Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 2/15/17
Under Armour CEO walks back Donald Trump comments
3:00 PMWe taped another podcast Tuesday, and Jill’s back! We talked about the Grammys and the ever-evolving ridiculousness that is the New York Knickerbockers franchise. Have a listen and don’t forget to subscribe!
Sometimes I wonder if Donald Trump knows how to tie his shoes. Seriously, when it comes to the people around him and decision-making in general, everything seems to be someone else’s issue or his hypersimplification methods make it seem like if it really came down to fixing a problem, he’d have to ask someone else to handle it for him. The New York Times is reporting that his aides have been cavorting with Russia all along, and when it comes to the situation in Israel, he says he can live with either one. Alrighty, then.
When I was in high school, I wore JNCO jeans. Not the insane crazy huge ones, but people tend to forget that they had regular-sized pants that were actually rather comfortable and decent. Their whole existence gets defined by those absurdly super-wide-leg jams that were so patently ridiculous, but definitely something that people wore very seriously. I could name you 10 people right now off the top of my head who definitely wore them. Anyway, it’s 2017 and one guy decided that he was going to take the plunge for a week to “find himself.”
People love dissing Beyoncé. Between racism and sexism, it’s like they just can’t let her live without a fully public comment that somehow discredits who she is. Whether it’s a criticism of how she looks, or people somehow taking issue with the fact that she’s made a pregnancy announcement, it’s always something. Now, Carlos Santana, the musician is taking a shot, as well. He went so far as to say she’s not really a singer, which is insane. He apologized for it Wednesday, because, well, it was way out of pocket.
Remember when the Under Armour CEO decided he liked the president? Well, after three of his most famous endorsers came out and said they didn’t agree with him, Kevin Plank is walking back those comments. After calling Trump an asset to the country, Stephen Curry, Misty Copeland and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were all like “hold up.” So, Plank decided to make better for his people on the situation and took out a full-page ad in The Baltimore Sun calling the immigration executive order a bad idea.
Free Food
Coffee Break: I love Jean-Michel Basquiat. He’s basically my spirit animal on a couple different levels and has been since basically I was a kid. There’s a new exhibit out that features pictures of him and his work from before he was super famous and it’s in Denver. So, the moral of the story is that I’ll be going to Denver soon.
Snack Time: Did you know that Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson once almost played a one-on-one game on pay-per-view in Las Vegas for a million bucks? Welp, now you do.
Dessert: I’ve started listening to Bronzeville. I like it a lot.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 2/14/17
Future is really outchea
2:41 PMWith all that’s going on in this country, we just have to fall back on good music. Bang this while you read.
Controversy is swirling at the White House. A couple of days after the Trump administration said it had full confidence in National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, he’s resigned. The short version is that he talked to Russia when he shouldn’t have, then lied to basically everyone involved about it. The longer version is that he might have legitimately compromised himself and thus the entire White House while he was at it. There are a ton of questions about what’s going to happen next. Here’s the full resignation letter.
WATCH: @MLauer's full interview with @kellyannepolls on departure of #MichaelFlynn https://t.co/PZ1PGtACUY
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 14, 2017
American Crime Story is off to an incredible start. The People v. O.J. Simpson was one of the more poignant series we saw last year, and now FX is already planning its fourth season. Somehow, those involved might have topped themselves this time around. The fourth installment (after a second season on Hurricane Katrina and third on the largest failed manhunt in U.S. history) will be about the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which was obviously enormous and nearly brought down a sitting president. Alas, it didn’t, but if FX treats this story anything like it did the “Trial of the Century,” it’s going to be wild. That was one of the most salacious episodes in American history and at the center of it was sex, not murder, so the guilt factor isn’t the same in considering it entertaining. Should be excellent.
Future’s life is so wild. One minute he’s beefing with one of his baby mamas, another he’s putting out fire with Maroon 5. Hold up, who? Yes, that Maroon 5. The same band whose lead singer is a judge on The Voice. The same band who winds up on the playlist of every wedding you’ll probably attend for the next 20 years of your life. More importantly, however, the Atlanta rapper plans to release a new album Friday. I’m not sure we’re ready for a world in which he’s not just a star, but also a household name across America, ha.
The New York Knicks are completely out of control. Last week, team legend Charles Oakley was kicked out of Madison Square Garden in a very public fashion. Then, team owner James Dolan went on the radio and basically called Oak an angry alcoholic. Of course, everyone noted how bad of a look that was. Then, the next day, Latrell Sprewell and Larry Johnson were sitting next to Dolan at MSG. Next level petty. Now, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has gotten involved, basically telling everyone to knock it off. They did this to themselves.
Free Food
Coffee Break: Monday was Randy Moss’ birthday. When you think of him, you think of big plays, long catches and an attitude that no one could touch, because he was just that good. But if I told you I was putting together a highlight reel of all his 40-plus-yard touchdown catches, how long do you think it would be? How about nine minutes.
Snack Time: Now that Chance The Rapper has won a Grammy as an independent artist, everyone is rethinking the whole point of record labels. Now, Facebook might be getting into the business, itself.
Dessert: The new D.R.A.M. video is phenomenal. Puppets make everything better.
Television
Rachel Lindsay to become the next Bachelorette
She’ll be the first nonwhite woman to headline the show
5:58 PMWhen this season of The Bachelor kicked off, it didn’t take a genius to see one glaring difference between this year’s cast and those previous ones. There was a noticeable amount of women of color. While that development was one thing in itself, for the viewer with the long plan in mind, the next step felt obvious. The next Bachelorette, simply by the numbers, had a pretty good chance of being black.
Reports have it that Rachel Lindsay, the attorney who lives in Dallas, will be assuming the star role on The Bachelorette. The move, which is supposed to be announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night, at this point is a bit of a ratings grab for a season that hasn’t exactly gone well. Nick Viall has been throwing people overboard left and right, which led to a less than riveting run of episodes with hometown visits coming up.
But there are two ways to look at this. For a show that’s in its 20th season, it’s ridiculous that it’s taken this long to get to this point. Are we supposed to celebrate the fact that the most popular dating television show in the country is finally showcasing a nonwhite woman? Or should we be holding up our fists and boycotting any program that doesn’t treat us correctly to begin with? Well, we can do both.
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https://twitter.com/astoldbytrea/status/831232079752994817
Earlier this month, show alum Wells Adams felt so strongly about the matter that he went so far as to say that a black Bachelorette is not something this country is ready for. “I think the franchise wants to so badly break out of its cookie-cutter, white person shell,” Adams said, “but I don’t think that America will embrace it, sadly enough.”
That strikes us as a stretch. As popular as the program is, we’re not talking about a sitting head of state. America need not embrace the main character of a program in order for it to be popular. See: the White House. But beyond what she looks like, more importantly, Rachel is awesome. She seems like one of the more genuinely fun people we’ve seen on the carousel of rose ceremonies in a long time.
Yes, they’re still taking applications.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 2/13/17
Leslie Jones’ ‘SNL’ skit is so funny
3:00 PMThe Morning Roast went well Sunday, which I’m sure you weren’t listening to because you were probably on your way to church. We talked about Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook, James Dolan and, of course, The Bachelor. Listen in.
Here’s the thing about being president: it’s a full-time job. It’s not only that, it’s the kind of gig that encompasses your entire life and doesn’t just serve as a 9-to-5. So, if you’re in the business of entertaining people at your home, the duties of being commander in chief might cut into your ability to be a host. Of course, when you’re running for the position, there’s sort of an assumption that you’ll give all that up in order to properly execute the gig. Alas, President Donald Trump need not bother with such details, he just takes official calls at the dinner table. Then crashes weddings.
If you didn’t see Saturday Night Live last weekend, you missed a good one. Melissa McCarthy played Sean Spicer again, and this time, wore pumps, which was hilarious. There was also Alec Baldwin reprising his role as Trump in The People’s Court, which certainly made me laugh. Then, I read this story about how the Trump bit is getting old for the show. Mind you, this story entirely failed to mention the best sketch of the program, which was Leslie Jones’ internal battle about how a black woman could never play the role of the president.
I barely watched the Grammys on Sunday night. I should have done more, I wanted to. I normally do. But I didn’t. I caught up with it on the internet today, and I’m not at all surprised to hear that Beyoncé didn’t win an award that she should have. So, when Adele won the award for album of the year, all she did was talk about Queen Bey. Needless to say, that made things a tad awkward. Seriously, how bad is your voting process when the very people who win the awards step onstage and tell the world that they don’t deserve them?
Beyoncé and Solange both had #1 albums, most highly acclaimed #1 albums, and won grammys in the last 12 months pic.twitter.com/JSVHuPHt7r
— Beyoncé's Apprentice (@TrellBeyLike) February 12, 2017
Derek Jeter has been off the market for some time, but now, he’s making other steps. The former New York Yankees shortstop and his wife Hannah Davis are expecting their first child. Jeets slowing down and turning into a normal relationship dude is just the worst for the rest of us. What are you supposed to do when you run into this guy at the dog park or in the parking lot of your daycare? You can’t just have normal convos with him like his life relates to yours. Even for other rich people and other athletes, this guy is on another level. Anyways, congratulations you crazy kids.
Free Food
Coffee Break: There was a time when I thought Lil Yachty was just a genuinely creative kid who liked to sing on records. Now, he’s a full-blown merchandising machine, as evidence by the commercial he did with Carly Rae Jepsen that aired Sunday night. Seriously, watch this thing.
Snack Time: I don’t particularly care about this song, but the cover art for this project from Don Trip and Starlito is nothing short of tremendous and the songs are pretty good, too, if you’re into this trap life.
Dessert: Cee-Lo has completely lost the plot creatively, but these photos of him are pretty funny.
What Are Those?!
What Are Those?! Podcast: 2/10/17
Steph Curry’s beef with Under Armour and Black History Month sneaker releases
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The What Are Those?! podcast is back! It’s our first episode in 2017, so that means we’ve got to talk about some of the releases we’re anticipating most this year — and, unfortunately, some of the shoes we’ve already whiffed on. Co-host Marcus Matthews missed out on the “Chinese New Year” Air Jordan XIIs. And, I still have yet to secure a pair of Yeezys.
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry recently made major off-the-court headlines when he called out the man who signs some of his checks, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, for supporting President Donald Trump. Curry is sponsored by UA, and makes the company a great deal of money, so is his stance justifiable? We surely think so. Plank and UA better hope Curry doesn’t dip.
We’re here for black excellence. And we’re obviously here for sneakers. The connection between the two has been mighty strong this year. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick donated his entire sneaker collection to homeless shelters and children’s orphanages. After reaching two milestones in their lives, both former President Barack Obama and tennis great Serena Williams got the custom kicks treatment, courtesy of Michael Jordan. Now, Nike and Jordan Brand have released their annual lines of Black History Month sneakers. We discuss the best, and the worst, in each collection.
Give it a listen, and if you have any feedback or show ideas, feel free to email us at allday@andscape.com.
Nike launches ‘EQUALITY’ campaign
with film to air during the 59th Annual Grammy Awards
7:50 PM“Is this the land history promised?”
That’s the question Michael B. Jordan asks in the new short film EQUALITY, launching Nike’s new campaign of the same name, the goal of which is to encourage “people to take the fairness and respect they see in sport and translate them off the field,” the company says. Back in January, to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Nike announced partnerships with two community organizations, PeacePlayers International and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership.
Now, Nike is coming into your living room with its message. The film is set to air during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards and again during NBA All-Star Weekend. Nike brought the stars out to help push the message, too. As far as athletes go, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, Megan Rapinoe, Dalilah Muhammad, Gabby Douglas and Victor Cruz all make appearances. On the nonsports entertainment side, Alicia Keys appears in addition to Jordan. Directed by Melina Matsoukas, who’s won a Grammy for her work on Rihanna’s “We Found Love” video, the 90-second black-and-white treatment sends an upfront message about changing impressions regarding the concept of boundaries.
“Here within these lines, on this concrete court. This patch of turf. Here, you’re defined by your actions. Not your looks or beliefs,” Jordan continues. “Equality should have no boundaries. The bonds we find here should run past these lines. Opportunity should not discriminate. The ball should bounce the same for everyone. Worth should outshine color.”
Courtesy of Nike.
As the scenes continue and overhead drone shots of urban playing spaces take up the frame, the unforgettable sound of a spray paint can interjects. Using a street art metaphor to make a point about in-your-face activism is not only effective, but for many who’ll likely see this ad, perhaps familiar.
The EQUALITY initiative’s social media and clothing efforts are also a big part of this push. Hashtags and T-shirts make the world go ’round these days, and Nike certainly has plenty to offer as part of its “unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion.” Needless to say, the tees fit right in thematically with the rest of their annual Black History Month collection.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 2/10/17
More Patriots say they’ll be skipping the White House
12:00 PMThis feels like it’s been the longest week ever. Thank God that baseball’s back soon.
If you take someone to court, there’s always the possibility that you might lose. That’s exactly what happened to President Donald Trump on Thursday, when a federal appeals court upheld the decision to temporarily stop his immigration ban. Needless to say, he’s pretty unhappy about the decision and has taken his tweets to the all-caps level, which we presume means that he’s REALLY serious. If you listen to legal experts though, this was more than just a decision, they basically told Trump that he has no chance of his executive order holding up.
Here’s what you should never do if you’re not black: talk about the N-word. It’s just a losing strategy and something if you haven’t been on the wrong side of being called it, you just aren’t in a position to understand the true meaning of how it can affect a person. So, when CNN’s Chris Cuomo went on SiriusXM this week and said that the cable network being called “fake news” is akin to being called the N-word, he upset quite a few people. Eventually, he apologized, but I’m still not entirely sure why he went there to begin with.
The Grammys are Sunday night, which we like. It’s easily the best awards show of them all, mainly because there’s actual music that people like to be performed and the artists take it extremely seriously. Chance The Rapper will be performing this year, too, which I’m excited about. The show overall is doing its best to create a more inclusive environment. This year, a man and a transgender woman will be part of the group, known as the “trophy girls,” which brings the actual awards to the stage. Pretty cool.
Another day, another New England Patriots player passes on the White House. First, it was Martellus Bennett. Then, it was Devin McCourty. Now, LeGarrette Blount and Chris Long say they won’t be joining the team to celebrate its Super Bowl LI win with Trump. Over the years, all sorts of players, including Tom Brady have skipped this event, for various reasons. But these particular withdrawals have been particularly political, considering. Whenever the Pats finally do come to Washington, D.C., it could be a pretty awkward ceremony.
Free Food
Coffee Break: Too often, grown men aren’t really allowed to express their true feelings about things like love and friendship, because for whatever reason we view that as soft and unappealing. But Jim Jones talking about the fallout of Dipset and other career setbacks is one of the realest things I’ve ever seen.
Snack Time: We’ve all seen the photos of Barack Obama windsurfing with his squad, but I almost forgot that one cool thing about him leaving the Oval Office is being able to wear things other than suits. Check out your boy.
Dessert: Need something to bump this weekend? TDE’s got you.
All Day Podcast
All Day Podcast: 2/7/16
Danielle Cadet joins to talk about the Grammys and White House visits by sports teams
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We finally came up with a name for the studio. Taking a page out of the Versace retail store’s book, we now call our humble podcast abode Studio D410. Back in December, a former employee sued the fashion designer after he says he was fired for being of mixed race. He explained that the store in California had a practice of making the staff say “D410” whenever black people entered the store, the same code used for black clothing for the luxury retailer. Real smooth, guys. Anyways, we’re reclaiming that for ourselves.
As for the show, Undefeated senior editor for production Danielle Cadet joined and regaled us with tales of Justin Tinsley’s birthday, which sounded like a fun one. Also, we talked about what White House visits for championship teams are going to look like now that President Donald Trump is in the White House. Two players from the New England Patriots have already said they won’t be taking part in the festivities when the team heads to Washington, D.C.
Of course, the 2017 Grammy Awards are coming up next Sunday, as well. Aaron Dodson wrote a story about the categories we’re paying attention to, so we discussed it. Most importantly, however, Aaron and Justin gave us a quick rendition of Justin Bieber, which was fantastic.
Some other highlights include Trap Karaoke, the Kennedy Center and West Indian accents.