As the entertainment industry deals with a reckoning in the wake of new attention to diversity and hiring practices for various roles, especially in the field of animation. The latest example of this came Friday when word broke that Family Guy will recast the role of Cleveland Brown and The Simpsons would no longer have white voice actors voicing characters of color.
The two pieces joined a string of announcements about white voice actors stepping away from roles they’d voiced that were non-white, including Jenny Slate’s Missy on the Netflix animated show Big Mouth and Kristen Bell’s Molly, a bi-racial character, getting a new voice actor on Central Park. On Friday, actor Mike Henry announced on Twitter he will no longer voice Cleveland Brown, a Black character on Family Guy.
It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role. pic.twitter.com/FmKasWITKT
“It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years,” tweeted Henry, who has voiced the character since the show started in 1999. “I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.”
Henry also voiced Brown in the spinoff The Cleveland Show, which ran from 2009 to 2013. But the note came as word broke via Variety that The Simpsons would also recast any characters of color who were previously voiced by white actors. That news came after months of stories and controversy about Hank Azaria’s voicing of Apu, a role he stepped away from earlier in 2020 and later publicly apologized for.
The producers behind the show issued a statement Friday saying that from now on, its characters of color will be voiced by actors of color only.
“Moving forward, ‘The Simpsons’ will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters,” the statement read.
As Variety noted, the show added voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson as a full-time cast member in recent seasons to voice the show’s various Black characters.
The NBA is going full steam ahead with its plan for a bubble league in Orlando. The league and the NBPA announced that they had finalized plans for the upcoming restart at Disney World, and despite 16 positive cases of COVID-19 from its first round of testing, things are falling into place for basketball to return at the end of July.
Following the announcement on Friday afternoon, a collection of individuals atop the league’s hierarchy held a press conference in which they addressed the media’s questions about the bubble league. While on the call, Adam Silver gave a sobering read on the entire situation: With the novel coronavirus being something that is not going away any time soon, he is of the belief that it is in the league’s best interest to “adapt.”
On conference call with reporters, Adam Silver says, “We are left with no choice but to learn to live with this virus. No options are risk-free right now.”
Adam Silver on a conference call just now, “We can’t sit on the sidelines indefinitely. We must adapt…We believe it will be safer on our campus than off it. But this is not business as usual.”
Silver on evaluating COVID data: “My conclusion is that we can’t outrun the virus and this is what we’re going to be living with for the foreseeable future.”
Silver also addressed a gigantic concern that, well, everyone has about the bubble league: what, exactly, happens if community spread of COVID-19 occurs in the friendly confines of Disney? As he explained it, this sort of scenario could lead to the league deciding to pull the plug on the bubble league experiment, but he made it a point to say that an exact plan has not been laid out.
Silver admits that an outbreak amongst the players could lead to a stoppage, but the format on that “hasn’t been exactly designed.”
Adam Silver says that any one positive test, no matter the player, won’t stop things from continuing. He says the league is discussing with health officials and the players what would happen in an instance of “significant spread” but that “that line hasn’t been set yet.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: “If we were to have significant spread of coronavirus through our community, that ultimately might lead us to stop it.” Says the line on when to pull plug “hasn’t been precisely designed.”
As for what is going on right now in Florida — which is viewed as one of the COVID-19 epicenters in the United States — Silver did say that the league is willing to reconsider at a certain point. For now, however, the league isn’t deterred as cases rise in the Sunshine State, and protocols will be in place for players who leave the bubble and non-NBA staffers who are inside of it.
Silver, when asked about rising cases in Florida and whether there’s a # that would cause NBA to reconsider: “We’re not saying `full steam ahead no matter what happens’…but we feel very comfortable right now with where we are.”
“The answer is yes, the level of concern has increased — not just because of the increased levels in Florida, but throughout the country,” Silver said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “At least today, I believe, 29 of the 50 states have an increased number of cases. Of course, we designed our campus, in essence, to isolate ourselves from whatever the level of cases was in the surrounding community.
“But since we designed our initial protocol, we are continuing to work with Disney on the testing of at least a subset of their employees that could potentially be in the same room as our players, and anyone else who’s tested daily on our campus. So we are satisfied that, once we work through those additional measures with Disney, we will continue to have a safe setting for us to resume our season.”
Beyond basketball, there are questions about how the league will handle being back in the public eye during the current moment in the United States, when so much attention is on the fight against systemic inequality and police brutality. It was a major concern for a number of players, and Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum explained that while the NBA and WNBA are in positions to advocate for change due to the fact that they will be playing games, there is still work that needs to be done internally.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said: “The league needs to do a better job of hiring African-Americans at every level in the league.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the G-League needs to use to develop African-American executives for the league. “The NBA can play a unique and broader role for a voice for a greater society. But at first, we have to do a better job at home,” Silver said.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league and the WNBA have a great opportunity to create change. “The world’s attention will be on us in Orlando,” Silver said.
“I am encouraged that the last three GMs that have been hired are African-Americans. But we have more work to do,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said. Tatum added that there is a need for more opportunities for women as well.
Chris Paul, the president of the NBPA, promised that players will make their voices heard on matters of racial justice during the bubble league, while executive director Michele Roberts mentioned the opportunity that the league has to champion these issues.
Thunder guard and NBPA president Chris Paul you will “continue to hear us” in Orlando in terms of fighting for social justice.
There is still plenty that needs to be made public about the league’s approach for Orlando, as its specific plan has not been revealed for public consumption. We will, however, learn about the schedule that will be played on Friday evening.
Films from the 1980s often get a bad reputation, culturally dominated as they were by family-friendly films (E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, Short Circuit), the rise of blockbuster franchises (Back to the Future, Star Wars, Indiana Jones) and lots of Reagan-era excess: Big hair, terrible fashion, and synthesizer music that’s done more to date good ’80s movies than telephone technology. It obviously wasn’t all bad, of course, or the 1980s wouldn’t be such a rich resource for remakes and reboots.
Below are 10 of the best ’80s movies on Netflix streaming to watch tonight. Some highlight the excesses of the decade. Others flaunt formula and subvert topes made famous by other 1980s films. Still, others are singular achievements that would stand out in any decade.
The Indiana Jones franchise has been housed on Amazon Prime for a while now but it’s finally making its way to Netflix with the streaming platform hosting all four feature films. Of course, nothing beats the original, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and as far as travel and adventure go, this movie has everything you could possibly want. A hero with a love for archeology and whips? Check. An adventure to recover a stolen artifact with destructive powers? Check check. Harrison Ford beating up Nazis while uttering sarcastic one-liners and with a twinkle in his eye? Did movies even exist before this?
You can’t think of classic ’80s teen comedies and not include Matthew Broderick’s rebellious school comedy in those musings. Broderick brought Ferris Bueller, a smart-mouthed kid with a flair for the dramatic, to life in this beloved movie that also stars Alan Ruck and Jennifer Grey. Bueller goes to extreme lengths to skip school with his best friend and girlfriend, leading them on an adventure that includes a musical parade in the city and a brush with the law. Being bad never looked so fun.
Dustin Hoffman stars in this wildly funny ’80s romp while playing a difficult-to-work-with actor, who disguises himself as a woman to win a role. Hoffman’s Michael is a perfectionist and has earned a nasty reputation around town, which is why he’s forced to dress as a woman and audition for a small role on a soap opera to fund his next play. His time on the show ends up being a success, however, forcing Michael to keep up his charade and risk his relationships in the process.
This iconic ’80s comedy franchise might have wrongly-assumed we’d have flying cars, hoverboards, and self-tying shoes by now, but it got a lot of other tech predictions right. Still, that’s not what makes this film a classic. Christopher Lloyd playing a brilliant-but-eccentric scientist, Michael J. Fox playing a smart-mouthed teenager who can time-travel, and a brilliantly-funny script from director Robert Zemeckis. That’s what makes this comedy a classic.
Tom Holland’s ’80s horror flick managed to take a benign children’s toy and transform it into a waking nightmare. The film stars Catherine Hicks as Karen Barclay, a single mother who gifts her son Andy a doll he’s been wanting. Unfortunately for Andy, that doll is possessed by the soul of a serial killer and very quickly, Chucky then begins to wreak havoc on the family.
Eddie Murphy pivoted from his more sanitized skits on Saturday Night Live with this televised comedy special, his first, that touched on everything from ice cream trucks to Reaganomics, racism, and AIDS. Murphy got a lot of flak for his use of profanity during the set — he would later apologize for using homophobic slurs — but despite his filthier tirades, the comedian produced some of his best work here, giving us a stripped down version of his unique brand.
This Steven Spielberg sci-fi film is a bonafide classic. Entire childhoods were built around this thing. So there’s not much more we can add to persuade you to watch it if you haven’t already, but just in case, here’s the cliff notes: boy discovers alien lifeform, boy befriends alien lifeform, boy helps alien lifeform get back to his planet before the government can experiment on him.
A timeless Tom Hanks comedy classic, The Money Pit is a cautionary tale for every couple who is considering buying a fixer-upper and turning it into the home of their dreams. It’s more likely to become a nightmare, but Hanks and Shelly Long at least make a seriously funny and occasionally sweet nightmare. It also contains the best laugh scene in the history of comedy. Ahh, home crap home!
Before you tune into the Netflix revival, check out the original Spike Lee-directed drama about a young black woman exploring her sexuality and finding herself in the big city. Nola Darling is a carefree Brooklynite enjoying affairs with three different men before her suitors find out about each other and force her to choose between them. Nola confronts her own complicated feelings about monogamy and love but the film is less about relationship drama and more about female empowerment.
John Travolta stars in this Western romance, playing a country transplant named Bud. Bud comes from a small town, and he’s used to working on a farm, but when he gets a job in Houston, he’s introduced to a world that’s totally unfamiliar in a good way. Most of the draw here is in Bud’s relationship with a spirited young woman named Sissy, with whom he has an on-off-again relationship that forces him to live outside his traditionalist comfort zone.
6lack vents while socially distancing in his new video for “Know My Rights” with fellow ATLien Lil Baby from his new EP, 6pc Hot. The video, directed by JMP, subtly touches on current events with police cars cruising by and agents searching 6lack’s private jet on the tarmac — clear references to ongoing protests against police brutality and the recent death of Juice WRLD during a search of his own private jet last year.
Elsewhere in the video, 6lack performs to the camera in the studio while surrounded by his masked crew, as well as in a room with walls covered in newspaper as he smokes. Later, the crew takes over an empty plane hangar to whip their latest acquisitions — a fleet of pristine BMWs — as Lil Baby’s verse plays.
6lack released 6pc Hot today in celebration of his birthday, accompanying the release with his own theme-appropriate brand of hot sauce, 600 Degrees. Lil Baby is the only feature on the seven-song EP, which precedes 6lack’s forthcoming follow-up to his fan-and-critic-favorite sophomore album, East Atlanta Love Letter. Other singles from the EP include “ATL Freestyle” and “Float.”
Watch 6lack’s “Know My Rights” video with Lil Baby above.
6pc Hot is out now on LVRN/Interscope. Get it here.
NBA Jam is beloved among basketball fans and gamers alike. As of this writing, you can even get an NBA Jam-inspired shirt with your favorite team’s two best players on it in the team store, if it’s open. Decades later, its details and lore are still such that NBA Jam is one of the most beloved sports games of all time.
Over the years we’ve learned a few small things about the game and its making that has created an even more charming and nostalgic look at the title that came out in 1993. The ball on the game’s iconic box art, for example, was real and sold for a ton of money.
Ars Technica put together a nice video featuring NBA Jam creator Mark Turmell, which has lots of details about the game’s creation and also takes place in front of a very cool NBA Jam arcade cabinet. And in a video clip that circulated on Friday we found official confirmation of a long-rumored reality: the game was biased against the Chicago Bulls in a very specific circumstance.
The creator of NBA Jam finally confirms the long standing conspiracy theory that the game was programmed so that if the @ChicagoBulls took a last second shot against the @DetroitPistons it would always miss.
“Being from Michigan originally I’m a big Detroit Pistons fan,” Turmell said. “Making this game in Chicago during the height of the Michael Jordan era there was a big rivalry with the Pistons and the Bulls. But the one way I could get back at the Bulls once they got over the hump was to affect their skills against the Pistons in NBA Jam.”
It wasn’t a game-breaking change, but it was very specific: If you were playing a game between the Pistons and Bulls, you were toast if you were Chicago and needed a buzzer-beater.
“So I put in special code if the Bulls taking the last-second shot against the Pistons they would miss those shots,” he said. “So if you’re ever playing the game, make sure you pick the Pistons over the Bulls.”
Again, the Bulls were plenty good in that game, so it’s not like something like this would discourage you from playing as them. But it’s a fun quirk of a beloved video game, and the official explanation confirms a theory some fans have held for a long time. It also follows a fairly common theme in a world where hyper-realism is of the upmost importance: sometimes making a game less realistic makes it a lot more fun.
The states of Texas and Florida will close bars, scale back restaurant capacities, and implement new safety measures due to recent COVID-19 surges in the two states. Both states adopted lax safety measures and were two of the earliest states to reopen their economies since the start of the pandemic in March.
NPRreports that following a record high 5,996 cases in a single day — and two days in a row of record-high new infections — Texas governor Greg Abbott announced that bars across the state would have to convert to take-out service only beginning at noon, on June 26th, and that restaurants would have to scale back their dine-in services operations to below 50% capacity beginning Monday.
“At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars. The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and enhance public health,” Gov Abbott said in a statement announcing the new directives, which also includes a shutdown of river-rafting and tubing businesses and a new outdoor gathering limit of 100 people. All events exceeding that amount must seek approval from local officials. Governor Abbott has also stressed that Texans need to start regularly wearing face masks.
We need ALL Texans to follow the safety protocols from our team of medical experts including:
Staying home if you are sick or at risk Sanitizing your hands Social distancing Wearing face coverings or masks #COVID19@TexasDSHS
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis also ordered bars to be shut down after the state recorded a record 8,942 new cases in a single day, beating the state’s previous record of 5,508 set just two days earlier, according to NBC News. Restaurants in several Florida counties will now convert back to take-out only services, according to Florida Today.
The state of Florida currently has over 123,000 coronavirus cases, with 32,000 cases being confirmed in just the last week. Despite the climbing numbers, Gov. DeSantis has yet to respond to calls for a statewide mandate on masks, though several counties throughout Florida have implemented their own mask policies.
When I interviewed Eric Andre a few weeks ago, I wrote that his new Netflix special, Legalize Everything, was “surprising, hilarious, timely, and wild.” I still feel that way, but I want to break it down further as I am, at this point, pretty sure it’s going to wind up being one of 2020s best and most relevant comedy specials.
When Legalize Everything dropped it managed to do a thing that few comedy specials do now: breakthrough, trending on Twitter and driving conversation, specifically the Cops bit which was released ahead of the special. Besides Chappelle’s powerful special following the murder of George Floyd, what other comedy special has managed to do that since the last Chappelle special and Hannah Gadsby’s Nannette? The thing is, while these other specials slow down and more easily gain critical traction, with comics adding weight to their words, Legalize Everything never lets off the gas and rarely lowers from a comical scream while delivering its intended message.
If you haven’t seen the Cops bit, it’s a sharp comment on the systemic flaws or our system and the way we both police and glorify messed up law enforcement actions. Through Andre, that message comes through with incredible, throat-shredding/arm swinging verve while identifying Cops for what it is: a show that amounts to a highlight reel of people at their absolute worst moment fronted by a reggae classic for its soundtrack. Andre feasts on the absurdity of all of it. As I’m sure you are aware, Cops got canceled in response to this moment of unified pushback on police brutality, that occurring well after Andre had recorded his special. The show had been on for 33 seasons.
Beyond the Cops bit, there are plenty of moments that lean into the special’s title/mantra. Andre rejects religious indoctrination and bonkers, obsolete, and cruel prohibitions on consenting adults who want to make decisions about sex and drugs. He goes to great lengths to deliver a laugh out loud history lesson about the hypocrisy of John Calvin and the tie back to the Pilgrim’s influence on our repressive yet mainstream American culture of puritanism. Hyper-relevant considering how authority and old rules and icons are being questioned and rejected.
There are lighter topics covered in the special, as well, though they still shatter any rules of decorum that others might play by. From the opening where he freaks out passersby in New Orleans by smoking up and fucking a wall while dressed like a cop, to jokes about eating ass, and storytime about Amsterdan sexploits and missing the Tupac hologram due to a Xanax blackout, Andre does a little bit of everything. And he does it big. Something helped by the setting and an adoring, raucous audience.
Staged in a reclaimed warehouse (Republic Nola), the audience seems as though they’re on top of Andre and he’s tethered to them, feeding off of their energy as a result. Remember being a part of that kind of thing? God damn, right? At one point, Andre crawls into the crowd, at other points he’s high-fiving someone or urging someone else to parkour down from the balcony. I don’t want to give away two of the special’s best bits, but creative audience participation heavily factors in, providing both faux unscripted and legitimately unscripted moments that speak to the charm of Andre’s particular brand, which he has, in the past, defined as “controlled chaos.”
There’s no virtual substitute for this specific kind of comedy in the time of COVID and needed social distancing. Zoom shows are a chance to get some cash for comics, but they don’t compare. And while it’s low on the priority list, that loss still blows. Seeing comedy done in people’s faces and watching them, raw and reactive, challenged and invited to park inhibitions and fear while participating in a daring and fascinating experiment is a reliable source of surprising sights and big, irreplaceable laughs. No matter how smart and sophisticated our tastes, something is unlocked by dumb pranks and unchecked silliness.
It’s a reminder that our looming glut of that kind comedy mixed with Andre’s ultra-timely material doesn’t make me feel better about the world even while laughing my ass off, but it does allow this special to declare its relevance more clearly than most others that launch, delight, and float for an eternity in the quiet shadows of Netflix. This feels like something unique, smart, weird, funny, and above all else, durable. An unintentional comedy time capsule for this moment in comedy culture and the world that did not seek to be anything of the sort.
Yes, Legalize Everything is important, even if it does end with a shot of Andre’s bare ass. If it helps, we can just say that it was a clever metaphor.
A nice, frosty beer is good any time of year. Especially when the heat hits. Especially on Fourth of July. Even if this Fourth looks to be a mellow one because of COVID, you’re still going to want some beers on hand. Besides, nothing pairs better with grilled hot dogs and burgers, if that’s in your game plan.
“Nothing is more refreshing in the summer heat or under the pandemic pressure than an ice-cold beer,” says Melissa Reigle, beverage manager/ head bartender at Byblos in Miami. “After a crazy ride for most businesses so far in 2020, I’d say the best beer to drink, regardless of style or preference, is the beer at your local brewery.”
Definitely try to grab a six-pack or two from your local spot. But if you also want to support your favorite bottle shop, try one of these bartender-approved brews.
Wild Heaven Emergency Drinking Beer will be the go-to for the Fourth of July this year. I have to stick with a beer brewed here in Georgia, and what better choice than this super crushable pilsner/gose hybrid? The packaging is incredible and with it being 4.5 percent ABV, it’s suitable for the marathon of a day that we think of with the Fourth of July.
Toast Pale Ale
Sondre Kasin, principal bartender at Cote in New York City
One of my favorite beers at the market now is Toast Ale. This Brooklyn based brewery is using surplus bread instead of barley — which is really unique and innovative. I have not tried their full range, but their American pale is delicious and not too heavy on the hops. It’s a crisp, hoppy, and citrus-driven American pale ale. Great for the summer heat and for a barbecue.
Deep Ellum Dallas Blonde. It’s easy drinking and has a quirky appeal. “The love runs deep ” with this beer, not to mention I’m considered a bad wife if we ever run out at the house!
Landshark was born in Margaritaville, and who wouldn’t enjoy a beer from Margaritaville? It has the island vibes without actually being at the islands and the perfect malt taste for summer.
Leinenkugel Summer Shandy is great to drink at your Fourth of July barbecue. A traditional shandy of a weiss beer mixed with lemonade offers sharp citrusy flavors to match any Fourth of July celebration.
Wynwood La Rubia
Melissa Reigle, beverage manager and head bartender at Byblos in Miami
In Miami, definitely try Wynwood Brewery’s La Rubia, a blonde ale that is light in body but not in flavor. You may also want to try De Las Americas Fruited Sour, a local collaboration between the Dogfish Head, Okcidenta, and Concrete Beach breweries. If you want light beer to cool you off all summer long, Concrete Beach Brewery’s La Clara is a great one to try.
Many breweries across the country offer pick up and/or delivery services. So channel your inner Lewis and Clark. Explore. Be bold. Support your local brewery.
Bad Dad The Sodfather
Payden Jones, bartender at Grains & Grill in Fairmount, Indiana
A great option is Bad Dad Brewing Co.’s summer Shandy, The Sodfather. This seasonal offering is perfect for hot summer days, offering a light and refreshing option. Let’s just say it’s a lemony, gingery offer you can’t refuse.
Montucky Cold Snacks
Dean Powers, restaurant and bar manager at Shore Lodge in McCall, Idaho
My go-to beer is Montucky Cold Snacks. A new kid on the block compared to the old guys like Rainier, Olympia, and Hamms. Cold Snacks are privately owned and give a percentage of profits back to the community and pay their staff for volunteer hours.
Over a decade ago, HBO introduced the masses to the fantasy-filled world of Bon Temps, Louisiana. True Blood was a deliciously-addictive watch, a satisfying gumbo filled with sex, gore, and drama, mixed with interesting, eccentric characters, and served up as a seven-season course that redefined the boundaries of storytelling on TV. It glamoured fans with its love for camp and cliffhangers and, like the vampires who got a taste of Sookie Stackhouse’s blood, it left us all craving for more.
That’s why, during these challenging quarantimes, we think it only right to rank some of the best episodes of the show for those in desperate need of a re-watch.
10. “Escape From Dragon House” (Season 1, Episode 4)
HBO
The Story: After Sookie discovers Dawn’s been murdered, she launches an investigation of her own to clear her brother’s name, which leads her and Bill to Fangtasia, and a 1,000-year-old Viking vampire named Eric Northman.
Why It’s On This List:True Blood took its time in building out the world of vampires and werewolves and shapeshifters that drew so many fans to its particular brand of camp, and it paid off with episodes like this one. Sookie gets to marvel at Fangtasia, or as she views it, the Disney World of immortal bloodsuckers, and we get to marvel at Alexander Skarsgard for the first (but not the final) time.
9. “Death Is Not The End” (Season 7, Episode 4)
HBO
The Story: Sookie recruits Eric and Bill for a rescue mission at Fangtasia, and we learn how Eric and Pam came to Bon Temps.
Why It’s On This List: Did you know you needed an ’80s-era, hairspray-soaked origin story for Eric’s vampire-only dive bar? Yeah, us either. But that’s what we got this episode, and it tasted as good as a tall glass of O-Negative. Not only did we get some of the best Eric and Pam moments of the entire series, complete with costume changes and funny gags involving Ginger, we also got some soul-lifting Eric/Bill banter as the two put aside their differences to help Sookie save her friends. See guys, we really can all get along.
8. “Let’s Boot and Rally” (Season 5, Episode 5)
HBO
The Story: Sookie and Alcide help Bill and Eric hunt down Russell Edgington as Tara and Jessica bond over their shared vampire genes at Fangtasia.
Why It’s On This List: There are definitely other episodes with more vital storytelling that could reserve a place in this ranking, but we choose to supplant them with this comedy caper instead because it’s nice to be reminded every now and then that True Blood was, at times, f*cking hilarious. Not only do we get to gleefully watch as a drunken Sookie deflates Alcide’s too-eager boner by vomiting all over his shoes right before they’re set to do the horizontal mambo, that awkward makeout session is then crashed by her two former vampire lovers, who recruit them both in the search of a genocidal ancient immortal who’s completely lost the plot and want to destroy all of humanity. And you thought your love life was laughable.
7. “Me And The Devil” (Season 4, Episode 5)
HBO
The Story: Eric, still suffering from a bout of witch-caused amnesia, flees Sookie’s place after overhearing Tara rant about all of the terrible things the vampire once did to her. Bill tries to find a solution to his Marnie problem as Lafayette and Jesus travel to Mexico for help in defeating the vampires.
Why It’s On This List: Most people might point to the next episode in season four — the one where Eric and Sookie go at it like rabbits in the woods — as the most important moment in terms of their ever-evolving romantic relationship, but there’s something to be said for the buildup to that first bang session. With Eric’s memory gone, Sookie’s able to see him clearly and to be open about her feelings for him, while he returns that gift of vulnerability by regretting his past actions and resisting the temptation to drink her blood. Their kiss is sweet and filled with promise, and it feels like more of a declaration than the moonlit romp they engage in later in the season.
6. “Life Matters” (Season 6, Episode 9)
HBO
The Story: The town gathers to say goodbye to one of its own as Bill and Eric rescue the vampires trapped by Sarah Newlin and her Vamp Camp disciples.
Why It’s On This List: Another emotional goodbye, Terry’s death marked a turning point for the entire town of Bon Temps. Not only did the show dedicate a respectful amount of time to exploring the character’s PTSD and how it affected his relationships with those he cared for most before putting him in the ground, but it also used his passing as an excuse for Sookie to come clean to her friends about her abilities. For a woman who had been hiding a vital part of herself from those closest to her for decades, this revelation felt revolutionary, in a subtly powerful way proving that True Blood had the ability to craft meaningful, heavy character development when it needed to. Of course, for those wanting bloodshed and chaos, we’ve always got Vamp Camp.
5. “Turn! Turn! Turn!” (Season 5, Episode 1)
HBO
The Story: Lafayette and Sookie plead with Pam to turn a dead Tara in exchange for their help with Eric while he and Bill find themselves in trouble with The Authority after Nan Flanagan’s murder.
Why It’s On This List: The show’s season four finale was further proof that True Blood could pull off a heart-stopping cliffhanger. The show never got squeamish when it came to doling out a death sentence to its most beloved characters, so until this episode dropped, we all believed Tara Thornton might actually, truly be dead. Of course, instead of torturing us, the show decided to torture Tara by saddling her with an undead status, and this episode marks the beginning of that juicy, dramatic arc. Not only did turning Tara introduce us to a friendship we never knew we needed — her bond with Pam, which carried through until the end of the series — but it also created conflict between her and Sookie, which forced both women to evolve in interesting ways. Plus, Tara made one badass fanger. Good on the show for realizing that early on.
4. “Everything Is Broken” (Season 3, Episode 9)
HBO
The Story: Sookie confronts Bill over his deception as he learns the truth about her origins. Tara seeks therapy for her recent trauma, and Russell starts a war between vampires and humans in a very public fashion.
Why It’s On This List: Everything is a bloody mess this episode which, as any True Blood fan knows, is when sh*t starts getting good. Sookie finally begins to assert control over her life by calling Bill out on his devious, controlling behavior while Tara begins to find closure after being abused by Franklin. And while we’re all for feisty women, the most iconic moment comes thanks to another diva: Russell Edgington. A power-hungry megalomaniac with a superiority complex, Russell was a fantastic villain throughout the show’s third season, but he reached stan-level status with his on-air meltdown that began with him ripping out a news anchor’s spine and ended when he threw it over to Tiffany for the weather.
3.“Cold Ground” (Season 1, Episode 6)
HBO
The Story: Sookie is left reeling after Gran’s gruesome murder. Her funeral and the gathering afterward descends into chaos when Jason, jacked up on V-juice, publicly blames his sister for their grandmother’s death.
Why It’s On This List: Again, there’s sex and murder and some deliciously good drama hidden in this episode, but what the show does best — focusing on the very real, very human emotions that become heightened when dealing with immortal problems — takes shape in how Sookie struggles to grieve the passing of the most important person in her life. She journeys through the steps of numbness, anger, deep despair, and denial, all while politely hosting the judgemental townsfolk of Bon Temps, managing a hapless brother with a drug addiction, and realizing her true feelings for Bill, which she acts on later in the episode. The most important scene here isn’t when Sookie finally offers Bill her neck and her virginity, it’s when she confronts Gran’s passing by tearfully eating her homemade pie.
2. “Strange Love” (Season 1, Episode 1)
HBO
The Story: We meet Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress living in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Two years after the invention of TruBlood (a synthetic form of sustenance for vampires) was created, immortal beings roam relatively free, and Sookie finally meets one when a 173-year-old fanger walks into her bar.
Why It’s On This List: Adapting any fantasy series is tough — like killing an immortal vamp tough — but what HBO was trying to do by bringing Charlene Harris’ 13-book set to the small screen was nearly impossible. It’s important to acknowledge that because the show’s premiere episode still stands as one of the best pilots we’ve seen on TV. Not only are we introduced to the rich, complicated, Southern cess-pool that is Bon Temps, we also see the first meeting of the show’s beloved, doomed couple. There’s blood, there’s gore, there’s fantasy, there’s sexual tension. Really, it’s all you could hope for as a fan of the series.
1. “I Will Rise Up” (Season 2, Episode 9)
HBO
The Story: After Eric is injured in an explosion as he and Sookie escaped the clutches of the Fellowship of the Sun, Sookie offers to help heal him and accidentally initiates a bond that threatens her relationship with Bill.
Why It’s On This List: Sure, seeing Bill sweat it out over Sookie’s steamy, Eric-starring sex dreams was fun — as was the confrontation between the two men over their shared human obsession — but the real reason that this episode rises to the top of this particular blood, camp-filled heap has nothing to do with sex, or bloodlust, or bloodlust-induced sex. Godric, Eric’s Maker, was one of the few vampires on this show that seemed to have some memory of his humanity, and it guided him in his final days in a few ways: first, as he tried to parlay with the Fellowship radicals, and second, when he decided the best form of penance for the mess he caused would be to greet the sun. Seeing Eric beg his oldest and dearest friend, a father-like figure, in both English and Swedish to reconsider his planned suicide was heartbreaking, but when Sookie offered to stay with Godric until the very end, it cemented the pair’s relationship in a way that even blood-sucking couldn’t.
Cole Bennett and Lyrical Lemonade serve up another high-speed video for some of the hottest names in the rap game as Lil Durk, Lil Baby, and Polo G come together to form a “3 Headed Goat.” The lead single from Lil Durk’s Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 receives some signature, trippy Bennett visuals complete with, yes, a three-headed goat. The three rappers pass a duffle bag full of lyrics as each takes their turn blazing through their rapid-fire verses while mouthing each other’s bars as they stand back-to-back.
All three rappers have had a terrific 2020. Lil Baby’s album My Turn debuted at No. 1, then returned to the top of the albums chart a few weeks later after a jump in streams following the release of Baby’s protest song, “The Bigger Picture.” Polo G followed up his stellar debut album Die A Legend with The GOAT, which peaked at No. 2 on the albums chart and spawned a trio of hits, “Heartless,” “Go Stupid,” and “DND.”
Meanwhile, their host on “3 Headed Goat,” Lil Durk, debuted at No. 5 with Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 despite releasing on the independent label Alamo. He hopes to return to the upper reaches of the chart with the deluxe version of the album out now via Alamo.
Watch Lil Durk’s ‘3 Headed Goat’ video with Lil Baby and Polo G above.
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