Apple might not be entirely over, and the impact this is going to have on financials is going to absolutely have an impact on these two companies down the line, but we can take some joy out of it. Since Fortnite, one of the silliest games ever made, was at the forefront of all of this we got extensive arguments between lawyers about Fornite characters. This is a universe where they consider everyone that’s even been in the game as canon. That means Rick and Morty, NFL players, Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, and Marvel superheroes are all part of the Fortnite universe. One character in Fortnite, however, had the particular attention of the judges. Mr. Peely.
YouTube
There was a significant amount of deliberation spent on what exactly Mr. Peely was. Is this a person dressed up as a banana or a sentient being? Well we finally have our answer. Mr. Peely is, according to a United States courtroom, “just a banana man.”
Seattle Storm forward and reigning WNBA Finals MVP Breanna Stewart will miss the rest of the regular season with a left foot injury, the team announced on Friday, leaving the league’s third-ranked team without its best player for the stretch run — and perhaps beyond.
The Storm have a quiet schedule to wrap up the season, meaning Stewart will miss a minimum of just two games. But in the aftermath of the injury, which was sustained Tuesday in a matchup with Washington, teammate Sue Bird told reporters that Stewart gave her an “uh-oh” look when she initially went down.
The injury resulted from hardly any contact, so it is hard to determine how significant it was. Regardless, for a player who just came back from an Achilles rupture last year in time for the WNBA Bubble, the hope is clearly that this is not too serious.
Seattle wraps up its season with a Sunday tilt in Los Angeles followed by a finale at home against Phoenix on Friday night that could play a major role in the race for the third seed in the playoffs. Currently, the Storm are tied with Phoenix and Minnesota. The WNBA seeds regardless of conference for the playoffs.
As Deadline reported on Friday, Disney will keep the rest of its slate of movies off of its Disney+ streaming service in the initial part of their respective theatrical windows. That means following the strategy Shang-Chi saw a lot of success in: a traditional release date in theaters without a streaming option amid the still-ongoing pandemic.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto will bow November 24 with a 30-day exclusive theatrical window before appearing on Disney+. Five other pics will have a 45-day exclusive run in cinemas: The Last Duel (October 15), Ron’s Gone Wrong (October 22), Eternals (November 5), West Side Story (December 10) and The King’s Man (December 22).
While movies like Black Widow and Mulan were add-ons to Disney+, other films like Soul hit the platform the same day as theaters. Other studios like Warner Bros have continued that model with HBO Max, but the news means that Disney is still betting big on the box office for a number of films. Eternals is probably the most notable of those movies, of course, but it’s clear that Marvel and Disney feel like people are willing to risk a trip to the movies to stay up to date on the ever-expanding superhero canon.
Saturday Night Live‘s 47th season has a premiere date, but even inside Studio 8H there’s apparently some considerable uncertainty about who will actually appear on stage come October 2.
The NBC sketch comedy showcase announced on Thursday it would return next month with a brief video that spliced some past and present SNL together to drop the return date. But beyond that, things were scarce. That includes who will host the episode, the musical guest and, according to Deadline, the actual cast members trying to make the funny.
According to the report, cast members decidedly on the fence about returning are still mulling over their future. And while summer is traditionally the time Lorne Michaels and crew lock down their cast and get things ready, there’s a chance the show will actually start without major contracts in place for several notable names.
The news comes as creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels is still in talks with key cast members over who will return and who won’t.
The rumor mill has swirled over the last few months as to whether the likes of Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Cecily Strong will be back for Season 47; these conversations are understood to be ongoing.
The hope is that most of the contracts will be signed and sealed ahead of the premiere, but there is a possibility that not all will be completely resolved.
Bryant, Strong, McKinnon and Davidson are all likely to seek work outside of SNL, and Deadline had previously reported that Michaels and the show were less restrictive of those outside efforts lately in an attempt to keep the cast around. In fact, rumors that he wants a veteran cast locked in until at least Season 50 would make keeping at least a few of these longtime contributors a priority.
What’s unclear here, though, is whether contracts not settled means the show starts with an incomplete or shorthanded cast or final details would get locked down with veterans returning to the fold. It’s all very late in the game to figure anything out here, though, which means there are likely a lot of improv experts frantically checking their phones in New York and Los Angeles over the next few days and weeks until there’s an official announcement about who we’ll see on TV this fall.
Fans in attendance at Future’s headlining set at Wireless Festival in the UK were treated to a surprise performance of the Atlanta rapper’s buzzy Drake collaborations “Life Is Good” and “Way 2 Sexy” when Drake himself popped out to assist his musical mate. It was Drake’s first performance before a festival crowd since before the coronavirus pandemic began, as well as his first time performing “Way 2 Sexy,” the silly but inescapable new single which also features Young Thug, since dropping Certified Lover Boy a week ago.
The moment was naturally captured from dozens of angles by fans with camera phones in hand, giving those not in attendance a chance to see Drake’s interactions with the crowd. “We missed you so much,” Drake declared. “While we’ve been apart for whatever it’s been — two years — we wrote a lot of songs that we played in our crib or in our studio that we never got to do in front of y’all.” Drake and Future then launched into one of those songs, the aforementioned “Way 2 Sexy” as the screen behind them read, “Hey Wireless, the boy is home.”
They also played their 2020 hit “Life Is Good,” which was a dominating song itself that year, before Drake spun off a quick medley of his own hits, including the Lil Durk-featuring “Laugh Now, Cry Later.” Check out some of the videos and photos below.
If you’re a connoisseur of fresh, powerful, great-tasting weed produced via attentive and proper cultivation that’ll melt your face off and make music, sex, food, sleep, and wasting time better than it has ever been, you’ve probably got an expensive habit on your hands. It wasn’t always this way. A couple of years back, it would cost you $60 tops for a California dispensary’s best product, and if you couldn’t afford that you could sample the top shelf stuff by purchasing smaller amounts, like a single gram.
Good luck finding a gram of top-shelf weed these days. And a $60 eighth looks more like $100 after taxes, etc.
Enter California Cultivator Green Dragon. The brand attempts to ease the financial strain of smoking herb with Féria, or “The Fetti” for those of you too scared of Spanish. It snagged gold for Hybrid strains at High Times’ 2020 Cannabis Cup (California Region), beating out CBX’s massively popular Cereal Milk strain, which is almost twice the price after taxes. Féria is slang for “money” and, with an average price of $45, it attempts to save you some while still providing a powerful high that helps to stretch your dollar and make your weed last longer. But THC% isn’t everything, so we set out to see if this strain is actually worth your time or if it just benefited from a bunch of hype over its low price tag and potent THC content.
For those who don’t know, since the pandemic, the Cannabis Cup has gone from being judged by industry veterans and celebrity connoisseurs like Tommy Chong, Snoop Dog, assorted members of Wu-Tang Clan, and Kid Cudi to being voted on by stoners like you and me. That’s not a knock on the Cannabis Cup, it’s a better model! I care more about what your average stoner thinks than what some rich stoner smokes.
But I still needed to try it for myself, especially since Cereal Milk has been my personal go-to this year. Check my review below:
Before we get into the high, we need to talk about the presentation. It’s easy to be unimpressed by Féria — the jar is wrapped in a plastic label that acts as both decoration and the jar’s seal, featuring a graphic of a $100 bill with a cartoon dragon over Ben Franklin’s face, and a whole bunch of mixed fonts. It’s ugly. I realize this isn’t a beauty contest, but great packaging only adds to the experience, and it’s hard to get excited about Féria before you open the jar.
On the cap is a sticker label that lists your basic strain information and also has a QR code that transports you into a portal of your strain’s lab-certified analysis, which gives you a full breakdown of the strain’s terpenes, and other nerdy things like pesticide analysis, moisture content, and cannabinoid potency. As someone deep into weed, I love this kind of nerdy shit, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t won over by this feature.
On to the weed!
Dane Rivera
Féria didn’t get its name because it saves you money, but because of its luxurious appearance — dense frosty green nugs with flecks of purple flowers and wild twisting orange hairs. It’s an absolute pleasure to look at and will make you want to break it up with your fingers just so that magical kief doesn’t get wasted on the teeth of your grinder. It’s not as sticky as I’d like it to be, but it’s easy enough to work with that you can roll it up in a joint or blunt wrap without the need for any additional tools.
The high is predictably powerful, with a THC content of 34.9% this stuff is going to blast even experienced smokers on their ass after a single bowl. If you’re an occasional smoker, pack less than you think you need, because this stuff goes far.
The high began centered squarely above my brow. After a few hits, I felt a weightiness behind my eyes and my whole body slipped into relaxation mode. This is definitely a couch-lock-inducing strain, and I found myself forgetting what I was doing often, so don’t smoke this and then find something to watch, do, or listen to. Pre-planning your experience, which admittedly sounds lame, will help ensure that you don’t waste most of the high laying down trying to remember what it was you were just about to do. Unless that’s how you want to spend your high!
Dane Rivera
While the high was strong, I wasn’t sold by the taste or smell. Féria has a very dirty and earthy flavor, subtle notes of pine and citrus lurk beneath all the muck, but this strain mostly keeps things in the sort of peppery realm that isn’t easy on the throat, whether you’re vaping or hitting a bong. The aftertaste also has a sort of chemical quality to it — I think Green Dragon was going for mint here, but mint isn’t an easy flavor to achieve in weed. When it’s done wrong, it more often than not tastes like hand soap or lotion than cool and refreshing.
For that reason, we’re going to suggest you skip flavor-focused smoking methods like vapes or bongs and instead roll this up in a flavored blunt wrap, or pack it into a bowl with some of your grinder’s kief catch sprinkled on top.
The Bottom Line
For the price, you won’t find a strain that gets you this high and looks this beautiful, but Green Dragon has a bit more work to do in the flavor department if they want this stuff to really compete with real California top-shelf mainstays like CBX, Connected, Or A Golden State.
It’s not our favorite Hybrid strain of the year, but it’s definitely worth a pick-up on your next weed run. Especially if money is tight.
For years and years, there was only one flavor of Mountain Dew. While we honestly still can’t zero in on exactly what this sugary soda is supposed to taste like, it’s always seemed like a blend of overly pungent car air freshener and some type of hard-to-pinpoint citrus fruit. It was never great, per se, but it hits some nostalgia centers and I still have one from time to time.
Over the years, Mtn Dew (their preferred spelling these days) branched out into flavors like Baja Blast, Major Melon, and Code Red. Now the brand is dropping arguably its boldest flavor yet, Flamin’ Hot.
Yes, a Flamin’ Hot drink. That people will put in their bodies. Willingly. It’s real. Not a prank. Or maybe a prank — but one that features a real product and will likely prove incredibly profitable.
PepsiCo also owns Cheetos, so, in the grand corporate synergy sense, it was only a matter of time before the two flavors finally met in one, spicy, sugary package. We know the company enjoys adding “Flamin’ Hot” flavor to Cheetos, Smart Popcorn, Ruffles, Doritos, and other savory snacks. But a beverage? Even the youths think that sounds gross, right?
Read on to see if the flavor was as unappetizing as the general concept.
Christopher Osburn
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Story:
Available beginning on August 31st, Mtn Dew Flamin’ Hot can only be purchased at the Dew store (online) while supplies last. It’s only available for a limited time so if you want to completely destroy your taste buds and ruin your day by sipping this soda while you eat Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, get to it.
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
This soda pours a terrifying color of red that looks more like carbonated blood than soda. The aroma is slightly citrusy with hints of Frank’s Red Hot and remorse. Honestly, for such a spicy-sounding drink, I expected the nose to be a little more pungent. Just don’t make the same mistake I did of inhaling too deeply, because it will start a coughing fit on par with breathing in chili powder.
The first sip really surprised me. While I still don’t see myself finishing this whole can without ending up with a severe case of heartburn mixed with regret, the first sip wasn’t half bad. It had the citrus kick Mountain Dew fans expect with a light dose of spicy heat. It pretty much tastes like someone managed to mix the hot sauce into their Mountain Dew without making it taste vinegary and salty.
It’s not insane or undrinkable. If you like sugar water and chemical-driven spice… you won’t loathe it. Some bartender is going to use it for a Bloody Mary and go viral. But I’m also fine never drinking it again.
Christopher Osburn
Bottom Line:
It’s really hard to describe a soda since there aren’t many nuanced flavors. But I would say that fans of over-the-top Mountain Dew flavors who enjoy a little kick would definitely enjoy this soda. It’s not nuts but it’s still a little too spicy for me. if I’m sipping spice it had better have a little booze in it and if I’m adding booze to a soda it won’t be this one.
Yo Gabba Gabba! is back, but you’re going to need an Apple TV+ subscription to catch up on the newest episodes of the beloved children’s program. Deadline reported on Friday that the show is coming back for a new season as part of a deal where the streaming service acquired the show’s entire past library.
According to the report, the show will be a “reimagining” of the series but will also see its past episodes hit the platform in the coming months.
Apple TV+ is expanding its kids programming content with the acquisition of the beloved Yo Gabba Gabba! library. In partnership with WildBrain, Apple TV+ has ordered a new 20-episode half-hour series based on the former Nickelodeon show, along with all Yo Gabba Gabba! classic series and specials.
According to Apple TV+, the new series will be a reimagining based on the heart and essence of what Yo Gabba Gabba! is – a fantastic land of optimism and fun, where kids and families are taught life lessons through song and dance that allow them to learn, laugh and heal.
Yo Gabba Gabba! ran on Nickelodeon from 2007 to 2015. Created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, the original series featured DJ Lance Rock and five costumed characters. The show was perhaps most notable to the childless for the long list of celebrities and musicians that appeared on it through its run on Nickelodeon. Guest stars like Jack Black, The Roots, The Flaming Lips, Amy Sedaris, and Andy Samberg are among the Yo Gabba Gabba! alums.
It’s unclear if Apple will tap any of its other TV shows for guest stars in the new season. But it’s another sign the platform is getting serious about children’s content to say the least, as the show joins the Peanuts specials as recent acquisitions Apple has made with children in mind.
In addition to those new albums, hip-hop performers like Rico Nasty (who dropped five new songs on SoundCloud), Maxo Kream (who shared the “Big Persona” video with Tyler The Creator), GoldLink (who put out the nostalgic “Raindrops” video with Flo Milli), Mozzy (who announced his new album with the “Straight to the 4th” video), and D Smoke (who returned with the triumphant “Shame On You” video) showed up and showed out this week. Even Royce Da 5’9 made his Tiny Desk debut! Check out more albums and singles that didn’t get posts below.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending September 10, 2021.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
AZ — Do Or Die II
AZ
AZ put out the original Do Or Die over 25 years ago, but nothing has dulled his rap skills since. If anything, they’ve gotten sharper, as he proves over the course of 13 all-new tracks featuring silver-tongued contemporaries like Conway, Dave East, Lil Wayne, and Rick Ross. Unfortunately, Nas is nowhere to be found, making this follow-up more of a spiritual successor than a straight-up sequel.
Baby Keem — The Melodic Blue
Baby Keem
Kendrick Lamar’s little cousin’s long-awaited debut arrives after a months-long rollout that included a XXL Freshman selection, well-received singles featuring Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott, and a television debut on The Tonight Show.
Common — A Beautiful Revolution Pt.2
Common
After debuting lead single “When We Move” on The Tonight Show with bandleader Black Thought, Common announced the second installment of his EP series that started last year and includes a return to more Afrocentric fare alongside a who’s-who of music luminaries.
Gift Of Gab — Finding Inspiration Somehow
Gift Of Gab
When Bay Area icon Gift Of Gab (of the revered indie-rap duo Blackalicious) passed away earlier this year, he left behind a wealth of unreleased music that his label, Quannum, said they would slowly release in the future. The future is now, as the first collection of music from the venerated rap scholar — which he had nearly completed before his death — has arrived.
Jazz Cartier — The Fleur Print
Jazz Cartier
Canadian rapper Jazz Cartier has been slowly but surely building his buzz outside of the Great White North, thanks in part to a string of strategic collaborations that have aimed more for well-connected cool than mainstream clout. The results speak for themselves on his second album, on which he links up with the likes of such well-regarded rap artistes as Buddy, Cousin Stizz, Kari Faux, and Kyle.
Singles/Videos
A$AP Twelvyy — “The Mecha”
For my money, Twelvyy has always been the most relatable, quietly impressive member of the ASAP Mob, showing off a deft mastery of old-school lyricism. That gift is highlighted here by a sample of “Impeach The President,” which never goes amiss in my book.
Cousin Stizz — “Say Dat”
The Boston rapper hasn’t been around for a while but it appears he’s ready for a triumphant return, employing a stripped-down approach here to underline his magnetic personality and laid-back flow.
Duke Deuce — “WTF”
Crunk still ain’t dead — and never will be, if Memphis hellraiser Duke Deuce has anything to say about it. Here, he straight up employs his own catchphrase as the hook, which could pay off down the line the next time you instantly recognize him when that simple, inescapable question pops up on one of his inevitable big-name collabs.
Haviah Mighty — “Tesla”
It’s a big week for Canadian releases, as Haviah Mighty joins Jazz Cartier in putting out some must-listen material. In this case, it’s the high-speed “Tesla,” which showcases Mighty’s turbocharged delivery and high-torque turns of phrase.
Icewear Vezzo — “5 Milli”
Rich Off Pints 2 is coming soon, but first, check out Icewear’s take on California classic “I Got 5 On It.” The Bay Area-Motor City connection remains strong.
Larry June & Cardo — “Friday Activities”
If anyone knows how best to utilize a smooth Cardo production, it’s the unfailingly cavalier Larry June. Feel free to throw this one on, tune out, and cruise confidently into the weekend.
Russ — “Utah Freestyle”
After weeks of dropping emotive love songs for his frequent Friday releases, Russ gets back on the bars. “Utah Freestyle” does not disappoint, with witty wordplay that reminds that Russ can keep up with some of the best.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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