Like the other leading streamers, Hulu‘s attempting to get serious with its animated original offerings geared toward adults. There’s the promising-looking Solar Opposites coming soon from Rick and Morty co-creator and voice wizard Justin Roiland, and then there’s Crossing Swords, created by Robot Chicken producers John Harvatine IV and Tom Root. The show pulls out the visual stops with some of the finest stop-motion animation techniques, at times popping off the small screen almost as beautifully as Laika’s Coraline or Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Sadly, that’s where the charm exhausts itself, because for every dash of gorgeous, cotton-candy-like burst of dragon fire, there’s an overly plentiful supply of penis jokes. Not that penis jokes are bad, but these start to feel like profanity for the sake of profanity.

I suppose that’s not too much of a surprise for a show named after a sexual euphemism, but it would be sweet to have a dash of depth in addition to what feels like reaching for low-hanging fruit. Any substance atop the show’s crudeness would help justify its clear investment in visuals. Instead, the shock factor is favored over characters who are worth following, beyond wondering who shall get decapitated (yes, it’s also a gore fest). This sort-of vulgarity was once startling, back in South Park‘s early days — bless Trey Parker and Matt Stone — and even later in the duo’s Team America: World Police. Yet as Parker and Stone realized, one simply must inject context into the equation. Mature audiences enjoy a sprinkling of wit, too!

Crossing Swords does not hit that mark. Instead, it sprints out of the gate with context-free lowbrow jokes and nudity, both visually and verbally rendered, and never takes its foot off the pedal. Further, the gore is gratuitous in every sense of the word. It’s a strangely discombobulating affair, unless one wishes to place the ten episodes on mute and let them play in the background as mind-numbing escapism. This tactic wouldn’t be so bad, really, if not for a semi-serialized format. And that’s where this project grows more confounding. With Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken, the sketch-comedy approach worked with the drop-gross-jokes-and-split approach. Here, wonders exactly what this show’s themes might be, and why we should care about these players.

The set-up is super simple: The show does not shy away from Game Of Thrones fantasy vibes, a decision that might not be wise in retrospect, given that every hot take about the HBO show’s final season has already been run into the ground. Still, it’s happening here with a kingdom full of largely unlikable royal characters, who often resort to well-aimed crotch shots and MF-bombs to one-up each other. The protagonist, a peasant named Patrick (voiced by Nicholas Hoult), holds grand dreams to be the king’s squire. However, he enters the pleasure-seeking court proceedings aghast, much more than the show’s audience, and he remains that way until season’s end.

Any seasoned audience member will find it difficult to feel sorry for Patrick’s plight because TV viewers have already endured much of what he witnesses, and the show amps up bawdiness without providing incentives for viewers to stick around. This series doesn’t go anywhere, although a few events happen throughout this season. Episodic flourishes (like a Beast Feast musical festival and a Kraken Week) appear within the serialized structure, and a soap-operatic assassin mystery goes down as a protracted joke. Again, if you simply want chaotic filler-noise that looks pretty (and pretty gross), this might be up your alley. But don’t expect world-building, which presents doubt for future seasons with voice talent from Tony Hale, Luke Evans, Adam Pally, Alanna Ubach, Tara Strong, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Felicia Day

The most frustrating aspect of Crossing Swords, overall, is its refusal to attempt humor beyond profanity — something that not only South Park has recognized a need for, but that Netflix’s Big Mouth, Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty, FX’s Archer, and so many other adult-focused animated TV series have conquered. Crossing Swords fails to reach the existing standard and doesn’t offer much beyond meticulously crafted visuals, with every chip of paint looking on-point, even as the characters ride on toy horses and manage to wield swords despite having no arms. Pulling off these visual touches was no minor feat, but that attention to detail comes across as unsettling without acting in service to something greater.

Hulu’s ‘Crossing Swords’ streams on June 12.

This week on Top Chef, the show followed last week’s truffle hunt in Tuscany with a trip to Parma, to celebrate parmigiano cheese and prosciutto di Parma. On a more personal level, this episode offered Italian-American chef Bryan Voltaggio the promise of being able to get in touch with his roots and really connect with his Italian cousins through a mutual love of food and respect for the culinary traditions.

Let’s check in on how that’s going…

Holy shit, man. Only in Italy is serving cheese improperly tantamount to being unable to please a woman.

This week’s episode took the chefs from the cheese racks of Reggiano to the 14th-century ham cellars of Parma, where Atlanta good ol’ boy chef Kevin got such a huge pork boner that he almost stroked out.

Mmm, meatstroke.

While I’d like to rip on Foghorn Kevhorn for this, I can’t lie, there’s nothing I love more than stuffing meat in my mouth in a dank basement.

Meanwhile, the girls didn’t do much of note this episode, other than dominate. If this had been a double elimination challenge we’d have an all-female finale. All in all though, this was a very Bourdain-esque episode of Top Chef, with lots of food and travel porn for us poor saps still stuck in our drab, pathetically meat cellar-free houses. Ugh, look at all this bullshit ass cheese, I call myself a man?

The food though, my god. At one point they got to eat pheasant ravioli cooked inside an animal bladder. I don’t even know what animal’s bladder that came from but it looks incredible.

Now there‘s a dish worth doing some product placement for. Thank you for this, Top Chef. I forgive you for the Bush’s baked bean challenge if this is what you spent the bean money on.

Also, a lot of the judges licking their fingers this week.

What’sa matter, guys, don’t they have forks in Italy? I said Italians like to talk with their hands, not eat with them, am I right?

The judges for this week’s challenge included Italy’s youngest-ever Michelin starred chef — which is bullshit, give me Italy’s oldest Michelin-starred chef — and Evan Funke (Tobias’ brother?). Who, in old school Top Chef fashion, was introduced as having “created a revolution of how pasta should be made.”

Aw, man, I forgot how much I missed these kinds of hyperbolic introductions. “Oh my God, it’s Sebastian St. George! He’s like the Simón Bolivar of fast-casual French sandwiching.”

Anyway, call it creative editing, but was this week’s elimination the biggest twist of the season or is it just me? Read on!

POWER RANKINGS

4. (-1) ((Eliminated)) Kevin Gillespie

AKA: Hops. Aka Oops All Kevins. Aka Thicc Kev. Aka Foghorn Kevhorn. Aka Meatstroke.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t been the biggest Foghorn Kevhorn fan this season, as I find him to be slightly pompous (see his grandstanding after Restaurant Wars and this week saying he wanted his run on the show to be “a message of hope”). But I did not expect him to go home this week. Not after the Italians questioned Bryan Voltaggio’s masculinity. Though they weren’t exactly complimentary about Kevin either:

I love how intense this guy is. He’s like a meme of a disapproving father. “Son, the texture of this polenta proves that you will never be successful.”

I suppose the theory was that Thicc Kev, high on his own meat fumes, committed the cardinal sin of not highlighting his prosciutto and instead just stuck it on top of some more pork. The classic “you didn’t highlight the special ingredient enough” critique. You could be forgiven for thinking that the way to please these Italians is to just give their ingredients back to them on a fancy plate. “Using your prosciutto and parmigiano, I have made for you… prosciutto and Parmigiano. Put the prosciutto on top of the Parmigiano, mangiamo.”

Anyway, I’ll be pouring out some pork fat for my man Kev. He consistently cooked food that seemed like the thing I’d be most likely to order.

3. (-1) Bryan Voltaggio

AKA: Flatbill Dad. Aka Bry Voltage. Aka Kyle Shanahan. Aka Linkin Clark Griswold. Aka Family Bry.

Incredible. How did Family Bry stay in the competition this week? I’m just grateful that the cameras were there to capture the exact moment when Padma told him that the Italians said he was soulless, heartless, and without passion for aerating their 36-month-old parmesan. I was hoping for some unnecessarily harsh Italian food critiques and boy, this week’s episode delivered in spades.

They also said his pesto was “neutered” and his violin squash “just stands there and watches while its wife has sex with other men.” Or something to that effect… I might not be translating it quite right.

In retrospect, there may have been some foreshadowing that Bry Guy wasn’t entirely on the Italians’ wavelength:

Nice job, man. You are crushing it. Fitting right in. For a second there I was convinced you were a local.

So, the Italians hated his aerated cheese, then they thought his pesto on his fish was bland, and the only thing they complimented him on was how his soulless pasta was cooked. Yet somehow he didn’t go home! It was a big surprise, but I won’t lie to you, I am thrilled that Bry Guy is still in this competition. His constant dad jokes keep me hooked and his staccato dad laugh is this season’s best character. Without Linkin Clark, who would’ve made a joke about cutting the cheese?

2. (+2) Stephanie Cmar

AKA: C-Monster. Aka Underdog. Aka C-Truffle.

The C-Monster has been consistently the funniest contestant the past few episodes (she lost her competition when Nini left the show) and this week she also proved that she’s a legit contender. She had an Italian woman expressly tell her never to cook prosciutto and then made a prosciutto ragu that they loved anyway. The degree of difficulty on that was off the charts. One Italian lady even said “thees eeza like a new paint onna di capella sistina.”

Imagine getting told that you repainted the Sistine Chapel and have it be a compliment and you get an idea how good a week Stephanie had. Besides the fettucini with prosciutto ragu, she made a braised cabbage layered with prosciutto and cheese that one of the Italian judges compared to lasagna. That looked good as hell. Granted it took me 13 weeks to believe that Stephanie could actually beat Bryan Voltaggio but I’m there now.

1. (even) Melissa King

AKA: Zen Master. Aka Dimples. Aka Shutterstock. Aka Valedictorian.

That Stephanie was praised for repainting the Sistine Chapel like it was a compliment and still got beaten by Melissa this week should tell you how much Melissa is dominating this competition. She was even the only chef to acknowledge Bryan trying to speak Spanish in Italy. The show briefly tried to build up Melissa ruining the “egg raft” in her brodo (that’s the thing that makes consomme clear) as if it would turn out to be a costly mistake, but Melissa just tossed it out and made a new one and everything was fine.

This week, she cooked up an anolini en brodo with parmesan and yuzu and a scallop with proscuitto XO sauce and radicchio — tying the local ingredients in with her knowledge of Asian dishes and techniques. Like I said in last week’s rankings, you gotta keep these eye-talians on their heels, and that’s exactly what she did. I was another smash hit for Melissa, giving her three wins in a row. With such a dominant performance, does it even matter if she loses in the finale? Readers, I submit to you that it does not.

Vince Mancini is on Twitter. Read more of his cooking commentary in UPROXX’s Cooking Battles and Viral Cooking. For past Top Chef Power Rankings, go here.

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Surprise! You’ve got HBO Max. What does that mean?

Well, if you’re HBO subscription magically transferred over, it means you know have access to an even bigger library of quality TV shows and movies, ready to stream whenever you want. We’ve filtered through HBO Max’s massive movie queue already, so it’s only right that we take a look at some of the best TV shows the platform has to offer. Of course, HBO originals like Game of Thrones and Succession belong on this list, but we’ve already given them a shoutout on our HBO Go round-up, if you’re looking for other network staples.

Here are the best shows streaming on HBO Max right now.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

6 seasons, 148 episodes | IMDb: 7.9/10

Besides introducing the masses to the undeniable talent of Will Smith, and giving us the dopest theme song to ever exist on television, this classic family sitcom managed to put in some real work with all those laugh tracks. Smith plays a version of himself, a kid from Philly who move to Bel-Air to live with his rich relatives. He teaches them some street smarts, they try to class up his act, and the comedy comes from that disconnect, but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t get emotional from time to time while bingeing this thing.

Doctor Who

11 seasons, 851 episodes | IMDb: 8.7/10

Doctor Who is a long-running British series that follows the adventures of a Time Lord and his companion as they travel throughout space and time in the TARDIS. Doctor Who can be a little cheesy, but it is nevertheless one of those shows that’s difficult not to become completely invested in once you begin. Viewers who may not even consider themselves sci-fi geeks should give it a shot because this may be the show that converts them. It isn’t just a sci-fi show, it is a series about love and heartbreak and loneliness, about coming of age, about humanity and about loss. Maybe even more than that, watching Doctor Who is not just a television experience, it’s a cultural one, one of the rare shows capable of connecting people across the globe.

Friends

10 seasons, 236 episodes | IMDb: 8.9/10

There are some who argue that Friends was an overrated sitcom, with protagonists as unrealistic as they were lily-white. But like a big bowl of mac ‘n cheese, Friends is TV comfort food: not exactly great for you, but sometimes exactly what’s needed. From classic episodes like “The One With the Embryos” and “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” to its sprawling cast of eccentric supporting characters, the enduringly funny Friends will be there for you when you need to kick back and forget about the real world for a while.

Luther

4 seasons, 16 episodes | IMDb: 8.5/10
Maybe the bleakest, grittiest cop show you’ll ever see, Luther is so intense that it may at times rattle your brain stem. It’s got the best elements of other of its ilk as it follows a genius detective who struggles to separate his personal and professional lives. But it is also pummeling great drama, and Idris Elba is a tour de force (Ruth Wilson is fantastic, too).

The Office U.K.

2 seasons, 14 episodes | IMDb: 8.5/10

What can we say about this genre-defining workplace comedy that hasn’t been said before? Ricky Gervais’ mockumentary has influenced some of the greatest works on television and despite its many predecessors, it remains the best example of what a good, mundane comedy series can do. Gervais as clueless boss David Brent, whose desperate attempts at connecting with his underlings are a painful exercise in futility. Martin Freeman is also a stand-out, playing a role that John Krasinski inhabited in the American remake, but it’s the British sarcasm that really elevates this series and makes it worthy of a watch.

The OC

4 seasons, 92 episodes | IMDb: 7.5/10

Another fish-out-of-water type tale, this one skews a bit heavier on the side of melodrama as it follows a troubled kid named Ryan (Ben McKenzie), who’s taken in by a wealthy public defender, his socialite wife, and their nerdy teenage son, Seth (Adam Brody). The two become quick friends, navigating the f*cked-up, elitist world of Orange County, California, falling for society girls, heading South of the Border, confronting criminals who surf. You know, normal West Coast shenanigans.

Rick and Morty

Coupling

4 seasons, 28 episodes | IMDb: 8.5/10

Think of this early aughts comedy series as the British version of Friends. It follows much the same format — a group of six mates, three women, three men, exploring sex, love, and relationships in the city — but it’s got the courage to dig a bit deeper into what makes men and women tick than its American counterpart. It’s also got plenty of that trademark British sarcasm to pass the time in between hook ups and dick jokes.

Conan Without Borders

1 season, 6 episodes | IMDb: N/A

Technically, this “series” is just a collection of late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien’s recurring travel segment, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. In fact, Conan’s frequent trips to places around the world are often more enlightening and fun to watch than the more traditional travel shows. Conan Without Borders has a knack for getting people to open up, lightening the mood with his trademark humor before delving into serious topics, like the humanitarian crisis in Haiti or the war in Israel. He’s not afraid to make fun of himself, which puts his guests at ease and gives us a more authentic travel experience.

Primal

1 season, 10 episodes | IMDb: 8.2/10

Primal is almost like a grown-up take on The Land Before Time. Let us explain. The animated series from visionary creator Genndy Tartakovsky, follows the story of a caveman who befriends a dinosaur and together, they fight to survive the harsh world of the prehistoric age. It’s definitely more violent, with darker, more adult themes at play, but it’s also a beautiful story of friendship packaged in some cool-as-hell illustrations.

The Boondocks

4 seasons, 56 episodes | IMDb: 8.3/10

Watchmen‘s Regina King leads the voice cast of this adult animated sitcom that first aired on Cartoon Network. The show tells the story of the Freemans, a Black family moving from the streets of Chicago to the suburbs. This culture clash fuels much of the plot, with both the parents and the kids struggling to adapt to mostly-white neighborhoods, blatant prejudice, class inequality and more.

Legendary

1 season, 9 episodes | IMDb: 6.3/10

Though this reality competition series opened to some controversy, it’s still an addictive watch and one of the few queer-centered original series that you’ll find on the streaming platform. The Good Place star Jameela Jamil leads a panel of judges as voguing teams battle it out on the ballroom dance floor for a cash prize. To get a better sense of the history and culture at play here, go watch FX’s Pose, then come back and enjoy the show these divas are putting on.

Starbucks sent an internal memo that banned employees from wearing clothing or accessories that support the Black Lives Matter movement, according to Buzzfeed News, which obtained the memo. The directive was sent out in response to store managers who had contacted senior leadership in the company regarding their employees’ desire to wear Black Lives Matter (BLM)-related attire amidst the nationwide protests against police violence that have swept all 50 states. According to BuzzFeed, Starbucks employees are explicitly prohibited from wearing Black Lives Matter attire as part of their dress code, which bans any sort of political, religious, or personal accessories or clothing.

Starbucks management has argued that wearing BLM affiliated clothing could be misunderstood and potentially incite violence, which, according to Starbucks employees who spoke to BuzzFeed, feels disingenuous when you consider that the company regularly ignores its accessory rule when celebrating LGBTQ rights or marriage equality — both of which the company has passed out wearable swag for in the past.

On June 4th, the company issued and pinned a tweet that reads “Black lives matter. We are committed to being a part of change,” and included images indicating their commitment to anti-bias training, pledged to donate $1 million to organizations promoting racial equity, and announced that they’d be actively engaging in conversations with their black employees about racism and how they can do better as a company.

22-year-old barista from Atlanta, Calvin Bensen, expressed his disappointment at Starbucks’ response to BuzzFeed, saying “My skin color incites violence at Starbucks. Should I not come to work? It is silencing and Starbucks is complicit. Now more than ever, Starbucks needs to stand with us.”

Despite the criticism, Starbucks doesn’t seem ready to budge from their position, “We respect all of our partners’ opinions and beliefs, and encourage them to bring their whole selves to work while adhering to our dress code policy,” said a spokesperson for the company. Last summer, the company issued an apology after six police officers in Arizona were asked to leave by a barista because customers in the store felt unsafe, which prompted some to call for a boycott of the company on social media. Now, many on social media are once again calling for a boycott of the brand, this time in response to their new dress code ban.

Over the past two hours, the hashtag #BoycottStarbucks has climbed up Twitter’s trending page with over 24,000 tweets, check out some of the critiques below.

I’ve spoken with Eric Andre a handful of times and he always brings a unique kind of energy. You hear the thing about actors and comics being bored by the same line of questioning during press tours and it’s the same thing with canned answers. Eric Andre doesn’t give canned answers. You see that in his recent chat with Talib Kweli on People’s Party. When I spoke with him a few years ago, he began by asking me about my knowledge of the artist Salvador Dali’s dick. Another time he deputized himself an Uproxx reporter and vowed to track down disgraced former newsman Charlie Rose for an interview. I’ve mentioned this before. Because I have genuine love for these moments. The plan when talking with Andre is to not have much of a plan and see what happens. I have love for that as well.

Andre’s new Netflix special, Legalize Everything (which you can stream starting June 23), is very on-brand in that it’s surprising, hilarious, timely, and wild. I watched it and it was an island away from the chaos of the world for an hour. It’s nice to have that. A luxury, I know. With this conversation, we didn’t talk much about the inspiration for the comedy at the heart of the special, instead delving into the news of the day with Andre sharing his thoughts on police brutality, media failures, and his fear of staying in the US. This before talking about his Dad Bod, the effects of COVID on his specific brand of comedy, editing the new season of The Eric Andre Show, social media trolls, and why he loves New Orleans (where the special was filmed), and the feeling of an audience being right on top of him. See what happened.

Did you track down Charlie Rose? The last time we spoke for the Pally Late Late Show article, you said you were going to track down Charlie Rose for us.

Andre: I did [say that]! Other issues in the country have arisen since then. [Laughs]

Alright, that’s fair. So, good time to drop a comedy special, huh?

[Laughs] Yeah, perfect time.

Well, what do you want to talk about? You’ve been vocal, saying a lot of good stuff.

Yeah, I’m trying to be. It is pretty bleak. I mean, before it shut down, it was pretty grim. But this is the largest civil rights protest in world history, as far as members across the globe. Australia, New Zealand, Berlin, Paris, London. This is a global protest. So, that’s huge. That is humongous. Now, the politicians are paying attention, and the cops are doing a horrible job! [Laughs]

The one request millennials are making is like, “Hey, let’s end police brutality, excessive force, and hold cops accountable for excessive force and murder.” And the cop’s response is like, “Beat the shit out of people!” Like twee, twerpy millennials… ahhh! Just seeing kids that look like Michael Cera get their faces bashed in by police. It’s like, “Uh, excuse me officer, have you read the newspaper in the last three days? This is exactly what we’re complaining about.” So, the cops are showing their true colors… Not all [of them]. I mean, I won’t speak in broad generalizations. At the other end of the spectrum, there are cops kneeling for justice. And that one sheriff from Flint, Michigan, that was like, “I put my baton and my mask down. I’m here to help you guys. I’m marching with you.” So we get the whole spectrum, but the cops that are bludgeoning unarmed peaceful protestors, I hope that there’s somebody cataloging all of that police brutality footage.

That would be helpful. I know cable news is definitely doing their job by showing mostly burned down Starbucks and cop cars and nothing else. So, that’s super helpful.

Right, I know! Yeah, that’s the other fucking thing. The media is not helping at all. But thank God there’s social media, which I think the younger generation pays attention to more than whatever.

It’s wild. I saw a video on Twitter of a guy… it looked like he was getting beat [by cops] while he was already down on the ground in the middle of an outlet center in Atlantic City. And then the next day I’m watching the local news and all they show are people running with like sneaker boxes [in the same area].

Yeah. That is a problem. So, I don’t know, but we’ll see. It’s a terrifying time to be an American. I’m talking to an immigration lawyer about like, “Hey, can I work in Paris? Can I work in London? Hey, what’s that like? Can I get the fuck out of here at least until election day, if not four years after Election Day?” Because it’s just dangerous. Those countries have their own awful racism and classism. And England is falling into the ocean as well, but the cops don’t have guns. Not everybody has guns, so I’m not worried if I get pulled over by a cop in England or France that I’m going to lose my life, you know? There are helicopters circling my neighborhood. Cop helicopters have been circling the neighborhood for like a week straight. So it’s out of control. But I think defunding the police is the best battle cry. I think if you hit them in their wallets, you’ll actually hit them harder than anywhere else. Right now, they’re like a mob. It’s like racketeering. The police unions are so strong. They just bulldoze any mayor into doing their bidding. And why do they need military-grade… Like, why do they need tanks to attack Americans? You’re going to go to war with Americans? Yeah, It’s weird. It’s insane. So, it’s a fucking mess. We’re in a police state right now. It’s fucking disgusting. But, that’s the country. What can I say?

Are you reading the comments on your social posts?

Never.

You can’t.

Never.

You can’t in this situation, especially.

Never, ever. Never, ever. I’ll pay attention if somebody verbally comments to my face in public, but not on the internet. It’s not an active representation of feedback. It’s like 10-year-olds trolling for attention. You know what I mean? So a lot of that trolling is completely apolitical, ironically. It’s not a real barometer.

I saw Seth Rogan’s response to some of it, and it was basically like, “Fuck you. Don’t watch my movies. You don’t deserve my movies.” Which I thought was just fantastic.

Yeah. Kurt Cobain has that quote [paraphrased from the liner notes of In Utero]: “If you’re homophobic, or racist, or sexist do not come to our shows, and do not buy our albums.” And that’s how I feel. I’m like, “If you’re bigoted and you want martial law and a police state, don’t watch my stuff. Don’t come to my shows. I do not need your patronage. I am not making my art for you. I’m not making my art for white supremacists and bigots.” Anyway, I don’t know. I could go on. [Adopts an announcer’s voice] Watch my comedy special, June 23rd, only on Netflix! [Laughs]

The special is great by the way. I want to ask, and this kind of still ties back to the grim shit, but with everything going on with COVID… Your style is very much in the streets and in people’s faces to an extent, how the hell do you do that pre-vaccine?

I don’t. [Laughs] I don’t. I’m fucked. I’m on vacation until the vaccine, basically. I can do animation. I can do a podcast, but I can’t possibly go on the street.

So this is it for you? This and Bad Trip are it for you until 2021?

That’s it. I’m retired baby. Retired by COVID. I’m out. Mic drop.

What are you doing with your time? Just watching Netflix, playing games?

I’ve been drinking a lot. I’ve been teaching myself how to make cocktails.

Nice.

So that’s been good. I’ve got my Dad Bod going. No, I’ve been writing, doing research, doing press for this. I’m finishing editing The Eric Andre Show. We’ve got a few weeks left of editing. Everything is in the can. I just have to put the finishing touches on the last couple of episodes and deliver them to the network.

So with the special, why was New Orleans the choice?

I think it checks a lot of boxes. It’s like everybody is drunk and fun, and having a good time. Very diverse. The millennials there, they love… it’s kind of like a blue city in a red state. So it’s like, I like purple audiences the best. Because the far right, I’m going to turn off obviously because they’re Nazis. [Laughs] And the far left is very PC Police. They’re offended by every joke. So when you have like a swing state or a swing city kind of vibe, nobody is offended by everything. You could say whatever the fuck you want. And that’s why my favorite shows are not only in New Orleans, but Rust Belt states. I love playing cities in Ohio, and Wisconsin, Michigan. Those are the best audiences.

New Orleans was one of the only cities I didn’t put on my tour, so I didn’t blow my set there yet. So I did it at the end of my American tour. It had great crowds, diverse crowds. And we were like, “Should we go to the big theater?” And I was like, “No, I don’t like big theater shows. I like small, intimate audiences where I can be literally on top of the audience members.” And I even climb on top of one audience member during the special. So it just checked a lot of boxes.

It works so well. I mean, honestly because the theater (Republic NOLA)… I don’t like comedy specials that are filmed in massive arenas or any kind of big theater where you can’t feel the effect of the audience’s energy.

Yeah, you’re too disconnected from the audience. That’s me personally. I think there’s, I don’t know, there’s an intimacy to comedy, because you’re becoming buddies with the audience, and the audience needs to create a hive mind. It’s like a proxy for like joking around with your friends in your living room, drunk, and stoned. So I think a more intimate venue captures that stuff. I just feel more comfortable. I don’t like a big spotlight. Anything over 3,000 seats, you have a big spotlight, and the majority of the audience is in the darkness. You can’t see them, and I feel disconnected.

The way that everyone is just stacked there, it just gives you the feeling that everyone is going to jump on you. You’re going to jump on them. And it really fits the energy of the special really well.

Thanks, yeah. I was proud of the choice.

Before I go, I want to thank you, also for something you mentioned during the special. I’m also half Catholic and half Jewish. I’ve searched my whole life for the term cashew. I had no idea it existed.

Oh, no way! It’s old school. That’s public domain. That’s free to use.

Eric Andre’s ‘Legalize Everything’ is available to stream on Netflix June 23.

Lonnie Walker IV began finding his footing in his second year with the San Antonio Spurs, as the sophomore guard averaged 5.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game prior to the NBA going on hiatus. Walker had some terrific high points this season, most notably a 28-point performance in a win over the Rockets in which he carried the Spurs down the stretch, and has found himself with a more steady role in the Spurs rotation.

Off the court, it seems as though the hiatus has also brought Walker some inner peace, as he showed in a very courageous Instagram post explaining why he was shaving his signature hair, opening up about his past and being raped and abused by a family member prior to fifth grade.

The real truth as to why i started doing this early 5th grade, it was a cloaking device for me. During the summer of my 5th grade year I was around more family. Some that names will be left alone I was around more. I was sexually harassed, raped, abused, I even got accustomed to it because being at that age you don’t know what is what. I was a gullible curious kid that didn’t know what the real world was. I had a mindset that my hair was something that I can control. My hair was what I can make and create and be mine. And it gave my confidence. As of recently I wasn’t at my best. Previous History popping up in my head and it sucked mentally “demons”….. because of this virus, I began to truly look at myself in the mirror and see who I truly was even behind closed doors. Long story short I have found peace and internal happiness through this journey god willingly. I forgave everyone even the people that don’t deserve it why? Because it’s dead weight. Time doesn’t wait on anyone so why should I waste my time on it ? Me cutting my hair was more than a cut. My hair was a mask of me hiding the insecurity’s that I felt the world wasn’t ready for. But now better then ever. Out with old. In with the new. I have shed my skin mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Life will always be hard. Gotta play with the cards your dealt with and try and make a winning hand. And if you lose. It’s never a lost. It’s a lesson . I’m gonna be off this for awhile still growing through this. Just know I love each and everyone one of y’all. Peace love and happiness

It is incredibly brave of Walker for opening up about such trauma in his life and using his platform to help destigmatize being sexually abused as a child. As he notes, he didn’t know what was what and was just a kid, and his hair became the thing he could control. Now, he says he’s been able to look at himself during this quarantine and confront those issues and find inner strength to no longer hide his insecurities. It’s a powerful message and one that can hopefully help others that have dealt with sexual abuse find similar strength and know that they are not alone.

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While reading the reviews for Josephine Decker’s new film Shirley (out now on Hulu), there’s one phrase I saw multiple times: “career-best performance,” as in, “Featuring a mind-blowing, career-best performance from Elisabeth Moss, Shirley is a tour de force of imagination,” and, “Elisabeth Moss is having one hell of a year, topping her recent career-best performance in The Invisible Man with a transformative turn as Jackson.” These reviews are both on point and off the mark: Moss does give a career-best performance in Shirley, but she also gives career-best performances in Mad Men, Us, Her Smell, Top of the Lake, and The Invisible Man. Every Elisabeth Moss performance is a career-best performance. (Except The Kitchen. The Kitchen is bad.)

When was the first time you noticed Elisabeth Moss? For many, it was Mad Men, where she played secretary-turned-copy chief Peggy Olson, or maybe as President Bartlet’s daughter, Zoey, on The West Wing. But the actress has been part of your pop culture life longer than you realize. In the years prior to moving into the White House, Moss provided voice-work for Batman: The Animated Series and Animaniacs; escaped to Witch Mountain in, well, Escape to Witch Mountain; appeared in the small-screen remake of Gypsy; and made Hulk Hogan rescue her cat from a tree in Suburban Commando, her feature-film debut. She was an accomplished child star when she caught the attention of Aaron Sorkin. During her second audition for The West Wing, “I left and I thought, ‘Well, I guess that went OK.’ Then I got the part and later figured out when I met him that I had read with Aaron Sorkin,” she told the Wall Street Journal.

Moss was only 23 years old when she auditioned to play Peggy (“I don’t look anything like Peggy [in the tape]. I’m 23, blond, tan. I look like I just walked off of the beach”), a role that would take her from “Elisabeth Moss” to “Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss.” On a show full of great actors playing complex characters, including Jon Hamm as Don, January Jones as Betty, John Slattery as Roger, Christina Hendricks as Joan, and Marten Holden Weiner as Glen, obviously, it’s Moss who stands above the rest, with the possible exception of Vincent Kartheiser as Pete. (Don’t make me choose between “PIZZA HOUSE” and “NOT GREAT, BOB.”) She’s at the center of the show’s best episode, and the star of its most indelible shot. But while Mad Men will likely always be the project that Moss is most associated with, there’s a debate to be had over whether Peggy is her “best” role. Can you say that about anyone else in the main Mad Men cast?

Think about it this way: when Jon Hamm passes away, the first line of his obituary will read something like, “Emmy-winning Mad Men star Jon Hamm passed away at the age of 175 years old today” (it was nice of Paul Rudd to share his secret to not aging with his Midwest buddy). Same with Slattery and Hendricks — that’s not a knock on them as actors (he, like Hamm, is excellent on 30 Rock); it’s more, Mad Men was that good. It’s not every day you’re in all-time great show. But for Moss, her obituary role is a toss-up.

My favorite Elisabeth Moss performance is in Alex Ross Perry’s Her Smell, where she plays Becky Something, a narcissistic, self-destructive, burnt-out rock star… who you still believe deserves redemption, for her daughter and for herself. It’s a difficult movie to watch, and Becky is a challenging character to spend two hours with, but Moss portrays her with a captivating rawness, making sure to never overplay her warts-and-all personality. I think about the piano scene once a month. It’s a gutsy, ugly (in a beautiful sort of way) performance that the Oscars ignored, despite Perry passionately campaigning on his star’s behalf. “[Moss] rigorously calibrated this whirlwind of maniacal insanity, sticking to the script while working off impulse and instinct. It wouldn’t be honest of me to pass up an opportunity to give this performance one final cheer from the sidelines and hope that it is seen as the once-in-a-great-while alchemical blend of writing, directing, and, most crucially, acting that it is,” he wrote to no avail, sadly.

Moss has actually never been nominated for an Oscar or Golden Globe, at least not for a movie role. She’s won two Globes for her TV work: Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for Top of the Lake (“Why Top of the Lake is still Elisabeth Moss’s greatest role”) and Best Actress – Television Series Drama for Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale (“It’s clear that the phenomenal debut season owes its excellence to the career-best performance of Elisabeth Moss”), which has dipped in quality over the seasons, but it’s still worth watching for Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, and Alexis Bledel. (Never forget that Rory Gilmore was on Mad Men, where she met Peggy’s baby daddy Pete, played by Vincent Kartheiser, who she’s now married to. The only good celebrity couple? Discuss.)

Anyway, Moss is phenomenal in The Square (you’ll never look at a condom the same way), indies The One I Love and Listen Up Philip, and Us (the way she says “vodka o’clock” is chef’s kiss emoji), but she’s really shined in 2020. If she’s not in every scene The Invisible Man, she commands the Blumhouse horror flick like she is. It’s tough to play against literally nothing, but Moss is gloriously “committed” as Cecilia, who correctly believes that she’s being stalked by her abusive partner who everyone thinks killed himself. It’s an emotionally-draining performance, with all the internal distress that comes with not being believed for what you know is true, and physically demanding, too, in scenes where she’s being attacked by someone she can’t see. You also can’t see the monster in Shirley, Moss’ other foray into horror, but the demons are there.

You know the “[person’s name] that’s it, that’s the tweet” meme? Elisabeth Moss in Shirley, that’s it, that’s the tweet. She plays “The Lottery” and The Haunting of Hill House author Shirley Jackson with a deliciously uneasy edge, whether she’s being provoked by her frail-ego husband who’s both her #1 fan and biggest tormentor (an equally great Michael Stuhlbarg), incapable of leaving the bed due to undiagnosed mental health issues, or feeding possibly deadly mushrooms to her younger house-mate Rose (Odessa Young); their relationship falls somewhere between outright contempt and bordering-on-romantic affection, although sometimes it’s both at the same time. Shirley is a refreshing take on The Tortured Genius trope, and aided by Decker’s experimental flourishes and Moss employing an impressive array of facial tics, you could probably watch it on silent and still understand Jackson’s emotional turmoil. You shouldn’t do this, though, because then you’d miss Moss saying, “I’m a witch.” I half-believe her.

With the shut-down in production due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Moss only has two upcoming projects on her filmography: Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch and Next Goal Wins, Taika Waititi’s soccer movie. It’s unclear who she plays in both films, but whoever the characters are, I’m sure she’ll give her next career-best performance.

Over and over during the press tour for The Big Sick in 2017, I remember screenwriters Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon talking about how their producer Judd Apatow had kept hectoring them to make their script more real, more personal, to go with honesty over punchlines whenever in doubt. It was good advice then, and I wish director Apatow had taken producer Apatow’s advice.

Instead, his latest, The King of Staten Island, seems intent on turning Pete Davidson’s actually-interesting personal journey into yet another one of Apatow’s overlong Man-Child Belatedly Learns To Clean His Room sagas. It’s a movie that expends most of its energy trying to turn a unicorn into a horse. Because hey, people buy horses, right? We know how to sell a horse.

Pete Davidson is the rare, possibly historically unique comedian who is actually more famous for being a Famous Person than he is for being a comedian. Even before he started dating pop stars he had a compelling backstory: he was a teen comedian whose dad died on 9/11 (not to be confused with Steve Rannazzizi, the comedian who lied about 9/11). He got cast in SNL when he was just 20, one of the youngest cast members ever and the first to be born in the ’90s. As a person, Davidson also has the rare gift of being able to understand and joke about his own public persona (“I look like I make vape juice in a bathtub,” as he put it on SNL). I interviewed him a few years back, and to this day he stands out as one of my more candid and charming interviewees.

Apatow seems to understand that Davidson himself is part of the draw, so he incorporates much of Davidson’s real story, like his real hometown (Staten Island), the fact that his father was a fireman who died when he was a kid, and his struggles with mental health. Only now Davidson is “Scott Carlin,” whose father died not in a terrorist attack but in a hotel fire, and instead of a comedian he’s a directionless stoner who dabbles in tattooing and lives with his mom (played by Marisa Tomei). Notice how every change here seems to make the story less interesting?

Trouble is, we’ve seen “immature guy learns to grows up” before. The King Of Staten Island never fully reckons with its own central hook — Scott’s mental health issues, which are kind of just a cutesy punchline — and it simultaneously attempts to capitalize on Davidson’s celebrity status while for story purposes pretending it doesn’t exist. It’s a little reminiscent of the later seasons of The Jersey Shore, after The Situation and Snooki and the gang had become wildly famous, when the slavering hordes and exorbitant nightclub appearance fees that followed them wherever they went had become the most interesting part of the story, yet the producers had to painstakingly ignore it all in order to keep selling us the antiquated tale of regular young people hooking up and acting stupid. Sometimes selling what you know keeps you from realizing what you have.

Likewise, we now get Pete Davidson as a slacker whose overachieving sister — played by Apatow’s daughter, Maude, who’s a good enough actress for me not to mind the nepotism — both outshines and resents him, whose girlfriend (Bel Powley) just wants to be acknowledged, whose loser friends get him into trouble, etc. — all the totems of stunted adolescence, as it’s popularly conceived. Apatow’s movies are always notoriously too long, but this time it isn’t self-indulgence that’s keeping The King Of Staten Island over two hours (137 minutes, to be exact) it’s more a failure to choose between four or five different stock storylines.

“Scott” at one point attempts to tattoo a kid in a park. The kid’s irate father, a fireman played by Bill Burr, shows up at the door the next day and ends up dating Scott’s mom. Burr is shockingly great in the role and when he winds up becoming friends with Davidson’s character, the two have genuine chemistry. Bro-ing down at the firehouse, they share the film’s first non-contrived-seeming camaraderie, which might have made up for the slog of the film’s first two acts if they hadn’t been so damned long. Did we really need to wait 90+ minutes for them to get to the firehouse? Did Scott really have to try to sabotage his mom’s relationship first and have blowout fights over who she was dating? Is this story really to hinge on the assumption that a 24-year-old man would interfere in his mom’s love life? Woof. Also, gross.

The one bright spot in culture is that we now have a template for how this could’ve been handled better. Dave on FX stars Dave Burd/Lil Dicky as himself, in a show about an unexpectedly viral rapper trying to navigate sudden fame. It’s interesting precisely because it seems to understand what The King of Staten Island does not: that actual success and its byproducts are more compelling than fake failure.

‘The King of Staten Island’ streams this weekend via VOD. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.