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Wednesday Night’s Alright: NXT And AEW Go Big And Go-Home

Here we are in the third of four weeks in which only one of the Wednesday Night Wrestling shows actually airs on Wednesday. First AEW Dynamite got moved around due to TNT’s NBA coverage, and now NXT is spending two weeks on Tuesday due to USA’s coverage of the NHL. Rumors have also started that NXT might move to Tuesdays for good, and I promise if that happens I will split this column up and start covering these shows separately. But for now, welcome to Wednesday Night’s Alright (plus sometimes other nights, too) on Uproxx Sports.

Nefarious Heel Behavior: Doctor Britt Baker DMD

The All-Out PPV is this Saturday, and Tony Schiavone was trying to interview Big Swole about what kind of match she wants to have with Britt Baker there, when Britt interrupted first by having Rebel deliver a pizza to Tony during the interview. Then while Swole was laughing like “Oh come on, a pizza? And do you think we can’t recognize Rebel?” Britt attacked Swole from behind, driving her face into the pizza and then putting her in the Lockjaw hold.

Everybody loves a wrestler revealing that they’re healed from an injury by attacking someone, and Britt pulls it off perfectly here. Nobody knows what a Tooth & Nail Match is, but this segment made me excited to watch it no matter what it is. Of course, then they revealed that it’s going to be on the pre-show, even though they’ve been building to it for literally months. So that’s a shame. But this segment was still great.

Runners Up

The Young Bucks continue to be jerks, going as far as pouring a beer over an Adam Page fan’s head this week. I’m coming around to believing that they’re evolving into heels on purpose, with Hangman being set up to become a babyface loner, but it could still go either way. I’m not entirely sure that Kenny Omega and the Bucks, as real-life teetotalers, understand that although being an obnoxious drunk is a heel trait, drinking casually is a babyface trait. And while standing up to that obnoxious drunk might be something a babyface would do, telling your friend who enjoys a couple of drinks every week that he’s a worthless alcoholic just because you disagree with his choices is absolutely what heels would do.

MJF gave out this week’s most brutal beating, attacking Jon Moxley with a fury we’ve never seen from him before as the show drew to a close. But I have to say, I’m not wild about that from MJF. I like Maxwell as an obnoxious rich kid who occasionally punches somebody in the face with his big-ass ring on, and I don’t need him to be as brutal and hardcore as Moxley. I understand the thinking that they want him to look like a credible threat for All Out, but shouldn’t MJF be a threat by being sneaky and paying bigger guys to interfere for him? Not everybody needs to be an undershirt-clad brawler.

Lingering Problems: Some Of These Booking Decisions

The prelude to MJF beating up Jon Moxley was Moxley beating up MJF’s lawyer, Mark Sterling, in a match that went on for a while without ever seeming like a real wrestling match, and for some reason held the Main Event slot on this go-home show. I get that Moxley is the top guy, but a match like this makes no sense in the Main Event. Even one of the multi-man tag matches would have fit in the slot better—at least the guys in those matches are pro wrestlers both in and out of character.

Runners Up

And then there’s NXT. They’d never put somebody who can’t wrestle in the Main Event (or even someone like Mark Sterling, who can wrestle but is playing a character who can’t). What NXT is more likely to do is put four of their very best wrestlers in that Main Event, and then give it the entire second hour of the show and end it without a proper winner.

In the Fatal Four-Way Iron Man Match for the NXT Championship, everybody had one fall apiece until the very end, when Finn Bálor and Adam Cole each scored an additional fall and tied. William Regal came out and announced that they’ll have a one-on-one match to one fall next week, and honestly my first thought was relief that at least Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were knocked out, because as much affection as I have for those guys, I’m still burnt out on long dramatic matches involving them. Then I realized that line of thinking was silly, because why did Gargano and Ciampa have to be in this match either? If you wanted to get to Finn Bálor versus Adam Cole, you could have just done that match this week.

I realize the answer is “Ratings,” but I don’t accept that. Once you’ve gotten me to watch the show, I still reserve the right to expect it not to leave me unsatisfied.

Best Promo: Jon Moxley

This was honestly not a strong week for promos, but you can always count on Jon Moxley to be good at talking. I really enjoyed his casual dismissal of MJF as a threat. I suppose the lesson is supposed to be that Jon was wrong to be so dismissive, since MJF then beat the crap out of him, but I don’t really accept that, for reasons I explained above. Based on all of MJF’s previous behavior, and his likely future behavior now that this one episode is over, Jon was absolutely right.

Runners Up

On NXT, Tegan Nox and Candice LeRae both talked separately about their friendship, which was good character stuff without having the shape of traditional wrestling promos. I do wonder, though, if all this talk of Tegan and Candice being former best friends is making Tegan’s former former best friend, Dakota Kai, jealous.

Back on AEW, Jericho cut another promo on Orange Cassidy. No Jericho promo is ever exactly bad, but we sure have heard a lot of them in this feud.

AEW also did a segment meant to build to Saturday’s Casino Battle Royale, and boy was it a mess. They basically put every heel manager and their guys in the ring at the same time, and then they all stepped on each other’s lines and generally seemed confused about what was going on. Eddie Kingston is one of the best promos working, but you put him in the ring with a bunch of 70-year-olds and there’s only so much he can do.

Best Match: Thunder Rosa vs Serena Deeb

You could have given me a hundred tries last week, and I wouldn’t have guessed that Serena Deeb would be in this week’s best match. For that matter, I probably couldn’t have guessed which show she’d be on either. But she was Thunder Rosa’s opponent on AEW, to get everyone hyped for Rosa’s match with Hikaru Shida at All Out.

You could tell this was a really good women’s match because Jim Ross kept saying things like “Believe it or not this is actually technically a very good wrestling match, folks!” I like Jim Ross. He’s a genuine legend. But honestly? It might be about time to let him retire for a least weekly commentary. Replace him with Veda Scott if you can. Then AEW will start sounding more like the future and less like the past.

Anyway, commentary aside this match was so great that a lot of smart marks on the internet have been saying it was too good—that Rosa should have squashed Deeb to make her look strong going into her fight with the Champ. I don’t really agree with that. I think showing what Thunder Rosa can do is more important than making her look so powerful that there’s barely a match.

Also, cards on the table, I’m holding out hope that AEW might hire Serena Deeb full-time, which would be all the more reason to give her some offense. I’d like to see Deeb stay in AEW, not just as a wrestler, but in a backstage role working with the women’s division. We all know that AEW’s women need some time and attention, and as the only female coach to have had a full-time position at the WWE Performance Center and not work there currently, Serena might be the perfect person for the job.

Runners Up

NXT opened with a really fun six-man street fight, with Breezango and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott taking on Legado Del Fantasma. It’s weird seeing that sort of match open a weekly TV show, but these guys gave it there all, and Tyler Breeze wielding a fire extinguisher is an image that will stay with me.

There were several matches this week that felt like they could have been great if they had more time. Bronson Reed versus Timothy Thatcher was one of those, although it became all about Reed’s feud with Austin Theory. The match that opened Dynamite, between Best Friends and Proud & Powerful, had a similar vibe.

And then there was that Four-Way Iron Man Match on NXT, which I really wanted to like. There were some great spots in it, but that ending was a problem. Plus, honestly, somebody needs to explain to NXT and AEW that match length is not the ticket to quality.

That’s all for this week. I’ll have a review of AEW All Out on Monday, and then be back next Thursday to talk about Tuesday and Wednesday one more time.

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New Frotcast: ‘Bill & Ted Face The Music,’ Plus Chadwick Boseman’s Best Roles

This bonus episode of the Frotcast is now live on Patreon. To hear it, sign up on Patreon at Patreon.com/Frotcast. I promise, you won’t regret it! Or maybe you will. Hell, I don’t know. Honestly, who can say these days.

Greetings, Frotcast faithful. Sick-skel and G-Bert (aka Vince Mancini and Matt Lieb) return this week to discuss the latest Bill & Ted movie, Bill & Ted Face The Music. To this reviewer’s mind, the best thing about the original Bill & Ted was the implication (tongue-in-cheek, I believe) that a shopping mall in San Dimas, California was the culmination of human achievement up until that point. In Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, all the great men and women of history travel through time to marvel at various aspects of the San Dimas mall circa 1989. That’s a funny idea!

Meanwhile, the most interesting thing about a Bill & Ted installment in 2020 is the realization that virtually all of the cultural touchstones of the original — Val-speak, glam metal, two-hand tapping guitar licks, the suburbs of LA as a center for culture, shopping malls — have since turned out to be, to varying degrees, dead ends. Bill & Ted are almost a perfect anachronism. Rather than take on any of that, Bill & Ted Face The Music basically says “hey, what if 50-year-old Bill and Ted were exactly like teenage Bill and Ted? And also they had teenage daughters who were exactly (inexplicably) like 1989 Bill and Ted? And one of them wore a rashguard that looks like a Crown Royal sack?”

That… seems like a missed opportunity? Which is why part of me hates it. And yet it turns out to be a reasonably tolerable movie. Why? We answer that question and more, including our favorite Chadwick Boseman movies, on this week’s Frotcast. You’ll definitely want to check this one out, and as always, we bid you a most heartfelt “no refunds.”

EMAIL us at [email protected], leave us a voicemail at 415-275-0030.

SUBSCRIBE to the Frotcast on iTunes.

SUPPORT at Patreon.com/Frotcast. You can add the bonus feed to regular podcast app!

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The ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ Raised A Ton Of Money For ALS Research And May Have Led To A Major Breakthrough

The “Ice Bucket Challenge” took over the internet in 2014 and 2015. The viral stunt involved a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped over someone’s head to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Everyone took part, including the Game of Thrones cast, Rihanna, and Kermit the Frog; even President Obama got involved, although he declined the challenge and instead donated to charity. It’s easy to look back at that simpler time and 1) wish you had a time machine to warn everyone about 2020, and 2) wonder why the Ice Bucket Challenge was so popular, but it raised a ton of money for research, and may have helped fund a breakthrough.

NBC News reports that an “experimental medication may slow the progression of [ALS], researchers reported Wednesday. The research was supported in part by donations from the Ice Bucket Challenge, the social media sensation that raised more than $200 million worldwide.” The medication isn’t a cure for the neurological disorder, but “it may help slow the inexorable disability caused by ALS, which rapidly destroys the nerve cells that control the muscles that allow us to move, speak, eat, and even breathe.”

“The Ice Bucket Challenge was an important turning point in the fight against ALS,” Dr. Sabrina Paganoni, a neuromuscular specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS, said. “It put ALS on the map and raised awareness of the disease and attracted more investigators and investment to the research.”

For that, we have R2-D2 and Katy Perry on a pirate ship to thank. The researchers and scientists working countless hours to find a cure for a devastating disease, too. But mostly R2-D2.

(Via NBC News)

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Catholic priest explains what it really means to be ‘Pro-Life’

In a video by Now This, Father James Martin explains how people who claim to be pro-life are actually only supporting one type of life, the unborn child, while so many others also need help.

Father Martin is an American Jesuit priest, writer, and editor-at-large of the Jesuit magazine America. He was appointed as a consultant to the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications by Pope Francis in 2017.

“Some people believe that being pro-life means being someone who reverences the unborn child in the womb, and that’s true, and I do. But to be truly pro-life means to reverence all human life,” he says in the video.


Father Martin then discusses all of the lives that pro-life people should value as well: The “Black man or woman fearing for their lives,” “the refugee or migrant who are desperate to save the lives of their children,” “the LGBT teen who is tempted to take their life because of bullying, harassment or violence.”

The priest also explains that some people who’ve been cast away by society such as the homeless and death row inmates are lives worthy of saving as well.

“All these lives are precious, scared, and holy,” the Father continues. “And all these issues — racism, refugees, homelessness, LGBT issues, the death penalty — are also life and death issues.”

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Researchers have figured out why return trips always seem to go by more quickly

If you’ve been one of the brave folks who took a long road trip or (gasp!) a plane flight this summer, you probably reacquainted yourself with the strange phenomenon known as the return-trip effect.

It’s the feeling that the trip coming home was shorter than the outbound journey, although they actually took the same amount of time.

This feeling is so universal that it was even felt by Alan Bean in 1969 when he went to the moon as the lunar modular pilot on Apollo 12. “Returning from the moon seemed much shorter,” Bean said.


The common reason given for the return-trip effect is that the journey home is less novel because we’ve already seen the remarkable sights on the way to the destination. Niels van de Ven, a psychologist at Tilburg University in the Netherlands believed the recognition of landmarks, “might help to increase the feeling of speed, of how fast you travel.”

So van de Ven and his team set out to test that theory. One experiment they did was conducted on people riding bikes to a fair. He asked each person to ride the same way to the fair and then split up the bikers for the return trip.

The researchers asked one group to take the same route back that they took to the fair, and another to take a different route of the same distance.

If the familiarity explanation for the return-trip effect was correct, then the group that took a different route home would report that it felt like it took the same amount time as the journey to the fair.

But both groups reported that the journey home felt faster. So the researchers settled on a new hypothesis: the feeling of length is related to our expectations.

“Often we see that people are too optimistic when they start to travel,” van de Ven said according to NPR. So when people begin their outbound trip it feels like it takes longer because of the excitement.

On the return home, the optimism is replaced by the pessimism that accompanies taking a long journey. “So you start the return journey, and you think, ‘Wow, this is going to take a long time.'”

“It’s really all about your expectations — what you think coming in,” Michael Roy, a psychologist at Elizabethtown College and a co-author of the study, told NPR.

Psychologist Richard Block believes that it’s all about focus and situation.

“When you have a destination you want to be there on time,” Block said. “But when you go back home (return trip) it does not matter that much. Thus, when you are going there, your attention is more focused on the target and not distracted.” In this case, being distracted makes the trip seem shorter.

In the report, the authors pin the phenomenon down to our personal expectations.

“Instead, the return trip effect is likely due to a violation of expectations,” the report reads. “Participants felt that the initial trip took longer than they had expected. In response, they likely lengthened their expectations for the return trip. In comparison with this longer expected duration, the return trip felt short.”

The study just goes to show how our attitudes can affect our very perception of reality, in this case, time. So the next question the researchers people should tackle is: does time fly when we’re having fun? From this research, it seems the opposite may be true.

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The Best Cheap Whiskey, According To The Masses

Whiskey doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, we’d argue that some of the best whiskey out there is actually very affordable. The best cheap whiskey on the shelf generally hits in the $15 to $30 range and, more often than not, is full of great flavors. This is especially true of the best cheap bourbons since they don’t have to travel overseas to get to your home bar.

So, what makes a good cheap whiskey? That’s simple. Does it taste good to you? Then that’s enough. Look, you spend $100 on a bottle of whiskey. No one’s stopping you from doing that. But, for that same $100 bill, you can buy five, maybe even six bottles of perfectly passable every-day-drinking whiskeys. We’ll let you do the math on that.

To find out what the masses think are the best cheap whiskeys on the shelf today, we went over to Ranker to see what the people had to say. A clear top ten emerged that represents a solid list of whiskeys. Are these the best whiskeys overall? No. Maybe. Kind of. There are certainly some tasty crowd-pleasers on this list and that’s enough.

10. Four Roses

Four Roses

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Four Roses Distillery Lawrenceburg, KY (Kirin Brewing)
Average Price: $20

The Whiskey:

We’re big fans of Four Roses around here. Their standard bourbon is a blend of the distillery’s ten unique mash bills (one high rye, one low rye, and each with five unique yeast strains used). The sip carries the essence of the distillery in the bottle.

Tasting Notes:

We luckily just got to taste this one live. Check it out here. This is a light and fruity bourbon up top. That sweet fruit carries through with hints of classic bourbon vanilla and a touch of oak. Overall, it’s light and accessible in all the best ways.

Bottom Line:

This is a solid cocktail mixer.

9. Jim Beam

Jim Beam

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery, Clermont, KY (Beam Suntory)
Average Price: $18

The Whiskey:

Jim Beam is the classic (and ubiquitous) dram all standard bourbons are measured against. The juice is a classic mix of corn, rye, and malted barley that’s aged for four years before blending, cutting down to proof, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Caramel, corn, vanilla, and fruit lead the way. The bourbon is classic for a reason after all. The sip is touched by an echo of oak as the vanilla and caramel take center stage. There’s a mild spice with a fairground caramel corn sweetness on the short end.

Bottom Line:

Mix it, shoot it, drink it on the rocks.

8. Jack Daniel’s

Jack Daniel

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Lynchburg, TN (Brown-Forman)
Average Price: $25

The Whiskey:

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is another stone-cold classic. Frank Sinatra was buried with the stuff because he loved it so much. Rock stars have been swigging from bottles of Jack since there were rock stars. The Tennessee whiskey has an extra layer of refinement thanks to the Lincoln County Process of sugar maple charcoal filtration, making it a bit more refined than a standard Kentucky bourbon.

Tasting Notes:

Banana and oak greet you. Vanilla arrives next with a hint of dark spice and little tart apple. The banana is ever-present as the oak, spice, and vanilla fades away semi-slowly.

Bottom Line:

This is Jack Daniel’s, no one can tell you how to drink your JD.

7. Crown Royal

Crown Royal

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Crown Royal Distillery, Gimli, MB (Diageo)
Average Price: $28

The Whiskey:

This iconic Canadian whisky is a powerhouse. The juice is a blend of 50 different whiskies with varying grain mash bills, aging times, and even oak it’s aged in. The result is a focused look at what Canadian whisky can be when blended just right.

Tasting Notes:

Maple syrup, oak, and vanilla mingle upfront. The syrup leans into grape pancake syrup territory as mild hints of powdery spices ping throughout the taste. The end is short, full of oak and fruit, and satisfying.

Bottom Line:

This works well as a highball or as a cocktail base.

6. Knob Creek

Knob Creek

ABV: 50%
Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery, Clermont, KY (Beam Suntory)
Average Price: $35

The Whiskey:

Jim Beam spread its wings a bit back in the early 1990s with their Small Batch Collection. This — along with Basil Hayden, Booker’s, and Baker’s — helped reinvigorate the brand. The juice in the bottle is small-batched from barrels that average nine-years in age.

Tasting Notes:

Classic bourbon vanilla is present alongside hints of worn leather, buttermilk biscuit dripping with honey, and a sprinkling of orange zest. The peppery spice is a nice accent for the caramel corn bourbon-y aspect with a bit of tart apple crispness. The oak and spice linger the longest as the sip fades away while warming you up.

Bottom Line:

This is perfectly suited for a highball or over the rocks. But don’t sleep on using it in a Manhattan either.

5. Jameson

Jameson

ABV: 40%
Distillery: New Midleton Distillery, County Cork
Average Price: $30

The Whiskey:

You kind of can’t go wrong with a bottle of Jameson on the shelf. The Irish tipple is a blend of pot still and grain whiskeys that are aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for varying amounts of time. The final result is a workhorse whiskey that works in any application.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a grassiness that leads toward a honey sweetness and apple tartness. Expect a hint of nuttiness next to the grass as citrus notes kick in next to a dusting of cinnamon. The oak, spice, fruit, and grassiness fade away fairly quickly, leaving you wanting another sip.

Bottom Line:

Jameson and ginger with a lime twist is a classic. But, this one also works fine in a highball or on the rocks in a pinch.

4. Wild Turkey

Whisky Exchange

ABV: 40.5%
Distillery: Wild Turkey Distillery, Lawrenceburg, KY (Campari)
Average Price: $20

The Whiskey:

This bourbon is made for the mixing crowd. The mash has a fair amount of rye in there, adding texture and depth. The juice is aged for around six to eight years before blending and being brought down to the unique 81 proof.

Tasting Notes:

Stone fruit, popped corn, and vanilla open this one up. There’s a mix of Christmas spices next to apple pie with a nice, buttery crust. The sharp spices and mild oak carry the sip to a velvety end with more of the sweet corn and fruit lasting until the last moment.

Bottom Line:

Use this in your next old fashioned, Sazerac, or boulevardier.

3. Evan Williams

Evan Williams

ABV: 43%
Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Louisville, KY
Average Price: $15

The Whiskey:

This label has gained massive popularity since it became the go-to rail bourbon at many a bar around the nation. The classic juice is aged between four and seven years before it’s blended, cut to proof, and then bottled.

Tasting Notes:

It’s kind of like walking through a fairground and smelling the kettle corn popping and the caramel apples drying in the sun. The tartness of the apples mingles with the sweetness of the caramel with hints of vanilla, oak, and spice peeking in. The warm end fades quickly with a slight sweetness lingering.

Bottom Line:

It’s the perfect beer back shot or mixer with cola, ginger, or whatever you dig.

2. Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace

ABV: 45%
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac)
Average Price: $30

The Whiskey:

Buffalo Trace is an award-winning bourbon from one of the biggest distilleries in Kentucky right now. This bottle was crafted to be an example of the great work Buffalo Trace does with its premier brands. The low-rye mash bill leans into the softness of the Kentucky limestone water the region is famous for.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a crafted feel to this sip as vanilla and molasses dance up top with a hint of fresh mint. Rich and buttery toffee mingles with hints of mild spice, dark berries, and plenty of oak. The sip’s softness takes hold as the oak, fruit, and spice fade, leaving you with a warming sense of comfort.

Bottom Line:

Use it however you see fit.

1. Maker’s Mark

Maker

ABV: 45%
Distillery: Maker’s Mark Distillery, Loretto, KY (Beam Suntory)
Average Price: $30

The Whiskey:

This is another classic Kentucky bourbon that leans into the world of wheated bourbons. The mash bill chucks the usual rye and replaces it with red winter wheat. The juice is then aged for six to seven years and then blended, cut down to proof, and then bottled before the famous red wax seal is applied.

Tasting Notes:

Crème brûlée cut with pods of vanilla beans rings loudest with a sense of dark spices drawing you in. There’s a crusty bread flourish that counterpoints the rich and velvety vanilla pudding edge. The sip lingers with a mild spice, a bit of oak, and a wisp of fresh mint as it slowly fades away.

Bottom Line:

This is the perfect cocktail base that works on the rocks or in a highball just as well.

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The NBA Confirmed The Two Foul Calls At The End Of Bucks-Heat Were Correct

Wednesday night’s NBA action saw a pair of wild finishes with some controversial officiating mixed in. Game 7 of the Rockets-Thunder series left Chris Paul upset with Scott Foster’s officiating — most notably a delay of game he was assessed — but the first game featured the most debate about calls on the floor that determined the outcome.

The last minute of the Bucks-Heat Game 2 was wild, with questionable calls and no-calls that culminated in Jimmy Butler hitting a game-winning free throw with 0.0 on the clock. The final four possessions saw Butler get trapped in the corner with no foul called for contact, turning and throwing the ball back to his own basket (with his foot hitting out of bounds before he let go of the ball), which led to a Brook Lopez layup to cut the lead to two.

After splitting free throws, the Bucks got the ball to Khris Middleton who got three free throws of his own on a foul called on Goran Dragic, which was a very close call that Doris Burke disagreed vehemently with on the broadcast. Middleton hit all three free throws to tie it, but Butler earned his last two free throws on a similarly questionable foul on Giannis Antetokounmpo who touched him on the side after the ball was released but before Butler landed.

The calls left a bad taste in the mouths of many, including players watching from home or their hotel room, but on Thursday, the league confirmed those two plays were called correctly — and three mistakes were made on the Butler trap play that preceded them.

The gripe, I think, for most was the soft nature of both fouls given the situation, as both were minor contact that sometimes is let go. Still, that the Butler trap play had three errors — a foul, George Hill touching the ball while out of bounds, and then Butler stepping out of bounds — it all should have been negated. If there is good news to all of this, there wasn’t one call that was wrong and another right that effected the outcome, because the only missed calls would’ve led to a likely Heat win anyways.

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What’s On Tonight: Prepare To Get Surreal With Ridley Scott On HBO Max And Charlie Kaufman On Netflix

Raised By Wolves (HBO Max series) — Ridley Scott’s latest sci-fi project comes to streaming land, and it’s a savage, serialized tale that adopts a nonlinear structure. The show takes place on a mysterious virgin planet (where a colony of humans is divided by religious differences) and revolves around androids raising human children. It’s a little bit disturbing, as one would expect from Scott, but builds up an engrossing mythology.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Netflix film) — Technically, this movie doesn’t arrive until 2:00 AM CDT, but there’s gonna be an actual Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich screenwriter) movie on Netflix. As our own Mike Ryan told Kaufman, “It seems fitting in these times that you’ve come to entertain us.” Starring Toni Collette, Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, and David Thewlis, this film explores regret and longing.

Afonso Padilha: Classless (Netflix stand-up special) — The Brazilian comedian digs into his humble childhood with a very personal, yet endearingly funny set.

Holey Moley II: The Sequel (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) — Mini-golf enthusiasts take over an oversized course, and these people (well, other than an Olympic Golfer because there’s a law student, pageant queen, and former NFL player) are no golfing experts.

Mysteries Decoded (CW, 8:00 p.m.) — The “Roswell” episode follows an active cold case involving a 1947 unexplained crash in New Mexico. Is it… a UFO?

Cake (FXX, 10:00 p.m.) — A showcase featuring both live-action and animated comedy programs of varied length that are equal parts thought-provoking, laugh-inducing, artistic, authentic and raw.

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Kirsten Dunst Detailed The Sweet Way She And Jesse Plemons Gradually Fell In Love After Meeting On The Set Of ‘Fargo’

Most people know that adorable Hollywood couple Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons met on the set of Fargo‘s second season, but what they don’t know is how the two fell in love.

In a New York Times profile on Plemons ahead of his lead role in Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Kyle Buchanan talked to Dunst about their relationship. It turns out the co-stars formed a bond over their early careers as child actors, which only strengthened while doing late-night line readings for Fargo. While the profile only lightly touches on the couple, Buchanan shared a follow-up tweet that features Dunst’s full description of falling in love with Plemons, and how the two took it slow to avoid the all-too-common pitfall of fleeting on-set romances.

After praising Plemons’ credentials as a “true blue actor” who isn’t “pompous,” Dunst opened up about how she knew he’d be in her life forever as they continued to stay a touch after Fargo ended production.

“It was one of those connections where you just know,” Dunst said in the screencapped notes from Buchanan. “But we’re also very respectful people and were mindful of the fact that we were working together intensely. After we were done with the show, we’d FaceTime now and then, and I just missed him. I missed being around him. And he did, too. We didn’t get together until the following March, when we’d had the time to realize how much we missed each other and how much we wanted to be in each others’ lives.”

The couple has remained together since 2016 and welcomed a son, Ennis Howard Plemons, in 2018.

You can read the full transcription of Dunst describing falling in love with Plemons below:

(Via Kyle Buchanan on Twitter)

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Gen Z is all right—check out these young activists stepping up to make a difference

2020 has drained everyone, by way of a pandemic, political upheaval, and a shaky economy. Somehow, despite all of this, Gen Z has maintained the energy and focus to create a better state of being in the United States.

Generation Z is made up of everyone born after 1996, and studies show that this generation leans into their civic duty. Whether through inspiration or service projects, here are five youth-run businesses that are striving to make a difference during this unpredictable year.

Trinity Jagdeo

Trinity Jagdeo, We Can’t 2 We Can

Trinity Jagdeo is striving for inclusivity for disabled children. Inspired by her childhood friend’s battle with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, Jagdeo saw the need for representation and was determined to close the gap. Her comic book series We Can’t 2 We Can gives disabled children powers and makes them superheroes.

She also has started a non-profit of the same name, Trinity explains the mission, “We offer many services to the special needs community; hosting inclusive events is one of them. This year, in celebration of our second anniversary, we planned to host a fashion show called, ‘I Love Me and My Disability.’ Unfortunately, due to the current events going on with the world, we have had to postpone our show.” She was still able to fundraise online, and the proceeds have gone to the many families she works with.


Trinity started her charity at 17, and now 19, her business has grown. She is now a public speaker and gives talks about entrepreneurship and goal-setting at high schools and colleges. How does she measure her success? “I will know I’ve made it when I get invited on the Kelly Clarkson show.”

Stand Up, Fight Back

Andreya, Isabelle, Piper, Lee, and Noelani, Stand Up, Fight Back, Tucson

Stand Up, Fight Back (SUFB) is the brainchild of five teens, ranging in age from 15 to 19, who all met at Tucson protests for George Floyd. Since its inception, the teens have held events, calling for justice for victims of police brutality and relocation of police funding into the community, like housing and school initiatives. “We all grew up seeing how unjust this country really is. We had very similar ideas and morals; so we easily adopted a connection. Because of this strong connection, we all agreed to join together and find a way that we could make a difference in this country, big or small.”

“In our city, three people have died in police custody in the last few months. Our goal is to be a part of the change in history, and to do whatever we can to help move this revolution forward. We are trying to make this earth a good place for all of us to live, not just a select few.”

The teens believe that the best way to support their organization is to support their causes. “Black lives matter, as well as immigrants, LGBTQA+, and civil rights. Whether that means working with your local official donating, sharing, protesting, signing petitions. Do whatever you can do to eradicate the injustice in the system.” The group always needs extra supplies for their efforts, and they have attached a Venmo donation link to their social pages.

Carrie and Sophia Fox

Sophia Fox, Adventures in Kindness

The idea for Adventures in Kindness was born one year ago when Sophia (then nine) asked her mother a tough question. “I asked my mom one night why there is so much mean in the world. She didn’t have an answer, so we tried to answer it together. We decided to replace the word mean with kind.” The pair sat down and created a list of age-appropriate activities. That list became the book Adventures in Kindness.

Carrie explains, “The book is written primarily for children between the ages of seven and 12, and it is designed to be a practical resource for them and their families, where they could open the book and literally have everything they need at their fingers to go create positive change.”

The book, as well as the website, have become a platform for kind kids. For members of the Kind Kids Club, there are rewards for completing a certain number of activities. Their slogan is “Kind is cool, so wear it proud.”

The book is available on Amazon and their website, and if purchased through the site, at least 10% of the profit will go to one of the charities featured in the book. For July, the donations went to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Carrie says they were chosen “because of their work with a platform called Teaching Tolerance. In the book, we talk about the importance of empathy and learning about cultures different from your own.” To purchase books, kits, or apparel, visit their website.

Ventura Website Builders

Deive Mece, Evan Robert, Yash Rondla, Ventura Website Builders

Three 17-year-olds saw their community hurting in the wake of COVID19, and they felt compelled to take action. Evan explained, “We noticed that a lot of small businesses in our area—many run by older folks—were struggling. Nobody was visiting their businesses, and we realized that they had no online presence at all.” The three noticed that without customers able to walk through stores, and they started what they called a “community service project” to help their local businesses stay afloat.

With the downtime they had while sheltering in place, the teens taught themselves how to build websites. According to Deive, “We’re all interested in computers and coding. So we all pretty much learned how to build the websites over the past couple of months. We just looked up like tutorials and YouTube videos, and figured it out like that.”

The boys are excited to continue helping businesses in need, and since they all want to major in business in college, Evan says that they are loving the early lesson in entrepreneurship. “Deive is interested in maybe minoring in software engineering, so we are all getting valuable experience.” The three would like to expand their business outside of their Simi Valley area. If you know a business that has been impacted by COVID and can’t afford web design, visit their website to request a consultation.

Aniyah Ayres

Aniyah Ayres, Aniyah’s Mission

Since Aniyah was six, she’s had the desire to give back. That is why she founded Aniyah’s Mission. Her organization has been tending to the needy in West Philadelphia by feeding the homeless, as well as back to school supply drives and scholarship giveaways. At six, she started with a water ice stand, and now, at fourteen, she is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, community activist, motivational speaker, and author.

COVID-19 changed the dynamics of Aniyah’s mission, but with her mother’s help, she’s still able to make a difference. “My mom went to the store for families and took their groceries to their houses, and we started supplying lunches for hospital workers.”

Aniyah, who is now 14 and starting high school, hopes that her next steps are writing a second book. She wrote her first, which teaches children how to grieve after a loss, inspired by losing her own father really young. “There weren’t any resources to help me cope with my anger or grief. So I wrote a book, hoping to help others process their grief. I definitely see myself and another book, and having more of a global impact.”

Aniyah recognizes the advantages she has had with starting a nonprofit, but she wants to encourage others who may not have as many resources to still give back. She offers this advice: “You have to make sure it’s something you really want to do, because it can get tiring. Then make sure you have the mindset to get started. Start out small, you can hand out bags of food in your neighborhood, or you can take part in a community cleanup day. From there, gather more people. Learn how to fundraise, and make sure you have a strong supporting family and friends behind you.”

2020 has taught us many tough lessons, but one worth carrying into 2021 and beyond is that you’re never too young to make a difference.

Tonya Russell is a freelance journalist who is passionate about mental health, wellness, and culture. To see more of her work or cute dog photos, follow her on Twitter or Instagram.