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I’m a big fan of the breakfast burrito. That being said, I’m just as big a fan of a classic deli breakfast bagel. Just like with the breakie burrito, there are tons of directions you can go with your breakfast bagel. Lox and cream cheese, B.E.C., just a fried egg, peanut butter and jam. The list goes on and on. The world of savory breakfast sandwiches really is your oyster.

Today, we’re keeping things lighter. Or, at least, vegan-er — while still holding onto the familiar feel of a classic sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast bagel.

Naturally, if you’re making a vegan meal, you don’t need to use meat or dairy substitutes at all. There are millions of ways to eat a vegan diet and never use Beyond Meat or vegan “cheese” or anything processed. It’s certainly healthier. But we’re really going for that old-school deli breakfast sandwich vibe while staying strictly plant-based. Theoretically, this is to help your summer fitness kick, but that depends on what fitness means to you.

It’s served on bread. And probably relatively close to a wash on calories.

The real question we want to answer is whether going fully plant-based with what is essentially greasy-spoon fare actually tastes good. Do plant-based scrambled eggs stand up to the real deal? How good is Beyond Meat’s sausage at the end of the day? Let’s figure it all out!

Vegan “Sausage, Egg, and Cheese” Breakfast Bagel

Ingredients:

• 1 Beyond Meat Sausage
• 1/4 cup vegan scrambled eggs
• 2 slices vegan cheddar
• 1 bagel
• Arugula
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

There’s a great bagel shop inside a synagogue here in Berlin that I frequent. They make whole wheat bagels by hand every day. They’re uniquely Berlin bagels with a hefty chew and bit more of a sour edge. You get what works for you. If you had a date stay over the night before making this, go for a bakery bagel over store-bought.

I’m using the Beyond Meat Beyond Sausage “Brat Original” sausages. There’s a nice spice to these that sort of feels halfway between a herbal German bratwurst and a mildly spicy Italian sausage. They’re also hefty enough that I can butterfly them for easier sandwich building later.

Onto the cheese! I bought vegan cheddar slices from Violife. Generally speaking, the cheese has a close texture to American Cheese cheddar slices with a bit more of a plastic-y edge. Still, it melts and does have a mild cheddar flavor (though, I timed my sandwiches to real cheese and didn’t get an optimal melt…).

Finally, there’s the egg. I’m using a plant-based substitute that’s from Australia (Orgran). The closest thing I can find in the U.S. is JUST Egg. Basically, you’re getting a premixed eggy mixture that works pretty damn well as a plant-based scrambled egg in texture and look.

What You’ll Need:

• Cast iron skillet
• Non-stick pan
• Bread knife
• Spatula
• White grease-proof paper

Method:

• Put a skillet on medium-high heat and add a small glug of olive oil.
• Slice the bagel in half along the horizontal and toast off the bagel in the skillet.
• Butterfly the sausage and place it in the same hot skillet, cut side down. Brown on both sides. Top with a slice of cheese.
• At the same time, in a non-stick pan on medium-low heat, add in a small glug of olive oil.
• Add scrambled egg mix with a pinch of salt and a crack or two of black pepper.
• Rotate the skillet by tipping it slightly in a circular motion to help the eggs set into a thin sheet. Once the thin layer of egg pretty much sets, fold the edges over to create a small square. Top the egg with its own slice of cheese and turn off the heat.
• Build the sandwich by adding the arugula to the heel of the toasted bagel.
• Next, add the egg, sausages, and the crown of the bagel.
• Optional: hit the egg with a few dashes of hot sauce (or chili flakes) while building.
• Wrap the bagel in white paper and let rest.
• Slice the bagel in half along the vertical and serve.

Bottom Line:

This was really satisfying and a great breakfast all around. But before I rave, let’s get into the cons.

I screwed up the cheese by not covering my pan and skillet to really let the cheese melt. I got a really good melt on the cheese between the sausage and egg (see photo below) but not between the sausage and crown of the bagel. Still, this cheese was the mildest of cheddars I’ve ever had. It brought the texture more than the taste. By the end, it was meltier and had absorbed some oil — getting closer to that crappy and plastic American Cheese you often get at a shitty diner.

Which is to say, it hit the spot.

The eggs worked perfectly as a textural component. But, there was no real “egginess” to them. My scramble was pale and kind of flavorless. I might add some MSG to the egg next time to help coax more flavors from the scrambled egg mixture. I might also put the hot sauce into the egg mix as it’s cooking.

Now for the good stuff. I really like Beyond Meat’s sausages. They hold up to butterflying really well. They’re legitimately tasty. And they really helped this sandwich pop, which made up for the mildness of the cheese and eggs.

***

All told, this was a very good way to start the day. The bagel was funky and filling. The sausage, egg, and cheese definitely vibed and had a real familiarity to them… even if the flavors weren’t bang on. Even the layer of arugula added a nice peppery touch.

I will 100 percent make this again. It took less than ten minutes and hit the spot. It felt… akin to healthy eating. Like a neighbor or casual acquaintance of healthy food. If you try it, promise to dial in that cheese melt and amp up the umami on those eggs.

Earlier this week, Usher found himself trending on Twitter after getting put on blast for throwing fake money with his face on it at a strip club, to the dismay of the dancers. The photos of the “Usher Bucks” as they quickly became known as on social media went viral and caused an awful lot of jokes at Usher’s expense.

The actual story was that Usher had left the bills behind as a gag to promote his upcoming Vegas residency and had indeed been tipping the staff and dancers at the club with actual, legal currency all night. That didn’t stop the jokes, though, and on Thursday night the Usher Bucks scandal made its way to Inside the NBA, where a tweet joking that Charles Barkley’s guarantees are worth about as much as a fake Usher $100. What ensued was some classic Inside banter, with Chuck defending Usher’s honor and then Shaq trying to explain the entire thing as G-rated as he could for the television audience.

Shaq’s use of the “grocery store” in place of strip club was pretty funny and got a good laugh out of the guys, and, honestly, I would much prefer the fellas spend an entire segment trying to explain to Charles Barkley things that went viral on social media each week than, say, debating the merits of big men shooting threes again.

2020 was difficult (to say the least). The year was full of life changes, losses, and lessons as we learned to navigate the “new normal.” You may have questions about what the changes and challenges of 2020 mean for your taxes. That’s where TurboTax Live comes in, making it easy to connect with real tax experts to help with your taxes – or even do them for you, start to finish.

Not only has TurboTax Live helped millions of people get their taxes done right, but this year they’ve also celebrated people who uplifted their communities during a difficult time by surprising them with “little lifts” to help out even more.

Here are a few of their stories:

Julz, hairdresser and salon owner

“As a hairdresser and salon owner, 2020 was extremely challenging,” says Julz. “Being a hairdresser has historically been a recession-proof industry, but we’ve never faced global shut down due to health risk, or pandemic, not in my lifetime. And for the first time, hairdressers didn’t have job security.”

Julz had to shut down her salon and go on unemployment benefits for the first time. She also had to figure out how she was going to support herself, her staff and her business during this difficult time. But many other beauty industry professionals didn’t have access to the resources they needed, so Julz decided to help.

“My business partner and I began teaching basic financial literacy to other beauty industry professionals,” she says. “Transitioning our business from behind the chair to an online academy was a challenge we tackled head-on so that we could move hairdressers into this new space of education, and create a more accessible curriculum to better serve our industry.

Julz connected with a TurboTax Live expert who helped her understand how unemployment affected her taxes and gave her guidance on filing quarterly estimated taxes for her small business. “I was terrified to sit at a computer and tackle this mess of receipts,” Julz says, so “it was great to have some virtual handholding to walk me through each question.”

In addition to giving Julz the personalized tax advice she needed, TurboTax Live surprised her with a “little lift” that empowered her to help even more beauty professionals. “When my tax expert Diana surprised me with a little lift, I was moved to tears,” says Julz. “With that little lift, I was able to establish a scholarship fund to help get other hairdressers the education they deserve.”

Alana, new mom

Alana welcomed her first child in 2020. “I think my biggest challenge was figuring out how to be a mom, with no guidance,” she says. “My original plan was to have my mom by my side, teaching me the ropes, but because of COVID, she wasn’t able to come out here.”

She was also without a job for most of 2020 and struggled to find something new.

So, Alana took it as a sign: she decided to launch her own business so she could support her new baby, and that’s exactly what she did. She started a feel-good company that specializes in creating affirmation card decks — and she’s currently in the process of starting a second, video-editing business.

TurboTax Live answered Alana’s questions about her taxes and gave her some much-needed advice as she prepared to launch her businesses. Thanks to their “little lift,” they provided her with a little emotional support too.

“I got my mom a plane ticket to finally [have her] meet [my daughter] for her first birthday,” Alana says. “I was also able to get a new computer,” which helped her invest in her new business and work on her video editing skills. “It’s helped my family and me so much,” she says.

Michael, science teacher

When schools shut down across the country last year, Michael had to learn how to adapt to a virtual classroom.

“As a teacher, I had to completely revamp everything,” he says, so that he could keep his students engaged while teaching online. “At the beginning, it was a nightmare because I had no idea. I had to go from A-Z within a couple of weeks.”

Michael’s TurboTax Live expert answered his questions about how working from home affected his taxes and helped him uncover surprising tax deductions. To top it all off, his expert surprised him with brand new science equipment and supplies, which allowed him to create an entire line of classes on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. “Now I can truly potentially reach millions of children with my lessons,” he says. “I would never have taken that leap if not for the little lift from TurboTax Live.”

Ricky, motivational youth speaker

As a motivational speaker, Ricky was used to doing his job in person, but, he says, “when COVID-19 hit, it altered my ability to travel and visit schools in person [because] schools moved to fully virtual or hybrid models.”

He knew he had to pivot — so he began offering small virtual group workshops for student leadership groups at middle and high schools.

“This allowed me to work with student leaders to plan how they would continue making a positive impact on their school community,” he says. He wasn’t sure how being remote would affect his taxes, but TurboTax Live Self-Employed gave him the advice and answers that he needed to keep more money in his pocket at tax time — and the little lift he received from them has helped him serve even more students.

“[It] has been a major blessing,” he says “There will be multiple schools and student groups from across the country that I can hold leadership workshops with to empower them with the tools to be inspirational leaders in their school, community, and world.”

Plus, he says, it was great knowing he had an expert to help him figure out how being remote affected his taxes. “I felt confident and assured in the process of filing my taxes knowing I had an expert working with me, says Ricky. “There were things my expert knew that I would not have considered when filing on my own.”

Filing your taxes doesn’t have to be intimidating, especially after a year like 2020. TurboTax Live experts can give you the “little lift” you need to get your taxes done. File with the help of an expert or let an expert file for you! Go to TurboTax Live to get started.

Unless you count Dr. Oz making hundreds of former Jeopardy! contestants furious for tarnishing the show’s celebration of science and facts, Aaron Rodgers has officially had the most eventful guest hosting stint on the legendary game show. The Green Bay Packers quarterback has proven fit for the podium during his 10-game stretch on the show, bantering with contestants about Packers playoff losses and just generally looking like he belongs hosting a game show.

Rodgers has put in the work, studying the game’s flow like he does opposing defenses and earning praise from the show’s staff, including someone who did the guest hosting gig himself. But on Thursday, Rodgers continued one of the finest traditions in Jeopardy! history: roasting a contestant for their biographical information after the first commercial break.

It’s a gentle moment, but something that the late Alex Trebek did so often during his tenure hosting the show. Whether it was calling a contestant really into nerdcore a “loser” or being extremely disappointing no one could get a question about football right, Trebek gently ribbed many contestants over the years. And Rodgers did the same on Thursday after a contestant named Lindsay shared a story about how people always seem to call her a different name.

Lindsay explains that people who misidentify her tend to say Ashley instead. She says that, for one reason or another, people seem to think she looks like an Ashley. And so right before he moves on to the next contestant, Rodgers says “alright Ashley, uh,” earning a big laugh from her and others on set.

The comedic timing is perfect here, as Rodgers waited for her to have her moment and then almost certainly became the most famous person to call her Ashley. And it’s yet another sign of just how comfortable Rodgers became during his time guest hosting. It’s a whirlwind experience, with just three days committed to the job, the latter two of those days filming five episodes each day. This would be the penultimate episode recorded on his second day, but it’s clear that Rodgers quickly found his groove as a guest host. And it’s a showing that’s making many wonder if he really could pull double duty and take on the role full-time, if they’d let him.

This week on Top Chef, gelato-based sponsored content (#SponCon) gave way to an exploration of the African diaspora. It was sort of a classic “one for us, one for them” situation. This season has thus far been short on reality show drama but long on good-lookin’ food. Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice goat cheese ice cream but at this point, I think I’d trade my left matcha cream puff for at least one cheftestant who isn’t there to make friends.

This week’s episode began with the introduction of Carrie “Fancy Toast” Baird, and a flashback to the time she Mormonly built an oven in the snow to bake a cake (complete with a Chef Fati cameo, RIP). This turned out to be an incredibly roundabout way of introducing a “layered dessert” challenge, sponsored by Talenti Gelato and their new line of layered gelati (that’s the plural of gelato, you strunz’!). Because nothing conveys the value of a layered dessert like a snow-cake flashback (citation needed). Hey, this is basic cable, sometimes you have to awkwardly suck off a sponsor or two. After all, they put up $10 grand.

The chefs then had 45 minutes to make a dessert, with at least three layers. 45 minutes is longer than usual, but not really that long in the context of making a dessert — certainly not for anything you have to bake, set, or freeze. Which meant this one basically came down to which chefs didn’t have a frozen component. Honestly, how much of a time crunch are you guys on? Would it be so bad to give them like two hours? Who shows up at a restaurant and is like “Tick tock, dummy, feed me your best SPEED DESSERT.”

For the elimination challenge, Chef Kwame (along with Gregory) showed up in a giant grey suit looking like the love child of David Byrne and Lenny Kravitz to take the cheftestants on a field trip to taste some pan-African cuisine, from its roots in West Africa to the diaspora in South America and the Caribbean.

Kwame and Gregory took the chefs to various restaurants, including a Jamaican restaurant, which the editors chose to pair with reggae music, no doubt pulling every creativity muscle in the process. Bold choice, guys, better start clearing mantel space for that Emmy.

The chefs were supposed to take inspiration from the food and create their own African-inspired dishes, and you can probably imagine which chefs this challenge was the hardest for (*cough* BRITTANY *cough, cough*).

Sorry about that, keyboard must’ve gone down the wrong pipe.

—

This week’s results:

Quickfire Top: Byron, Avishar*, Sara. (*winner)

Quickfire Bottom: Brittany, Kiki, Maria.

Elimination Top: Dawn*, Jamie, Shota

Elimination Bottom: Brittany**, Kiki, Chris. (**Eliminated)

—

POWER RANKINGS

13. (-9) ((Eliminated)) Brittany Anderson

AKA: St. Pauli. Cartoon. Hot Chocolate. Stifler’s Mom.

Notable Critiques: “The red stew is bland.” “She muted it with the coconut milk.” “The main problem with your dish is that it’s kind of mild.”

Chef Brittany opened this episode in tears after her partner in the previous challenge, Sasha, went home for their team dish (whose bad components were all made by Sasha; suck it up, Brittany). Brittany said she had survivor’s guilt and seemed to spend the entire episode in a Derek Zoolander-esque identity crisis, pondering her reflection in bowls of consommé. She landed in the bottom of the quickfire for the sin of including a store-bought cookie in her dish (which otherwise looked good). She was then clearly out of her depth in the elimination challenge, on account of her low tolerance for spice. Excuse me, waiter? This ganache is too zesty.

Chef Brittany, as we know, cooks “modern Alpine” and thus curries and stews and hot peppers aren’t really her thing. A lot of you readers thought I had Brittany ranked too high last week, and you can take this as sweet vindication, but you should know that my placement was based on the extremely meticulous scientific calculation of “that mushroom toast looked bomb tho.”

Brittany may or may not have been there to make friends, but she was definitely there to discover herself. But this is Top Chef not Eat, Pray, Love so after a judge’s table that resembled a therapy sesh they sent her underseasoned ass home. Hopefully, she came to some valuable insights when Tom Colicchio, inspired by some bland cucumber slaw, demanded that she search her heart and know her true self. Never count out Tough Love Tommy! I was honestly still hoping to see some of that Alpine cuisine but I’ll be pouring out some fondue for my Swiss Miss this week.

12. (+1) Chris Viaud

AKA: Stretch. Butter. Kelso.

Notable Critique: “It’s, uh… really interesting.” -Carrie Baird, on Chris’s mushroom dessert.

I’m honestly not sure how Chef Chris, who has been on the bottom or near the bottom of every challenge and chose “butter” as his special ingredient in episode one, is still on this show. I think he has “Handsome Face,” which always makes him look confident and competent and tricks you into believing that his consistent pattern of mistakes and screwups are all just temporary setbacks.

Chris made a mushroom-flavored dessert. Amazingly, that didn’t land him in the bottom three. Then in the elimination challenge, he served a smorgasbord of Haitian ingredients that according to the judges was less than the sum of its parts. “He tried a little too hard.” “This is a collection of ingredients, not a dish,” said Tom, which is a Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up”-level chef diss.

Chef Chris looks like he’s on a fast track to be sent home next, but who knows how much longer he’ll be able to fool the judges with his symmetrical features and velvety baritone.

11. (-5) Kiki Louya

AKA: Aunt Sassy. Peppers.

Notable Critiques: “That fufu was a no-go.”

I love Chef Kiki. Damn near everything she says puts me in a good mood. My instinct tells me she’s a top-five chef this season, but the hard facts show us two straight bottom-three finishes this episode, so she tumbles down the rankings. Chef Kiki attempted a play on peach pie in the quickfire (hers was the dessert I would’ve ordered off the menu), but her crust didn’t set and it landed her in the bottom three.

With her background in West-Central African cuisine, the Pan-African food challenge seemed like a layup. But sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and Chef Kiki couldn’t wrestle her fufu into edibility in time for the judges, and it hurt her. This even though they all agreed her stew was great. As an Italian who has fucked up polenta plenty of times long after I should’ve had it mastered, I commiserate on trying to wrestle a finicky starch. Still, she probably should’ve tasted it and improvised, turned it into a croquette or a puree or a crumble or something.

Remember, chefs, the phrase “____-inspired” is your friend.

10. Nelson German (-3)

AKA: Papa Bear. Ol’ Faithful.

Notable Critiques: “This was tasty, but it tastes like a lot of the food we’ve had from him before.”

Papa Bear, who has arguably the most irresistible dad energy of any contestant this season, has thus far made his bones by staying on-brand. It could be that staying in his lane is finally starting to catch up to him or it could just be that this challenge wasn’t a great draw for him. As a Dominican chef this challenge was kinda-sorta the kind of food he’s been cooking all along, but because of that, it kind of seemed like he’d mailed it in when he did more or less what he always does.

It’s always more refreshing when you bring flavors to a challenge that feel unexpected.

9. (even) Maria Mazon

AKA: Gas Can. Backdraft.

Notable Critiques: “I just want to keep eating it.”

Like Chef Kiki, Chef Maria was initially undone by a dessert component that failed to congeal (whomst among us…). But then she had a lightbulb moment when she realized that West African “red stew” is actually a lot like mole. That’s kind of the fun of food, isn’t it? Every culture’s cuisine is at once completely distinct and exactly the same.

Anyway, Maria didn’t quite make top three in the elimination challenge but it seemed like she was on the cusp. Honestly, the 6-10 spots here are basically a pick-em.

8. (+4) Byron Gomez

AKA: Manolo. Burger King.

Notable Critiques: …

Costa Rican-bred Burger King veteran Byron finally scored himself a top-three finish this week in the quickfire, thanks to his bomb-ass goat cheese ice cream (probably the first and last time I will ever use that phrase). The entirety of my notes for Byron this week consist of “goat cheese ice cream…”

So far he’s winning the prize for “most obscure competitor.”

7. (+1) Jamie Tran

Aka: Splat. Police Academy.

Notable Critiques: “She took this challenge and owned it.”

The judges loved the way Chef Jamie brought Vietnamese flair to her Pan-African couscous dish this week and it landed her in the top three in the elimination challenge. This gives Jamie a pretty solid track record this far on the show thus far, even if she has the personality of someone I wouldn’t trust to be alone around sharp things.

6. (+4) Avishar Barua

AKA: Milhouse. Chillhouse. Thrillhouse. American Pie. The Carbonator.

Notable Critique: “It was just very smart.”

Nutty Professor Milhouse over here went crazy with the liquid nitrogen in the quickfire challenge in the process of making something he called a “Bahai Bon-Bon.” Which included a component he described as “liquid cocoa graham cracker.”

Haha, cool, man. Avishar wondered if he’d over-frozen the whole thing, and when Padma made this face:

…it felt like it could go either way.

Luckily for Milhouse it turned out she liked it, so much so that he won the quickfire and made $10,000. Disappointingly, Padma didn’t make a single crack about loving the feel of Avishar’s frozen balls in her mouth. She’s really slipping.

5. (-2) Gabriel Pascuzzi

AKA: Patriarchy. Evil Gabe. Chad. Bluto. Mr. Mackie. The Noodge.

Notable Critique: “I’ll say what you guys are all thinking, this dish is too white.”

Evil Gabe wasn’t nearly so villainous this episode but as the only white American male (I think?) in the Pan-African challenge, he took his lumps anyway. He said he was making “red stew, Italian-style” which does sound kind of lame and went on to receive Tom’s most dismissive diss of the episode.

“The designer mashed potatoes? I’m kind of over it.”

4. (-2) Gabe Erales

AKA: Good Gabe. Canelo. Fozzy. The Foz. Masa Father.

Notable Critique: “I loved Gabe’s chicken, that crispiness.”

It was a relatively quiet episode for Gabe, who squirted through the non-superlative middle in both challenges, though his dishes seemed to be well received. He doesn’t seem to make a lot of mistakes.

3. (+8) Dawn Burrell

AKA: Hothead. ‘Sheed. Legs. Breaking Dawn. Milk Carton. Coco Chanel.

Notable Critiques: “She nailed the inspiration.”

Dawn had a rocky start, getting steamed at her teammates (Jamie, for wrong-siding a sauce; Evil Gabe for mansplaining ribs) and forgetting key components, but that’s two elimination challenge wins in a row now, thanks to some bomb ass goat curry. I don’t know if that’s enough to conclude that all her troubles are behind her, but it’s enough to shoot her into the top three.

2. (+3) Sara Hauman

AKA: Tails. Yogurt. Trapper Keeper. Manic Pixie Cream Sauce. Fiddlesticks.

Notable Critiques: “This is a dish I’d order again and again.”

A lot of readers said I had Sara ranked too low last week, and I want you to know that that’s only because I blame Sara for everything I like to rip on about Portland. Obviously, I’m exaggerating, but then again, Sara did make a “matcha-dusted cream puff” in the quickfire challenge, which also feels like a mean description of Sara’s personality. STOP IT, BRAIN, SARA SEEMS NICE!

Then, in the elimination challenge, Sara made “salt cod in the style of pork floss” which is bar none one of the weirdest descriptions of food that I’ve ever heard. That being said, the judges loved it, just as they’ve loved virtually everything that Sara has made so far. It’s just like Portland itself — as much as I want to rip on it for its almost painfully contrived quirks and Fruit Loop-covered donuts, it remains an infuriatingly pleasant city.

1. (even) Shota Nakajima

AKA: Beavis.

Notable Critique: “I was waiting for that spice and I got it.”

Shota, along with Avishar and Kiki, is easily among my top three favorite chefs this season. While he didn’t win either challenge this week, this chilled-out Japanese American chef with a personality like a human shaka sign chalked another top-three finish in the elimination challenge, with his black cod and cabbage. And this in a Pan-African challenge that should’ve been a huge stretch for Shota and his notably un-spicy Japanese food background.

Instead of tearing him down, the judges swooned once again. While he’s not exactly running away with this thing and winning in a rout every challenge like the ’92 Dream Team, it feels like he’s done enough to earn the top spot for the second week in a row.

Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

Rumblings began on April 10 that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis were at least nearing their returns to the floor for the Los Angeles Lakers. While James’ timeline is still unclear, the Lakers relayed some positive news on Thursday evening, with head coach Frank Vogel bringing word that Davis could be on the court in game action as early as next Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks after being cleared to practice in full — the Lakers play the Jazz on Saturday and Monday, but Vogel said it was unlikely he’d be back that soon.

Davis has been sidelined for more than two months with a calf strain and tendinosis in his right leg, last appearing on the floor on Feb. 14 in a road loss to Denver. As a result of the long absence, he won’t hit the ground running with full deployment, with Vogel indicating the Lakers will take their time and keep Davis on a minutes limit in the early going.

The 28-year-old Davis was utterly dominant in the 2020 NBA Playoffs and, in 23 games this season, he is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. In short, the Lakers need him at his optimal output by the time the playoffs roll around but, given the team’s pedigree and solid standing in the Western Conference playoff picture, taking things slow seems wise. Davis could be back in just a week, however, and that is very positive news as Los Angeles attempts to defend their title in a loaded West.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has already made some notable news about the latest Indiana Jones movie, and now we’re learning about some other interesting names coming into the fold. The latest is Mads Mikkelsen, who reportedly will join Harrison Ford and the aforementioned Fleabag creator and star in the next edition of the adventure epic.

According to Deadline, the Stephen Spielberg classic will get new direction from James Mangold, and a slew of new characters, including an undisclosed role from the Hannibal star.

Following the news that Phoebe Waller-Bridge had landed the female lead in the next Indiana Jones movie, Lucasfilm has found Harrison Ford’s next co-star in Mads Mikkelsen, who is set to join the next installment.

…

The hope is to start production this summer, with Mangold meeting with other talent for other roles in preparation for production. Plot details are still vague on what new adventure awaits Jones, as are details behind who Mikkelsen will play. The film is set to bow on July 29, 2022.

As Deadline pointed out, Mikkelsen is adding his name to a number of franchises these days, though this time he’s not replacing the series’ biggest star. The Danish actor recently replaced Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts series, which has had a number of troubles outside of Depp’s legal woes. But Jones is largely unscathed by scandal, unless you consider the Shia LeBeouf film in the series particular egregious.

[via Deadline]

There has been a tidal wave of anti-trans legislation proposed over the past few months in the U.S. At least 17 states are now considering restricting anyone under the age of 18 from transition-related care.

Texas is currently debating two anti-trans bills. Once would criminalize parents for allowing their children to receive gender-affirming treatments. Another would criminalize healthcare professionals who administer them.

For a state that prides itself on promoting personal freedom, these bills go out of their way to punish medical professionals and parents for making deeply personal choices. Shouldn’t doctors and parents have the right to make medical decisions for children without the state’s involvement?

At a hearing for the legislation, one of the bill’s lead sponsors, Republican State Senator Charles Perry, said he felt obliged to protect children “who have not reached the maturity to understand what is being proposed nor the impact on them in perpetuity.”

10-year-old Kai Shappley, a transgender girl, testified at the hearing and delivered a polite, but blistering rebuttal to conservative lawmakers.

Kai is best known for her role on Netflix’s “The Baby-Sitters Club.” She was also the subject of an Emmy-winning short film by the ACLU, “Trans in America: Texas Strong.”

Her performance at the hearing showed that legislation like this was hurtful to children who are already dealing with major challenges. “I do not like spending my free time asking adults to make good choices,” Shappley told lawmakers. “I’ve been having to explain myself since I was 3 or 4 years old. Texas legislators have been attacking me since pre-K. I am in fourth grade now.”

“It makes me sad that some politicians use trans kids like me to get votes from people who hate me just because I exist,” she said.

She also responded to Perry who gave a religious reason for his anti-trans legislation. “God made me. God loves me for who I am, and God does not make mistakes,” Shappley responded.

She also urged lawmakers to educate themselves on the topic and reminded them that “bullying is bad.”

Kai gave some historical context to the hearing by reminding lawmakers they are clearly on the wrong side of history. “I want to say thank you to those of you who are sticking up for kids like me,” she said. “By the time I’m in college, you will be celebrated in the history books.”

After her testimony, she was greeted by a warm round of applause.

It’s a shame to see a 10-year-old girl appear at a hearing to affirm her basic rights to a group of people who clearly have no idea what she and other children like her go through. But her appearance does put a real, human face to this legislation and shows the world who these lawmakers are demonizing.

Kai Shappley shouldn’t have to do what she does, but it’s truly incredible to see someone so young, poised, and credible have the confidence at such a young age to speak truth to power.

Some cats have it all. Seriously.

For some cat owners, their furry friends are equal to (or in some cases, greater than) humans, and they have the digs to prove it.

Take, for instance, the adorable little bedroom Twitter user @CinnamonBear9 shared with the world this week. Kitty has a bed, complete with bedspread that matches mom’s and dad’s. He has pictures on the walls, a rug, a miniature chair, some tiny yarn balls, and a mini scratching post. And the pièce de résistance? A wooden wall frame that holds a tablet so the cat can watch bird videos on YouTube.

CinnamonBear on Twitter

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“Here is the bedroom we finished for our cat this weekend,” they wrote. “He actually goes in to nap and watch birds on YouTube. :)”

No, he really does, though.

Like, actually.

CinnamonBear on Twitter

twitter.com

This couple is not the first to share an epic tiny home they made for their cat. Check out the posh pad of this cat from @newbuild_newlyweds on TikTok. And this is after a makeover of the first fancy closet home their kitty was fortunate to have.

Don’t worry, the cat can’t get trapped in that closet. In another video, they showed the most adorable cat door ever made (look at the back!) that allows the cat to go in and out at her leisure.

If you’re thinking that there’s no way a cat needs that kind of castle, you’re probably right. But that doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate it. This puddy tat made herself at home in a kid’s dollhouse, after all.

Maybe it was supposed to be a hint for her owners. “I desire a cat cave, complete with wall decor. Make it so, hooman.”

Then again, most cats are never more blissful than when they are sitting in a simple cardboard box, so…yeah. No pressure to keep up with Joneses’ fancy-schmancy cat cribs.

However, there’s always Peter Cohen, the home builder with 22 rescue cats who transformed his home into a complete playground for cats, who puts everyone else to shame.

(Make sure your cats aren’t around to see this. They’ll side-eye you forever.)

(Also, can the Cohens adopt me, please?)

We Revisit Man’s Cat Playland and our Hearts Explode Again

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Those of us with cats know that cats are quirky and finicky and there’s no real pleasing them no matter what we do. There is affection when they feel like it and contentedness at random. Their alternating aloofness and demands for attention are what make cats the oddly lovable creatures they are, and their independent spirits are what draw us to them in the first place. (That and their gorgeousness. Cats really are the perfect specimen.)

So whether you treat your feline friend to the life of a princess or a pauper, just know that they may or may not care either way. It probably depends on the day, the alignment of the stars, the direction of the wind, or some other variable that only cats know and refuse to confess.

But if putting together a home makeover for your cat makes you happy, by all means, knock yourself out. If your cat ends up loving it, fabulous—your work will have been worth it. And if your cat ends up ignoring it completely, at least you’ve got some adorable photo ops out of it.

Golden State Warriors rookie James Wiseman suffered a right knee injury on Tuesday during the team’s 125-109 victory over the Houston Rockets. Following the injury, reports surfaced that the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft could miss the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign as a result of a torn meniscus and, on Thursday, the Warriors announced that Wiseman had successful surgery to address the issue.

Wiseman’s rookie season ends after only 39 games, with the seven-footer appearing for 21.4 minutes per game. He averaged 11.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest, shooting 51.9 percent from the floor and making 27 starts for the playoff-contending Warriors.

“He puts on a brave face,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Wednesday. “Obviously, we saw him [Tuesday] at practice and had a chance to visit with him, and he’s in relatively good spirits, but he’s putting on a brave face for sure. He’s a young guy — this isn’t supposed to happen so early in someone’s career. So it’s a tough time for sure. So fingers are crossed, and we’ll see how everything goes [Thursday].”

Golden State’s official statement indicates that Wiseman will be re-evaluated in September, potentially ruling him out of any Summer League action, should the league hold the annual event in Las Vegas. Still, hopes are high for Wiseman as a core piece of the Warriors in the future and, even after the surgery, he projects to be healthy and available for the start of the 2021-22 campaign.