Jon Hamm’s big break should have come following his sweet-ass butt cut’s appearance on The Big Date, but the actor would have to wait until 2007 when Mad Men premiered on AMC. In another timeline, however, he would have already been known by that point for playing a good TV dad — arguably the best TV dad — instead of a bad TV dad.
On Rolling Stone‘s “Too Long; Didn’t Watch” podcast, hosted by Alan Sepinwall, Hamm revealed that he auditioned to play eyebrow icon Sandy Cohen on The O.C. “I did audition for one of the dads on The O.C. I was probably 31 or 32. I think it was me and Harry Hamlin,” he recalled. “I remember walking in and going, ‘Is that Peter Gallagher? Why am I here?‘ I love Peter Gallagher, but I was just like, ‘Dang!’” Hamm didn’t get the role — he’s only eight years older than Adam Brody, who would have played his son — but he did eventually get to California, right back where we started from.
AMC
The debut episodes of “Too Long; Didn’t Watch” have Hamm and Alison Brie watching the first and last episodes of Gossip Girl and Game of Thrones, respectively. Both shows with good beginnings; both shows with terrible endings. Listen to them below.
Frank Grillo has confirmed that his villainous character, Crossbones, will return in the upcoming animated series Marvel’s What If…? when it makes its debut on Disney+ in 2021. Staying true to the title, the show will examine various alternate reality scenarios like “What if T’Challa became Star Lord instead of Black Panther?” or “What if Peggy Carter took the super-soldier serum and became Captain America instead of Steve Rogers?” It’s that last scenario where Grillo most likely comes into play, considering Crossbones’ history of squaring off with Cap, which made the jump from the comics to the big screen in both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
As for getting Grillo to sign on to the animated series, it apparently didn’t make much convincing for him to work with Marvel again, as he told Collider:
“If the President calls and says, ‘I want you to come to the White House,’ you don’t ask why, you just kind of get on a plane and go to the White House. CAA called, my agents called and said, ‘They’re doing this thing, What If…?, and they have four or five episodes planned out, you can do it all in one [day].’ I’m like, ‘Whatever, I don’t care what the money [is], it doesn’t matter, yes I’m going to do it. Absolutely. All day, every day.’”
Since its announcement, Marvel’s What If…? has promised that most if not all of the MCU actors will voice their respective characters in the animated series. That includes the late Chadwick Boseman, who “came in about four times and recorded numerous episodes,” Marvel Studio head Kevin Feige told Emmy Magazine. “In hindsight, it’s very moving.”
At just 18 years old, Billie Eilish is one of the biggest global superstars. In 2020 alone, the singer was awarded five Grammys, planned (and then canceled) a sold-out arena tour, and recorded the new James Bond theme song. Now, Eilish is reflecting on her life, fame and all, in a new photo book.
Titled Billie Eilish, the singer’s book will serve as a visual storytelling of her rise to mainstream stardom. It will offer never-before-seen glimpses into her early childhood, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at her tour life. Fans can see pictures of her seated behind a piano as a child, as well as on-set photos of her “Bury A Friend” video.
Interscope
In order to put the photo book together, Eilish said she scoured through her family photos: “I spent many hours over many months pouring through my family albums and archives, handpicking all of the photos in this book. I hope you love it as much as I do.”
Along with publishing the photo book, Hachette Book Group will share a standalone audiobook where Eilish reflects on her life. She’ll tell previously unheard stories from her personal life to provide an intimate look at her journey as a musician.
Echoing Eilish’s excitement about the book, editor Gretchen Young said, “I am absolutely thrilled to be working on the first book by iconic singer and songwriter Billie Eilish. Her unique combination of sophisticated artistic vision and tenacious creative energy shines through on every page, and the vibrant visual nature of how she has chosen to share herself and her truth captures perfectly the unassailable authenticity for which she is so beloved by her ever-growing legions of fans.”
Vic Mensa‘s nonprofit organization, SaveMoneySaveLife, was reportedly robbed of over $40,000 worth of donated goods on New Year’s Eve, according to a video the rapper posted to Instagram Monday.
“On New Year’s Eve, the entire donation inventory for my non-profit @savemoneysavelife was robbed,” he wrote in the caption. “I founded the organization in 2018 to help the city I call home and since then we’ve donated 100,000+ pounds of food, over 50,000 pairs of shoes, and countless PPE supplies since the dawn of the pandemic. Sadly, we were set up and someone brought a truck to our Southside Chicago location and cleaned us out of over $40,000 worth of brand new shoes, Still, I want to thank everyone who has supported us thus far. Donation links are in my bio.”
The second slide of the post depicts the ransacked warehouse, with shoeboxes opened, emptied, and strewn all over the room. The shoes were collected ahead of a giveaway inspired as a reaction to 2018 reports of the Chicago Police Department using “bait trucks” to try and entrap potential thieves in underserved neighborhoods. SaveMoneySaveLife also provides first-aid training to volunteers, studios and training for aspiring media professionals, and organizes peace walks and back-to-school drives in the Chicago area.
For more information about the organization, visit its website here.
It’s no secret that COVID-19 is having a pretty devastating effect on the restaurant industry. According to data collected by Statista from the National Restaurant Association, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Census Bureau, the foodservice industry has lost $130 billion in sales between the months of March and October, shed 2.1 million jobs as of this December, and seen over 110,000 restaurants closed permanently or for the long term as a result of the pandemic.
On top of all of the hardships that come with running a service business amidst a (currently worsening) pandemic, chefs and restaurant owners are also having to deal with a customer base that’s living in and reflecting the most overtly divisive political climate in recent American history. For New Orleans chef Jason Goodenough, the toxicity of it all was simply too much.
Goodenough, chef and owner of the acclaimed New Orleans bistroCarrollton Market, announced his departure from the industry on his personal Instagram account, sharing a screenshot that reads, “I am walking away from CM and closing permanently. This is not a financial decision. Instead, now that the stimulus will prop up my staff, I am walking away because my passion for the craft has turned to apathy and my love of serving people has turned into disdain towards them.”
The photo was accompanied by a caption reading #TimeToMoveOn.
Further, Goodenough told NOLA.com, “It’s been so disheartening. It just crushes a chef’s spirit.”
Goodenough’s decision seems to have been, at least in part, motivated by a series of events that first began last month, when the chef received an email from a disgruntled customer who took issue with his restaurant’s pro-BLM display in the Carrollton Market storefront, writing, “We ordered dinner from you Friday. It was delicious. But as we pulled up to your front door… you had a ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign in your window. How offensive!!!! We will never eat at your restaurant again and we will tell all of our friends and neighbors in the Garden District that you support a ‘Marxist Organization.’”
In response, Goodenough set up a fundraiser with Cafe Hope NOLA, a local non-profit offering life skills and service industry training to at-risk youth, and raised $10,000 in the customer’s name (revealed only as “Kenneth S”). Soon after, Goodenough shared his reply to another email from a different customer, who seems to have been complaining about the chef’s response to “Kenneth S,” which contained another lengthy screenshot that was captioned with #ThisShitMakesMeHATEServingPeople.
Chef Goodenough followed up his second viral post with an opinion piece published in Food & Wineentitled, “You Don’t Like My Politics? I Don’t Need Your Business.” The announcement that he’s closing his restaurant offers bold punctuation to this series of events, an illustration of the difficulties that come with having to appease a politically divided customer base, and the continued challenges of running an independent service industry business in a pandemic and politically divisive climate.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is so punk rock and doesn’t care what you think: That includes the President of the United States.
Three days after the riots at the Capitol, Trump announced he would be awarding future NFL Hall of Famer coach Belichick the Medal of Freedom, which is our nation’s highest civilian honor. So, for Belichick to turn it down is quite a statement. He is the only person who could refuse such an honor without anyone thinking that he is trying to gain the spotlight. He just does what he thinks is right.
And that in itself ironically might be what makes him award-worthy.
Belichick has never been known for attention-grabbing antics. Anyone who has seen his press conferences knows what I’m talking about. During a Monday night in September 2014, the Chiefs embarrassed the Patriots, 41-14. New England needed to brush it off and focus on the Cincinnati Bengals, who was their opponent the following Sunday.
During the post-game press conference, the media peppered Belichick with ludicrous questions attacking the integrity of the entire organization, quarterback Tom Brady not withstanding. Rather than getting dragged into a frivolous back and forth with the press, Belichick answered every inane question with three words: “on to Cincinnati.” That became a rallying cry of sorts for the Patriots over the rest of the season. From there, they won 11 out of the 12 games remaining in the regular reason, and went on to win their first Super Bowl in 10 years.
To this day, “on to Cincinnati” has become a popular catchphrase for “let’s move on.”
When Belichick announced Monday night that he will not accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying “remaining true to the people, team and country I love outweigh the benefits of any individual award,” was his way of politely saying “on to Joe Biden.”
Although Belichick describes himself as apolitical, he was forced to address a note he penned to Donald Trump after the 2016 presidential election. Belichick claimed at a press conference that “anyone who has known him for more than five minutes knows that he is not a political person.” He went on to say that his friendship with Trump went back a long way, but that John Kerry was also in the Patriots locker room weeks earlier. Belichick was quick to point out that the two politicians had very different political views, but who he is friends with has nothing to do with who he votes for. That, alone, is a page we should all take from the greatest football mind of all time, especially if we are going to heal this country.
Loyalty is important, but standing up for what you believe in is even more so. In typical Belichick-style, his delicately-worded statement said everything he wanted to say (in as few words possible):
“Recently I was offered the opportunity to receive the presidential medal of freedom, which I was flattered by out of respect for what the honor represents and admiration for prior recipients. Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award. Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation’s values, freedom and democracy. I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team. One of the most rewarding things in my professional career took place in 2020 when, through the great leadership within our team, conversations about social justice, equality and human rights moved to the forefront and became actions. Continuing those efforts while remaining true to the people, team and country I love outweigh the benefits of any individual award.”
It doesn’t matter if Belichick was close with Donald Trump. By turning down the Medal of Freedom from one of his friends (technically he didn’t refuse it, he just isn’t going to “move forward” with it), he has given us the blueprints to stay true to our hearts, no matter what those around us might feel. Standing up for what you believe in doesn’t mean just spouting your point of view on social media. It means walking the walk.
If you were pressed to go back further, you could perhaps trace the roots of vodka sauce to Neapolitan Pomodoro sauce (which itself descends from the Americas), made from ripe tomatoes, butter, and fresh basil. The foundation is the same — tomatoes plus fat equals sauce — but the end result is drastically different. Then, of course, you have the vodka.
The addition of vodka to pasta sauce has no precedent before the swinging 70s in Italian cuisine. The booze is used as a de-glazer and an emulsifier. Truth be told, you can use white wine for the exact same purposes and that will add a little more depth and flavor (that bright, fruity sharp chardonnay taste, for example), versus a relatively neutral vodka. You can also use brandy if you want deeper, heartier flavors.
Still, the name of the dish is “vodka sauce,” so we’re using vodka today. As for the rest, the dish is pretty easy to make, which perhaps explains why it’s been such a hit on TikTok. #VodkaPasta has trended on the platform off and on for months, including a particularly uninspired recipe by model/influencer Gigi Hadid. There are 18.2 million views on the hashtag to date, which feels like a lot for a recipe this easy.
One of the biggest perks of vodka sauce, and perhaps why it lends itself to so many TikToks, is that it takes about the same amount of time to make as boiling your noodles. You do need a little technique and patience with the base of onions and garlic and then the emulsification of the tomato and cream, but other than that it’s a simple, straightforward weeknight recipe. Easy to execute in 20 minutes or less, depending on your knife and sauteeing skills.
As with any sauce, this one is also highly permutable. You can alter it to suit your taste by adjusting the spice to your liking or leaning into either the cream or the tomato paste elements. Add in some crumbled Italian sausage for more oompf. Toss it with ravioli or tortellini instead of penne or rigatoni. Want to take a week to infuse some oil with chilis and really amp the heat up?
There’s really not a whole lot to say here besides: Buy fresh, quality ingredients. Shitty parm or olive oil or tomato paste will leave you with a shittier version of this meal. Also, you don’t need to double up flavors or fats. If you’re already using fresh garlic, you don’t need garlic powder. If you’re already using whole-fat cream, you don’t need butter (the same thing). Keep things simple and dialed in.
You’re also going to want a broad, tube-shaped pasta. The more surface area you have, the better this sauce will stick. Rigatoni and penne are common — I’m making rigatoni because my editor has a vendetta against penne. Orichette would work, too. Rotini is fine but perhaps too dense.
Step 1:
Zach Johnston
The first step is to gather all your ingredients and then get a big pot of water on the flame. I’m using a 4-liter pot that’s filled 1/2 way with water and has a good punch of salt added.
While that starts to warm up, I do my prep. This entails peeling and dicing one onion and smashing and peeling four cloves of garlic. I cut the hard, root end off the garlic cloves and smash them with the face of the knife. The peel will slide right off. If you’re cooking for a date and want your garlic to be milder, you could pre-roast it — submerged in olive oil, low and slow at 200-degrees for three-ish hours.
Zach Johnston
The last bit of prep is to put the cream in a small pan on low heat. When you add the cream to the tomato base later, you want it to be warm (not hot or boiling). That way the cream won’t curdle in the pan when it hits the acidic tomato. Again, do not boil the cream. Just warm it up.
Step 2:
Zach Johnston
I’m using a heavy-bottomed saucepan. I pour in a layer of olive oil and bring it up to medium heat — don’t go higher than medium-high. I add in the onions with a pinch of salt and maybe a half-cup of the water from the pasta pot.
The water will simmer off the onions and speed up their softening while also not allowing them to brown or go bitter. There’s a term in Italian cooking that’s something like “tornare all’olio” which means “return to the oil” in braising. Essentially, you know the dish is ready to move on when the watery liquid is all evaporated and the oil is all that’s left in the pan.
Once the onions are very soft and translucent, add in the smashed garlic and sautee another three or so minutes, making sure not to brown anything. I use the wooden spoon to further break up the smashed garlic cloves. Keep the heat low-ish.
Zach Johnston
By this point, the water should be boiling, so I add the pasta to the water and give it a stir. I also turn the cream off as it’s warm enough and I don’t want it to boil.
Now, it’s time to make some sauce.
Zach Johnston
I add in about half of the red pepper flakes (saving the rest for service). I let them bloom in the pan until they’re very fragrant, about 30 seconds.
I then add in the vodka and stir everything with the wooden spoon until there’s a bit of thickening as the oil and vodka combine.
Zach Johnston
Next, I add in the tomato paste. I stir that in until the whole thing is combined. I keep the heat on medium and let that base completely heat through to help the tinniness of the tomato paste fade away. Give this a few minutes and taste it to make sure you’re not getting any tin can flavor.
Zach Johnston
Next, I slowly stir in the cream, adding it in a steady and slow stream from the small pot it was warmed in. As soon as that’s all in, I add in about a half-a-cup of pasta water and stir until completely emulsified.
Lastly, I check for seasoning and add in a good pinch of salt and a few shakes of fine white pepper. Stir and taste again.
I kill the heat. It’s time to make our dish!
Step 3:
Zach Johnston
You’ll want the pasta about one or two minutes shy of the on-the-box cook time to be proper al dente. I usually just fish out a piece and try it (please don’t burn yourself). It should still have a bite — the tube ought to have a lot of spring — but be nearing soft. Don’t worry, it’ll finish in the sauce.
This is important: you don’t want to drain off the pasta. You want to bring a bit of the pasta water into the pan as you toss the pasta with the sauce to finish.
I use a slotted spoon to transfer all of the pasta into the waiting pan. Once it’s all scooped out, I add about a dozen fresh basil leaves. I then use the wooden spoon to mix it all together. The sauce should create a creamy sheen and stick to the pasta without a problem.
Zach Johnston
I then dish the pasta into a warmed bowl. I sprinkle a pinch of red pepper flakes over the dish and crack some black pepper. I then finish with a grating of young parm. We’re ready to tuck in.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
This takes me back to those long lunches and birthday dinners at Maggiano’s in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just outside of D.C. It’s a hefty dish that’s obviously f*cking delicious. Come on, it’s cream, tomato, garlic, and chili pepper. What’s not to love?
The biggest complaint I could possibly levy on this dish is that it’s pretty heavy. You don’t need a lot and this will easily serve six, especially if it’s a primi (first course).
Still, it’s tomato-y, creamy, spicy, garlicky, and really, really velvety. It’s also pretty easy to make and quick. Plus it’s got that pink hue and a nice luster to it. It feels sexy on some level — great for social media, obviously, but even better for IRL dates, when that’s a thing again.
Weyes Blood released the apocalyptic album Titanic Rising back in 2019. She had to cancel the remainder of her tour dates last year, but she’s made it no secret that she’s planning on sharing the LP’s follow-up in 2021. While fans are patiently awaiting new music from the singer, Weyes Blood decided to debut a previously unheard track in a clever way: in a Roblox game.
Weyes Blood’s “Titanic Rising” outtake, titled “Titanic Risen,” can be heard while exploring a sunken ship in Roblox Titanic. The digital game is based on the sinking of the 1912 ship and boasts an impressive 3 million monthly players.
After downloading the game, fans can board the Titanic ship and virtually explore the cabin’s opulent interior with other players while reenacting the spotting of the treacherous iceberg. While playing the simulation, they can roleplay as Jack and Rose from the iconic Titanic movie and decide which moves to make. As the ship sinks, players can go underwater into the flooded rooms and launch lifeboats — all while listening to Weyes Blood’s “Titanic Risen” and a few other Titanic Rising tracks.
Watch a trailer for Roblox Titanic above and listen to Weyes Blood’s “Titanic Risen” in the game here.
Titanic Rising is out now via Sub Pop. Get it here.
Admittedly, “What does M. Night Shyamalan think about everything going on right now?,” was actually something I was curious to know. This is a reason why, the day before our interview, I rewatched Shyamalan’s 2008 film The Happening, a film that did not go over very well at the time but, now, well … look, he gets a lot more right about how a pandemic will go than people give him credit for doing. It is pretty remarkable. For instance, a movie like Contagion has a kook like Jude Law’s character spouting conspiracy theories. In The Happening we all rolled are eyes at the final scene when a cable news anchor claims the whole thing is a hoax. Well, unfortunately, it turns out M. Night was right. And, yes, he has some critical opinions on how the U.S. government has handled the pandemic.
Shyamalan, who just turned 50 a few months ago (as he explains, a good portion of his family all had consequential, notable birthdays during the pandemic), is video chatting from his home in Philadelphia to talk about the second season of Servant. A married couple, played by Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell, have their infant son come back to life after the arrival of a mysterious nanny – Servant, in its first season, set primarily inside a house, seemed like a stylistic choice, but now doesn’t seem all that strange.
(The first season of Servant also got some unwanted attention due to a lawsuit filed against it for copyright infringement, alleging similarities with a film. Not getting as much attention was that Shyamalan and Servantwon that case, even recouping their legal fees. Shymalan, ahead, discusses his legal victory.)
We had a little time left over at the end, so after we delved into The Happening, and we got into a couple of other questions I had about some of his past movies. The first was why he drowned Bruce Willis’s character in a puddle at the end of Glass, which seems almost personal. And the second is if he ever thinks about what would have happened if Haley Joel Osment had been cast in The Phantom Menace instead of The Sixth Sense – and this was breaking news to Shyamalan that Osment had ever auditioned for Star Wars.
We are all going to have birthdays during the pandemic, but I feel some empathy for people with big birthdays and you just had a big birthday…
I know. And this was the big year for birthdays for our whole family. I turned 50. My mom turned 80. My daughter turned 21. My other daughter turned 16.
Oh my gosh.
Everybody ended up just having quiet dinner at home. That turned out to be, “All right, what’s your favorite meal? We’re just going to cook your favorite meal.” That’s what it turned out to be for all of us.
Those ages you just mentioned, those are all huge birthdays.
Yeah. I know. The sweet 16, I think, hurt the most.
I talked to you for the first season of Servant and it’s funny to reread that because the theme was basically, “Ah, this streaming thing, I think it might take off.” And here we are.
Yeah. Amazing. I don’t know how it’s all going to shake out. I wonder how it will be at the end of the day? Is everyone going to have 15 different streaming things that they’re going to pay for? Or is it all going to get bundled like a cable thing? How is this going to work out for the average person? I’m not sure.
Well, you had to have thought about it. You have a streaming show. What do you think is going to happen?
When I think about the landscape changing for streamers? As you know, everybody’s going to make good content. Everyone’s going to have, like, if you want to watch that movie, you have to go to this studio’s streaming service. I like being associated with Apple and their brand to separate us a little bit. And, hopefully, people will see us, because it’s going to be so hard to get people’s attention now that there are a thousand shows being made.
So I watched seven episodes of the new season. It hit me a lot different than watching the first season. Because a show set primarily in a house, yeah, that makes a lot of sense right now.
I know, that’s just my taste. Nothing to do with pandemics. That’s what I like. I like isolated, contained stories.
That’s how we all live now.
Yeah. It’s not strange at all now. It’s not unusual.
Your show went from, oh, this is really unusual that they spend so much time at home to, oh, they’re just like everyone else. They spend a lot of time in their homes.
That’s true. That’s true. You don’t even think about it anymore.
So you just got renewed for a third season. Last year you said you wanted to make 60 episodes?
I changed my mind on that over the pandemic. I outlined the whole series over the pandemic and figured out where I wanted it to go and how many episodes it would be. And it came out to 40.
Okay, so now 40.
Instead of 60. Yeah.
So the pandemic made you want to do less?
Well, it made me figure it all out. Two things happened. Well, three things. One was I just wrote out all my ideas and it just came out to that. That was one. Two, I didn’t expect to be as involved in the show as I am. I mean, I do everything. I put in every sound effect. Right now, when I finish here, I’m going to go and listen to a cue. I did the writers’ room right before all this, for season three. Every color timing I do upstairs. I do everything. And I like it! I’m enjoying it!
I just don’t know what my life will be like many, many years from now. So I felt like I can commit at this level through next year and get us to the finish line on this thing. So it’s a combination of that. And also what we just talked about: that the world has changed so much and the streamers are everywhere. And what used to be a long commitment of six seasons feels eternal in this world. Whereas now, you see the impact of Queen’s Gambit has on Netflix, right? It’s powerful – it’s a commitment for the audience – but not that long. And yet it’s what everyone wanted. I feel it. And it affected me and it helped Netflix. And it’s one of the most sticky things that’s happened for them in a long time. And I feel like if I can do something super high quality for a burst of time here, that’s probably the best for me and for them. So it just ended up kind of naturally looking at the playing field, shifting from 60 episodes to 40. So that’s where my head went.
So I don’t know if this is a touchy subject or not, but the show was sued for copyright infringement. I read the judge’s decision, that you won. Did you feel vindicated? The judge wrote, “many of the alleged similarities in the First Amended Complaint are mischaracterizations of one or both of the works at issue,” and you were awarded your legal fees back.
It’s so par for the course, too. I didn’t even really spend any on it. When it happened, I was like, whatever, here’s the mountain of stuff. Let’s figure it out. And actually, whenever somebody goes, “Hey, I thought of an alien movie first.” I’m like, “Please, I know you did, but here’s all my stuff. Please, please, please just look at it carefully. Look at the dates. I know you feel like somebody took something from you, but we all have so many similar pools of ideas and thoughts. Nobody took anything, that’s not how I run. In fact, if you want to do a game, I bet you I can come up with movie ideas right now. Right off the top of my head, ten of them right now.”
And, so, I sent these people that and said, “Please, please. I totally understand. Just, here’s all the information. Clearly, clearly, this was done way, way before anything that you were thinking of. And I wish you the best, I really do.” And they kept pursuing it anyway. It went exactly as you thought it would. But yet they never write about how it was ridiculous. They just write about the negative part of it.
So I rewatched The Happening. As far as the pandemic, you got a lot right. Have you thought about that recently? It starts in the Northeast. People are nonchalant at first. It hits the cities, then it hits the towns, then it goes to rural areas. There’s a weird MAGA-type gun guy. You can’t be around other people.
Well, you know what’s similar is I guess it’s an unseen enemy, right? It’s a conceptual enemy, which is hard to wrap your head around. And as you can see, by the way the country reacted to a conceptual enemy, the framing of the storytelling is everything. Do they give credence to the fear? Do they feel restricted? And because of the way the administration chose to be ambiguous about what was happening to all of us, you have all these bizarre reactions across the spectrum.
I remember when I first saw that movie I rolled my eyes at the final scene with the newscast calling it a hoax and a government conspiracy. And then that happened.
Dude, no one would believe what happened here in these last four years. No one would believe that any of this stuff could actually play out. No one would believe what we’ve witnessed in these last four years. No one. I have so many doctors in my family and their patients, as they’re being told they’re dying or what are they dying of, “You’re dying from the coronavirus.” They go, “No, that’s a hoax. What am I really dying from?” That’s being said to the doctor! “I don’t know what to tell you. You’re dying from the coronavirus.” And it’s incredible.
Well, that was my long way of saying I think you deserve more credit for that movie, because you got more right than anyone gave you credit for at the time.
That’s funny.
And you cast both Jeremy Strong and Alan Ruck. So you were ahead on the Succession craze, too.
Yeah, that’s true!
So, I’m curious, why did you drown Bruce Willis in a puddle at the end of Glass. Because it seemed almost personal.
[Laughs] Well, in the end, that the simplest thing can take the strongest person down. That it’s like more of Achilles’ heel that, in the mythos of it, you don’t need an army to take down the strongest man if you know their weakness.
It’s been reported Haley Joel Osment auditioned for the part of Anakin in The Phantom Menace. Do you think about that? Because chances are then he’s not in The Sixth Sense and everything would be different.
Oh, really? I didn’t, it’s funny, I never heard that! You’re the first one actually I’ve ever heard that from. That’s interesting.
I’m breaking news to you.
I mean, jeez. I mean, always I’m astonished by filmmaking. The kind of serendipity involved with filming who’s available at what time, what person comes to audition for me, all these things. The particular cinematographer, the sun on that day. That’s what I love about filmmaking. It is all this happenstance that comes together and becomes this alchemy of magic that’s caught. I’m astonished by it, but I’ve kind of learned to celebrate it and enjoy it. And even this last movie, that I’ve done so much of that came to the table.
Yeah. So much of that. Like, I couldn’t make that movie now if I wanted to with the same cast. It would be so hard to do all the things that we did and it’s just amazing. And that’s what makes it so precious for me.
On the way to an unexpected 44-28 record and a slot in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder earned a great deal of respect. The Thunder were widely seen as a potentially solid team in advance of the 2019-20 season but, with a rebuild looming and key cogs with injury history like Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari, overall expectations were tempered and Oklahoma City greatly exceeded them. Fast-forward to the 2020-21 season and, before tip-off in late December, projections were even more skeptical of the Thunder.
After losing Paul, Gallinari, Steven Adams, head coach Billy Donovan and more, the Thunder had the lowest over/under win total in the entire NBA for the 2020-21 campaign. Given the team’s operational pivot to rebuilding, that seemed reasonable, especially with the expectation that the Thunder would give developmental reps to rookies in Aleksej Pokusevski and Theo Maledon. On cue, the Thunder opened the season 1-3 with three home losses, and the stage was set.
Then, something funny happened, and the Thunder rattled off a 4-1 record during a five-game January road trip. It has to be said that there are many strange results thus far, and Oklahoma City shouldn’t be expected to maintain this pace. Still, the Thunder have allowed just 1.06 points per possession defensively during the five-game run, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is carrying the offense.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 22.2 points, 6.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds over the course of the road trip, posting 49/38/82 shooting splits along the way. Hamidou Diallo added 15.6 points per contest while shooting 64 percent from the floor, and steady hands like George Hill and Al Horford provided defense, acumen and just enough on the offensive end.
The 2020-21 season is, unquestionably, about molding the organization for the future, and that means accentuating Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, Luguentz Dort (who has been fantastic this season), Maledon, Pokusevski and others. From there, the cupboard is overflowing with draft capital, giving Sam Presti the flexibility to not worry too much about the 2021 draft if the Thunder happen to stay hot for a while.
It remains to be seen as to how good the Thunder actually are this season and, from a roster standpoint, regression seems to be in the offing. With that said, Oklahoma City has been fun to watch, and they seem to be playing hard, inspired basketball.
Where do the Thunder stand in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s explore the space.
1. Los Angeles Lakers (8-3, Last week — 1st)
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As noted last week, it’s not particularly close right now between the Lakers and everyone else, especially when accounting for the prior of Los Angeles winning the 2020 title. The Lakers went 3-1 this week, and the only loss involved the Spurs shooting 16-of-35 from three-point range.
2. Milwaukee Bucks (7-4, Last week — 4th)
It is the Bucks, not the Lakers, that leads the NBA in net rating (+11.1) and it isn’t particularly close right now. Milwaukee has won five of the last six games, and the Utah Jazz needed a record-setting performance with 25 three-pointers to knock off the Bucks in the only loss. Let’s just say that any regular season questions have dissipated for this Bucks team, provided reasonable health.
3. Boston Celtics (7-3, Last week — 8th)
Health and safety protocols have been at the forefront of almost every NBA discussion this week, and the Celtics are in the middle of it. Boston has endured back-to-back postponements, so they haven’t played in a while. With that said, the Celtics are tied for the longest winning streak (four) in the NBA, and Kemba Walker is coming back in short order.
4. L.A. Clippers (7-4, Last week — 3rd)
The insane loss to Dallas is still making the numbers look odd for the Clippers overall, but they’re in fine shape. Some priors are still in the mix, at least for me, in evaluating the early part of the season, and L.A. looks the part of a top-five team. They’re going to have to play better defense, however, so that is something to monitor.
5. Philadelphia 76ers (7-4, Last week — 2nd)
Nuance is going to be key this season. If you just saw the scores of Philadelphia’s games against Denver and Atlanta, you would be baffled by this ranking. The 76ers were without half of their roster in both games, so I’m going to lean on the previous sample and priors, at least for now.
6. Portland Trail Blazers (6-4, Last week — 10th)
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The run didn’t come against the most elite competition, but the Blazers are on a three-game winning streak. CJ McCollum capped things with a beautiful game-winner on Monday evening, and Portland is scoring almost 1.14 points per possession on the season. There are things to work out defensively, but improvement is coming on that end, and the Blazers are suddenly rounding into form.
7. Utah Jazz (6-4, Last week — 5th)
Home-court advantage doesn’t mean as much as it usually does right now, but teams like Utah and Denver should still benefit from the altitude this season. With that in mind, it is noteworthy that the Jazz are 1-2 at home and a blistering 5-2 on the road in the early going. Just something to note.
8. Phoenix Suns (7-4, Last week — 6th)
The Suns have alternated wins and losses in their last six games, treading water for all to see. Phoenix still has solid metrics, but losing to Washington and Detroit in the same week isn’t enough to keep their standing in this space.
9. Denver Nuggets (5-5, Last week — 12th)
No potential contender wants to be 5-5 after ten games, but the Nuggets are better than that. They’ve won four of the last five games, and Denver has the No. 2 offense in the league right now. Nikola Jokic is out of his mind and, after a brutal start, Denver’s defense is now bringing something to the table. That’s all they need to do on that end.
10. Dallas Mavericks (5-4, Last week — 15th)
Before a postponement on Monday, Dallas received some (very) good news in the form of Kristaps Porzingis being cleared to play. The Mavericks, like many teams, are dealing with health and safety protocol issues, but Dallas has won three in a row and Porzingis should help to raise their ceiling a great deal.
11. Brooklyn Nets (5-6, Last week — 9th)
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In all honesty, I wish anyone luck trying to “rank” the Nets. Brooklyn has the third-best net rating in the NBA and their highs have been quite high. They also have a 5-6 record, Spencer Dinwiddie is gone for the season and Kyrie Irving hasn’t been playing and likely won’t for the rest of this week at minimum. Let’s just split the difference for today.
12. Indiana Pacers (6-4, Last week — 7th)
Indiana isn’t as good as their top-five net rating indicates, but two losses in a row shouldn’t pour too much cold water on the proceedings. It helps that Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon are playing fantastic basketball, but Indiana operating without TJ Warren isn’t ideal. That shouldn’t be overlooked.
13. Golden State Warriors (6-4, Last week — 11th)
Since their Christmas debacle, the Warriors are 6-2 with a +4.2 net rating. It remains to be seen as to whether Golden State is that good, but Draymond Green helps tremendously and it was always going to take this group some time. Also, Kelly Oubre and Andrew Wiggins may not be elite wing options, but they were never going to shoot 12 percent (all numbers approximate) from the perimeter all season.
14. Charlotte Hornets (6-5, Last week — 27th)
No team had a better week than the Hornets. Charlotte won all four of its games, including a sweep of the Hawks, and LaMelo Ball looks the part of the guy who many had atop their big boards for the 2020 Draft. The Hornets now have a positive point differential for the season, and James Borrego has designed a quality defense despite some roster limitations.
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (5-4, Last week — 28th)
In practical terms, the Thunder aren’t the 15th-best team in the league. They had a great week, though, and earned this placement.
16. Miami Heat (4-4, Last week — 16th)
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Miami would probably love a mulligan on the start of the season. Honestly, they are better than what they’ve shown and everyone knows it, but the results haven’t been bad enough to put them too far behind the eight-ball. The Heat will likely take it as they too work through COVID-19 protocol issues.
17. Atlanta Hawks (5-5, Last week — 14th)
The Hawks badly needed a win, and the 76ers arrived in Atlanta on Monday with only nine players and very few perimeter options. Thankfully for the home team, that was enough to snap a four-game losing streak, but the Hawks now face a tough, three-game trip to the West. That should tell us a lot about Atlanta, and the Hawks are also (quite) banged-up right now.
18. Orlando Magic (6-5, Last week — 13th)
It shouldn’t surprise anyone if the Magic keep dropping on this list, simply because of their roster realities. Orlando isn’t a playoff-caliber team on paper right now, and they’ve lost three in a row. Steve Clifford’s team is above .500, but they have the 24th-best net rating in the league and that is probably more indicative of where they are at the moment.
19. Houston Rockets (3-5, Last week — 18th)
Houston, along with Miami, has the smallest sample size of any team with only eight games. As such, they’ve lost three out of the last four, and that really drags them down, but the Rockets also dropped games to Indiana, Dallas and the Lakers. That’s not the end of the world, and they get the rematch (at home) against Los Angeles on Tuesday.
20. San Antonio Spurs (5-5, Last week — 24th)
San Antonio isn’t good necessarily, but they are fun. The Spurs do fundamental things very well, headlined by the No. 1 turnover rate in the NBA offensively, but San Antonio also just has a million guys. Keldon Johnson is fun. DeMar DeRozan might have it going on any night. Patty Mills is playing great. It’s basketball nerd stuff, but the Spurs are Spurs-y.
21. New Orleans Pelicans (4-5, Last week — 17th)
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The Pelicans had a game postponed on Monday and, before that, New Orleans lost three straight games by single digits. Granted, all of those games were at home, which isn’t ideal, but New Orleans is currently the statistical embodiment of a .500 team. This might just be what they are all season.
22. Cleveland Cavaliers (5-6, Last week — 20th)
It’s really impressive that the Cavs continue to lead the league in defensive rating, and they are truly clamping down on that end of the floor. In contrast, Cleveland is dead-last in offensive rating (by a considerable margin) and it is hard to win at a high level when that happens. Both sides should regress on some level, but trying to find the baseline will be interesting, and it would be wise to keep in mind that the Cavs have been dealing with real personnel absences, particularly on the perimeter.
23. Toronto Raptors (2-8, Last week — 21st)
This is a weird one, folks. The Raptors being 2-8 is almost mind-blowing, particularly without widespread absences for their top players. Some of that is luck, with Toronto having a respectable-ish net rating (-1.4), but they haven’t been good on either end of the floor, particularly late in games. The offensive scuffles are understandable, but the Raptors really need to be awesome on defense, and they aren’t right now.
24. Memphis Grizzlies (4-6, Last week — 26th)
Memphis is unquestionably in trouble as long as they have the roster limitations they are currently facing, headlined by the absence of Ja Morant. The Grizzlies did just win two games in a row, however, and perhaps they can hold the line just long enough to remain in the peripheral mix for the playoffs.
25. Sacramento Kings (5-6, Last week — 25th)
The Kings still have the worst defensive rating (116.6) in the NBA and they have a bottom-five net rating after all. On the more favorable side, Sacramento picked up a nice win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday, breaking out of a spell in which they had lost five of the previous six.
26. Washington Wizards (3-8, Last week — 22nd)
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Washington was going to be even lower if not for a nice win over Phoenix on Monday. The Wizards have been wildly disappointing through 11 games, but it is worth noting that they are snake-bitten. Washington has a -0.8 net rating and, well, that doesn’t usually translate to a 3-8 record. The wins still need arrive at some point, but perhaps things will balance out for Scott Brooks and company.
27. New York Knicks (5-6, Last week — 19th)
Yes, the Knicks are almost .500, but they have a bottom-five net rating. Also, New York lost to Oklahoma City (at home) and Charlotte this week in fairly decisive fashion. Tom Thibodeau’s bunch can certainly play better than they have recently, but that doesn’t mean the results have been incredible.
28. Chicago Bulls (4-7, Last week — 22nd)
It’s been quite an up and down season, even in a short sample, for the Bulls. Chicago has now lost three games in a row and, within the last week, the Bulls allowed 121.1 points per 100 possessions. That didn’t help what is currently the second-worst defensive team in the NBA by the numbers.
29. Detroit Pistons (2-8, Last week — 30th)
Detroit actually has two pretty good wins, beating the Celtics and the Suns at home. Everything else has been pretty shaky, though, and the record doesn’t seem to be a fluke. The Pistons are a bottom-tier team on both ends of the floor, and it stands to reason that Jerami Grant, who is currently averaging 25.1 points per game, might cool off at some point.
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-7, Last week — 29th)
The Wolves don’t have the worst record in the league and they actually won their last game, sneaking past the Spurs at home. Why, then, is Minnesota dead-last this week? Well, the Wolves have the worst net rating by a comfortable margin (-9.3) and, even the win over San Antonio was mitigated by a loss to the same team in the previous game. The return of Karl-Anthony Towns should help to stabilize matters, but it’s been pretty ugly so far.
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