Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 10/20/17
Lupita Nyong’o speaks out about Harvey Weinstein
1:35 PMAll right, folks, Friday’s a busy day. Got Around The Horn at 5 p.m. on ESPN and am doing radio from 4-7 p.m. EST. Should be a fun one, kiddos. Tune in where you can.
NBA impostors getting outta hand this season pic.twitter.com/LDNv5ozkdi
— Jasmine (@JasmineLWatkins) October 19, 2017
Lupita Nyong’o is not one to be played. Now that the Harvey Weinstein accusations are all out in the open, various actresses have come forth with stories about times they encountered him and were either assaulted or insulted in some way, and she’s no different. Well, except for the fact that when she does it, it happens in The New York Times, because she’s got clout like that. Her story is not necessarily all that different from many others we’ve heard, but it is another example of exactly how shameless this man was in his predatory pursuits.
Y’all know how it is in the club. You meet some people who claim to be this, that and third, and you take it with a grain of salt because people will do anything to get what they think they want out of people they just met. So you don’t go into any public entertainment space necessarily expecting to meet royalty, but hey, you never know. That’s exactly what happened to one woman in Washington, D.C., who found herself an Ethiopian prince just chilling in the spot one night. I guess Coming To America is a real-life tale.
Halloween is right around the corner. Some of us have already changed out Twitter display names to “spooky” monikers, and I’m seeing decorations around my neighborhood for the oh-so-frightening holiday. And if you’re the kind of person who enjoys ghost stories, this is your time of year. But, because it’s 2017, we don’t all sit around and read scary books or just watch movies — we’ve got podcasts to freak us out, hands-free. Check out this list of horror shows guaranteed to give you your fill of the creeps.
We’re all rooting for Teddy Bridgewater. When he went down with an injury a while back in practice, it set back the Minnesota Vikings franchise quite a bit, and because of the nature of the problem, some people thought he might never play again at all. Now it appears that he’s beat the odds and is somewhat close to playing shape, or at least that’s what he’s telling the public. The onetime franchise quarterback says that he thinks he can actually play this season, which, frankly, would be nothing short of a miracle.
Free Food
Coffee Break: Tiny houses are a thing, and I don’t really know why. For whatever reason, people really enjoy cooping themselves up in the smallest possible spaces as their homes, then brag about it to everyone, as if it’s somehow saving the earth. Just kidding! Good job, folks. Now, take a look at their kitchens, also miniscule.
Snack Time: I had no idea that the world needed what’s being billed as a “Netflix for bedding,” but, apparently, here we are. What an interesting service.
Dessert: Here’s some dope raps to take you into the weekend. Safety first, kiddos.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 10/19/17
Waffle House and football: An American tradition
1:36 PMAll right, gang, Thursday’s another radio day. I’ll be filling in for Bomani Jones on #TheRightTime from 4-7 p.m. EST. We’ll be talking baseball, a decent amount of football and, of course, NBA hoops.
I just wanted to bring this to everyone's attention pic.twitter.com/A0bxUiUxhL
— Thickamaru Nara (@Aphrothighty) October 18, 2017
Creepy clowns are a hot topic in this space. We’ve been over all the reservations we have about how clowns have hijacked the modern entertainment genre. We’ve discussed the fact that the concept of their evil has unfairly stigmatized those trying to do good. And we’ve even talked about how it’s amazing to think that this bit actually worked for a while, even if cold cases are being reopened decades later. My view on this has always been the same: If a clown is creeping you out, sometimes you gotta let the hands fly. That’s exactly what one kid in Florida did.
Remember the guy who shot and killed his daughter’s boyfriend? The white guy who decided that taking up arms was the best way to avenge his apparent honor being besmirched? Yeah, his little girl was dating a black person, and he claimed he did what he did was in self-defense because she had run away from home and was living in a “crime-ridden neighborhood.” It’s worth noting that dude is an ex-cop. Well, he was convicted of manslaughter after various mistrials, which in itself is scary. His sentencing is next month.
Waffle House is an American treasure. Open 24 hours, always serving breakfast, the restaurant chain’s mere existence is exactly what makes this country great on multiple levels. The last time I was in one, I ended up arguing with a buddy for a good 90 minutes over how I chose to eat my meal, which was funny for obvious reasons. That said, in the South, they’re more than just eateries. This story about the establishment’s relationship with college football is nothing short of magical.
I’ve said this before, but Donald Trump would be a perfect NFL owner. A decent amount of visibility without necessarily having to be in charge of everything, a clearly profitable business group that sort of runs itself, and the ability to boss people around and act like you’re controlling everything when, in fact, the people you’ve hired are more likely the brains of the operation. He tried to get in the league, but they wouldn’t let him. Now, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ owner is doubling down on his comments about Trump, calling him jealous of the NFL.
Free Food
Coffee Break: I thought the catfish trend had come and gone, but apparently not. It’s pretty nuts to think that people are still getting away with that nonsense in the year of our Lord 2017. But it happens, and in some cases the person whose fake pictures are being used actually ends up being the one you land. What a wild tale.
Snack Time: Grace Jones is an incredible human being. The Jamaican singer’s life story is pretty incredible, and now there’s a new documentary coming out about her life.
Dessert: If you’re looking for some musical motivation, these beats should hold you up for the afternoon.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 10/18/17
Gucci Mane ties the knot
4:36 PMHey, now! Got another win on Around The Horn on Tuesday, which was fun. Of course, Wednesday night is the season opener for the Washington Wizards, which should be exciting, so I’ll be there.
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) October 18, 2017
Even when it comes to showing concern, President Donald Trump has problems. After falsely claiming that various presidents had not contacted the parents and families of soldiers who were killed in action, when he finally decided to do it himself, he made things worse. According to Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Florida), Trump told the widow of the late Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson that “he knew what he signed up for.” He leaves behind two children and an unborn child. If you’d like to donate to their college funds, you can do so here. Trump has denied it happened.
Gucci Mane is now a married man. In a lavish $1.7M ceremony dubbed The Mane Event on BET, Radric Davis wed Keyshia Ka’oir in front of a celebrity crowd all dressed in white. Because this is 2017, the entire process will be part of a 10-part special for the network, The Wopsters, which will be must-see TV. We need not extol the virtues of Gucci and his turnaround — except, actually, we do. His new album, Mr. Davis, is way better than the two previous post-jail projects he’s dropped. This dude is such an inspiration.
Chris Long puts his money where his mouth is. Earlier in the year, he pledged to give game checks to start scholarships for college in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. You might recall that a white nationalist rally in that city sparked huge outrage when a driver plowed into a crowd of people in a scarily violent and deadly scene. Now, the Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman is donating his next 10 game checks to launch the Pledge 10 for Tomorrow campaign, designed to support educational equality efforts. Great cause.
NFL 1, President Trump, 0. After a meeting Tuesday with players, the NFL decided that it will not be penalizing players who don’t kneel for the national anthem, a far cry from all the bluster that was spoken in previous weeks. Remember when Trump got on stage and started screaming that if guys didn’t stand for the anthem they should be fired on the spot? And then Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones backed that up with a toothless statement that no player of his would kneel without getting benched?
Free Food
Coffee Break: You know you’re an important person in society when Lego decides to re-create your likeness for kids across the globe to play with. Lego’s now done so for female scientists with the new “Women of NASA” set, which features Nancy G. Roman, Margaret Hamilton, Sally Ride and Mae Jemison.
Snack Time: When it comes to cultural appropriation, some people are so ruthless with it. Take for example this restaurant in California that serves Popeyes chicken, which they PROUDLY have delivered twice a day. Wow.
Dessert: Let Thundercat take you away this afternoon. We love him.
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Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 10/17/17
The NBA is back, kiddos
2:30 PMToday’s another television day, but a special one. The NBA returns Tuesday night, so Around The Horn should be a fun one today. Tune in at 5 p.m. on ESPN if you want to see me break out my fall wardrobe.
NBA DAY!!!!! pic.twitter.com/PIb6ukw7yB
— 𝕂𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕖 (@KofieYeboah) October 17, 2017
Hip-hop is vital lifeblood in America. Today, its creation and existence are being celebrated at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and if you want to follow that, make sure to hit up the hashtag #hiphophistory. But for as much as it might be the driving force in my life, what it has created has certainly taken away from other things. In the pop culture sphere, from a musical standpoint, the evolution of the rap game basically put rhythm and blues music under. Not just because of popularity. Because of the music itself.
Colin Kaepernick just might have himself a case. Why? Because the president of the United States of America loves to tweet. It sounds complicated, but in short, because of the collective bargaining agreement, Kap’s lawyers could argue that because Trump has such an influence over the league, he deserves damages. This is fascinating because if it does end up that he wins money for not being signed, it’ll be because the very guy who thinks he should have gotten “fired” (FIRED!) did a little too much.
By all accounts, this should be Kevin Durant’s year. He’s the NBA Finals MVP. He’s an NBA champion. It’s his second year with his new squad. Of course, if you looked at his new sneakers, you’d think he still had something to prove, but for the most part, he’s just the man. Whether or not he’s the best player in the NBA at this point is almost immaterial. The other thing he’s expanding is his empire. While we think of LeBron James as the business mogul, KD has things he likes off the court too. Here’s a great, long read about it.
Cooler heads have prevailed regarding the national anthem. At NCAA Division III Albright College, three players were dismissed from the football team for kneeling during the national anthem. To be clear, it technically happened because there was some sort of agreement between the captain’s council not to do this and they violated it. But it’s also an example of people at small schools taking themselves WAAY too seriously in general. Those three players have now been invited back to the squad.
Free Food
Coffee Break: Speaking of the NBA, the athletes deal with a lot of nonsense. Because everyone thinks they can play basketball, dudes in the association get challenged more than others. Sure enough, some YouTuber thought going one-on-one against the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown was a good idea. He was very wrong.
NSFW: Jaylen Brown took on YouTuber @trevsteedy in 1-on-1, and it went pretty much how you'd expect pic.twitter.com/8YkLzSdOe7
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 16, 2017
Snack Time: Some of you might not know this, but Lil Jon isn’t all about just getting crunk for no reason. He’s recently started a primary school in Ghana, which seems like a fulfilling effort.
Dessert: If you’re really into Mac computers, get this candle. Also, it got an update recently too.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 10/16/17
Marvel unveils new ‘Black Panther’ trailer
- What up, gang? Hope your weekends went well.
https://twitter.com/AsteadWesley/status/919929025115705344
The new trailer for Black Panther is pretty incredible. As a matter of course, this film is already one of the most hyped of 2018, and with each new piece of footage that drops, the streets get even more needy. Chadwick Boseman and company set the internet on fire on Monday, yours truly included. Here are the details, but let me just say this: the handshake. THE DAP GAME. I’m going to be using that handshake until I die. And aside from the unabashed blackness of this film and its cast, it looks like a genuinely great film to come.
The fallout from Harvey Weinstein’s ouster has been widespread. Aside from all the big-name Hollywood stars we’ve heard come out with stories of sexual harassment and assault, a more populist social media movement to highlight the problems has been sparked on social media. The #MeToo hashtag has been a way for women to note that they have been victims, thus pointing out exactly how widespread this issue is. Actress Alyssa Milano was one of the first to share it, and countless others have since joined in to share their pain.
My sister is a vegan. For lack of a better term, it’s a whole thing. Because if you’re willing to eat every meal inside your house, or have the money to be perusing random eateries at all hours of the day looking for things to eat, that life ain’t easy. But, as time goes on, the eating-out option tends to grow in variety and availability. Meaning, if you really wanted to find a vegan spot to spend most of your time and energy, you certainly could. That said, vegan joints are still a tad quirky. This story interviewing vegan restaurant workers about vegans is hilarious.
The NBA starts Tuesday. In case you missed it, it was quite the offseason in these streets, meaning that Tuesday’s game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics is going to be nothing short of fantastic. More personally, I’m excited that my Washington Wizards are back on the court, having had an offseason with little to no drama, outside of an injury. The Golden State Warriors are obviously the Vegas favorite to win the championship, but you never know, y’all. The Spurs are outchea trying to sign a contract extension for LaMarcus Aldridge, so it’s a whole new world.
Free Food
Coffee Break: Look, some criminals are stupid, while others just choose to use their talents for unorthodox things, which not many of us can necessarily appreciate. One such individual is this guy in Texas, who for the better part of a decade was hijacking fajita deliveries from a restaurant. What a dude.
Snack Time: So, Jussie Smollett appeared as Langston Hughes in the movie Marshall. Apparently he liked the role so much that they’re making an entire other movie with the same cast.
Dessert: Do you need a life coach? The Rock should do just fine.