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Julius Randle’s 2020-21 campaign isn’t over yet, but on Tuesday night, a report indicated he will receive an award for what he managed to do this season. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Randle is the NBA’s 2020-21 Most Improved Player after taking a step forward and playing a gigantic role in getting the New York Knicks to the postseason for the first time since 2012-13.

While the other finalists for the award, Detroit’s Jerami Grant and Denver’s Michael Porter Jr., were both magnificent this season, Randle has seemingly been the clear-cut choice for the award for some time. Long regarded as a respectable, productive player, Randle became the alpha dog for a surprising Knicks squad, leading the team in a number of statistical categories and usually ending close games with the ball in his hands.

In his second season as a member of the Knicks, Randle averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and six assists in 37.6 minutes per game, all of which are career-best marks. He also attempted 45.6 percent of his field goal attempts and knocked down 41.1 percent of his triples, the latter of which is also a career-high.

As for the postseason, Randle and the Knicks find themselves in a hole, as they trail the Atlanta Hawks in their first-round series, 0-1, after a thrilling Game 1. Randle struggled in that one, which doubled as his playoff debut, scoring 15 points and pulling in 10 rebounds while shooting 6-for-23 from the field.

Cillian Murphy is one of the big additions to the world of A Quiet Place Part II, but for him it wasn’t just another gig. It was a project he greatly respected. Interviews with the Irish actor and DC vet that were conducted over a year ago — before the pandemic hit, delaying the sequel’s release — are only now starting to hit, and in some he’s confessed to writing a gushing letter to John Krasinski, the series’ director, co-writer, and actor, before getting cast. But he never sent it.

The story seems to first appear in a post by Hollywood.com released last March. “I saw it in the cinema with my two sons,” Murphy he told WENN. “It knocked me out emotionally. It ticks all the horror-thriller boxes.” It stuck with him so much that he did what fans have long done to stars and filmmakers they admire.

“After I saw the movie I was so blown away by it I had to write to John Krasinski, because I didn’t know him and I hadn’t worked with [his wife] Emily [Blunt] before,” he said. “I was just big fans of both of them. I wrote this email to John saying how much I enjoyed the film and congratulating him on it. Then I chickened out and I never sent it! I was like, ‘You don’t need to be doing that. He’s a busy man. He doesn’t need to hear from some actor!’

A year later Murphy wound up getting a call from Krasinski, seeing if he was interested in the sequel, which Murphy called “a lovely sort of serendipity or simpatico that he was thinking of me for that part.”

The story was brought up in a Hollywood Reporter interview that was done around the same time but which has only now been published. Murphy was asked about reaching out to fellow actors, to let them know when they’ve done something above and beyond.

“I think it’s a healthy thing amongst artists to reach out and to compliment your colleagues on their work, whether you know them or not,” Murphy told THR. “I don’t tend to do it so much with actors and screenwriters because it can look like you’re just petitioning for a job, and that’s probably the reason I didn’t send it to John.”

He continued:

But I have done it many times with musicians, writers and novelists, just to say, “Look, you don’t know me, but I wanted to say your creation had a big impact on me. It was a serious piece of work and thank you for that.” It’s important for us to do that because a lot of this industry is set up around representatives, and I think, sometimes, the sort of artist-to-artist interaction can be lost.

THR also asked Murphy about one of his other jobs: playing Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan’s beloved Batman films. It wasn’t the role he was initially asked to play. In fact, he auditioned for the Caped Crusader himself. His screen test was made available back in 2019, which Murphy said is “not something I’d really wish to see more than once.” But he has no beef losing the part to Christian Bale.

“I don’t believe I was close to landing that role. The only actor who was right for that part at that time, in my estimation, was Christian Bale, and he absolutely smashed it,” Murphy said. “So, for me, it was just an experience, and then it turned into something else. It turned into that character, Scarecrow, and it turned into a working relationship with Chris. So I think back very, very fondly on that time, but I never, ever, ever considered myself Bruce Wayne material.”

(Via Hollywood.com and THR)

A dog is a man’s best friend, so the saying goes. On the other hand, many dogs actually show a preference for women over men. We also know that dogs are famously loyal to their owners. So what happens when a dog is forced to choose between its human parents?

Judging by this viral TikTok video, a fair bit of hilarity.

TikTok user @kamilandra_ shared a video with the hashtag #dogchallengerunaway, which calls on people to “Run in opposite directions to see who your dog loves more…” In the video, the couple’s Yorkshire terrier is placed between its owners, who simultaneously run away from it in opposite directions. Forced to choose who to follow, the doggo looks back and forth, barks a couple of times, then starts spinning around in circles. It stops facing one owner, then spins the other direction and stops facing the other owner. Then it keeps doing the same thing over and over, clearly caught up in a fit of indecision.

Impressive show of equal loyalty there, pups.

The video has been viewed more than 10 million times. People adore the sweet pupper’s faithfulness to both of its owners. Comments on the video range from “You broke your dog!” to “He’s playing spin the bottle with himself!” to “He said, “I CHOOSE ME!!!!'”

Many dogs would show a clear preference for one person over another, which is part of what makes this dog’s reaction so sweet (and kind of sad, in a “Sophie’s Choice” sort of way).

What would really be funny is to see someone try to pull this on a cat. You know a cat would just sit there, staring straight ahead, silently judging us humans for our ridiculousness.

Dogs are something else. We definitely don’t deserve them.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got the fiery new EP from Mannequin Pussy, a collaborative track from Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, and the announcement of a new album from Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime

If you were a fan of Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s Superwolf earlier this year, you probably will recognize Mdou Moctar’s frantic, fierce guitar tone. The Nigerian phenom’s excellent album Afrique Victime falls into the category of projects that make you think “they just don’t make em like this anymore!” Spanning just nine tracks, Afrique Victime “is loaded with moments where Moctar steps out of the song in order to ram his guitar directly into your guts,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx.

Mannequin Pussy – Perfect

Although Mannequin Pussy’s new EP Perfect clocks in at just 15 minutes across its five songs, the ferocity and strategic sequencing work together to illustrate the full spectrum of Mannequin Pussy’s unstoppable power. All told, Perfect is what I called in a recent feature on the band “an excellent collection of power pop and punk rock songs, but also a reminder of just how vital music can make you feel when it’s been missing for so long.”

Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen – “Like I Used To”

It’s hard to believe that indie legends Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen haven’t collaborated on music until now. The duo’s first-ever joint release, “Like I Used To” is what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx a “bold Americana” track, and both songwriters have confessed that the opportunity to work together served as a reminder of the beauty of creating music.

Bleachers – “Stop Making This Hurt”

Jack Antonoff has certainly been keeping busy with a jam-packed production schedule since the last Bleachers release. Now, he is finally ready to turn his attention back to his solo project, with the forthcoming Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night. The new LP is preceded by “Stop Making This Hurt,” a jazzy number that continues the introspection and reconciliation with grief that Antonoff began to dig into on “Chinatown,” the Bruce Springsteen collaboration that dropped late last year.

Vundabar – “Aphasia”

Vundabar has been more or less prolific over the last several years. Now, barely a year after the release of their last full-length album Either Light, the Boston outfit is back with “Aphasia.” The track is more low-energy than what we’re used to hearing from the band, and came to be after songwriter Brandon Hagen’s father suffered a stroke that left him with global aphasia.

Japanese Breakfast – “Savage Good Boy”

2021 is a huge year for Michelle Zauner, with the recent release of her debut memoir Crying In H Mart, and the forthcoming new Japanese Breakfast LP, Jubilee, which is just around the corner. Ahead of the album’s release, Zauner has shared “Savage Good Boy,” a relatively straightforward track featuring grand piano accents that was inspired by an article discussing how billionaire’s are buying bunkers to prepare for the possible coming apocalypse (that they likely had a hand in perpetuating).

Pronoun – “I’m Right Back In It”

Pronoun’s I’ll Show You Stronger was one of our favorite sleeper albums of 2019, and Alysse Vellturo’s forthcoming EP OMG I Made It picks up right where the full-length left off. “I’m Right Back In It” is another beautiful, anthemic bedroom pop number that might feature what is very possibly Vellturo’s most infectious hook to date.

Hurry – “A Fake Idea”

Philadelphia outfit Hurry make beautiful music, plain and simple. “A Fake Idea” is the (almost) title track from the band’s forthcoming album Fake Idea, and finds songwriter Matt Scottoline wishing so hard for different realities that he starts to manifest them for himself, over shimmering guitars and gorgeous melodic structures.

Just Friends ft. Lil B – “Stupid”

On a recent episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen discussed new bands that might be able to push ska back into the mainstream. Just Friends are certainly in the running to be that band that breaks through, especially with their insanely fun new track “Stupid,” which features none other than Lil B.

Bad Luck – “ROY”

Pop punk seems to be making a comeback these days. New York outfit Bad Luck represents what the future of the genre might sound like, with fun and catchy melodies anchored by massive drums and distinct vocals. “ROY” is a song about pushing through peer-induced stagnancy and trying to find a path that truly makes you happy. No one else matters.

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

Today’s wrestling thespians are not like they used to be. Back in the day, Hulk Hogan was barely credible playing other wrestlers in movies, much less Mr. Nanny. A modern pugilist can do it all. Right now we have three bona fide wrasslin’ movie stars: Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, and Dave Bautista. They can do action, but they can also do comedy, some light drama, maybe even some romance, if someone would let them. So when Bautista, who’s said he’s probably done with Marvel, announced that he really wants to play Ernest Hemingway, it wasn’t like Macho Man Randy Savage demanding he play Macbeth. In fact, it made some sense.

Bautista was speaking to Polygon about Army of the Dead, Zack Snyder’s new Vegas zombie pic when the subject of a dream role came up. “I’ve given a lot of thought to inspirational stories I could play, interesting stories I could play. And the one that seems to keep coming back to me is Ernest Hemingway,” Bautista said. “If I could play any character, I still think it would be him. I think I could do him justice. I think he’s so interesting, everything about his life, and the way he lived, and also the way he died. It’s just very intriguing, his ideas are intriguing to me.”

There was another role he’s been more seeking more publicly. “I’ve also been very vocal lately about playing Bane in the DC Universe, and I still feel very strongly that I could do that character justice,” he said. “So fiction vs. non-fiction, that would be Bane or Ernest Hemingway.”

Perhaps you never thought the WWE guy who played Drax the Destroyer would be a perfect fit for the guy who wrote A Moveable Feast, but, now that he mentions it, it doesn’t sound so far-fetched. Hemingway was one of literature’s more macho superstars — a burly hard drinker whose succinct, no-frills prose style belies his tough-guy image.

So, if you have yet to watch Ken Burns’ new documentary series on Hemingway, do so while trying to imagine the guy from My Spy embodying him onscreen. Get on this biopic, cineastes, and let’s get the guy who once got into a backstage fight with Ric Flair his Oscar.

(Via Polygon)

Fans of gritty, ultraviolent New York rap rejoice. DMX‘s long-awaited track with the members of Griselda Records, “Hood Blues,” has arrived and it doesn’t disappoint. Opening with a slinky, sinister kick-snare combo and the signature ad-libs of its primary performers — X’s growl and Gunn’s tongue-trilling automatic rifle effects — the new track hearkens back to an era when visiting the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time could result in some pretty unpleasant experiences.

With “Hood Blues” providing a guidepost to the sound of X’s upcoming posthumous album Exodus, fans now have a better idea of what to expect from the Swizz Beatz-produced project, which X’s longtime collaborator played in full for a select group of DJs and fellow industry pros during a private listening session on Zoom last week.

It’s certainly vintage-sounding DMX material, built around a sample of Lee Mason & His Orchestra’s “Shady Blues” and recalling Swizz’s more recent, stripped-down work more so than the raucous, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink synth approach he used earlier in his career. If Exodus continues in the same vein of “Hood Blues,” then it should satisfy longtime X fans and newcomers alike — and, on a personal note, I can’t wait to hear Jay-Z and Nas on a beat in this style, which could bring out the latent chemistry they’ve only rarely been able to tap into.

Listen to “Hood Blues” above. Exodus is out 5/28 on Def Jam.

During a lengthy and candid profile in GQ that covered everything from his graying hair to being rocketed to fame overnight thanks to the breakout success of MTV’s Jackass in the early 2000s, stuntman-turned-actor Johnny Knoxville ran into one challenge that still gives him pause: Talking about his friends’ and co-stars’ struggles with addiction. While Knoxville isn’t afraid to get knocked unconscious by a bull or severely injure his urethra in a motorcycle stunt (this happened, he discussed it with glee), the Jackass star showed his vulnerable side when the conversation turned to how others handled their sudden fame.

After touting Steve-O’s sobriety and stating how proud he is that his co-star is doing “terrific” and is a “different, different man,” Knoxville danced around the dark cloud hanging in the air: Bam Margera. Margera was cut from Jackass 4 for allegedly refusing to stay sober on the set and has been blasting Knoxville in the press and recently went on TMZ to accuse his Jackass family of “betraying” him. It was a topic that Knoxville was hesitant to discuss, but he eventually aired his feelings. Via GQ:

“I think each of us was responsible for his own actions,” he said, measured. “And when someone’s struggling, everyone tries to help that person. And at the end of the day, that person has to want help. Sometimes they don’t. Yet.”

I asked him if he was speaking about anyone specifically.

He looked away, visibly emotional. Half a minute passed.

“We want Bam to be happy and healthy and get the help he needs,” he said. “We tried to push that along. I think that’s all I really want to say about it.”

The conversation was also darkened by the death of Jackass co-star Ryan Dunn who died in a DUI accident in 2011. While Dunn was closer to Margera thanks to the two growing up together in eastern PA, it affected the whole crew, and Knoxville admitted to GQ that watching his friends struggle has been “challenging.”

Not wanting to get into a “public back-and-forth,” Knoxville ended the subject by expressing his hopes for Margera. “I just want him to get better.”

(Via GQ)

Paul Reed read The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure during his stint in the NBA G League Bubble earlier this year. The book conveyed the divide between people stating or writing down their goals and actually realizing them, emphasizing how much work is required to bridge that gap.

In response, Reed embraced journaling, which helped him establish and adhere to a daily routine. The goal was to stimulate him spiritually, physically, and mentally, facilitating the manifestation of his two overarching objectives from the Bubble: Win G League MVP and the G League championship. In 15 games with the Delaware Blue Coats, Reed, a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers, accomplished the former, averaging 22.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.9 blocks on 65.9 percent true shooting.

The tasks scribbled down in his journal gave him a daily sense of structure. Every morning began with prayer — Reed says he’s “always been a spiritual person” but connected more intimately that side of himself after being baptized last year. He’d then fire up YouTube for a core workout from Chris Heria’s “Get Shredded” plan, followed by conditioning exercises.

“My neighbors in the Bubble, they used to hear me like early in the morning,” Reed told Dime. “They used to be like, ‘What are you doing? You’re up early, making all that noise.’ But I was getting it out the mud, doing that ugly work.”

If there is one thing you need to know about Reed, it is that he carries a mindset and a mantra alongside him in his NBA journey: Fearless and Out The Mud. He will not be scared of anyone or anything, nor will he ever shy away from the grind and everything it encapsulates, particularly the unglamorous aspects that can make it easy to cut corners.

It’s why a G League MVP and title — the individual and collective apex of this season’s Bubble — were his goals as a rookie. It’s why every day is filled with a combination of core, leg, chest, and conditioning exercises, as well as prayer, meditation, reading, Bible study, and film sessions, the last of which is accompanied by diligent note-taking. It’s why he sought to complete 200 push-ups every day inside the Bubble.

Reed is transparent: He didn’t check off every task in his journal every day — “I was doing most stuff,” he’s quick to stress. But getting every single thing done wasn’t his main objective. He wanted to hold himself accountable and track his progress, at least ensuring he was reinforcing his words with definitive action and expecting more out of himself than anyone else.

“You gotta get out the mud. You ain’t gonna have nobody giving it to you,” Reed says. “And it’s like you gotta go and do some dirty work for it, some work work. It’s not going to be fun, but it’s going to be like ugly. That’s the reality. That’s what some of us got to do to achieve our goals. Do that dirty work, that ugly work that nobody wanna do.”

Those 15 games inside the Bubble provided Reed the opportunity to alert people of his basketball talents — “I feel like a lot of people didn’t know that I was actually good,” he says — while also reinforcing his self-confidence. In the times he’s seen the floor with the Sixers since returning from the G League, he’s visibly more confident in his own abilities.

The challenge for Reed, beyond the imposing duty of acclimating to the gap in competition level between the NBA and G League, is tailoring his game to fit what Philadelphia asks of him. With the Blue Coats, he was the offensive centerpiece, playing 31.5 minutes a night, launching 16.3 shots and averaging 22.3 points per game. With the Sixers, he is expected to embody the responsibilities of a role player, where he focuses on defensive communication and positioning — particularly in pick-and-roll coverage — while setting rugged screens and balancing discretion and aggression as a scorer.

“I try to make sure that I do anything I can to help us win, or making sure we do better when I’m in than when I’m out, just making sure I’m making a positive impact on the game. It’s an adjustment, for sure, (from) being the focal point on offense,” Reed says. “Now, you’re with the team, with everybody that can score and that’s good, so you gotta be more of a team player. I think that’s what (Sixers coach) Doc (Rivers) is looking for in me.”

His Sixers tenure has seen him bond with a bevy of veterans and team leaders. Tobias Harris advises him on how to handle money and connects him with the proper people or resources for further help. Mike Scott pays for his haircuts. Danny Green takes him shopping. Dwight Howard teaches him the ropes of life on the road and how to manage time. He and Ben Simmons often eat out together — specifically at their go-to spot, Steak 48 — and the former No. 1 pick enlightens Reed on how to stay discreet in public areas.

“That’s my guy,” Reed says of Simmons. “All the vets are just looking out for me.”

After Philadelphia’s first preseason game back in December, Reed tweeted, “Finna have to get it out the mud again.” The tweet exploded, garnering over 1,600 likes and an outpouring of responses from Sixers supporters. It laid the groundwork for Reed to become a folk hero among the fanbase. His nickname, “BBall Paul,” a reference to his Twitter handle, is the primary way people refer to him.

The Sixers’ TV broadcast duo of Marc Zumoff and Alaa Abdelnaby call him Bball Paul, as does public address announcer Matt Cord. Despite playing fewer than 200 minutes during the regular season, Reed is carving out a niche within the organization and among Philly’s famously rabid fanbase.

“It gives me a boost of confidence, knowing that the fans like me. It’s a great feeling. I’m just grateful to play for a city that has fans that are so in tune with the teams,” he says. “It caught me off guard. I ain’t think that me tweeting ‘Finna get it out the mud again’ was gonna catch so many people’s attention.”

As a means of bonding with the Sixers community and expanding his personal brand, Reed launched an Out The Mud apparel line through PWRFWD to supplement his Fearless line of merchandise. PWRFWD collaborates with fellow professional athletes such as WNBA superstars A’Ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Liz Cambage, along with NBA peers like Duncan Robinson and Mo Bamba. The intention is “empowering athletes to connect with fans on a deeper level through their own custom-made products.”

That’s the entire inspiration for Reed: sharing his Fearless mindset and Out The Mud mantra with the general population. He will always carry those creeds throughout his basketball journey and PWRFWD is a platform to publicize them.

He says the Out The Mud slides are his favorite item, but the chance to select one favorite became two favorites and then three favorites — because no look is complete without coordination.

“Get you some Out The Mud slides,” he says. “And then, Out The Mud hoodie. … The Out The Mud socks are hard, too.”

Of course, with Reed, everything is always about getting out the mud.

TNT has landed The Great One for its new NHL studio show, as they look to turn their NHL studio coverage into something as beloved as Inside The NBA.

According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, Wayne Gretzky has agreed to a deal that will pay him around $3 million a year to be the lead face of their studio coverage. Gretzky will bring immediate name recognition for casual hockey fans, and the move comes just after Gretzky announced he was stepping down from his post as vice chairman of the Edmonton Oilers.

Per Marchand, Charles Barkley played a major role in recruiting Gretzky, who passed on offers from ESPN to headline their NHL coverage and will join Turner instead. Barkley and Gretzky are both avid golfers and friends, so Turner had a little extra inside access to tip the scales in their favor to land the biggest name in hockey.

Getting Gretzky is big for TNT, but as they know all too well with Inside The NBA, it’s not just about having big names. They’ll have to ensure they have plenty of personality alongside Gretzky to get him to be open and maximize the value that comes from having such a legendary figure on set. We’ll have to wait to find out who else they have in mind, but with the centerpiece in place they can begin that process of surrounding him with a host and other analysts that they hope can make their new NHL show a hit.

Mr Inbetween (FX, 10:00 & 10:30pm) — The third season begins with Ray’s life looking different, especially while mourning Bruce, raising Brittany, and caring for Bill. Of course, Brittany is growing ever-closer to discovering who Ray really is and what he does, which is doing the hitman thing while holding onto his own strict ethical code and balancing his family life. Meanwhile, severing ties with Freddy complicates matters when a criminal kingpin makes Ray’s struggle feel even more intense. Will he give up the life at any point? He’s starting to question matters.

The Flash (CW, 8:00pm) — A dangerous force descends upon Central City, so Barry and Iris must join forces to halt more destruction.

Mental Samurai (FOX 9:00pm) — Is Rob Lowe on every show now? Not quite, but Season 2 begins with Mr. Handsome and a fresh batch of contestants, including an NFL player who wants to prove his brains in addition to his brawn.

Cruel Summer (Freeform, 9:00pm) — This new series heads into Week Two. The story goes down in the 1990s and follows the aftermath of a popular teen going missing. When a seemingly unrelated shy student suddenly becomes massively popular, well, things look pretty strange. This week, Kate’s struggling to keep a secret or let it go while Mallory receives a surprise.

Mike Tyson: The Knockout (ABC, 8:00pm) — This documentary follows the boxer’s transformation from bullied child to boxing icon, for better or for worse.

Superman & Lois (CW, 9:00pm) — Lois looks for special help from Clark, who’s also attempting to help Jordan with his newfound power.

Chad (TBS, 10:30pm) — SNL veteran Nasim Pedrad takes on the title role, that of a 14-year-old boy, and this week, Chad must choose between popularity and truth when people believe he’s a hate-crime victim.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Gayle King, BTS

Jimmy Kimmel Live — Lena Waithe, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Allison Russell Feat. Brittney Spencer, Brandi Carlile

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Kevin Hart, Chrissy Metz, St. Vincent

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Jake Tapper, Paul W. Downs

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Andrew Rannells

In case you missed these streaming picks:

Army Of The Dead (Netflix film) — Zack Snyder’s pretty much the King of Streaming at the moment after Justice League scored big for HBO Max on the superhero front, and he’s spreading his love around over at Netflix while going back to his undead-loving roots. This zombie-heist movie follows a group of mercenaries who head into the Las Vegas quarantine zone to pull off the ultimate heist. Watch out for those intelligent zombies, through, and an undead tiger. Fortunately, Dave Bautista is aided by hot Tig Notaro (who replaced Chris D’Elia) — both good reasons to root for humanity.

Solos (Amazon Prime limited series) — This dramatic anthology series, which hails from David Weil (who also created Hunters), aims to explore the power of human connection while gazing through the eyes of seven individuals, who embody their own stories. The series stars Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Helen Mirren, Uzo Aduba, Nicole Beharie, Anthony Mackie, Dan Stevens, and Constance Wu, and expect to witness stories that will illuminate the human experience, even during times of isolation.