Year: 2022

The creator of Entourage, HBO’s tale of a bunch of young dudes in Hollywood, has just filmed a new pilot which will feature a similar premise, but instead with a bunch of older actors, according to Variety. Sounds promising!

Ramble On is a new comedy-drama from Entourage creator Doug Ellin. The show will star once-notable sitcom star Charlie Sheen alongside original Entourage cast members Kevin Connolly and Kevin Dillon as themselves working as Holywood veterans trying to find work.

Sheen will be accompanied by his father, Martin Sheen, along with Kimiko Glenn, Bre-Z, John C. McGinley, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Zulay Henao, Mark Cuban, James Hiroyuki Liao, Harvey Guillén, Ana Ortiz, Sara Sanderson, Mikaela Hoover, and Adam Waheed with a special guest appearance by Entourage alum Emmanuelle Chriqui.

Entourage aired for eight seasons from 2004 to 2011. Ellin said he had the idea for an older take on the series for a while and is finally seeing it come to fruition. “This idea has been spinning in my head for years and seeing it come to life is incredible,” the creator said. “I feel beyond grateful that so many of my Entourage crew and cast members, along with some of the most talented, comedic forces in the industry, have joined us on this exciting new journey. We cannot wait to share this with the world.”

The show doesn’t have a network or air date yet, but Ellin is hopeful that it will bring together some more veteran actors in the future. As long as they keep Jeremy Piven out of it.

For how much fun just about everyone has when they watch Ted Lasso, it turns out the beloved Apple TV+ program starring Jason Sudeikis might be a bit of a headache for American soccer coaches abroad. That’s according to Jesse Marsch, the Wisconsin native who was named the manager of Premier League side Leeds United earlier this week.

“I think there’s probably a stigma,” Marsch told the media on Thursday about how American managers are perceived by Europeans. “I’m not sure ‘Ted Lasso’ helped. I haven’t watched the show, but I get it, I get it. People hate hearing the word soccer. I’ve used the word ‘football’ since I was a professional football player. I think, more and more in the States, we’re adapting to what the game here is in England, and our connection to what this league is and what the culture of the sport is in this country.”

The comments from Marsch come weeks after a report indicated that one American assistant coach in the Premier League, Manchester United’s Chris Armas, is compared to the fictional football-turned-football coach.

Sources told ESPN that some players on the training ground have jokingly likened Armas to fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso, the hapless American parachuted in to manage fictional side AFC Richmond in the hit Apple+ comedy show.

Marsch is the third American to serve as a manager in the Premier League and the first since January of 2019. After a lengthy playing career in Major League Soccer and spending the first seven years of his managerial career in the United States, Marsch made the jump to Austria to take over Red Bull Salzburg. He was eventually appointed the manager of RB Leipzig in Germany’s Bundesliga and took over the club in July 2021, but the sides mutually parted ways on Dec. 5 of the same year.

One of the most historic sides in England, Leeds was a Premier League staple before falling onto financial hard times and spending more than a decade in lower leagues right after the turn of the millennium. They returned to the Prem in 2020 under the guidance of revered manager Marcelo Bielsa, but this year, injuries and a general struggle to play Bielsa’s hyper-demanding system have led to the team finding itself in 16th, just two points above 18th place Burnley for the final relegation spot in the English top flight. As such, Bielsa’s time as manager came to an end, leading to the club appointing Marsch.

“All I can say is the only way I know how to do things is to go all-in, to give everything I have, to believe in who I am, to believe in the people that I work with, and to try to maximize what we are every day,” Marsch said on Thursday. “And I find if you can do that effectively, that you can be incredibly surprised with the human spirit and what you can achieve. So, that sounds like Ted Lasso, I think, from what I’ve heard.”

War is one of the oldest and most consistent things human beings do, and also one of the weirdest. It’s horrible, hellish, tragic, traumatic—and yes, weird.

In the most basic analysis, war makes no sense. Killing one another over being born on opposite sides of imaginary lines makes no sense. Fighting for land under which we will all be buried eventually makes no sense. Sending people to fight to the death because men in charge can’t get along makes no sense. (Seriously, why don’t leaders just duke it out in a boxing ring themselves? That would actually make more sense.) Destroying the places you’re trying to conquer, thereby requiring enormous resources to build them back up again makes no sense.

And the fact that we actually make rules for war is even weirder. You can use these weapons of death and destruction, but not those ones. You can bomb these kinds of places, but not those ones. You can kill this group of people, but not that one. It’s all so stupid and senseless and futile and weird.

And then there’s the psychology of it all. When tanks start rolling and bombs start falling somewhere in the world, it’s far too easy for us to lose our sense of humanity. War compels us to choose a side, and choosing a side makes it easy to demonize the other. Even when we are 100% certain the side we’ve chosen to support is the right one, we still have to remember that human beings are on the other. The fact that we forget this every time is why humanity hasn’t broken its habit of making war over and over and over again.

A powerful cartoon by Iranian artist Marzieh Khanizadeh illustrates this point beautifully. The cartoon was shared on Twitter by Prashasti Chanchal with the words, “One person’s medals are another one’s children.”

One personu2019s medals are other ones childrennnhttps://twitter.com/i/spaces/1OdKrBealBqKXu00a0u2026pic.twitter.com/N7HOospGu3

— Prashasti Chanchal (@Prashasti Chanchal)
1646199561

This is the fundamental truth we must remember about war, no matter where or when it’s taking place. One side’s glory is the other side’s tragedy, and in the end we’re all just one big, human family trying to make our way on this rock hurtling through space. The second we start to dehumanize one side’s people, forgetting that ordinary people don’t choose to go to war and are always the primary victims of it, we create the very conditions that lead to war in the first place.

Prejudice, hatred and dehumanization are both primary causes and primary outcomes of war. If we don’t disrupt those tendencies within us prior to war, we have to disrupt them during. Otherwise we will continue to repeat the same pattern we’ve seen throughout human history.

By all means, support freedom, support democracy and support nations that are being invaded without justification. But don’t glorify killing and don’t dehumanize the people themselves on any side of any war. Killing in defense may be necessary in war, but in the end there’s no true glory in any of it. It’s all tragic.

“One person’s medals are another one’s children,” indeed. If every one of us keeps that truth front and center, maybe we can finally get to a future where war is just a terrible, weird thing humans used to do.

Whenever global catastrophe unfolds, almost everyone’s bound to have an opinion (while also watching on in horror), and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is no exception. Some current takes (Chris Evans directing people to stories of Russia’s history of atrocities towards rivals) are more productive than others (John Cena deciding to promote Peacemaker or AnnaLynne McCord performing spoken-word poetry), and Ice-T’s taking the commonsensical approach.

That’s what the interpretation has been as Ice-T — he of the no-BS Twitter threads — delivered his observation, in which he definitely does not pull an incomprehensible Steven Seagal move. Rather, Ice is dropping his truth as he sees fit.

“Here’s the Situation,” the SVU mainstay and Body Count frontman tweeted. “As soon as the US fires ONE bullet at a Russian solider. From the Ground or Air…. WE are at War with Russia. Not good.”

People are here for this analysis, and they’re praising the man who portrays Fin Tutuola, not only for speaking out without bashing anyone else, but for having a much more levelheaded take on foreign policy than the talking heads (with credentials, even including former ambassadors and professors) on cable news.

Ice-T for public office? No way, man. He’s got more productive things to do in between telling the world, “Russia is definitely on that BullSh*t.”

When it comes to festivals in Scotland, one likely comes to mind first and foremost: Fringe. The Edinburgh arts fest is a nearly month-long celebration of creativity that has no equal across the globe. If you’re a fan of stand-up comedy, street magic, avant-garde theater, or pretty much anything in-between, you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. While the performers are fairly U.K.-focused, the fest has launched some serious careers. Fringe is where Robin Williams got his first big break on stage and contemporary comedians like Hannibal Burress and Mary Lynn Rajskub are known to frequent clubs or perform longer-term residencies during the festival.

Still, there’s more to Scotland’s festival scene than Fringe. The country boasts an eclectic mix of cultural fests that celebrate the intricacies of Scottish culture, one-of-a-kind whisky events tucked away on the Inner Hebrides, and rad EDM bacchanals that last days on end.

If those don’t nail your vibe (they definitely nail ours), there are plenty of other options, too. You might have heard of the famed Highland Games — featuring modern-day goliaths competing in feats of strength supported by a rich cultural (and culinary) backdrop — or the almost impossible-to-summarize scene at Eden (paganism! music! yoga!). The point being, the whole Scottish festival universe is unique, diverse, and a whole lot of fun. We’re calling out five festivals beyond Fringe that we love best below!

Terminal V Resurgence, Edinburgh

The Fest:

The easiest recommendation we can give is Terminal V Resurgence. This is the ultimate techno party with a direct line to Berlin’s scene, where a sibling festival takes place next year. While that sounds amazing in and of itself, Festival Director Derek Martin takes us deeper:

“Our stage designs are productions that have been meticulously planned with no corners cut on costs,” he says. “Our lineups feature the biggest electronic acts from across the musical spectrum.”

On that last point, Martin isn’t kidding. The lineup this year is a deep dive into the cutting edge of techno, EDM, trance, and every other form of electronic music from all around the world in one place. That translates to nearly 60 acts on six stages with over 20,000 people dancing and partying every day and night. You can see the whole, vast lineup right here.

Details:

Terminal V runs April 16th-17th, 2022, at Edinburgh’s The Royal Highland Centre. The venue is out at the Edinburgh airport, meaning that there are plenty of hotels very close. Terminal V will also be providing pre-party buses to and from the venue to central Edinburgh and several other cities throughout the U.K.

Tickets start at $88 for a one-day pass with VIP upgrades starting at $27. The full weekend pass is $168.

Highland Games, Nationwide

The Fest:

If Fringe isn’t what you think of when you think of Scottish festivals, then it’s probably the Highland Games. This nearly 1,000-year-old cultural festival celebrates all things Scotland but is far more than a monolith. Sure, you can watch bulking Scottish dudes throw logs (caber toss) and rocks (shot putt) while a bagpipe parade bellows in the background alongside foot races. But you’ll also find plenty of local food, drink, dancing, and community.

2022’s Highland Games take place across the whole region. The gist of the Highland Games is really local celebrations of summer across the region. Expect a county fair vibe but with a quaint Scottish village feel to it with Scotland’s dramatic Highlands framing every scene.

In all, you could spend May to September traveling all of Scotland and hit all the games, and then leave having a deeper understanding of the whole country under your travel belt. Plus, you’ll have eaten some amazing meat pies and drunk some great whisky and ale along the way — hopefully, at a local pub after a tug-of-war battle just outside.

Details:

The Highland Games run May through September. You can check here for nine towns hosting the games this year. Most games will have a small entrance fee ($7 to $12 per person) plus an extra fee if you want to compete in any of the sports/activities. Don’t take that lightly though, the games are taken very seriously by local folks — it might be a good idea to just sit back with your whisky or pint and cheer from the crowd.

Fèis Ìle 2022, Islay

The Fest:

Fèis Ìle is the ultimate Scottish whisky festival. The festival takes place in the late spring on the isle of Islay and celebrates the island’s deep and long history with all things Scotch whisky.

Ben Shakespeare, the communications manager for the fest, breaks it down like this: “each distiller has their own festival days, which are a celebration of whisky and music. But mostly, it’s just people from all over the world coming together and having a good time on this little island.”

While whisky is the main focus, Fèis Ìle is really all about the community in Islay. The whole island participates from pub to pub and distillery to distillery, proudly sharing everything the island has to offer, from white sand beaches to the local Gaelic Centre, perfect for history fans. There are also bands and food and scores of very friendly locals — it’s a whole vibe.

Shakespeare offers one last tip, stay until the end. “The Final Fling is a great night!” he says. “It’s the last night of the festival when a lot of the locals come out and celebrate the end of a really busy week.”

Details:

Fèis Ìle runs from May 27 to June 4th this year. All “first batch” tickets are sold out but there will be more events and tickets going up soon. Keep an eye on the fest’s social media for updates. You’ll also be able to buy tickets to food events, boat trips around the island, and music events at the distilleries themselves.

We’d also argue that you’d need to book accommodation ASAP if you plan to go this year. There are just over 3,000 people on Islay and up to 10,000 are expected to show up for the fest.

Eden Festival, Moffat

The Fest:

The Eden Festival started off cheekily as the Wicker Man fest back in the early aughts. That vibe transcends to this day. The modern Eden Festival is a place where ancient Gaelic paganism, hippy vibes, and a 1990s carnival of the absurd collide. There are the requisite yoga mornings, meditation tents, vegan treats for everyone, and plenty of scantily clad and painted bodies everywhere you look.

Then there’s the music. Eden Festival is the biggest music fest in the whole country. This year’s event will have 250 acts across ten stages over just four days. Naturally, that vastness covers pretty much every genre of music there is. So we’re pretty confident that you’ll be able to find something that speaks to you.

All of that combines to create a scene, and that’s what the festival is all about. Those Wicker Man vibes still permeate through the whole event and drive the holistic and paganist nature of a festival that prioritizes treating all music and people as equals.

Details:

Eden Festival runs June 9th-12th, 2022, at St. Ann’s just outside Moffat in the Scottish Lowlands. There’s camping and glamping on-site for a fee. There are also public buses from Edinburgh and Glasgow with an Eden shuttle to take you the rest of the way. Otherwise, this is a pretty remote location. There are plenty of food stalls, beer taps, and cocktail bars on-site in case you’re worried about food.

Tickets are almost sold out. Expect to pay $178 to enjoy the whole festival run. You can also book bus travel, camping, and more right here.

TRNSMT Festival, Glasgow

The Fest:

Let’s end things with a classic multi-stage music festival in a big city. TRNSMT in Glasgow has a classic main stage in a big ol’ field with huge nostalgia acts this year like The Strokes as well as two supporting stages with up-and-coming hip-hop, rock (Wolf Alice is on the lineup), and EDM artists.

The stages are set up with vendors in between selling plenty of food and drink. That being said, the ripple here is that the fest takes place in Glasgow Green, which is right in the middle of the city. That means you have the entirety of Glasgow’s restaurant, bar, and club scene at your fingertips before, during, and after every performance. That makes this kind of the perfect festival to travel to, especially if you’re looking to party in one of Europe’s coolest cities while also attending a massive music festival.

Details:

The fest runs from July 8th-10th this year. Since it’s in the middle of Glasgow, transportation isn’t an issue once you arrive. Moreover, there a plenty of hotels within a stone’s throw of the Green. Though be warned, up to 120,000 people attend this festival. So book your accommodation now.

Tickets start at $82 for a single day or $210 for the full run. Though, since this is the first year back since 2019, tickets are going quickly.

More photos!

Terminal V

Highland Games

Fèis Ìle

Eden Festival

TRNSMT Festival

A frequent shooting location for Peaky Blinders went up in flames on Thursday morning requiring over 100 firefighters to put out the full building blaze. Located in Yorkshire, the historic Dalton Mills was often seen in the BBC One series (Netflix has international distribution rights) and other British productions like Downton Abbey. Video of the blaze quickly started bouncing around social media, and as you can see, the structure was completely engulfed in flames. As of this writing, there has been no word if the mill will be salvageable.

After working for hours to put out the blaze, rescue crews were still advising local residents to steer clear of the area and take precautions against smoke inhalation well into Thursday afternoon. Via People:

A video shared by the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services showed the flames mostly subdued, and streams of water pouring into the building. They advised local residents to close their windows and avoid the area. The latest official update on the emergency website said that crews and specialists were still active at the scene at 7 p.m. GMT. It also listed 23 fire departments who tended the scene, as well as three special units.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. According to People, the production of Peaky Blinders had noted on its website that the historic building recently underwent a “clock tower renovation.” Whether that is connected to the full building blaze is unknown.

The Dalton Mills fire marks a series of bad lucks for Netflix. Earlier in the week, the production team for Lupin revealed that it had been targeted in a jewel heist. Some of the jewels stolen were also used The Crown, so again, not the best week for Netflix.

(Via People)

Dave might very well be the biggest star in British rap right now. The South London rapper took home the BRIT Award for Best Hip-Hop/Grime Act last month and flexed his versatility playing a guitar that emitted flames in his performance of “In The Fire.” Now, he’s just shared “Starlight,” the first new music he’s put out since last year’s fantastic, chart-topping breakthrough album, We’re All Alone In This Together and it’s more heat from Dave.

Also produced by Dave, “Starlight” is set to a flip of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon.” On the track, he ruminates on his growing fame, love, and living under a microscope. He has a venerable grip on hip-hop tropes from both sides of the Atlantic and it all comes together on the masterful hook where he raps:

“It’s hard to hate on the truth I’m livin’
Enough man hate with the lies instead
Countin’ cash with the phone to my ear
I feel like Meek on the private jet”

He’s soaring right now and Dave’s star is set to keep rising. He was announced as a Wireless Festival headliner last week and his US tour starts in April, beginning with a stop at Coachella.

Watch the video for “Starlight” above and check out Dave’s full US tour dates below.

04/17 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/24 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/26 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
04/27 — Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
04/29 — Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
05/01 — Washington, D.C. @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
05/03 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
05/04 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
05/05/ — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
05/06 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues
05/08 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
05/10 — Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
05/12 — Toronto, ON @ History
05/12 — Toronto, ON @ Rebel
05/15 — Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
05/17 — Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
05/18 — Dallas, TX @ Trees
05/20 — Denver, CO @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom
05/21 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
05/22 — Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre

Over their last seven games, the Milwaukee Bucks are 3-4 with the league’s 28th-ranked defense. They’ve stayed afloat thanks to a sixth-ranked offense, but a wilting defense isn’t a new issue, nor one that is just now proving concerning for their hopes of repeating as champions.

These problems have surfaced at various points this season without Brook Lopez, who has missed all but one game due to a back injury and subsequent surgery. On the year, they rank 11th in defense after finishing 10th last regular season, although, their 2020-21 playoff showing suggests they warrant the benefit of the doubt.

After two years of juggernaut performances from October-April (err, August), only to fall short come springtime, they deprioritized regular season games and experimented schematically. Whether it was toggling across ball-screen coverages or generating touches for Giannis Antetokounmpo in diverse ways, that newfound versatility was integral to their title run, when their defensive rating was roughly three points lower than in the regular season (112.1 vs. 108.8).

In 2021-22, the offense remains encouragingly multifaceted and excellent (fourth overall), but entirely trusting the defense to flip a switch again and ignoring all these games feels overly rosy. Lopez’s defensive chops are pivotal to any schemes they employ. Fortunately, he returned to practice last week, though is still not close to readying for game action.

So, why has Milwaukee missed Lopez’s services? What about their approach, his game and the surrounding personnel render him crucial to their ability to field a stifling defense that spearheads a championship-caliber dynamic?

Under head coach Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks’ defensive ethos has centered around packing the paint, walling off the rim, conceding threes above the break and staying risk-averse. During his four years at the helm, they’ve ranked 30th in opposing non-corner three frequency, no worse than sixth in opposing rim frequency (top two in his first three seasons), and no better than 23rd in turnover rate, all via Cleaning The Glass.

The means by which they elicit those numbers are malleable, but those are their resolute pillars. This year, they’ve elected to trap and show on many ball-screens. Bobby Portis has been tremendous for them, but he struggles defending in drop coverage and he’s the one supplanting Lopez as a starter, so they’ve catered to him. However, they’ll still run drop with Giannis or periodically switch with any of their big men.

The drawback, however, is this team simply isn’t very good at trapping. Without Lopez, Giannis is essentially asked to play anchor and roamer. He’s enjoying a masterful defensive season, but he is one man and cannot simultaneously occupy two important, immersive roles.

With any defensive gambit, the intention is to divert an offense away from its primary goal. That’s especially true on trapping, where the defense is designed to force turnovers or delay a ball-handler’s decision-making in advantageous situations. The Bucks don’t consistently achieve either idea. They’re 23rd in opposing turnover rate, not wired to generate takeaways because of the system in place. Too often, the trapping looks like window dressing without the motive to actually fluster the opposition.

Offenses, especially good ones, routinely generate quality looks against them in pick-and-rolls. The coverage doesn’t overwhelm anyone. Watch the Miami Heat trap and watch Milwaukee trap. The gap in effectiveness and execution is stark.

Furthering the issue is the Bucks’ other center options — DeMarcus Cousins, then Serge Ibaka — are very much offensive-minded big men. Cousins’ movement skills are limited, while Ibaka’s physical decline makes him a highly inactive defender, both on switches and in drop.

Miscommunications among weak-side defenders and inattentive off-ball helpers exacerbate these faults, helping to explain why Milwaukee’s defense ranks 23rd against top-10 offenses this season (15th last year), according to Cleaning The Glass (15 games). Making that stat particularly relevant is that, of the nine other play-in or better teams out East, four are top-10 offenses. Another three — Brooklyn, Toronto and Charlotte — are 11th, 12th and 13th. Lopez’s potential return could loom large for this club’s playoff pursuits.

The montage above reveals a wart that transcends scheme. Without Lopez, this team is super small. Giannis is (arguably) the foremost weak-side rim protector in the league, but nobody else on the roster offers reliable rim protection. While they still limit opponents’ shots at the rim (sixth in opposing rim frequency), their capacity to influence those attempts has depreciated.

Before this year, they ranked fourth, first and first in opposing field goal percentage at the basket since 2018-19. This season, they rank 15th. When teams get to the hoop, success is much easier to come by. Rather than Giannis being the primary defender and Lopez playing sweeper or vice versa, it’s typically Portis inhabiting one of those duties and he’s just not equipped to approximate his All-Defensive-caliber courtmates.

Things grow especially hazy when Giannis leaves the floor. Without him, nobody can credibly defend the rim. Teams shoot more than six points better around the hoop when he rests, according to Cleaning The Glass. Even when he’s on the floor but tasked with another defensive duty, the lack of another rim protector like, say, Lopez is evident.

Lopez’s absence has magnified a couple other flaws for the Bucks. Outside of Jrue Holiday, their point-of-attack choices are quite poor. Preventing paint touches and maintaining defensive structure when other dudes are targeted is arduous.

Teams are more willing to attack the paint and set the defense into motion, aware of the fact Lopez and Giannis aren’t both around to eliminate all the pockets of space on lobs, finishes, laydown passes or kickouts. Lopez was a safety blanket that’s been stripped from the roster for nearly 4.5 months, underscoring how he helps patch up his teammates’ breakdowns.

Beyond Giannis’ persistent greatness, the healthy off-ball defenders on this roster fall short. They’ll screw up an X-Out, collapse the paint but fail to track their man, lose a shooter around a screen or be poorly positioned in help.

The pick-and-roll defense shown earlier primarily highlighted issues on the ball. But it also hinted at issues with late-arriving low men as well, which is emblematic of more widespread off-ball problems. A trapping-heavy scheme that directly invites advantage situations for the offense requires shrewd off-ball defenders. That hasn’t transpired.

As it pertains to forward-thinking about the playoffs, the Bucks and their defense deserve considerable leeway. They’ve dealt with an array of injuries and a carousel of rotation players amid a new scheme and defensive environment sans Lopez. Various G League call-ups and players on 10-days have earned notable minutes. Giannis, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have also missed a combined 36 games. Despite all these setbacks, they’re on pace for just three fewer wins than a season ago (on an 82-game schedule).

They displayed last year that ratcheting it up in the postseason is possible and perhaps likely. A lot of their off-ball gaffes feel like low-hanging fruit for improvement. The offense might be better than last year, too.

Yet while acknowledging all this, it’s easy to discern the difference in margin for error that Lopez affords them. A title is absolutely a reasonable expectation without him (or without him at all full strength). But the vision for tying all of this together in a cohesive manner becomes a lot clearer when he’s in the lineup.

The East is the Bucks’ until someone says otherwise and it’s much tougher to say otherwise if Lopez reemerges as the stalwart he’s long been in Milwaukee.

You should really watch Better Things, Pamela Adlon’s wonderful FX series which returned for its fifth and final season this week. Maybe not when it airs, though.

“Don’t watch it on FX with commercials,” creator and star Adlon told the Hollywood Reporter when asked what viewers can expect from the new episodes. “I’ll throw up. There’s nothing more dehumanizing than watching an episode of my show with commercial breaks. And when they squeeze the title at the end? It’s like taking my balls and ripping them off and throwing them in the garbage can.”

Please do not rip off Adlon’s balls and throw them in the garbage can. Thank you.

Later in the interview, the reporter brought up a recent Washington Post profile where rock star Lenny Kravitz admitted to having a “big crush” on Adlon when they went to the same high school. “What can I say?” she replied. “This is f*cking legendary sh*t, baby.” That was also my reaction to the incident that led to #PenisGate.

Here’s an actual preview of Better Things season five:

Better Things is the story of Sam Fox, a single mother and working actor with no filter, raising her three daughters in Los Angeles. She also looks after her mother, an English expat who lives across the street. Whether she’s earning a living, navigating her daughters’ changing lives, or trying to have one of her own, Sam approaches every challenge with fierce love, raw honesty, and humor.

You can watch the trailer below.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

Last month marked the official posthumous release of Juice WRLD’s track “Cigarettes.” A song that had seen a slew of bootleg releases when the Chicago rapper was still alive, it sees him meditating on addiction and how it can affect relationships. The initial visualizer came out last month with an anime aesthetic. But the official video dropped today, featuring a cameo from Angus Cloud of Euphoria. It’s really more of a short film that takes a powerful look at how alcohol can destroy someone’s life and how the temptation will always be there.

In the video, a young guy’s life is falling apart because of alcoholism. He has trouble staying sober at work, he stays out late at the bar instead of going home to his girlfriend, and he’s just spiraling out of control. His life effectively falls apart and he enters a treatment program. We get a flash forward to 999 days later and he’s riding in a convertible with three friends, the main one played by Cloud. They enjoy the breeze while cruising and then go to a club, before the story climaxes and the main character faces a decision based on what he’s been through over the past few years. Directed by Steve Cannon, it’s a very realistic story about addiction and recovery that, considering Juice WRLD died of a drug overdose, hits even harder set to his music.

Watch the video for Juice WRLD’s “Cigarettes” above.