Uproxx/Getty

The weeks following the MLB All-Star break are a time to get serious, but Xander Bogaerts says the Boston Red Sox got the jump on a lot of teams in Major League Baseball. The defending World Series champions have had an uneven 2019, with questionable bullpen outings and an explosive offense meeting to put a team loaded with talent squarely in the Wild Card hunt at the midway point of the year.

But Bogaerts says a disastrous and highly-publicized road trip may be the key to turning things around.

“I think our All-Star week started a couple weeks back when we went to London,” Bogaerts told Uproxx by phone after the real All-Star Game. “We got beat up by the Yankees and fell a bit behind.”

The trip to London was a bit of a disaster for Boston, flying all the way to England to give up 29 runs over two losses to a team they’re chasing in the American League East. For Major League Baseball, the trip was a huge success: the stadium was packed, fans were loud, and the offensive explosion looked great. But for the Red Sox, it was an opportunity to take a beating and reset for the second half.

“We had two important series before the All-Star break where we needed to win a lot of games and we actually pulled that off,” Bogaerts said, pointing out that the Sox took two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays and swept the Chicago White Sox. “I think at that time we noticed that we needed to pick it up big time because sometimes we’d win a game and then lose another one. But we have to go on runs now.”

The little things have seemed hard for the Red Sox this year, a far cry from a 2018 campaign that had the magic of a championship early on. But there’s time to turn it around, and Bogaerts has done all he’s can to keep a 51-44 team afloat in the playoff hunt. Bogaerts leads the Sox in HR (21), RBI (74), and OPS (.974). He was a late addition to the All-Star team, but it’s clear he’s been the best player on a Red Sox team that’s more worried about its bullpen than offense.

“We need to play like that against teams that have a winning record,” Bogaerts said. “It’s kind of on us to play like that against the best teams in the leagues.”

It didn’t go exactly how Bogaerts hoped against the Dodgers in Boston’s first series back from the break. He homered in each game of the series, but Boston could only manage to win the first game of three against the best team in baseball. The series included a Saturday night bullpen blowup and Sunday night’s 12-inning game in which the Red Sox had the winning run in scoring position with less than two outs in three straight innings but failed to win.

The Red Sox got two long breaks at the midway point of the season, which is rare in Major League Baseball. To that end, Bogaerts spoke by phone the day after the All-Star Game as part of a promotion he’s doing with the tourism board in Aruba, saying one thing that always surprises people about his home country is that it’s far more than just a few nice beaches.

“When you’re on an island like that you might think ‘Ah, there’s the beach and then there’s pretty much it,’” He said. ” But there’s the beach, there’s catamarans, there’s tubing. Wind surfing, parasailing. There’s so many activities you can do.”

For the Red Sox, though, there won’t be any more time for fun activities, and if they have a good second half their off-season will be delayed by a chance to repeat as World Series champions. Series against Toronto and the Baltimore Orioles are a good place to pile up the wins, but Bogaerts pointed to the 14 straight games against the Tampa Bay Rays and Yankees — both ahead of Boston in the AL East — in late July and early August that could make or break the season.

“Those are probably going to be the biggest series of the season,” Bogaerts said.

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On Wednesday, the Celtics introduced their two biggest free agent signings at a press conference in Boston, with Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter on hand to take questions from the media about joining the franchise.

Walker is Boston’s replacement for Kyrie Irving, who left for Brooklyn this summer, and some would argue will actually be a better fit for this Celtics roster. However, while Walker is taking Irving’s spot, it’s Kanter who will be taking Kyrie’s number. The big man was asked on Wednesday why he chose the No. 11, and he explained that it was his old number and then couldn’t help but troll Kyrie.

Kanter saying he wants to be the reason no one else will wear 11 is in reference to Irving’s Nike commercial from last year in which he said the same thing.

It’s not surprising Kanter would come to the presser with that joke locked and loaded, as he loves to poke fun at other players, usually on social media. You can see the glee in his face as he realized he would get to say it, smiling the entire time before bursting into laughter after he got it out. Kanter’s going to enjoy the spotlight that comes with playing in Boston, and Celtics fans will enjoy his antics so long as his production on the court is helping the Celtics to win games.

As for Kemba, he too is taking a familiar number in Boston as he’ll play in Antoine Walker’s old No. 8 jersey, but he says he got Antoine’s “blessing” to do so.

The 1975 // Philip Cosores

It turns out, Madrid is hot in July. Not the kind of hot where staying hydrated and wearing light clothing can keep things in check. It’s the kind of hot that feels oppressive, with temperatures reaching triple digits and causing attendees of its Mad Cool Festival to seek shade wherever possible.

Obviously, Mad Cool isn’t the only festival in the world to bask in the sun’s unforgiving rays. Chicago’s Lollapalooza can feel relentless with its intense humidity, while New York’s Governors Ball can be sweltering when it isn’t being evacuated for thunderstorms. But the heat in Spain was reminiscent of another iconic festival: Coachella in Southern California.

Philip Cosores

It wasn’t just the dryness of the heat that felt familiar. It was also how the evening brought in a much-needed breeze, with the festival’s late start time and even later sunsets resulting in moments of sheer relief when the temps finally dipped in time for the headliners. Scanning around the grounds of the relatively young event (it’s in its fourth year), even the sights looked familiar, as the grounds were surrounded by palm trees that were illuminated with colorful lights after sundown.

But that’s pretty much where the similarities between Coachella and Mad Cool ended. Sure, both shared some acts this year: The 1975, Kaytranada, Jon Hopkins, and Rosalia. But the experience in seeing these artists in the California desert was entirely different than in one of the most spectacular old cities in the world. Rosalia for her part was playing to a home crowd, with the Spanish pop sensation able to ignite the audience to interact with her call-and-response requests, and in her native tongue no less. While The 1975, a band that is nearly to the point where it could headline major American festivals, was here relegated to counterprogramming against The Cure, seeing only a fraction of the audience size that was essentially all the youngest attendees. In America, where teens and twenty-somethings make up the vast majority of music festivals’ demographics, The Cure can hardly be booked at most events, and The 1975 are virtual gods. Matty Healy paid his respect to his heroes on the other side of the park, but his fans didn’t fear at all that they were missing out.

The 1975 // Philip Cosores

It’s not hard to discern that Mad Cool is made for a different kind of music fan than Coachella or most major US events. There’s the rock-centric lineup, which also featured American festival mainstays like Bon Iver, The National, and Vampire Weekend side-by-side with artists that most non-genre US music festivals would be hardpressed to find a placement for in 2019, like The Smashing Pumpkins, Bring Me The Horizon, Prophets Of Rage, Iggy Pop, and Noel Gallagher. If there was any doubt whether that skewed the audience, Ms. Lauryn Hill’s trusty DJ took an informal poll before playing a 30-minute warm-up set of mostly throwback jams, revealing the crowd to be filled with as many 30+ fans as those in their teens and twenties. This meant weird festival anomalies where Iggy Pop’s audience dwarfed The 1975 and Vince Staples’ at the same stage, but also meant that headlining sets from Bon Iver and The National featured as much sitting on the grounds’ vast astroturf as it did rabid fans vying to get close.

This ultimately represents what is great about music festivals in 2019. We’re at the point where we can see fests directly influencing each other, much like the artists that populate the bill. As much as The 1975 might owe a nod to The Cure, Coachella’s iconic palms surely influenced the Mad Cool aesthetic and it would be hard to imagine the festival existing in such a manner without its fellow Spanish festival Primavera Sound. Both incorporate the Spanish lifestyle of starting late and ending very late, meaning that the sky can begin lighting up before your head hits the pillow. But even with other festivals as a part of Mad Cool’s DNA, the rock-first booking with assorted dance, pop, and even a little hip-hop felt like its own distinct worldview. For music fans that can often feel forgotten by the festival circuit, Mad Cool was a breath of fresh air.

And within the festival’s programming, there were moments of revelation for many of the artists present. One of the headliners, Bon Iver, celebrated the beginning of a new chapter by announcing the project’s fourth career album, i,i, on the day that Justin Vernon and Co. were scheduled to perform. They didn’t debut any new music, but recently released cuts “Hey, Ma” and “Heavenly Father” glistened next to material from his previous great record, 22, A Million. Even more interesting, though, was how Bon Iver has come to incorporate their older stuff, music that had disappeared from festival setlists when his third album was still fresh. “Skinny Love” provided one of the biggest singalongs of the weekend, while “Blood Bank,” “Holocene,” and “For Emma” all offered reasoning for the band’s iconic status in contemporary indie.

The National // Philip Cosores

In contrast, The National were not looking to paint with a broad brush in support on their latest fantastic album, I Am Easy To Find. Older songs were few and far between until the end of the set, and even those were the usual suspects: “Fake Empire,” “Terrible Love,” and “Mr. November.” Instead, the band’s new setup, which included backing (and at times lead) vocalists Gail Ann Dorsey, Mina Tindle, and Lisa Hannigan, put the moody, dramatic new material under the microscope for an audience that might not have been game for such a nuanced experience. It didn’t matter, though, as The National’s emotionally forthcoming songwriting is enough to win over most willing to give it their full attention, and offered up one of the most memorable performances of the weekend. Surely a career-spanning set will be showcased at some point in the future.

Vince Staples // Philip Cosores

And whether it was Vince Staples getting back to his roots of winning over young music lovers who might not be versed in his output, or The Cure presenting the argument for why they’ve become the object of deep obsession, Mad Cool Festival was ultimately a playground ripe for both discovery and reacquaintance. There might not have been a more impressive performer than Robyn who could satisfy both categories, bringing late-night attendees into her dancefloor sadness with a set the built tension like an ascending rollercoaster, only to see her dance her ass off and inspire everyone watching to do the same.

Robyn // Philip Cosores

If there was anything lacking, it was in the realm of diversity, which the festival seems to be slowly addressing. Artists like Sharon Van Etten (crushing her new material while making some wish she’d pay a little more notice to her older stuff) and Tash Sultana (easily the most impressive live performer I discovered over the weekend) provided some feminine energy on the festival’s biggest stage, but there was very little of such once the day turned to night. And aside from Hill, Staples, and Prophets Of Rage, there could have been more representation from the world of hip-hop. Still, the effort for improvement showed, especially when considering what the lineup looked like in years past. There is surely a way to take an attitude like Primavera Sound’s 50/50 representation initiative without losing the identity that makes Mad Cool so special. Regardless, at only four years old, the event is a rising star in the festival world, and locals and travelers alike should pay close attention as it evolves and grows.

Uproxx was hosted for this event by Mad Cool. However, Mad Cool did not review or approve this story. You can learn more about the Uproxx Press Trip policy here. Check out a few more exclusive images from the event below.

Sharon Van Etten // Philip Cosores

The Smashing Pumpkins // Philip Cosores

Marina // Philip Cosores

Robyn // Philip Cosores

Robyn // Philip Cosores

The 1975 // Philip Cosores

Jorja Smith // Philip Cosores

Prophets Of Rage // Philip Cosores

Prophets Of Rage // Philip Cosores

Philip Cosores

Tash Sultana // Philip Cosores

Rosalia // Philip Cosores

Rosalia // Philip Cosores

Lykke Li // Philip Cosores

Noel Gallagher // Philip Cosores

Vampire Weekend // Philip Cosores

Vampire Weekend // Philip Cosores

La Dispute // Philip Cosores

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

WWE

Previously on the Best and Worst of WWE Smackdown Live: Kevin Owens cut a fantastic worked shoot promo, Cesaro challenged Kevin Owens, and everything was building to Extreme Rules.

I’m filling in for Brandon this week, since he’s catching up after an illness, so keep in mind my views don’t always align with his. Despite what some commenters have suggested, With Spandex is not actually a hive mind.

Things to do: Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. You can also follow Brandon on Twitter, and also me if you want. BUY THE SHIRT.

One more thing: Hit those share buttons! Spread the word about the column on Facebook, Twitter and whatever else you use. Be sure to leave us a comment in our comment section below as well. I know we always ask this, and that this part is copy and pasted in every week, but we appreciate it every week.

Anyway, here’s the Best and Worst of WWE Smackdown Live for July 16, 2019.

Worst: It’s Okay To Hate Your Job

I was conflicted about whether to give this segment a Best or a Worst, but I know it was one or the other (no middle ground, here). I kind of wanted to go with Best, because the “Smackdown Town Hall” that Shane McMahon hosted to get “respectful” feedback from his employees accomplished some good fun stuff. It gave Roman Reigns a chance to seem like a Babyface and a Locker Room Leader, calling out Shane simply and concisely without any of the “tater tot” nonsense they used to make him do. It reintroduced Charlotte Flair, being the exact same insincere asshole she was when she left a month and a half ago. It also reintroduced Liv Morgan, who’s been gone even longer, and she cut what’s easily the best promo of her WWE career. It featured what I think is the non-205 Live Main Roster WWE debut of Buddy Murphy, although he might have had a forgotten match at some point that I’m just forgetting about. It reminded us that Apollo Crews is here, and also gave Zelina Vega and Andrade a chance to be mean to him, and damn are those two good at being mean.

WWE

Unfortunately this was also yet another lengthy show-opening talk segment that revolved around Shane McMahon. I know we’re supposed to hate Shane, but every time he talks or wrestles I want to turn off my television, and I’m pretty sure that can’t possibly be WWE’s goal. There are things Shane is good at, like dad-dancing and stepping off the edge of tall things after crossing himself. Being the top heel across WWE is not something Shane is good at. I know Brandon has talked at great length about the Shane McMahon problem, so I’m not going to repeat all that here. They seem to be stepping the narrative that Shane is being ridiculous and power-mad and the roster’s ready to revolt, so hopefully this ends soon, but I’m already well out of patience.

Best: This Is How It Feels To Be Free

The best thing about Shane’s Town Hall is that it was a set-up for Kevin Owens, hero of the worker, to appear behind Shane and Stun him outta nowhere. At the very beginning of the show, we saw Shane and his security guys keeping Kevin out of the building and the Town Hall, so obviously we all knew he was coming back, but it was still great to see his bearded visage appear behind the puffy, sweaty face of the Best in the World.

WWE

If this is going to be a story about Shane McMahon being put in his place, and especially if it leads to him leaving TV at least for a while, I’m really glad they chose Kevin to be the hero who takes him down. I would have expected that to be Roman’s job, but he wouldn’t have been nearly as good at it. Whether he’s a face or a heel, Kevin Owens makes sense and seems like a real guy. The prizefighter who wrestles to take care of his family. The loving dad who takes his kids to the zoo every chance he gets. The friendless jerk who doesn’t trust anyone in wrestling, because he’s watched enough wrestling to know they’ll turn on you if you don’t turn on them first. All of that sets him up to be the working class hero who stands up to the latest iteration of Evil Boss, and even attacks him with a move popularized by wrestling’s all-time greatest working class hero. It’s just a shame Shane’s not better at selling that Stunner.

It’s just too bad that being that hero requires KO to have multiple matches with Dolph Ziggler, another guy I’d be more than happy to not see on TV anymore. I know some people like Dolph Ziggler, but I’ve found when you ask those people to talk about why they like him, they tend to talk about stuff that happened five years ago or more. In the present, Dolph is an inconsistent character, a real-life jerk, a guy whose promos mostly sound like whining, and a contender for the worst hair and most boring gear in wrestling. Fortunately this match ended with KO Stunning Ziggler, Stunning Shane, and running out of the arena while the bossman shook his fist. That’s what we like to see!

Best: I See The Girls Are Out

Three women’s matches on show? Wow, this almost feels like the time before WrestleMania 35, when it seemed like the Women’s Revolution hadn’t been completely abandoned. The first match was between Charlotte Flair and Liv Morgan, building off of their exchange during the Town Hall. Obviously Charlotte was going to win with the Figure 8, there was never any doubt of that. What was cool was seeing Liv get some offense in, and not look like a total jobber. I never cared much about Liv Morgan in NXT, but she really found herself as a member of the Riott Squad, and now that she’s on her own I’d love to see her get a push.

Of course, we have no idea who she’s going to be the next time we see her, because after losing the match she grabbed Corey’s headset and declared “Charlotte was right. When I come back, I’m going to be real!” I hope that doesn’t mean she’s going to lose the pink hair and the blue tongue, because I for one fully believe that those are a part of the real her. I’m curious to see what comes next, though.

The set up to the next match was that Ember had to find a partner to face Fire & Desire. I can’t say that Bayley was the most exciting pick, because as the Women’s Champion, she was definitely going to be on the show anyway. But in an episode this women-focused, that’s not such a big deal. It does make sense, given that they’ve asked us to believe that gorgeous and fierce Ember Moon is a loser nerd with no friends, that Bayley would be the one to come to her aid and treat her with respect. Especially after Nikki Cross kind of seemed like she might be right when she talked about how Bayley never reached out to her the way Alexa did, it’s good to see Bayley reach out to another outsider, to prove she’s still the kind person she’s always sold as.

Ember getting the pin off of Eclipsing Mandy Rose was also an important character beat. Hopefully she’ll get some more solid-looking wins before facing Bayley at SummerSlam. Despite how little she’s been built on the Main Roster thus far, and also the Face Vs. Face aspect, I’m really excited for this SummerSlam title match. I kind of suspect, as I’m sure others also do, that Charlotte Flair will weasel her way into it. If Charlotte wasn’t going to be on the SummerSlam card, she wouldn’t have bothered coming back to work. I don’t think that’s necessarily a problem, though. A Triple Threat could be a lot of fun, and Ember’s presence will keep it from being something we’ve seen before.


Okay, here’s the thing: I don’t mind the IIconics letting themselves get counted out to avoid losing their belts. They’re the very epitome of cowardly heels, and that’s exactly the sort of stuff they should do. What I mind is that this Women’s Tag Division isn’t even a division, and hasn’t been since WrestleMania. WWE still seems to be too busy sulking that the Bellas couldn’t return to tell women’s tag team stories at all. This title match (except probably the version with an ending). Should have happened at Extreme Rules. Hell, it should have happened at Stomping Ground! So after they spent all this time doing nothing, they gave us a match that wasn’t even a match. Obviously the rematch needs to happen at SummerSlam, but even that’s annoying, because it means three more weeks of these two talented tag teams barely doing anything, while no other women in the company even acknowledge that there are Tag Team Titles they could be fighting for. Do better, WWE!

Worst: Turn Around And Take A Look At The Crowd

The Smackdown Town Hall was already enough of a promo parade to be annoying, and then they had a full-on promo parade halfway through the show anyway! Look, I love the New Day, and I really love seeing all three of them with belts. It’s awesome, for real. What I don’t love is seeing Daniel Bryan walk in and out like an angrier Lacey Evans with better politics, and then three heels showing up one by one, leading to a Teddy Long-ass tag team match. The only part I enjoyed was Bryan holding his hand out and making a constipated expression like he’s trying to cast a spell and just can’t get it out. Samoa Joe made sense, but I didn’t need more Elias on this show, and I literally never need to see Randy Orton.

But the tag match was what we got, and it led to Randy RKOing the WWE Champion, which clearly puts him in line to fight Kofi at SummerSlam. Real talk, this is my thing and I’m not judging anybody else for who they like, but I straight-up hate Randy Orton. He walks through WWE like he’s half asleep and can’t be bothered to fully participate, and then he gets treated like a top guy anyway, because he’s a legacy, a veteran, and the guy who feuded with John Cena for like a decade. Oh, and also because he has a cool finisher. And it is a cool finisher, don’t get me wrong. That’s his one good thing, and good willing he’ll get Trouble-In-Paradised before he has a chance to do it to Kofi at Summerslam.

Best: Do You Need A Character Witness?

Apollo Crews is around now! And he won a match! All call-ups from NXT are risky, but it seemed even worse with Apollo Crews, because NXT never managed to give him a personality in the first place. So it wasn’t that the main roster forgot what made him cool. He was never cool, he was just able to do cool things. Now, the fact that he’s been ignored for so long actually gives him the beginnings of a character (the guy who’s been ignored for so long), and hopefully they continue to build on that, because the stuff he can do in the ring is goddamned amazing.

Best: Top 10 Comments Of The Week

Mr. Bliss

With all these jobbers chasing him, I thought KO won the 24/7 title

LUNI_TUNZ

Bayley: “I want to elevate this Smackdown Women’s division.”
*place title on high shelf where Nikki and Alexa can’t reach*

The Real Birdman

RTruD2

CFCarboni

Looking forward to the Wyatt-Balor-Bryan match I’ve fantasy booked in my brain, between the Fiend, the Demon, and the Dragon. Go full LU with it.

EZ$$$

wow look at that roster . really look at it, you won’t see them all again

Taylor Swish

Ironic that Ms. Morgan has LIV on her ring gear. Why would she want to promote her 54 rating in WWE2K?

NotJames

So, Cesaro used to be called the Swiss Superman. Then it was the Swiss Cyborg. Who’s next in the Swiss DC hierarchy? Swiss Hawkman? Swiss Booster Gold?

AddMayne

can’t wait for Black and Tony to have a best of 10 series which will lead to them forming a team called The Pub

JayBone2

CARMELLA: I have an idea Truth. You can hide in plain sight. You just have to wear a costume.
INTRODUCING….THE ASCENSION!

Harry Longabaugh

Nah, Kofi. The Viper will always Dodge.

WWE

That’s it for this week’s Smackdown. I’m sure Brandon will be back on the beat next week, to everyone’s relief.

As always, thanks for reading. Give us a share on social media, and comment down below to let us know what you thought of the show.

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The 2019-20 NBA season doesn’t begin for three months but, with most of the offseason action in the rear view mirror, many are taking the opportunity to look ahead with some way-too-early predicted standings. For the most part, everyone agrees that the Western Conference will be a battle royale for the ages and, in the Eastern Conference, a consensus top two has emerged.

With respect to the rest of the conference, the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are widely projected to occupy a different tier. With that in mind, it’s interesting to peg the other teams that might garner home-court advantage in the first round of the 2020 Playoffs.

To that end, we’ll take a glance at the “other” teams in the Eastern Conference with a realistic chance to crash the top-four party, all while acknowledging that things could even come together for one or two of them to unseat the incumbent favorites.

Boston Celtics

While this list is in alphabetical order, it wouldn’t be difficult to make the case for Boston at No. 3 in the East right now. The team’s biggest loss probably isn’t Kyrie Irving, as Kemba Walker should fill his shoes adequately without adding to the toxic environment that apparently existed last season. The most significant defection, though, is Al Horford, and the Celtics weren’t really able to replace the veteran big man.

Could Enes Kanter play a role? Absolutely. Could rookies like Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards provide value immediately? Sure. With that said, the biggest question with the Celtics is probably what the forward trio of Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will do and their performance could dictate Boston’s ceiling. Ultimately, this is going to be a good basketball team, but upside questions are warranted until we see the pieces come together.

Brooklyn Nets

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The Nets improved by leaps and bounds last season, eventually landing in the postseason after a 42-win performance. This team does have a few holdovers — Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, and Rodions Kurucs are all back — but Brooklyn’s offseason was marked by the high-profile additions of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. If Durant was able to play all season long, the Nets would pretty clearly be in the top tier but, with his projected absence, Irving will be asked to carry a big workload and there are some question marks in the rotation.

What will Taurean Prince look like after arriving from Atlanta? Can Irving reverse the negative mojo from last season’s disaster in Boston? What will LeVert look like? The presence of DeAndre Jordan (hopefully invigorated), Garrett Temple, and Wilson Chandler should stabilize things, but the Nets will probably only go as far as Irving can carry them. There’s some uncertainty there in a pre-Durant world, and we are forced to evaluate Brooklyn as if he won’t be there this season.

Indiana Pacers

Indiana also had an interesting offseason, although it was more low-profile. The Pacers added quality talent with Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, and T.J. Warren, but they also lost quite a bit in Bojan Bogdanovic, Thad Young, Darren Collison, and others.

Even if we were to call Indiana’s supporting swaps a collective wash, the biggest point of contention is Victor Oladipo. He is the team’s best player when healthy but, after only 36 games in 2018-19, Oladipo is expected to miss real time again and they simply weren’t the same team without him. Indiana also has other questions, including how Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis will fit together in the frontcourt, but the major question, above all else, is Oladipo’s health. We just can’t know but, even if one could reasonably project 70 games from Oladipo, it’s an open question as to just how high Indiana’s ceiling actually is as currently constructed.

Miami Heat

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This is a tough team to evaluate. The Heat won only 39 games last season and, despite some injury issues, that didn’t feel wrong given the roster. Admittedly, Miami should be better with Jimmy Butler as the definitive centerpiece of the offense, but it isn’t as if the Heat acquired him for free, shipping Josh Richardson to Philadelphia in the deal.

That is an upgrade, but one that is likely smaller than some think, and Miami will be more heavily reliant on young players, headlined by Bam Adebayo as the “replacement” for Hassan Whiteside at center. That probably isn’t a bad thing, all things considered, but the Heat are going to need a lot from Butler to realistically jump into the top three or four in the East.

Toronto Raptors

It just feels odd to lump the reigning NBA champions in with this group, but it is just what has to happen. Not only did Kawhi Leonard walk to Los Angeles, but Danny Green walked to, well, the other locker room in Staples Center. Due to salary cap limitations, the Raptors did very little — hello, Stanley Johnson! — to replace them and it can’t be overstated how big the losses are.

On the flip side, Toronto does have a heap of quality veterans like Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka still on the roster, with Pascal Siakam in line for another uptick as the potential star of the squad. Admittedly, it is really tough to figure out the Raptors without seeing the pieces in a world that doesn’t include Kawhi, but it would be a mistake to overlook the champs if they keep this squad together throughout the season. That said, there’s real possibility for them to sell at the deadline with an eye towards the future, as all three of those vets noted above are on expiring deals that could be intriguing for contenders looking for upgrades early next year.

T.I. still wants you to know that he’s the godfather of trap music. In an interview with Nick Cannon released Tuesday, T.I. opened old wounds with fellow Atlanta-based rapper Gucci Mane pertaining to who started trap music. In 2018, the two trap music pioneers engaged in a petty Instagram beef, with the rappers trading posts declaring themselves the inventor of the genre.

In 2019, T.I.’s comparing the trap music inventor debate to The Wire. When talking to Cannon, T.I. compared himself to Stringer Bell, while calling Gucci Mane Avon Barksdale.

“(Do) You watch The Wire?” T.I. said. “You do know that Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale hold the same amount of weight, they produce the same amount of action and activity, they just go about it in different ways.

“Stringer Bell has a vision beyond his present circumstances and is working toward a certain goal. Avon Barksdale loves what he is so much, he leaves everything on the court. People who appreciate Barksdale, they (are) going to tell you Gucci Mane started trap. But, that(‘s) because of how they see themselves in life. There’s nothing you can do to change that. People who see themselves as a Stringer Bell, who have different visions and ambitions for themselves, they know that T.I. created trap music. The only thing about this group of people is they’re supported by facts.”

T.I. ends his argument with his signature statement on the topic, stating the words trap and music have never been combined until August 19, 2003, which is the release date of his second album, Trap Muzik. For now, T.I. has the last word, unless Gucci Mane makes it a point to respond.

John Cena finally made his Fast and Furious 9 Instagram debut this week while possibly replacing The Rock in the franchise. Is he also taking a huge page out of his fellow WWE household name’s launch-a-movie-career playbook? During the aughts, The Rock (who was going by Dwayne Johnson professionally at that point) starred in a slew of family flicks, including The Game Plan (actually a good movie), Tooth Fairy (not so much), Planet 51, and Race To Witch Mountain. Fast forward to 2019, and Cena’s starring in Playing With Fire, which follows in the same tough-guy-taking-care-of-kids tradition as Johnson as well as Vin Diesel with The Pacifier and Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop. It’s not a tumor, but this trailer is, well, something.

Cena’s finishing move is a fireman’s carry, and he previously dressed up like a sexy fireman on Maya and Marty, but he’s not entirely skilled in the art of fighting fire in this movie. Or maybe we can blame it all on Keegan-Michael Key and John Leguizamo’s characters while witnessing this moment.

Paramount Pictures

From the synopsis, it looks like Cena and friends get their butts handed to them by some rascally youths:

When straight-laced fire superintendent Jake Carson (John Cena) and his elite team of expert firefighters (Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo and Tyler Mane) come to the rescue of three siblings in the path of an encroaching wildfire, they quickly realize that no amount of training could prepare them for their most challenging job yet — babysitters. Unable to locate the children’s parents, the firefighters have their lives, jobs and even their fire depot turned upside down and quickly learn that kids — much like fires — are wild and unpredictable.

Playing With Fire arrives on November 8, 2019. Here’s a poster.

Paramount Pictures

WWE Network

Previously on Jesus Christ, Superstars: We went home to SummerSlam in the United Kingdom, where we’ll finally find out whose corner Ric Flair’s manager will be in — guess! — and what will happen to the Hart family once they’ve been torn asunder by a friendly wrestling match.

If you’d like to watch this week’s episode, you can do that here, and you can support the column (so we’re allowed to keep writing it) by reading previous installments on our Jesus Christ, Superstars tag page.

If you like these, and our break from the normal Best and Worst format, make sure to share it around so it gets read and drop us a comment below.

Here’s what you missed 27 years ago on WWF Superstars for September 5, 1992.

Pay-Per-View Recap Of The Week

WWE Network

Before we begin, here’s everything you need to know about SummerSlam 1992: The SummerSlam You Thought You’d Never See®, the first pay-per-view to be aired from outside of the United States, and the last time anybody gave a shit about the Intercontinental Championship.

Road Warrior Hawk Is Done With This Puppet Bullshit

WWE Network

If you’ve been reading the weekly column you’ll recognize “Rocco,” the World Wrestling Federation’s killer idea to make the toughest and most legendary tag team of the previous decade wrestle squash matches while Paul Ellering stands outside the ring doing improvised Vaudeville routines to children via greaser puppet. Both members of the Legion of Doom hated the gimmick, and Road Warrior Hawk hated it so much he quit the company after SummerSlam. His final WWF match for five years is the pre-taped jobber squash you’ll read about in a minute, with a 1950s ventriloquist dummy talking over it.

Seriously though, imagine being the Road Warriors and being told this is the next step in your evolution from spiked-shoulderpad-wearing post-apocalyptic street thugs. Imagine if WWE signed Minoru Suzuki and was like, “here’s your new character, you’re obsessed with this Betsy Wetsy doll, trust us, you’ll get over, nobody wants to hear about or see 30 years of you kicking people’s asses.”

Nailz Gets Tacked Off

WWE Network

Continuing the “whoops, nothing went right” portion of the show, Nailz defeats Virgil (because of course he does) and goes home from London unhappy about his payout. This leads to him confronting Vince McMahon after Survivor Series, attacking him for real, getting fired, and then testifying against the World Wrestling Federation in the early ’90s steroids trials with helpful statements like, “I hate Vince McMahon’s guts.”

Yeah, man, you definitely deserved a Hulk Hogan payout for that 3:55 you spent lifelessly choking out Virgil.

Mystery Perfect

WWE Network

Vince McMahon is vocally unhappy about Mr. Perfect’s shit-stirring has caused there to be “no scientific match” for the WWF Championship. I’m with you, man. I tuned into Macho Man Randy Savage in a Lisa Frank cowboy outfit and The Ultimate Warrior dressed like the naked musculature of the dude from Winger expecting a lot of wristlock counters and catch-as-catch-can action.

Anyway, the story building up to the match is that Mr. Perfect claimed he would be in one of the men’s corners, but didn’t say whose. Macho Man thought this meant he’d be in Ultimate Warrior’s corner. Ultimate Warrior thought he’d be in Macho Man’s corner. Everyone else on the goddamn planet knew he’d be in the corner of the actual person he manages, Ric Flair, who was upset about not getting into the match in the first place. They attack Savage, Savage gets counted out, and then Warrior helps Savage fight them off. Because friendship.

The original plan here was apparently that Warrior was supposed to turn heel, but he outright refused, so they had to scrap the plans and none of the build-up made sense. That set up Warrior and Savage as a tag team against Flair and Perfect at Survivor Series, but WHOOPS, Ultimate Warrior is a nefarious dirtbag and ends up quitting the company four days before the show. Perfect ends up taking Warrior’s spot, leading to him turning face, and also whoops, leading to a Flair vs. Perfect feud that ends with Flair leaving the company as well. Everything is going great at SummerSlam!

The Match Of Davey Boy Smith’s Life

But for Bret Hart, it was … Tuesday.

WWE Network

The other major story heading into SummerSlam was that Bret Hart was going to defend the Intercontinental Championship against his brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith, the British Bulldog. Despite the fact that neither man got really upset or intense about it, the family was IN TURMOIL, with Bret’s mom losing her mind, Bret’s dad staring off into the distance (because he’d already lost his mind, presumably), and Bret’s sister — and Davey’s wife, gasp — going full Meryl Streep in Sofie’s Choice about how two people she loves who work together at the wrestling promotion would have to wrestle.

As it turns out, the match was great, and again, neither man got dirty about it. I think it still stands up as easily the best British Bulldog match ever in a walk, and that it probably ranks right behind Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage at WrestleMania 3 and maybe just ahead of Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X on the list of best WWE Intercontinental Championship matches of all time. Thankfully, Diana Hart-Smith’s heart (smith) survived the Friendly.

WWE Network

Barely.

Frinkiac

Jobbers Of The Week

WWE Network

“If YOUUUU show up to wrestle The Mountie looking like Jeff Foxworthy, P.I. …. you might be a redneck jobber.”

Meet … Not the Miz’s Dad, Ken Wayne, about to be roughed up by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His green tights and white boots make me 100% certain they pulled him out of a Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts lookalike contest and were like, “we’ll give you $50 if you let this Quebecer punch you.”

Ken actually began his career with the NWA way back in 1976. You may not be surprised to learn that he ended it in 2014, when he was sentenced to 15 years in prison on child pornography charges.

WWE Network

Getting Nailz duty this week is Tommy Stevenson, who I’m guessing owns at least four Chicago Bears satin jackets. His gear for the match is what would happen if a zebra moved into a trailer park.

You know how every Nailz match goes, so I’ll take a moment to point out that Tommy Stevenson’s WWF legacy is that he was one of the opponents for the (very) short-lived tag team THE TOXIC TURTLES, aka Duane Gill and Barry Hardy in homemade Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costumes. Yes, the strange epidemic of Ninja Turtle wrestlers made it all the way to the top.

I would give literally anything for the Toxic Turtles to show up again on Raw, if only for Sheamus and John Cena to team up to try to destroy them.

WWE Network

As mentioned earlier, the Legion of Doom are unhappy about having to go all the way to England to put over a ventriloquist dummy and take out their rage on a pair of jobbers who don’t even get a vanity shot. The guy seen being dick-lifted by Hawk here is Gary Jackson, a veteran enhancement talent journeyman who is still wrestling today at the age of 58. You can tell when he started in the business because his alter egos include “Jojo Jackson,” and my personal favorite, “NIGHT TRAIN Jackson.” So many overweight southern dudes between 1975 and 1985 looked at black guys they had no idea what to do with and thought, NIGHT TRAIN.

His tag team partner, seen here posting for the VHS cover of every bawdy sex comedy of the 1980s, is Jerry Stevens.

WWE Network

You may recognize Jerry as “Jerry Seavey” from a few weeks ago, confirming that they definitely ribbed him by making his last name rhyme with Tim McNeavey’s.

WWE Network

Finally we have the Phenomenal Bert Stiles and his tag team partner, good brother Warren Quinn. They’re in the weekly “get rekt by Money Inc.” spot that happened way too frequently against jobbers this bad looking to not be an intentional statement on what capitalism does to the lower middle class.

Bert would go on to have a fine career getting literally murdered by Big Van Vader. Quinn would follow him over to also get literally murdered, but by Sid Vicious. WWF jobbers had much safer jobs than their NWA/WCW counterparts. On Superstars, you’re gonna get lightly ridge-handed in the hair by Tatanka. Step onto the Saturday Night set and there’s the Midnight Express to throw you at the cement until you’re paralyzed.

Glass Joe Vs. Von Kaiser Of The Week

WWE Network

Virgil rebounds from his loss to Nailz with a hard fart victory over Barry Horowitz. If you’re looking for the solid line between “WWF Superstar” and jobber, it’s somewhere between Virgil and Barry Horowitz.

Sudden Hawaiian Of The Week

WWE Network

Realizing that “he liked to smush things as a child” wasn’t an actual gimmick, the World Wrestling Federation has decided to claim Crush’s birthplace of Hawaii and give him a “Hawaiian accent.” You’d think a guy who is actually from Hawaii could fake a Hawaiian accent, but it sounds like me trying to be a Jamaican. Maybe I don’t know what Hawaiians are supposed to sound like. He ends his picture-in-picture promo with some hang loose hands and his new catchphrase, “shaka, brah. Aloha!”

Crush ends up defeating Kato with the same old head smush, which they really should’ve renamed the Convergent Plate Boundary.

Next Week Of The Week

WWE Network

A child eating a foam tombstone wants you to know that next week’s Superstars features appearances from Razor Ramon, Ric Flair, and, most importantly, Doug Sommers, the jobber who writes his name on his back in sparkles. See you then!

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Nas may be gearing up for the release of his new compilation album, The Lost Tapes 2, but it looks like he’s already looking even further down the road to potential third and fourth entries in what’s shaping up to be an entire series of Lost Tapes albums. During a July 14 private listening party for The Lost Tapes 2, the 25-year rap veteran revealed that he’s sitting on enough recorded material to eventually put together even more collections of throwaways from his previous albums. Check out the video below, courtesy of AllHipHopTV.

“I put out the first Lost Tapes 17 years ago,” he said, to a raucous response from the listening party attendees. “Since then, I piled up a lot of songs. I’ve got enough for a Lost Tapes 2 now — and a Lost Tapes 3 and a Lost Tapes 4. The next one won’t be 17 years. Each one sounds different.”

The Lost Tapes 2 is made up of leftovers from recording sessions for Nas’ previous albums Hip-Hop Is Dead, Untitled, and Life Is Good, as well as material recorded between then and now. Given Life Is Good released in 2012, that makes presumably seven year’s worth of recordings that could potentially be mined for future albums — and compilations of songs left off those albums. The Lost Tapes 2 is due this Friday, July 19 via Mass Appeal Records and Def Jam Recordings.

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Rich Paul’s influence in the world of basketball has grown considerably over the last few years. He’s gone from being, most notably, the agent for LeBron James to the head of Klutch Sports, which has slowly but surely put together quite the roster of talent and asserted its influence on the game.

Now, Paul’s influence will spread beyond basketball thanks to a new partnership between Klutch and United Talent Agency. According to the New York Times and The Athletic, Paul will join forces with UTA and head up its new sports division. The new arrangement will not only give him the opportunity to pursue partnerships in other sports, but as he explained, it gives him the opportunity to do even more for those he represents.

“This puts me in direct competition with the largest agencies in the world,” Paul told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “There is nothing we cannot do for an athlete. If a guy wants to write a book, great. If he wants to be a ‘Fortnite’ champion, great. If he wants to act, great. He wants to buy a surfboard company? Fantastic. There is nothing we cannot do for the modern athlete.”

Unsurprisingly, James responded to the news by taking to social media and congratulating his longtime friend.

As for how Klutch Sports is impacted by all of this, UTA chief executive Jeremy Zimmer told Marc Stein of the Times that his company took “a significant stake in Klutch, but Rich retains very substantial controls because we want it to be his business and we love what he’s doing.”

Universal Pictures

Some time ago now, it was revealed that Taylor Swift would be among the stars of a film adaptation of Cats, the phenomenally successful Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Now Universal Pictures has shared a behind the scenes look at the making of the movie, in which Swift talks about working on the film, alongside co-stars Idris Elba, James Corden, Judy Dench, Jason Derulo, Jennifer Hudson, and Rebel Wilson.

In the “A Look Inside” video, Swift gave a hint about the movie’s direction, suggesting it won’t be a facsimile reproduction of the Broadway show, saying, “We got to update it in ways that I think are just so, so, so great.” Of course, she also expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to be involved, saying, “I just was really excited and so honored to get to be a part of this. […] This musical is timeless.”

She also talked about her own history with performing, saying, “My first memories of performance go back to when I was in Pennsylvania growing up. My favorite thing was getting to be theatrical, to tell a story, and I’ve always brought that sort of narrative element to my live shows.” As for the process of making the film, she said, “Everybody’s working really long hours rehearsing every day, and it’s fun.”

The video also noted that a trailer will be released on Friday, July 19. In the meantime, watch the video above.

In the first red-band teaser for Good Boys, producer Seth Rogen tells the film’s young stars, played by Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, and Keith L. Williams, that they’re not allowed to watch the trailer for their own movie. “That’s fucked up,” Noon responds. That is f*cked up, and they can’t view the new red-band trailer, either, which has another amusing opening with Rogen and the boys.

This time, after hiding his collection of bongs, er, vases, the Long Shot star informs the youngsters it’s not for their eyes; they respond by saying they’ve seen his other movies. Like Superbad, which “has not aged well,” according to Williams. “Guess you filmed it before black people existed.” Rogen’s response: “I’m from Canada.” They’ve also seen Sausage Party. “You made a cartoon, that’s on you,” Noon says. Did you like it, Rogen asks? “Eh, it was OK.”

Thankfully, Good Boys looks better than OK — it looks great, boys (and girls).

Here’s the official plot summary:

After being invited to his first kissing party, 12-year-old Max (Jacob Tremblay) is panicking because he doesn’t know how to kiss. Eager for some pointers, Max and his best friends Thor (Brady Noon) and Lucas (Keith L. Williams) decide to use Max’s dad’s drone – which Max is forbidden to touch – to spy (they think) on a teenage couple making out next door. But when things go ridiculously wrong, the drone is destroyed. Desperate to replace it before Max’s dad (Will Forte) gets home, the boys skip school and set off on an odyssey of epically bad decisions involving some accidentally stolen drugs, frat-house paintball, and running from both the cops (Sam Richardson) and terrifying teenage girls (Molly Gordon and Midori Francis).

Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, Good Boys opens on August 16.

Getty Image / Mass Appeal Records / Uproxx Studios

it’s only been a year since the release of Nas’ last album, Nasir, but the 25-year rap veteran is already preparing the release of his next album, The Lost Tapes 2. While sequel albums are a staple in hip-hop, The Lost Tapes 2 holds a special resonance with its predecessor. Rather than simply seeking to capitalize on the success of a well-received, commercially lucrative album like many of his peers, Nas looks to The Lost Tapes 2 to repeat a feat that the original accomplished for his career: Revitalize his musical reputation after a string of bumps to both his standing in hip-hop and his ego.

In 2002, Nas’ back appeared to be against the wall, in more ways than one. While the prior year’s Stillmatic was seen as a return to form for Nas after the critically lukewarm reception of the glitzy albums I Am… and Nastradamus, some hip-hop fans were still skeptical that he could sustain his required footing in their hearts. For one, Stillmatic drew on the nostalgia of the Illmatic title — an album he had yet to surpass or even match in the eyes of many. For another, Stillmatic was an album largely fueled by his feud with Jay-Z, packed with spiteful burners like “Ether,” “Got Ur Self A Gun,” and even the passionate “One Mic,” which suggested he needed something to rail against to find his creative fire.

The Lost Tapes solidified his reestablished credibility as far from a fluke. Tracks like “Nothing Lasts Forever,” “No Idea’s Original,” and “Poppa Was A Playa” were lyrically dextrous, emotionally sonorous, and autobiographical. In many ways, it was a more worthy successor to Illmatic than Stillmatic was. That the project was crafted from material culled from prior projects’ recording sessions was an even greater testament to Nas’ supreme ability, skill, and talent as an artist. The Lost Tapes said, “See? He had it in him all along, if only there weren’t pesky commercial obligations standing in the way.” Releasing it as a compilation freed it from the chains and thus, brought forth the best version of Nasty Nas in a decade.

Unfortunately, that statement proved to be something of a red herring. While the combination of Stillmatic and The Lost Tapes righted the ship for a while, changing social mores, the increasing speed of technological advancement, and Nas’ own tin ear for beats produced some up-and-down efforts over the next 17 years. While many of his projects, namely God’s Son, Hip-Hop Is Dead, and Life Is Good were generally well-received, others were mostly forgettable or outright bad. Even the good albums contained high concept clunkers (“Sekou Story” and “Live Now” from Street’s Disciple, “Who Killed It?” from Hip-Hop Is Dead, every damn thing about Untitled) that eventually earned Nas a modern reputation of being perhaps too creative for his own good.

Nas’ conceptual goofiness and antediluvian ways culminated last year on the Kanye West-produced, slapdash Nasir. While some hoped having one of hip-hop’s greatest modern producers at the helm could help curb Nas’ tone deafness when it comes to beats, instead, Kanye and Nas brought out the worst in each other. Kanye’s habit of perfectionist tweaking and Nas’ procrastination (cited as the main reason for the disjointed construction of some of his worst projects) played into an increase in crotchety rhetoric from the lyrical wizard and poorly paired beat/lyrics combinations. They did little to address the various controversies that played out surrounding the project’s release: Kanye’s Trumpism, Kelis’ recent accusations of abuse against Nas, Nas’ own conspiracy theorizing (Nas’ anti-vaccine views have cropped up before, but talk about your bad timing). Nasir, plainly, was a dud that fell far short of expectations. Sound familiar?

Now, Nas finds himself in a bizarrely similar situation to the one that spawned the original Lost Tapes. Although this time there’s no Jay-Z to rail against and no Stillmatic to right the ship, so The Lost Tapes 2 will have to do double duty of once again reestablishing Nas’ footing as both a critical and commercial force and solidifying his credibility as such, living up to the standard set by the original. It’s off to a shaky start, with the lead single “Jarreau Of Rap (Skatt Attack),” indulging more of his weird sonic proclivities and receiving a mixed reception from fans.

Nas is also putting a lot more eggs in the basket this time around, giving the album much more promotional push and trumpeting its production guest list, which includes a number of his higher-profile production partners — particularly the ones with whom he’s crafted some of his fans’ favorite tracks. The Alchemist, No I.D., Pete Rock, Pharrell, RZA, and Swizz Beatz are all listed along with Kanye. Presuming the tracklist is once again pulled from prior projects’ sessions, including the beloved Life Is Good, there’s always a chance that The Lost Tapes 2 returns Nas’ tarnished reputation to its former glory.

The Lost Tapes 2 is due July 19 via Mass Appeal and Def Jam Recordings.

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In March, Ben Affleck admitted that he’d love to reunite with old pal Kevin Smith (pictured above at a 1997 Chasing Amy event, whoa) for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. The timing of his declaration suggested otherwise, given that the movie will come out at some point in 2019 (no official release date yet), but maybe the display of goodwill has something to do with Smith’s recent defense of Affleck’s “unfairly maligned” Batman? We may never know the answer to that question, but this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, we’ll learn who’s playing the “more modern” duo in Bluntman V. Chronic, the movie-inside-the-movie that will be highlighted inside Smith’s first trailer for Reboot on Saturday in Hall H.

The View Askew Universe director teased the casting reveal of both Bluntman and Chronic (replacing Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek, respectively) with this poster and captions. It’s gonna be a female Chronic now, and Smith encouraged people to take guesses on both Twitter and Instagram.

Bluntman V Chronic. When Hollywood rebooted the old Biggs and Van Der Beek cult classic, they took it in a more mod… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…—
KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) July 16, 2019

It seems likely that Melissa Benoist (who plays Supergirl in the CW series and who appeared in a Twitter photo with Smith a few days ago) has been cast as Chronic. So, who’s playing Bluntman? Well, Chris Hemsworth nabbed a Reboot mystery role earlier this year, so maybe he’ll carry his MCU vibes into the Bluntman costume? Uhhhh, a lot of folks would like it to be Affleck instead.

Unfortunately and while it’s good to dream, it truly sounds like Ben Affleck is almost certainly not Bluntman. Smith surfaced in his Instagram comments to reveal that while some folks guessed the Chronic casting accurately, “*nobody* has guessed who plays Bluntman yet. But when you see who it is in the trailer, you’ll feel so happy and warm inside.”

Via Kevin Smith on Instagram

Soooooo, it’s probably not Hemsworth either, given that people tossed his name out as guesses on both platforms. Who could Bluntman be that people haven’t guessed yet …. Matt Damon? We’ll find out on Saturday when the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot trailer debuts at SDCC.

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Ed Sheeran recently released No. 6 Collaborations Project, and among many other joint efforts, it features “Antisocial,” a new song with Travis Scott. Well, Scott is in the midst of a world tour, and last night, he was in London. While he was in Ed Sheeran’s neck of the woods, he made the most of it and invited Sheeran on stage so the pair could perform their new collaboration.

Immediately after that, Scott also brought out Sheck Wes for a pair of songs, “Mo Bamba” and “Live Sheck Wes.”

Sheeran previously shared a video for the track alongside a 50-minute interview with iHeartRadio’s Charlemagne Tha God, in which he talks about every song on the record. He said “Antisocial” is about “having the anxiety of being in a club.” He also talked about his similarities with Scott, saying, “He struck me as someone I had a lot in common with. He doesn’t seem to me to be the type of person that’s chasing fame. I think it’s all to better himself as an artist.”

Watch clips from the performance above, and read our review of No. 6 Collaborations Project here.

No. 6 Collaborations Project is out now via Asylum/Atlantic. Get it here.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music.

UNIVERSAL

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is rated PG-13, for “prolonged sequences of action and violence, suggestive material, and some strong language,” but during filming, the action and violence were even more prolonged, the material was extra suggestive (whatever that means), and the language? Don’t even get me f*cking started. Ahead of the film’s release, star Jason Statham — he’s the one who isn’t Dwayne Johnson or “Black Superman” — revealed that “X-rated” material was left out of the theatrical version.

It’s not what you’re thinking. (Were you also thinking he’s referring to a hardcore sex scene between The Rock and Helen Mirren? No? Just me? Never mind.)

“We got a lot of it,” Statham told Comic Book about his fight scenes with Johnson. “A lot of it didn’t make the movie. Too X-rated. We have to snip, snip, snip all of the good stuff out and save it for the DVD. I guess censorship kind of gets in the way of the fun sometimes.” Maybe saying “all of the good stuff” got cut out isn’t the best way to promote your movie, but I digress.

Director David Leitch says Hobbs and Shaw has both “great fight scenes in the style of Atomic Blonde or John Wick” and “epic car action that you know from a Fast movie,” so even with a PG-13 rating, it still sounds fun. Also, at one point, The Rock pulls a helicopter out of the sky. That’s the good stuff, right there.

(Via Comic Book)

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Atlanta-based Quality Control Music exploded in notoriety in 2018 after the late-2017 release of their first compilation album, Control The Streets Volume 1, which helped launch or re-launch the careers of the label’s featured artists including City Girls, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, and Marlo. After a productive year that saw City Girls, Lil Baby, and Lil Yachty release multiple well-received projects, the label is going back to the compilation well, teasing the release of their Control The Streets Volume 2 in August, along with the first single, “Baby” featuring Lil Baby and DaBaby. Check it out below.

The sudden rash of rappers with some variation of the word “baby” in their stage names became something of a meme this year, so it makes sense that the internet-savvy label would take note and take advantage. The Wheezy-produced beat features a super spare drum pattern, giving the two rappers plenty of space to unravel their wordy rhymes. Lil Baby leads off with a verse in which he fantasizes about leasing a helicopter and wonders if his haters have binoculars, while his North Carolina counterpart boasts that his shows look like Mardi Gras and reminds listeners that he once shot someone and basically got away with it.

Quality Control’s Control The Streets Volume 2 is due August 16.

Paramount Pictures

My favorite thing about the summer blockbuster season doesn’t come until December, when I dimly recall all the mediocre movies I paid to watch when it was 100 degrees outside. “My Letterboxd tells me I saw Men in Black: International and Dark Phoenix and, uh, Shaft , but I have no memory of them.” Things are particularly dire this summer: franchise fatigue has set in, box office totals are bleak, and since May, there’s only been four above-average big-budget movies: Pokémon Detective Pikachu, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Toy Story 4, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. When “Deadpool voices a yellow rat” is an example of a good movie, something might be wrong.

Then, out of the swamps, came the gators.

Directed by Alexandre Aja (High Tension, Piranha 3D) and written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen, Crawl — a.k.a. the gator movie — is one of the most fun movie-going experiences I’ve had at the theater this summer. Don’t get me wrong, Crawl isn’t a misunderstood masterpiece (the 87 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes is about right); it’s what you should expect from a movie that markets itself with “Rated R for Reptiles.” But after sitting through middle-of-the-road, quickly-forgotten “I just want to be in an air conditioned room” fare like Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Yesterday, it felt like a revelation.

Here are a few reasons why.

1. If you have no idea what Crawl is about, you clearly haven’t seen the poster, which provides all the necessary information (“THEY WILL HUNT YOU”). But just in case, here’s the official plot summary: “When a massive hurricane hits her Florida hometown, Haley ignores evacuation orders to search for her missing father. Finding him gravely injured in the crawl space of their family home, the two become trapped by quickly encroaching floodwaters. As time runs out to escape the strengthening storm, Haley and her father discover that the rising water level is the least of their fears.” There’s some important information that’s left out, like how Haley is a swimmer, but you get the idea: father and daughter are stuck in a gunky crawl space during a hurricane, gators come. Crawl doesn’t hop all over the world or even Florida (although it was filmed in Serbia); most of the action is contained to the house, where the danger is twofold: the rising water and the alligators. There’s a clear sense of geography (you’re able to mentally map escape routes along with the characters), which is vital for a horror movie. Crawl isn’t as successful at feeling trapped as, say, Don’t Breathe, but after watching the movie, I can say with full confidence: I would not like to be trapped in my crawl space (NOT a basement) during a hurricane with alligators, thank you very much.

2. Crawl occasionally tries to make you care about the human characters with an emotional back story about blah blah blah it doesn’t matter. You’re there for one reason and one reason only: the gators. And boy are there gators! You think there might only be one, but there’s another. And another! It’s good. The alligators look good, too, especially on a $13.5 million budget. To paraphrase The Simpsons, whenever the gators are not on screen, all the other characters should be asking, “Where are the gators?” It’s not the fault of Kaya Scodelario (who is very good) and Barry Pepper, as the daughter and father, that they’re shackled to middling dialogue and an unnecessary backstory; they rise to the occasion when they need to, which is to say, when they’re fighting off gators. The characters, who might as well be named “Meat 1” and “Meat 2,” share screen-time with a rag-tag group of Floridian looters and evacuation specialists — you can image how well they fare — but 90 percent of the action is centered on the daughter and father. Even if what they’re saying isn’t particularly interesting, the tight focus keeps you invested. Certainly more than when ALL of Boston was under attack in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and I felt nothing.

3. Much ado was made about the three hours-plus runtime for Avengers: Endgame, but it was an overblown “controversy,” as if the third highest-grossing movie ever also wasn’t over three hours. (Gone With the Wind, which holds the adjusted-for-inflation crown, is nearly four hours if you include the intermission.) That being said, sometimes it’s nice to see a movie that’s not triple-digit minutes long. Crawl is a tight 87 minutes — even shorter if you leave before you learn who the Best Boy was, which you shouldn’t because “See You Later, Alligator” by Bill Haley & His Comets plays over the end credits. That’s as dumb-clever as The Meg ending with a “Fin” title card, except Crawl is actually good.

4. Crawl didn’t come with a spoiler warning (it didn’t even screen for critics), and there’s no third-act twists or post-credits scene. It’s a simple, nasty, effective crowd-pleasing B-movie that doesn’t skimp on the gore or dark humor and will play even better once it’s released on digital, where it’s easier to wait out the human drama before returning to the gator action. I haven’t seen The Lion King yet, but I can guarantee Crawl is the best animal movie of the month.

5. There’s a dog. It’s a good dog. I thought this necessary to mention.

Sleater-Kinney is currently getting ready to release their new album The Center Won’t Hold, but the process hasn’t been free of drama. Drummer Janet Weiss recently announced her decision to leave the band due to its “new direction,” but regardless, Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker press on. Now the band has shared the album’s title track, and it appears to have some of that “new direction” Weiss was talking about. The song begins as a minimal industrial-style track before exploding into a kinetic rock catharsis for the final minute.

Tucker said of the track, “‘The Center Won’t Hold’ drops you into the world of catastrophe that touches on the election. And almost like a mission statement, at the end of that song, it’s like the band is finding its way out of that space by becoming a rock band.” Brownstein added, “Instead of just going into the studio to document what we’d done, we were going in to explore and to find the essence of something. To dig in deeper. It felt like a really crucial part of the process itself, not just the end game.”

Brownstein recently addressed Weiss’ departure from the band, writing in an Instagram comment, “What am I supposed to say? She left. We asked her to stay. We tried. It’s hard and sad. […] She’s left us with a job to do, a job we also expected and wanted her to be a part of. Her playing on this record is amazing and she’s raved about this album to us and to Annie. But we have to keep looking to the future.”

Listen to “The Center Won’t Hold” above.

The Center Won’t Hold is out 8/16 via Mom + Pop. Pre-order it here.

Getty Image

After The New York Times recently reported that Nipsey Hussle and his Marathon clothing store are under investigation due to the rapper’s gang ties, the LAPD is eager to clarify that Nipsey himself is not the target of the investigation, according to TMZ. Sources with a pair of local agencies told TMZ that rather than investigating Nipsey directly, the ongoing campaign was aimed at curbing gang violence in the neighborhood surrounding the Marathon store — an area with which Nipsey is intimately tied.

While the sources were naturally reluctant to share details about their findings, it’s well known that Nipsey was a member of the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips, a prominent set from the area, before his music brought him nationwide acclaim and the sort of wealth that allowed him to make efforts to restore the neighborhood, beginning with the corner of Crenshaw and Slauson where his store is located. At the time of his death, Nipsey was also working with police to help address gang violence, which he believed stems from a lack of options and guidance among the youth. His death resulted in a treaty among some of LA’s gangs.

Nipsey’s work ensured that he was honored with a humanitarian award at the 2019 BET Awards, while many residents of South Central Los Angeles hail the late businessman as a hero and pillar of the community. Meanwhile, Nipsey’s family has shut down the Marathon store for now, but the online shop is still up and running.

Weyes Blood’s new album Titanic Rising is one of the finer indie albums of the year so far, and fortunately, Natalie Mering is getting the praise and recognition she deserves. The record has received critical acclaim (including from Uproxx’s own Steven Hyden), and last night, Mering found herself on the Late Night With Seth Meyers stage for a performance of album highlight “Everyday.” Donning a white suit and accompanied by her band, Mering turned in a lively performance of the jaunty tune.

This performance comes during a break in Mering’s world tour. She wrapped up a stretch of North American dates in June, but she’ll get back to it starting with some west coast shows in August.

Weyes Blood previously described the song as having a “restless, ADD feeling about dating,” and she also said of it, “I guess in a lot of ways ,’Everyday’ is like an old school type of song writing that not a lot of people do nowadays. It’s kind of cool to realize, yeah you can write a song that like has a different feel. You know, a lot things these days seem to be predominantly kind of shoegazey. Just to put some different textures in there, you’ve got some inspiration.”

Watch Weyes Blood perform “Everyday” above, read our review of Titanic Rising here, and check out our interview with Weyes Blood here.

Marvel

Late last year, Marvel Studios revealed the fast-tracking of Shang-Chi as their first Asian-led tentpole franchise. Very soon, Destin Daniel Cretton boarded the project as director while word spread that Disney and Marvel wanted to craft the film in an authentic manner while pursuing Asian and Asian filmmakers. Variety reported this week that Marvel’s determined to only cast a lead “of Chinese ancestry [and] no other Asian ancestry accepted” and that that producers have launched an extensive search. That apparently bypasses the fan-driven campaign for the lead casting of Mike Moh, the actor who’s playing Bruce Lee in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, as the search continues. However, reports are suggesting that other details are solidifying, which should please everyone who’s looking forward to this movie.

Aquaman costume designer Kym Barrett (who also worked on The Matrix and The Amazing Spider-Man) has reportedly joined the production, according to Comic Book Resource and IMDb Pro. In addition, ComicBook.com relays another report about The Matrix director of photography Bill Pope signing on as Shang-Chi‘s cinematographer:

Development on Shang-Chi continues moving right along with the production reportedly hiring Bill Pope as its cinematographer. The hiring follows just a few short days after the film reportedly nabbed Aquaman costume designer Kym Barrett for the same role. Though Pope will reportedly serve as cinematographer on Shang-Chi, as per a report from DiscussingFilm, he’s best known for his work as director of photography on some major Hollywood blockbusters.

Pope’s relevant experience is extensive. He’s not only worked with the Wachowskis but also Edgar Wright, Sam Raimi, and Jon Favreau. Yet it’s the The Matrix/kung fu connection that really drops hints about what to expect from Shang-Chi‘s visuals. Of course, in the Marvel comics, Shang-Chi joined The Avengers after training in kung fu and eschewing the criminal network of his father, sorcerer Fu Manchu, who bred his son for the assassin life. He was recruited into the fold by Steve Rogers, and Tony Stark engineered gear to compliment Shang’s mastery of hand-to-hand combat. There’s every chance that we’ll hear more Shang-Chi details from Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige later this week from SDCC, maybe even a release date.

(Via Comic Book Resource, Comic Book, Variety & Discussing Film)

WWE Raw

Previously on the Best and Worst of Raw: We experienced some Extreme Rules, the one night a year when SOME of the rules are EXTREME, and welcomed back (?) Brock Lesnar as Universal Champion.

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One more thing: Hit those share buttons! Spread the word about the column on Facebook, Twitter and whatever else you use. Be sure to leave us a comment in our comment section below as well. I know we always ask this, and that this part is copy and pasted in every week, but we appreciate it every week. It looks like things might be getting exciting again!

And now, the Best and Worst of WWE Raw for July 15, 2019.

WWE Raw

Jobbers Of The Week

Going up against The Viking Raiders in this week’s, “what’s a tag team division?” match are Vinny Gruner and Jackson James.

Gruner (the one who doesn’t look like Tom Holland) is better known as Long Island independent wrestler VsK, whose Twitter bio identifies him as, “one half of Massage Force.” Tom Holland over there — who really looks like he should be in the Massage Force, if we’re being honest — is Jack Tomlinson, a graduate of Curt Hawkins’ Create A Pro training center. He’s not the first wrestler to vlog in his spare time, but he might be the first wrestler with a Tik Tok account to make TV.

Fingers crossed that The Viking Raiders get some real tag team opponents soon before they’re consigned to the NXT Tag Team Graveyard forever. They both deserve so much better, “Erik” especially.

Also Competing In Matches That Didn’t Last 90 Seconds This Week

Mike Kanellis loses in three (3) seconds to Zack Ryder, because Raw’s in Long Island and that’s the only time they feel compelled to throw Zack a bone. Mike continues his on-screen cuckolding before and after the match to the point it makes me consider replacing all the Raw cruiserweight content with whatever they’ve done on 205 Live this week, since at least some of WWE’s programming doesn’t seem obsessed with shitting on their characters every time they’re on screen.

In more surprising news, Actual Wrestling Superstar Finn Bálor follows up disappearing from television for most of the past few months and only popping back up to lose an unannounced, pre-show-opening Intercontinental Championship match to Shinsuke Nakamura by getting his lunch eaten by Samoa Joe on Raw in a minute-25.

If you’re confused as to why this is happening, do the opposite of what Finn’s doing and join The Club. The current story is that he’s looking to take time off from WWE starting next month for whatever reason, so I guess we’re getting a head start on writing him out. The good news is that yowie wowie was the next step exciting.

It’s time for Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Bálor to finally happen!

WWE Raw

No, not like that.

Best: Best Fiends

I don’t think they could’ve done a better job with Bray Wyatt’s return, aside from maybe doing it a week or two ago, but I guess they wanted to wait until after Extreme Rules and get the belt off Finn before moving forward. The distortion of Finn’s music and the slow power outage was great, and while I could’ve lived without Michael Cole’s dumb, “is that … ???” I thought Bray nailed it. The mask looks a lot better in the ring than in the Firefly Funhouse videos, probably because we don’t linger on closeups of it, and because it was probably designed to work with in-ring WWE show lighting. Tom Savini doesn’t half-ass this stuff.

If I can open myself up to a little Dave Meltzer-style “this is definitely the plan for what’s happening” speculation, I think the best idea would be to have Bálor bring the Demon King to SummerSlam a year after he brought it out to murk Baron Corbin and get murked himself. This would set up Wyatt as the new top supernatural force in WWE he should’ve been from day one. It might also compel Finn Bálor to up his “demon” game and get back to creatively varying the look to fit the context, instead of just rehashing the same basic design over and over. Plus, we can finally get rid of the hat of belts.

This Week In Avoiding The Commercial Breaks

I need the new executive directors of Raw and Smackdown to take over sooner rather than later, if only to rework or completely nix Vince McMahon’s “no wrestling during commercials” mandate. It’s making everything feel stupider than it needs to. Matches that aren’t intended to work around commercials go 90 seconds or less, and matches that do get 2-out-of-3 falls, elimination, or “stopped and re-started,” modifiers that transparently make their first halves meaningless.

Take, for example, The Usos and Ricochet vs. The Revival and Robert Roode. When we’re done with the commercial, the last few minutes are great. It’s the only part of the match that feels like a match. Before that we get the Revival losing clean to basic moves in 20 seconds, followed by Jimmy Uso losing to a fucking flapjack a couple of minutes later. What I’m getting at is that all this micromanagement robs your very talented performers of their ability to call and execute logical, enjoyable wrestling matches for the sake of pretending shit’s not happening during the Popeye’s ad. Just run the commercials sometimes. Jesus.

Then you’ve got a fatal four-way elimination match to name a new contender to the Raw Women’s Champion at SummerSlam in Canada. It’s Natalya, who is from Canada, against Naomi (not from Canada), Alexa Bliss (not from Canada), and Carmella (also not from Canada). You probably could’ve just said, “it’s Natalya, because Canada,” and moved on to the next thing.

The crowd turns on this pretty vehemently, to the point that Alexa Bliss complained about it on Twitter afterward, but I get where they’re coming from. Samoa Joe vs. Finn Bálor lasted 85 seconds, hometown boy Zack Ryder’s match lasted three, and then they got 10 minutes of Natalya. I’m not sure it was bad enough to necessitate a, “this is awful,” chant, but it wasn’t good enough to think someone might like it. I get that you want to support the women’s division and not shit on them all the time, but Raw and Smackdown themselves haven’t put much effort into anything this year, and a sudden dopey elimination match that would’ve dragged if it’d featured anyone and spotlighted the worst of the four might not be the hill to die on.

The more genuine complaint, I guess, would be that WWE creative (read: Vince McMahon) should put some sustained, quality focus on wrestlers and write unique, compelling stories for them instead of just throwing them out into the ring for random periods of time and expecting us to “react.” It’s why Nikki Cross could get the crowd back into it, here; she’s had an actual story going on, so fans can relate to it however they want and act accordingly. What have Natalya and Naomi done on TV this year besides shade other people’s friendships? What’s Carmella done besides be R-Truth’s familiar? Those might be things to consider before saying, “these are the best people right now,” and running multiple commercial breaks about it.

At the end of the night we get an “All-Star Battle Royal” which highlights a lot of the same issues. It’s supposed to be the top 10 challengers for the Universal Championship, but it includes guys like Sami Zayn (who has won maybe one match all year), Cesaro (who like Sami is also great in the ring, but not exactly a known winner), and random (but welcomed) folks like Big E.

Here’s Paul Heyman announcing it (above), and Brock Lesnar making more money than I’ll make this year to stand in place and kinda jog for a couple of minutes.

While it would’ve been cool and surprising to see them book Brock Lesnar vs. Big E or Brock Lesnar vs. Cesaro for SummerSlam — that one would play off some long-forgotten “Paul Heyman Guy” content from Cesaro — there were only two believable options from the beginning: Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. You might say, “what about Braun Strowman or Bobby Lashley,” but they aren’t completely done feuding with each other. Plus, like with the commercial breaks mandate, we’re living in a, “no automatic rematch clause” WWE where they still don’t have any followup ideas besides, “automatic rematch,” so we have to give the champ a throwaway match like this on Raw or Smackdown to get him back into contention. It’s an extra step to accomplish the same thing. WWE’s really making their own jobs a lot harder.

Anyway, the battle royal is fun enough, but barely a battle royal. It’s set up like the Royal Rumble, honestly, with guys taking turns hitting signature spots in the middle of the ring. There’s very little of that classic, “struggling to avoid being eliminated” stuff I crave in my old school battles royal, but the times, they are a-changing. Rollins vs. Lesnar will be fine, especially if they actually have a real wrestling match instead of doing a five minute sprint centered around nut-shots. I wanna see Brock wrestle at least one more time before he’s done, please and thank you. Tell him you’ll throw in a lifetime subscription to Back Woodsman if he uses a hammerlock at any point.

Best/Worst: Alexander The Great

I want to make sure I point out the positives here first, as Raw (1) remembered that Cedric Alexander exists, (2) continued a story from last week by using what happened then to set up something happening now, and (3) gave Ced an actual surprising win, to hopefully set up more things down the line. Ced is the jam, and I want good things for him.

Having said that, I also need to point out the bad. Remember when Roman Reigns pinned Drew McIntyre pretty easily at WrestleMania, then lost a match to Shane McMahon because of Drew McIntyre’s interference, and followed it up by pinning Drew McIntyre but not Shane? Well, Cedric Alexander tried to help Roman Reigns defeat Shane McMahon but couldn’t, and got pinned by him. So what’s the next step? Cedric Alexander pinning Drew McIntyre. It’s honestly kind of insane that they’re booking a 49-year old visibly dying sweathog of a man as the Best in the World while this 6-foot-5, perfect specimen of a professional wrestler hangs around to take all the losses. Wake the fuck up, somebody.

Best: Whatever It Drakes

I don’t want to tell a man where he can and can’t have sex with his own wife, but you’ve gotta think Drake Maverick was asking for this to happen by having his honeymoon in a hotel near the arena where Raw’s happening, and trying to have sex with her while Raw was on. Also, did anyone else think it was funny that they went directly from Drake getting pinned in his underpants to Roman Reigns winning an ESPY for beating leukemia? The tonal shifts are out of control tonight.

Regardless, this is pretty fun, and the 24/7 Championship division is already just two guys. My suggestion: a six-hour “falls count anywhere” iron man match for the 24/7 Championship at WrestleMania that’s just Drake Maverick vs. R-Truth, where it starts at the top of the kickoff show and goes until the main event. If you leave the Raymond James Stadium grounds, you automatically forfeit. The loser is never allowed to win the championship again.

Note: yes, my fantasy booking has Drake Maverick carrying Renee Michelle out of the arena at the end of the night, An Officer and a Gentleman-style. “Tell them I’m going to the back seat of my car with the woman I love, and I won’t be back for 10 minutes!”

Also On This Episode

You’ve got to love the extremely on-point gimmick of the NXT Tag Team Champions being called up to Raw, never wrestling, and just sitting in the back watching TV for three hours. They should have a watch party every night with The Ascension, Curt Hawkins, Buddy Murphy, the Authors of Pain, American Alpha, and everybody else.

Kalisto won’t be at the Watch Party, because he’s busy taking a submission loss to AJ Styles and the Good Brothers, who I guess are now the Bad Brothers. Lucha House Party should at least feel good about how they managed to split Lars Sullivan into two people, like the Slime Eyes from Link’s Awakening.

And since I neglected to mention it above, +1 to Ricochet’s sell of the Phenomenal Phorearm, which was less believable than The Undertaker being able to shoot lightning, but just as enjoyable.

Every time Dolph Ziggler talks:

HBO

Plus, to quote Pdragon619 in our open thread:

But Miz has always loved fortune and fame, how is that becoming what he hates?

Best: Top 10 Comments Of The Week

JayBone2

HEYMAN: BROCK SEASON!
VINCE: ROMAN SEASON!
HEYMAN: BROCK SEASON!
VINCE: ROMAN SEASON!
HHH: ROLLINS SEASON!
(Vince and Heyman shoot HHH)
HHH: YOURE DESPICABLE!

AJ Dusman

When Baron Corbin heard there would be nine other people involved with this, he automatically added 20% gratuity to their bill.

BeatoPuente

”Mate, you are making me, my wife, and our cameraman uncomfortable.”

AwkwardL0ser

Joe may as well have a rocking chair and a lantern at this point

troi

Raw better come back with Bray in a cardigan aghast and asking Finn what happened.

Son of Tony Zane

This may be the first wrestling match Brock’s watched in a long time.

AshBlue

Cedric Alexander, the Street Profits and No Way Jose all together backstage look like GQ, Rolling Stone, and Mad Magazine having a convention.

The Voice of Raisin

“Please, put anyone besides Lacey Evans in the Raw women’s title picture.”
A finger on the Monkey’s Paw curls down towards the palm.

TheGunslinger

*Finn pulls the mask of the Fiend*
Finn: It was Cedric Alexander all along
Cedric: And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for these terrible writers.

Brute Farce

It seems the crowd is playing along with AEW’s “librarian gimmick.”

WWE Raw

you will FLIP for this outro

That’s it for Raw. Thanks for reading about it. At least it was .. slightly less terrible than last week? Heyman can’t finish setting up his office fast enough. Drop a comment down below to let us know what you thought of the show, and give us a share on social to help us out. You’re appreciated.

“Here’s a modern Robin Hood story for you: a few strippers who stole from (mostly) rich, (usually) disgusting, (in their minds) pathetic men and gave to, well, themselves.” That’s how the 2015 New York article, “The Hustlers at Scores,” was introduced; it’s a fascinating story that’s, naturally, been turned into a movie, starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Cardi B (who got involved when director Lorene Scafaria slid into her DMs), Lili Reinhart, and Lizzo, among others, as strippers who swindle Wall Street bankers out of millions.

“These Wall Street guys, you see what they did to this country? They stole from everybody,” Lopez, as Ramona, says. “Hardworking people lost everything! And not one of these douchebags went to jail.” Scafaria told IndieWire that her cast has so many singers (and in the case of Julia Stiles, last dancers) because they’re naturals “at timing and rhythm and they just kind of are natural-born actors.” That’s clear from the trailer, set to Cardi B’s hit single “Money,” above.

Here’s the official plot summary:

Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. The film was inspired by the article published by New York magazine entitled “The Hustlers at Scores” written by Jessica Pressler.

Hustlers, which also stars Keke Palmer, Madeline Brewer, and Jon Glaser, opens on September 13. Check out a few images from the film.

STX

STX

STX

Nothing but respect for my Sex and the City.

Bob Sweeney

Queen of Jeans caught my eye (ear?) within the first ten seconds of the opening track on their debut album, Dig Yourself. We did a premiere here on Uproxx for their song “More To Love,” which I called at the time “a modern take on the doo-wop sounds of the mid-twentieth century… Although clearly taking inspiration from the rock and roll sounds of yesteryear, Queen Of Jeans have made the style completely their own, crafting a sound that is both welcoming and challenging.”

Now, the Philadelphia trio is getting to release If You’re Not Afraid, I’m Not Afraid, which fine-tunes the sounds present on their debut and filters them through the studio wizardry of Will Yip. The result is eleven empowering tracks that don’t stray away from vulnerability, putting vocalist Miriam Devora’s story on full display.

To celebrate the upcoming release, Devora sat down to talk favorite hotels, Ariana Grande, and the My Favorite Murder podcast in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

30, flirty, and, thriving.

Years from now, how do you hope people will remember your work?

If they are remembering it years from now and fondly that’s honestly good enough for me!

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

We all kinda love different ones – I really like Chicago, [guitarist] Mattie [Glass] tends to like outliers like small cities in Florida or Albuquerque lol – [drummer] Patrick [Wall] just likes any venue that has a fog machine.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Most recently I would have to say my mom, and this new album is dedicated to her and she’s the cutie on the cover.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Miss Rachel’s Pantry in South Philly!! She does these insanely delicious vegan 5 course meals that I dream about daily.

What album do you know every word to?

My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

This is too hard to narrow down but recent ones that come to mind are Lucius/Pure Bathing Culture and Lorde/Mitski.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

One of these days I will try to pull off the On Stage Sweat Pant.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Field Mouse on Twitter and Captain Sandy from Below Deck Med on Instagram.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

It’s probably “Meet Virginia” by Train but only because we’ve had an ongoing feud with each other about that song for years.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

“Netflix good lesbian movie nobody dies.”

What album makes for the perfect gift?

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that doesn’t love Lizzo and if they exist I probably don’t want to give them a gift.

Do you have a favorite hotel you enjoy staying at when you tour?

I don’t really, but Patrick loves Doubletree because they give you a cookie and Mattie loves the Holiday Inn because she has sweet childhood memories of family vacations staying there.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

I have a tattoo of a piece by the artist Laura Berger called “Shelter” that I love, it’s one of the only “for me” tattoos I have because most of my other tattoos are for my loved ones.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Ariana Grande mostly so I can diva out in the car.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Mattie once surprised me with a trip to North Carolina for my birthday to see a live showing of the My Favorite Murder podcast and I cried, drank so much wine, and purchased one of my favorite t-shirt’s ever from their merch table.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

You don’t have to date men.

What’s the last show you went to?

Jenny Lewis and Death Cab For Cutie.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

A League Of Their Own.

What would you cook if Kanye were coming to your house for dinner?

A slice of humble pie.

If You’re Not Afraid, I’m Not Afraid is out 8/23 on Topshelf Records. Pre-order here and check out the band’s upcoming tour dates here.

AMAZON

Last Updated: July 17th

Amazon Prime is way more than just a way to get your electronics and books in two days or less. There’s a wide breadth of good movies and TV shows out there to choose from if you know what you’re looking for.

To help you out, we’ve rounded the 25 best movies on Amazon Prime right now. From new Oscar winners to classic titles, you might be surprised as to what the service has available.

Related: The Best Shows On Amazon Prime Right Now, Ranked

AMAZON STUDIOS

Suspiria (2018)

Run Time: 152 min | IMDb: 6.8/10

Luca Guadagnino’s buzzed-about horror remake is a mind-bending exercise in the cinematic. Dakota Johnson plays Susie, a young dancer who arrives at a prestigious academy where disturbing happenings begin to take place. After one dancer goes missing, another dies, and a third is severely injured, the students begin investigating their instructors to discover they belong to a coven of witches with troubling rituals that rest upon the dancers playing their parts.

Paramount

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

Run Time: 130 min | IMDb: 8.6/10

James Stewart stars in this holiday flick about a down-on-his-luck businessman who laments his suburban life. George Bailey wishes for a different, more successful life, one unencumbered by a wife and kids but when his wish is granted and an angel shows him what life would be like without him, Bailey must figure out how to make the most of the present. Stewart is magnetic in the role and though it’s thought of as a Christmas classic, this film can and should be enjoyed year-round.

Add To Watchlist

Cinedigm

Short Term 12 (2013)

Run Time: 96 min | IMDb: 8/10

This film by Destin Daniel Cretton (the guy Marvel’s tapped to direct Shang-Chi) marks the first leading role for Brie Larson. Long before her Captain Marvel days, Larson was playing Grace Howard, a young woman navigating life as a supervisor of a group home for troubled teens. Other soon-to-be stars like Lakeith Stanfield and Rami Malek also have a role in this thing but it’s Larson’s vehicle and she’s in full command of it.

Add To Watchlist

Lionsgate

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Run Time: 99 min | IMDb: 8.3/10

Quentin Tarantino recruits Tim Roth and Harvey Keitel for this crime thriller about a jewelry heist gone wrong. Full of shootouts, violence, and pop culture references, the film follows the group of criminals who suspect one of their own might be working for the cops. There’s plenty of twists and inventive action sequences to keep you guessing until the end.

A24

Mid90s (2018)

Run Time: 85 min | IMDb: 7.4/10

Jonah Hill’s directorial debut is a nostalgic ode to growing up in the 90s. The film follows a 13-year-old kid named Stevie who spends one summer in L.A. navigating between his troubled home life and a new group of friends that push to him to test his own boundaries. The movie is heavy in skater culture, a scene L.A. was known for at the time, but it’s also an introspective look on making the transition from boyhood to adulthood, and how perilous that time can be.

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A24

Lady Bird (2017)

Run Time: 94 min | IMDb: 7.5/10

Greta Gerwig’s love letter to her hometown of Sacramento, California follows Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf as they navigate the often-frustrating relationship between mother and daughter. Ronan plays “Ladybird,” a young woman attending Catholic school who longs for the culture and change of scenery that New York City promises. Her mother, Metcalf, is overbearing and overprotective, and the family’s lack of money and social standing contributes to a rift between the two. Some hard truths are explored in this film, but watching Ronan manage teenage angst, first love, and everything in between will give you all kinds of nostalgia.

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A24

Hereditary (2018)

Run Time: 127 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

Toni Collette stars in this terrifying nightmare by first-time director Ari Aster. The film charts the grief and shared trauma of the Graham family. Annie (Collette) is mourning the loss of her secretive mother, worrying over her inherited mental health issues and her children. When her son Peter accidentally kills his sister, hauntings begin happenings. Malevolent spirits, possessions, a seance gone wrong — this is pure nightmare fuel people.

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A24

First Reformed (2017)

Run Time: 113 min | IMDb: 7.1/10

A dark, morose examination on everything from faith and fidelity to climate change, grief, and mental health issues, Paul Schrader’s drama about a Protestant minister struggling to reconcile his beliefs with the changing world around him is a poignant, if heavy-handed, commentary on some pretty complicated universal themes. Ethan Hawke gives a stand-out performance as Reverend Toller, a man mourning the loss of his son, facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, and grappling with the reality of his dwindling church membership. He counsels a young woman named Mary (Amanda Seyfried) about her husband, who’s entered a dangerous state of depression over the very real issue of climate change; and through his relationship with her, Toller confronts his own demons and his community’s narrow-minded views. It’s by no means a fun watch, but Hawke is such an underrated actor that being surprised by his stroke of genius in this role is reason enough to stream.

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MSNBC Films

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

Run Time: 95 min | IMDb: 8.6/10

When filmmaker Kurt Kuenne’s childhood friend Andrew Bagby is killed and his suspected killer/ex-girlfriend reveals she’s pregnant, Kurt decides to make a documentary chronicling Andrew’s life. While largely a love letter to a man who touched the lives of many for Zachary, the son he never met, Dear Zachary also tells the starkly bitter side of a broken Canadian legal system that directly endangered a baby. We follow the drawn-out custody battle between Andrew’s parents and Zachary’s mother, interspersed with loving snapshots into the Bagby family. The story sucks you in, but it’s also the at times comedic, fast-paced, and downright enraging documentary style of the film that breaks up the emotional tale.

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Paramount

Annihilation (2018)

Run Time: 115 min | IMDb: 6.9/10

Natalie Portman leads this cast of badass women investigating a natural phenomenon that is slowly invading Earth. Portman plays Lena, a biologist who leads a team of women consisting of a psychologist (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a scientist (Tessa Thompson), and a paramedic (Gina Rodriguez) into “The Shimmer,” a quarantined zone mutated by alien DNA that seems to be transforming matter at will and spreading further each day. Past teams, including one led by Lena’s husband (Oscar Isaac), have disappeared in The Shimmer and Lena goes searching for a clue as to what happened to them and how she can save her husband — who returned changed from his mission. The entire journey is filled with bizarre happenings tied to meta-commentary about evolution and the human condition but honestly, the coolest thing about this movie is its cast and the kick-ass characters they play

Paramount

Shutter Island (2010)

Run Time: 138 min | IMDb: 8.1/10

DiCaprio and Scorsese team up again, this time for a dramatic thriller that feels different from their normal fare but still just as intense. DiCaprio plays a detective drawn to a mysterious island that houses a psychiatric facility for the criminally insane. He’s investigating the case of an escaped convict, but a conveniently-timed storm, a hostile staff, and some strange happenings lead him down a rather dark and dangerous rabbit hole. There’s a twist ending here worthy of its build-up, and DiCaprio shares the screen with some notable talents including Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Emily Mortimer.

A24

Eighth Grade (2017)

Run Time: 93 min | IMDb: 7.5/10

Comedian Bo Burnham’s directorial debut looks at the social anxieties of a young girl on the cusp of her high school career. Elsie Fisher plays Kayla, a pre-teen in her final week of eighth grade. She’s virtually friendless, choosing to spend her time creating inspiring Youtube videos that no one sees. When she decides to venture from her computer screen, attending pool parties and hanging out with older kids, she’s thrust into situations she’s not entirely ready for. The film is a painfully honest look at the pressure of growing up, the loss of innocence, and how social media can contribute to feelings of anxiety and isolation in teens, especially young girls who are forced to grow up much more quickly than their male counterparts.

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PARAMOUNT PICTURES

mother! (2017)

Run Time: 121 min | IMDb: 6.6/10

Darren Aronofsky’s mystery thriller might best be described as “polarizing.” You’ll either tap into the various themes churning just under the surface of this thing, or you’ll walk away after the two hours are up thinking, “What in the hell did I just see?” Either way, the film does A LOT and it gives its A-list cast including Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Ed Harris, even more to chew on. Whether you love it or hate it, mother! is a film you need to see at least once.

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CJ Entertainment

The Handmaiden (2016)

Run Time: 144 min | IMDb: 8.1/10

Based on a historical crime novel set in Victoria-Era England, Park Chan-wook’s lavish, mesmerizing thriller focuses on two young women fighting to escape oppression by the men in their lives. Chan-woo has traded the stuffy British countryside for Japanese-occupied Korea, telling the stories of Lady Hideko and her handmaiden Sook-hee in three parts, weaving a tale of passion, betrayal, dark secrets, and revenge with grander themes of imperialism, colonial rule, and patriarchal corruption. The two women are the draw of the film with both resorting to illicit, illegal, morally compromising schemes in order to gain their freedom, but love is an unintended consequence that leaves the third act — one you might think you have figured out halfway through the film — completely unpredictable.

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Amazon

The Big Sick (2017)

Run Time: 120 min | IMDb: 7.6/10

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon drew from their own unusual love story for their script about a Chicago comic named Kumail (Nanjiani) who falls in love with Emily, a woman (Zoe Kazan) who falls into a coma while in the midst of a rift in their relationship created by the expectations of Kumail’s traditional parents. The funny, moving romantic comedy also features strong supporting work from Ray Romano and Holly Hunter as Emily’s parents, who form an awkward bond with Kumail as they wait for Emily’s recovery.

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Grammercy Pictures

Fargo (2006)

Run Time: 98 min | IMDb: 8.1/10

Before FX gave us some spectacular follow-up formatted for TV, the Coen brothers introduced us to the cold, weirdly-accented world of murder and cover-up in Fargo, a thriller continues to stand the test of time. The premise is probably familiar by now: a criminal mastermind’s plan goes awry thanks to the ineptitude and bungling of his henchman and the persistence of a dogged policewoman (the unfairly-talented Frances McDormand). Still, it’s worth a rewatch.

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Amazon

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Run Time: 89 min | IMDb: 6.8/10

Joaquin Phoenix stars as a troubled hitman with a dark past in this thrilling crime flick from Lynne Ramsay. Phoenix plays Joe, a gun for hire, former military man and FBI agent, who spends most of his time rescuing victims of sex trafficking. He’s recruited to save a Senator’s daughter from a brothel that caters to high-end clientele, but the job thrusts him into the center of a conspiracy that costs him everything and ends in blood and tragedy. It’s a relentless slog to be sure, but it works because Ramsay is more interested in profiling the man, not the hits he makes.

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Lionsgate

Wonder (2018)

Run Time: 113 min | IMDb: 8/10

This family drama based on an NY Times bestseller stars Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as parents to a truly remarkable little boy named Auggie. Auggie has a facial deformity that affects his social life as he begins going to school for the first time. Since we’re nearing the holidays, and this is a time that’s all about families, it makes sense Amazon added this to their library. The kids will love it (and, hopefully, learn from it).

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Via Amazon Studios

Beautiful Boy (2018)

Run Time: 120 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet star in this heartbreaking drama about a father trying to save his son from a drug addiction that’s slowly eating away at his family. Carell plays David, a New York Times writer who struggles to help his son Nic (Chalamet) after he falls victim to a worrying drug habit. He has moments of sobriety, attending college, living with his mother in L.A., and working at a drug clinic to help others battling the disease. Yet eventually, his addiction returns, and Nic is powerless to fight it. David is forced to choose between sacrificing his family and his own sanity or continuing to help his son. Both Carell and Chalamet give powerful performances that elevate what essentially is an emotionally restrained look at father-son relationships and the landmines they navigate.

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CBS Films

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Run Time: 104 min | IMDb: 7.5/10

A portrait of a particular moment in music history, when the folk revival found young musicians discovering their voices in old styles and old songs, Inside Llewyn Davis stars Oscar Isaac as a singer/songwriter who can never quite translate his talent into professional success. Joel and Ethan Coen both exactingly recreate early ‘60s New York and use it as the site of one of an affecting tale of the clash between artistic impulses and the needs of the material world, a theme they’d previously explored with Barton Fink and would pick up again with Hail, Caesar!.

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A24

The Disaster Artist (2017)

Run Time: 104 min | IMDb: 7.5/10

Only an actor as confusing and committed to swimming against the Hollywood tide as James Franco could direct this pseudo-biography of Tommy Wiseau, an aspiring filmmaker who made the wrong kind of noise in the industry with his theatrics while trying to get a feature film made. Wiseau in real life is an enigmatic kind of train wreck, and Franco plays him brilliantly here, injecting heart and a dreamy sense of possibility to his story.

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Oscilloscope

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)

Run Time: 110 min | IMDb: 7.2/10

Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton), who’s unwilling and unable to properly care for her troubled son Kevin, watches her life unravel as her husband (John C. Reilly) ignores their problems and Kevin grows more and more sociopathic and violent. The story jumps around in time, showing Swinton’s character as both a new mother who blames her son for ruining her life and as a woman who eventually blames herself for what becomes of her son. Swinton proves once again that she’s the actress that indie movies need for complex characters that live their lives in grey areas. At its core, We Need To Talk is about the importance of proper parenting, communication, and probably therapy. And it’s not for the faint of heart.

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Bleecker Street

Logan Lucky (2017)

Run Time: 118 min | IMDb: 7.1/10

Ten years after his last Ocean‘s entry, Steven Soderbergh revisits the heist genre, this time centering on a pair of unlucky brothers (Channing Tatum and Adam Driver) working a scheme to rip off a big NASCAR race. Memorable side characters, rapid-fire dialogue, and charismatic performances keep the story from becoming too predictable even for a twist-filled heist tale. Soderbergh was even able to cut out major studios and keep complete creative control over the movie, thanks to streaming services and international distribution. It’s a largely light-hearted movie, and frankly, that’s necessary sometimes.

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CJ Entertainment

The Man From Nowhere (2010)

Run Time: 119 min | IMDb: 7.8/10

A mysterious pawnshop owner (Won Bin), whose only friend is a child that lives next door, tears the local criminal presence apart after she’s kidnapped. This South Korean thriller from Lee Jeong-beom follows a similar format to such films as Léon: The Professional and Man On Fire of “guy with a shady past protects little girl”, but The Man From Nowhere still crafts an original tale of a heartbroken man out to save the only thing he has left in this world. The action sequences are bloody and intense, and Bin’s stoic performance brings a painful depth to the brutal savior.

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Oscilloscope

Coherence (2014)

Run Time: 89 min | IMDb: 7.2/10

Coherence is one of those low-budget sci-fi stories that is extremely tough to explain without either giving too much away or requiring an extended entry. Essentially, a group of friends sifts through their own issues and insecurities during a mind-bending paradoxical experience. Taking place almost entirely in the same room on a single night, the characters struggle to find answers just as much as the viewer. It’s a challenging yet enthralling film, perfect for those who love to overthink things.

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Recent Changes Through July 2019:
Removed: A Beautiful Mind
Added: Reservoir Dogs

For months now, Chance The Rapper has been teasing his debut album, and finally, we have concrete info. He was a guest on The Tonight Show yesterday, and while there, he told Jimmy Fallon the name of the album and the release date, and he also showed him the cover art.

Fallon first revealed the art, which features a hand holding a clear CD, which has been embedded with crystals or diamonds or something of that nature. Chance and Fallon also had an agreement that if Fallon pre-ordered the album, Chance would reveal the title and release date. Fallon made his purchase on air using his phone, so Chance then revealed that the record is called The Big Day, and that it’s coming out very soon, on July 26.

Elsewhere in the conversation, meanwhile, Chance spoke about his role in the new The Lion King movie, which he previously explained in a recent Instagram post. Chance went through pretty much that same story with Fallon, saying how he was brought on as a “nostalgia consultant” and how he did some minor voice work for the movie. Chance put his acting skills to the test further with a round of “Box Of Lies” as well.

Watch Chance’s appearance on The Tonight Show above, and check out the The Big Day album art below.

Chance The Rapper

The Big Day is out 7/26 via Chance The Rapper. Pre-order it here.

Getty Image

The dog days of summer are here. Temperatures keep pushing up and up and humidity is settling in over a large swath of the country. It can be … stifling, to say the least, and leave you longing for milder climates to beat that summer heat.

Finding a spot in the summer that boasts the benefits of still being in a city (restaurants, clubs, bars) and has no shortage of swimming holes to cool down in is a pretty legit definition of paradise. You get the chance to meet new people, try new foods, drink new beers, and also score a little r ‘n r at the beach, on a river, or along the lakeshore.

With all those goals in mind, we thought we’d throw together a shortlist of some of our favorite small cities that offer wonderful escapes from the hotter spots in the country. We’ve tried to include larger small cities and some lesser-known spots that feel more like big towns. Some of the locations are inland and some of them are surrounded by the sea. Variety — with relatively cool temps — is what we’re going for.

PROVIDENCE, RI

Average Temperature and Precipitation In Summer:

H: 83° L: 64°, 3.29-inches of rainfall.

Why Providence:

Nestled along the Atlantic coast in a small corner of New England, you’ll find the small-but-bustling city of Providence. The city is seaside adjacent with one of the best art communities in the country — thanks, in part, to Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) calling the city home.

Where there are artists, there’s a great scene. The food community in Providence is bourgeoning, with talented chefs staying home after attending culinary school thanks to cheap rents in the city for brick and mortars. The bar scene ebbs from classic dives full of college students to rooftop cocktail hangouts, where you might actually bump into the mayor. The city is covered in murals celebrating all walks of American life.

Protip, don’t skip on Federal Hill. It’s one of America’s oldest Little Italy neighborhoods with classic red sauce restaurants, delis with hanging cheeses and cured meats, bakeries overflowing with cannolis, and a long list of great bars to crawl through.

Where to take a dip: Newport County

Rhode Island is the Ocean State. There’s a lot of coast to choose from. Newport County tends to be the spot where you can find secluded beaches like Mackerel Cove, Gooseberry Beach, and South Shore Beach. The best part, Newport is barely 30 minutes from Providence by car. Rhode Island is tiny, y’all.

TACOMA, WA

Average Temperature and Precipitation In Summer:

H: 77° L: 56°, 0.68-inches of rainfall.

Why Tacoma:

Seattle gets a lot of love these days. With reason, Seattle is dope AF. The thing is, there’s a great smaller version of Seattle about the same distance south of SeaTac Airport.

Tacoma is all about its neighborhoods. 6th Ave above downtown is full of great dive bars, jazz clubs, and all the pho you can eat, nestled right next to local bbq joints. Then there’s Ruston Way, the waterfront, and Old Town. That stretch runs north of downtown towards a small collection of old-town buildings over-looking Commencement Bay with views of the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier. From Old Town along Ruston Way, which hugs the Bay and creates a waterfront, you’ll find smoked salmon shacks and fish and chip houses. We’re telling you, it’s freakin’ idyllic.

The only drawback to the bay is that the water is too cold for swimming. You’ll find fishermen and scuba divers but the water is just too chilly, even at the height of summer, for much of a dip. Don’t worry. There are other places to get wet.

Where to take a dip: Spanaway Lake

Tacoma is right up against the Cascade Mountains so there are a lot of lake options within a stone’s throw of downtown. One of our favorites is Spanaway Lake which is technically still in the city. The lake is surrounded by tall evergreen trees, making it the perfect spot to get away from it all, take a leisurely stroll, maybe rent a rowboat, and, yes, go for a refreshing swim.

RAPID CITY, SD

Average Temperature and Precipitation In Summer:

H: 84° L: 56°, 2.14-inches of rainfall.

Why Rapid City:

Rapid City does get a little warm. Though, to be fair, that heat is a dry Great Plains heat with little humidity. Rapid City is also the gateway to the wonderland that is the Black Hills. The outdoor playground is one of the most stunning corners of America — with a deep Indigenous history and unique terrain from the actual mountains to the Badlands to the grass prairies.

Don’t sleep on spending a little time in Rapid City itself. Local craft breweries, speakeasy cocktail bars, and arcades dot Main Street in between gun shops and Lakota trading posts. There’s nowhere quite like it in the nation.

While you’ll need a car to get around Rapid City and further afield into the Black Hills and Badlands, it’s worth the extra effort. Also, take some extra time to hit up the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to get a deeper understanding of the local scene and history that’s still living today.

Where to take a dip: Devil’s Bathtub Spearfish Canyon

Northwest of Rapid City, past Deadwood, you’ll find the Spearfish Canyon along Spearfish Creek. This is a great place to hike, float, and enjoy some great waterfalls and swimming holes. You’ll arrive at Bridal Veil Falls first. It’ll be tempting to stick around there, but push on to the Devil’s Bathtub which is another very Instagrammable falls with a deep and crystalline swimming hole.

MACKINAW CITY, MI

Average Temperature and Precipitation In Summer:

H: 75° L:58°, 2.54-inches of rainfall.

Why Mackinaw City:

The top end of Michigan is a summer playground with great lakes, hundreds of miles of beaches, lakeside villages, and seemingly endless forests. This is a nature lover’s paradise and the perfect summer escape.

While there aren’t a lot of “big” cities around northern Michigan, there are plenty of towns to use as a home base while you frolic. Mackinaw City is really a “city” in name only. It’s more a quaint lakeshore town that serves as a base of operation for exploring the wider Great Lakes and islands around the northern tip of Michigan.

Our advice, jump on the passenger-only ferry out to Mackinac Island. The car-less island is a step back in time with a small village of restaurants and bars supporting a town with classic cottages and Grand Hotels where you can sleep, party, and play. It’s the perfect summer escape.

Where to take a dip: British Landing, Mackinac Island

Make your way to the northwest corner of Mackinac Island. It’ll be a lovely stroll through a shady forest, or you can rent bikes in town. There’s a sandy stretch of beach and a massive lake to spend the day swimming in. And, if you don’t want to pack in a lot of food, there’s a small walk-up food spot selling fries, burgers, dogs, drinks, and ice cream at the entrance to the beach.

CLEVELAND, OHIO

Average Temperature and Precipitation In Summer:

H: 83° L:64°, 3.46-inches of rainfall.

Why Cleveland:

On the opposite end of the Great Lakes, you’ll find Cleveland. The Ohio city has been going through a renaissance over the last decade or so — with renewed interest in local food scenes, a great craft beer community, and a revitalization of the city overall thanks to an influx of artists.

Cleveland is one of those places that sort of benefitted from being a joke for so long. Rents remained cheap and opportunities were aplenty. That means chefs, bartenders, brewers, artists, and dreamers started moving in and making the city their own. Luckily for the rest of us, it’s still cheap to visit and enjoy all of those things.

It’s also a lakeside city with a long list of great lakefront parks to choose from, keeping it super chill over the warmer summer months.

Where to take a dip: Edgewater Park Beach

Edgewater Park has both a pier and a beach to chill at. The beach is the perfect spot to cool off while the mid-day sun beats down. When the day starts to cool, you can head back towards downtown to hit up one of Cleveland’s many breweries for some suds and pierogis.

JACKSON HOLE, WY

Average Temperature and Precipitation In Summer:

H: 81° L:40°, 1.40-inches of rainfall

Why Jackson:

This is probably the most beautiful entry on the list. Jackson Hole is nestled against the Grand Tetons Mountains which are simply stunning. Then there’s the massive Snake River running just out of town. And of course, there’s freaking Yellowstone about 90 minutes up the road. There’s a lot to do around these parts, is what we’re saying.

Focusing in on Jackson, though, there’s plenty happening in the town. Great barbecue joints pepper the rustic western streets. There are dive bars, saloons, and burger joints aplenty. The brewery scene is kicking off with a local bent on classic American beers.

This is the sort of place where nature is within striking distance in any direction. You can go all-in and take serious treks into the mountains (beware of bears) or you can keep it chill and stay in town and just pop out into the woods for an afternoon hike. You do you.

Where to take a dip: Phelps Lake Jump Rock

About 40 minutes north of Jackson, you’ll find Phelps Lake and one of the best jumps in the state. The 30-foot high dive from a rock face is an exhilarating rush. The massive wall of Grand Tetons behind you as you take your plunge — making the whole experience that much more special.

EDITOR’S PICK: BEND, OR

Average Temperature and Precipitation In Summer:

H: 81° L:46°, 0.48-inches of rainfall.

Why Bend:

In the mid-2000s, Bend saw an almost unprecedented population explosion. Suddenly the town where I’d spent so many childhood summers was everyone’s favorite place to be. Why? The city is unparalleled for adventure seekers — bosting some of the best mountain biking in the nation, acting as a gateway to world-class whitewater, and positioned near Smith Rock, one of the most famous climbing spots on earth.

Boomtimes brought new food and drink to the downtown area and the proximity to Portland meant it was all properly hipster-fied and boutique-ized. Tease these qualities all you want, but the fact remains: bearded coffee nerds who give themselves over to roasting the perfect cuppa create products that are infinitely better than generic Starbucks sugar bombs. Among all these new entries to the Bend scene, the most famous is Deschutes Brewery — which operates a taproom and brewhouse in town and has garnered worldwide attention for its innovative beers.

This is dog day paradise — stroll along the shady lanes, shop for comics, chase down some of that fresh-roasted coffee, and bask in the mellow, slow life. Then go out on an adventure and absolutely f*cking rage.

Where to take a dip: The Bend Whitewater Park

The Bend Whitewater Park is an absolute joy for anyone who wants to get wet. The river is bifurcated by a rock path. On one side, you can tube, slide, or raft down a series of small rapids. On the other, you can surf a standing wave — tearing back and forth for minutes at a time while bathing-suit clad onlookers watch. It’s a true aquatic adventure and it’s right there in the city.

— Steve Bramucci, Editorial Director, UPROXX Life

Marvel

Last Updated: July 17th

Comedies can be difficult to compare. Sometimes you’re in the mood for something cerebral, and other times you just want to watch people get punched in the nuts. While there are definitely some gems in Netflix’s movie sections, you have to dig through a lot of straight-to-DVD sequels and bad indie flicks to find the best comedies to watch. While people have cracked the code for finding the best comedies on Netflix right now, we’ve put together a list of some of the funniest movies as a starting point in your quest for the perfect Friday night in.

Related: The Best Dark Comedies On Netflix Right Now

Universal Pictures

1. Hot Fuzz (2007)

Run Time: 120 min | IMDb: 7.9/10

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg have teamed up many times (usually with director Edgar Wright) to create almost universal awesomeness, but there’s something about Hot Fuzz that stands above the rest. The film is simultaneously a hilarious parody of and a passionate love letter to classic action films and Pegg has never been better than as Nicholas Angel, a London cop forced to take a position in the small village of Sanford. He soon begins to realize that the unfortunate “accidents” that keep happening in town are no accident at all, leading to a bloody standoff between Angel and those who have a truly warped way of maintaining “the greater good.” Made by people who love action films for people who love action films, it’s a comedic masterwork.

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Focus Features

2. In Bruges (2007)

Run Time: 107 min | IMDb: 7.9/10

In Bruges was the movie that revealed Colin Farrell could be funny. A character actor stuck in a leading man’s body, Farrell gives arguably the best performance of his career as Ray, a rookie Irish hitman on the run with his partner and mentor, Ken (Brendan Gleeson), after accidentally killing a kid while executing a priest. While that may not sound much like the premise of a comedy, director Martin McDonagh crafted a truly hilarious movie. Farrell and Gleeson play off each other wonderfully all the way to the film’s dark finale. But as great as they are, they’re overshadowed at times by an incredible performance from Ralph Fiennes as their boss, Harry. Fiennes is at once funny and terrifying as a man steadfast in his principles, even when that involves murder.

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EMI Films

3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Run Time: 91 min | IMDb: 8.3/10

Even if you’ve never seen any of the Monty Python films, you most certainly know of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It’s been quoted, memed, gif-ed, and idolized by comedy fans for generations. At its core, it’s a parody of the legends of King Arthur and his knights. It’s stocked with an impressive cast — John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, etc — and its full of eccentric characters, bizarre adventures, and gut-bustingly funny jokes. Think failed Trojan Rabbits, modern-day murder investigations, animated monsters, and musical numbers. Intellectual midgets everywhere will love it.

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Screen Gems

4. Snatch (2000)

Run Time: 103 min | IMDb: 8.3/10

Brad Pitt and Jason Statham star in this crime comedy from Guy Ritchie. One half of the story follows Benicio del Toro, who plays a diamond thief trying to sell his stolen goods to some double-crossing gangsters. The other story follows Statham as small-time boxing promoter struggling to get out from under the thumb of a ruthless drug lord with a love for torture. Ritchie’s patented vibe is on full-display here, which makes it a quintessentially fun British jaunt.

Orion Pictures

5. Caddyshack (1980)

Run Time: 98 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

Harold Ramis’ outrageous 80s classic is a whos-who of comedy legends. Rodney Dangerfield plays Al Czervik, a loud, brash newcomer to a prestigious golf club who irks the co-owner to no end and bets the fate of the place on a high-stakes game. Chevy Chase plays another member, a suave ladies’ man who helps Czervik screw over the club’s owner, Judge Elihu Smails (Ted Knight) while Bill Murray plays a deranged grounds manager in a war of wits with a clever gopher that’s been terrorizing the course. It’s not the most high-brow of comedies, but the performances make up for the unintelligible plot.

Marvel

6. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Run Time: 130 min | IMDb: 7.9/10

Before Black Panther became one of the highest grossing films in the Marvel Universe, Chris Hemsworth’s hammer-loving hero gave the superhero franchise a much-needed dose of humor and fun with Thor: Ragnarok. Directed by Taika Waititi, the film follows the Asgardian warrior as he tries to save his home from the brutal reign of his long-lost sister Hela (a wickedly good Cate Blanchett) and fight his way out of off-planet gladiator pits with the help of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and a Valkyrie played by Tessa Thompson. Is this technically a superhero film? Sure, but with Waititi directing, it doubles as a comedy.

Columbia TriStar

7. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

Run Time: 107 min | IMDb: 8.2/10

Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn pair up for this British comedy about a group of friends who become entangled in a turf war of sorts after a card game gone wrong. Eddy (Nick Moran) is a card shark who buys into a high stake game hosted by a mob boss named Harry. The game is rigged, and Eddy and his friends soon owe hundreds of thousands of dollars to the gang. To score the cash, they decide to rob a rival gang, who in turn have stolen money and weed from some local cannabis suppliers. Eventually, all of this thieving leads to shootouts and brawls over money, drugs, and two antique shotguns. Ritchie put himself and Jason Statham on the map with this one, patenting a fast-action, quick-witted type of storytelling that works well here and is a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

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Universal

8. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

Run Time: 116 min | IMDb: 7.1/10

Before Steve Carell achieved the level of salt-and-pepper suave he’s been sporting on the red carpet lately, he played a middle-aged virgin in Judd Apatow’s raunchy, ridiculous comedy, The 40 Year Old Virgin. Carell’s Andy is a salesman at a Radio Shack-like tech store who’s constantly teased by his buddies for not doing the deed. When he meets an attractive, single mother named Trish, he tries to get rid of his V-card by suffering through some bad advice on romance from his friends and a particularly brutal hot wax session. It’s not the highest of art forms, but Carell sells this movie hook, line, and sinker with his undeniable comedic instincts and his willingness to constantly embarrass himself on-screen.

Disney

9. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

Run Time: 78 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

Here’s an over-reaching statement that we will defend until the end of time: The Emperor’s New Groove is one of the greatest animated films of our generation. The film follows a spoiled king (voiced by David Spade), who is accidentally turned into a llama and goes on the run from his evil adviser Yzma (Eartha freaking Kitt people). He’s befriended by a lovable llama herder named Pacha (John Goodman) who helps him take back his thrown. Llamas don’t get enough screen time, to be honest, and they make for hilarious heroes, but the real star of this show is Kronk (Partick Warburton), Yzma’s dim-witted, kind-hearted sidekick who can talk to squirrels and was so entertaining, he got his own spin-off.

Sony

10. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Run Time: 99 min | IMDb: 7.8/10

The early aughts action-comedy borrows elements from famous Kung Fu films of the ’70s and pairs them with a completely ridiculous plot and some impressive cartoon-style fight sequences to produce a wholly original flick that we guarantee you’ll marvel at. The film follows the exploits of two friends, Sing and Bone, who impersonate gang members in the hopes of joining a gang themselves and inadvertently strike up a gang war that nearly destroys the slums of the city. Of course, the real draw here is the absurdist, over-the-top comedy that takes place during some of the film’s biggest action sequences. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, but only if you check your brain at the door.

A24

11. The Lobster (2015)

Run Time: 119 min | IMDb: 7.1/10

Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz star in this dark, absurdist comedy about a man searching for love under some very strange circumstances. Farrell plays David, a man whose wife recently left him. David is sent to a hotel where he’s told he must find a mate within 45 days or be turned into an animal. While there, David witnesses strange rituals and must follow strict rules in order to find love, but it’s not until he ventures into the woods, where the “loners” live, that he pairs up with a woman (Weisz) who may be his soulmate. It’s weird, eccentric, and the perfect Farrell-starring vehicle.

Netflix

12. The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Run Time: 133 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

The Coen brothers are back with a slick new Western romp, one that serves as an ode to all of the tropes present in Hollywood’s best Wild West adaptations. Split into six parts, each story is loosely connected although thematically and tonally different. Tim Blake Nelson stars as the titular hero, a sharpshooting songster who takes part in the film’s opening musical portion. From there, we get stories of outlaws getting their due, prospectors mining for gold, ghostly hauntings, and wagon trails. Forget trying to follow the thread and simply enjoy the ride with this one.

Dale Robinette/Columbia Pictures

13. Pineapple Express (2008)

Run Time: 111 min | IMDb: 7/10

Seth Rogen and James Franco star in this comedy about a process server and his drug dealer who go on the run from a couple of hitmen. Rogen plays Dale, a 25-year-old slacker who witnesses a murder and is hunted (along with his drug dealer Saul, played by Franco) by a drug lord intent on silencing him before he can go to the police. The two get into all kinds of hijinks involving Asian mobsters, barn explosions, and nursing homes.

Buena Vista Pictures

14. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Run Time: 109 min | IMDb: 6.8/10

Before Martin Freeman was traversing Middle Earth with a bunch of dwarves, the dude was making his way across the galaxy with Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell. This space epic, based on the classic novel, follows Arthur Dent (Freeman), a regular schmoe who discovers his best friend is from an alien planet and that his own is scheduled for demolition. He barely escapes the big bang before going on a quest with a wacky space captain, a clinically depressed robot, and a fellow Earth woman.

New World Pictures

15. Heathers (1981)

Run Time: 103 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

One for the outsiders, Heathers is the darkest of the ’80s teen comedies. While your “teen-angst bulls*t” may not have had a body count, everyone can relate to the constant pressure to be popular that plagues high school hallways. Winona Ryder proves herself to be the ultimate cool girl as Veronica, who takes matters into her own hands in order to destroy a toxic clique. Cynical and more than a little cruel, Heathers changed the game for teen films forever. While Mean Girls may be its spiritual successor, Heathers remains the one Queen Bee to rule them all.

Columbia Pictures

16. Zombieland (2009)

Run Time: 88 min | IMDb: 7.6/10

Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Jesse Eisenberg star in this zom-com about a group of survivors traveling the country together during the zombie apocalypse. Eisenberg plays Columbus, a nerdy kid who believes that, if he sticks to his rules, he’ll make it out of this thing alive. Harrelson plays Tallahassee, a man on an odd mission, and Stone plays Wichita, a grifter, and con-artist with her own reasons for joining the pair. It’s a gore-filled riot that knows how to make fun of itself.

Magnet Releasing

17. Goon (2011)

Run Time: 91 min | IMDb: 6.8/10

Goon proves that a movie about hockey can not only be hilariously profane, but it can also be kind of sweet. Doug Glatt (Sean Williams Scott) is so dumb, but so incredibly nice that it’s impossible to root against him. When it becomes clear that he has a real affinity for punching the hell out of people, he gets recruited onto a semi-pro hockey team as an enforcer. Tired of being labeled the family loser, Doug just wants to find his thing, and it turns out, hockey is definitely that thing. Even those rolled their eyes at Scott’s Stifler shtick in the American Pie movies will be pleasantly surprised at what he brings to the table in this film, an extremely funny twist on the traditional underdog sports tale.

A24

18. Obvious Child (2014)

Run Time: 84 min | IMDb: 6.8/10

Jenny Slate is one of the more underrated comedians in the game right now, but she proved herself a capable leading lady in Gillian Robespierre’s indie rom-com, Obvious Child. Slate plays Donna, a young hopeful trying to make it in the world of stand-up. She frequents a few undergrounds around New York City, honing her set while disappointing her successful academic mother by phoning it in at a used bookstore in Brooklyn for her regular 9-5. She has a brief and promising love affair with Max (Jake Lacy) before facing a dilemma: an unplanned pregnancy. There aren’t many films that can tackle the sensitive topic of abortion with dignity, grace, and a ton of poop jokes, so you’ll want to check this one out.

Universal

19. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Run Time: 97 min | IMDb: 6.7/10

David Wain’s raunchy summer camp comedy avoids focusing on young kids whose parents have shipped them off for the season and instead, turns its lens to the counselors in charge of their care, horny, hormonal young adults who behave just as badly. Set on the last day of camp, the film follows the group as they hook up, get married, put on talent shows, and try to save the camp from a rogue piece of satellite debris. It’s a weird plot but the cast, which includes greats like Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Bradley Cooper, Christopher Meloni, and more, makes up for it.

Universal Pictures

20. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Run Time: 112 min | IMDb: 7.5/10

Edgar Wright’s 2010 action comedy about a hapless boy who must defeat evil ex-boyfriends in order to win the hand of the girl he loves is a fast-paced ride that bombards the senses. Michael Cera plays a loveable goof in the titular hero, a young man enamored with a woman named Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to be with his lady love, Scott must fight her evil exes, six guys, one girl, who challenge him to truly strange contests. The film is a cinematic mash-up of Japanese anime and gamer culture, intended for the crowd who grew up on Nintendo and comic books, but it brings plenty of laughs all the same.

Touchstone Pictures

21. The Waterboy (1998)

Run Time: 89 min | IMDb: 6.1/10

Remember when we used to like Adam Sandler? Sure, his comedies were never high art, but you still find yourself quoting them to this very day. The Waterboy is the classic example of this comfortable familiarity. Sandler mugs his way through his performance as a football team’s waterboy who gets a shot at playing due to his ability to channel his rage into unexpected prowess on the field, and you’ll find yourself cocooned in the welcoming embrace of ’90s nostalgia.

Summit

22. 50/50 (2011)

Run Time: 100 min | IMDb: 7.7/10

Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in this dramedy based on a true story about a 27-year-old guy battling cancer, and the friend that tries to support him along the way. Levitt plays Adam, a reserved young man facing a cancer diagnosis that requires a risky surgical operation to cure. Rogen plays his best friend Kyle, an outspoken slacker who uses his friend’s illness to pick up women. The two share some darkly comedic jabs on the topic that’ll have you laughing out loud, even though you probably shouldn’t.

Focus Features

23. Burn After Reading (2008)

Run Time: 95 min | IMDb: 7/10

Burn After Reading is for people who like their comedy unapologetically mean. Pitch black and filled with irredeemable idiots, Burn After Reading features Brad Pitt as the opportunistic himbo Chad who accidentally acquires the sensitive memoirs of a CIA agent and George Clooney as the inept and unscrupulous U.S. Marshall who is trying to retrieve it. While these two morons may be at the center of the film, scene-stealing supporting performances from Frances McDormand and John Malkovich really elevate this to one of the Coens’ funniest and best films to date.

Netflix

24. Someone Great (2019)

Run Time: 92 min | IMDb: 6.1/10

Gina Rodriguez, Brittany Snow, and DeWanda Wise team up for this romantic comedy about a young woman’s final hurrah before leaving NYC. Rodriguez plays a journalist named Jenny who must pack up her life, leave her friends, and travel to the West Coast for an exciting job opportunity. Unfortunately for her, her boyfriend of nearly 10 years decides to call it quits, which leaves Jenny on the party warpath, determined to have one final night of fun before her big trip. Lakeith Stanfield also stars in this, and with Netflix’s pretty stellar rom-com track record lately, bet on this being a fun watch.

Miramax Films

25. Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Run Time: 104 min | IMDb: 6.9/10

Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith return in their roles as stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob. The two travel to Hollywood to stop production of a movie based on their comic book characters after discovering negative reactions to the film online. Along the way, they hook up with a group of diamond thieves, an orangutan named Suzanne, and they land on the police’s radar for allegedly being a part of an eco-terrorist group. The film was meant to be the final installment in Smith’s View Askewniverse, and it’s got a hefty list of celebrity cameos as well.

Netflix

26. The Incredible Jessica James (2017)

Run Time: 83 min | IMDb: 6.5/10

Anyone who caught Jessica Williams during her tenure on The Daily Show knows that she’s destined for greatness. Despite being so young, she had a confidence, a voice, and a commanding presence that you just can’t fake. The Incredible Jessica James is her first starring vehicle since her time as a correspondent, and it is a true testament to where she’s headed. In a clever look at the life of a struggling playwright who is getting over a breakup, The Incredible Jessica James allows Williams to unleash her fire in the most charming way possible, and she and Chris O’Dowd have an easy chemistry that makes you root for them to make it despite not having a thing in common. Having just come out last year, The Incredible Jessica James is still one of the best comedy movies Netflix has delivered.

Sony

27. Junebug (2005)

Run Time: 106 min | IMDb: 7/10

A fresh-faced Amy Adams stars in this family dramedy about an art dealer from Chicago who travels South, meets her new husband’s family, and must contend with the unknowns in their fairly-new romance. Embeth Davidtz plays Madeleine, a gallery owner pursuing an up-and-coming artist who just happens to live in the same town as her new in-laws. She spends time with them as she courts the artist, befriending the wife of her brother-in-law (Adams) and slowly discovering how little she knows about her husband and his relatives. It’s messy and complicated, which makes it all the funnier, and Adams is a stand-out.

Universal

22. Bridget Jones’ Baby (2016)

Run Time: 123 min | IMDb: 6.5/10

Renee Zellweger returns in her role as the quirky British heroine in this rom-com franchise that ends just as hilariously as it began. Bridget Jones is adjusting to single life after her failed marriage to Mark (Colin Firth), but a pesky pregnancy and a question about the baby’s paternity complicate her plans. Mark has competition in Jack (Patrick Dempsey) a handsome, successful rival who milks the most out of his competition with Bridget’s ex. Fans of the original should be satisfied with how this film wraps things up.

Warner Bros. Pictures

29. Get Smart (2008)

Run Time: 110 min | IMDb: 6.5/10

Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, and Dwayne Johnson star in this spy comedy that sees Carell playing a bumbling agent for an intelligence agency tasked with preventing a terrorist attack from a rival firm. Carell’s Maxwell Smart consistently bungles every mission he’s on, managing to survive thanks to his partner, Agent 99 (Hathaway). The two have a slow-burn chemistry, and most of the fun is in seeing Carell — who leans into his Michael Scott character here — constantly need to be saved by Hathaway’s capable hands.

Weinstein Company/Netflix

30. Bachelorette (2012)

Run Time: 87 min | IMDb: 5.3/10

There’s plenty of humor to be mined from that most momentous of occasions, a wedding. When two people join their lives they bring with them all kind of baggage that usually turns into comedy gold. At least, that’s what happens in Bachelorette, when a group of high school friends reunites to celebrate the impending matrimony of one of their own. Unfortunately, the bride (played by Rebel Wilson) isn’t exactly part of the group’s inner circle, and the friends (Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, and Lizzy Caplan) aren’t the most reliable of bridesmaids. Instead, they spend the night before the wedding racing around New York City, high on drugs, trying to mend a wedding gown while visiting strip clubs and rehashing old relationship issues.

Recent Changes Through July 2019:
Removed: Chasing Amy
Added: Caddyshack

Getty/Uproxx

Ice cream, the nectar of the Gods. And I think we can all agree that it’s especially lip-smacking on a hot summer day. When temperatures rise, we love a scoop or three of cookies and cream, cookie dough, or peanut butter cup — all covered in fudge, caramel, and sprinkles and piled atop a waffle cone. We don’t even mind when it melts and drips all over our fingers and down our hands. That’s just part of the magic.

As if we needed another reason to grab a pint of our favorite ice cream and hunker down with some friends and a spoon, July 21st is National Ice Cream Day. To celebrate, we wanted to find a way to pair ice cream with beer. Sweet and savory. Dessert with a drink. Makes sense, right? But we needed to come correct. Ice cream is serious business — no half-stepping allowed.

To be sure that we offered up legit flavor combos, we asked some of our favorite brewers to tell us what beers they like to pair with their favorite ice cream flavors. As usual, their answers did not disappoint.

Wasatch Devastator

Brian Morris, innovation brewer at Deep Ellum Brewing Company

Ice cream and beer are definitely made for each other. You just need to right combination. Wasatch’s Doppelbock, Devastator, is an incredible pairing with a few scoops of butter pecan ice cream.

Casey Brewing and Blending Casey Family Preserves

Tim Matthews, head of brewing operations at Oskar Blues Brewery

It’s all about mixed fermentation or saisons –since the bitterness of other styles doesn’t jive so well for me with ice cream. Casey Brewing and Blending Peach Fruit Stand or Apricot Casey Family Preserves are special options here.

Not Your Father’s Root Beer

Ellis Dee, QA Lab Chemist at Blue Point Brewing Company

I’m going to go as classic as possible with this and choose one that technically might not be a beer in the classic sense. Not Your Father’s Root Beer. Let’s not get too crazy here. It’s an adult root beer float.

Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose

Andy Ingram, brewmaster and co-founder at Four Peaks Brewing Company

Believe it or not, fruited gose like Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose is a great pairing with ice cream. The sweetness cuts the sourness and the sourness cuts the sweetness. It’s the classic confrontation of acid and fat. Add a little fruit like blueberry or clementine to the gose and you can transform even the most vanilla of vanillas.

Victory Storm King

Eric Warner, brewmaster at Karbach Brewing Company

That depends on the flavor and the occasion. If it’s like chocolate, vanilla, coffee, or chocolate mint chip then I think big, boozy imperials stouts like Victory Storm King are the ticket. I’m thinking barley wine with salted caramel ice cream or any of those Ben and Jerry Ice Creams with candy bars in them. For a sherbet/sorbet/fruited gelato I would stay away from anything too bitter or sour. Actually, I think Hazy IPAs would work well for fruity ice cream, or some kind of wheat beer.

North Coast Old Rasputin

Rhett Dougherty, head brewer at Veza Sur Brewing Co.

I’m a sucker for the classic Imperial Stout Beer float with vanilla Ice Cream. North Coast Old Rasputin is the perfect rich, chocolatey pairing for a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Denver Princess Yum Yum

Brad Manske, beverage director at ViewHouse VH Beer

Denver Beer Co’s Princess Yum Yum Raspberry Kolsch because it pairs amazing with cobblers and ice cream and it’s a refreshing palate cleanser.

Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout

Scott Francis, co-Founder, president & CEO of Santa Monica Brew Works

I’ve got to go with a scoop of salted caramel or vanilla with Belching Beaver’s Peanut Butter Milk Stout which is awesome. My daughter and I love that beer, with or without ice cream. The taste is truly authentic.

Ecliptic Capella Porter

Shawn Steel, director of brewing operations at Coronado Brewing Company

Capella Porter by Ecliptic Brewing in Portland, because it makes a great beer float. Capella Porter has a ton of chocolate, caramel and toasted flavors that pair really well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The beer isn’t overly sweet, so it provides a nice balance for a fun twist on a classic float.

UPROXX / Getty Images

A new chapter has been added to the Boeing 737 Max saga, and it’s pretty bleak. When the new aircraft was grounded worldwide in March following two fatal crashes in a five-month span, Boeing promised to fix the software at the heart of the malfunctioning aircraft and have Maxes back in the air by the end of the year. That, however, was before the dual bombshells that dropped on Boeing this week.

Not only did Boeing lose a $5.9 billion deal to make a fleet of 30 737 Maxes for Saudi Arabian budget airline Flyadeal, but they’re also being sued, along with Southwest Airlines, for allegedly conspiring to hide flaws in the aircraft’s system. And it’s only Thursday.

Needless to say, this does not bode well for the future of the 737 Max. But does this spell outright doom for Boeing’s trouble-plagued aircraft? We break it down.

Why are the 737 Max planes grounded?

A quick refresher: the 737 Max took its first flight in 2016 and came to market in 2017. The new model of the 737 was wildly and immediately popular, thanks to its ability to fly farther and more efficiently than past models. Boeing reported that they had received approximately 5,000 orders from over 100 customers worldwide (of which they’ve built and sold more than 750). Another part of the appeal? A promising a new flight-control software system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), an anti-stall system that would detect dangerous movement (such as ascent at a precarious speed or angle) and automatically maneuver the aircraft in order to avoid stalling and other fatal mistakes. That software, however, seems to be at the heart of what caused two deadly crashes in a five-month span.

First, in October 2018, a Lion Air 737 Max 8 flight taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia crashed into the Java Sea shortly after take-off, killing all 189 people on board. Then, in March, an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 flight from Addis Ababa crashed shortly after take-off, killing all 157 people on board.

Investigators, government agencies (including the U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration), and industry watchdogs scrambled to figure out what had happened as cries for the global fleet to be grounded grew louder. China and Indonesia were the first countries to ground their Max fleets, making their respective announcements on March 11, just one day after the Ethiopian Airlines crash. On that same day, the FAA issued a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community — a memorandum in support of continued use of the 737 Max.

Boeing also issued a statement, assuring the public that they would issue a software update to be approved by the FAA by April. But several countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and Canada, proceeded to ground their fleets in the following days, and, eventually, the U.S. fleet was also grounded after the Trump administration succumbed to public pressure.

Both flights, according to investigators, crashed when the craft’s MCAS malfunctioned and pushed both planes into nosedives in order to compensate for what the plane’s sensors wrongly recognized as dangerous ascent patterns.

When will the 737 Max be back in the air?

That depends. While Boeing announced that they had developed updated software and performed more than 350 hours of test flights by May, putting the craft on track for recertification and flights by Fall 2019, that might prove to have been wishful thinking. In late June, Boeing issued another statement, saying that the FAA had “identified an additional requirement that it has asked the company to address through the software changes that the company has been developing for the past eight months.”

According to CNN, it’s not just an additional requirement Boeing needs to address but a serious flaw: several sources told the outlet that a bug in the updated software could push the plane’s nose down — which is what happened to both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights that crashed.

Not only will that delay the re-introduction of the Max on a federal level, but both United and American Airlines announced this week that they’ve chosen to extend their 737 Max flight cancellations until at least November. (Initially, United had hoped to reintroduce their Maxes by July, but they pushed the date back to September, and now they’re hoping for an early November re-introduction.) Southwest, which has the largest Max fleet in the U.S., has grounded their planes until October.

What does this mean for the future of this model?

The recent software troubles aren’t just affecting domestic Max fleets, either. NBC News recently reported that budget Saudi airline Flyadeal canceled a $5.9 billion contract for a 30-craft fleet and opted to purchase planes from Boeing competitor Airbus instead. Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia told NBC, “This is far from a crucial or strategic customer, but it is a sign of possible trouble ahead.”

The good news for Boeing is that they’re still the easiest possible solution for many partners. Max groundings have caused innumerable cancellations and huge losses for the carriers who own Maxes — Ryanair, for example, will fly five million fewer passengers next year and close several bases of operation thanks to the loss of their Max fleet. Those losses hurt and make the airlines want to get back on schedule ASAP. If Boeing does fix their software and get the go-ahead, it’ll be cheaper for carriers like Ryanair, United, Southwest, and others, who have already sunk hundreds of millions of dollars into their Maxes, to just keep flying what they already own.

At the same time, given that Boeing developed the Max in order to replace old 737s and compete with Airbus’s 320 line, it doesn’t bode well for the aerospace company that customers are starting to turn to the fleet that they were trying to compete with in the first place.

Could this mean we — the flyers — will be seeing a lot more Airbuses around?

In the future? Possibly. Airbus has reported a huge mid-year bump in orders, with 145 total in June alone, and their backlog of airliners has grown to 7,276 planes waiting to be built and delivered. But don’t count out Boeing quite yet. They’re by and large the big dogs in commercial aircraft manufacturing. According to Boeing, “Boeing Commercial built and delivered 806 airplanes last year, up from the previous record of 763 jets a year earlier” and the company reportedly has a seven-year backlog to fulfill — including 5,000 Maxes. That, however, doesn’t account for the possibility that other airlines might follow in Flyadeal’s footsteps and cancel their orders in favor of Airbuses.

As if Boeing’s week needed to get any worse, according to the Washington Post, they have been named in a lawsuit, along with Southwest, which alleges that both the aircraft manufacturer and the domestic airline “purposefully failed to warn pilots and the public about issues” with MCAS in order to keep the Max fleet flying and profitable. This suit comes on the heels of a criminal inquiry into the company’s leadership.

If it turns out that Boeing was covering up the 737 Max’s flaws, it would turn this saga into quite possibly the biggest story in the history of air travel. And could quite possibly lead to the slow collapse of the largest aviation manufacturer in world history.

WWE

 

Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free WWE Smackdown Live results for July 16, 2019. The show featured Kevin Owens making a run-in, Randy Orton setting himself up for a title shot and more. Make sure you’re here tomorrow for the complete Best and Worst of Smackdown Live column.

WWE Smackdown Live Results:

— Earlier in the afternoon, Shane McMahon confronted Kevin Owens, where he gave him the night off.

— Shane McMahon opened Smackdown with the first Smackdown Town Hall. Roman Reigns got on the mic and said no one in the room respects him before walking out. McMahon fined him and said he’d deal with him later before calling out Charlotte Flair. Flair got on the mic and thanked McMahon, but Liv Morgan cut her off and asked if there’s anything real about her. McMahon stopped her and called out Buddy Murphy. Murphy said for Kevin Owens to keep his name out of his mouth. McMahon then called Apollo Crews. Andrade and Zelina Vega cut him off and challenged him to a match later in the evening. Elias strummed his guitar, but the New Day got on the mic and said McMahon isn’t giving enough opportunities before his mic cut out. Cesaro walked out and challenged Aleister Black to another fight. McMahon granted the match for later in the evening. Owens showed up through the crowd and dropped McMahon with a stunner.

1. Aleister Black defeated Cesaro. Black pinned Cesaro after hitting Black Mass.

2. Charlotte Flair defeated Liv Morgan. Flair submitted Morgan with the Figure-8.

3. Ember Moon and Bayley defeated Fire and Desire. Moon pinned Mandy Rose with the Eclipse. After the match, Bayley said she wants a real challenger, setting up a future title match against Moon.

— Mustafa Ali congratulated Shinsuke Nakamura on his Intercontinental title win.

— The New Day came out and said they know what Daniel Bryan’s announcement is, and they accepted his Smackdown Tag Team title rematch on the spot. Bryan came out with Erick Rowan and walked back and forth three times before Samoa Joe walked out to the stage. Joe said to follow his partner’s lead and put the WWE title on the line later tonight. Elias interrupted Joe and said he had his chance. Elias said he deserves a title shot. Randy Orion walked out to the stage and made his case for a title shot. Elias suggested having a six-man tag match against the New Day.

4. Randy Orton, Elias and Samoa Joe defeated The New Day. Orton pinned Kingston with the RKO.

— R-Truth was hiding backstage in a washing machine.

5. WWE Women’s Tag Team championship match: Kabuki Warriors defeated IIconics by count out. The IIconics got counted out on purpose to keep the belts. After the match, the Kabuki Warriors attacked the IIconics.

6. Apollo defeated Andrade. Apollo surprised Andrade with a crucifix pin for the win.

7. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens ended in a no contest. Midway through the match, Shane McMahon walked down and surrounded the ring with other heels. Owens stunned Ziggler, then McMahon pulled him out of the ring and caught a stunner himself. Owens ran away from the heels and McMahon said he’s going to pay.

Beyonce has released the video for her new song “Spirit.”

“Spirit” is a gorgeous, soaring ballad. The singer is known for her powerful, visually striking videos, and “Spirit” is no exception. Footage from The Lion King is intercut with Beyonce and her stunning lineup of backup dancers opening the heavens. The colors in the video are vivid and bright, from the warm gold of the sand to the glowing greens, pinks, and blues of Bey’s outfits. Also, be sure to watch for an adorable cameo from Bey’s daughter Blue Ivy.

“Spirit” will appear on the Beyonce-curated companion album The Lion King: The Gift, which is out the same day The Lion King hits theaters (July 19). The Gift will also feature additional new music from Beyonce, along with collabs with Kendrick Lamar, Tierra Whack, and many others.

“This is sonic cinema,” Beyonce said previously of The Gift. “This is a new experience of storytelling. I wanted to do more than find a collection of songs that were inspired by the film. It is a mixture of genres and collaboration that isn’t one sound. It is influenced by everything from R&B, pop, hip-hop, and Afro Beat.”

Watch the video for “Spirit” above.

Getty Image

The Brooklyn Nets landed a pair of All-Stars this summer, but it’s hard to imagine a path that would allow one of them to play this season. While Kyrie Irving should be good to go from day one, the ruptured achilles that Kevin Durant suffered as a member of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals is the kind of ultra-serious injury that requires the upmost care.

As such, no one is quite sure exactly when Durant will make his debut in his new threads. That includes Nets general manager Sean Marks, who appeared on WFAN on Tuesday and made it clear that they’ll take a cautious approach to Durant’s recovery.

“I have no idea,” Marks said when asked about a potential return date, per ESPN. “We’re certainly not going to rush him back. There’s going to be absolutely none of that. We have far too much invested in him, and we owe it to Kevin to get him back to 100 percent.”

Marks did, however, add an interesting detail, mentioning the team will remove itself from the decision-making and trust that no one knows Durant’s body better than himself.

“This is entirely going to be a Kevin Durant decision,” Marks said.

There is a conversation to be had about the amount of autonomy Durant should have in making this decision, if only because he’s a competitor and there’s a gigantic risk to rushing back from something this serious. Whenever Durant takes the floor again, it’ll be a joyous day, because one of the best basketball players on earth will return from a major injury and do it in a uniform he’s never worn before. It’s worth waiting until he’s 100 percent, and apparently, the Nets trust that Durant will know when he is at that point.

NBC NEWS

We’re on day three of the president trying to either defend or double/triple/quadruple/etc. down on Sunday’s racist Twitter thread about the so-called “squad,” and it’s still going strong. The day after her husband published a Washington Post op-ed calling her boss “racist,” Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway sparked controversy after asking a Jewish reporter, inquiring about said tweets, about his ethnicity.

The journalist in question was Andrew Feinberg, of BeltwayBreakfast.com, who on Tuesday was attending a press gathering with Conway. Feinberg asked Conway what countries her boss was referring to when he told congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar to go back to homelands. It was a sound one, as three of them hail from America. Few could have expected Conway’s response.

Conway snapped back with a cryptic question: “What’s your ethnicity?” Feinberg demurred, asking her why it was relevant. Conway then offered up that her ancestors are from Ireland and Italy, prompting Feinberg to respond, “My ethnicity is not relevant to the question I’m asking you.” Conway refused to answer his original question, instead talking about how “a lot of us are sick and tired in this country of America coming last.”

The moment went viral, and Feinberg later declared that by asking such a question, Conway “inadvertently confirmed” that her boss was telling the four congresswomen to return to the lands of their respective ancestors.

For the record, Conway tried to explain what she meant, claiming she meant no disrespect.

But many weren’t buying it, finding the sight of a Trump staffer asking a Jewish reporter about his ethnicity a touch disturbing.

https://twitter.com/MarkDask/status/1151161624813850624

https://twitter.com/lisang/status/1151171461379440640

Also for the record, Feinberg didn’t think Conway was being anti-Semitic.

But for some, such a question felt all too familiar.

Others had their own answers.

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Khalid is currently on his massive Free Spirit arena tour, but the singer-songwriter took some time from his busy schedule to treat unsuspecting restaurant patrons to a surprise performance.

The 21-year-old El Paso native took the stage at Smoke BBQ Restaurant in downtown San Antonio for an impromptu karaoke performance. He signed up with a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” — under a fake name, according to a Facebook post. Still, the minute Khalid stepped onto the stage, his superstar voice betrayed him. He sounded absolutely gorgeous, making one of the most famous (and most covered) songs in music history his own.

“The world stops when Khalid walks into your restaurant on karaoke night, signs up as another name, and sings his heart out!,” a post from the restaurant reads. “What. A. Night. And what an amazing person!”

Khalid was also kind enough to take photos with fans at the restaurant. Apparently, when asked how he found out about Smoke, Khalid said that he “Googled downtown’s best BBQ.” I’m sure the food is great, but that night, the performances were even better.

Khalid’s Free Spirit tour continues on this summer. Check out his upcoming tour dates here, and watch him perform “Hallelujah” above.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo may not want anyone calling him this for the next year, but the Milwaukee Bucks star holds the distinction of being the league MVP following his torrid 2018-19 campaign. If you ask oddsmakers, heading into the 2019-20 season, he is the favorite to defend his crown and become the first back-to-back MVP since Steph Curry.

With the obvious caveat that there’s a lot that can happen between now and the start of the upcoming season, Antetokounmpo sits at 3/1 to win the award once again at BetOnline. He’s followed closely by the man who last did this, as Curry boasts 5/1 odds to capture his third MVP award. The rest of the top-five is rounded out by the guy from whom Antetokounmpo won the award this past season, James Harden (7/1), the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard (8/1), and a four-time league MVP, LeBron James (9/1).

The upcoming season’s MVP race has the potential to be one for the ages. Between the fact that there has been so much movement league-wide with superstars teaming up at an insane rate and the rise in players liberally resting during the regular season with an eye on the playoffs, trying to identify who will be named the most valuable player and where the value lies in these odds is really tough.

Still, all three of the players with the best odds make a ton of sense — Antetokounmpo and Harden aren’t players who really miss a ton of games, and while Curry is a slightly bigger risk to be sidelined, if the Warriors stay afloat following Kevin Durant’s departure and Klay Thompson’s torn ACL, he is going to be the biggest reason why. This is also what makes, say, Damian Lillard (25/1) an interesting value bet, because he won’t miss a ton of action and Portland should be good once again this season.

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The cast of Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid looks like it’s going to be heavy on musicians, with the exception, of course, of Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula. (That is, unless Lizzo winds up swiping it from her.) Mere weeks after singer Halle Bailey nabbed the titular role, we may have her screen partner: As per The Hollywood Reporter, Harry Styles is in talks to play goodly Prince Eric.

If all goes swimmingly, it will only be Styles’ second screen performance. The One Direction boy bander made his acting debut for no less than Christopher Nolan, who cast him in a key supporting role as one of the panicking soldiers in the hit WWII saga Dunkirk. He received good notices, too, largely for managing to not distract people from the drama by constantly pointing out that one of our heroes is in One Direction.

Styles, incidentally, was born five years after the original Little Mermaid animated classic was released, and six years before his probable love interest came into this world. If he gets the role, he’ll play the young man hunky enough to force Ariel the mermaid to surrender her voice for a pair of human legs. He’ll also presumably have to sing some original songs, as Prince Eric didn’t do any singing in the 1989 film version of The Little Mermaid. Hopefully he’ll also get to share some screentime with King Triton hopeful Terry Crews.

(Via THR)

WWE

Tonight is the first episode of Smackdown Live after Extreme Rules 2019 and here’s WWE.com’s official preview:

Kevin Owens has made his disdain for Shane McMahon extremely clear in recent weeks, including during the aftermath of his win over Dolph Ziggler at Extreme Rules on Sunday. Apparently, Shane has decided it’s time to air out any and all grievances. Shane-O-Mac has vowed to host a town hall meeting tonight for the WWE Superstars to let them voice their complaints.
KO certainly has his concerns, but will any other Superstars speak up? Find out tonight on SmackDown LIVE at 8/7 C on USA!

Our five-point preview:

1. So far the people’s champion Kevin Owens’ very relatable rants about Shane McMahon have not decreased the amount of Shane McMahon content on our TVs 2-3 times a week. Maybe tonight at this town hall he’ll stunner him out of our lives for a while? Please???

2. Daniel Bryan will make a “career-altering announcement” on this episode of Smackdown, which is not the least stressful thing to read, considering Bryan’s past career-altering announcements. But Bryan did cut a masterfully deranged promo backstage at Extreme Rules teasing the next angle for his character, so this could be great, actually.

3. ASUKA AND KAIRI SANE ARE FINALLY CHALLENGING FOR THE IICONICS’ TAG TITLES THIS IS NOT A DRILL

4. In other women’s tag team action news, Ember Moon will have a mystery partner against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. In this post-Wildcare era, it could be anyone.

5. WWE hasn’t hinted yet at what our WWE Champion, Smackdown Women’s Champion, Smackdown Tag Team Champions, or new Intercontinental Champion will be up to this week, if anything. Any ideas, comments section?

As always, +1 your favorite comments from tonight’s open thread and give them a thumbs up and we’ll include 10 of the best in tomorrow’s Best and Worst of Smackdown Live report. Make sure to flip your comments to “newest” in the drop-down menu under “discussion,” and enjoy the show!

Unsplash

If you’re an emerging author looking to find the right time to get started on that future best-seller, this writer’s contest from Boston’s Hotel Commonwealth might just give you that opportunity. The Hotel Commonwealth’s Writers in Residence Reading Suite Contest sees the Kenmore Square hotel joining forces with local novelist and bestselling author Ben Mezrich for a contest that can score you a two weeks stay in the Hotel Commonwealth’s own Ben Mezrich Reading Suite this winter, which should give you all the necessary peace, quiet, and architectural inspiration you need to get focused on penning your novel.

The contest asks that you submit a 500-word or less writing sample along with a 100-word or less description and proposal of your work. All qualified submissions will then be evaluated by a local panel consisting of members of the Boston Book Festival, the Hotel Commonwealth, and Ben Mezrich himself. One local winner will enjoy a two-week residency at the hotel in the Ben Mezrich Reading Suite, as well as the opportunity to present their manuscript at a fall reading along with other authors.

Hotel Commonwealth

It should be noted that this contest is aimed at emerging authors, so applicants should not have any published books, and submitted work that has been previously published elsewhere will be disqualified. Applicants must also be legal and current residents of the US as well at least 21 years of age. Submissions are limited to one proposal per person.

If this sounds like a fit for you, be sure to head over to the Hotel Commonwealth’s Writers In Residence contest page, and submit your work. It sounds like a solid opportunity for aspiring writers out there, so if you fit the bill give it a chance! Honestly, you have nothing to lose and considering there is no submission fee — this is one of the few writing contests that won’t cost you anything.

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We can do incredible things thanks to the wonders of technology. At NASA, in Silicon Valley, and elsewhere around the world, humankind’s greatest minds are finding and developing solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our time, whether that be climate change, renewable energy, curing infectious diseases, and more.

But perhaps most important, it allows to make our faces look funny using our phones. FaceApp has a new old-age filter that will surely go down as one of the greatest technological achievements of the 21st century, and the NBA as usual has been on top of it from the beginning.

Kevin Love was an early proponent when he posted this Instagram pic that offers an unsettling preview of what his advanced years might look like.

The Dallas Mavericks got in on the fun too, complete with a great dig at Dirk in the process.

But not everyone found it so amusing. DeMar DeRozan wasn’t feeling this at all, and he let the world know about it on Instagram with a decidedly NSFW video for his fans.

Like the Snapchat baby filter before it — which gifted the world with arguably the best Stephen A. Smith video of all time — it won’t be long before the rest of the league catches on. At least now we have an app that can make us actually look as old as we feel sometimes.

Getty Image / WWE

 

During Extreme Rules, WWE announced that next week’s Raw will be a “Raw Reunion” featuring Superstars of the past. That initial promo featured Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, self-described racist Hulk Hogan, and also the Boogeyman. Those are all guys who’ve been known to show up when called upon, and the whole thing kind of sounds a lot like Raw 25, which drew some criticism, but did get ratings. And these days WWE seems to be in even more of a “Do whatever we can to get people to watch” place than usual, so this does seem in line with their recent choices.

Now it looks like even more WWE alumni than we expected will be at next week’s show. As assembled by Wrestling Inc, here’s a list of everyone who’s been advertised as appearing, beyond the current weekly roster:

• The Boogeyman
• Booker T
• Christian
• D-Von Dudley
• Eric Bischoff
• The Godfather
• Hulk Hogan
• Hurricane Helms
• Jerry Lawler
• Jimmy Hart
• Kelly Kelly
• Kevin Nash
• Kurt Angle
• Mark Henry
• Mick Foley
• Ric Flair
• Rikishi
• Road Dogg
• Ron Simmons
• Santino Marella
• Scott Hall
• Sean Waltman
• Sgt. Slaughter
• Shawn Michaels
• Sid Vicious
• Steve Austin
• Ted DiBiase Sr.
• Triple H

Wrestling Inc also reports that the reunion show was USA’s idea, in the hopes of improving ratings. That’s not surprising, but let’s be real, however much it helps the rating’s next week, it’s not going to do a thing for the week after.

One person who won’t be at the Raw Reunion is WWE Hall-of-Famer and current AEW announcer Jim Ross. JR tweeted that he was invited, and AEW President Tony Khan had no problem with him going, but he “politely refused.”

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It’s baffling to think that, coming off his third straight year of averaging a triple double, a feat most hoops pundits thought might never be replicated, that we’re witnessing the decline of Russell Westbrook. Yet, after a brutal shooting performance in their first-round loss to the Blazers, and a tough season efficiency-wise all across the board, it’s possible he’s already crested the peak.

Paul George could seemingly read the writing on the wall, and despite signing an extension with OKC last summer, he jumped at the opportunity to team up with Kawhi Leonard in his hometown of Los Angeles. That development, of course, is what prompted the Thunder to move quickly on trading Westbrook to the Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul.

As tough a pill as that was to swallow, particularly for Thunder fans, the organization had apparently already been envisioning a future that did not include their former league MVP. In fact, according to a recent report, the front office was already considering putting Westbrook on the trade block as soon as next summer prior to George’s request.
Via Howard Beck of Bleacher Report:

The clock was already ticking loudly on the Westbrook era, with team officials quietly preparing to hit the reset button next summer, per sources, after one more run. George’s surprise trade request simply accelerated the process—and freed the Thunder to make the moves they knew were overdue for a team that couldn’t win a playoff series.

The franchise did an incredible job of future-scaping amid a difficult situation, bringing back an enormous haul of assets this summer that should set them up nicely for a full-fledged rebuild. Of course, there’s still the question of Paul, who will clearly want to join a contender at this stage of his career but whose contract will remain a huge sticking point on negotiations.

Westbrook’s unwavering loyalty to the Thunder, in light of Kevin Durant’s exit, has long endeared him to the fanbase in OKC, and there was hope he might accomplish the increasingly rare feat of remaining with the team that drafted him for his entire career. But with seismic shifts happening around the league, particularly in the West, neither players nor their teams can afford to be complacent if they want to stay relevant.

(Bleacher Report)

Adult Swim

Never fear, Rick and Morty fans! Your long national nightmare of waiting an increasingly ridiculous amount of time for evidence of a fourth season’s existence — let alone a fifth — is finally over. Adult Swim previously announced that the first new episode in some time would debut in November, and now thanks to San Diego Comic-Con, the network has released the first photos from the new season.

In what was initially an Entertainment Weekly exclusive, the show’s official Twitter account dropped the two first-look images late Tuesday afternoon. The first finds Rick alone in a seemingly peaceful landscape: a field of wheat (or a wheat-like alien substance that’s probably more menacing than not). “The promised land is near,” read the first tweet.

Aside from a Comic-Con hashtag, the second image, which sees a far less peaceful Rick surrounded by what appear to be cyborg lizards, didn’t come with any accompanying text. It did, however, drive home something that the first image had already introduced. Rick is on his own and without his grandson and frequent interdimensional travel companion, Rick.

The reasons for Rick’s absence may have something to do with what happened at the end of season three. Or, these new images might indicate something entirely different. We won’t know until the Rick and Morty Comic-Con panel gets underway this Friday at 1 p.m. PT. Though, to be honest, fans aren’t really going to know what co-creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon have cooked up for them until the show’s November premiere.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

FX

Pose (FX, 10:00 p.m.) — Damon and Ricky battle it out for a spot on Madonna’s Blonde Ambition tour, but the competition gets the better of them.

The 100 (CW, 9:00 p.m.) — The Blake siblings finally reunite as Gabriel is faced with an impossible choice, and Russell seeks justice.

Good Trouble (Freeform, 8:00 p.m.) — Mariana’s close relationship with Evan sparks rumors at work while Callie confronts some harsh truths about herself at a work mixer.

Love Island (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) — The Islanders desperately try to ensure their place in the house before the next coupling.

Pandora (CW, 8:00 p.m.) — This new sci-fi series follows a young woman named Jax, who joins an intergalactic army following the death of her parents. Her time at a boot camp on Earth helps her to make new friends and discover a shocking truth about her past.

The Lion King: Can You Feel The Love Tonight with Robin Roberts (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) — ABC hypes up parent company Disney’s latest live-action remake with Robin Roberts sitting down with the cast and crew to chat about bringing this beloved classic to a new generation of fans.

Animal Kingdom (TNT, 9:00 p.m.) — Smurf has skipped town to tie up some loose ends after ending her chemo treatment, so it’s up to J to prove he has what it takes to run the family business.

Blood & Treasure (CBS, 9:00 p.m.) — After nearly capturing Farouk in a sting operation, Danny and Lexi enlist Hardwick to tap into his underworld contacts in hopes of cornering Farouk before he disappears again.

Drunk History (Comedy Central, 10:00 p.m.) — We learn about Martha Mitchell, the woman who leaked Watergate before Deep Throat, and how the Citizens’ Commission to Investigate the FBI stage an epic government break-in.

Alternatino with Arturo Castro (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.) — Arturo struggles with a problematic film role while Pitbull comes to a troubling realization.

LATE NIGHT GUESTS

Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Shaquille O’Neal, Fred Savage, Koffee

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Chance the Rapper, Jennifer Lopez, David Crosby, Cameron Crowe

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert: Awkwafina, Donny Deutsch, the Mountain Goats

Late Night With Seth Meyers: Dax Shepard, Nicolle Wallace, Weyes Blood, Raghav Mehrotra

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah: Nas

Ever since Avengers: Endgame, all anyone seems to want to ask actor Chris Evans is, “So, about Captain America’s going back in time to return the Infinity Stones… What’s up with that?” Thankfully, the man who once carried Marvel’s iconic shield is moving on to other projects, like Rian Johnson’s highly anticipated murder mystery Knives Out, in which Evans apparently plays a rich, entitled brat. And then there’s The Red Sea Diving Resort, which just dropped its first trailer.

Written and directed by Homeland alum Gideon Raff, the new film’s cast is lead by Evans and The Wire star Michael K. Williams. Any and all jokes about Evans’ magnificent beard and a brief flexing scene at the 12-second mark notwithstanding, per the film’s official logline, Red Sea is no laughing matter:

Inspired by remarkable true life rescue missions, The Red Sea Diving Resort is the incredible story of a group of international agents and brave Ethiopians who in the early 80s used a deserted holiday retreat in Sudan as a front to smuggle thousands of refugees to Israel. The undercover team carrying out this mission is led by the charismatic Ari Levinson (Chris Evans) and courageous local Kabede Bimro (Michael Kenneth Williams).

The rest of the impressive cast includes Haley Bennett, Alessandro Nivola, Michiel Huisman, Chris Chalk, Greg Kinnear and Ben Kingsley. Red Sea Diving Resort will begin streaming on Wednesday, July 31st globally.

Rick Ross has been teasing the release of his Port Of Miami 2 sequel for a while now and now it looks like the long awaited follow-up finally has a release date. The Carol City rapper announced the album’s impending release, along with a tease at its cover, with a trailer full of religious iconography and an ominous voiceover from Ross himself.

The trailer sees Rick Ross resting in what turns out to be a baptismal pool with his hands folded over his chest. In voiceover, he says, “When I realized I was really alive, I sat in a room alone, no television, no music. I just listened to my heartbeat. Can you hear it: My heart beat? Are you just standing there or does your heart beat? Was you meant to die? Did you want to live or was you born to kill? Listen to my heartbeat.” Naturally, a heartbeat thumps just under the voiceover, giving weight to his words.

The trailer concludes with a still of the Port Of Miami 2 cover and the blare of the album’s first single, “Big Tyme” featuring Swizz Beatz. The cover is a reproduction of the original Port Of Miami artwork, flipped and featuring Ross holding up a more heartfelt pendant with a photo of his deceased friend Black Bo. Port Of Miami 2 is due Friday, August 19 — the 13-year anniversary of the original — via Ross’ own Maybach Music Group and Epic Records.

Trap has been one of the most popular subgenres of rap music for a while, but its origins have been up for debate. While multiple rappers lay claim to its invention and evolution, two in particular found reason to exchange words last year when T.I. and Gucci Mane debated which of them should be considered the father of trap music. Now, T.I. hopes to settle the debate once and for all, providing a definitive birthdate for the genre on People’s Party With Talib Kweli. Check out the clip above.

“Talk to me about the term ‘trap music,'” Kweli prompts. “Where it started and how we got to this point.” It’s clear from his nuanced response that T.I. has thought long and hard about it since he and Gucci traded barbs in 2018. While he gives credit to the origins of the slang term “trap” as a reference to the illicit drug trade, as well as the Atlanta rappers like Dungeon Family’s Big Boi and Cujo who used it in music before he did, he finally and definitively gives a date that the term “trap music” was applied to its own genre of rap. “The words ‘trap’ and ‘music’ had never been combined to describe a sound before August 19, 2003.”

That date is, of course, the release date of T.I.’s sophomore album Trap Muzik, which he released on Atlantic Records after the poor sales of his debut I’m Serious prompted him to leave Arista Records for a joint venture with his own Grand Hustle Records. The album was a hit, debuting at No. 4 on the Hot 100 and introducing T.I. — and his then-distinctive sound — to the world at large, driven by fan-favorite singles “24’s,” “Rubber Band Man,” and “Let’s Get Away.”

In the interview, T.I. is careful to give props to both his predecessors and his peers: “Of course, people rapped about drug dealing before… but the words ‘trap’ and ‘music’ had never been combined to describe a sound before… when my second album was released. Not to discredit or diminish any contributions from any of the other founding forefathers or other contributors that made it what it is today… I don’t think I, by myself, could have taken it from where it was… to where it is today.”

Hopefully, that disclaimer will keep other claimants like Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, and Future from feeling slighted, but it’s hard to argue with the fact that Trap Muzik was a widespread hit that helped T.I. become a force in the hip-hop world and introduced fans to a phrase that would come to define multiple generations of Atlanta’s rappers, eventually spinning off even weirder, more creative sub-styles like drill, cloud rap, and the Lil Nas X-coined country trap of “Old Town Road.” T.I. pays even more homage to the history of trap music with his Trap Music Museum, now showing in Atlanta with a pop-up version in LA running through early August.

People’s Party is a weekly interview show hosted by Talib Kweli with big-name guests exploring hip-hop, culture, and politics. Prior guests include Angela Rye, B Real, Jemele Hill, and Lamar Odom. Subscribe to Uproxx Video on Youtube to see future episodes of People’s Party With Talib Kweli as they premiere

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Technically, Las Vegas Summer League ended on Monday night. But considering how meaningless the tournament portion usually is, and considering I only saw the first five days in person, I think it’s fair to be pretty definitive about who looked good. It’s always risky to put that much stock into LVSL performances, since it’s the ultimate eye test environment, but you can usually tell pretty quickly which players have real NBA skills. While we can assume Zion Williamson would have been among this group if we saw more of him, here were some other standouts in the dessert.

Brandon Clarke, Memphis

Due to the NBA’s bizarre scheduling, players like Clarke, who were traded during the draft, were not able to officially sign with their NBA teams until the day after Summer League started. Clarke only missed one Grizzlies game, but other players, like Jarrett Culver, have been forced out of the entire event due to how the NBA lays this all out. It’s something that will hopefully be changed sooner rather than later.

Thankfully, once Clarke got on the floor, he looked every bit like the top-five talent he is, showing off his tremendous touch and activity around the rim. His elite two point field goal percentage hasn’t translated yet — he saw a number of his layups rim out — but his athleticism, burst, and instincts have. He already looks like the steal that many draftniks predicted when he fell to No. 21 overall. The overall MVP of both Summer League as a whole and the title game itself, Clarke posted some absurdly gaudy Per 36s of 24.1 points, 16.2 boards, 3.3 assists, and three blocks while shooting 55 percent from three, by far the best numbers of any first rounder to see extended time this year.

Jaxson Hayes, New Orleans

Another traded player who had to wait multiple days to suit up for his new team, Hayes was the on-court star of Summer League, with his all-time great Vegas dunk against the Bulls the unquestioned best highlight we’ve seen. His overall play was just as tremendous, averaging 16.3 points per game on 63 percent shooting from the field. His strength issues have also translated to the pros, but at the very least in Vegas, Hayes is far too fast and smooth of an athlete for any opposing big man to have any real shot at guarding him, which makes him a fan favorite if nothing else.

Hayes shot nearly 86 percent at the rim during his lone year at Texas, and his mobility, touch, and sheer length will likely make him a similarly effective finisher at this level, at least if Vegas is anything to go by.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans

Sticking with the Pels, and again with a player who wasn’t able to play on July 5 (the first few days of LVSL weren’t very good), rookie guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has popped athletically as well as any non-Hayes player in Vegas, averaging 28.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists per 36 minutes in Vegas on 40 percent shooting from deep. He’s still not an elite athlete, and will certainly slot in somewhere lower than his cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as a finisher, but his passing and defense both already look like they’re at an NBA level for sure, which is more than you can say about most rookie guards.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Denver

The first non-rookie on our list, Vando has had his ups and downs — his touch still isn’t great — but overall, he absolutely looks like an NBA contributor. The leading rebounder in Vegas, Vando’s lateral quickness, hustle, and strength have really shown out this year. He’s just a notch above everyone else physically, and he’s finally healthy enough to prove it. His passing touch is also legit as well, as you can see on this fast break against Golden State.

One of the surest ways to miss out on good role players is to be unable to see past their flaws. Not every useful pro fits neatly into a predetermined archetype. Vando could be one of the ultimate examples of this, and he looks like he’s ready to prove it. Another dominant statistical performer, Vando ended LVSL with Per 36s of 16.2 points, 15.5 boards, 3.1 assists, and two steals in his stint.

Bruce Brown, Detroit

Another freak athlete with no touch but intriguing passing skills and a great frame, Brown proved that NBA experience is the best determinant for Summer League dominance. Brown, the second player to record a triple-double in LVSL history, has been by far the best part of every Pistons game I saw this year. Unlike everyone in Vegas who isn’t Rodions Kurucs or Jarrett Allen, Brown has experience that simply can’t be replicated: he started multiple games in the playoffs just three scant months ago. This, combined with his already well-established power make him into prime role player material.

If the passing he’s shown as LVSL translates this year, he could end up filling that gigantic void at the backup point guard spot the Pistons have been struggling with for the last half-decade. Thirty-three assists in four Vegas games is not a small feat. Brown also finished with a Westbrookian 17.2 points, 10.2 boards, and 10.5 assists per 36 minutes, perhaps the most impressive marks in Vegas.

Honorable Mention: Tyler Herro, Lonnie Walker IV, Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher, Carsen Edwards, Alen Smailagić, Tony Bradley, Chris Clemons, Quinndary Weatherspoon, Iggy Brazdeikis.

BBC

In Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (full title only, please), Idris Elba plays Brixton Lore, a cyber-genetically enhanced international terrorist leader and a criminal mastermind who refers to himself as Black Superman. That wasn’t his original self-given nickname, though. In a recent interview with Variety, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the Hobbs to Jason Statham’s Shaw, revealed that Elba was first asked to proclaim that he’s “black James Bond,” but he nixed the idea, because “it’s too close to what everybody’s talking about.”

The “what everybody’s talking about” is the incessant rumor that Idris Elba will be the next James Bond, once Daniel Craig is done filling his vault with bags of money. The Wire star doesn’t sound like he’s interested, so Black Superman is a better fit. There is, however, some confusion over who came up with the line. The Rock claims he did (“I said, ‘What about the black Superman?’ And everyone’s like, ‘Great!’ [But] now everyone takes credit”), but Elba disagrees.

“That line was just improvised,” Elba told Variety. “I was in one of these takes and I was really riffing, and then it came out and [director David Leitch] loved it, and so we kept it.” [Producer Hiram Garcia] concurred: “[Elba] just shouted it out. He was talking trash, shouted it out, and we said, ‘This is incredible!’ [The line] was his… so he ran with it.” (Via)

I bet Helen Mirren, as Shaw’s mom, came up with the line. Case closed.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw opens on August 2.

(Via Variety)