Author: GoneTrending

Along with the tragedy and uncertainty that a pandemic brings, some bizarrely delightful stories keep emerging.

Indiana’s 14 First Alert Chief Meteorologist Jeff Lyons set up a green screen in his living room and has been giving weather forecasts from home during the lockdown. And though he usually broadcasts alone, he’s gotten a new partner to share the weather with—his cat, Betty.

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Betty made her debut last week when she wanted some attention during a weather broadcast. Lyons picked up the fluffy feline and cradled her in his arms while he talked about the weather. The response was so great, the station shared a little behind-the-scenes green screen fun with Betty and the clip that ended up airing on television.

Sometimes Betty just hangs out watching her human do his professional human thing.

However, like all cats, Betty doesn’t like to perform when requested. (Like how they only want to sit on your lap when you’re trying to work. Cats gonna be cats.)

People are loving Betty’s cameos in Lyons’ from-home forecasts, though. Viewers have even been sharing photos of their own cats on Lyons’ Facebook page, and fans have begun tuning in from around the world to see Betty being Betty.

Pets have become even more beloved companions as everyone’s lives during the pandemic, as people find themselves spending more time at home and less time with other living, breathing beings. At this point, anything sentient that we’re allowed to get close to feels like a best friend.

Thanks for bringing an extra measure of joy to people right now, Betty, and enjoy your newfound fame. (We’d warn you not to let it go to your head, but you’re a cat—the diva is already built in.)

“Air Drake” has joined the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Drake is offering fans flights on his private jet as part of Michael Rubin‘s #AllInChallenge circulating on social media among various celebrities. After being nominated by NFL star Tom Brady, Drake posted a video to Instagram explaining how he wants to help raise money.

After joking that he would give away Brady’s house and car, he said, “Whoever wins, you’ll get the chance to fly on Air Drake. I’ll have the OVO package waiting for you on the plane, the Nike Air package waiting on the plane, fly you to LA, where you’ll get to come and party with us at one of our private parties at Delilah, we’ll have a great time.” He then sweetened the deal by throwing in a pair of tickets to a show in the winner’s city whenever it’s possible to tour again.

Drake’s baseline for entry is a $10 donation to AllInChallenge.com, where donors can see all of the available auctions from celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Hart, Justin Bieber, Mark Cuban, Magic Johnson, and more.

Drake’s getting the most out of his 767 Boeing private plane, which he was reportedly given for free by Cargojet as a promotional gimmick. By putting up the flight for auction, he’s contributing to a good cause — although there are many who would argue that these millionaire entertainers could just as easily donate way more money directly than they could fundraise from their fans’ pockets, plenty of stars are doing just that, as well. Anyway, you can enter the contest here.

As the pandemic rolls on, restaurants are closed and a lot of people are home for most of the day. Consequently, some folks are doing more cooking than ever, with mixed results. Lizzo, for example, had a kitchen mishap during a recent Instagram Live session.

Lizzo took to Instagram to chat with her fans for bit yesterday, offering some insight about what she’s been up to, saying of her upcoming music, “I’ve been working on sh*t in my studio with people, and I have songs, I’m really excited about them. Any maybe when they get a little bit more finished, I’ll play them for you hoes. I might give you little snippets, because I know every artist…” At this point, she had a sudden and urgent realization, as she stopped mid-sentence and exclaimed, “Oh my god, my f*ckin’ pizza nuggets! F*ck, sh*t. My f*cking pizza nuggets, bro. Oh sh*t, I left them in the f*cking oven. F*ck!”

In some follow-up videos posted on her Instagram Story, she detailed how that situation ended up, saying, “Sh*t was burnt, but you know what I’m saying, I’ll just put a little bit of barbecue sauce on ’em.” “Pizza nuggets” may not be a household name sort of food, but Tyson introduced pizza-flavored chicken nuggets last year, so perhaps that’s what Lizzo was having.

While Lizzo’s culinary endeavors may not be going so well, at least she’s feeling creatively inspired.

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

There are only six blockbuster movies still left on the schedule between now and Labor Day: Tenet (Christopher Nolan is going to pull a Newsroom at the first person who suggests the film comes out on VOD), Mulan, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, Wonder Woman 1984, Bill & Ted Face the Music (which barely counts as a “blockbuster,” but let me have this), and A Quiet Place Part II, already on its second release date. No wonder the internet went nutso over the first looks at Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. We’re starved for content (it’s our “the spice”) — and thirsty for the film’s cast, including Timothée “Timmy” Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, and, most importantly, Oscar Isaac. Most importantly for me, at least.

I mean.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say: Oscar Isaac, handsome man. Which makes it all the more baffling that he’s virtually unrecognizable in X-Men: Apocalypse, which might as well have been called X-Men: Anonymous for much I remember about it. I saw it opening night, and bits and pieces of it on cable afterwards, but four years later, the only thing I can recall about the movie is: why would you do THIS to Oscar Isaac?

It’s a classic example of hiring a famous hot person to play a role that could have been done by anyone, because you don’t see beneath the makeup and CGI. You’re paying for the goods, but not showing us them. (“The goods,” in this case, is Oscar Isaac’s beard.) I, an extremely shallow not-hot person, would have gladly played Apocalypse in an X-Men movie. Not for scale, though. I have too much pride for that. At least $2 million. Anyway, seeing all the Dune love led me to wonder if Oscar Isaac as Apocalypse is the most egregious example of a hot person being unrecognizable in a (recent) movie.

For this highly scientific exercise, I’m excluding any Hot People playing real-life figures (i.e. no Charlize Theron in Monster, Margot Robbie in Mary Queen of Scots, etc.) or animated movies, obviously, and mo-cap performances; also, they have to be actually unrecognizable. Michael Keaton — hot in the ’80s, still hot in the ’20s — is the pale-faced Ghost with the Most in Beetlejuice, but he’s still unmistakably Michael Keaton (that sounds meaner than I meant it to). Let’s go through some of the other possibilities.

Keri Russell in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

You: The Rise of Skywalker is a mediocre movie because of its pacing problems and silly plot twist and unearned emotional climax.

Me: The Rise of Skywalker is a mediocre movie because Keri Russell wears a helmet the entire time. While I’m happy that Russell got paid to be in a Star Wars movie, and she’s a talented physical actress with a pleasant voice, J.J. Abrams of all people should know better than to conceal her very famous hair. Rian Johnson would never.

Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises / many movies

This piece might as well be dedicated to Tom Hardy, who apparently hates his face as much as we love it. As the Ringer wrote in 2018, “For whatever reason—a deep insecurity or just a pure love of characters in masks—Hardy’s upward trend toward full facial obscurity seems destined to continue. We can safely expect Tom Hardy to keep covering his face like he’s got a hickey or a hangover to hide, well into the future.” It was obscured in Dunkirk, it was obscured in Venom (when he wasn’t munching on a lobster, that is), it was obscured in The Dark Knight Rises, where we only see his full face, without the face-hugger over Bane’s mouth, for all of three seconds. Unacceptable.

Karen Gillan in Avengers: Infinity War / Endgame / Guardians of the Galaxy, etc.

Nebula is probably Karen Gillan’s most well-known role, but she’s rarely synonymous with the Marvel Cinematic Universe character, because so many people can’t tell it’s her. “I WAS TODAY’S OLD WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT NEBULA AND RUBY FROM JUMANJI ARE LITERALLY THE SAME PERSON WTF,” goes one tweet, while another adds, “I have just been informed that Amy Pond and Nebula are the same person and now my brain hurts.” Wait until that person finds out she was in Selfie, too.

Karl Urban in Dredd

I would also accept Sylvester Stallone in Judge Dredd, if you’re into codpieces.

Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire

Oh wait, Mrs. Doubtfire is based on a real person. Doesn’t count.

Ralph Fiennes in the Harry Potter movies

I can deal with the baldness and the “Saul Goodman in the most recent episode of Better Call Saul“-looking chapped lips and the blobfish skin, but it’s the nose. The nose is the thing that gets me.

[redacted] in [redacted]

Those are all bad, but honestly, this is a two (hot) person race.

Do you recognize who this is? I sent the image to three friends who a) find this individual very attractive, and b) saw the movie it’s from, and they all drew a blank. It’s Idris Elba, the one-time Sexiest Man Alive, in Star Trek Beyond. Krall (definitely had to look that character name up) makes Macavity look dignified by comparison, but is it worse than Oscar Isaac in X-Men: Apocalypse, the only other true competitor to “why would they do that to their beautiful face” throne? It is not. Oscar is the clear winner (loser?).

For two reasons:

1. Unlike Star Trek Beyond, and Avengers: Endgame, Harry Potter, The Dark Knight Rises, etc., X-Men: Apocalypse is a bad movie. I’m too busy enjoying Guardians of the Galaxy to be annoyed by Karen Gillan being unrecognizable, but all I could think about while watching Apocalypse is: why would they do this to Llewyn Davis? That’s probably not what the filmmakers were going for. The billboards only made a bad situation worse.

2. Here’s how Oscar Isaac described filming X-Men: Apocalypse:

“That was excruciating. I didn’t know when I said yes that that was what was going to be happening. That I was going to be encased in glue, latex, and a 40-pound suit that I had to wear a cooling mechanism at all times… I couldn’t move my head. And I had to sit on a specially designed saddle, because that’s the only thing I could really sit on, and I would be rolled into a cooling tent in-between takes. And so I just wouldn’t ever talk to anybody, and I was just gonna be sitting and I couldn’t really move, and like, sweating inside the mask and the helmet. And then getting it off was the worst part, because they just had to kind of scrape it off for hours and hours. So, that was X-Men: Apocalypse.”

Poor Oscar Isaac. X-Men: Apocalypse: the only movie that can make Dune look fun.

Hugh Jackman’s friendly feud with Ryan Reynolds goes back so long, the Logan star can barely remember how it started.

There have been a lot of shots fired over the years, after all, including Reynolds “sharing” Jackman’s phone number (“Call someone who’s isolated and might need connection… Hugh Jackman’s # is 1-555--HUGH”) and Jackman suggesting that people should pee on Reynolds’ Hollywood Walk of Fame star. When asked about the origin of the “online flame war,” as the Daily Beast put it, Jackman had to think hard.

“How did it start? It’s gone back so long now… God, this is a classic sign where your feud has gone too long, where you don’t even know why or how it started,” he said. “I met him back on [X-Men Origins: Wolverine], and I used to ream him because I was very close friends with Scarlett [Johansson], and Scarlett had just married Ryan, so when he came on set I was like, ‘Hey, you better be on your best behavior here, pal, because I’m watching,’ and we started ribbing each other that way, and then it all escalated with the Deadpool thing and him calling me out, and trying to manipulate me through social media to do what he wanted.” In case you somehow forgot, this is the “Deadpool thing.”

It’s still pretty funny.

Elsewhere in the interview, Jackman revealed that he was offered a role in director Tom Hopper’s box office dud Cats, which he wisely turned down (“I’m in the theater, man, and I don’t want to be in the business of bashing people…”), and he just learned what the term “swole” means. Reynolds is going to give him so much sh*t over that.

Here’s the trailer for Jackman’s new film, Bad Education.

(Via the Daily Beast)

While George Clanton hasn’t announced a new project just yet, we’re still reveling in his collaboration with 311’s Nick Hexum, which was released late last year. It was a project that turned out to be way more exciting than anyone expected, a demonstration of unique chemistry between the two. Since that release, Clanton has been working hard on his 100% Electronica label, nurturing artists like Equip, Negative Gemini, Tonstartssbandht, and more.

With new music hopefully on the horizon, Clanton sat down to talk loving 311, New York City, and modern country music in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

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

vaporwave for boomers. boomers

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

I’ve spent my career going against the trend and playing the long game. I hope I’ll be remembered as a DIY innovator that inspired another generation of kids that they can do something unique wholly on their own terms and still be successful.

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

I gotta go with where the crowds are the craziest for me, and that’s New York City.

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

Picking one, Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, for a number of reasons but mostly in the way he does his own thing and has had a long and storied career instead of blowing up and fizzling out.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

A euphoric night at Night Market + Song in Los Angeles comes to mind.

What album do you know every word to?

Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

311 in 2003 was my first real concert and I thought they would just play the hits but they played some deep cuts that were my favorites and it blew me away as a first concert experience.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

I like to wear fancy clothes a lot but they get destroyed in the pit so the best fit is a loose-fitting t-shirt and jeans you don’t mind getting beer dumped on, and tie your shoes tight so you don’t break your ankle.

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

I love watching @beachfossilsnyc Instagram stories, someone needs to give them a TV show.

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

When I start freaking out, I always put on my “Favorite Songs Playlist” to settle down. but if I had to pick one it seems like The Go-Betweens – “Streets Of Your Town” is always coming on the most.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

“What’s Beach Fossils Instagram”

What album makes for the perfect gift?

I used to buy up China Crisis records by the dozen because you can get them for $1. I’ve even got them as packing material in other used record purchases and just ended up with multiple copies. To me their records would be priceless if you couldn’t get them for $1, so that’s a great gift.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

One time my fiancee and I slept in an abandoned hotel outside of Vienna for a show at a private birthday party. She (Negative Gemini) performed in the bottom of an empty pool while people did coke and ate beef stew watching from above, then we walked over to the next building to sleep. They had to turn the power on for that day only to so we could use the space heater and charge our phones. There was sewage coming up from the toilet somehow.

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

I don’t have any tattoos.

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

I always flip through looking for the modern country station, I like to see what they are up to. If Post Malone comes on along the way we have to turn that up and listen to it. Or the song that says “How many times you been shot, a lot.” Other than that I don’t expect to hear much on the radio.

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

That’s a nearly impossible question to answer, so many people have done amazing things for me. Like my family. But something more recent was my then-girlfriend now-almost-wife Lindsey changing my pee bags without complaining during the height of my ankle breaking fiasco.

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

Don’t go to college, go directly to New York and figure it out.

What’s the last show you went to?

I think it was Maraschino at Zebulon here in LA.

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

Jaws.

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

Cacio e pepe. It’s simple, yet elegant and sophisticated, and everyone likes it. It’s one of my few perfected dishes. Basically fancy mac and cheese.

“Out Of The Blue” / “Under Your Window” are out now. Stream the 7″ here.

One of the nation’s most promising young basketball players will not attend college. According to a report by Jonathan Givony of ESPN, five-star guard Jalen Green has decided to forgo suiting up for an NCAA program and will instead opt for a more unconventional path that will involve a pit stop in the G League.

Green, the No. 3 recruit in the class of 2020 based on 247Sports’ composite rating, will take up what Givony calls “enhanced version” of the G League’s professional pathway, which the league launched back in 2018 as an alternate to playing college ball. The program offers recruits $125,000, although it is unclear how a player the caliber of Green following this pathway impacts that.

It was announced earlier this week that Green’s decision — which was expected to be between Auburn, Memphis, or a professional career — would occur on Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. EST on his Instagram account. However, a video Green put on social media indicated the professional league in his sights was Australia’s NBL, not the G League.

Additionally, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports reported earlier in the week that going the pro route appeared to be the most likely result, with that decision getting reflected on Green’s 247Sports Crystal Ball.

An important thing to stress is that recruiting is an incredibly weird endeavor, and you never should assume you know what is going to happen until everything is signed, sealed, and delivered. Having said that, Green picking the G League would be quite the turn of events. Auburn, which boasts the No. 7 recruiting class in America, could stand to lose him, while Memphis, which sits at 137 nationally, will really regret not landing him. If this works out, though, and Green is able to parlay his year in the G League into potentially being the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, it would add some serious legitimacy to a path that has not been previously traveled.

Plenty of television shows have tried their best to lean into absurdity over the years. An issue that inherently pops up all the time, though, is that it’s really, really hard to be good at that, and you can always tell when a television show is trying, but failing, at making that its brand. One such show that managed to master making the absurd its calling card in a way that worked was Arrested Development.

The show’s first three seasons are damn near unassailable. Sure, there are plenty of things that did not age particularly well by nature of being a source comedy in the mid-aughts — the entirety of the storyline involving Charlize Theron and the various jokes about Tobias’ sexuality during Season 3 stick out — but despite the ratings slide that saw it meet its premature demise, Arrested Development‘s first three seasons managed to stay fresh and funny thanks to its writing and a powerhouse of an ensemble cast. To celebrate it, we decided to rank the show’s 10-best episodes.

Two quick things before we dive in:

1. These are the ten episodes based on my most recent rewatch of the show. If I were to rewatch through some other time, there is a good chance that ten other episodes would make up this list. The show has that many outstanding episodes, so if your favorite(s) is/are left off, know there is a very good chance that I, too, love them, and this is merely a list of the episodes that I enjoyed the most right now.
2. You’ll notice that Season 4 and Season 5 don’t have any episodes on this list. One thing I wanted to determine going in was whether or not I actually thought they were merely fine or if the constant haymakers thrown by the first three seasons made the most recent two feel like feeble jabs. My answer: I still have zero idea. Someday I’ll go back and watch them both without enjoying the rest of the series beforehand, but regardless, they don’t quite reach the highs of the initial run of episodes.

Anyway, thank you for indulging me. Now, a list about a television show that tells the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son that had no choice but to keep them all together.

10. S3E9: “S.O.B.s”

The story: The Bluths need to raise money for a lawyer and decide to hold a celebrity-heavy party. Lindsay takes up cooking, which horrifies George Michael, who goes to a new school. Gob gets a job by accident. Tobias and Maeby bond. We met the entire Richter family.

Why it’s on the list: The best episode of season 3 hits on all the notes that make a good episode in the series: every main character has something to do, a few different storylines come together at the end of the episode. It is also completely ludicrous and the zillion nods to “hey this show is not going to be a thing once this season ends” hold up well, even years later.

9. S1E19: “Best Man for Gob”

The story: Gob holds a bachelor party … kind of. Michael tries to take George Michael fishing. The Funkes restart their family band, which does not go particularly well, in part because Gob’s wife — one of its biggest fans — falls for Tobias.

Why it’s on the list: I, personally, am a sucker for any and all scenes that involve Dr. Funke’s 100 Percent Natural Good-Time Family-Band Solution, and this is where it debuts. Also, there is a fake bachelor party that involves Buster drinking fake blood (it’s juice) and a narcoleptic stripper in a cake who was supposed to get fake murdered in an attempt to prevent someone from testifying against George. Why this show was canceled is beyond me. (Ok I know the answer, but still.)

8. S1E7 “In God We Trust”

The story: Barry Zuckerkorn temporarily gets George out of prison, while Michael tries getting a new attorney. Tobias, it is revealed, is a never-nude. Some members of the Bluth family pass around the role of Adam in “The Creation of Adam,” alongside George, who plays God, right up until he tries (and fails) to run away. Buster and Lucille 2 go on a date.

Why it’s on the list: Our first look at Barry Zuckerkorn gives us a glimpse at perhaps the best non-Bluth character in the entire series. This episode also highlights how each member of the Bluth family will always try to do something that benefits themselves, only for it to backfire terribly — everyone who wants to be Adam next to George has their own reason for wanting the role, while the idea of getting George to see Lucille on a date explodes in Michael and Lindsay’s faces when they realize she’s spending time with Wayne Jarvis, not Barry. Oh and also this is the first never-nude episode, which, come on.

7. S2E10 “Ready, Aim, Marry Me!”

The story: The Bluths all believe Lucille 2 and Stan Sitwell are trying to take over the company, so George recommends Uncle Jack comes (and his assistant, Dragon) and helps. Lindsay goes on a romantic getaway with Uncle Jack, thinking it was a date with Dragon. Michael and Tobias go on a date at the same time. Buster and Gob fight over Lucille 2.

Why it’s on the list: Martin Short’s cameo is so delightfully unhinged that this episode had to make it on the list somewhere. Plus, this episode does a great job highlighting two sides of Michael: the Bluth who is just as shallow and willing to compromise to get his way as everyone else in his family, and the person who is able to see the err of his ways, even if it happens a little too late. And we get Gob and Lindsay’s chicken dances, so what’s not to like?

6. S1E4 “Key Decisions”

The story: Gob goes to prison for an illusion — he gets stabbed — which prevents him from attending an awards show with Marta. While there, a few people fall in love: Michael, with Marta, and Lucille 2, with Buster (sans glasses). Those aren’t the only lovebirds, as Lindsay meets environmental activist Johnny Bark, who falls for her. It is not reciprocated.

Why it’s on the list: While much of the conflict up to this point in S1 is over silly things, this episode sets up the perpetual feud that engulfs the two eldest Bluth brothers. My only regret is that there aren’t more episodes with Gob going to prison as part of an elaborate illusion, but I can’t be too mad, because everything about that is hilarious. And besides, it gave us the first “I’ve made a huge mistake” of the series.

5. S2E4 “Good Grief”

The story: George dies, so the family holds a wake. Only Buster has no idea what is happening, up until he learns about it while Gob tries doing an illusion he desperately needs. George Michael, fresh off of a breakup with Ann, discovers that George is not dead, but just hiding from the cops. He gets moved to the attic, and eventually, Michael finds out. Maeby tries to get Lindsay to cheat on Tobias so she can get emancipated.

Why it’s on the list: A Bluth family wake is exactly as bonkers as it should be. This has the honor, I assume, of being the only episode of television in American history with multiple references to Charlie Brown and the arrest of Saddam Hussein.

4. S1E22 “Let ‘Em Eat Cake”

The story: Lindsay starts a bead business, Gob starts a bee business. Kitty pops back up, and Michael has to deal with that. George Michael meets Ann Veal, which Maeby does not like. The “light treason” George committed rears its ugly head. An old book Tobias wrote becomes famous again, which leads to more money and some tensions between himself and Lindsay. George goes to the hospital during a lie detector test.

Why it’s on the list: The final episode of season one sets up season two brilliantly while simultaneously highlighting two things: Michael’s loyalty to his family, and also that Michael is in a constant struggle with what is best for himself and his son, and what is best for everyone else. It is also the first time we meet the extremely literal doctor, perhaps the series’ strangest (and best) tertiary character.

3. S1E1 “Pilot”

The story: Michael prepares to take over The Bluth Company, only for the job to go to Lucille, and then Buster. George gets arrested and learns he has the worst f*cking attorneys. Tobias also gets arrested for unknowingly participating in a protest, which leads to a professional revelation.

Why it’s on the list: How often have you seen television series start off on the wrong foot, only to pick up steam throughout the first season and eventually find its footing? That is not the case for AD, which sets up the entire series beautifully. From the very start, the pilot episode sets the stage for major things that exist through the series involving its main characters — Lucille’s total lack of decency, Gob being an arrogant, self-conscious, and absolutely abysmal magician, George Michael and Maeby’s strange relationship, etc. It is a tl;dr on each member of the Bluth family, something brutally difficult to accomplish in a pilot. Unlike Lucille’s feelings for Gob, we do, indeed, care for this episode.

2. S1E10 “Pier Pressure”

The story: Michael and Lindsay disagree on the best way to raise their children. We learn about George’s old lessons involving a one-armed man named J. Walter Weatherman. Maeby is punished and sentenced to an afternoon with Lucille. Buster tries to score some weed to help with Lucille 2’s vertigo, asking George Michael for help. This leads to an elaborate fake score involving Gob and the Hot Cops.

Why it’s on the list: If you’re showing someone one episode of Arrested Development and want to highlight everything that makes it so good — the acting, the writing, the twists and turns that its best episodes take, the general absurdity that comes from the phrase “a fake pot bust involving the Hot Cops” — you are picking this one. Maeby learning that Lucille is viciously cruel is hilarious, but the plotline involving George Michael attempting to score some pot as a favor is aces. The insecurities that a handful of characters feel when others are involved pop up — George Michael’s biggest fear on earth is disappointing Michael, who wants to be the head of the Bluth family but cannot because he can never quite be his father, while Buster is horrified of Gob and Gob is horrified of Michael. The family dynamics on display are perfect, while the Hot Cops show up a few more times in the series and are hilarious every single time.

1. S1E2 “Top Banana”

The story: George Michael becomes Mr. manager at the banana stand. That is, until it burns down. On that note, Tobias interviews for a commercial about a fire … sale. Michael looks for flight records but cannot find them due to his parents.

Why it’s on the list: The entire episode is hilarious from start to finish, but this one tops the list for the sheer number of hilarious individual moments that helped make the show so famous. Gob trying to throw a letter into the ocean, Tobias screaming about a fire sale, “DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT,” and of course, “there’s always money in the banana stand.” It is an otherworldly cultural artifact, and that’s before we get into the things about the show that serve as recurring punchlines/themes within the series, like continuous miscommunications that make situations exponentially worse, Michael poorly throwing his weight around in an attempt to earn respect and do things The Right Way, George Michael’s perpetual fear of disappointing Michael, Lindsay and Tobias hitting various obscure bumps in the road in their marriage, and Gob desperately wanting Michael’s respect but also being a tremendous piece of garbage. It’s also the first time someone says “no touching,” the first time we get a glimpse of Tobias’ jorts and Gob’s Segway, and Patrice O’Neal is in it briefly as an arsonist.

The Social Experiment member Peter CottonTale has been a key Chance The Rapper collaborator for years now, and today, Chance has returned the favor. CottonTale is dropping a new album, Catch, tomorrow (April 17), but ahead of then, he has shared the Chance-featuring “Pray For Real” (on which Tobi Lou also guests). The track has a similarly breezy energy to The Social Experiment’s previous work and blends hip-hop and gospel influences.

Today, by the way, is Chance’s 26th birthday.

CottonTale recently shared the full Catch tracklist and wrote, “Without Those Who Are Listed or Are In Any of these Photos that I’ve been posting, I couldn’t Have Done any of it. Whether you offered Talent , Time, or just words , I appreciate the community and fellowship that’s been established. I’m glad it was as special to you as it is to me. Love you all.”

The new song follows “Forever Always,” which originally dropped in 2018, is also set to appear on the album, and also features Chance, as well as Daniel Caesar and Rex Orange County. Beyond the aforementioned, Catch also includes contributions from Jeremih, Jamila Woods, PJ Morton, Jon Batiste, Kirk Franklin, Yebba, and others.

Listen to “Pray For Real” above.

Catch is out 5/17 via Peter CottonTale. Pre-order it here.

Future has been on a tear lately, putting his fan-favorite mixtapes on DSPs one-by-one. He started, naturally, with Monster, the first of three mixtapes he released in 2015 solidifying him as an unstoppable production machine. The next two projects in that unofficial trilogy, Beast Mode and 56 Nights, soon followed. Now, he’s surprise-released yet another one of his iconic tapes to streaming services: The 2016 DJ Esco and Metro Boomin-produced tape, Purple Reign.

Purple Reign is Future’s sixteenth mixtape overall and the first non-commercial mixtape since the 2015 mixtape trilogy of Monster, Beast Mode, and 56 Nights. It contained the standout tracks “Wicked” and “Perkys Calling” as well as an eclectic roster of trap producers that included Metro Boomin, Nard & B, Southside, and Zaytoven. Purple Reign was released between Future’s joint project with Drake, What A Time To Be Alive, and his fourth studio album, Evol (on which “Wicked” also appears).

Future’s re-upped mixtapes are an admirable placeholder for fans thirsty for his new project Life Is Good, which he announced earlier this month after releasing videos for its singles “Tycoon” and “Life Is Good” featuring Drake. The song “Life Is Good” was also remixed with DaBaby and Lil Baby.

Purple Reign is now available for streaming via Epic Records. Stream it here.