Predicting how the NBA will move forward if and when it restarts following its COVID-19 pandemic is awfully hard, if only because so many options appear to be on the table. One that has been speculated is for teams to come back — likely in some sort of bubble league — get to 70 games, and then jump right into the playoffs.

It’s something that makes sense financially, but logistically, it would be strange for teams that have no shot at making the postseason to go to Orlando, go through a weeks-long camp, play four or five games as a formality, and then go home. One player who would find themselves in a situation where this could be a waste of time is Damian Lillard, as the Portland Trail Blazers are 3.5 games behind the 8-seed in the Western Conference and have played 66 games on the year.

As such, Lillard explained to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that he would show up, but unless there’s a clear pathway to make it to the postseason, he would not play.

“If we come back and they’re just like, ‘We’re adding a few games to finish the regular season,’ and they’re throwing us out there for meaningless games and we don’t have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I’m going to be with my team because I’m a part of the team,” Lillard said. “But I’m not going to be participating. I’m telling you that right now. And you can put that [expletive] in there.”

Lillard was on a call earlier this month with a collection of superstars, which wanted to present a “united front” in support of returning to play. Having said that, while Lillard would not want to take the floor under normal circumstances, he did lay out a plan that he believes is “perfect.”

“If we come back and I don’t have an opportunity to make the playoffs, I will show up to work, I’ll be at practice and I’ll be with my team. I’m going to do all that [expletive] and then I’m going to be sitting right on that bench during the games,” Lillard said. “If they come back and say it’s something like a tournament, play-in style, between the No. 7 and No. 12 seeds, if we’re playing for playoff spots, then I think that’s perfect.”

Of course, a skeptic wonders whether Lillard would advocate for this plan if Portland was securely in the playoffs, but given the circumstances, going with a more creative solution that gets more teams into some version of a postseason does make sense. The Blazers are something of a unique situation — they’ve been banged up for much of this season, and once games start back up, they’ll be mostly healthy (save, presumably, for Zach Collins) and will have Jusuf Nurkic ready to make his 2019-20 debut. They’re a team no one would want to play if they could make the postseason, and if Lillard has his way, they’d make it in.

You may think you’ve seen HBO Max‘s Love Life already in countless permutations, and you might even believe that you’ve seen a few of these variants (Girls, Sex and the City, Insecure) on HBO. That assumption might even persist for a few episodes, but as the Anna Kendrick-led, romantic-dramedy series continues to unfold, Love Life evolves into a complex affair. Yes, we’re watching another young New Yorker looking for love in almost every wrong place. This protagonist, Darby, is also one of those 20-something New Yorkers who happens to live a life that resembles a lot of romcom heroines (good job, nice apartment). She pushes through disastrous relationships with all the wrong men while supportive presences float in and out of the frame. The set-up certainly feels familiar, but somehow, the show still feels novel in many ways.

Feeling fresh is a tricky balance to achieve. Yet there’s a hell of a lot of talent involved, both in-front-of-and-behind the camera, with Love Life. It also happens to be an interesting choice for HBO Max to slide into their first wave of original offerings that are timed to the streaming service’s launch. Will original shows weigh into people’s choice to pay for HBO Max (if they’re not rolled in through existing subscriptions)? That’s tough to say because the 10,000+-titled library will also get people in the door. Yet follow-up moves will grow more competitive for the Netflix and Disney+ rival, including the decision to release the nerd-divisive “Snyder Cut” of Justice League. And first impressions matter a lot, so Love Life has a large burden to shoulder, much like Darby, who the show follows for a decade, almost like a case study. (See, the title makes sense in that context.)

“Case study” sounds sociological, but it fits here and is treated almost tongue-in-cheek from the start with very British narration from Lesley Manville. This feature is also the one of the stranger aspects of the show. I don’t know if this ended up being an Inglourious Basterds-type of deal where Samuel L. Jackson actually narrated much of the film, but then his part got cut back (for runtime’s sake) to a few interludes. That may have happened here to crop things down to “comedy” length. All I can conclude there is that the narration is inconsistent and maybe the most pretentious and “off” aspect of this show. Somehow not pretentious, though? Scoot McNairy with a martini.

Scoot portrays Bradley, who I cannot reveal too much about, other than to say that he’s a slightly older man to Darby and a successful entrepreneur. As an artist, McNairy must have enjoyed lighthearted subject matter after the heavy stuff he’s done lately (True Detective, Narcos: Mexico), but Love Life is very much the type of show that you’d expect from Kendrick playing a protagonist. I don’t even say that because she’s done a lot of romcom-ing. Rather, she’s both an Oscar and Tony-nominated actress, and her presence here — sweet but also with an acerbic edge — along with the scripts, elevate this project from simply being “somewhat damaged Caucasian woman seeks love.” Kendrick’s presence acts as an anchor while the show’s players swirl around Darby, each of them (often inadvertently) helping her navigate difficult transformations in life. Kendrick weathers the bumpy ride in a way that feels, well, natural. And relatable.

Again, the writing is sharp, with several scripts from co-showrunners Sam Boyd (In A Relationship) and Bridget Bedard (Ramy). Each half-hour episode covers an astounding amount of ground as Darby fixates upon a different formative relationship — during which she experiences varying degrees of love — within her life. It’s escapism, sure, but there’s a lot of truth here. There are moments within Love Life that feel too close-to-home, when we get the classic feeling of “if Anna Kendrick can’t find happiness, what hope is there for the rest of us?” Fortunately, those are fleeting flashes. And since this season follows an anthology-inside-an-anthology structure, each episode takes the name of a particular love interest, family, or friend in Darby’s life. Several of these relationships last quite awhile, but some men float right in and out of there.

As the season progresses, we learn more about Darby’s background and why she is how she is, and how she must choose what kind of person to be. Given what we find out about her history, this is far easier said than done, and no shortcuts exist. Settling down with a romantic interest for the sake of settling down is a mistake that a lot of people make and never move past. Yet within Darby’s journey, we see honest-to-god growth, as mistakes are made, sometimes repeatedly, and lessons are learned.

The cast is appealing, especially when it comes to Zoë Chao, as Darby’s best friend, Sara. She’s a trainwreck, but a lovable one, and she fiercely supports Darby (and vice versa) in a manner that’s far beyond the stereotypical BFF in these type of stories. Beyond that, we see an array of love interests slide in and out of (and back into) Darby’s life: Jin Ha is Augie, an intellectual with wanderlust; John Gallagher appears as a high-school crush who’s all grown up; and Nick Thune, well, he plays the probably-too-good-to-be-true guy. All contribute significantly to Darby’s ultimate development. Still, this is overall lighthearted fare, so the series does gently bat around romcom tropes, while outcomes are grounded in reality, striking a nice balance. Other than the odd narration, Love Life is very watchable and a fine start for HBO Max Originals.

The first three episodes of ‘Love Life’ premiere on May 27 with the launch of HBO Max.

Although up-and-coming Memphis rapper NLE Choppa is only 17 years old, he’s seen plenty in his young life to relate to the concept behind Lil Baby’s “Emotionally Scarred.” Hijacking the beat from the Atlanta rapper’s My Turn standout, Choppa delivers “Different Day,” his own take on the trauma of growing up through the turmoil and tumult he’s experienced.

“See, these slugs in my mouth when I smile, but I feel empty,” he raps. “And for the love, for my child I ain’t blow the brain out my fitted.” The accompanying video has Choppa sitting alone in a hotel room and in a parked car, flashing money and showing off his sneakers. He displays his signature energy throughout his performance, holding back from the all-out dancing he’s been known to show off, but still bounces hard to the thumping, purloined beat.

Choppa’s been enjoying a successful 2020 despite current events, as his Roddy Ricch collaboration “Walk Em Down” tears up TikTok and his verse on Polo G’s “Go Stupid” contributes to one of the year’s best-received albums so far. While he has yet to release a full-length project himself, he’s earned his place among the emerging class of future stars.

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

Ten days ago, we reported that Drew Gulak’s contract with WWE had expired, and he hadn’t signed a new one. A lot of people (myself included) thought he might make his AEW debut in the Ladder Match at Double or Nothing (a spot that turned out to belong to Brian Cage). But those who were paying attention may also have noticed that unlike most noteworthy ex-WWE Superstars, he didn’t promote his ProWrestlingTees store, didn’t give an interview, and didn’t even tweet about it. In retrospect, it seems clear that negotiations were ongoing the entire time.

Now Fightful tells us that Gulak was part of yesterday’s Smackdown taping, and will appear on Friday’s show. He’s also been moved from the Alumni section of WWE.com back to the Smackdown roster.

PWInsider reports that this is because he has signed a new WWE contract, and will remain part of the Smackdown brand going forward. This might be bad news for anyone who was hoping to see the Gentlemen’s Club reunited, but it’s great for those who were enjoying his work with Daniel Bryan (a category that definitely includes Bryan himself).

The talk has been that the snag in Drew’s contract negotiations was that he asked for more money, so hopefully the fact that WWE lured him back means that he’s finally traded in those 205Live paychecks for a proper Smackdown salary.

With the success of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign, fans of Suicide Squad are hoping to now #ReleaseTheAyerCut. (Are you tired? I’m tired.)

Director David Ayer has long said that the version of the Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Jared Leto-starring comic book movie that hit theaters in 2016 was a victim of reshoots. “Diablo survived originally, Harley and Deadshot hooked up as a couple. This was changed during reshoots,” he recently tweeted, while on Instagram, he cryptically wrote, “A director holds an invisible compass in their hands. It guides every shot, every performance. That compass points to the destination. If the destination changes did the journey even happen?” It’s a real “does the Pope sh*t in the woods” conundrum.

Anyway, on Monday, Collider editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub tagged Ayer and HBO Max, which is releasing the four-hour-long Justice League cut, on Twitter, suggesting that “a lot of DC fans would love to see an alt version of [Suicide Squad] and it would help sell app.” Ayer replied, “This is a good question. My cut would be easy to complete. It would be incredibly cathartic for me. It’s exhausting getting your ass kicked for a film that got the Edward Scissorhands treatment. The film I made has never been seen.”

It’s fun to dunk on Suicide Squad, but to be honest, I hope the Ayer cut (should it actually come out) is an improvement. For one thing, it’s a movie with Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Viola Davis — of course I want it to be good. Also, it could mean Jared Leto goes on another “twisted” publicity tour? Maybe leave the dead rats behind this time, though.

(Via ScreenCrush)

Some of Whitney’s members found themselves in a scary situation recently, as they were robbed at gunpoint last month. Everybody emerged from the incident unscathed, fortunately, and now they’re back to putting out new music. Today, the group has shared a pair of new covers, of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and of SWV’s “Rain.”

The Denver cover also features Waxahatchee, and she and the band turned the song into a duet, preserving the serene energy of the original song but Whitney-ifying it a little. The band’s Max Kakacek said of working with Waxahatchee, “We knew that Katie was destined to sing this with us. We both heard her live and she has this classic country vibe. Once we heard her voice on it, it was pretty much magical. Her contribution is perfect.”

Julian Ehrilch also noted of SWV, “My relationship with SWV goes back to my UMO days, when I was 19 in the van and listening to ‘Right Here.’ I’ve been obsessed with them since I was a teenager. The song interpolates Jaco Pastorious’ ‘Portrait Of Tracy,’ which is one of my favorite basslines ever.”

Listen to Whitney’s covers of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Rain” above.

And here’s why Swifties are freaking out.

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Too much of a good thing feels just fine when the rest of the world is as bleak as it’s been lately. So, when Carly Rae Jepsen announced to the quarantined masses last Friday morning that a surprise collection of more pop bops was on the way from their fav, it immediately registered as fantastic news. Following up on the same timeline she used for her last album cycle, Jepsen dropped the B-sides collection to the 2019 record, Dedicated, on the one-year anniversary of the original album’s release date.

“So yes there have been whispers and I’m bad at keeping secrets,” Jepsen wrote in an Instagram post last Friday morning. “Side B for Dedicated is out now babies and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share these tunes. I hope it makes yah dance your pants off! Thank you for all the joy you shared with me on this last year of touring. I owe ya one.. or like two albums turns out. For the record, I love all of you.”

Perhaps this release wouldn’t feel as rote if she hadn’t followed this exact same formula for the one-year anniversary of Emotion, and unlike that cult-classic record, Dedicated didn’t quite have a career-altering, critical-darling impact. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of sparkling, left-field jams on both B-sides that will have fans just as excited as her once-massive hit “Call Me Maybe.” And the pop star release schedule has been strained in 2020 due to the impact of a global pandemic, and with Lady Gaga and the Dixie Chicks both pushing big releases, there was a Carly-shaped-hole in the listening calendar — Dedicated B-sides slots there just fine.

Without huge stadium tours from the likes of Lana Del Rey — who may or may not have lost a bulk of ticket-holders due to her repeated rants over the last week — or Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, there’s even more attention to go around to new pop albums. And these deeper cuts from Carly are also a welcome balance to huge new singles like “Rain On Me” or the lingering impact of hip-hop focused hits like Doja Cat’s “Say So,” Megan The Stallion’s “Savage” remix with Beyonce, or Roddy Ricch’s “The Box.”

There is nothing there that will vie with any of those songs for a spot in the top 20, and even less that leans into the hip-hop sound that has become all but synonymous with radio dominance. But for those who are into the optimistic synth-pop sound that Jepsen has leaned into on her last two albums (or make that four releases, counting both B-side compilations), here’s another twelve songs that flit between wide-eyed innocent love, occasional fits of regret, and the kind of nights that make the constant vacillating between those two extremes feel completely worth it.

Returning to tried and true producers and co-writers like Ariel Rechtshaid, Jack Antonoff, and Dev Hynes, along with plenty of others in keeping with her proclivity toward an always eclectic sound, Dedicated B-sides has some moments that are even stronger than the namesake that preceded it. “Stay Away” is the addictive, glitchy sendup of the honeymoon stage with a new lover that’s great for a dance party anywhere, even alone in your bedroom, and “Fake Mona Lisa” contains the kind of strangely specific details that Jepsen fans quickly turn into wry inside jokes and memes, while the production is funkier and weirder than she usually gets, almost like a younger sister of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories era.

Then, there’s the knockout — every Jepsen album has one — “Comeback” showcases the feathery register of her voice that resonates so much more than when she belts. Joined on vocals occasionally by Antonoff, and with the only credited guest on the record, Antonoff’s project Bleachers, “Comeback” is the kind of uplifting epic that transcends romantic pain and gets into self-actualization. This song heads straight into Phil Collins territory and doesn’t look back, looping vocal tracks and synths into a glistening web of nonsensical lyrics that are nevertheless inspiring — “I am the keeper of that beat” will make sense to every music lover, regardless of context.

Some critics argue there is a certain generality to Jepsen pop songs, and she’s been faulted for that before, but within the broad strokes she paints — and occasional idiosyncratic, wildly specific motif — listeners can fill their own colors in between the lines. It’s why the last four albums have resonated so deeply with her core fanbase, even if the charts and the mainstream at large have never connected as strongly with her as they have with other pop stars. For those who see and hear themselves in a Carly Rae Jepsen song, even the most nonsensical phrase has the sheen of unassailable wisdom. These dedicated ones, we are the keeper of that beat.

Dedicated is out now via Schoolboy/Interscope Records. Get it here.

As one of hip-hop’s hottest rising stars, YBN Cordae can already boast of having a handful of hit records, a Grammy Award nomination, and a successful tour under hit belt. Soon, he may be adding the co-sign of a rap icon to that list of accomplishments — as well as a verse from said icon.

During the latest episode of Lil Wayne’s Young Money Radio podcast, the host sprinkled his interview with Cordae with high praise for the younger rapper. “He’s one of the newer artists that I f*ck with, for real, for real,” he said. “He be spittin’.”

That praise went both ways. “You already know how legendary you are,” Cordae told Wayne. “I just can’t start this sh*t without telling you how much your music means to me as a human being and how much that sh*t inspired me.” After the show of mutual appreciation, Wayne asked about Cordae’s new album, which Cordae revealed is still in very early stages. “I’m like 50 songs in,” he said. “I’m just trying to cut it down.”

Wayne then offered the highest praise a rap legend like himself could give a successor. “All you gotta do is text me the song, I’ll murder it and send you the finger so you know it’s dead,” he joked. “Say no more,” Cordae replied. That album can’t come soon enough.

Watch YBN Cordae’s interview with Lil Wayne on Young Money Radio above.

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

A week ago, Phoebe Bridgers shared a new song, “I See You.” In addition to releasing the new track, she also revealed that she would be embarking on a “world tour,” with a heavy emphasis on the quotation marks. Instead of traveling the world and performing to large audiences during a time when it isn’t really safe to do either of those things, the “venues” for her tour will instead be various locations around her home. The tour kicks off tonight, and ahead of that, Bridgers shared a hilarious teaser video for it.

The video combines clips of massive arena crowds with footage of Bridgers performing on stage, and a dramatically deep voice goes over the details of Bridgers’ upcoming performance. The narrator says, “Performing in her kitchen, bathroom, bed, and, by overwhelming, a second performance in her bed. Don’t miss your chance.”

Those are the real venues for Bridgers’ upcoming livestreams. Tonight, she’s performing from her kitchen. Her next live date will be a May 28 bathroom show, and this brief run of performances will wrap up with two performances from her bed, on June 4 and 6.

Watch the teaser video above, and check out the equally dramatic tour poster below.