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Ted Lasso was the surprise hit of 2020 for many, the kind of show you didn’t quite believe your friends about when they raved that it was very good. Skepticism is part of the show’s DNA, though, and sometimes Apple TV+ shows based on commercials for NBC can actually turn into worthwhile television. Which is perhaps why watching Ted Lasso play FIFA soccer in a EA Sports tournament seems to be just as oddly compelling.

That’s right, Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt played in a FIFA 21 tournament on Twitch on Friday, but in character as Lasso and Coach Beard.

Interestingly, it’s Lasso the TV show character who is playing in the tournament, not the actor who plays him on TV. Friday’s competition saw him playing against The Daily Show host Trevor Noah in a tournament hosted by streamer Castro 1021 in the FIFA Face Off tournament, which had a $25,000 prize pool going to charity.

Heading into the tournament it was entirely unclear just how good Ted Lasso is at video game soccer, as he hasn’t exactly proven himself to have a strong knowledge of the game as a coach. The team, after all (spoilers incoming!) did get relegated under his watch, though he did show plenty of heart and a penchant for whimsical turns of phrase in the process. Oh, and lots of delicious baked goods.

In any event, the EA Sports Twitch account is where all the action took place, and if you miss it the EA Sports YouTube account will likely have a replay to enjoy at your leisure as well. There were also some highlights posted to Twitter, including Lasso teaching everyone the proper way to hold a controller.

Unfortunately for him, though, his team came up short against Trever Noah’s squad. Which meant it was the host who got to give a postgame interview to rival one of Lasso’s own.

Hopefully for Lasso, his real (fake) team fares better in Season 2 than his fake (real) team did on Friday.

[via AV Club]

Ally McBeal is reportedly joining the ever-growing list of revivals, and yes, it’s planning (trying) to bring back its original star. Calista Flockhart is in talks to reprise her career-defining role in the new-again legal drama that’s in the early stages of development for a “limited series,” according to TVLine. While the revival currently doesn’t have a home, the thinking seems to be that it will join the original series, which is currently streaming on Hulu thanks to Disney acquiring the show and its studio, 2oth Television, during its merger with Fox.

As for Ally McBeal creator David E. Kelley, he’s involved as an executive producer, but TVLine reports a “female auteur” will serve as showrunner. Kelley had hinted at an Ally McBeal revival back in 2018 when he was laying the groundwork for a second season of his HBO hit Big Little Lies. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

I do think because of the gender politics that were so part and parcel of Ally McBeal, it’s become very relevant and ripe. So, I’d be open to the idea of Ally McBeal being done again, but I don’t think it should be done by me. If it were going to be done, it really should be done by a woman. If it’s going to be new, it should be new and different. And I did it: 100 hours.

So far there’s been no talk of bringing back the Dancing Baby and Robert Downey, Jr., who was famously fired from the show in the early 2000s. (Downey was fired, not the baby.) Things worked out okay for RDJ, though, as he pulled off one of the greatest career comebacks of all time by becoming Marvel’s Iron Man. He’s since hung up his armor, though, so who knows? He might have time for a cameo. But if RDJ isn’t available, there is another now-huge leading man who did some time on Ally McBeal: Jon Hamm. In fact, the Mad Men star’s very first acting credit is “Gorgeous Guy at Bar” during the 1997 episode, “Compromising Positions.”

Or, heck, bring them both back. Who doesn’t want to see Don Draper meet Tony Stark?

(Via TVLine)

For much of his WWE career, Big E has expressed himself through his wrestling gear. Beginning in 2015, he partnered with Jonathon Davenport on the design elements of his and New Day brethren Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods’ in-ring attire. Since then, the group has continued to blend the worlds of professional wrestling and their real lives with gear highlighting everything from nerd culture moments to the Black Lives Matter movement.

That was how Big E planned to express his pain after George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, when a police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. This situation, however, compelled Big E into even more action — efforts bigger than taking a knee in a WWE ring and later selling merchandise to support the NAACP legal defense fund. Like many Americans, the fallout from Floyd’s death sparked a passion to find a more long-term path to inspire the country and educate the next generation.

“This was the first time that a death of someone that I had never met, had never known, really affected me,” Big E told Uproxx Sports. “I kept thinking, ‘How do we solve systematic racism and these very big, weighty systematic issues?’ I think one of the things that’s important is education (around Black History).”

Black History, Big E explained, is more than just learning about Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and slavery during the month of February. It’s a source of pride that can, and should, be celebrated year-round. That knowledge applies to children of every race and can help everyone better empathize with the plight of Black people in this country by gaining a better understanding of what they’ve endured and how strong they are.

To achieve that, Big E has teamed up with Davenport and close friend Andreas Hale to create a crowdfunded, Schoolhouse Rock-inspired animated series that’s designed to be fun and educational: Our Heroes Rock.

“For us, this is a labor of love,” Big E says. “It’s about telling a story that we think needs to be told. And Kickstarter was a way to demonstrate that people really want to see this get made. Right now, we have 1,100 backers. Our hope is that that it becomes a series and that we get to tell more of these stories.”

Should the group fulfill their aspirations to produce a full series, Big E already has a slew of ideas in mind.

“I really love the story of Ruby Bridges. It’s a 6-year-old girl, who in 1960 integrated an all-white school in New Orleans. The fact that she was born the same year as Brown v. Board of Education, I just love her story. And to think, she’s still alive. She’s 66. That’s younger than my parents,” Big E says. “And there are so many more stories. There’s Ida B. Wells, there’s James Farmer, there’s Madam C.J. Walker. There’s so many of these influential Black figures, whether they’re politicians or business people. We also think about the ability to tell stories from people of so many marginalized communities, whether it be LGBTQ, indigenous people. That’s why we titled it, ‘Our Heroes Rock,’ because we want these stories of marginalized people to not feel sectioned off in a corner, where we spend one month a year talking about them and then move on to normal history. We want to tell people this is normal history, this is American history.”

The opportunities for Our Heroes Rock are endless, and that hasn’t been lost on Big E, Davenport, and Hales. Whether the final product is attached to a streaming service, shown in schools, coloring books, children’s books, or interactive games, the sky is the limit for their blossoming idea. And for Big E, leaving that kind of a legacy is significant.

“I’ve spent almost 12 years in WWE and I don’t know if I have another 12 years in the ring,” Big E says. “So it’s been important for me now to give back to so many people who have blessed me and given me opportunities and I hope to do the same for others. I don’t worry too much about legacy in the idea of people praising me for what I did, I think that’s unimportant. But I know I want to leave a footprint that is positive and impactful and helps people. If I can do something, that when I leave the industry, when I leave this Earth, that has had a positive impact, that’s the goal.”

While Big E is focused on achieving his goals outside of the ring, the current Intercontinental champion is blazing his own trail inside the squared circle. After picking up the win on Sunday at Fastlane, Big E appears destined to continue his heated rivalry with another transformed superstar in Apollo Crews.

“As much as we butt heads lately, I have to give him a ton of credit because he stepped his game up and he’s a guy who always could get it done in the ring,” Big E says. “He’s an incredible performer and has been for quite some time. He just needed that opportunity. And it’s good to see him step out and show a different side. Too often guys like that, people will say when it’s all said and done, ‘Ah, what could have been with that really talented guy, who was a good in-ring performer.’ But now, I feel like you’re seeing some of the promise of that potential with Apollo Crews.”

Their rivalry has been elevated by the inclusion of the Intercontinental title, which in years past has been seen as a stepping stone to a World Heavyweight title run. That perspective has changed and Big E is relishing his time as champion in the build to WrestleMania.

“Some really tremendous performers have held the title,” Big E says. “As much flack as I would give Sami Zayn, he’s a guy who has had an incredible career. He’s had some ups and downs of course, but to see again, he’s a guy who reinvented himself and the stuff he was doing with he IC title, being really crafty, I thought really worked and was so unique. You’re seeing so many guys who were former world champions or future world champions hold the Intercontinental championship.

“And I love that it’s become a bit of the premiere title in many ways,” he continues. “In the past, we might’ve had some performers who were not full-time performers with the world championship and you don’t see them every week. So the Intercontinental championship is the only male singles title, at times, that you’d see on a weekly basis. The title, as we all know, has such an incredible history and it deserves to have that lineage carried on in the proper way. So that’s my goal, is to do my best, to make sure that title remains elevated and continues to be even more elevated than it is.”

Continuing to elevate the title has involved Big E’s continued transformation from New Day member Big E, to Paul Heyman’s vision of the ruthless champion. For the champ, toeing that line has been all about adding layers to his character.

“Every interesting character has layers,” Big E says. “I’m still the Big E that enjoys making people laugh. I enjoy entertaining you. But I’m not going to just lay down. When someone crosses the line with me, I want to show an intensity and in the same vein, I want to be the funniest person on the roster. In back-to-back weeks, you might laugh watching me more than you laugh watching anyone else. And then the next week, I want you to say, ‘Oh, that’s a man who is terrifying.’ I want to show layers and depth. And I feel like every performer should strive to do the same. I think being one way or the other, eventually gets old. Everyone wants to show those complex layers and I’m glad I’m getting those opportunities to show what I can do.”

That evolution and building the layers to make the Big E character unlike anything you see on WWE television has allowed him to live out a lifelong dream of approaching WrestleMania in his hometown with singles gold.

“I’m born and raised in Tampa. I played my high school all-star game when I was 17 at Raymond James. We had a bowl game when I was at the University of Iowa. I tore my ACL, but I was on the sideline when we played Florida. The city means a lot to me. It’s home and I’ve lived here my whole life besides college,” Big E says. “So to be home, with fans, and moving in the right direction when people are getting vaccinated, which is of course, something that I’d encourage anyone to do, it’s a dream come true to have WrestleMania at home as I walk in as a champion. There’s so many incredible cities that deserve to host WrestleMania. For me, selfishly, this is the one. This is number one. If I could pick any city in the world, it would be Tampa. And I’m ready for it.”

As for Big E’s WrestleMania-worthy entrance, he wouldn’t offer any hints. We’ll just have to wait until the two-night event, on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11 to see what he’s got planned for the grand event, which will air live both nights on Peacock.

Back in May 2010, Kevin Parker began his journey to international stardom with his debut Tame Impala album, Innerspeaker. He has now marked with occasion with an anniversary edition of the record, Innerspeaker 10 Year Anniversary Edition box set, which was released today. Alongside that, he has shared Innerspeaker Memories, a short film that, as press materials note, “features never-before-seen footage from the recording of Innerspeaker at the idyllic Wave House Studio in Western Australia.”

As for the anniversary edition box set, it has a lot of goodies for Tame Impala fans, including the singles “Solitude Is Bliss,” “Lucidity,” and “Expectation”; a collage of album sketches; a deluxe 40-page booklet; instrumental versions of some songs; a newly unearthed lengthy jam; and new mixes of tracks from the original album.

In a 2010 interview, Parker said of the album title, “It’s kind of just a silly term I came up with the try to explain the feeling you get when you’re at your most inspired, the idea that it just appears to you vividly and if someone plugged a stereo into you brain they’d be able to hear it. It’s a very short thing though, I’m not like Stephen Hawking or Brian Wilson or anything…”

Innerspeaker 10 Year Anniversary Edition is out now via Interscope. Get it here.

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Memphis Grizzlies. They have one of the most exciting young cores in the NBA, but injuries have undermined their efforts to make the next leap at just about every turn. They struggled through a particularly tough stretch earlier this season when reigning Rookie of the Year Ja Morant went down with an ankle injury and missed multiple games.

Morant has been back in the lineup and working his way back to form, and while the Grizzlies make up some ground, they’re still sitting in the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference standings and will face a tough field in a potential play-in tournament to determine the final playoff seed.

They got some good news this week, however. According to team executive Zach Kleiman, Jaren Jackson Jr. is expected to return sometime in April.

Zach Kleiman says Jaren Jackson Jr. is “on track to return in April, by the end of the month.”

— Chris Herrington (@ChrisHerrington) March 26, 2021

It’s the most specific the organization has been about his return since he tore his meniscus during the Orlando Bubble. The Grizzlies opted to stand pat at the trade deadline, believing that Jackson’s return, combined with their talented young core, will put Memphis on the right path. Jackson, who also received his COVID vaccine this week, has averaged 15.5 points and 4.6 rebounds over his first two NBA seasons.

A radio host for a Buffalo, New York rock station got into deep trouble earlier in the week when audio surfaced of a segment in which he compared his toast preferences to the skin color of Black women he found attractive. Now, one of the women mentioned, Oscar-winning actress, Halle Berry, has gotten wind of the segment and called it “disgusting.”

Rob Lederman, a host of “The Morning Bull” on 97 Rock, began a riff where he talked about making breakfast and his preference for toast. The former touring stand-up went into a bizarre discussion of the darkness of the bread he prefers, linking it directly to Black women he finds attractive.

Lederman said his toaster is set “at the attractiveness of women that I find to be attractive, so I will never go to a Serena Williams level.” He then mentioned Berry as a “comfortable” color for his toast.

“But I am very comfortable at a Halle Berry level. I need a little bit of mulatto still coming through,” Lederman said while other people in studio laughed, later adding that “Gayle King is not even on my toaster level.”

An ESPN reporter based in Buffalo posted the clip without much comment hours after it aired, and it immediately drew outrage from people in Western New York and beyond.

As the clip went viral, 97 Rock quickly lost sponsors, and others in the studio were loudly condemned in the local press. Rich “Bull” Gaenzler lost his in-arena hosting job with the Buffalo Sabres, and he was also suspended by the radio station. Lederman, meanwhile, was fired by Wednesday and expressed his remorse for comments he admitted “sounded awful.”

On Friday, though, the recording had reached Berry herself, who retweeted Marcel Louis-Jacques’s tweet of the audio and called the segment “disgusting,” among other things.

“Disgusting. It’s ridiculous this type of nonsense is still being broadcasted across airwaves,” Berry wrote. “ALL Black women are beautiful and worthy, Rob Lederman. GTFOH.”

The Philadelphia 76ers acquired a point guard at the 2021 NBA trade deadline, just not the one they were rumored to one in the days leading up to Thursday afternoon. The Sixers came to terms on a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire George Hill, eschewing the opportunity to bring Kyle Lowry back to his hometown.

There were plenty of reports that the two teams were close to figuring something out, but when 3:01 p.m. hit on Thursday, Lowry remained with the Toronto Raptors. As for why that happened, Sam Amick of The Athletic provided some context, saying that the Raptors thought a deal was indeed close but it couldn’t quite get across the finish line.

As for Philadelphia, which was reportedly close to a Lowry deal but wound up opting for Oklahoma City’s George Hill instead, a source with knowledge of the talks said the Raptors indeed believed they were very close on that front late in the process and that the draft compensation was the final unresolved hurdle. The plan, the source said, was for Toronto to re-route Sixers guard Danny Green to a third team.

Considering the cost of acquiring Hill was players who are not in the team’s rotation and second-round Draft picks, it does appear that Philly viewed the value it got from acquiring him would be more worth it than moving on from major rotation pieces like Green and first-round selections for Lowry, who is an unrestricted free agent following this season. Masai Ujiri eventually said that he was surprised teams didn’t meet their asking price for Lowry, but with how much he’s meant to the franchise, we’ll bet Raptors fans are generally pretty happy they’ll get to see their All-Star point guard stick around.

In recent weeks, R&B legend Anita Baker has spent some time on Twitter sharing thoughts about her ongoing battle to take back control over her master recordings, which has apparently not gone in her favor so far. Now, Baker has found herself a supporter in Taylor Swift, who herself has famously had some legal drama about her own masters.

On March 9, Baker tweeted, “Miraculously… i have out-lived *ALL, of my Artists Contracts. They no longer ‘Own’, My Name & Likeness. And, by Law…30 yr old, Mstrs are 2B Returned, 2 Me. Unfortunately, They’re gonna make me Fight 4 it. I’m Prepared, 2 do that. Please Dont advertise/buy them ABXO.”

More recently, she gave props to Swift yesterday for how she handled her situation by re-recording her back catalog, writing, “Her creations bought & sold Again & Again, wouldnt even let her do *A Buy Out*…Taylor Swift *re-recording, her Catalog/Taylor’s Version. The GoodFight Go… Gurrrrl.” That got a response out of Swift, who wrote, “I’m cheering you on in your fight to get back your work, and appreciate your support so much!! Thank you.” Baker answered back, “This Solidarity is a Beautiful Thing! Thank You.”

Meanwhile, after Baker’s initial tweet, Chance The Rapper also chimed in with a message of support and a call to all of his fans, writing, “DO NOT LISTEN TO NO ANITA BAKER TIL THEY GIVE HER HER MASTERS BACK. TELL YO MAMA TO TELL A MAMA.”

Like it or loathe it, people have not stopped talking about The Snyder Cut of The Justice League, proving the wisdom of HBO Max’s decision to throw money at a long-rumored dispatched director’s cut of the 2017 film. But what did Zack Snyder accomplish on-screen and what does it say about the future of a DC cinematic universe still thirsting for a set direction? And what does this fuller cut say about the one that freshly made pariah Joss Whedon delivered? To sift through all the intertwined topics, we turned to two of our writers to put their friendship on the line and debate The Snyder Cut.

Jason Tabrys: I hope you notice that I have the Batfleck avatar, so you can see into his Sadfleck eyes when you rip him to shreds over the Snyder Cut. I just wanna put a human face to this.

Jess Toomer: I love that you think I care about the Dunkin Donuts mascot of 2020, because I don’t.

Jason: We started this and I think we both had some trepidation going in, you more than I.

Jess: I have written about the Snyder Cut and it did not end well in the comments section for me. Fan campaigns in general tend to put me off, though I understand why this particular fandom felt so passionate about bringing Snyder’s vision to life.

Jason: I look at this as a purely commercial thing where an entertainment Goliath’s interests just happened to align with the interests of the internet Daves. I know, I know, that’s cynical, but they saw a market for a thing and that’s it. I don’t think it was a reward or to right a wrong. So, because of that, I’m less interested in the fan campaign angle. Much more interested in the backstory of the production and edits and what this release means for future films, if anything.

Jess: I do know a lot about the fan campaign side of it. There is a legion of Zack Snyder fans, whether you love it or hate it, they worked hard to bring this movie to life. And a lot of them seem like really great people. I’ve had really good interactions with them. They tied this Snyder Cut campaign to different charities and fueled awareness about some tough issues. I don’t want us to paint that side of it as, ‘Oh, it’s just a bunch of angry fanboys.’ That really wasn’t what it was. So good for them for getting this off the ground. I don’t think Warner Brothers would have given Snyder the chance to do this if it weren’t for them.

Jason: Did you enjoy the original, or the Whedon Cut as it shall now be known?

Jess: More than this, yes. With the Snyder Cut, I had problems following the story. I blame the runtime really. I would have given up after the first hour if we hadn’t already agreed to do this debate. I thought there were only four title cards, because it’s four hours long. So, when I got to the third title card, I thought I had watched three hours of the movie. When I found out that I was only an hour in, I was ready to quit. I was going to be done. And then you pulled me back in and forced me to waste another three hours of my life. And now we have this, the end of our friendship.

Jason: That’s the anti-life-equation.

Jess: The anti-life equation was really the friendships we lost after watching the Snyder Cut.

Jason: So, I liked it. Wanted more. I felt like the mythology of DC characters was really well served. We were given some indication of, okay, this is who the Flash is, this is who Cyborg is. With Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Superman, and Batman, I understood their drive. I thought Affleck really shined. I liked the Affleck Batman. His arc is interesting to me. This guy who’s navigating a world of heroes with some suspicion but ultimately sees their value. I loved seeing the scars accumulated over two decades fighting crime. I wouldn’t say he’s the coolest Batman because that was Michael Keaton, but he might be the most interesting. That’s a very subjective take. As for the villain, I mean, Steppenwolf is a CGI stock villain just like any other… you get two types of comic book movie villains, it’s the power-mad real estate developer, and it’s the big CGI purple-blue whatever guy.

Jess: Do you want Jeff Bridges or do you want Barney?

Jason: Yeah, exactly. But I think having him be kind of a supplicant to Darkseid was really interesting and set up something… that we’ll likely never see. With a mega purple guy. Similarly, I liked the Knightmare thing at the end, because it just seems to set up this completely bonkers idea that would be very different from anything we’ve seen in a comic book movie. And really, that’s my main thing. I hope this leads the way to some more unique things, even if it isn’t, on its own, super unique. What it is, though, is a really well-layered team-up movie, which is not always the easiest thing to do. Age of Ultron, the first Avengers film, or the Whedon Justice League movie all failed to be much more than, “here are your favorite action figures all on one screen at once” and that’s it. And I felt like we got more here.

Jess: I re-watched Infinity War and Endgame recently, which are examples of layered superhero team-up movies. And there is more logic and cohesive storytelling there than there is here. I don’t understand a lot of what went on in this movie, maybe because I was approaching it as someone who’s not well-versed in the comics or the characters. I know about Batman and Superman because everyone does, but everything else… I know Wonder Woman because of the Patty Jenkins movie. I know Aquaman because he got his solo movie. When I see these characters in the Snyder Cut, they’re very different tonally and that threw me off. It also threw me off that there was a lot of focus on the ‘mythology’ of DC. I have no idea what that mythology is and I don’t think it was really well explained. If anything, I’m more confused about these characters and I think there’s a real accessibility problem with the Snyder Cut, because it leans so much into that mythology. It touches on things without really digging in or giving any kind of explanation.

Jason: You wanted the movie to be longer, that’s what you’re saying.

Jess: No. I wanted the movie to be better edited … and I wanted the story to be told better. I think there’s a lot of really cool action and lots of CGI. I just really wish Snyder would have dedicated all that time and money into giving me a story where the dialogue didn’t just make me bust out laughing at random points — points I know I shouldn’t have been laughing. It took itself so seriously, but it didn’t bring any plot to back it up, if that makes sense.

Jason: It does, but I couldn’t disagree more. I like these characters. I’m staring at a wall of Batman statues and Superman action figures. But most of my DC knowledge ends there. I didn’t get into comics until I was in my 20s and most of the stories I’ve read have been focused on those two pillars. I’ve read a few things with Flash, nothing really with Cyborg. The only thing I know about Steppenwolf is what I saw in this movie, pretty much. But I felt nourished and entertained by what I saw here. But that may speak to a difference in what we’re looking for: I fully acknowledge that I’m looking to unplug a little and just look up with awe with these things sometimes. I’m not looking for complexity. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy that too sometimes, but overall, I don’t mind if a few things go over my head if the overall thing lands. I actually prefer the not knowing. I feel like when I know every aspect of a backstory, I feel compelled to care about liberties taken, which is the most futile of all the futile frustrations that come from watching these kinds of films.

Jess: I wonder, is it possible to talk about the Snyder Cut without talking about the Whedon version? I think those two things are always going to exist together.

Jason: Joss Whedon is obviously getting raked over the coals for vastly more important things right now, but I’ll happily kick him while he’s down. He is someone who I’ve long thought has been exposed by the shift in mediums (I did not like the first Avengers). On TV, where I became a huge fan of his work, he was someone who created some amazing shows, but he had a lot of help and he worked with a large team of very impressive collaborators who’ve gone on to do a bunch of other stuff; Jane Espenson, David Fury, Mere Smith, on and on. All these people are owed a lot of credit for what made Buffy and Firefly and Angel work. In movies, it’s the Joss show. And it feels like the Joss show because every character sounds exactly the same. They all crack jokes for no reason. And it’s kind of lazy. Everything is basic. Whedon is just not a particularly deep filmmaker. And I think comparing these two versions really exposes that. Watching the Snyder Cut and then going back to rewatch the Whedon Cut makes me question the talent of someone who would cut that Wonder Woman scene in the bank down where she puts herself in harms way by flying the bomb out of the building or rob Barry of his most heroic moments so he could just be awkward comic relief.

Jess: Yeah, I agree. There were also some gross moments that are magnified now.

Jason: Exactly, one questions the motivations of someone who would shoehorn in that weird scene with The Flash laying on top of Wonder Woman or have Aquaman describe all these other characters’ powers, and then when he gets to Wonder Woman, comment primarily on her looks. But hey, it’s the lasso of truth and funzos! Good one, asshole.

Jess: Look, I’ve been on about Whedon’s particular brand of sexist ass-wipe since Age of Ultron. (Black Widow stans, you know what I’m talking about.) I don’t think that Whedon had a better handle on the characters here or did a better job of storytelling, but I also don’t think that he’s totally responsible for what that movie ended up being. Warner Brothers wanted that movie to have a certain runtime because they wanted it to fit on a movie screen, back when we went to movie theaters. There was a specific vision they had for the film. I don’t think Snyder ever aligned with that. Once Whedon came on, he had a lot of material to cut, to filter through whatever lens Warner Brothers wanted. Did he make some really poor choices? Absolutely. Was it all him? I don’t think so. Snyder, on the other hand… I think maybe what bothered me most about his cut, in general, is that he had four hours and you had all these really interesting characters and you didn’t do anything with them except make them formulaic stand-ins. Wonder Woman literally existed in this movie to give exposition and try to make people who didn’t know anything about the DC universe understand why it was a big deal that Darkseid had his eye on Earth. Aquaman? If you watched this movie and hadn’t seen the solo movie, how would you have ever connected with Jason Mamoa’s character? There was no character work and that’s what bothered me. The only character I really came away caring about was Cyborg. And that’s more a testament to Ray Fisher.

Jason: That’s the thing, how could anyone see the footage of what Ray Fisher brought to this film as Cyborg and think, “yes, let us leave most of that performance on the cutting room floor.” Talk about fan campaigns, how about we put #CastRay out there, because Ray Fisher absolutely brings it in this film and his reduction in the Whedon Cut is the most clearcut evidence of cinematic malpractice here.

Jess: Without a doubt. I can’t see Warner Bros. ever doing enough to atone for that whole situation so I don’t think there will ever be a Cyborg movie, nor do I know if Fisher would even want to be in that or if he just wants to move on. I’d love to see him get a bunch of interesting opportunities and walk away from this whole campaign the clear winner. Hollywood, hire him! Seems pretty simple to me. What’s not so clear-cut? Where the DC universe goes from here.

Jason: I think what this film really does is create a blueprint for DC. I want to see more of these characters through this storyteller specifically. But I also want to see them through other storytellers. Elseworlds stories in the comics are among some of my favorite because they empower people to test the bounds of what these characters and worlds can be without disrupting the main story. And that gives them renewed life. I’d love to see DC movies embrace that approach. Because that approach would, to me, insulate them from their worst impulses, like whatever the hell led to the cut we saw from Whedon. Something that feels like it was built by committee and focus groups. Something that feels dumbed down and devoid of affection for the project. I’m excited to see Emerald Fennell get tapped to do a Zatanna movie. That’s a positive development. I just hope she gets to make her Zatanna movie. I think back to the blowback Marvel saw in some circles when Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man fell apart. And I think the films that followed have been better and more reflective of the creative talents driving them. Hopefully seeing the positives around the Snyder Cut and letting a creative tell their story sparks that same kind of future for DC.

Jess: I really appreciate your optimism. I disagree with you on thinking that Warner Brothers and DC are going to take a page out of Marvel’s book and let creators create. Look, I’m used to having entertainment that was not made for me when it comes to comic book stuff. I don’t think this extended cut was made for me, and that’s fine. I think I take issue with the fact that so much money was given to this, and I just think that money could have gone to something else. It’s Warner Brothers’ money, so wherever they want to spend it they will. They obviously knew they had something here and it’s a smart marketing move, when we’re all sitting at home with nothing to do, But I think maybe that’s still what gets to me at the end of the day, thinking, we could’ve had something else. Maybe we could have had a standalone Cyborg movie? I think that’s what upsets me more than losing four hours of my life, more than that Knightmare epilogue that basically just existed for Jared Leto to be able to sell a T-shirt. It could have been something else, something better.

Jason: So you wanted more epilogue? Me too!

Jess: I just want to be done with this whole thing so I can go watch WandaVision again.

The classic daiquiri is one of the best cocktails to have in your arsenal. The Cuban cocktail is devilishly easy to make while delivering some of the best flavors in the game. It’s bright, boozy, and (famously) goes down way too easily.

The idea of adding sugar cane juice and lime to rum goes back centuries in Cuba, as both an analgesic and something to take the edge off at beachside resorts. The daiquiri cocktail as we know it today goes back to around the Spanish-American War and rough riders returning to the U.S. with a taste for this three-ingredient elixir. The rest is cocktail history (and lore).

For this drink, you really just need a good shaking arm, a nice white rum, a little sugar cane syrup, and some fresh lime. That’s it. If you can shake a cocktail, you can make this drink very quickly. Plus, this might be the most refreshing cocktail there is. It’s light yet full of flavor and the ultimate thirst quencher.

Let’s get shaking!

Classic Daiquiri

Ingredients:

• 2-oz. white rum
• 1-oz. fresh lime juice
• 0.5-oz. sugar cane syrup
• Lime peel
• Ice

Usually, I’d use Havana Club 3 for this drink. But since that’s not really available in the U.S., I’m going with another aged white rum. Diplomatico Planas is aged for six years in oak in Venezuela. The juice is then filtered to take it back to a white rum in appearance while maintaining all those aged rum flavors. It’s a damn fine sipper and mixer (grab a bottle here).

As for the sugar cane syrup, I go with Monin Pure Cane Syrup because that’s what I have on my shelf. It’s clean and gets the job done. If you want to make your own simple syrup with bespoke sugar, no one is stopping you (demerara sugar is a good way to go). You really don’t need to though.

Lastly, there’s the lime. Generally speaking, one lime should yield the exact right amount of juice for one cocktail. So, I’m just squeezing one lime through a sieve directly into the cocktail shaker. However you chose to squeeze your lime juice, make sure to run it through a sieve to remove all the pulp — that’s essential.

What You’ll Need:

• Coupe or Nick and Nora glass (pre-chilled)
• Cocktail shaker
• Strainer
• Jigger
• Fruit juicer
• Sieve
• Fruit peeler/pairing knife

Method:

• Add the rum, lime juice, and syrup to the cocktail shaker.
• Top up with ice and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is ice cold to touch (15 to 20 seconds).
• Strain the cocktail into the waiting, pre-chilled glass.
• Spritz the lime oils from the peel over the glass, rub the peel’s oils around the stem, bowl, and rim of the glass, and drop the peel into the cocktail.
• Serve.

Bottom Line:

It’s almost annoying how refreshing and delicious this cocktail is. It’s doesn’t even have to be blazingly hot or humid out to enjoy it. The rum really shines through with hints of barrel spice and an almost creaminess with a rummy essence. The sugar is subtle and adds a nice velvety texture. The lime, naturally, is the dominant note — with brightness and tartness that’s eye-popping.

In the end, this went down far too quickly. I had to make another one. That one probably went down too quickly as well. I can’t related to Hemingway’s famous 17 in one sitting, but these are obviously a breeze to drink.

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