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As she tends to do when releasing just about anything, Beyonce effectively broke the internet yesterday when her musical Black Is King premiered on Disney+. Fans celebrated the release in a variety of ways, but none was as extravagant as Lizzo’s watch party. The “Good As Hell” singer shared a behind-the-scenes tour of her event, and it’s clear she went all-out.

In a series of videos posted to her Instagram Story, Lizzo showed fans all she had in store for the Black Is King watch party. Not only did Lizzo roll out a sparkly black carpet as her take on the infamous red carpet, but the singer filled her house with all the best movie-watching snacks: Lay’s chips, cinnamon rolls, catered mash potatoes, mac and cheese, and even pre-made vegan chicken bacon sandwiches. Of course, Lizzo’s final touches are what made the party a true spectacle. The singer adorned an entryway table with a giant statue of Beyonce’s rear end complete a plaque reading, “What would Beyonce do?”

Ahead of the Black Is King premiere, Beyonce made a rare TV appearance on Good Morning America. The singer spoke about her intent behind the musical: “The narrative unfolds through music videos, fashion, dance, beautiful natural settings, and raw, new talent. But it all started in my backyard. So, from my house, to Johannesburg to Ghana to London to Belgium to the Grand Canyon, it was truly a journey to bring this film to life. And my hope for this film is that it shifts the global perception of the word ‘Black,’ which has always meant inspiration and love and strength and beauty to me. ‘Black Is King’ means Black is regal and rich in history, in purpose, and in lineage.”

See clips from Lizzo’s watch party above.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

As first reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the St. Louis Cardinals became the latest baseball team to postpone a game because of positive COVID-19 tests.

Later clarification indicated the Cardinals may have as few as two positive tests and will be tested again today, meaning the rest of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers could be saved. So long as nobody else on the team tests positive, the Cardinals could in theory isolate the two infected players and move forward with their schedule.

The news broke the same morning that the Miami Marlins added yet another infection to their total, which put them at 18 positive tests, or 60 percent of the roster. As the NBA and NHL saw when teams who happened to ride on the same plane or play in the same arena back in the spring may have spread the disease that way, one team playing with the virus can create a ripple effect across the league.

Though no one within MLB is waiving the white flag yet, Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet noted that with the Cardinals added to the list, one-fifth of the league will not play tonight as a result of postponed games due to positive tests.

Classifying Beyonce’s music into a genre is close to impossible — our own Aaron Williams laid out that airtight case already. To an extent, the same goes for her filmmaking, although we don’t yet know what Queen Bey has in store for us with her second visual album, Black Is King. Disney+ will stream the iconic singer’s latest directorial effort on July 31, and it’s probably safe to guess that (once again) Beyonce will deliver the unexpected, whatever that might be, and the project will be a topic of conversation for years to come.

So, we have to hang tight a bit longer, but for now, it’s certainly worth discussing how Beyonce’s status as a filmmaker keeps rising, due to her unwavering resolve to never shy away from her visions for the future. Each of the three Beyonce-helmed films discussed here achieves something different than the preceding installment, and no matter how you feel about her messages in each film, one has to respect that she’s got her reasons, and she’s got her plans. And boy, does she have hustle. Your guess is as good as mine on how she can possibly evolve further past what she’s already achieved through Life Is But A Dream, Lemonade, and Homecoming, but her decisive ambition knows no bounds, so let’s converse about her journey thus far.

Life Is But A Dream (2013): A Cool And Calculated Beginning

Beyonce went cinéma vérité style for her first directorial effort (which aired on HBO) that chronicles how she stepped out from under her father’s managerial thumb while also moving through the stressful “M”s in her life: marriage, miscarriage, motherhood. On the professional side, the documentary makes absolutely no secret of her artistic prowess and maneuverings, whether she’s practicing dance moves in a hotel hallway or, as shown above, departing a business meeting and declaring to the camera, “I’m an artist. And I’m sensitive about my shit.” She ain’t kidding.

The fascinating thing about Life Is But A Dream (the title comes from an utterance that she makes while on secluded vacation with Jay-Z) is that Beyonce doesn’t even pretend that she’s not the one crafting the “dream.” It’s a creative choice that was criticized when this film came out, given that the end product is clearly calculated to reveal exactly what Beyonce wants to reveal, and no more. And that’s a fair assessment, since this isn’t like Madonna’s Truth Or Dare, where Madge let everything (even her worst moods) hang out in front of the cameras and clashed with her father and other men in her life. Or even like Katy Perry’s Part Of Me documentary, where Katy had no issue being super-personal about her terrible marriage. However, there’s no question that those films’ directors, along with Madonna and Perry, had agendas and perspectives that they wished to push. The same goes for Beyonce, although the lone agenda with this documentary appears to be this: to show the world that she’s the one in control.

Beyonce meticulously plotted out moments that she wanted to portray as vlog entries with stripped down (but still perfectly styled) hair, makeup, and clothing, surrounded by soft lighting. The “candid” footage also doesn’t seem so candid, but as a viewer, I felt like Beyonce knew that we knew that. She hinted very vaguely at feeling pressure and pain over the years but withheld details. She, and only she, is narrator of her own story, and I gotta respect that chutzpah.

Lemonade (2016): Now We’re Getting Cinematic

Now available on iTunes, Beyonce first released this “visual album” as a surprise (in the dead of night) and exclusively via Tidal, the streaming service owned by Jay-Z. Surreal and at times unsettling, the film was actually helmed by seven directors, including Beyonce, given that the project is essentially a seamless assembling of music video clips spanning several themes and styles. However, enlisting others proves that Beyonce does know when to delegate when necessary. As a whole, the film is a substantial piece of artistry and her statement on gender politics and Black identity.

Of particular interest to social media at the time, of course, was how Beyonce also cryptically broached the subject of infidelity. There was the “Becky With The Good Hair” line from the “Sorry” portion (directed by Dikayl Rimmasch), and the “Hold Up” portion (directed by Jonas Akerlund), which produced the project’s most iconic shots. While gliding down the street in now-infamous gold dress, Beyonce let loose in controlled anarchy with a baseball bat, glass and water flying everywhere. Did this portion reflect Beyonce’s personal-life reality in any way? She never clarifies that point, but it was all a testament to how Beyonce can keep an audience on its toes. Whatever her intent, it was a deftly executed one.

Lemonade was a revolutionary approach to album release, for sure, and Beyonce also used the visual album to explore sisterhood, racial tension, and her faith. Years later, that gold dress has come to symbolize her emergence as a well-rounded artist, one who decided not to be afraid to express anguish and pain within a much larger project, which covers expansive themes that tie the individual to the whole of society.

Homecoming (2019): A Fully-Formed Vision Emerges

It’s one thing shoot portions of a film and then get what many consider to be the “real work” done (to effectively hammer home intended messages) in the editing room. It’s quite another thing to communicate one’s specific vision to hundreds of onstage performers, make it all work at the historic “Beychella” performance — the first time that a Black woman headlined the festival — and also helm a movie that filters those messages to the screen. Once again, Beyonce gave us a documentary unlike the rest, even including Life Is But A Dream, that preceded it.

Beyonce meant business, both literally and figuratively, and the footage shows how she meticulously fine-tuned every aspect of the set by collaborating with an enormous team and overseeing multiple rehearsal soundstages. She did not hesitate to push harder to communicate her vision of Black cultural legacy while gathering an unparalleled entourage of musicians (brass and orchestra), dancers, and costumes that paid homage to historically Black U.S. colleges (and their Greek organizations, as with the Beta Delta Kappa sweatshirt detail), an Egyptian queen, and the Black Panthers. References to Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Audre Lorde resonated, as did the inclusion of the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Likewise, the documentary itself was a meticulously constructed homage to Black power that traces Beyonce’s entire process, from her beginning inception of the concept all the way to launching a full-on cultural movement. With Homecoming, Beyonce didn’t simply stick with being the one to call the shots. She became the maker of her own myth, one cemented by an unyielding vision of Black feminist politics. Her vast Homecoming accomplishments are breathtaking. I’m more than ready to see what she’s got in store for us with Black Is King.

Disney+’s ‘Black Is King’ streams on July 31.

Hip-hop is moving as fast as ever. Luckily, we’re doing the work to put the best new rap music in one place for you. This week, there were videos from Logic, Mariah The Scientist and Lil Baby, Gucci Mane and Mulatto, IDK and ASAP Ferg, and Action Bronson. There were also songs from DaBaby and Stunna 4 Vegas, JpegMafia, ASAP Ferg, Nicki Minaj and MadeinTYO, as well as Octavian and Future. Here’s the rest of the best new rap music this week:

Benny The Butcher & Black Soprano Family — Da Respected Sopranos

Benny The Butcher and his Black Soprano Family crew revitalized a legendary brand with their Gangsta Grillz collaboration with DJ Drama. There was once a time where it was a rite of passage for a buzzing artist to get on the venerable mixtape series, and Benny used his power to make his first Gangsta Grillz appearance a national introduction to the BSF crew of Rick Hyde, Heem, LoveBoat Luciano, Jonesy, FlexxBaby, Young World & DJ Shay. The 8-song tape delivers everything one would, with gritty rhymes over beats that veer from the soulful “It’s Over” to the menacing “Paulie & Vito.”

Adam Snow — “42” Feat. Freddie Gibbs & Josh Alias

DC producer Adam Snow is gearing up to release his forthcoming As Luck Would Have It project. He linked up with Freddie Gibbs for the second time this year for “42,” a soulful track which Gibbs tears through before Josh Alias delivers a fiery followup, surmising, the “only heartbreak I feel, when I see chalk and tape,”

2KBaby — “Old Soul” Feat. G Herbo

Kentucky rapper 2KBbaby collaborated with the perfect person for his pensive “Old Soul” record, which is a single from his Pregame Rituals EP. The LAKA-directed video shows the two dressed up as old men, with Herbo dropping the lamentful boast, “Couldn’t be a kid, now I’m grown got a big wheel.”

Wuki Feat. Juvenile — “Bad Girl Drumma”

Producer Wuki and New Orleans icon Juvenile collaborated on the “Bad Girl Drumma,” a bouncy track that will turn up any function — whenever they’re actually safe to have again.

Dave East — “I Got 5 On It” (EastMix)

Dave East rekindled his renown EastMix series by dropping bars over The Luniz’ classic “I Got 5 On It,” recalling, “Used to gamble wit’ our life / ain’t need no dice to get right” but now he lives the good life, boasting, “Mayweather back at it / I’m bout to catch a flight to the fight.”

Quando Rondo — “1999”

Quando Rondo pays homage to the heyday of Louisiana hip-hop on “1999,” ideating his bluesy, pensive brand of reality rap “that Juvenile, that Boosie Boo, that back in 19-9-9” over melancholy production.

Plies — “I’m Not A Racist”

The title of Plies’ recent single may have spurred expectation of an excavation of race relations, but it refers to him loving “all different color foreigns” and diamonds, which he rhymes about over quaking, off-kilter production.

Bodega BAMZ — “Who U With”

New York Underground stalwart MC Bodega BAMZ is set to release his Yams Heard This project, which references the late music exec’s status as his primary sounding board. The first single from the project is “Who U With,” where he affirms his supremacy over a minimalist, hypnotic instrumental.

Bree Runway — “Gucci” Feat. Maliibu Miitch

“Gucci” is an intercontinental affair between UK MC Bree Runway and Maliibu Mitch. The swaggering single is paired with a decadent video in which both women embody their boastful lyrics.

Coi Leray — “Do Better”

Coi Leray announced her upcoming Now Or Never EP with a preview of what to expect. The melodic “Do Better” showcases the New Jersey artist focused on steady improvement for her and her team, but she’s already assured enough to know that she’s “turnt up and I’m cocky / these b*tches can’t stop me.”

K.A.A.N. & Big Ghost — All Praises Due

Maryland artist K.A.A.N. has kept his fans plenty fed this year. He dropped off a surprise for his fans in the form of All Praises Due, his fourth project of 2020. The 10-track project is entirely produced by Big Ghost, who plies the talented lyricist with a diverse collection of beats like the smooth “Manifesto” and soulful “Valley Of Kings.”

Radamiz — “Gratitude Is Gangsta”

Brooklyn MC Radamiz is gearing up to release his Synonyms Of Strength EP sometime this summer. The first release from the project is “Gratitude Is Gangsta,” a characteristically thoughtful track that inspires as much as it displays his lyrical wizardry over a lush soundscape.

Beat Boy — NewDre

Platinum LA producer Beat Boy released his debut project today. The young producer, who’s laced Shoreline Mafia, Maxo Kream, Vince Staples, Earl Sweatshirt, and others, showed off his burgeoning curatorial skills on the 10-track homage to Dr. Dre.

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

The opening night of the NBA’s restart in Orlando provided two entertaining and competitive games, which was something of a surprise, given it was all four teams’ first basketball games in four months. The Utah Jazz edged out the New Orleans Pelicans with a 16-point comeback in the opener, while the Lakers held off the Clippers in the nightcap, and while both had some expected choppiness, the overall quality of the games was a pleasant surprise.

It was one game, the first in months, and as such it is time to make sweeping declarations based off of a small sample size and begin some All-Bubble team watch. With the NBA awards already voted on and these games not counting towards that, we’ll be keeping track of who are first and second team NBA All-Bubble as the games go along. Some may say it’s too early given that only four teams have played, but I beg to differ.

All-Bubble First Team

G: Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell was a big part of dragging the Jazz back into their opening night win with 20 points, five assists, and five rebounds. He’s got a genuine chance to hold onto a spot here given how much they’re going to need from him offensively.

G: Paul George

George was spectacular in a Clippers loss, hitting some huge shots late to tie things up as he went for 30 points on 11-for-17 shooting (6-for-11 from three). If Bubble P is a real thing, it bodes well for the Clippers, who have been waiting for this version of George all season.

F: Kawhi Leonard

The loss on Thursday was not at the feet of their stars — aside from a dismal final possession — as Leonard kicked in 28 points for the Clippers. It wasn’t his most efficient outing, but he came through with some big buckets when it counted and the Clippers were much better when he was on the floor. Having your two stars playing well out of the gate when you’re still awaiting key bench help might mean more to the Clippers than the results early on.

F: Anthony Davis

The best player of the night was AD, as he went off for 34 points and eight boards, dominating inside against a Clippers frontcourt that simply had no answers for him. Given the relative struggles of LeBron, Davis being at this level already is a very good sign for the Lakers.

F: Brandon Ingram

I don’t know why the NBA insists on keeping the center position on the All-NBA ballot rather than just being a frontcourt spot. I reject the premise. Ingram was sensational in the first half, but ran out of gas in the second half, which made this a real debate between he and Gobert. Still, he finished the night with 23 points and eight rebounds and for a stretch of the first half was truly unguardable. A lot of guys have to figure the conditioning thing out still, and Ingram appeared to get tired legs down the stretch, missing all four shot attempts in the final five minutes of the game when New Orleans desperately needed some shot making.

All-Bubble Second Team

G: J.J. Redick

The Pelicans sharpshooter had a monster first half and, while he was less impactful in the second half, he was a big reason New Orleans opened up the 16-point lead they would eventually see slip away. He finished the game with 21 points, four rebounds, and three assists, and the Pelicans might have to consider involving him more in their late game offense that was otherwise dreadful.

G: Jordan Clarkson

An absolute masterclass from Clarkson on Thursday night. He opened 2-for-9 from the field, including 0-for-5 from three, but did that stop him from leading the Jazz in shot attempts and points? Hell no. Jordan Clarkson finished the game 8-for-17 shooting with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals (!). It really and truly was Jordan Clarkson Time.

F: Kyle Kuzma

Kyle Kuzma was actually very impressive in the opener for L.A., coming off the bench for 16 and seven on strong efficiency and played legitimately good defense. More than Davis, Kuzma playing at this level would unlock an entirely different Lakers team if he can be this kind of an efficient threat who is engaged on the other end.

F: LeBron James

LeBron was only 6-for-19 from the field and didn’t get to the free throw line, but still put together the sequence of the night on the final two possessions of the game, hitting the game-winner on a follow runner off his own miss and then locking down Kawhi and PG to force a contested miss to end the game. It wasn’t his finest effort by any stretch, but he still finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.

F: Rudy Gobert

Gobert bookended the opener with the game-opening and game-winning baskets, finishing the night with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and, per usual, was sensational defensively with three blocks and just generally making the Utah defense menacing when he was on the floor.

All-Bubble Third Team

G: Dion Waiters

There was a brief stretch where I was really excited about the idea of having Waiters and Clarkson on the first team, but unfortunately the Dion minutes tapered off late. Still, he had 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 5-for-10 shooting and was a preposterous +17 as the Lakers bench dominated the Clippers bench, which sounds ridiculous but is true! It’s fun seeing Dion play well.

G: Mike Conley

Conley had 20 points and four assists, looking an awful lot like the Mike Conley we’ve grown to know and love over the years in Memphis, but struggled to show that consistently in his first season with Utah. It wasn’t often pretty for the Jazz, but when they had their starting unit on the floor they were genuinely quite good. Conley was a big reason for that and they’ll desperately need that to continue if they’re to do much of anything in the playoffs.

F: Jrue Holiday

Going to cheat a bit and put Holiday in as a forward, because sometimes he plays the three in New Orleans. That’s good enough for me, and he was very solid for the Pelicans with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. For whatever reason, he, like Ingram and the rest, couldn’t buy a bucket late, and they’ll need to iron out that end of game execution if they’re to climb into the playoff hunt.

F: Royce O’Neale

It is honestly incredible how badly the Jazz need Royce O’Neale to be good right now. He and Joe Ingles are about it for functional wing players — and it wouldn’t surprise me to see some more three-guard experimenting from them in this seeding period. He looked good in the opener, with 12 points and nine rebounds, along with being their best wing defender by far.

F: Zion Williamson

It was not a stellar frontcourt night so Zion’s 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting lands him this spot in only 15 minutes of action. Also I just wanted to note how weird his handling in this game was. The initial reporting said there was no minutes restriction, but that he’d play in short bursts, but he only played 15 minutes, none in crunch time, and after the game Alvin Gentry said it was because he’d played the minutes the medical staff would allow. If there was a minutes restriction, I can’t understand not building in some cushion for late minutes as coach. All around bizarre, and Williamson looked less than thrilled on the sidelines.

Ja Rule, who I assume had Pelicans -2, put it best.

Thank you, Ja.

NBA players, coaches, and officials took part in demonstrations of peaceful protest on Thursday evening during the first two games of the Orlando bubble league. The Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Utah Jazz all knelt during the national anthem, the latest show of solidarity among NBA players in the fight against systemic inequality and police brutality.

These knees were taken before the first NBA games since the pandemic started, and while the action was taking place on the court, social justice was still top of mind. That was the case after both games, too, when players and coaches from both sides discussed the goal of making the world a better place.

Unsurprisingly, LeBron James was among those who used his platform to call for societal change. While talking to TNT after the game, James indicated that people need “to continue to put our foot on the gas” in this endeavor, saying that in the past, individuals have let up too early.

James was asked about kneeling in his postgame press conference. He made it a point to shout out Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers signal caller who began sitting and then kneeling — which he started to do after consulting with a former member of the green berets — during the anthem during his final year in the NFL. James went on to say that he hopes that NBA players “made Kap proud.”

“Kap was someone who stood up when times wasn’t comfortable, when people didn’t understand, people refused to listen to what he was saying,” James said. “If you go back and look at any of his postgame interviews when he was talking about why he was kneeling, it had absolutely nothing to do about the flag, it had nothing to do about the soldiers, men and women that keep our land free. He explained that and the ears were close, people never listened, they refused to listen. I did, and a lot of people in the Black community did listen, and we just thank him for sacrificing everything that he did to put us in a position today, years later, to be able to have that moment like we did tonight.”

James and the Lakers will next take the floor on Saturday evening in a tilt against the Toronto Raptors.

This whole COVID lockdown situation has caused people to discover new and interesting skills that they didn’t know they had. For a lot of us, that means baking bread and taking to TikTok (with not always the best results). For celebrities, it can mean breaking into song (with not always the best results) or diving deep into your past work to reconnect with fans and find some interesting details in the margins of pop culture history.

Which brings us to Brian Baumgartner. We all know him as Kevin from The Office, but he’s taking a new role now that thanks to An Oral History Of The Office, his new Spotify exclusive 12-episode podcast series (5 episodes are live with new ones dropping every Tuesday) wherein he talks with nearly everyone associated with The Office to reminisce. But it’s more than that, they’re also getting to the bottom of the show’s enduring existence, charm, and popularity. Recently, we spoke with Baumgartner about that pursuit, what makes this exploration unique, “Dinner Party” palace intrigue, and shopping for tissue paper box shoes in a paper product shortage.

How much are you personally reexploring The Office now and is that where the idea for this came from?

Well, the idea specifically for the podcast came from Ben Silverman and Propagate and deciding to partner with Spotify. The general idea was to have the story of The Office told from the inside, from our perspective. Ben Silverman approached me about partnering with him on it. And to me, the question that was interesting or most interesting to go back and explore was simply why is The Office — seven years since we filmed our last scenes in the finale — still the most-watched television show? What has happened and what happened early on, in the creation of the show, that formed the show that has not just survived and which has a legacy, but which actually thrives and increases in viewership and… including new shows that are on the air now, by any metric you can measure, more people are watching The Office now, then not only ever before, but more than any other show that exists today. So my approach was that it was an exploration… that it was an active investigation, as opposed to passively telling the story of what happened. But it’s really about wanting to look at why and what happened, that has created this show that now is bigger than ever.

Is this a companion or a competitor to the oral history book that just came out?

I don’t know that I would call it a competitor. I don’t think that I look at it that way. I mean, journalists are better than I am. I mean, we have a couple of jokes there about me pretending or acting like a journalist. I am not, but this is a story that is told from the inside, right? And so, for example, if I was talking to John Krasinski on the phone, right now, the conversation that we would be having…

Would be far more interesting than the one you’re having with me, I’m sure.

Well, no, I’m not even saying more interesting, but more familiar. And talking about a subject that we both experienced together. You may ask way more insightful questions, but the conversation that he and I would be having would just be different. I was never interviewed for that other book. He took quotes from things that were previously said, and I’m not suggesting he took them out of context. I just think this is a story that’s being told from the inside.

I’m curious, what are some of the surprises you came across when you talked to past castmates?

There are some major revelations that will come out as the series goes. One is around Steve leaving. But more significantly, even than that was what happened around the writer’s strike in 2008 and the 100 days that Hollywood shut down and The Office‘s role in that. How that changed kind of the course of the show, in some ways. And also the intense family that was, if not made, certainly strengthened by the events that happened there and everybody bonding together. There were stories and things that happened, significant major things that I truly found out as I was interviewing people [who were] in the room.

Is there anything specific that changed your perception of a moment?

Yeah. I’m trying to decide what I want to tell you.

[Laughs] Tantalize the audience, man.

The show was shut down for 100 days. We had a script that was written and had been approved by the network. And we showed back up at work day one of the writers strike to shoot an episode. Because we had to, that was our job, as actors, we weren’t bound. Not only were we not bound by the strike, we were not able to not show up. But [because of] some heroic actions by a specific actor on our show we did not shoot that episode. And that episode became the first episode that we shot once we were back with The Dinner Party. Which became one of our touchstones. A huge episode that happened. And had we continued to shoot, [Paul] Feig, the amazing director, would not have directed Dinner Party. So I had no idea all of the things that were going on behind the scenes — people being threatened to be sued, people being threatened to lose their jobs.

I think one of the reasons the show has endured and why people still want to watch it is… Even if Michael Scott is doing something really bad or saying something really terrible, I think when you watch the show, you feel that the people involved really care for each other. And we talked a lot about… people that you work with, you spend more time with than your actual family. So on some level, you’re forming some dysfunctional family not of your choosing, but I think that on this show, it was true.

I’m curious about a Kevin specific moment from The Office, if you’ll indulge me. Jim and Pam’s wedding and Kevin with the tissue box shoes. I’m curious how that all came together.

Yeah, I mean, as the show developed, the character of Kevin evolved. They saw that I came from theater and that I did a lot of physical comedy. I mean, that’s what the writers were really good at. There could be some outlandish, crazy scenarios, that they came up with. I feel like they were all rooted in some basic character truth and history. I mean, that example specifically, what is it? Two, three years earlier? You hear from Kevin, that if he has the opportunity to buy himself one gift (because he’s given himself as secret Santa), he’s going to buy a foot bath. You have a number of references over the years of Angela about Kevin and his feet.

I think I loved this idea even more than the tissue box shoes. The idea that Kevin is going to dress up for this big event, and as a way of dressing up, he wants to look really good so he’s going to, for the first time, put on a hairpiece. And the idea that that in and of itself is not jarring. That he can somehow pull that idea off is, to me, amazing. But of course, his perfect outfit gets spoiled because of his shoes being destroyed.

I will tell you at colleges or Q & A’s or things that I do, undoubtedly, there is someone or some group of people who will show up in tissue box shoes. And the comment that I always have for them is, “This was a really funny idea this morning when you decided to do this. Right?” And then I’m like, “It’s not so comfortable now. Admit that you’re regretting the decision, just a little bit.” So I do, with those people, try to take a picture with them and make it somehow feel worth it. Because I know what they’re going to be feeling for a few days.

I’m sure. So, no Hollywood tricks there? No insoles or no other special padding?

No! My recollection is that they tried to do something or build something, but it made it not fit right or whatever. And I will tell you this, this is true, that we just… For John Krasinski’s thing, Some Good News, we had a reunion and it was about the wedding, he married some people on it and he had all of us come on and I was like, “Of course. Well, I mean, I’ve got to find some tissue boxes, right? I’ve got to find some tissue boxes to put on my feet, at least give a nod to that.” Well, first of all, we’re in a lockdown where paper products are difficult to find… I will say that. For me, attempting to do that, they must have found some… I do have big feet. They must have found some jumbo-sized tissue boxes. But yes, they were real tissue boxes.

If there was a reunion, what would be the best part of that for you: telling more stories or being with these people?

It would unquestionably be being able to play with these people. I mean that, and that’s the greatest joy that I have with the podcast, even just in a small way being able to connect and work with them again. We talk a lot about the accounting part, so Oscar and Angela and Kevin. And I view that as a perfect comedy triangle, the three characters together and their specific traits and personalities and how they feed off of each other and how there are constantly shifting alliances. Whether it’s Kevin and Oscar against Angela or Angela and Oscar against Kevin, I don’t know if Angela and Kevin were ever too aligned. But you know, that is sort of a perfect comedy triangle. And then you give us nine years to explore those characters. It’s a chess game of comedy that we have worked out, three, four, five, six lines ahead. And that is just, as an actor and as someone who loves and appreciates comedy and making people laugh, that is the greatest gift to have. And so to be able to go back in and not just that, interact with Michael and Dwight and Jim and Pam, that would be the most fun for me, for sure.

‘An Oral History Of The Office’ podcast is available on Spotify

There’s an infamous story from the set of X2 where Halle Berry, while dressed in full Storm costume, told director Bryan Singer to “kiss my Black ass.” Singer, who has since been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple men, laughed off the altercation in later interviews, calling it a “misunderstanding.” It wasn’t a misunderstanding: the Hollywood Reporter got to the bottom of what actually happened while filming the X-Men sequel, and it reportedly involves narcotics, near-deadly stunts, and egomania.

Singer and producer Tom DeSanto got into a fight after DeSanto “attempted to halt shooting when he learned that Singer was incapacitated after taking a narcotic. Some crew-members had taken the same drug, and DeSanto became fearful that someone on set could be injured,” according to the Reporter. Instead of delaying the stunt (which took place aboard the X-Jet — there was no stunt coordinator on set) for another day, Singer trudged ahead, “leading to a botched stunt that left Jackman bleeding on camera”:

The next day, the studio appeared to side with Singer and told DeSanto to return to Los Angeles. That prompted the main cast members, minus McKellen and Romijn — all dressed in their full X-Men costumes — to converge in Singer’s trailer and confront him, threatening to quit if DeSanto left. That’s when Berry famously said to Singer, “You can kiss my Black ass,” a line that has been oft-reported in the years since but never with the correct backstory.

When reached for comment by Hollywood Reporter, a representative for Singer (who was called a “monster” by an executive who worked on X-Men) said, “Nothing like that ever happened.” The whole article — especially the part where Michael Jackson “queued up an elaborate presentation” to show why he should play Professor X — is worth a read.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

There have been rumors swirling this week and Future and Lil Uzi Vert (who turns 26 years old today) would be dropping a collaborative project today. On Wednesday, DJ Akademiks declared that the two were releasing a mixtape. A rumored tracklist also surfaced, which included features from Drake and Travis Scott.

However, midnight came and went without a new project from the two. Fans were upset, despite the fact that Akademiks issued an update on the situation yesterday afternoon, tweeting, “The Uzi x Future music tonight may end up being a single and not an tape… I’m told they had a tape together and it was originally suppose to drop today.. I know something with Uzi n future suppose to drop tn. Most likely a song which a lot of ppl have heard.”

Rumors that the two are up to something have actually been around for weeks now; towards the start of the month, the pair was seen filming something together. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that the pair haven’t released anything new today (so far as of press time), and that has left people angry.

Fans have taken to Twitter with reaction memes and backhanded birthday wishes for Uzi, so check out some of the reactions below.

Kanye West is an artist with a complicated legacy. In recent years, every loyal fan of Mr. West has found themselves, at one point or another, in the awkward position of having to act as a spokesperson to explain the megastar’s antics and justify why he said a certain thing or thinks a certain way. It’s a weird position to be in. And while there are legitimate arguments to be made for why an artist’s work should be separated from their bad behavior, there are solid counter-arguments too, about how supporting and endorsing an artist helps to support and endorse said antics.

Part of the reason Kanye West won’t just “go away” is because from the time Ye dropped his debut single “Through the Wire” in 2003 until the release of his best album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010, he could do no wrong. In that time, Kanye established himself as the artist of a generation and defined the sound of modern hip-hop in such a way that his influence is still felt today. But just like many of the once-in-a-generation artists who preceded him, Ye’s trajectory in the decade following his career apex has only managed to muddy his legacy.

For all his flaws, Kanye has also done the nearly impossible — becoming iconic in two fields via his Yeezy brand. His successful pivot from an artist at the top of his game to a household sneaker icon gives him more in common with Michael Jordan than any of his music-making contemporaries (save for Travis Scott who is building on the Yeezy legacy with his own Cactus Jack label). A lifelong sneakerhead who used to get in trouble for sketching sneakers during class in middle school, Kanye built Yeezy with Air Jordan as an obvious influence. He even met with key Air Jordan architect Tinker Hatfield before launching the label in 2009 with Nike.

Due to creative differences and Nike’s unwillingness to pay royalties, Ye left Nike and brought the label to its new home at Adidas in 2013, where it has since become one of the most successful sneaker brands of all time. And while Kanye West might not be the greatest artist in hip-hop anymore, he continues to solidify himself as one of the biggest names in sneakers with design and colorway innovations that jumpstart industry-wide trends.

In celebration of the brand, we’re listing off all the best sneakers ever to don the name “Yeezy.” That means you won’t find any Kanye Louis Vuitton or BAPE collaborations here. You won’t even find every Yeezy silhouette ever made. There isn’t a single Yeezy slide or a Foam Runner, and you won’t see every colorway of the Yeezy 700, 500 or BOOST 350 v2 (there are just too many). Instead, we put the focus on design to create a list of the 15 best sneakers — whether silhouettes or colorways — to carry the name “Yeezy,” in chronological order.

Check our picks out below!

Nike Air Yeezy 1 Blink, 2009

We aren’t going to focus as heavily on the Air Yeezy silhouettes as we are on something like the Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 v2, but Kanye’s early collaboration with Nike still deserves mention as it was where the Yeezy brand first took shape. Developed between 2007 and 2009 by Kanye West and Nike Creative Director Mark Smith, the Air Yeezy pulled inspiration from the bold and bulky design of the Nike Air Tech Challenge 2 sneaker, with details borrowed from the Air Jordan III and IV.

This shoe isn’t a far cry from some of the Yeezy boots Kanye would go on to make with Adidas but truly feels like a design from another era. A sneaker designed by the old Kanye. Every release after the Air Yeezy would see Kanye’s designs get more and more minimalistic. Compare the Nike Air Yeezy to the Adidas Yeezy Slide and you’ll never believe the same guy was behind both pairs.

Repping the sneaker on our list is the sneaker’s best colorway, the Black/Pink iteration often dubbed the “Blink.” In an interview with GQ in 2020, Kanye signaled that he was open to Nike doing a rerelease of the sneaker, so fingers crossed.

Nike Air Yeezy 2 Red October, 2014

One of the benefits of doing this list chronologically rather than ranked was being able to avoid the headache of having to find a place for the Air Yeezy 2 Red October. Yeezy die-hards still consider this the holy grail of the brand, but by modern sensibilities, I don’t even think it belongs in the top five. The lasting popularity of the Air Yeezy 2 Red Octobers, released in 2014 when Ye already had a new home at Adidas, is a reminder that Nike could’ve solidified themselves as the greatest shoe brand of all time, the home of both Jordan Brand and Yeezy — but they blew it by not thinking as creatively about contracts as they do about design.

Created with Nathan VanHook, the Air Yeezy 2 is truly a transitional design between what Ye did with Nike and what he’d come to do with Adidas. It’s slimmed down and more minimalistic than the Air Yeezy 1, ditching the bulky padding in the original’s upper, but more intricate than anything from the Adidas Yeezy line — sporting ridged animal-print inspired detailing and strong design lines. This makes it one of the more unique designs in the Yeezy lineage, and while we’d like to spend more time exploring some of the other great colorways, no iteration could ever represent the shoe as strongly as the Red Octobers.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 750 Triple Black, 2015

The final colorway of the Yeezy Boost 750, the Triple Black, is the sneaker’s best. The 750 is Kanye’s debut sneaker with Adidas and you can still see some of the remnants of the Air Yeezy in its high top design and mid-foot strap. Although the silhouette has since been abandoned, the 750 really set the precedent for the stripped-down design that future Adidas Yeezys would take.

The 750 featured a full suede upper atop a simple BOOST midsole with a full-length zip heel and has only dropped in four colorways, beginning with the Chocolate, followed by the Glow in the Dark, and the Light Brown/Carbon White, and Triple Black.

We wouldn’t be opposed to a 750 v2, but since it hasn’t happened yet we think it’s safe to say Kanye has moved on from this particular look.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 Turtle Dove, 2015

While the 750 carried some resemblance to Nike’s Air Yeezy line, the Yeezy Boost 350 was truly something new from both Adidas and Kanye, and really solidified the look of the brand. The sneaker’s debut colorway, the Turtle Dove, remains one of the finest iterations of the sneaker, which featured a jagged striped Primeknit upper, a distinct white TPU sole wrap, a white and heel tab with red stitching. It also holds the distinction of being Ye’s first low top sneaker.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 Pirate Black, 2016

It was a hard choice between the Pirate Black, Moonrock, and the Oxford tan colorways that followed the Turtle Dove, but we had to go with this all-black iteration of the 350 as one of the two best in silhouette’s lineage. While the Moonrock and Oxford Tan signaled the type of muted earth-toned colorways that have since defined the Yeezy brand, the Pirate Black just looks so damn cool.

A fan favorite, this colorway still fetches prices nearing $1000 on aftermarket sites like StockX.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 v2 Beluga, 2016

We’re skipping right past the military boot-inspired Yeezy 950 and going straight to the 350 v2. Quite possibly the most popular silhouette in the entire Yeezy line, the 350 v2 kicked off with a gunmetal grey with a red-orange stripe that read “SPLY -350.”

The first 350 v2, known as the “Beluga” differed from the original 350 by slimming down the design considerably, ditching the heel tab, and adding the Virgil Abloh-esque product model number along the stripe. In 2017, Ye would go on to release a Beluga 2.0 that restored the heel tab and replaced the red stripe with red lettering. We prefer the OG.

Adidas YEEZY BOOST 350 v2 Zebra, 2017

We’re going to keep seeing the 350 v2 on this list, not because it’s the most popular, but because there are so many damn colorways and subtly different variations. The black and white Zebra colorway set the design precedent followed by the Beluga 2.0, with a restored matching heel tab, red lettering in lieu of a stripe, and a translucent BOOST midsole.

This shoe builds on the design that the 350 Turtle Dove made famous, but holds up so much stronger.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 700 Wave Runner, 2017

Still considered one of the greatest pairs of Yeezys ever, the 700 Wave Runners were a divisive sneaker at the time of their release. In 2017, so-called “ugly shoes” that your dad would wear were all the rage, and the Wave Runner was one of the ugliest and most daddy. By 2020 standards, the Wave Runner is far from ugly (which goes to show how popular ugly sneakers have gotten), with a mixed leather and suede upper, a chunky running inspired sole, and a beautiful mix of grey and black with distinct teal and orange accents.

The 700 never had a better colorway than the Wave Runner and it puzzles us as to why all the later iterations of the 700 dropped the four color design.

Adidas Yeezy 500 Desert Rat Blush, 2018

Like a lot of sneakers to bear the Yeezy name, the release of the 500 in its original Blush colorway was divisive. Hell, to this day this sneaker is still pretty divisive, with a weird alien-like design that still looks pretty futuristic two years after its initial release. It would begin a trend in Yeezy design that Ye still hasn’t gotten over — an obsession with challenging the traditional shapes that naturally come to mind when we think about sneakers.

The 500 laid the groundwork for the unconventional shapes of the 380, 500 High, and 700 v3.

Adidas Yeezy 500 Salt, 2018

The 500’s best colorway (though the Stone is also up there) the Salt doesn’t differ in any way aside from color from the original Blush. Like the original, the upper is composed of a mix of premium suede and mesh and features an entirely monochromatic design. While the Yeezy brand is often criticized for its muted colors, the Salt is something special, with a calming blue undertone that causes the sneakers to linger in your memory.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 700 v2 Static, 2018

Unlike the Yeezy BOOST 350 v2, the second version of the 700 silhouette did little to improve upon the design that preceded it. In an effort to clean up the design, the 700 v2 removed the 700’s more elaborate paneling and added subtle reflective detailing with a premium leather upper. It’s a little sad that the 700 didn’t have a stronger follow-up and even sadder that the best version of the sneaker to date was its debut Static colorway.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 700 Inertia, 2019

Released in 2019, a year after the introduction of the 700 v2, Yeezy went back to the 700 to drop a few more iterations and we couldn’t be happier about that. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the Wave Runner, the 700 Inertia is the silhouette’s second-best colorway. The Inertia features light reflective details, a grey upper on a chunky grey midsole with peach accents that almost look as cool as the 700’s orange counterparts. Almost.

Here is to hoping the next decade brings a colorway that can truly rival the Wave Runner.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 380 Alien, 2019

One of the weirder Yeezy silhouettes, the 380 Alien almost didn’t make the list. However, as far as Alien-inspired out-there designs, this is one of Ye’s best. The 380 was originally teased as the third version of the 350 silhouette, and we’re kind of glad it ended up being its own offshoot. While the 380 is interesting, to say we love it would be an outright lie.

To date, the silhouette has dropped in its debut Alien colorway, as well as Mist reflective and non-reflective iterations, and a Blue Oat colorway that landed this year. It borrows several design traits of the 350, like the sock-shoe construction, Primeknit upper, and a lateral window for an added splash of color via your sock choice.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 v2 Cloud White 2019

Released in both a reflective and non-reflective iteration, the Yeezy BOOST 350 v2 in Cloud White is proof that the 350 is still pumping out top tier colorways four years into its life. A triple white colorway, the Cloud White is the greatest modern 350 v2 on the market. Now that the sneaker has decided to drop the heel tab permanently and ditch the “350 SPLY” branding, it’s finally hitting its stride and feels like the best colorway for the silhouette is still yet to come.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 700 v3 Azael, 2019

Kanye West went from designing sneakers that looked like the landscape of Calabasas to designing sneakers that resembled the topography of Calabasas…or maybe Mars. The third version of the 700 silhouette — and a marked improvement on the v2 — still doesn’t improve upon the original 700 design, but at least it does its own thing.

Alien-like, the Azael features an outer RPU shell that gives the sneaker a futuristic quality and adds structure and durability, as well as reflective detailing, an EVA midsole, and an upper composed of monofilament mesh. It feels like the logical progression from the original 700 and we’re excited to see what Ye does with the design moving forward.

To date, the Azael is the only colorway of the 700 v3, but a second colorway, Azareth, is due for release this summer.