It feels like an annual tradition for Kevin Love to be connected to trade rumors with the Portland Trail Blazers, having grown up in the area and being the kind of player, at least in his prime, the Blazers have long been looking for to complement Damian Lillard. That the Blazers have a Cleveland native in CJ McCollum who makes the money work has only further fueled hometown reunion dreams on the trade machine for years, but nothing of substance has ever really come of it.
Still, that hasn’t stopped the rumors and it also hasn’t stopped Love from thinking of what it would be like to play back at home. On Monday, Chris Haynes had a new episode of his Posted Up podcast with Kevin Love as his guest in the midst of the latest controversy surrounding him and his frustrations in Cleveland after he slapped a ball inbounds and refused to take shots the next game. In the interview, Love was asked about possibly going back to Portland and rather than deflecting, he didn’t shy away from talking about how much he’d enjoy going home and playing with Damian Lillard.
Kevin Love on “Posted Up w/ C. Haynes Pod” reveals he’d love to play for hometown Trail Blazers.
“Who wouldn’t want to play with Dame Lillard?…If I was wearing a Portland jersey, that’s special. That’s playing at home.”
There’s a lot of guys that feel this way — both about playing with Dame and playing in their hometown — but rarely do they talk about it publicly. However, it seems Love isn’t interested in being demure in Cleveland anymore and in a time where Cavs fans already aren’t pleased with the behavior of the longtime star forward, this will only throw gasoline on the fire. It doesn’t really mean anything — trading for Love is almost impossible for Portland right now because giving up McCollum for this version of Love would be an awful trade — and we’ll never know what his intent here really is, but plenty will read it as Love campaigning to get out of Cleveland and if the relationship between he and the fanbase weren’t already strained enough, this will further that divide.
YG and Mozzy are now two for two when it comes to their 2021 collaborations. After taking the world on a tour through their respective hoods in the “Bompton To Oak Park” video a couple of weeks ago, the two California natives head to the beach in their new video for “Perfect Timing,” inviting LA crooner Blxst and a bevvy of beautiful women along for the ride.
Incidentally, Mozzy and YG will be elaborating on their fiery chemistry with a joint album, also titled Perfect Timing. According to a press release, the album will be out later this month.
Perfect Timing may end up experiencing a case of just that, as all three Golden State rappers are on hot streaks carrying over from projects released in 2020 or earlier this year. While Blxst rides out the wave of goodwill that buoyed his debut EP No Love Lost with a deluxe version and a string of well-received videos like “Fck Boys,” “Chosen,” and an Uproxx Sessions performance of “Pressure,” YG launched his 4Hunnid label with an EP from his young signees Day Sulan and D3szn. Mozzy, who dropped two albums in 2020, has also raised his profile considerably in the past year.
YG and Mozzy’s joint album is due later this month. Watch the “Perfect Timing” video above.
Netflix just dropped the glamorous new trailer for its upcoming limited series, Halston, which focuses on the rise and fall of fashion icon Roy Halston Frowick as he navigates the debaucherous New York City fashion scene of the ’70s and ’80s. The film stars Ewan McGregor as the famously out designer, who was known for his flamboyant and heavily-photographed friendship with Liza Minelli.
However, McGregor’s casting has not been without controversy. During a recent interview, McGregor defended being cast in the role (despite identifying as straight) after Billy Porter‘s criticism about heterosexual actors snatching up gay roles. “I hear the discussion and I respect both sides of it, I really do,” McGregor told THR. “I haven’t walked in Billy Porter’s shoes. I don’t know what it’s like to lose out parts when you might feel it’s to do with your sexuality. So I can only respect his point of view.”
While being aware of the ongoing conversation, McGregor attempted to justify his decision to accept the part. “If it had been a story about Halston’s sexuality more, then maybe it’s right that gay actors should play that role,” he said. “But in this case — and I don’t want to sound like I’m worming out of this, because it’s something I did think a lot about — I suppose ultimately I felt like it was just one part of who he was.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
The limited series Halston follows the legendary fashion designer (Ewan McGregor), as he leverages his single, invented name into a worldwide fashion empire that’s synonymous with luxury, sex, status and fame, literally defining the era he lives in, 1970’s and ‘80’s New York — until a hostile takeover forces him to battle for control of his most precious asset… the name Halston itself.
Still, Cinco de Mayo has become something of a de facto day to honor Mexico’s incredible food and drink scenes and we’re happy to give the love (and also to commemorate the Mexican army’s win over the French in the Battle of Puebla back in 1862). With that aim, we’d like to suggest hoisting a few Mexican-style lagers on Cinco (make sure to enjoy some imports from Mexico, too!). We’ve broken down eight of our favorites below.
You don’t have to wait until Cinco de Mayo to enjoy this crisp, refreshing Mexican-style lager from Indianapolis’ Sun King Brewery — it’s available year-round. Brewed with Pilsner and Six-Row malts as well as a smattering of Bravo hops, one sip of this brew and you’ll want to drink it from now until October.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll be greeted with aromas of sweet malts, bright, floral hops, and subtle citrus zest. On the palate, you’ll find flavors of fresh-cut grass, sweet cereal, pine, and just a bit of hop bitterness. It all ends with a dry, crisp, subtly sweet finish.
Bottom Line:
Like many Mexican-style lagers, Pachanga is a session beer. It’s light, refreshing, and a great accompaniment to Mexican food or grilled meats.
El Sully is named for one of the founders of San Francisco’s 21st Amendment. It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not, announcing on the label that it’s a Mexican-style lager that was “hecho en America.” Brewed with Pilsner, Vienna, and Acidulated malts as well as flaked maize and Magnum and US Golding hops, this year-round beer was made from warm-weather drinking.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to breathe in the aromas of sweet malts, citrus zest, and caramel sweetness before taking a sip. The palate is swirling with flavors like flowers, caramel apples, cereal, and a light, refreshing bite of bitter hops. The finish is crisp, clean, and mellow with just a touch of treacle and spicy hops.
Bottom Line:
We dare you to find a beer more worthy for a day at the beach, while eating guac dusted with a touch of sand, than El Sully.
Stone Brewing isn’t content with doing what everyone else is doing. That’s why, when they decided to launch a Mexican-style lager, they made it a little different from its counterparts. In an ode to the Mexican tradition of adding lime and salt to beer, Stone Buenaveza does just that.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to enjoy the vibrant scents of crisp, fresh lime juice, sea salt, and a nice, malty backbone. Take a sip and you’re sure to pick up flavors of sweet corn, citrus zest, subtle piney hops, and just a hint of salinity. It all ends with a combination of sweet malts, bright hops, and a wallop of lime.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of margaritas, this is the beer for you. While there’s no tequila in it, the salty, citrus flavors are prevalent enough to pair well with birria tacos or mole.
With a name like Belching Beaver, it can be difficult to take this San Diego brewery seriously. But with beers like Buenos Tiempos, it’s getting more difficult not to. This Vienna lager is bright, thirst-quenching, and subtly hazy beer that pairs well with cheesy quesadillas or any meat you want to throw on the grill.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find fresh aromas of corn sweetness, light grains, and subtle citrus. The palate is swirling with flavors of sweet malts, caramel corn, slight yeast, and just a hint of bitter, floral hops. The finish is sweet and ends with a combination of citrus and subtly spicy hops.
Bottom Line:
Cool label aside, this is a pretty stripped-down version of a Vienna lager. What it lacks in flavor, it makes up for in refreshing crushability.
When you think of craft beer, you might not immediately think of Dallas, Texas. But the folks at Deep Ellum are trying to change that. One of the brewery’s best options is its Mexican-style lager Neato Bandito. This full-flavored, bold version of the iconic style has a Texas-sized kick of 6% ABV, making it an “Imperial Mexican-Style Lager.”
Tasting Notes:
Before sipping, take a few seconds to take in the scents of maple candy, clover honey, sweet malts, and subtle floral hops. Sipping this beer reveals notes of caramel, more honey sweetness, and slightly spicy hops. The end is sweet, fruity, and subtly bitter.
Bottom Line:
If you only drink one Mexican-style lager on this list, make it Deep Ellum Neato Bandito. It’s by far the most well-rounded, flavorful offering on this list.
The brewery points out that while this crisp, vibrant Mexican-style lager is explosive in flavor, it was actually made for “mortals”. This 5% ABV beer was brewed with flaked corn and Liberty and Zeus hops (hence the name). This highly drinkable, refreshing brew is available year-round.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find a nice, sweet corn flavor from the flaked corn as well as citrus zest, and tropical fruit flavor. The palate is full of sweet malts, more crisp corn, lime, and just the right amount of bitter hops flavor. The finish is thirst-quenching, slightly sweet, and ends with a smattering of floral hops.
Bottom Line:
Wyoming’s Melvin is known for its IPAs, but you shouldn’t sleep on this Mexican-style lager in early May or all through the summer.
Hood River, Oregon’s pFriem is well-known for its high-quality beer offerings like its Helles Lager, Hoppy Lager, and Pilsner. This might make you overlook its Mexican-style lager and that’s a big mistake. Brewed with Gambrinus Pilsner, Carafoam, and Acidulated malts along with flaked maize, lager yeast, and Perle, Czech Saaz, and Tettnang hops, this is a complex, well-balanced version of the popular style.
Tasting Notes:
Breathe in the scents of sweet corn, dried orange peels, salted caramel, and floral hops. Take a sip and you’ll find flavors of sweet malts, freshly baked bread, fresh corn, and citrus hops. It all ends with a nice combination of corn, citrus, and sea salt.
Bottom Line:
This highly sessionable beer seems like it was created to be paired with grilled meats and a hot, sunny day. The combination of citrus, malts, and hops pair perfectly with a warm afternoon spent grilling.
This 5.1%, year-round, Mexican-style lager was crafted to be brought to a beach. But if you don’t have a large body of water near you, you can still enjoy this beer brewed with Weyerman Pilsner, and Carapils malts as well as yellow corn, Amarillo hops, lime juice, and sea salt wherever you find a comfortable seat in the sun.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll enjoy scents of bright citrus, wet grass, sweet corn, and just a hint of floral sweetness. This full-flavored beer is filled with notes of lime zest, bready malts, fresh corn, and a slight salinity. The finish is a crisp combination of citrus and sea salt.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to sweet, complex, thirst-quenching Mexican-style lagers, it’s really difficult to beat Deep Ellum Neato Bandito with its corn to lime to salt ratio.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
The Los Angeles Lakers are now tied with the Mavericks and the Blazers for the 5-7 spots in the Western Conference, which makes for a very real scenario in which the defending champs find themselves in the NBA’s new play-in tournament.
With eight games to play — including a very important game in Portland that will decide the tiebreaker between those two teams — the Lakers need to figure something out to turn around a current 1-6 run of play. Doing so will be difficult, as Dennis Schröder may be out for all eight games in the league’s health and safety protocols, while LeBron James is actively battling continued discomfort in the ankle that kept him out for 20 games and forced him to leave Sunday’s loss to the Raptors midway through the fourth quarter.
After the game, frustrations were evident in the Lakers locker room, and LeBron had some choice words for the league and their new play-in format.
LeBron James on the play-in tournament: “Whoever came up with that s— needs to be fired”
James joins Luka Dončić and Mark Cuban of the Mavs in being teams that have found themselves somewhat surprisingly in play-in range and suddenly voicing their displeasure with the format. For both, it’s understandable, as they feel like it has been out of their control that they’ve slid to this point, battling various injuries and COVID issues. On the other hand, the league is getting what it wants from the play-in, which is teams in the middle of the playoff pack — teams that normally would have little to play for in the 5-7 range down the stretch — suddenly in games that matter every night.
The point of the play-in was to make for more things to play for in the regular season, and it has delivered exactly that. There aren’t really races for the 10-seed, although it’s possible the teams in 11th make a late push like the Raptors and Pelicans, but the battle for 6th and avoiding the play-in and the battle for 8th to avoid needing two wins to make the playoffs are both very real in both conferences. That’s what the league wanted, and while it surely didn’t want to see the Lakers as one of the teams in the play-in, I bet the NBA won’t be too sad that Lakers fans, Celtics fans, and others are having to be more dialed in late in the regular season and, possibly, to an extra game or two prior to the playoffs.
There has been chatter that if the Lakers missed the playoffs due to the play-in the league would reconsider its stance on keeping it longterm, but if the Lakers can’t win one of two games against the 8 and 9 or 10 seeds, they probably would’ve had a short trip to the postseason in the first place. Alternately, the story of L.A. making a run from the play-in to go deep in the playoffs (while also getting one or two additional Laker games on TV) would be even better for the league, so I wouldn’t expect any change of mind as to the efficacy of the play-in moving forward.
Here’s the weird thing about Star Wars: The Bad Batch: You don’t have to really have any working knowledge of the two prior animated Star Wars series set around this time: The Clone Wars or Rebels. (I speak from experience, I’ve only seen a handful of episodes from either series.) Of the three so far, a strong case can be made that The Bad Batch is the most accessible right from the start.
At least, it’s the easiest to describe to someone in one sentence: “After Emperor Palpatine initiates Order 66 to kill all the Jedi, five Clones, known as The Bad Batch, who don’t have the programming to blindly follow that order, try to figure out why, out of the blue, all the Jedi were killed.” And that premise is pretty juicy, because, as a viewer, we can imagine ourselves in that situation and thinking, wait, this makes no sense, what’s going on here? And to top it all off, the main antagonist of the series is none other than Tarkin, here still an Admiral rather than the Grand Moff we got to know in the original Star Wars. But instead of having to make, yet again, another villain, The Bad Batch uses literally the main bad guy from the first Star Wars. There’s no learning curve here with him: we know what Tarkin is all about and we know he’s bad news.
Ahead, we spoke with head writer Jennifer Corbett and producer Brad Rau who take us through why this series will be something different. And how they convinced the powers that be that the main villain needed to be Tarkin himself. Also, it’s not lost on them that the section of Star Wars timeline they are dealing with, between Revenge of the Sith and Solo is pretty barren and open right now, which gives them a lot of room to maneuver.
I completely understand why people like The Clone Wars and Rebels, but they were just never something I got into. But watching The Bad Batch, I was hooked. That might be kind of weird…
Brad Rau: I think with characters like The Bad Batch that we have introduced in The Clone Wars, but we don’t know that much about, and we don’t know what their potential destiny is in the Star Wars galaxy, gives us a lot of dramatic weight for sure. New characters in this era that we’re familiar with, but we haven’t seen much is I think a great combination for a new show.
And not to get too topical, but the idea that they are just basically in the military, and there’s a coup against the Jedi, and they are just trying to figure out what is going on because none of that makes sense is a pretty great premise for a show.
Jennifer Corbett: I think what’s fun about it is that, The Bad Batch, even in The Clone Wars, wasn’t a very political group. They’re just soldiers who go from mission to mission, and that’s what they know, and that’s what they excel at. So when the Republic falls and the Empire takes over initially, it’s like: that’s a little weird, but oh well, it’s another regime that we’re still going to be soldiers of honor. But then once they start to realize things are a little different, then they have to start thinking politically in a sense, which isn’t what any of them are used to. So it’s fascinating to watch their thought process, especially in the pilot and how they come to the decision that they do.
Did you two get excited when you heard that premise? That it’s basically about them just trying to figure out what’s going on because everything has unraveled? Because when you try to explain The Clone Wars to a non-Star Wars person, it’s pretty complicated. The whole, “Oh, one guy is in charge of both factions who are fighting,” thing.
Jennifer Corbett: I mean, as soon as I saw the arc on The Clone Wars for them, I loved this group. But the fact that you were going to be able to explore this time period, I was drawn to immediately. But, from just a character standpoint, there’s something really engaging about telling a story about these clones who were created and trained for one purpose: to be soldiers. And what happens when you take that away from them, because it’s all they’ve known and they’re not prepared for a time without war. And The Batches have prepared for having to take care of themselves, because it used to be done by the Republic. But now they’re the ones that have to find shelter, find food, find fuel, and it’s completely foreign to them. And we definitely go into those topics throughout the series. And yeah, it’s a fun ride.
Another advantage I think you have, at least what hooked me: It’s not like you both have to be like, “And you won’t believe the new bad guy we have. You think Vader’s bad? Wait till you meet Darth Bad,” or whatever…
Brad Rau: Darth Bad!
But Tarkin is the bad guy. He’s literally the main bad guy from the first Star Wars movie. So how does that work? Do you have to make an argument to use a character like him?
Brad Rau: Jen, you maybe can speak to this more. How early was Tarkin there?
Jennifer Corbett: That was a pretty early decision. Because, again, it is that recognition: the face and the name. And it’s like, Vader’s off doing other important things right now. So who’s going to handle the situation on Kamino? And it’s going to be Admiral Tarkin.
Does anyone higher up than you say, “Well, we don’t know if we can use Tarkin for this, he’s the main bad guy from the original Star Wars?” Or is it just, “sounds great.”
Jennifer Corbett: It’s definitely a conversation. But there was no pushback about it. Because, again, he served a purpose. We weren’t just throwing him in there because it’s like, oh, let’s just use Tarkin. It just made sense with where he was in his career and where he’s going.
Brad Rau: And we work really closely with Dave Filoni on the show as the co-creator and as our mentor really. So all of this stuff gets debated with Dave and those are… speaking of juicy conversations, those are fun.
When you look at that Star Wars timeline, you have a pretty good piece of real estate to work with here, between Revenge of the Sith and before Solo. Do you map out, okay, what other characters might be available during this time period that could potentially show up?
Brad Rau: Yeah, definitely. It’s an awesome, exciting time period. I think as fans and as creators, one of the reasons it’s exciting is the different characters that are alive in the Star Wars galaxy at this time that we might be able to come across. So yeah, we talk about it, we think about it. And when it makes sense, all we can really say is that we’ll probably see some more familiar faces.
Does that timeline real estate you have afford more freedom? I get there are obviously some places you can’t go because there’s a bunch of stuff that happens after the story is set, but not for a while…
Jennifer Corbett: Yeah, you’re right. There are things we know we can’t do and things we need to stay away from. But luckily, given that our characters are Clone Troopers, we don’t have to worry about a Jedi issue or anything like that. And I don’t feel like we’ve ever, creatively, come up against a wall where we can’t do something because of that. Again, it hasn’t really been explored that much on screen. So it is exciting to be able to really dive into different storylines that haven’t really been explored yet.
‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ begins streaming on May 4th via Disney+. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.
Every football training camp, every baseball spring training, you hear a familiar refrain from the players: “I’m in the best shape of my life.” It’s become an oft-coveredcliche; even MLB managers, some of the least self-aware people in the world, recognize how much the meaningless phrase has been overused. But rarely, especially among athletes and movie stars, do you hear the opposite: “I’m in the worst shape of my life.”
Will Smith is in the worst shape of his life. Or so he claims, because he still looks damn good.
“I’m gonna be real wit yall – I’m in the worst shape of my life,” Smith wrote on Instagram, along with a photo of himself wearing a short shorts and hoodie with no shirt underneath. He has a slight belly, but his “worst shape” is still better than my best shape. “This is the most amazing post in the history of social media,” The Roots drummer Questlove wrote in response to the pic, while Selma director Ava DuVernay added, “I see no ‘worst’ here.”
Some thanked Smith for his honesty and noted that it’s “important for people to understand that even famous people don’t have [a] ‘perfect’ body” and, as people are wont to do on social media, there were of course plenty of others that were thirsty af.
“All i see is a meal sir,” wrote one fan, while someone else remarked that Smith looked “Daddy aF.”
Over 60 percent of Americans have gained weight during the pandemic. Smith sharing a photo taken in a backyard where he’s packed on a few pounds — and not being ashamed of it — is more “real” than any (heavily edited) picture of a sculpted celebrity lounging on a beach. He’s a relatable king (prince?).
American Idol has produced a number of stars over the past two decades, and all these years later, the show is still chugging along. This upcoming weekend, the show will have a Coldplay-themed episode and it turns out Chris Martin and the band will be heavily involved in it.
As Billboard reports, Martin will serve as a mentor for the remaining seven contestants: Chayce Beckham, Caleb Kennedy, Grace Kinstler, Casey Bishop, Willie Spence, Hunter Metts, and Arthur Gunn. The night’s second performances will be Coldplay covers, which Martin will help the contestants prepare. Additionally, the band will also give their debut performance of the upcoming single “Higher Power.”
The band teased something called “Alien Radio” last week with a mysterious website that give fans clues to decipher. After not much time, they figured out that a song called “Higher Power” is set for release on Friday, May 7, a conclusion that ended up being correct.
Earlier today, the band actually teased the song on TikTok by playing a snippet of it. Based on the portion of audio, it seems the song will be a fun and upbeat number.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in a tailspin right now, having lost six of their last seven games to slide into a tie for the dreaded 7-seed in the West. That the defending champs could find themselves in the play-in would’ve been rather unfathomable at the start of the season, but injuries to their best players have kept them from being able to separate from the pack in the West.
As they enter a stretch run filled with some very important games, they are going to do so without the services of at least one of their key players. While LeBron James’ sore ankle is one concern, looming just as large is the absence of Dennis Schröder, who missed Sunday’s loss to Toronto after being entered into the NBA’s health and safety protocols. On Monday, Shams Charania and Bill Oram of The Athletic reported that Schröder will be out 10-14 days, which means there’s a very real possibility that the Lakers will be without their starting point guard for the rest of the regular season.
Lakers guard Dennis Schroder is expected to miss 10-to-14 days due to health and safety protocols, sources tell me and @billoram. Schroder entered protocols on Sunday.
Given the longer timetable, this would suggest a positive test from Schröder and the first concern is with his health and the hope that he will avoid any serious or longterm complications from COVID-19 — players like Jayson Tatum and Evan Fournier have spoken about the difficulties of returning to the court after battling the virus and the impact it has on their conditioning longterm. For the Lakers, it obviously puts them in a difficult position, as Schröder is one of the most difficult to replace players on a roster that is simply light on playmakers and ball-handlers.
The onus would normally fall on LeBron James to take over point guard duties more, but with his ankle still giving him some issues, adding more on-ball work seems like a less than ideal situation. Alex Caruso got his first start of the season on Sunday, but running the offense and orchestrating everything on that end is not the area he excels in. Schröder’s return will be determined by when he begins producing negative tests and also how he’s feeling physically, but with the play-in looming on May 18, the Lakers are finding themselves in a precarious position at the time of year they want to be finding their stride.
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