Hey Yall, 

This was a very big week for fans. Some might be tempted to call it an abundance of riches, but I know better. With the Cowboy Carter pre-sale, Kylie dropping a new product every other day, and Skims teaming up with Nike, I know the girls’ pockets are hurting. 

In other news, Drake finally got off the mat putting out out new music after getting wop wop wop wop wopped by Kendrick. And I’m incredibly disappointed. I’ll have more to say on that another time though.

There’s a lot to cover this week so let’s dive in!

-Charlie

SNL Turns 50

Sunday, Saturday Night Live (SNL) celebrated 50 years! Lorne Michaels & Co. marked the occasion with a 2 hour and 32 minute special. That is a LOT of birthday. 

Now, I understand this might only seem like a big deal for a select group of nerds (guilty). This celebration was for everyone!

It was the most star-studded event I have EVER seen. Take everyone at the Academy Awards, the Grammys, and every actor from your favorite comedy, put them all in a room and prompt them with cue cards and you’re getting close to what this event was like. 

This special was the epitome of fan service in the best way. Some folks you might’ve recognized: Tom Hanks, Emma Stone, Kim Kardashian, Andy Samberg, Chris Rock, Pedro Pascal, Bad Bunny, and Eddie Murphy.

These are just some of the people who were part of the show. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler did a creative “who’s here” at the top of the special that really showcased the star-power in the room. It’s not everyday you catch Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Seinfeld, and Larry David all taking in a show together with Steven Spielberg grinning quietly on the other side of the auditorium.

The celebration clearly meant something to a lot of entertainers. 14.8 million viewers agreed. This represented a 200% increase from the season’s regular viewership.

The special loosely followed the show’s regular format. There were sketches, musical guests, and Weekend Update, but everything was supersized for the anniversary.

I don’t know how to recommend this to you without saying just watch the whole thing because there were too many shining moments. 

Some of my favorites were:

• Miley Cyrus performed Nothing Compares 2 U with Brittany Howard, proving she is every bit the rock star as her Hannah Montana alter ego. The word is over-used, but this performance truly was transcendent.

• Eddie Murphy returned for two sketches. His Tracy Morgan impression was so funny it broke everyone during Black Jeopardy. You haven’t LOL’ed like this in a while. I promise.  

• For my musical fans, there was a surprisingly well-executed musical parody led by John Mulaney featuring Lin Manuel-Mmiranda as Hamilton. I enjoyed this a dumb amount, especially the Les Mis finale. It was silly, nostalgic, and just the bangers. Everything musical fans want, right?

• Last but certainly not least, Paul McCartney rocked the stage with a vigor I hope I still have at 82. It was fascinating to see in high-resolution a crowd responding to a performance by just 20% of The Beatles. I feel like I understand Beatlemania in a whole new way now. 

There aren’t enough superlatives to lavish on this special. You can watch it in its entirety on Peacock or catch the clips on YouTube.

Belinda is Back

Last Sunday Season 3 of White Lotus also premiered on HBO. This season is set at a luxury wellness resort in Thailand.

Natasha Rothwell returned as Belinda Lindsey. She’s not the only one though. Greg (Jon Gries) is also back!  For the uninitiated, Greg may be Belinda’s biggest opp! In Season 1, Greg was the reason Belinda never got an investment from Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) to start her own business. Then in Season 2 it was Greg’s scheming again that cost Tanya her life. 

As of Episode 1, it’s plausible that Belinda is the only one at the White Lotus who knows Greg’s dirt. So, it seems this is going to be a source of major drama this season. 

I’ve seen reviews suggesting the White Lotus premise is losing it’s luster and is more a relic of pandemic life. I’m optimistic for this season though. For one, conflict between the Haves and Have-Nots is evergreen. It also appears that this season will go deeper into Belinda’s background adding depth to her character. Natasha Rothwell is a gifted writer and very talented actor. I’m choosing to believe that there’s more story to be told here if she signed back on. She certainly isn’t hurting for work. 

Finally, Walton Goggins has joined the cast for Season 3. You might know him better as Uncle Baby Billy from The Righteous Gemstones (HBO). Walton has major drama and comedy chops. And he’s already demonstrated his ability to steal the show. (Seriously, go watch The Righteous Gemstones. Praise be to He.) You don’t buy a Ferrari if you’re not going to drive it. Walton Goggins is a Ferrari and they’re going to utilize him like one.

There’s a lot to be excited about, despite the lackluster impression made by this season’s theme music. Be sure to tune in.

The Story of Paris

Court of Gold is now available to stream on Netflix. This documentary tells the story of Team USA Men’s Basketball’s journey to winning the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. It’s produced by the Obama’s production company Higher Ground. 

Need I say more? I will, just in case.

This USA Men’s Basketball team was special because for the first time we got to see all-time greats LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant playing together on the same team with real stakes on the line. These guys are also each over the age of 35 and nearing the end of their careers. So, the 2024 Olympic tournament was probably the only time we’d ever get to see this.

The rest of the team was nearly as impressive. Some people called this the most talented roster ever. Even better than the Dream Team. 

Their competition? Nikola Jokic, the best player in the world, and Team Serbia. Victor Wembanyama, the player most likely to replace LeBron as the face of the NBA, and Team France. And SGA, Jamal Murray, and Team Canada.

Coming out of Paris, the sports world was buzzing. The semifinal game between Team USA and Serbia and the final versus France were true tests of the greatness of our basketball heroes. Each of them delivered in spectacular fashion. It was such an exciting moment that there seemed to be a consensus that some day the documentary about this team would be EPIC. 

We didn’t expect that day to come so soon. And I’m delighted to tell you it lives up to the hype.

From mind-blowing Happy Hours with Barack Obama to casual cameos by other basketball legends (e.g. Diana Taurasi) and some of the most vicious half-time rants you ever want to hear, this doc has it all.

The special sauce of this project is its vulnerability though.

You might have seen the clip of KD tearing up by now. This doc brings out a level of honesty from Kevin and others that I haven’t seen before, even as a true fan of the game.  

In addition to KD speaking on what basketball means to him, we get to see The Joker in his natural habitat (leading Team Serbia). Rare for sports documentaries, fans get to see BTS of the winning and losing sides. This is huge and adds to the drama of every moment. 

Usually after a big game, the winning team will drop their Mic’d Up and we all graciously pretend as if the losing team lost their footage in a freak accident. Here, we’re shown a team in chaos as they scramble to figure out how to stop Kevin Durant. We get to hear the belief from France’s coach as he tells his players they can beat the US. It’s a better story because we get to see the emotion on all sides rather than relying on our imaginations.

It’s clear that for all of these players the Olympics was the opportunity of a lifetime. We’re also privileged to see how, for some, basketball saved their lives. 

These six episodes will fly by. The doc is worth checking out even if you’re not the biggest sports fan. There’s enough drama to keep everyone entertained. 

Oh, and they kept in The Dunk. So it DID happen.

Take Your Son to Work

Last weekend was also NBA All-Star Weekend. Last year’s game was an epic failure. Players have been phoning it in the last few years fearing injury (or embarrassment). The new format debuted this weekend to mixed reviews. People were generally glad to see increased effort from the players, but didn’t like new additions such as the NBA Rising Stars to Sunday’s game or the new fan challenges.

The most notable part of the weekend to me was that I saw Deuce everywhere. Deuce is the son of Boston Celtics star Jayson Taytum. Jayson and Deuce seem to be attached at the hip. Deuce is a fixture at TD Garden on game days and it’s not uncommon to see him popping up on Celtics social media around the facility or in the locker room. So, it really wasn’t that surprising to see Deuce at All-Star Weekend.

However, something about seeing him in the training room with Kevin Durant and waiting in the tunnel with Shaq’s OGs drove home the significance of what’s really happening. Deuce is getting a First Class basketball education. How many seven year-olds do you know that are on a high-five basis with the entire All-Star roster?

Deuce is getting to see the ins and outs of what it takes to be the best. By the time it’s his turn, IF he decides to pursue basketball, it will all be second nature. He’ll also have the best mentors in the world (i.e. the NBA 75th Anniversary Team) to coach him.

I don’t think I’m wrong to be so bullish on Deuce. LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have already given us proof of concept. LeBron and Bronny James are the first father and son duo to play together in the NBA. LeBron literally brought his son to work. Now Bronny has the chance to learn and develop at the professional level right next to his dad. 

Carmelo Anthony has been very vocal about how much joy he takes in working with his son. Kiyan Anthony, a four-star recruit and the number one ranked player in New York, will debut next season for his father’s beloved Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team.

Both Bronny and Kiyan demonstrate what good genes and an invested, HOF father can do for your stock. Some people lash out against these young players calling it nepotism. I call it smart.

We see parents all the time grooming their kids to take over the family business. I don’t see why professional sports should be any different. If you’ve figured out how to be one of the best basketball players ever, and amassed generational wealth and influence in the process, why not pass that knowledge on to your children? Isn’t that what most parents would give their kids if they could?

Most people can acknowledge achieving success for oneself is cool, but helping someone else get there means a lot more. Who would these players be better positioned and motivated to help above their own children? 

Even further, the overwhelming majority of parents would say their goal is to provide a better life for their kids than the one they lived. What better way to do that than pass on all of your wisdom concerning the thing you know most about and better than nearly everyone else on earth?

My only problem with this phenomenon is that more players aren’t doing it.

Ne Zha 2

What do Inside Out 2, The Lion King, and Frozen 2 all have in common? Ne Zha 2 has upstaged them all to become the highest grossing animated film. The movie is now showing in select US theaters.

The Ne Zha series tells the origin story of the Chinese folk deity Nezha as written in the Ming-dynasty novel Investiture of the Gods. It’s the highest grossing non-English movie of all time and is also the first to make more than $1 billion.

I’ll be very interested to see how Hollywood responds. Bollywood and Nollywood have already demonstrated that non-US film studios can produce high-quality films that reach huge audiences. However, this is by far the biggest commercial success to come from outside of the US. 

Folks tend to run faster when they’re being chased. Maybe this will be the spark that ushers in a much needed creative renaissance in Hollywood.

NFL Salary Cap Increase

The NFL notified teams that the salary cap for the 2025 season will be between $277.5 million and $281.5 million. This is more than they were expecting.

While a rising tide lifts all ships, I think this news should be most exciting for Bengals fans and Chiefs Haters. Many believe Joe Burrow is the biggest threat to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC. The biggest story in Cincinnati for a while now has been that they will have to back up the Brinks truck to pay Ja’Marr Chase this off-season. The awkward question was whether this would leave enough money to pay his partner in crime, WR Tee Higgins.

With the increase in available money this off-season, it seems more likely than ever that the Bengals would be able to sign both players, keeping their uber-talented offensive core together. Of course, an additional $26.1 million alone is probably not enough money to sign both Chase and Higgins this off-season. What it does point to though is that the NFL is financially outperforming projections which might mean that there will be enough money some day. A savvy front office should figure out how to restructure Joe Burrow’s massive deal so that the money is available to pay his receivers now and defer the biggest hits of his contract to future years when there will probably be a bigger pot. 

It's the basic time-value of money principles. You want to make money (by winning Super Bowls) now and pay your bills (blockbuster contracts) in the future.

Hitch 2

A sequel to the iconic rom-com Hitch has been announced. However, it's reported that Will Smith is working on a sequel without the original director, as past creative differences have come to light. This makes me think we should temper our expectations for a Hitch sequel until we see the final product.

Dare Devil: Born Again

Consider this due notice. Disney is reviving what was, for my money, the best show in Marvel IP: Daredevil. The reboot (premieres March 2) is being led by the show’s original creator and will see leads Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onfrio reprise their roles. 

I can promise this show will be the subject of MUCH discussion. You have two weeks to refresh your memory, or (if you’re the luckiest fan alive) binge it for the first time.

Suits LA

Your Sunday is about to get ‘Lit Up.’ Ok not actually, but the Suits spinoff Suits LA does premiere on Sunday. 

In addition to being set on the West Coast, this series will focus on entertainment law instead of corporate law. Gabriel Macht will return as Harvey Specter in a recurring arc, but otherwise this will be a new cast.

Although this new series is still brought to you from original creator Aaron Korsh, I think this will be something different. This show is airing on primetime network television rather than a cable network.

My guess would be that the new show won't be as dramatic or explicit as its New York-based predecessor. For one, this would make sense given the show setting has changed industries and cities. The gilded hills of Los Angeles are much sunnier than the boardrooms of New York City. The other part is NBC Standards and Practices is notorious for how tough it can be on creatives who like to push the line. 

Suits is going to have to find a new way forward. I’m still hopeful though. Stephen Amell will lead this new cast. I think it’s worth at least giving them a chance.

The Last Word

Fans always get to have the last word. I want YOUR feedback. Reply to this message and let me know what would make this a better read for you.

Here’s what you had to say after last week: 

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