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The discussion surrounding NBA awards is wide-ranging and dominant, with ink spilled all over the basketball landscape each year. On Monday evening, the first of the league’s major trophies was handed out, and the hardware was distributed in a bit of a different way. Prior to a game between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks, TNT’s Inside The NBA crew was interviewing Utah Jazz standouts Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles when Ernie Johnson prompted the pair on the history of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year honor.

In short, it was a sneaky way to announce, via Ingles, that Clarkson is the 2020-21 winner of the award distributed to the league’s top reserve.

Ironically, it was Ingles that finished as the runner-up, with Clarkson receiving 65 of the 100 first-place votes and Ingles grabbing 34 of the remaining 35 votes at the top of the ballot. Ingles leaned into the bit, playfully indicating that Clarkson “stole” the honor from him.

Only Knicks guard Derrick Rose secured a first-place vote outside of Utah. From there, the former NBA MVP finished just ahead of Dallas Mavericks guards Jalen Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr. for third place overall.

Clarkson enjoyed the most productive season of his NBA career, averaging 18.4 points per game in 68 appearances for the Jazz. Utah’s team success unquestionably bolstered the candidacies of both Clarkson and Ingles, but Clarkson’s advantage in counting statistics (i.e. scoring average) seemingly pushed him over the line against Ingles, who put together a tremendously efficient profile.

For a while, Andrew Yang’s run for mayor of New York City was going better than his run for president of the United States. He’s been slipping in the polls, which he once consistently topped. His instantly notorious appearance with comedian Ziwe isn’t helping — and the full episode hasn’t even dropped yet. The host has been releasing clips from Yang’s forthcoming appearance on her Showtime show, and they’re not flattering. First he massively flubbed a Jay-Z question. Now he’s enraged New Yorkers over his basic take on the subway system.

Ziwe — whose shtick involves pretending to be a too-online internet addict who asks deceptively simple questions that often get her guests in trouble — had a seemingly straightforward query for her latest guest: “What’s your favorite subway station?” To be fair, it’s an odd question, even as a joke. Many who live in NYC probably have no favorite station, the MTA being a necessary evil that’s often the source of long waits, overcrowded spaces, and, in the summer, crippling levels of heat.

And yet Yang’s answer was bizarre. “It’s my stop, so Times Square,” replied Yang, who took heat for leaving the city during the pandemic. “It’s big, it’s cavernous, there are entertainers there. Sure, like, what’s not to like?”

There’s a lot not to like, many said over social media. For one thing, like his Jay-Z question — in which he struggled to come up with a favorite song — it’s clear he was stumped. But his answer, when it belatedly arrived, left a lot to be desired. Times Square is an incredibly basic answer, probably the only station most tourists could name.

And so many called him out for not seeming like a real New Yorker — a problem if he wants to be the city’s mayor.

Some, though, said his answer could have been worse.

Others defended his choice, pointing to the station’s size, its diversity, its artwork.

It also inspired locals to name their own favorite stops.

Although others instead named the worst ones.

Will Yang’s appearance with Ziwe put the final nail in a campaign that’s fallen on hard times? Probably not. It won’t help, though, and after dominating the polls for so long, he’s recently slipped to second place behind former police officer Eric Adams, though he’s still ahead of longtime locals Scott Stringer, Kathryn Garcia, and Dianne Morales. None of them, of course, would list Times Square — overrun by tourists and people dressed up as Marvel heroes and eye-piercing adverts and questionable eateries — as the best of anything the world’s greatest city has to offer.

Oscar nominee and The Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page’s team recently revealed that his career offers were pouring in since coming out as trans in December 2020, but the actor knows how to prioritize rest and relaxation. In doing so, Elliot is letting the world know that he’s ready for summer.

Page posted his first swim-trunks photo since coming out and having top surgery, a process (to remove breast tissue, also known as a subcutaneous mastectomy) that he recently discussed during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Elliot had explained how “freeing” the procedure made him feel and how the surgery “changed my life,” and now he’s Instagrammed some pool time while expressing palpable joy.

“Trans bb’s first swim trunks,” Page captioned the photo, along with the hashtags #transjoy #transisbeautiful.

Page also previously told Winfrey (via People) that he believes top surgery “is life saving and it’s the case for so many people.” He added, “There is such an attack on trans health care right now, when already there is such a lack of access or trans people who don’t even want to go to the doctor.”

(Via Elliot Page on Instagram)

In an effort to help streamers “celebrate themselves and their communities,” Twitch is rolling out over 350 new tags related to “gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ability, mental health, and more” starting this week. Among them are tags such as transgender, Black, disabled, veteran, and Vtuber, and many others. The change comes after years of marginalized creators asking for the streaming service to add them, thus helping fellow community members find content created by safe and like-minded people, a fact Twitch addressed in the blog post announcing the news.

“When we launched tags in 2018, we did so to boost discovery, to help creators describe their content and to help viewers find streams they’re interested in. We intentionally designed that system for creators to be able to describe what they were streaming, not who they were or what they stood for. We have maintained this distinction since that time, and we were wrong.

When viewers talk about why they love Twitch, they don’t just talk about the content. They talk about creators, what they care about, and the communities they have built. By expanding tags, we are giving creators more ways to be discovered and viewers more ways to find communities that they want to call home.”

According to the blog post, Twitch partnered with several organizations — including GLAAD, The Trevor Project, AbleGamers, SpecialEffect, and more — to make sure they “we were being as inclusive as possible” with the new rollout. In addition, the post included instructions on how to report “bad actors who may use the ability to find streams for malicious purposes,” a fear that kept some from being completely on board with the idea.

Furthermore, Twitch is also removing “ally” from the LGBTQIA+ tag, and is instead creating a new, standalone tag specifically for allies. This is a huge win for many members of the LGBTQIA+ community who have expressed frustration with being unable to find fellow LGBTQIA+ streamers due to a large number of allies using the tag.

It takes away from those streamers who are actually in the LGBTQIA+ community when an “ally” uses the tag for discoverability. If you are currently using it and not in the community please understand the concerns of people in community and know why it can not be helpful sometimes

— iamBrandon (@iamBrandonTV) December 16, 2020

For those seeking to learn more about the initiative, Twitch has announced they will be going live on their channel May 26 at 9:30 AM PST to any additional answer questions.

Norman Reedus has the power to do whatever he wants, and what he wants to do is bring exploitation trash king Russ Meyer to anyone with a cable subscription. According to Deadline, the Walking Dead superstar is teaming up with his longtime network AMC for a TV remake of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, the 1965 cult classic and arguably the crown jewel in the filmography of the man responsible for making nudity — and much else besides — acceptable at the movies during a much. more restrictive time.

It’s not clear whether Reedus would also star, though it’s also not clear who he’d play. Pussycat! follows a trio of amoral go-go dancers — chief among them icon Tura Satana, who shouts most of her hard-boiled dialogue — who run afoul of a crippled, wealthy rancher. Meyer imagined it as a movie “where the women kick the s*it out of the men” for a change, and it’s filled with towering femme fatales having their way with lesser dudes, all while barking lines like, “The point is of no return, and you’ve reached it!”

Reedus, a lifelong Meyer fan, says his redo will “reimagine this story for the modern world.” Considering how the 56-year-old original is very much of its time, that should be interesting, though it’s worth noting, with its strong camp sensibility, that it’s long appealed to queer and feminist audiences. (John Waters is one of its bigger fans.) In the meantime, good luck finding the original, which, like most Meyers, is not streaming anywhere.

(Via Deadline)

If you’re a sneakerhead looking for a place to celebrate all things sneakers, look no further than aftermarket site Grailed’s Sole Supply — a two-week celebration of sneakers and the people who collect them that officially launches today. The campaign promises to dive into Grailed’s vast community of collectors and curators, delivering a series of rare drops from sneakerheads around the world, with special attention given to former Versace VP and Yeezy designer Salehe Bembury. Fans of Bembury’s truly next-level designs will have the chance to score personal items from Bembury’s closet, which includes rare items and one-off pieces from brands like Supreme, Kith, Nike, and Chinatown Market.

“I’m excited to team up with Grailed again to celebrate the diverse tastes and perspective of its passionate community of sneaker enthusiasts,” Bembury said in a press release, “As a designer, I’m always looking for sources of community, which is why it’s always empowering to see like-minded folks on Grailed coming together to create a hub for discovery and connection.”

This Thursday, May 27th, Bembury will deliver a deep dive into his career, offering insights into the inner workings of his creative process and offer fans the chance to shop his wardrobe. But perhaps the most exciting part of Sole Supply will be the chance for sneakerheads to cop a pair of 2020’s Off-White Jordan Vs in any size of your choice.

The pair will be given away via a raffle exclusive to the Grailed community members, but Grailed promises other coveted drops and curated bundles from the site’s biggest sneaker sellers as well, so you may leave these next two weeks with a pair of sneakers you never thought you’d get a chance to own!

Check out Sole Supply at Grailed here, which runs from today to June 7th.

In 2013, Solange launched her label and website, Saint Huron, to highlight the artists she wanted to bring attention to. Today, she took things a step further, turning Saint Huron into a full-on creative agency. Meanwhile, the Saint Huron website has been updated to function as a sort of digital mood board which will highlight a new artist every week.

In addition to visual stories, the site will also feature interviews with Shala Monroque and artist Cassi Namoda, and conversations between poets, authors, and artists like Helga Davis, Okwui Okpokwasili, Barbara Chase-Riboud, and Ilyasah Shabazz.

As far as physical endeavors, Saint Huron also announced plans to hold a series of gallery exhibitions, an artist-in-residence program, a permanent art collection, a non-profit library, and art films. Saint Records will continue to release music, as well.

In a press release, Solange said: “Worldmaking has been a huge part of my practice. The idea of leaving behind cities, meccas, and universes that were occupied and celebrated by bodies, voices, celebrations, and rituals to be discovered down the line. As we transition to an institution, the answer and the vision become abundantly clear. We are creating a legacy where we not only continue the work we have already built but preserve collections of creators with the urgency they deserve. Together we want to create an archive of stories, and works we deem valuable. We want to open up these works publicly and make them accessible to students, and our communities for research, engagement, and consumption, so that the works are integrated into our collective story and belong and grow with us. We are creating an embodiment of living testaments to the glory of expression, and how that recharges and reaffirms the reverence we hold for our own cultural and artistic worth. We look forward to furthering the pursuit of authenticity that empowers the stories of our people.”

You can find more information here.

The first trailer for Marvel’s Eternals is here and while it raises plenty of questions, one thing is certain: this film is going to advance the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a major way. Based on this first look, it feels safe to say this film is offering an experience we haven’t seen before — one packed with centuries of stories, stunning-visuals, and a powerhouse ensemble cast featuring Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and even Angelina Jolie.

However, what you won’t get from the trailer is just how much the upcoming movie is going to build upon what we already do know, and how intimately it connects with one of the MCU’s greatest stories and villains, Thanos. If like us you can’t wait for Eternals and are longing to know a bit more about who they are and how they tie into the Marvel universe, we’ve got you covered — though be warned there are some Avengers: Endgame spoilers ahead.

— According to the comics created by Marvel legend Jack Kirby, the Eternals were created one million years ago, when the Celestials — the effective gods of the Marvel universe — came to Earth and created two prototype races of humans: the nearly immortal Eternals and the monstrous Deviants. Since their birth and throughout the course of mankind, both races have chosen to live in relative isolation due to how complicated assimilation would be, the Eternals in their own settlements, and the Deviants deep within the Earth. However, despite their extraordinary gift and seclusion, the Eternals have always kept a watchful eye on humanity, ready to intervene and protect mankind when absolutely necessary — something we hear referenced in the trailer for the upcoming film.

— That being said, the seemingly ethereal Eternals have had their fair share of internal problems. Long ago, a civil war erupted within the Eternals, with one side led by Kronos and the other by the bloodthirsty Uranos. You see, while some of the Eternals were content with their relatively quiet lives, Uranos and his followers longed for something greater, and longed to conquer and control the other races. Ultimately Kronos won the battle, and Uranos was forced to leave Earth and establish a colony on Uranus, but this wasn’t the end of the Eternals troubles.

Shortly after the war, Kronos began experimenting with cosmic energy. During one of his experiments, something went horribly wrong, and a massive amount of energy was unleashed upon the Eternal’s capital city Titanos, completely demolishing it. In addition, the wave of energy released activated latent genes within the Eternals, granting them the ability to control cosmic energy and other god-like powers. Lastly, the incident completely disintegrated Kronos’ body, forcing the Eternals to choose a new leader from one of his two sons: Zuras and A’lars. It was ultimately decided both men would rule, with Zuras serving as the Prime Eternal and A’lars volunteering to leave Earth and rule on Saturn’s moon, Titan. The Eternals who chose to remain on Earth would come to be referred to as the Olympian Eternals, while the ones on Titan became known as the Titanian Eternals.

— If the name A’lars sounds a bit familiar, it’s for good reason — and you should pat yourself on the back for being incredibly observant. In Avengers: Infinity War, Red Skull refers to Thanos as the son of A’lars upon meeting him, meaning Thanos is, in fact, an Eternal himself. It’s also important to note this makes him related to Thena, the daughter of his uncle Zuras who is portrayed by Angelina Jolie in Eternals.

— Now, you might be wondering if Thanos is an Eternal, why does he look so different? Well, remember the Deviants we mentioned earlier? It turns out, Thanos was born with Deviant Syndrome, an incredibly rare condition that caused mutations in his DNA, drastically altering his appearance and heightening his powers. Interestingly enough, this alluded to within the MCU, as when we see glimpses of the Titans in Infinity War, none of them look quite like Thanos. According to the VFX supervisor Matt Aitkin, this was intentional and would have been further exacerbated if the film had included more footage of Titan and its people, indicating a build-up to Eternals was perhaps always planned.

There’s no telling how far the upcoming movie will go into Thanos’ backstory — following his demise, it might not seem all that pertinent. However, the way the story does connect is undoubtedly interesting, and will have major consequences on how the Eternals are perceived, especially by the Avengers. All in all, it looks like Eternals is offering the most we can hope for from a superhero film: a unique and visually stunning experience that advances the series whilst weaving itself in the characters and stories we know and love. Needless to say, we’re excited to see how it all plays out when the Eternals hits theaters November 5, 2021.

A family in Michigan wanted to put some smiles on their neighbor’s faces during COVID lockdown so they asked them to help recreate a sketch from “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”

Liz Koto and her family declared a few feet of sidewalk in front of their home as the official “Jurisdiction of Silly Walks” and demanded that those who walk by comply.

The family put up a sign that read:

“You have now entered the jurisdiction of silly walks. Commence silly walking immediately.” Finer print reads: “Follow @Yorkshire_Silly_Walks for highlights. Your walk may be posted! We’re all in this together so let’s have some fun while we can!”

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“The Ministry of Silly Walks” is a sketch from the iconic TV show’s second season which originally aired in 1970. The sketch is a satire of bureaucratic inefficiency and stars John Cleese as a bowler-hatted civil servant in a fictitious British government ministry responsible for developing silly walks through grants.

The Koto family then filmed their neighbors silly walking past the house and posted the best clips to Instagram. It’s clear from many of the clips that their neighbors were very familiar with the silly walks in the Python sketch.

“My neighbors seem to love it. Some of them walk by more than once a day and make sure to silly walk,” she told Bored Panda.

He highs-steps. She lunges. The dog just trots on by.

This family chose to walk like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

This guy is clearly a Python fan.

This guy combines the Python walk with a hint of the “Keep on truckin'” guy from the ’70s.

Flapping bird and whirling dervish.

The girl in the video has the gait of a drunken chimp.

Moonwalker.

If there was ever any doubt that donkeys are capable of feeling deep emotions, the video below is pretty clear proof. In the short clip shared by Buitengebieden, a young girl is reunited with the donkey she raised and it’s a real tear-jerker.

When the girl approaches the gate, the donkey lets out an enthusiastic bray as it trots over to greet her. She stretches out her arms and the donkey can’t get enough of her. The donkey burrows his head into her and appears to be overwhelmed with emotion.

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The video counters the common stereotype that donkeys aren’t the most intelligent species.

In reality, the opposite is true. They are known to be gentle animals that form deep bonds. They have incredible memories — evidenced by the video — and are very affectionate.

They are also known to be incredibly loyal to people that they trust.

“How can people say that animals have no emotions, can’t love, don’t feel pain the same way we do. What a beautiful video,” Twitter user Dino Johnson said in response to the clip.

“Love never forgets, especially when it’s between a human and an animal. Lovely to see such genuine affection,” Candy Krause remarked.

This donkey is reunited with the girl who raised it.. https://t.co/SAWNOhqESr

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_)
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