#the man is so talented and versatile and has the RANGE please give him roles his age đđđđ
Lo ji hum aa gaye to ask youuuuuu, ki kaun hai aapke sabse overrated/underrated actors in Indian cinema!!!!! The more detail the better!!!!!! đ€Șđ€Șđ€Ș
TT-JI, HUMRI TT-JI AI GAWA!!!!Â
Iâm going to include tellywood too, lol.Â
And yes, Iâm not going to include the traditional âoverrated/underratedâ based on box office - just my personal opinions!Â
This was too long hence rest is under cut!
Hindi Cinema
Overrated:
- Kartik Aaryan (I really need to see him act in a film beyond the PKP/ Middle class Indian setups to see him... act)
- Aamir Khan (ok DONâT kill me, I just feel that Aamir Khan alone is given a lot of credit for working in films that are great as a team. Rang De Basanti, Dangal, 3 Idiots are brilliant films and he was fab in it, but I also want the audience to realize those films had great directors, writers, co actors too. I think his âperfectionismâ is overrated. Heâs brilliant - but please donât give him the sole credit of being âperfectâ when itâs an amazing collective effort.)
- Varun Dhawan (this man has potential [October, Badlapur]. But please... stop with all the Badrinath, Dulhaniya, Judwaa... just please stop)
- Jhanvi Kapoor/Ananya Pandey (I have no idea how she scored a biopic for her second film. Sis has a long way. These two are combined together because these two think theyâre amazing actors and that gets on my nervesssssssss).
- Tara Sutaria (Sheâs... decent. Sheâs in this list because she literally gave an interview of how ânowadaysâ film actors donât have nazakat [which she had to bring for Marjaawan] behen pleaj.)
- Kiara Advani (Why is she everywhere? Why was her performance hailed in Kabir Singh where she was... empty (wonât blame her, her character was written like that) but literally sheâs suddenly become a top actress and I canât figure out why. The one film of hers that was nice and tested some acting chops was Guilty but literally that film was for her. Good Newwz was a nice shift for her too.)Â
- Deepika Padukone (Okay, donât kill me again. Sheâs a really good actor but she is a directorâs actor. Again, like Aamir Khan she is someone who benefits from a good team even though the whole credit is sometimes given to her (why). Personal opinion, in Padmaavat and Bajirao Mastani Aditi Rao Hydari and Priyankaâs Kashibai had my heart and soul).Â
- Kangana Ranaut (Great actor, stupid opinions overshadow her good ones, terrible PR and as an actor she, again, benefits from a great team and a lot of that credit she takes upon herself and Iâm like why...)
- Disha Patani (Amazing model, decent actor. Period)
Underrated:
Not taking Kunal Khemu, Aditi Rao Hydari, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Prateik Babbar, Ronit Roy, Ram Kapoor and so on - we know theyâre underrated.Â
- Shahrukh Khan (yes, I know. A lot of people just donât recognize that he is a fantastic actor and it pisses me that a lot of capable directors, when working with him, want to make âBIG FILMSâ or are swayed by his stardom than actually giving him a good script. Ugh just give him Badla or Andhadhun and youâd see)
- Abhishek Bachchan (I find it funny when they compare him to his father cause Amitabh Bachchan is a good actor... now. And ABjr really acts from his soul and is far more competent compared to his contemporaries. If Iâm surprised at any actor not getting work then itâs him)
- Avinash Tiwari (Laila Majnu... goddamn he gave a performance that rivaled Ranbir Kapoorâs Rockstar and Iâm shocked how he didnât even get a fifth of that recognition). Â
- Arshad Warsi (this is someone whoâs finally getting his due but man... he is such a phenomenal actor that my heart literally breaks to see him in crappy Hindi films. He is fab. Simply fab. Jolly LLB is one of the few films that give him due as a comedy actor as well as a serious one).Â
- Riteish Deshmukh (This man is pure gold. He can make one laugh and be terrified at once. Does not get his due!)
- Radhika Apte (Iâve never seen her not ace a role. Yet I feel sheâs quick to be typecast *sigh*)
- Sushant Singh Rajput (forever salty that he got his due after he died, ugh - easily one of the best actors of his generation)
Tellywood
Overrated (Iâm so going to get roasted)
- Divyanka Tripathi (Donât kill me! I feel she does one thing very well. Not the most versatile.)
- Karan Kundra (Definitely a decent actor but I do feel heâs a tad bit overrated).
- Vivian DâSena (Again, I feel heâs good in one kind of acting - again I did watch a lot of PKYEK as well as Madhubala so I do like him but again, not really versatile).
- Dheeraj Dhoopar (Iâm probs out to get hate comments but listen me out, his random hair and fashion statements take my complete attention from whatever acting he does, and also heâs stuck in Kundali Bhagya so...)
- Mouni Roy (I donât know, she used to be a brilliant actor in the beginning and as days passed her acting became more bland? I was so taken by her as Sati in Devon Ke Dev Mahadev but now when I see her in films and shows I wonder where that Mouni has gone tbh).
- Nia Sharma (Iâve seen her in a few shows/web series and I feel she does one kind of acting well. Her dialogue delivery and expressions are often identical across several shows)
UnderratedÂ
- Barun freaking Sobti (he is one of the most talented actors I have seen in my life. His eyes, dialogue delivery, tonal shift, body language - but he is like a sponge. If heâs with a good team, thereâs none like him. I canât believe it took him nearly a decade for people to spot him and even then I donât understand why heâs not considered an âAâ lister).
- Sanaya Irani (this woman is completely different in every show. Honestly, when I saw her in Rangrasiya I was stunned. Her Paro was so delicate, strong, layered - wonderful. Itâs very difficult to take your eyes away from her. Sheâs magnetic.)Â
- Deepika Kakkar (honestly IÂ didn't think much of her during her Simar days but when I saw Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum I was shocked at how a talented actor like her was locked in that show. She is so emotive and phenomenal!)Â
- Â Vikram Singh Chauhan (that guy, seriously he is genuinely a very good actor and is more than capable of carrying a show on his shoulders! Subtle, smart and great on screen presence.)
- Varun Badola (often referred as a veteran, this man is great not just because of his vast experience but due to his amazing acting prowess. He reminds me of theatre!)
- Rajeev Khandelwal (no words can justify this manâs talent! He is underrated, period!)
- Jennifer Winget (I am so glad that she got her much needed claim with the Beyhadh series! She is such a fine actor and she needs to be more on screen, literally. Her shift between seriousness and humor is so good.)
Phew, that was a long answer! Hope IÂ didn't offend too many people!Â
Love,
- Baby J
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drivers as orchestral and band instruments
i couldn't decide whether i wanted to do what instruments i see the drivers PLAYING or what instruments i see the drivers AS so this is like. a combination of both. i tried to take the drivers' personalities into account as well as their general vibes. i started running out of instruments by the end so i tried my best
lewis hamilton: PIANO
i know lewis already plays the piano so this was a kind of lazy choice, but the piano is pretty representative of what lewis is as a driver; one of the most well known instruments as well as one of the most versatile, as it can be both soft and incredibly powerful. everyone knows the piano and everyone wants to play it, but to become good at the piano you have to have serious skill and dedication
the piano also carries this elegance that i associate with lewis
sebastian vettel: CELLO
critical part of the symphony and has a large solo repertoire
has a beautiful, rich tone and a very versatile range, yet is still slept on as a string instrument, just like seb is slept on as a driver :(
elegant and classy
max verstappen: PERCUSSION (TIMPANIS/DRUMS)
percussion is very important in an orchestra, and i feel like max would play a big flashy percussion instrument like the timpani. it might look easy but it's definitely not, you have to have a perfect sense of rhythm and feel for the music
they're LOUD and they make the orchestra complete by filling in the gaps. you can't miss em
since percussionists usually know how to play a million instruments i think max would also play the snare or bass drums
daniel ricciardo: TENOR SAX
look dan just radiates sax player vibes, i had to
he would play the tenor sax because of its rich tone and bc of the fact that it can go really high and really low. it can be soothing or powerful, depending how you play it
the saxophone might be kind of a meme but it's genuinely a beautiful instrument with a unique timbre that takes a lot of practice to perfect, and i feel like that's very representative of dan. good vibes all around
lando norris: ALTO SAX
did i make lando the alto sax just so that him and daniel could be in the same family? perhaps
once again the alto sax is overlooked because of its meme status but it's a great instrument when played correctly, and it takes a lot of work to become Good at it
used in an orchestra but also in jazz music, a very versatile and fun instrument
charles leclerc: OBOE
im gonna be honest my original reasoning for this choice was that the oboe is very expensive, and charles is expensive too. its a rich kid instrument
but the oboe is a beautiful instrument that's often overlooked because when you play it wrong it sounds like a dying goose
but when you play it right the oboe has a very unique tone that easily stands out from the rest of the orchestra
(the oboe can be compared to this years ferrari: its incredibly hard to maneuver but if you put a LOT of effort into it you get beautiful results. sometimes.)
alex albon: FLUTE
i play the flute so im a little biased here, but the flute is an instrument that's pretty popular but also overlooked for some reason... so its perfect for alex
it's a quiet instrument so it's always drowned out by the rest of the orchestra, but when it has a solo it's incredibly impressive and stands out due to it's bright sound
the flute isn't taken seriously enough despite it being very versatile and complex, and alex isn't taken seriously enough despite being an amazing driver and incredibly talented
george russell: FRENCH HORN
honestly george and the french horn just have similiar vibes
the french horn is incredibly difficult to play for many reasons (you have to be very precise with your embouchure and speed of air while also making sure you're pressing the right valves) and is underrated as an instrument tbh.
the sound of a french horn is very clear and beautiful, and french horn players arent appreciated enough. george russell isnt appreciated enough
lance stroll: CLARINET
i don't really have reasoning for this one i just feel like lance would play the clarinet
takes a lot of control to play correctly, and has a large repertoire in classical music, but is still underrated as an instrument because "haha squidward" just like lance is constantly being overlooked because "haha pay driver"
has the largest register of all wind instruments and is very versatile as it can take both solo roles and the middle register role, making it essential to the orchestra
romain grosjean: BASSOON
thank you to @beetle-kate for suggesting romain as a bassoon because it's perfect for him
most people don't even know the bassoon exists and it's made fun of for being funny looking, just like romain is made fun of for constantly crashing into people đ
despite not being taken seriously the bassoon is very expressive in its tone and is a very beautiful instrument, just like how romain is actually a great driver and person. he just wants to have fun when racing you can't deny him that
carlos sainz jr: TRUMPET
trumpets are incredibly vibrant and loud instruments that easily stand out from all the other instruments, but not always in a good way
trumpet players are known for not being able to shut the hell up and quiet down, and i think this applies to carlos as well
you may be talented but i like you better with your mouth closed. please shut the fuck up. thank you
kimi raikkonen: DOUBLE BASS
the biggest string instrument used in an orchestra, and has the deepest tone. is also used in other genres like jazz and rock and roll
both kimi and the double bass are kind of intimidating at first, the double bass because of its deep sound and kimi because... he's kimi
usually blends into the background but can have its impressive moments, and is an essential part of the orchestra
helps keep the orchestra in time along with the percussion ;)
nicholas latifi: PERCUSSION (xylophone, marimba, etc.)
i had two people for percussion because there is just. so many percussive instruments
nicky would definitely play everything else max doesn't play lol, including the marimba/xylophone and all the smaller instruments like the wood block, crash cymbals or the triangle
people think being a percussionist is easy because you're just hitting things, but once again it takes a lot of skill and you have to have an impeccable sense of rhythm as you are what is keeping the orchestra in time. it's a difficult job, especially when you play a lot of instruments
@ redditors stop coming for nicky he's still an f1 driver and he deserves to be there as much as everyone else
pierre gasly: VIOLA
is constantly being overshadowed by the more popular violin, and in this case, teammate
has a unique earthy tone and even though the viola is more likely to play accompaniment or background parts in the orchestra, that doesn't mean it's any less important. has a lot of potential for solo work and when it does get the melody it stands out
both deserve more love than they get. pay more attention to them pls
kevin magnussen: TROMBONE
i dont have a reason for this one either kmag just gives me trombone vibes
used for jokes and laughs but it takes a lot of work to play the trombone; the slide makes it a lot harder to differentiate between notes, so learning how to play the trombone takes effort and practice
both kmag and the trombone are not taken seriously and undervalued because they tend to not play a big part in anything, but that doesnt mean they're any less important
esteban ocon: EUPHONIUM
the euphonium is overlooked as an instrument due to people either not knowing it exists or mistaking it for a smaller tuba
but it exists! and it's a great instrument! and esteban is a great driver!
usually a band instrument rather than an orchestra one, and can be compared to the cello; it has an extensive range and a clear sound
daniil kvyat: VIOLIN
this might seem like an odd choice because the violin is a very well known instrument, but dany just gives me violin vibes for some reason?
the violin can be very soothing but also very intense, and dany seems pretty chill off track but intense on track
it takes a lot of hard work to get good at the violin and dany has gone through a lot in his f1 career and has had to put in a lot of effort to get where he is right now
idk im just imagining him as a violin virtuoso that's kind of scary because of how good he is but then he's actually really nice :) if anything dany could just be the guitar lol
valtteri bottas: BARITONE SAX
the biggest and deepest of the saxophones that are regularly played in a band/orchestra setting. big instrument for a big man
very deep and powerful, and has a big presence, but is usually reserved for background melodies
important for filling the gaps, but doesn't really stand out in a way that's meaningful. acts more as a compliment to the music rather than a main contributor. sorry valtteri
can sound cool as fuck but is usually not allowed to
sergio perez: TUBA
biggest brass instrument used in bands, and has the deepest sound. serves as the bass
like the bari sax and the double bass, usually acts as a background role rather than a main one, but is still very important to making the orchestra sound "full."
both sergio and the tuba are not always used to their full potential but when they are, they can be very impressive
antonio giovinazzi: HARP
i looked at antonio and automatically knew he was going to be the harp. i think it's the long hair
the harp is elegant and complex but is often underused or undervalued in an orchestral setting, and so is antonio. rip
it has a very comforting sound but is also a bit ~mysterious~, and so is gio. @ alfa romeo give me more content of my boy
the harp is just so beautiful ??? and antonio is beautiful ??? i just think he'd look very nice playing the harp
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Illicit Affairs: Beautiful Rooms Pt. 2
Previous: Beautiful Rooms Pt. 1Â
Pairings: Namjoon & ReaderÂ
Genre: Angst, Slice of Life
Ratings: PG15
Word Count: 2.6K
Warnings: Therapy and Swearing, Mentions of Past AbuseÂ
Summary: Namjoon and Jungkook sit down with Dr. Aarons.
Listen: illicit affairs by Taylor Swift
      âWhat did she say?â You ask, Namjoonâs head resting gently in your lap, shoes tossed to the side, spread across the queen-sized mattress of Namjoonâs rental.
      âThat thereâs a difference between Kookie hating me because I lied to him, and JK hating me because I destroyed his life,â
      âInteresting, what else?â Your fingers move gently through his locks, recently cut and easy to comb through, the gesture is calming, even if that sensation is only fleeting.
      âShe said Iâm the messenger, and heâs shooting me when he means to be shooting Big Hit,â
      âOo, I like that,â You agree.
      âYeah?â
      âYes, because, it doesnât absolve you, right? But it explains the torture and torment they put you through too,â Your eyes maneuver over his features, the slope of his nose, the blossom of his cheeks, all honeyed and delicate under the weight of vulnerability.
      âI delivered all the messages though,â Namjoon shifts, head digging deeper into the pillow on your thighs.
      âYeah, but can you blame someone when theyâve got a gun to their head?â
      He pauses at your words, âI guess not.â
      âRight, so maybe, just maybe, youâre not fully culpable.â
      âBut what I did,â He starts, his mind moving to relegate his actions instead of voicing his contemplations.
      âOnly Jungkook can forgive you for that,â You remind him.
      âI donât know if he will,â
      âHas he ever held a grudge?â You counter, the self-pity beginning to wear on you.
      âNo,â
      âHe loves you, and you love him. This is going to be hard, but we knew that, didnât we?â
      He closes his eyes, âYeah, we did.â
      âYouâre going to work for your relationship with him. You always have,â You remind him.
      âI betrayed him,â
      âYes, you did, but didnât Bang betray you?â
      âHow can you, why do you,â Namjoon stutters.
      âWhat?â You ask.
      âWhy do you love me, when you know all the horrible things Iâve done?â
      You pause your ministrations on his scalp, fingers stopping mid rake. Heâs never asked, never inquired. Honestly, you wondered if he didnât ask out of fear. Fear heâd hate your answer. Fear youâd leave him if he pushed too hard. Fear that the only reason youâd stayed together was because you hadnât asked yourself that very question.
      âYou donât have to answer,â He says, sitting up. He tucks his legs underneath himself and glances at you. âYou donât,â
      âJoon bug,â You start. âI do have to answer it,â
      âNot if you donât want to, not if you donât, if you havenât thought about it,â He shakes his head.
      âI have,â
      âYou have?â
      âOf course, I have. I just,â You sigh. âI love you.â
      âThatâs it?â
      âYes. Youâve always given me the best of you, no matter how insolent Iâve been. No matter how far gone you feel like you are, standing on that ledge, youâve never hesitated to give me everything. I just feel like, you owe it to yourself to give you the best of you,â
      âDid you just quote-
      âYes, okay? Yes, I did, but itâs true, Joon. I love you, I guess, in spite of everything youâve done because I can tell that it wasnât your intentions, your decisions, you are not what Bang and Sejin have made you out to be. You arenât, you arenât that man at all,â You shift on the bed, kneeling in front of him, hands cradling his moisten cheeks in yours. âIâve always loved you, every part of you, every secret and lie, every scar, every missed note, every attempt to redeem yourself, every failed apology⊠theyâre all a part of you, Kim Namjoon. I love them all.â
      âIâm having a hard time focusing when you just quoted my lyrics to me.â
      âFuck you then,â You laugh before placing your lips on his.
      âI love you,â He says, eyes still closed, lips hovering above yours.
      âYou got me,â You sing softly, lips gently caressing his cheeks, his forehead, his nose.
      âNan neoreul bomyeo sumeul shwieo,â He answers.
      âI got you,â
      âChireuk gatdeon bamdeul soge,â He finishes, lips hungrily finding yours again.
~~~~~
      âLetâs begin by discussing your first impressions of one another,â Dr. Aarons suggests. She sips quietly on her coffee, freshly brewed to her specifications. The sun is blocked by a tan window covering, an attempt at creating a cohesive design throughout the treatment center but in this lighting, looks more like a hospital than a posh therapists office.
      âNamjoon, you can start,â Jungkook says.
      âI remember his talent, the fear in his eyes, the joy he had performing. He was so little. I was concerned that he was too young, I thought I was too young. He was just, malleable, willing to please, unsure where his next footing was,â Namjoon says. Heâs thought about it a lot, what about Jungkook struck him? Why did he need him on the team?
      âWhen he sang, you could hear the emotion, the raw talent. It was stunning. I took him under my wing early on because he didnât know if he wanted to stick with it.â
      âJungkook, why did you doubt?â Dr. Aarons inquires.
      âThey wanted to make me the center, I was just a kid from Busan, and they just, picked me,â Jungkook balls his fists under the weight of his long sleeved shirt, an attempt at making himself as small as possible.
      Dr. Aarons surveys Jungkook, noting his change in body language. âNamjoon, do you remember that discussion?â
      âYes, we wanted-
      âWe?â Dr. Aarons interjects.
      âManagement and I,â
      âOkay, thank you,â She scribbles in her notebook. Sheâs procured a new notebook for the two men, no longer the purple for Jungkook, but a marbled hard cover book with lined pages and little quotes on the bottom near the page numbers. Sheâs on the second or third page, scribbling away as the men talk.
      âWe wanted someone to be the center, not just in the lineup, but someone to guide the music or build our sound from.â
      âThere are seven of you total, why Jungkook?â
      âHeâs versatile, his voice hadnât stopped changing, but it had range, he already could dance any style, he just, he has something special, you know?â
      âNot Jimin or Taehyung?â
      âTaehyungâs natural tone is so low, Jiminâs voice has this crisp once in a generation reverberation in each note he sings. Itâs angelic, but Jungkook can do it all,â Namjoon answers.
      âAh, so out of the seven, he can easily meld into any position,â Dr. Aarons writes furiously, the sound of her pen scraping the page the only sound echoing in the room.
      âYes, even at 14, he could,â
      âHe became the center, literally and figuratively,â
      Namjoon sips his water before answering. âMm, we could train him to be a leader, train him to be dance captain or vocal leader,â
      âJiminâs the vocal leader,â Jungkook says. âHe guides us all, heâs the one, not me.â
      âIf weâre really being honest, Hoseok holds us together,â
      âYou, Hobi and Jimin for sure,â Jungkook nods.
      âJungkook, will you share your first impressions of Namjoon?â
      âI looked up to him, from the beginning. Heâs always been honest, honorable, and just, his talent is greater than anything Iâve seen. All I ever wanted was for him to be proud of me.â
      âWhatâs that Kendrick lyric? Loves gonna get you killed / but prideâs gonna be the death of you and me,â Namjoon says.
      âI wanted you to think something of me, to see me, to recognize me as a person worthy of your attention. You made BTS what it is, your leadership. I wanted to prove myself to you, always have,â Jungkook tells him.
      âProve yourself to Namjoon, to Big Hit or to yourself?â
      âAll three,â
      âThat mustâve been difficult,â
      âIt was,â
      âLetâs fast forward,â Dr. Aarons says, âOver the next handful of years, you two become quite intertwined, BTS undergoes a lot of challenges, but also triumphs.â
      The two men nod.
      âNamjoon, when did your conditioning of Jungkook begin?â
      He shifts in his chair. Heâd spent a lot of time with Dr. Cho working through the timeline. It was messy and complicated, hard to pinpoint exactly when things spiraled, but always easy to note when it started. âWhen he was sixteen, a little before then.â
      âDo you remember the first act management asked you to carry out?â
      âIt had to do with sending him to training for dance,â
      âJungkook, do you remember?â
      âI remember being sent to the states, I didnât know it was part of conditioning me,â
      âThatâs something weâve worked a lot on, right Jungkook?â
      âYes,â
      âNamjoon, anything else you want to add?â
      âJungkookâs always been dedicated, heâs grown so much, but it was hard, for a while, to tell where the six of us ended, and he began.â
      âMm, the crisis of identity. What then propelled the drinking?â
      âI busted my heel, and turned 21 and just started spinning out of control,â
      âIt wasnât one event then; it was a collection?â
      âYes,â
      âNamjoon, what were you doing at that time?â
      âWhat was management having me do?â
      âYes,â
      âI was pushing him to go to the gym, to bulk up, eating healthier,â
      âI was already putting in so much time at the studio,â Jungkook feels the anger building, the heat in his belly, the strain on his throat, anger brewing like a lightning storm, opposing wind temperatures and pressures mounting.
      âIt wasnât enough. Bang wanted you in the gym for at least twice as long as everyone else, in the dance studio with Hoseok or Jimin, longer than either of them,â
      âThey were beating themselves up too. Jimin wasnât eating!â The first glimmer of lightning.
      âI know,â Namjoon hangs his head. Jiminâs demise, wasnât Namjoonâs fault. He played no role in the maknaeâs eating woes, but he couldnât say he didnât play into it with his own insecurities.
      âBut you pushed?â
      âI had to,â
      âWhy?â Dr. Aarons asks. âWhat did they have over you?â
      Jungkook had spent the past few months working through what Big Hit had over Namjoon to push him to this deception. He had made guesses, but truly was curious how dire the situation was for Namjoon to commit such criminal offenses.
      âThey, they gave out stipends if you went to the gym or stayed at the gym longer than everyone else.â
      âThey gave you money?â Jungkook questions.
      âIncentives⊠they gave them to you too, slipped into your paycheck or added to your stock options, mine were doubled.â Namjoon keeps his head low, unwilling to look either Dr. Aarons or Jungkook in the eye. He doesnât deserve their compassion or pity. Â
      âWhat else?â Dr. Aarons asks.
      âIt was written in my contract, I wasnât allowed to talk about it, and I had to do what they told me. I was given the concession a few years ago that I could date, as a means to keep the peace.â
      âThatâs why you didnât say anything?â The first clap of thunder, radiating.
      Pulling his eyes from his palms, Namjoon squares off with Jungkook. âYes, I legally couldnât,â
      âWhat would they take?â Dr. Aarons voice is the only calm in the oncoming storm.
      âAt first it didnât matter, but they upped the stakes, saying I couldnât produce, or theyâd put off my mixtape months, put parameters around what percentage I could claim in writing and producing. Eventually, as the years passed, they threatened my relationship. To them it became the queen on the board, the key to making me comply,â
      âIt was the threat of loss,â Dr. Aarons articulates, âThe fear that whatever you were holding onto would disappear if you didnât follow through.â
      âYes,â
      âThe whole time they were playing you, too?â Jungkook wonders. âThey were holding you hostage?â
      âYes,â
      âThis entire time, youâve been hurting, and you didnât say, anything?â
      âI couldnât,â
      âYour stoicism nearly broke you,â Dr. Aarons observes.
      Namjoon nods. This isnât the first time his work has gotten the better of him, manipulating him, pushing him to new extremes. Itâs not the first time his own self-preservation has clouded his judgement. His inability to not seek the best in all he does often burns him out, his need to help everyone, especially OT7, at all costs, no matter what, is the reason for so much of his heartache.
      âWhy did you do it?â Jungkookâs question is simple, as simple as yours had been. Why?
      âI wanted everyone to be successful and feel successful. If I could help, in any way, then I was going to. I wanted you to be everything you dreamed of being,â
      âThe road to hell is paved with good intentions,â Dr. Aarons quips. âYou wanted Jungkook to be all these things, did you stop to consider if the ways you were going about it were worth it?â
      âEvery day, every time he broke down, cried, was insecure, wanted to quit⊠we all had those moments, but Jungkook is, heâs the best of us,â Namjoonâs honesty has always been one of his strengths, which makes his therapy work that much more potent.
      âI am not,â Jungkook counters, blushing amidst the tide.
      âYou are, even without guidance, youâve always been the brightest star, I never want you to burn out,â
      âYouâve pushed me to,â Jungkookâs tears cascade down his cheeks.
      âIn trying to give you longevity, yeah, I did,â Itâs the break in Namjoonâs voice that pushes each man to new heights.
      âYou did such unforgivable things,â Jungkook spits.
      Steering the ship towards calmer seas, Dr. Aarons speaks. âOf all the things that were done to you, Jungkook, in your mind, what is the one that hurts the most?â
      âYou created this false sense of security, making me think you were looking out for me but you were tricking me. I have all these insecurities, all these bad habits, for what?â Another lightning strike.
      âIâm sorry,â Namjoon sobs.
      âI know you are, but it doesnât feel like itâs enough. You measured my food, forced me to work out more, dosed my drinks⊠you just, ne juwireul maemdolge / ne gyeote isseo julge / ne bichi doeeo julge,â Jungkook rattles off the lyrics. âAll Iâve ever wanted was your support, your guidance, your love. You have been everything to me, and to find out you â
      âI had no choice,â Namjoonâs voice rises. âThey gave me no options!â
      âYou drugged me!â Boom. Louder and closer than before, the thunder rattles through Namjoonâs bones.
      âI never said I did the right thing!â Namjoon counters.
      âYou put smaller pants in my closet, so I thought I was gaining weight!â
      âIt wasnât my idea!â
Scoffing, Jungkook snipes, âYou counted my calories and made me feel so guilty when I didnât work out!â
      âYouâre the one who wanted to maintain your six pack!â Namjoon yells in return. This feels like a RUN episode gone wrong.
      âWhat about Jimin?â Jungkook watches the flash of anger in his hyungâs eyes, wasnât it enough that he was in here with Jungkook? Why bring Jimin in too?
      âDonât bring him into this,â Namjoon warns.
      âHow do your actions affect him? What about the other members?â
      âTheyâre, fine,â He clenches his jaw.
      âYeah, because you didnât drug them!â Jungkook strikes again.
      âIt wasnât anything serious!â
      âEvery action has an equal, opposite reaction. This is what you did!â
      Namjoon is trying not to be proud that Jungkookâs quoting Newton, but heâs a little proud.
      âManagement Jungkook! Management made me! Stop shooting me, I didnât load the gun!â Namjoon yells.
      âFuck you Joon!â Jungkook stands. Hands through his hair, snot wiped against his sleeve.
      âTake five,â Dr. Aarons voice is swift, coming down harsh in their ears as the two stare at opposite corners of the room. As her voice ebbs, the only sound that can be heard in the trepid waters are the sounds of this tears.
Next: Beautiful Rooms Pt. 3
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On Stranger Tides
I adore Johnny Depp. Heâs one of my all-time favorite actors. Dudeâs range is actually really profound, especially considering his beginnings. Depp is one of the few individuals who was able to transition from teen heart-throb into respected Hollywood star. His career is as eclectic as his public personae and i respect that versatility. This sh*t with Amber Heard has kind of derailed his momentum going forward which has made him toxic from a major studio standpoint which is wildly unfair as, with all of this new information coming to light, heâs done nothing wrong. Amber Heard appears to be a violently abusive shrew whoâs pathological clout chasing, is only outstripped by her destructive narcissism.That relationship, if you could call it that, caused Depp to lose his flagship franchise: Pirates of the Caribbean.
Deppâs Jack Sparrow is one of the most actualized characters to ever hit theaters. His take on what was little more than an animatronic and an idea, was amazing. Pirates is a really bad ride at Disneyland. Think Itâs a Small world with Rum and booty. That idea spawned a franchise that rivals the Fast films and even Harry Potter in social relevancy, all because Jack Sparrow is too dope. All of that, while being a supporting character in his own goddamn films! The first three, the best three, were about the Turners. Those are Will Turnerâs stories but they wouldnât be sh*t without Depp and his take on the worst pirate you ever heard of. Because you have hear of him. Solid writing and great performances made that franchise and Depp lead the way. For him to lose it over a crazy, insecure, disingenuous, clout-f*cker was a crime so when i heard Disney was developing a Pirates 6 and were considering bringing him back, i was ecstatic. The the other she dropped.
Itâs been reported that the next Pirates film will be female lead, that Disney wants to more away from Sparrows arc and into something new. As you can imagine, that news was no received well by a certain branch of society for the wrong reasons. The requisite âMuh Piratesâ and âNo Maâamâ chants have rippled through the internet and itâs a stupid thing to see. Why arenât we past this yet? Who cares if a franchise has a female lead? Who cares if Pirates has a female lead? As i understand it, Disney ants to explore the Pirates world with Redd, a female animatronic from the ride or whatever. Expand the lore. Broaden the accessibility. Pirates is the perfect franchise to do that. Think abut it; That world is lush for adventure. Mythological creatures, magic, booty, itâs fertile ground for stories and you can probably come up with a ton to share. Plus, some of the greatest pirates throughout history were female. F*cking Anne Bonny and Mary Reed, man. They were not only female, but straight up lesbians. You donât have to go that deep into it but story with a female pirate, using her wits a guile, quietly outfoxing her competition or pursuers with her feminine talents, is f*cking amazing to me. If Elizabeth Swann can be one of the most hard-body characters in the first trilogy, why canât we have an actual , female, lead in the next? Redd can be a legend like Mara Jade or Mary Jane Watson.
Itâs said that Disney is looking at Karen Gillan for that lead which, i think, is perfect casting. Gillan is also one of my favorite actors working to day but sheâs never gotten a real vehicle to shine. She was excellent as Elevenâs companion, Amy Pond but that was a supporting role. Sheâs outstanding as Nebula in the MCU, especially in Endgame, but, again, supporting role. She had a short lived sting as co-lead in a pretty okay rom-com on TV. I really enjoyed her run in Selfie and feel like it was canned prematurely because white America was uncomfortable watching the burgeoning romance between a Ginger and an Asian. I loved Oculus, all of the Guardian films, The Partyâs Just Beginning, and i thought Not Another Happy Ending was cute gut trite. The Jumanji films are okay, a little formulaic for my tastes, but Gillan is easily one of their strengths. With her comedic timing, versatile acting ability, and realistic physicality, Gillan would be the perfect lead for an action comedy like a Pirates film. The problem i see, and the problem with a lot of these female ârebootsâ is the writing.
You have to write a great character for Karen to play, not because she canât turn schlock into gold, but because Depp was so brilliant as Sparrow. Gillianâs Redd will immediately be compared to Deppâs sparrow. Hell, weâre already seeing that happen now. Trust your actor to deliver a classic character, for sure. I trust Gillan can bring a life and identity to anything written for her. I havenât seen all of her portfolio, but i have seen enough to be confident in her skills. The problem is i feel like Disney will fall int the trap of written girl-Jack. Don]t do that. Let Redd be her own character. Let Karen create her own characters. You donât necessarily have to move away from the physical nature of the Sparrowâs character, a lot of his charm is the way heâs always moving, always plotting, but definitely find a way to make that type of sh*t Reddâs own. Female doesnât mean bad, it means different and, as a writer, the possibilities of creating that difference are amazing to me. Thatâs pure creativity right there, you just have to have the balls to pull the trigger on something new and not rest on the laurels of what came before.
 As long as people understand that Pirates 6 is itâs own thing, i donât think anyone will care. The Pirates films arenât numbered, they have sub-titles so differentiating continuity should be easy. Personally, i think Gillan would kill in that type of roll and look forward to whatever Disney manufactures, as long as the story is passable and the characters are strong. The only way this fails is if the Mouse House pusses out and just turned Jack Sparrow into a Female Ginge. At that point, the neck-beards and basement dwellers would be right in their outrage. Please donât make the Incels right, Disney. Please. If you go the route of making Redd the main character in the next arc of your Pirates franchise and cast Karen in the lead role, please give her something to work with. Please make her story as compelling as Jackâs. Karen deserves at least that much and i am confident Redd can be every bit as dope as Jack. If you do right by her.
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Today đ years ago an inspirational and very talented artist was born, named Kunal Kapoor.  Later he added his father's name Karan due to the fact that he happened to share the same name as a Bollywood actor.
 âMy name has been a source of major confusion for me. Once, I was offered a film as the makers mistook me for film star Kunal Kapoor. I realized it when they said they loved my work in âRang De Basantiâ! A similar incident occurred in Goa, where I was upgraded to a lavish room because of mistaken identity.â Kunal Karan Kapoor
If you ask his fans to describe him in few words the answer is:
Vadlapudi Latha:Â One word which crosses my mind when I hear his name is BEAUTY. đđ
Nita Khandekar: An actor par excellence, a humble human being!
Anindita Chakravarty: A wonderful human being and a magical actorđ
Shweta Deshpande: Very versatile and pleasing personality with very down to earth attitude. Multi talented perfectionist!
Arpita Oscar: A man of golden heart. King of Actors.
Iam_diya22: Powerhouse of talent, passionate, man with amazingly attractive eyes.
Aarti_287: Expression king â€ïž
Sarikajaiswa7: Ek hi word zakassssssss........... đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„Â đ
Abiramy_kumar: Dedicated, versatile actor who alive each and every character he played. Best photographer.
Pranayshittipolu_0930: He is simply awesome guys, he is the best person in the world.
Sangeetha0606: Complete and the best.
Harshitarohatgi: Sharp eyes.
Iqsita_kia_224: Perfection.
Ruchi_kajalvarshney: Versatile, expression king, dedicated, hardworking, handsome, cute, shy and mind blowing!
Priyanka.m58:Â Admire..đ
Chubby_megs: Grace, attitude, commanding eyes.
Imstarc: Mass
K_mavourneen: Heâs authentic, a beautiful soul with a charming personality. An amazing actor who I adore 100%.
Kunal Karan Kapoor is like the ocean. Beautiful, depthful and mysterious. Strong with some hidden storms inside, at the same time very calm and peaceful. Overwhelming, silent, but yet strong-minded.Â
There is like a whole different world and many hidden treasures. As more as you dig in as more you will find.
He is also someone who wanders in his own dreams, and like to be left in his own world, but is still connected with reality. What goes on in his beautiful mind and inside him is something that he keeps for himself.Â
But looking into his eyes you see his soul and there are some sort of sensitivity and vulnerability about him. You are just drawn to him! Â
He has an honest, humble, down to earth personality and somewhere between all this, there is some craziness, a little boy and an awesome attitude.
If he ever decide to do a biography video or book on himself. It will definitely be interesting and very inspiring.
Kunal Karan Kapoor has an incredible ability to connect . His sincerity, dedication, and passion toward his craft is admirable.
Some of the traits we love about him, he doesnât compromise with his craft.
âThere are certain things that I cannot do and if I don't agree with them then I just cannot get myself to do it. If I agree with something I'll put in my 100% but if I cannot give 100% to something then I back off. Â I won't even try if I know it is something that I don't want to do. I have a lot of reservations.â Kunal Karan Kapoor
As a boy Kunal Karan Kapoor watched Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. He then knew that he wanted to be a director and decided that acting might help him achieve his dream.Â
His struggle began at the age of thirteen. He would head to RK Studios after school and stand at the gates.
 "The watchman would ask me what exactly I was trying to do. I would revert that one day I would become an actor. Then he would open the gates and let me enter." - Kunal Karan Kapoor
Kunal Karan Kapoor has been part of the Tv industry for almost 16 years and portrayed 16 different characters. All portrayed so differently. As an actor he dives so deeply into his character and take you with him on this amazing journey of exploring it. Â
Kunal Karan Kapoor has worked in two cult and youth related shows like Remix and Left Right Left. He has been part of popular shows like Maayka, Maan kee awaaz Pratigya, Doli armaanon ki and Woh apna sa. His villain character in Maan kee awaaz Pratigya became so popular that he was nominated as    Favourite Dushman in 2010 by Star Parivaar Awards.Â
Kunal Karan Kapoor is an actor that put his own soul into his performances. There is a spark and you see that. His hard work and dedication gained him the Indian Telly Award in the category of âBest Actor in a lead role â in year 2013 for his iconic character in Na bole tum na maine kuch kaha.
People call him âThe king of expressionsâ and âA game changerâ. Both well deserved titles. When he bag the lead hero role for Na bole tum na maine kuch kahha in 2012. He was the only hero on screen with bear and long, curly and little messy hair. He had females drooling over him and males look up to him. Elderly adore him and kids just love him.
Besides an incredibly talented actor and brilliant photographer, Kunal Karan Kapoor has shown us many other skills as writing, editing, shooting videos, and whistling. He is a multi talented and versatile artist.
He has achieved many milestones in his life and we are about to witness another with his entry into the digital world with his upcoming Voot Originals âThe Raikar Caseâ.
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Compare And Contrast: THE PARTY vs AFTER THE FOX
Adam-Troy Castro recently published an essay on Blake Edwardsâ 1968 Hollywood comedy The Party.
The Party is one of Edwardsâ rare misfires; not awful, but certainly not a hit, either.  A virtually plotless film (more on that below) made at the height of the Summer of Love, it features some of Edwardsâ and Peter Sellersâ funniest gags, yet remains unsatisfying for most audiences (The Party has its fans, but they tend to be connoisseurs of cinematic comedy).
The biggest apparent problem with The Party today is the charge that Sellers plays in brownface; i.e., heâs cast as a hapless Bollywood actor making a mess of things in Hollywood.
This, to modern audiences, is a big no-no, a white actor racially impersonating a brown ethnicity.
âŠonly it isnât.
The bulk of Indiaâs population belong genetically to the same âraceâ (i.e., Caucasian) as the vast majority of Europeans and Americans of European descent (for that matter, so are most Middle Easterners).  Sellers did not do a racial impression because the character of Hrundi V. Bakshi shares the same âraceâ as Sellers himself.
Which leads to our contrast-and-compare point, my personal favorite of all Sellersâ films:Â Â After The Fox.
Letâs fill in a little background information before we plunge ahead.
First of all, Sellers himself.  He was a renown (read âgenuinely insaneâ) comedy actor (as opposed to a comedian) with an uncanny penchant for submerging himself completely in oddball roles.
Inspector Clouseau is his most famous character, but his trio of roles in Dr. Strangelove -- Captain Mandrake, President Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove himself -- best demonstrates his astonishing range and versatility (one of the great tragedies in cinematic history is that an on-set injury prevented Sellers from playing the role of Major Kong [Slim Pickens in the final film], who rides the H-bomb down in the movieâs most iconic shot; it had been Stanley Kubrickâs intent to place the fate of the world squarely in Sellersâ hands in all three of Dr. Strangeloveâs plotlines).
Sellers rode high in the 1960s and appeared in numerous comedies ranging from Whatâs New, Pussycat? (another film thatâs grown more problematic with age) to The Bobo (never heard of The Bobo? Well, thereâs a reason for thatâŠ).
The Partyâs Hrundi V. Bakshi fits perfectly into that oeuvre.
As mentioned above, Bakshi is not a bad person, just a luckless one.  He tries hard and is eager to please, but no matter what, things go awry.
The shoestring thin plot of The Party is this:  After he ruins a big budget Hollywood epic, the studio intends to blackball Bakshi but by mistake his name is added to the invitation list of a big party the studio head is throwing. Â
Hilarity -- or a reasonable facsimile thereof -- ensues.
The Partyâs cinematic antecedents can be traced to Jacques Tati and, of all people, Jerry Lewis, though an argument can be made its roots go back to the semi-improvised early comedies of Mack Sennettâs studio.
Tati was an art crowd darling.  He made only a handful of films, but his M. Hulot quartet (M. Hulotâs Holiday, Mon Oncle, Play Time, and Traffic) are genuine cinematic masterworks and hilarious to boot.
Tatiâs style was intensely physical but never violent in the manner of American slapstick.  He fell out of favor with French studios because he would spend lavishly on huge sets to pay off a single, subtle gag; his return-on-investment wasnât good enough for producersâ bottom line.
Lewis, while better known as a performer, also proved to be a director of no small talent; let us give him the credit due for his work behind the camera.  While his personal misfire (the never completed The Day The Clown Cried) marred his directorial reputation, two of his films -- The Bellboy and The Errand Boy -- resemble Tatiâs work although far more boisterous in execution.
Both Tati and Lewis (in those two films) jettisoned conventional narrative.  Mon Oncle is about a beloved uncle getting his nephewâs father to pay more attention to his family, The Errand Boy is sent undercover to find fiscal waste but ends up a comedy star who saves the studio; thatâs as close as either gets to a plot.
Tati and Lewisâ films start with a basic set up then just let things grow from there.  When it works -- as it did with Sennett and Chaplain and Tati and Lewis -- it produces hilarious but expensive results.
When it doesnât work -- and lordie, everybody tries real hard in The Party -- one ends up with an unfunny mess.
(Iâm being unfair.  The Party isnât unfunny, itâs just not consistently nor compellingly funny all the way through.)
Edwards was fond of improvisation in his films.  His greatest success with Sellers was the original Pink Panther in which Sellers replaced Peter Ustinov, the original Inspector Clouseau.
Clouseau was supposed to be a third tier character in The Pink Panther and Sellers appears way down on the billing after David Niven, Capucine, Robert Wagner, and Claudia Cardinale.  The script was written and the movie shot to focus on Niven and Wagnerâs uncle / nephew jewel thieves -- but Sellers stole the whole damn movie right out from under them.
(Recasting Clouseau was Edwardsâ stroke of brilliance.  Ustinov would have played Clouseau as a fool, and the visceral reaction to that was to despise him.  Sellers played Clouseau as an idiot, and audiences loved him.)
Edwardsâ other improvisational comedies typically fared better than The Party because they at least featured a clear plot line for both performers and audiences to focus on.  The Party literally doesnât know where itâs going, and thatâs detrimental to the film as a whole.  (Compared to Casablanca, another heavily improvised film where the crucial difference was everyone knew the story had to end with Rick making a decision, thereâs nothing like that to help The Party.)
The Party isnât bad, just unsuccessful.  As mentioned, itâs a misfire, not a mistake.  Considering Blake Edwards also made Breakfast At Tiffanyâs, The Pink Panther, The Great Race, and Victor / Victoria, we can cut him some slack.
Back to Sellers and his astonishing range and gallery of characters:Â Â On the heels of his smash success as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther, Sellers was offered the role of Aldo Vanucci in After The Fox.
Vanucci is the polar opposite of Inspector Clouseau, a criminal instead of a cop, cunning and competent instead of brainless and bumbling.  A master of disguise, Vanucci gave Sellers the opportunity to play numerous sub-impersonations such as a prudish priest, a carabinieri, and an intense Italian film among others.
After The Fox was co-written by Neal Simon and Cesare Zavattini, the latter a long time associate of the filmâs director, Vittorio De Sica.  This is not to say any of them were better at their craft than Edwards, but clearly the structure they provided works to the final filmâs benefit.
After The Fox offers a clear, linear plot:  Retired criminal Aldo Vanucci is lured out of retirement (i.e., escapes jail) to come home and provide for his mother and star struck sister.  Given the task of smuggling stolen gold into Italy, he comes up with a scheme to make a movie about smuggling stolen gold into Italy and thus enlists the authorities to help with his crime!
Iâll be frank, a big reason I love this movie is how accurately it depicts Italian culture and various character types.  Yeah, itâs over the top and deliberately played to excess, but every gag is firmly based on reality.
English Sellers captures the essence of so many diverse Italian personality types (and, briefly, an American tourist as well) so perfectly he deserves the title of honorary paisan.Â
So how is Vanucci different from Bakshi in The Party?
Bakshi is not a bad person, heâs shown to have a heart of gold and high personal standards, he just canât cope with the world around him (a trait he shares with Tatiâs M. Hulot).  His Indianess is depicted very slightly -- his accent, his apartment dĂ©cor, his sitar playing.  Unlike Vanucci being Italian in After The Fox, there is no reason for him to be specifically Indian. Â
He could be any poor schlub, a soul brother to Lewisâ bellboy.Â
Aldo Vanucci in After The Fox fills several key functions for that movie.  After The Foxâs plot hinges on volatile lower class Italian family dynamics -- it would not be the same story with different characters.
This is not the same as saying those versions would be bad, but as Yojimbo ripped off Dashiell Hammettâs novel Red Harvest and was remade as A Fistful Of Dollars which in turn was remade as Last Man Standing which returned the story to Hammettâs original milieu, so each version stands distinct and different from the others.
But Sellerâs Bakshi adds nothing as a character to The Party.  Except for a handful of specific gags, his role could have just as easily been played by Tatiâs M. Hulot, Lewisâ Stanley, Rowan Atkinsonâs Mr. Bean, or Jaleel Whiteâs Urkel and the final film wouldnât be significantly different (for that matter, it wouldnât need to be set in Hollywood, either, just any environment where self-appointed cultural elites canât escape from a gauche lower status person).
Compare Bakshi to Vanucci and itâs clear Sellersâ isnât punching down in After The Fox.  For all his criminality, Vanucciâs highly scrupulous and clearly capable.  He takes his lumps but heâs not the human punching bag Sellers played in The Party.
  © Buzz Dixon
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Whatâs Hot Central Florida: April 2019
Thursday, April 4
The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts presents Piff the Magic Dragon in The Lucky Dragon Tour at 7:30pm. 50% Comedian. 50% Magician. 100% Dragon. After earning national acclaim as the standout star of NBCâs Americaâs Got Talent and Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Piff the Magic Dragon continues to win over audiences across the globe with his mythical mixture of wizardry, wit and sarcasm that ignites a one-of-a-kind comedy magic show you have to see to believe. Joined by his trusty sidekick Mr. Piffles, The Worldâs Only Magic Performing Chihuahuaâą, the dynamic duo performed to sold out rooms at the world-famous Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas in the Piff the Magic Dragon Theatre. Now Piff and Mr. Pifflesâalong with Jade Simone, a genuine Las Vegas Showgirl, and Francis the Squire, a.k.a. the Eunuch in a Tunicâtake to the road for the Dog Who Knows national tour.
Ballet and drag â merge in The Trocks, the world-famous all-male comic ballet company. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo give new meaning to men in tights and go where no man has gone before: on pointe. Their hilarious spoofs of famous ballets like Don Quixote, Swan Lake and Nutcracker are done with impressive classical technique, making The Trocks âa mocking, loving, beady-eyed and wildly merry view of ballet. Not to be missed.â (Financial Times, London). Catch them at the The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall tonight at 7:30pm and tomorrow (April 5) at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa at 7:30pm.
Friday, April 5
Southern Nights Orlando welcomes Soju, from RuPaulâs Drag Race Season 11 (18yr+ Welcome). Drag Shows at 11pm & 12:30am featuring Roxxxy Andrews, Maya Andrews, Sassy Devine, Tasha Long & Tashae Sherrington!
Southern Nights Tampa presents their monthly NeiBEARhood Takeover with the 4th Annual Circuit Cub GLOW Jockstrap Party (Neon/Glow/Jockstraps strongly Encouraged) starring DJ Neon the Glowgobear. Come early and stay late as this is one of our LARGEST events of the year!! 21+ Only with free admission before 10pm.
Saturday, April 6
Cristophâs Tampa will be celebrating their 1st anniversary tonight with performances by Alexis De La Mer, Stephanie Stuart, and Lady Janet along with music by Mike Sklarz. We here at Hotspots Central wish Jaqueline and her entire staff a very happy anniversary and wish her many more years of success!
The Parliament House presents a celebration of hair: Â âWigfest 2019â featuring a Wig Fashion show featuring the most creative looks, on-site barber and wig stylist, vendors & exhibitors, and $300 cash for the best wig.
One of Tampaâs best parties is back with a new name, a new look, but the same âeat, drink, partyâ spirit! Best of Tampa Bay is now TASTE at The Straz, an ALL-INCLUSIVE all-you-can-eat food and drink extravaganza boasting more than 50 of Tampa Bayâs finest restaurants and caterers, and wine, liquor and craft beer tastings. Also, enjoy full open bars and 5 live bands! Since its inception 34 years ago, the Straz Centerâs signature fundraising event has generated more than $2.5 million for arts education programs. Supporting the arts never tasted so good. Admission is $85 and $140 for VIP Admission. To purchase in advance call at (813) 229-7827.
Tuesday, April 9
Winner of six 2017 Tony Awards, including Best Musicalâand the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Dear Evan Hansen makes 2 stops in Central Florida. The first is in Tampa from April 9-14 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, and the second is in Orlando from April 16-21 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing heâs always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it. To find out more see the feature in this issue.
The Straz Center for the Performing Arts presents, Spamilton: An American Parody from today through Sunday, May 12. Donât miss this âconvulsively funnyâ (The New York Times) parody from the comic mastermind behind the long-running hit Forbidden Broadway. After tearing it up in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, Spamilton: An American Parody will stage a singing, dancing, comedy revolution in Tampa for a limited time only. The Huffington Post raves âyou donât have to see Hamilton to have side-splitting fun at Spamilton.â Tickets start at only $30. To find out more see the feature in this issue.
More than two decades ago Jonathan Larsonâs RENT opened on Broadway and forever changed American theatre. It continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and the world. And now, this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning masterpiece returns to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with its vibrant 20th anniversary tour. A re-imagining of Pucciniâs La BohĂšme, RENT follows the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly mattersâlove.
Thursday, April 11
Derek Hough: Live! The Tour comes to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30pm. This new production comes from the EMMY award winning mind of Derek Hough! The show features brand-new stage production, astounding versatility and, as always, Derekâs magnetic stage presence. Fans will journey through a true fusion of dance and music, as Derek explores styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa and hop-hop and everything in between. Creative team and two-time EMMY winners, Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo, also known as NappyTabs (Jennifer Lopez: All I Have Residency; Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour; GRAMMYsÂź creative direction), will co-create, direct and supervise choreography for the tour.
Amalie Arena presents KISS in their End of the Road World Tour at 7:30pm. After an epic and storied 45-year career that launched an era of rock n roll legends, KISS announced that they will launch their final tour Known for their trademark larger-than-life blistering performances, KISS has proven for decades why they are hands down the most iconic live show in rock n roll. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide have said this tour is devoted to the millions of KISS Army fans. Tickets start at only $25.75.
Join EPIC (Empath Partners in Care) and people from across Tampa Bay as we Dine Out to End HIV. Dining Out for Life is an international event, with more than 3,000 restaurants donating a portion of their proceeds in benefit of local AIDS service associations. For 14 years Tampa Bay restaurants have joined together in support of EPIC and those they serve who are effected or affected by HIV. Visit their website at DineTB.org to view a list of participating restaurants. Be sure to check back â new restaurants will be added daily up to the day of the event. For more information or to become a sponsor, please contact: Brooke Boccacino at (727) 523-3352, or at
[email protected].
Friday, April 12
Cristophâs Tampa presents a Blackout Party starring Stephanie Stuart with music by Mike Sklarz and a clothing check available.
Saturday, April 13
The Parliament House presents 8time Grammy nominated Dawn Robinson (formerly of En Vogue) live in concert singing her hit songs âFree Your Mind,â âDonât Let Go,â and Giving Him Something He Can Fee.â
Stonewall Orlando presents  Neemaâs Legendary Birthday Party as part of his Amor, upscale Latin Party. Dorrs open at 9pm with $10 cover till 11pm and $15 thereafter. An expanded show time is at 12 midnight featuring Yeisa Jovovich, Angelica Michelle Jones, Kimberly Vasquez Arciliares, Nouba Soleil, Natalie Nayles, Kandy Hoâ and Naomi Aguilera. I would personally like to wish Neema a very happy birthday and wishing him many more years of success!
Thursday, April 18
Southern Nights Orlando presents âAvengers EndGame Partyâ with the Freshman Lineup at 10:30 Hosted by MrMs Adrien, and the main show at 12:30 Hosted By Axel Andrews with Kaija Adonis , Roxxxy Andrews , Kitana Gemini and special guest. Music by DJ DLUX and there will also be a costume contest. Free admission before midnight if you are 21+.
Saturday, April 20
Cristophâs Tampa presents their monthly Bear Soup with the one and only Alexis De La Mer and music by DJ Mike Sklarz.
Tony Award -winner (Cabaret) Scottish-born Alan Cumming returns to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with his new show Legal Immigrant, celebrating his ten years as a US citizen, growing older and what it feels like to be an immigrant in todayâs America. The show is a true old-fashioned cabaret, a smorgasbord of songs and tales; laughter, tears and, of course, provocation! Alan is also known for his role as Eli Gold on The Good Wife and as co-host of the Tony Awards in 2015.
Saturday, April 27
Cristophâs Tampa presents a âSuper Hero Partyâ starring Lady Janet and music by DJ Jayson.
Join Balance Tampa Bay for their 9th Annual Kickball 4 Kids from 10am to 1pm (at press time the location is TBD)! As always they will have teams in a tournament type of game with a $20 suggested donation per person; $175 suggested donation for a team of 10. Their beneficiary this year will be their friends at Academy Prep Center of Tampa! Academy Prep has a mission to inspire and empower students qualifying for need-based scholarships to become future community leaders through a rigorous middle school program coupled with ongoing graduate support.
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall presents Whoopi Goldberg who is one of a very elite group of artists who have won a Grammy (âWhoopi Goldberg,â 1985), an Academy Award (Ghost, 1991), a Golden Globe (The Color Purple, 1985 and Ghost, 1991), an Emmy (host of AMCâs âBeyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel,â 2002), a Daytime Emmy for âThe View,â 2009) and a Tony (Producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie, 2002). She is equally well-known for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, substance abuse and the battle against AIDS.
Saturday, April 30
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts presents The Temptations & The Four Tops at 7:30pm. For more than fifty years, The Temptations have prospered, propelling popular music with a series of smash hits, and sold-out performances throughout the world. Their hits include: âMy Girl,â âItâs Growing,â âSince I Lost My Baby;,â âGet Ready,â âAinât Too Proud to Beg,â âBeauty Is only Skin Deep,â âI Wish It Would Rain,â And many more. .the hits kept coming. The Four Tops made their first single for Chess in 1956, and when Motownâs Berry Gordy Jr. found out they had hustled a national âTonight Showâ appearance, he signed them without an audition to be the marquee act for the companyâs Workshop Jazz label. Their first Motown hit, âBaby I Need Your Lovingâ in 1964, made them stars and their sixties track record and their other hits include: Â âI Canât Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),â âItâs The Same Old Song,â âReach Out Iâll Be There,â âStanding In The Shadows Of Love,â âBernadette,â âAsk The Lonely,â âShake Me, Wake Me (When Itâs Over),â âSomething About You,â âYou Keep Running Away,â â7-Rooms Of Gloomâ and their covers of âWalk Away Reneeâ and âIf I Were A Carpenter.â
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/03/27/whats-hot-central-florida-april-2019/
from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2019/03/whats-hot-central-florida-april-2019.html
0 notes
Whatâs Hot Central Florida: April 2019
Thursday, April 4
The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts presents Piff the Magic Dragon in The Lucky Dragon Tour at 7:30pm. 50% Comedian. 50% Magician. 100% Dragon. After earning national acclaim as the standout star of NBCâs Americaâs Got Talent and Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Piff the Magic Dragon continues to win over audiences across the globe with his mythical mixture of wizardry, wit and sarcasm that ignites a one-of-a-kind comedy magic show you have to see to believe. Joined by his trusty sidekick Mr. Piffles, The Worldâs Only Magic Performing Chihuahuaâą, the dynamic duo performed to sold out rooms at the world-famous Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas in the Piff the Magic Dragon Theatre. Now Piff and Mr. Pifflesâalong with Jade Simone, a genuine Las Vegas Showgirl, and Francis the Squire, a.k.a. the Eunuch in a Tunicâtake to the road for the Dog Who Knows national tour.
Ballet and drag â merge in The Trocks, the world-famous all-male comic ballet company. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo give new meaning to men in tights and go where no man has gone before: on pointe. Their hilarious spoofs of famous ballets like Don Quixote, Swan Lake and Nutcracker are done with impressive classical technique, making The Trocks âa mocking, loving, beady-eyed and wildly merry view of ballet. Not to be missed.â (Financial Times, London). Catch them at the The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall tonight at 7:30pm and tomorrow (April 5) at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa at 7:30pm.
Friday, April 5
Southern Nights Orlando welcomes Soju, from RuPaulâs Drag Race Season 11 (18yr+ Welcome). Drag Shows at 11pm & 12:30am featuring Roxxxy Andrews, Maya Andrews, Sassy Devine, Tasha Long & Tashae Sherrington!
Southern Nights Tampa presents their monthly NeiBEARhood Takeover with the 4th Annual Circuit Cub GLOW Jockstrap Party (Neon/Glow/Jockstraps strongly Encouraged) starring DJ Neon the Glowgobear. Come early and stay late as this is one of our LARGEST events of the year!! 21+ Only with free admission before 10pm.
Saturday, April 6
Cristophâs Tampa will be celebrating their 1st anniversary tonight with performances by Alexis De La Mer, Stephanie Stuart, and Lady Janet along with music by Mike Sklarz. We here at Hotspots Central wish Jaqueline and her entire staff a very happy anniversary and wish her many more years of success!
The Parliament House presents a celebration of hair: Â âWigfest 2019â featuring a Wig Fashion show featuring the most creative looks, on-site barber and wig stylist, vendors & exhibitors, and $300 cash for the best wig.
One of Tampaâs best parties is back with a new name, a new look, but the same âeat, drink, partyâ spirit! Best of Tampa Bay is now TASTE at The Straz, an ALL-INCLUSIVE all-you-can-eat food and drink extravaganza boasting more than 50 of Tampa Bayâs finest restaurants and caterers, and wine, liquor and craft beer tastings. Also, enjoy full open bars and 5 live bands! Since its inception 34 years ago, the Straz Centerâs signature fundraising event has generated more than $2.5 million for arts education programs. Supporting the arts never tasted so good. Admission is $85 and $140 for VIP Admission. To purchase in advance call at (813) 229-7827.
Tuesday, April 9
Winner of six 2017 Tony Awards, including Best Musicalâand the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Dear Evan Hansen makes 2 stops in Central Florida. The first is in Tampa from April 9-14 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, and the second is in Orlando from April 16-21 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing heâs always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it. To find out more see the feature in this issue.
The Straz Center for the Performing Arts presents, Spamilton: An American Parody from today through Sunday, May 12. Donât miss this âconvulsively funnyâ (The New York Times) parody from the comic mastermind behind the long-running hit Forbidden Broadway. After tearing it up in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, Spamilton: An American Parody will stage a singing, dancing, comedy revolution in Tampa for a limited time only. The Huffington Post raves âyou donât have to see Hamilton to have side-splitting fun at Spamilton.â Tickets start at only $30. To find out more see the feature in this issue.
More than two decades ago Jonathan Larsonâs RENT opened on Broadway and forever changed American theatre. It continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and the world. And now, this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning masterpiece returns to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with its vibrant 20th anniversary tour. A re-imagining of Pucciniâs La BohĂšme, RENT follows the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly mattersâlove.
Thursday, April 11
Derek Hough: Live! The Tour comes to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30pm. This new production comes from the EMMY award winning mind of Derek Hough! The show features brand-new stage production, astounding versatility and, as always, Derekâs magnetic stage presence. Fans will journey through a true fusion of dance and music, as Derek explores styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa and hop-hop and everything in between. Creative team and two-time EMMY winners, Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo, also known as NappyTabs (Jennifer Lopez: All I Have Residency; Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour; GRAMMYsÂź creative direction), will co-create, direct and supervise choreography for the tour.
Amalie Arena presents KISS in their End of the Road World Tour at 7:30pm. After an epic and storied 45-year career that launched an era of rock n roll legends, KISS announced that they will launch their final tour Known for their trademark larger-than-life blistering performances, KISS has proven for decades why they are hands down the most iconic live show in rock n roll. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide have said this tour is devoted to the millions of KISS Army fans. Tickets start at only $25.75.
Join EPIC (Empath Partners in Care) and people from across Tampa Bay as we Dine Out to End HIV. Dining Out for Life is an international event, with more than 3,000 restaurants donating a portion of their proceeds in benefit of local AIDS service associations. For 14 years Tampa Bay restaurants have joined together in support of EPIC and those they serve who are effected or affected by HIV. Visit their website at DineTB.org to view a list of participating restaurants. Be sure to check back â new restaurants will be added daily up to the day of the event. For more information or to become a sponsor, please contact: Brooke Boccacino at (727) 523-3352, or at
[email protected].
Friday, April 12
Cristophâs Tampa presents a Blackout Party starring Stephanie Stuart with music by Mike Sklarz and a clothing check available.
Saturday, April 13
The Parliament House presents 8time Grammy nominated Dawn Robinson (formerly of En Vogue) live in concert singing her hit songs âFree Your Mind,â âDonât Let Go,â and Giving Him Something He Can Fee.â
Stonewall Orlando presents  Neemaâs Legendary Birthday Party as part of his Amor, upscale Latin Party. Dorrs open at 9pm with $10 cover till 11pm and $15 thereafter. An expanded show time is at 12 midnight featuring Yeisa Jovovich, Angelica Michelle Jones, Kimberly Vasquez Arciliares, Nouba Soleil, Natalie Nayles, Kandy Hoâ and Naomi Aguilera. I would personally like to wish Neema a very happy birthday and wishing him many more years of success!
Thursday, April 18
Southern Nights Orlando presents âAvengers EndGame Partyâ with the Freshman Lineup at 10:30 Hosted by MrMs Adrien, and the main show at 12:30 Hosted By Axel Andrews with Kaija Adonis , Roxxxy Andrews , Kitana Gemini and special guest. Music by DJ DLUX and there will also be a costume contest. Free admission before midnight if you are 21+.
Saturday, April 20
Cristophâs Tampa presents their monthly Bear Soup with the one and only Alexis De La Mer and music by DJ Mike Sklarz.
Tony Award -winner (Cabaret) Scottish-born Alan Cumming returns to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with his new show Legal Immigrant, celebrating his ten years as a US citizen, growing older and what it feels like to be an immigrant in todayâs America. The show is a true old-fashioned cabaret, a smorgasbord of songs and tales; laughter, tears and, of course, provocation! Alan is also known for his role as Eli Gold on The Good Wife and as co-host of the Tony Awards in 2015.
Saturday, April 27
Cristophâs Tampa presents a âSuper Hero Partyâ starring Lady Janet and music by DJ Jayson.
Join Balance Tampa Bay for their 9th Annual Kickball 4 Kids from 10am to 1pm (at press time the location is TBD)! As always they will have teams in a tournament type of game with a $20 suggested donation per person; $175 suggested donation for a team of 10. Their beneficiary this year will be their friends at Academy Prep Center of Tampa! Academy Prep has a mission to inspire and empower students qualifying for need-based scholarships to become future community leaders through a rigorous middle school program coupled with ongoing graduate support.
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall presents Whoopi Goldberg who is one of a very elite group of artists who have won a Grammy (âWhoopi Goldberg,â 1985), an Academy Award (Ghost, 1991), a Golden Globe (The Color Purple, 1985 and Ghost, 1991), an Emmy (host of AMCâs âBeyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel,â 2002), a Daytime Emmy for âThe View,â 2009) and a Tony (Producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie, 2002). She is equally well-known for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, substance abuse and the battle against AIDS.
Saturday, April 30
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts presents The Temptations & The Four Tops at 7:30pm. For more than fifty years, The Temptations have prospered, propelling popular music with a series of smash hits, and sold-out performances throughout the world. Their hits include: âMy Girl,â âItâs Growing,â âSince I Lost My Baby;,â âGet Ready,â âAinât Too Proud to Beg,â âBeauty Is only Skin Deep,â âI Wish It Would Rain,â And many more. .the hits kept coming. The Four Tops made their first single for Chess in 1956, and when Motownâs Berry Gordy Jr. found out they had hustled a national âTonight Showâ appearance, he signed them without an audition to be the marquee act for the companyâs Workshop Jazz label. Their first Motown hit, âBaby I Need Your Lovingâ in 1964, made them stars and their sixties track record and their other hits include: Â âI Canât Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),â âItâs The Same Old Song,â âReach Out Iâll Be There,â âStanding In The Shadows Of Love,â âBernadette,â âAsk The Lonely,â âShake Me, Wake Me (When Itâs Over),â âSomething About You,â âYou Keep Running Away,â â7-Rooms Of Gloomâ and their covers of âWalk Away Reneeâ and âIf I Were A Carpenter.â
from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/03/27/whats-hot-central-florida-april-2019/
from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/183748610055
0 notes
Whatâs Hot Central Florida: April 2019
Thursday, April 4
The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts presents Piff the Magic Dragon in The Lucky Dragon Tour at 7:30pm. 50% Comedian. 50% Magician. 100% Dragon. After earning national acclaim as the standout star of NBCâs Americaâs Got Talent and Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Piff the Magic Dragon continues to win over audiences across the globe with his mythical mixture of wizardry, wit and sarcasm that ignites a one-of-a-kind comedy magic show you have to see to believe. Joined by his trusty sidekick Mr. Piffles, The Worldâs Only Magic Performing Chihuahuaâą, the dynamic duo performed to sold out rooms at the world-famous Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas in the Piff the Magic Dragon Theatre. Now Piff and Mr. Pifflesâalong with Jade Simone, a genuine Las Vegas Showgirl, and Francis the Squire, a.k.a. the Eunuch in a Tunicâtake to the road for the Dog Who Knows national tour.
Ballet and drag â merge in The Trocks, the world-famous all-male comic ballet company. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo give new meaning to men in tights and go where no man has gone before: on pointe. Their hilarious spoofs of famous ballets like Don Quixote, Swan Lake and Nutcracker are done with impressive classical technique, making The Trocks âa mocking, loving, beady-eyed and wildly merry view of ballet. Not to be missed.â (Financial Times, London). Catch them at the The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall tonight at 7:30pm and tomorrow (April 5) at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa at 7:30pm.
Friday, April 5
Southern Nights Orlando welcomes Soju, from RuPaulâs Drag Race Season 11 (18yr+ Welcome). Drag Shows at 11pm & 12:30am featuring Roxxxy Andrews, Maya Andrews, Sassy Devine, Tasha Long & Tashae Sherrington!
Southern Nights Tampa presents their monthly NeiBEARhood Takeover with the 4th Annual Circuit Cub GLOW Jockstrap Party (Neon/Glow/Jockstraps strongly Encouraged) starring DJ Neon the Glowgobear. Come early and stay late as this is one of our LARGEST events of the year!! 21+ Only with free admission before 10pm.
Saturday, April 6
Cristophâs Tampa will be celebrating their 1st anniversary tonight with performances by Alexis De La Mer, Stephanie Stuart, and Lady Janet along with music by Mike Sklarz. We here at Hotspots Central wish Jaqueline and her entire staff a very happy anniversary and wish her many more years of success!
The Parliament House presents a celebration of hair: Â âWigfest 2019â featuring a Wig Fashion show featuring the most creative looks, on-site barber and wig stylist, vendors & exhibitors, and $300 cash for the best wig.
One of Tampaâs best parties is back with a new name, a new look, but the same âeat, drink, partyâ spirit! Best of Tampa Bay is now TASTE at The Straz, an ALL-INCLUSIVE all-you-can-eat food and drink extravaganza boasting more than 50 of Tampa Bayâs finest restaurants and caterers, and wine, liquor and craft beer tastings. Also, enjoy full open bars and 5 live bands! Since its inception 34 years ago, the Straz Centerâs signature fundraising event has generated more than $2.5 million for arts education programs. Supporting the arts never tasted so good. Admission is $85 and $140 for VIP Admission. To purchase in advance call at (813) 229-7827.
Tuesday, April 9
Winner of six 2017 Tony Awards, including Best Musicalâand the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Dear Evan Hansen makes 2 stops in Central Florida. The first is in Tampa from April 9-14 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, and the second is in Orlando from April 16-21 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing heâs always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it. To find out more see the feature in this issue.
The Straz Center for the Performing Arts presents, Spamilton: An American Parody from today through Sunday, May 12. Donât miss this âconvulsively funnyâ (The New York Times) parody from the comic mastermind behind the long-running hit Forbidden Broadway. After tearing it up in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, Spamilton: An American Parody will stage a singing, dancing, comedy revolution in Tampa for a limited time only. The Huffington Post raves âyou donât have to see Hamilton to have side-splitting fun at Spamilton.â Tickets start at only $30. To find out more see the feature in this issue.
More than two decades ago Jonathan Larsonâs RENT opened on Broadway and forever changed American theatre. It continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and the world. And now, this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning masterpiece returns to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with its vibrant 20th anniversary tour. A re-imagining of Pucciniâs La BohĂšme, RENT follows the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly mattersâlove.
Thursday, April 11
Derek Hough: Live! The Tour comes to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30pm. This new production comes from the EMMY award winning mind of Derek Hough! The show features brand-new stage production, astounding versatility and, as always, Derekâs magnetic stage presence. Fans will journey through a true fusion of dance and music, as Derek explores styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa and hop-hop and everything in between. Creative team and two-time EMMY winners, Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo, also known as NappyTabs (Jennifer Lopez: All I Have Residency; Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour; GRAMMYsÂź creative direction), will co-create, direct and supervise choreography for the tour.
Amalie Arena presents KISS in their End of the Road World Tour at 7:30pm. After an epic and storied 45-year career that launched an era of rock n roll legends, KISS announced that they will launch their final tour Known for their trademark larger-than-life blistering performances, KISS has proven for decades why they are hands down the most iconic live show in rock n roll. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide have said this tour is devoted to the millions of KISS Army fans. Tickets start at only $25.75.
Join EPIC (Empath Partners in Care) and people from across Tampa Bay as we Dine Out to End HIV. Dining Out for Life is an international event, with more than 3,000 restaurants donating a portion of their proceeds in benefit of local AIDS service associations. For 14 years Tampa Bay restaurants have joined together in support of EPIC and those they serve who are effected or affected by HIV. Visit their website at DineTB.org to view a list of participating restaurants. Be sure to check back â new restaurants will be added daily up to the day of the event. For more information or to become a sponsor, please contact: Brooke Boccacino at (727) 523-3352, or at
[email protected].
Friday, April 12
Cristophâs Tampa presents a Blackout Party starring Stephanie Stuart with music by Mike Sklarz and a clothing check available.
Saturday, April 13
The Parliament House presents 8time Grammy nominated Dawn Robinson (formerly of En Vogue) live in concert singing her hit songs âFree Your Mind,â âDonât Let Go,â and Giving Him Something He Can Fee.â
Stonewall Orlando presents  Neemaâs Legendary Birthday Party as part of his Amor, upscale Latin Party. Dorrs open at 9pm with $10 cover till 11pm and $15 thereafter. An expanded show time is at 12 midnight featuring Yeisa Jovovich, Angelica Michelle Jones, Kimberly Vasquez Arciliares, Nouba Soleil, Natalie Nayles, Kandy Hoâ and Naomi Aguilera. I would personally like to wish Neema a very happy birthday and wishing him many more years of success!
Thursday, April 18
Southern Nights Orlando presents âAvengers EndGame Partyâ with the Freshman Lineup at 10:30 Hosted by MrMs Adrien, and the main show at 12:30 Hosted By Axel Andrews with Kaija Adonis , Roxxxy Andrews , Kitana Gemini and special guest. Music by DJ DLUX and there will also be a costume contest. Free admission before midnight if you are 21+.
Saturday, April 20
Cristophâs Tampa presents their monthly Bear Soup with the one and only Alexis De La Mer and music by DJ Mike Sklarz.
Tony Award -winner (Cabaret) Scottish-born Alan Cumming returns to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with his new show Legal Immigrant, celebrating his ten years as a US citizen, growing older and what it feels like to be an immigrant in todayâs America. The show is a true old-fashioned cabaret, a smorgasbord of songs and tales; laughter, tears and, of course, provocation! Alan is also known for his role as Eli Gold on The Good Wife and as co-host of the Tony Awards in 2015.
Saturday, April 27
Cristophâs Tampa presents a âSuper Hero Partyâ starring Lady Janet and music by DJ Jayson.
Join Balance Tampa Bay for their 9th Annual Kickball 4 Kids from 10am to 1pm (at press time the location is TBD)! As always they will have teams in a tournament type of game with a $20 suggested donation per person; $175 suggested donation for a team of 10. Their beneficiary this year will be their friends at Academy Prep Center of Tampa! Academy Prep has a mission to inspire and empower students qualifying for need-based scholarships to become future community leaders through a rigorous middle school program coupled with ongoing graduate support.
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall presents Whoopi Goldberg who is one of a very elite group of artists who have won a Grammy (âWhoopi Goldberg,â 1985), an Academy Award (Ghost, 1991), a Golden Globe (The Color Purple, 1985 and Ghost, 1991), an Emmy (host of AMCâs âBeyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel,â 2002), a Daytime Emmy for âThe View,â 2009) and a Tony (Producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie, 2002). She is equally well-known for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, substance abuse and the battle against AIDS.
Saturday, April 30
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts presents The Temptations & The Four Tops at 7:30pm. For more than fifty years, The Temptations have prospered, propelling popular music with a series of smash hits, and sold-out performances throughout the world. Their hits include: âMy Girl,â âItâs Growing,â âSince I Lost My Baby;,â âGet Ready,â âAinât Too Proud to Beg,â âBeauty Is only Skin Deep,â âI Wish It Would Rain,â And many more. .the hits kept coming. The Four Tops made their first single for Chess in 1956, and when Motownâs Berry Gordy Jr. found out they had hustled a national âTonight Showâ appearance, he signed them without an audition to be the marquee act for the companyâs Workshop Jazz label. Their first Motown hit, âBaby I Need Your Lovingâ in 1964, made them stars and their sixties track record and their other hits include: Â âI Canât Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),â âItâs The Same Old Song,â âReach Out Iâll Be There,â âStanding In The Shadows Of Love,â âBernadette,â âAsk The Lonely,â âShake Me, Wake Me (When Itâs Over),â âSomething About You,â âYou Keep Running Away,â â7-Rooms Of Gloomâ and their covers of âWalk Away Reneeâ and âIf I Were A Carpenter.â
from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/03/27/whats-hot-central-florida-april-2019/
0 notes
2021 NBA player rankings, Nos. 40-31: Some of these young guys will be awesome, but which ones?
Save for two choices, there arenât a lot of proven NBA options on this section of the list of the 101 best players in 2021.
Youâre always going out on a limb when asked to predict the 101 best NBA players in four years. A lot changes in four years. Just look at our (mostly off) predictions four years ago for the 100 best players today.
Picking out which young players emerge in the future and which donât amount to a lot of guesswork. Consider this the section of the list where our panel of 10 puts some serious faith in their abilities to evaluate young talent.
Eight of the 10 picks in this section of the list are currently 23 years of age or younger. Some of us will look very smart. Others ... not so much.
40. Otto Porter
Age in 2021: 27 (8 seasons)
CHRIS GREENBERG: Good NBA contracts arenât payouts for past performance. They are investments in future success. Otto Porter signed a max offer sheet from the Nets this summer, which the Wizards happily matched. He also was close to receiving a similar offer from the Kings.
Maybe those were bad offers.
But maybe Porter is just going to keep on developing into one of the most versatile and impactful players on one of the NBAâs best teams. With improvements at both ends of the floor through his four seasons, the 6â8 swingman averaged career highs in three-point shooting percentage (43.4), total rebounds (6.4), assists (1.5), steals (1.5), and points per game (13.4) last season.
Those numbers wonât set the world on fire four years from now. But this kid is still just a kid. Heâll be 27 in 2021, and one of the best 40 players in the league.
Everyone elseâs reactions
TIM CATO: Porter has improved every year he has been in the league, and those are the type of players Iâll always bet on. Top 40? Sure, maybe. Weâll get at least one currently productive wing who bursts out Paul George-style in the next few years, and Iâm rooting for it to be Porter.
MIKE PRADA: Bold, but I love it. I definitely would rather have Porter and his upward trajectory than several players picked in this range.
TOM ZILLER: I think this is a solid pick. Heâs already a top-100 player, defense matters, and the Wizards should be solid if the band stays together.
More reading material
39. Zach LaVine
Age in 2021: 26 (7 seasons)
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: That ACL injury really sucked for LaVine, whose superhuman athleticism was the linchpin of an improving offensive repertoire. Still, Iâm confident heâll bounce back from his injury and, at worst, be a marksman from three and an above-average athlete. In Chicago, heâll get enough touches. He just needs to rehab.
Everyone elseâs reactions
TOM ZILLER: I took someone with an ACL history way higher (stay tuned) but LaVineâs production is really tied up in his athleticism, so this is a dice roll.
MATT ELLENTUCK: I didnât love LaVine pre-injury, and think this is way too high for him considering the injury.
WHITNEY MEDWORTH: Iâm a strong believer that a playerâs environment and on-court situation play a large role in their success. The guy got traded to Chicago. This feels a bit too high.
RICKY OâDONNELL: Love watching LaVine play, but he needs to improve as a playmaker or defender to justify this.
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Prove the haters wrong, Zach.
KOFIE YEBOAH: Zach, please stay healthy. The league needs you. I need you.
BULLSBLOGGER, BLOG A BULL: Well, if the Bulls were internally worried about not building around Jimmy Butler because he was merely a top-15 player instead of top-5, great work by them now potentially having a single top-100 player in four years. Better hit on these lottery years I guess.
(Spoiler alert: no other Bulls made this list).
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38. Gary Harris
Age in 2021: 26 (6 seasons)
WHITNEY MEDWORTH: Harris and Nikola Jokic are going to grow up together in Denver and itâll be a beautiful thing. Harris was a top-10 three-point shooter last year and is only improving. Plus, heâll only be 26 in 2021! His growth between his first two years and his third gives me hope.
Everyone elseâs reactions
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: This feels like one of those picks you make when there are five seconds left on the clock and you donât know who to pick, but you see a name you recognize as one widely considered promising. Gonna pass.
MIKE PRADA: Love this dude, but No. 38 is borderline All-Star level, and Iâm not sure heâll ever be that good. Iâm surprised there was this large a discrepancy between Harris and Jamal Murray (No. 63).
That said, I really love this dudeâs game and look forward to him getting more attention now that the Nuggets are gonna be must-see TV.
TOM ZILLER: Heâs a good shooter, but heâs not going to be the second-best Nugget in four years, is he?
TIM CATO: I could see Harris getting this good. Iâm not saying itâs likely, but I could see it.
MATT ELLENTUCK: We picked Gary Harris ahead of Harrison Barnes, DâAngelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Kevin Love and Eric Bledsoe. Oh man.
MIKE PRADA: Harris is already better than all of those players except Love (and maybe Bledsoe), and heâs still quite young. Yâall gotta watch more Nuggets games.
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37. Skal Labissiere
Age in 2021: 25 (5 seasons)
TIM CATO: This pickâs meaning is twofold. First, whatâs the point of this exercise if there isnât a really dumb pick for NBA Reddit to laugh at? I am always looking out for the people of the internet. This was for you.
That said, I truly believe Labissiere has top-40 player potential four years from now. Why not? In a league that has become obsessed with unicorns, Labissiere has all those same tools. Heâs an athletic 6â11 with scoring touch, and his jumper is silk. Itâs a matter of time until it stretches out to the three-point line, something that will complement his icy post turnarounds beautifully. Thereâs much Labissiere must improve on, but give me his potential over picking another 32-year-old who may or may not hold up.
Everyone elseâs reactions
TOM ZILLER: I have no emotion toward Labissiereâs current pro team, but as a recovering Francophile, I support all Haitians in the NBA. Skal is very exciting. Good pick, Cato. I support you.
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Skal looked great for the post-Boogie-era Kings. This is a really good pick.
AKIS YEROCOSTAS, SACTOWN ROYALTY: Skal looks like a diamond in the rough of a very bad 2016 NBA draft. In 2021, he could be a two-way force for the Kings if he continues to develop well.
MIKE PRADA: I was all set to go way out on a limb and take Skal somewhere in the 50s based on a few decent games against tired and/or tanking teams ... and then Tim did it 15 picks higher than even that. This will look either brilliant or extremely foolish.
TIM CATO: âThis will look either brilliant or extremely foolishâ is the future title of my autobiography.
KOFIE YEBOAH: Can I write the prologue?
MATT ELLENTUCK: See my last Gary Harris reaction. This is such a weird pick. Iâm not reading that book even if youâre right about Skal, Tim.
TIM CATO: At least I didnât pick (redacted) fourth overall.
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36. DeâAaron Fox
Age in 2021: 23 (4 seasons)
KOFIE YEBOAH: I swear this kid can teleport. From watching him play in a high school tournament in Raleigh, to playing in Kentucky, and now making it to the league. DeâAaron Fox will use his teleportation powers to terrorize teams in transition and beyond. I know people are willing to bet against his jump shot for the time being. Hopefully, he gets that down so I can look back at this time capsule, drink a beer, and smile.
Everyone elseâs reactions
AKIS YEROCOSTAS, SACTOWN ROYALTY: Given that De'Aaron Fox will be just 23 years old in 2021 with his best years ahead of him, I think most Kings fans would be ecstatic if he was already in the top 50 of NBA players. The speedster evokes John Wall, and if he can get anywhere close to that, the Kings are in good shape.
MATT ELLENTUCK: DeâAaron Fox mightâve been my favorite college player to watch last year, but this feels WAY too high for him. Heâll be 23 years old. I think he needs more time before heâs a borderline All-Star.
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: DeâAaron is fast as a Fox and will learn to control that speed in four years. Finally, a good pick by Kofie.
KOFIE YEBOAH: Finally? Kristian, I hope the Knicks miss the playoffs by one game every season for the rest of their existence.
CHRIS GREENBERG: These teleportation powers you note make him sound like a likelier member of the X-Men in 2021 than a top 40 NBA player.
MIKE PRADA: Two Kings in the top 37? Thatâs not what I expected when we started this exercise.
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35. Michael Porter Jr.
Age in 2021: 23 (3 seasons)
MIKE PRADA: Kinda surprised a textbook elite unicorn for a new generation whoâs been near the top of the 2018 high school class throughout fell this far. Yâall are too scared to pick high schoolers.
Porter would be the perfect new franchise player for the Nets because ... oh yeah, never mind. Whoops.
Everyone elseâs reaction
TOM ZILLER: Weâre not too scared to pick high schoolers. Some of us have picked high schoolers in the past and been burned! (In 2011, I wrote that Shabazz Muhammad would be a top-100 player in 2015. Welp.) You have also picked high schoolers in the top 100 â hell, the top 20! â and been burned. The difference between us is you keep walking back into the fire. Bad Prada!
RICKY OâDONNELL: Porter might be considered a center by 2021 the way the league is going.
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Pass on all high schoolers on this list.
KOFIE YEBOAH: No LaMelo Ball for you Kristian?
34. Josh Jackson
Age in 2021: 24 (4 seasons)
MATT ELLENTUCK: I still think Josh Jackson should have been in strong consideration as the top pick in this past draft, and I definitely wouldâve taken him ahead of Jayson Tatum.
Iâve watched Jacksonâs game since high school and have consistently been impressed by his basketball smarts and unreal athleticism. That knowledge, coupled with his dominant final few months at Kansas, sold me on Jackson as an impact player from the jump. His shooting is a real concern, but itâs obvious what his role will be as a playmaker and do-it-all small forward.
Everyone elseâs reaction
TOM ZILLER: Stay tuned to find out if the entire first round of the 2017 NBA Draft gets picked in this exercise! Dibs on Tony Bradley. (The thing is: KUZMA got picked so you canât even tell if Iâm joking.)
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: The Suns better be good in 2021 if Josh Jacksonâs a top-35 player, AND we havenât gotten to Devin Booker yet.
MATT ELLENTUCK: I stand by this pick almost as hard as I do my Covington one. Jackson will be a STAR.
DAVE KING, BRIGHT SIDE OF THE SUN: Jackson profiles as a difference maker in the same vein as Draymond Green today and Tayshaun Prince back in the day. Heâll do all the winning things that allow scorers like Booker to score.
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33. Draymond Green
Age in 2021: 31 (9 seasons)
RICKY OâDONNELL: Draymond might be the best defensive player in the league. Heâs also incredible with the ball in his hands, as evident by him finishing top-10 in the league in assists each of the last two seasons. Heâs never been super fast and he certainly has never had great size. Somehow, he still is the most impactful center in the league. I donât expect that to completely change by the time heâs 31 years old.
Everyone elseâs reactions
GREG THOMAS, GOLDEN STATE OF MIND: Draymond doesnât just excel based on pure athleticism, he excels on his innate basketball IQ. This enables Green to read defenses better and play more efficiently. He has helped lead the NBA into this small ball stretch-5 era and he will continue to evolve as a high IQ player. Draymond is a mainstay at the top and will be the force to reckon with for years to come. He will continue to outsmart and outhustle players that are more physically gifted than him.
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Dray Dray is the most versatile defender weâve ever seen, right? Iâm curious how much of that versatility takes a hit as he ages.
TIM CATO: This is another one of those, âEither heâs higher, or heâs lower, and this is an average of the two,â picks. Green could blow up, fall off the map, and be out of the NBA by 2021. Thatâs conceivable. Itâs just as likely heâll remain the same defensive savant while maybe even improving his offensive game a little bit. When weâre talking about Draymond, a slow decline just doesnât seem likely. Itâll be sharp and sudden, like a kick to Steven Adamsâ nether regions.
TOM ZILLER: I donât understand why we consider Green a boom-bust player. He doesnât rely on athleticism â more his motor, brain, and intensity. Doesnât that age well? I think Green will be fine into his mid-30s.
CHRIS GREENBERG: Iâm torn on this one. Is Dray really succeeding without athleticism? That would suggest heâll be fine for years, thanks to his basketball IQ and skills. Or is he leveraging every last bit of his relatively meager athleticism to maximize his basketball IQ and skills? In that case, losing even a single step could see his impact drop off a cliff.
MATT ELLENTUCK: Draymond is a top-10 or so player right now. His talent would translate to any team. I still donât think we respect him nearly enough. He will still be GREAT in four years, so Iâm offended by Timâs reaction.
TIM CATO: My reaction was more a testament to his off-court (or even on-court) volatility than any decline in his game. But also, come on â he clearly relies heavily on athleticism, just not in the prototypical areas we think of it like 40-yard dashes and leaping abilities. His lateral movement declining would be a huge blow to the player he is.
KOFIE YEBOAH: I think four more years of Draytness is pretty reasonable. Anything after that, I canât see.
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32. C.J. McCollum
Age in 2021: 29 (8 seasons)
ZITO MADU: The second and more chilled half of the Blazers buddy-cop duo has a similar career trajectory. McCollum can shoot and score. Last year he finished just outside the 50-40-90 club (48 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from the 3-point line, and 91.2 percent from the free throw line) while averaging 23 points per game. Heâs only 25. His future is bright.
Everyone elseâs reactions
DAVE DECKARD, BLAZERS EDGE: McCollum may turn out to be the most underrated player on this list: phenomenal offense, great attitude, could end up in the conversation with the league's best guards.
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Better than Bradley Beal. (Can the league make 1-on-1 contests during the All-Star break? McCollum vs. Beal is the first game I want to see. Then JaVale McGee vs. Marvin Bagley.)
MIKE PRADA: This is a good pick.
One question: Will C.J. have his own team by now? Heâll have just finished his four-year deal, and while he gets along well with Damian Lillard off the court, you wonder if one or both will get wandering eyes, or if Portland will break the duo up itself in an attempt to become a more balanced team.
I hope they stay together because itâs fun watching their tag-team act, but I wouldnât be surprised if theyâre on different teams by 2021.
TOM ZILLER: My only concern for McCollum is that Portlandâs defense is going to continue to be a sore spot and it eventually means the end of the backcourt duo. Iâm not sure he has the same level of success with a lesser point guard.
MIKE PRADA: I actually disagree with that. I think heâll be better individually away from Lillard because heâs good enough to be the lead dog in a backcourt. His team will probably be worse, though.
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31. Jabari Parker
Age in 2021: 26 (7 seasons)
TOM ZILLER: Parker is a silk-smooth scorer already, despite always getting injured. I have high hopes, still. Between picking Brogdon No. 71 and Jabari, I may also be overcompensating for the choice I made at No. 1 overall. Stay tuned.
Everyone elseâs reactions
TIM CATO: Taking a dude with a twice-torn ACL in the top 35? Thatâs bold, Ziller. I wish Parker the best, but Iâm afraid heâll never be the same.
KRISTIAN WINFIELD: A twice-torn ACL, man. I canât get jiggy with this pick.
MIKE PRADA: Also think itâs an open question whether heâs even a positive value-add player if healthy. I love watching him play, but itâs telling that the Bucks fared better without him three years ago and survived just fine when Khris Middleton returned this season.
RICKY OâDONNELL: The NBA will be a better place if Jabari can stay healthy.
CHRIS GREENBERG: Agree with Ricky, and rooting for Ziller to be right. And, heck, Shaun Livingston has taught us not to count anyone out.
KYLE CARR, BREW HOOP: âIf Jabari can recover from his second ACL tear and show that same explosiveness he had this past season, I think he can easily be a 20+ points-per-game guy. His defense will be in question, but minimal improvements will do him wonders.
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INTRO | FULL LIST | TOP 100 OF 2017 | HOW WE DID IN 2013 | SNUBS | 101-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1 | THE CASES FOR NO. 1
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Andre Iguodala was on verge of leaving Golden State Warriors
As yellow confetti poured down from Oracle Arenaâs rafters, Andre Iguodala leapt onto the scorerâs table in front of 20,000 fans and stood with his arms upward, soaking in the electric atmosphere.
âOh sâ, oh sâ,â he shouted.
âOh sâââ-.â
It was a moment of exhilaration for the Warriorsâ unsung hero, who had just dominated on both ends of the floor in Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals, scoring 20 points in 38 minutes off the bench and helping the Golden State Warriors clinch their second championship in the past three seasons.
It was a celebration of all the hard work and intangibles he brings to the court night after night.
It was also a picture of how Iguodala envisioned his upcoming free agency would go. He was ready for the franchise heâd sacrificed so much for during the past four seasons to shower him with the same kind of love and appreciation he felt he deserved.
Many people around the league expected Iguodalaâs negotiations to be drama-free. The belief was the Warriors would quickly re-sign their core free agents â Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Iguodala.
But when July 1 arrived, Iguodala was no longer a sure thing to return to Golden State. He was dissatisfied with the Warriorsâ offer, and other teams were coming on strong. Suddenly, Iguodala was on the verge of leaving the defending champs for a Western Conference rival.
Draymond Green was ready to step in and be Andre Iguodalaâs agent. Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green, for one, didnât foresee any problems for Iguodala in free agency. After a home win on March 26 in which Iguodala was instrumental, Green, who sits next to Iguodala in the Warriorsâ locker room, rose from his seat and just stared in admiration at his teammate.
âWhat?â Iguodala asked.
âCan I please be your agent?â Green said.
The two broke out in laughter. Iguodalaâs payday was coming, and the soon-to-be free agent was in full control of the process.
Back in February, Rob Pelinka, who had been Iguodalaâs agent throughout his 13-year NBA career, left Landmark Sports to become the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers. The timing couldnât have been worse for Iguodala, who was months away from a pivotal summer.
Amid overtures from other high-profile agents, Iguodala ultimately decided to remain with Landmark and co-founder Brandon Rosenthal, who had worked closely with Pelinka. But the super sixth man would take this opportunity to seize the lead role in determining his future.
As vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, Iguodala often relays to other players the importance of empowering athletes, maximizing their worth and discovering business interests outside of basketball. So this was an important moment for him. He was going to run the show in free agency and accept responsibility for the end results.
Iguodala set his plan into motion. Adviser Rudy Cline-Thomas was enlisted to develop the overall strategy, including identifying teams with the finances to sign Iguodala if things were to go south with the Warriors, Rosenthal was tasked with communicating with teams, and personal trainer Tyrell Jamerson would gather info on where other free agents wanted to go. Sources said rival team executives received word that if the Warriors left the door open, Iguodala wouldnât hesitate to venture elsewhere. That stance would be tested.
At the onset of free agency, the Warriorsâ preliminary three-year, $36 million offer, with a partial guarantee in the final year, was viewed by Iguodala and his camp as a disappointing overture, sources said. Rival teams believed he wanted a fully guaranteed, three-year deal closer to $50 million.
From Iguodalaâs point of view, he had already taken less than market value when he signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Warriors in 2013. He also accepted a lesser role in 2014 when Steve Kerr became coach and asked the former All-Star to relinquish his starting spot for the sixth-man job. Sacrificing monetarily for the team was no longer an option for Iguodala, who was ready to play hardball if necessary.
League sources insist Iguodala was starting to prepare himself for the possibility of leaving the Bay Area. His realtor was on standby just in case and his camp was now charged with convincing teams he wasnât scouring for leverage, but rather genuinely seeking a new home. Certain teams were intrigued with the possibility of adding not only a top talent, but also nabbing a key cog from the Warriors and weakening a budding dynasty.
Face-to-face meetings were scheduled with the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. Iguodala, however, wanted to give the Warriors one last opportunity to increase their offer, multiple sources said.
Warriors GM Bob Myers knew how badly the Warriors needed Iguodala, but it was owner Joe Lacob who would have the final say. Myers came back with a new proposition on the eve of free agency: three years, $42 million with a partial guarantee on the third year.
Iguodala was still not pleased and had Rosenthal inform the Warriors he was going in a different direction. From there, communication with the Warriors ceased and Iguodala abandoned plans of meeting with them down the road, league sources said.
The 2015 Finals MVP was officially on the market.
After receiving the Warriorsâ initial offer, Iguodala became more open to the idea of playing elsewhere. Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty ImagesJuly 1, 12:01 a.m. ET: Lakers on the line!
Set up in the presidential suite at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, Iguodala kicked off his free-agent meetings with a conference call with the Los Angeles Lakers, multiple sources said. Iguodala took this call alone before his camp was scheduled to arrive.
The Lakers knew the odds of landing Iguodala were long, but they were able to secure his time due to his close relationships with the men on the other end of the line: team president Magic Johnson, Pelinka and coach Luke Walton (a former Warriors assistant and one of Iguodalaâs best friends dating back to their days as teammates at the University of Arizona).
Los Angeles had significant cap space and a desperate need for veteran leadership to help guide its young core, including Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. The call lasted about 20 minutes, sources said, but the Lakers were optimistic and offered a one-year deal in the $20 million-plus range.
Iguodala was noncommittal. His night was just getting started. Members of his group were arriving and the Spurs were waiting downstairs in the lobby.
July 1, 12:30 a.m. ET: Getting serious with Spurs
If there was one team capable of luring Iguodala away from his cozy California confines, opposing teams believed it was the Spurs, who could offer Iguodala a first-class organization and the chance to keep competing for championships â two things that were important to the 33-year-old swingman.
The Spurs sent general manager R.C. Buford, assistant GM Brian Wright and director of pro player personnel Andy Birdsong to meet with Iguodala. (Gregg Popovich was unable to attend, sources said.) There was obvious mutual respect and interest, and Buford was straightforward in his desire to sign the versatile forward, stressing how Iguodala and Kawhi Leonard would create havoc together on defense, multiple sources said.
Iguodala didnât have many questions during the meeting, which lasted an hour. Players around the league are already well-versed in Spurs culture. Iguodala saw it firsthand when the Warriors won Game 4 of the 2017 Western Conference finals at the AT&T Center and Buford camped near the tunnel that led to the Warriorsâ locker room to congratulate and shake hands with the players and coaching staff. That left a lasting impression on the Warriorsâ glue guy.
The Spurs offered Iguodala a four-year guaranteed deal, sources said. The drawback was they couldnât offer him the roughly $16 million per year he was looking for. They had only the $8.4 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception available. Still, Iguodala didnât rule them out. The Spursâ mystique was strong.
Also, to compensate for a below-market salary, sources said the Spurs turned his attention to a thriving tech hub in Austin, 80 miles from San Antonio. They even provided him information on how research is being conducted to construct a speed rail that would make it possible to travel to Austin from San Antonio in less than 15 minutes. An individual who was present in the meeting said this appealed to Iguodala, as he still sought to be heavily involved in the tech world if he left Golden State.
But the Kings also knew about Iguodalaâs outside interests, and they were ready to make a pitch of their own.
Kings GM Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive tried their hand at wooing Iggy to Sacramento. Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty ImagesJuly 1, 2 a.m. ET: Kings come strong after Iggy
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has held Iguodala in high regard for quite some time. When he bought the team in 2013, he tried to sign Iguodala as a free agent. The two share similar interests, particularly in the tech world. So it should come as no surprise that Ranadive, who was accompanied by GM Vlade Divac and Scott Perry, the teamâs former executive vice president and currently the GM of the New York Knicks, was ultra-aggressive in promoting his franchise as the hot, new startup company, multiple sources said. It was a clear, purposeful analogy â in which he referred to the Warriors as Google â to tug at Iguodalaâs admiration for the tech sector.
They gifted Iguodala with a personalized iPad with his name engraved on a Louis Vuitton case. The deviceâs home screen featured him in a Kings uniform along with virtual tours of the plush Golden 1 Center and practice facility (with former Kings guard Doug Christie serving as the digital tour guide). Sources said Ranadive also pointed out that itâs only a 20-minute helicopter ride to Sacramento from Iguodalaâs Bay Area home, which resonated with Iguodala and his camp.
Divac and Perry focused on Iguodalaâs role on the basketball court, assuring him that he would be allowed to play up to his full capabilities as he did when he was with the Sixers. They believed he had more left in the tank and, at the same time, could teach their young prospects â rookies DeâAaron Fox, Justin Jackson, Harry Giles and sophomore guard Buddy Hield â what it took to be winners in the NBA.
Finally, they asked how much it would take to bring him to Sacramento. The Kings were equipped with cap space to the tune of approximately $43 million and, within reason, determined to put an immediate end to his free agency by making him the highest offer on the market. If he threw out a number and they matched it, the Kings wanted an agreement on the spot out of fear of it being shopped.
Iguodala was reportedly quiet, but impressed by their aggressive approach. He left the two-plus-hour meeting believing it probably wouldnât get much better than Sacramentoâs offer to get him the money he was looking for.
Ranadive, meanwhile, was lodging at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel across the street and wasnât checking out until he received word from Iguodalaâs camp, which needed some rest. It was going on 1:30 a.m. on the West Coast and they would be meeting with the Rockets in the morning.
The Rocketsâ meeting with Iguodala included a surprise call from James Harden and visit from CP3. Troy Taormina/USA TODAY SportsJuly 1, 11 a.m. ET: Harden, CP3 crash Rockets party
The Rockets arrived at the hotel an hour early for their noon ET meeting, prompting Rosenthal to call general manager Daryl Morey to make sure there wasnât a miscommunication. There wasnât. They were just ready to go.
When it was time to meet, Morey, who was joined by then-owner Les Alexander, assistant GM Gersson Rosas, coach Mike DâAntoni and chief executive officer Tad Brown, focused on how, with the addition of Iguodala, they could beat the Warriors in a seven-game series. He also detailed how the Rockets are well-positioned for the future and how Iguodala would save money (Texas residents donât pay state income taxes) and the relatively cheap cost of living in Houston. (California has the highest state income tax rate in the nation.)
DâAntoni discussed the NBAâs new brand of basketball and his vision to push the pace on offense. He also emphasized improving defensively, highlighting a fearsome foursome of Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza and Iguodala as a switch-everything recipe to cover the leagueâs most potent offenses.
Iguodala was impressed and soaked it all in, sources said, but what really grabbed his attention was what happened next. Moreyâs phone began to ring and, surprisingly, he answered. It was James Harden, who was unaware the meeting was happening at that time and called about an unrelated matter.
Harden apologized to Morey for interrupting.
âThatâs OK,â Morey said. âIâll always answer for you.â
Harden then asked Morey to hand Iguodala the phone. The Beard didnât attempt a recruiting pitch, but expressed his regret for intervening and wished him good luck with the process before hanging up.
The two sides carried on with the meeting until newly acquired Rockets point guard Chris Paul stormed into the suite and took over the presentation, multiple sources said. Iguodala, Rosenthal and Cline-Thomas were stunned.
Paul, who had been a Rocket for just four days, raved about the closeness of the team and the transparency within the organization for about 20 minutes. He revealed that the franchiseâs openness was something he has never experienced in the NBA. Iguodala was captivated.
The Rockets didnât have cap space, so all that was available was their midlevel exception. They offered him a four-year deal worth $32 million. But Morey, a mastermind at maneuvering through the cap, began jotting down â right there on the conference table â lucrative sign-and-trade scenarios like a mad scientist, sources said. It was understood that this would be the lone route at persuading Iguodala to join the team.
The meeting lasted almost two hours and was termed as âthe best recruiting presentation of all time,â according to a source within Iguodalaâs camp.
Afterward, sources said Iguodala canceled all subsequent meetings with the Sixers, LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz, and began investigating sign-and-trade possibilities.
The Rockets left without a commitment, but there was strong sentiment that he was Houston-bound.
With Iggy on the verge of leaving, Bob Myers and Steve Kerr paid him one last visit. Rocky Widner/NBA/Getty ImagesJuly 1, 7 p.m. ET: Welcome back, Warriors
When Bob Myers and Steve Kerr entered Iguodalaâs presidential suite, the conference table in the room was overflowing with Houston Rockets-themed items â virtual reality 3D glasses, an iPad, promotional magazines and presentation packets â left over from the free-agent meeting that morning. Kerr, in true whimsical fashion, put on the glasses.
The Warriors were granted a last-minute assembly out of respect. Iguodala had reopened the lines of communication with the Warriors and told Myers that if he still wanted to talk to âget down here.â
The Warriors had been in the dark for a day and a half and contacted representatives of free-agent small forwards Rudy Gay and Gerald Henderson as a contingency plan. But Myers immediately hopped on a plane from the Bay Area and Kerr was already in Los Angeles, having recently visited with free agent Nick Young. They didnât know it, but Iguodalaâs objective in sitting down with them was to personally say goodbye, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.
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Iguodala and Myers are close. Their conversations center around family, business and world matters. Kerr is one of the few coaches who gets Iguodala and all of his quirks. It wasnât going to be easy for Iguodala to deliver the news during this sit-down.
Myers and Kerr came prepared to offer him a fully guaranteed three-year deal worth $45 million and reiterated that their latest offer still wasnât indicative of what they believed to be his true worth. Their hands were just tied.
There was little hope for a resolution at this point. Iguodala wasnât budging from his request to make at least $16 million per year. If the Warriors didnât improve their offer, he was signing with the Rockets, sources said.
After an hour, both sides departed and a breakup appeared likely. Iguodalaâs camp proceeded to discuss their options. The Warriorsâ top reserve was inching closer to becoming a top reserve for the Rockets. But before Rosenthal was to call Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Antonio and Golden State to notify them of his clientâs decision, sources said Iguodala elected to make his final, most defining move yet: calling Golden State one more time.
On his way back to the airport, Myers received a call from Rosenthal, who wanted to see if there was a way to bridge that gap, but reaffirmed that Iguodalaâs asking price was concrete. Myers said he would contact Lacob, but couldnât make any promises.
Twenty minutes later, Myers called back.
âI got it,â he said.
On July 27, Iguodala took center stage in front of a large crowd once more. The Warriors star and Cline-Thomas were keynote speakers at The Morgan Stanley NextGen Software Summit in Deer Valley, Utah. More than 100 Silicon Valley CEOs were in attendance as the duo responded to questions about their recent contract negotiations.
âWhen players understand they can gather their own information, and the importance of empathy in negotiations, weâll be doing our own deals,â Iguodala said during the session.
Iguodala never wanted to leave Golden State. His heart and greatest career achievements â on and off the hardwood â are tied to the Bay Area. Itâs where his family is rooted and where he and his teammates have a chance to be mentioned among the ranks of the Lakers and Celtics as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Still, Iguodalaâs intention was always to take care of business first and foremost. And he did just that.
Aided by Rosenthal and Cline-Thomas, Iguodala never wavered from what he felt was appropriate compensation. The Warriors knew he had other offers and sensed he could very well bolt. And in the end, Myers, the two-time NBA Executive of the Year, got ownership to meet Iguodalaâs demands with a fully guaranteed three-year, $48 million contract, keeping the Warriorsâ championship core together.
âIâve said it before,â Kerr told ESPN, âAndre should become an agent when he retires. He was prepared.â
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Andre Iguodala was on verge of leaving Golden State Warriors
As yellow confetti poured down from Oracle Arenaâs rafters, Andre Iguodala leapt onto the scorerâs table in front of 20,000 fans and stood with his arms upward, soaking in the electric atmosphere.
âOh sâ, oh sâ,â he shouted.
âOh sâââ-.â
It was a moment of exhilaration for the Warriorsâ unsung hero, who had just dominated on both ends of the floor in Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals, scoring 20 points in 38 minutes off the bench and helping the Golden State Warriors clinch their second championship in the past three seasons.
It was a celebration of all the hard work and intangibles he brings to the court night after night.
It was also a picture of how Iguodala envisioned his upcoming free agency would go. He was ready for the franchise heâd sacrificed so much for during the past four seasons to shower him with the same kind of love and appreciation he felt he deserved.
Many people around the league expected Iguodalaâs negotiations to be drama-free. The belief was the Warriors would quickly re-sign their core free agents â Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Iguodala.
But when July 1 arrived, Iguodala was no longer a sure thing to return to Golden State. He was dissatisfied with the Warriorsâ offer, and other teams were coming on strong. Suddenly, Iguodala was on the verge of leaving the defending champs for a Western Conference rival.
Draymond Green was ready to step in and be Andre Iguodalaâs agent. Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green, for one, didnât foresee any problems for Iguodala in free agency. After a home win on March 26 in which Iguodala was instrumental, Green, who sits next to Iguodala in the Warriorsâ locker room, rose from his seat and just stared in admiration at his teammate.
âWhat?â Iguodala asked.
âCan I please be your agent?â Green said.
The two broke out in laughter. Iguodalaâs payday was coming, and the soon-to-be free agent was in full control of the process.
Back in February, Rob Pelinka, who had been Iguodalaâs agent throughout his 13-year NBA career, left Landmark Sports to become the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers. The timing couldnât have been worse for Iguodala, who was months away from a pivotal summer.
Amid overtures from other high-profile agents, Iguodala ultimately decided to remain with Landmark and co-founder Brandon Rosenthal, who had worked closely with Pelinka. But the super sixth man would take this opportunity to seize the lead role in determining his future.
As vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, Iguodala often relays to other players the importance of empowering athletes, maximizing their worth and discovering business interests outside of basketball. So this was an important moment for him. He was going to run the show in free agency and accept responsibility for the end results.
Iguodala set his plan into motion. Adviser Rudy Cline-Thomas was enlisted to develop the overall strategy, including identifying teams with the finances to sign Iguodala if things were to go south with the Warriors, Rosenthal was tasked with communicating with teams, and personal trainer Tyrell Jamerson would gather info on where other free agents wanted to go. Sources said rival team executives received word that if the Warriors left the door open, Iguodala wouldnât hesitate to venture elsewhere. That stance would be tested.
At the onset of free agency, the Warriorsâ preliminary three-year, $36 million offer, with a partial guarantee in the final year, was viewed by Iguodala and his camp as a disappointing overture, sources said. Rival teams believed he wanted a fully guaranteed, three-year deal closer to $50 million.
From Iguodalaâs point of view, he had already taken less than market value when he signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Warriors in 2013. He also accepted a lesser role in 2014 when Steve Kerr became coach and asked the former All-Star to relinquish his starting spot for the sixth-man job. Sacrificing monetarily for the team was no longer an option for Iguodala, who was ready to play hardball if necessary.
League sources insist Iguodala was starting to prepare himself for the possibility of leaving the Bay Area. His realtor was on standby just in case and his camp was now charged with convincing teams he wasnât scouring for leverage, but rather genuinely seeking a new home. Certain teams were intrigued with the possibility of adding not only a top talent, but also nabbing a key cog from the Warriors and weakening a budding dynasty.
Face-to-face meetings were scheduled with the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. Iguodala, however, wanted to give the Warriors one last opportunity to increase their offer, multiple sources said.
Warriors GM Bob Myers knew how badly the Warriors needed Iguodala, but it was owner Joe Lacob who would have the final say. Myers came back with a new proposition on the eve of free agency: three years, $42 million with a partial guarantee on the third year.
Iguodala was still not pleased and had Rosenthal inform the Warriors he was going in a different direction. From there, communication with the Warriors ceased and Iguodala abandoned plans of meeting with them down the road, league sources said.
The 2015 Finals MVP was officially on the market.
After receiving the Warriorsâ initial offer, Iguodala became more open to the idea of playing elsewhere. Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty ImagesJuly 1, 12:01 a.m. ET: Lakers on the line!
Set up in the presidential suite at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, Iguodala kicked off his free-agent meetings with a conference call with the Los Angeles Lakers, multiple sources said. Iguodala took this call alone before his camp was scheduled to arrive.
The Lakers knew the odds of landing Iguodala were long, but they were able to secure his time due to his close relationships with the men on the other end of the line: team president Magic Johnson, Pelinka and coach Luke Walton (a former Warriors assistant and one of Iguodalaâs best friends dating back to their days as teammates at the University of Arizona).
Los Angeles had significant cap space and a desperate need for veteran leadership to help guide its young core, including Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. The call lasted about 20 minutes, sources said, but the Lakers were optimistic and offered a one-year deal in the $20 million-plus range.
Iguodala was noncommittal. His night was just getting started. Members of his group were arriving and the Spurs were waiting downstairs in the lobby.
July 1, 12:30 a.m. ET: Getting serious with Spurs
If there was one team capable of luring Iguodala away from his cozy California confines, opposing teams believed it was the Spurs, who could offer Iguodala a first-class organization and the chance to keep competing for championships â two things that were important to the 33-year-old swingman.
The Spurs sent general manager R.C. Buford, assistant GM Brian Wright and director of pro player personnel Andy Birdsong to meet with Iguodala. (Gregg Popovich was unable to attend, sources said.) There was obvious mutual respect and interest, and Buford was straightforward in his desire to sign the versatile forward, stressing how Iguodala and Kawhi Leonard would create havoc together on defense, multiple sources said.
Iguodala didnât have many questions during the meeting, which lasted an hour. Players around the league are already well-versed in Spurs culture. Iguodala saw it firsthand when the Warriors won Game 4 of the 2017 Western Conference finals at the AT&T Center and Buford camped near the tunnel that led to the Warriorsâ locker room to congratulate and shake hands with the players and coaching staff. That left a lasting impression on the Warriorsâ glue guy.
The Spurs offered Iguodala a four-year guaranteed deal, sources said. The drawback was they couldnât offer him the roughly $16 million per year he was looking for. They had only the $8.4 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception available. Still, Iguodala didnât rule them out. The Spursâ mystique was strong.
Also, to compensate for a below-market salary, sources said the Spurs turned his attention to a thriving tech hub in Austin, 80 miles from San Antonio. They even provided him information on how research is being conducted to construct a speed rail that would make it possible to travel to Austin from San Antonio in less than 15 minutes. An individual who was present in the meeting said this appealed to Iguodala, as he still sought to be heavily involved in the tech world if he left Golden State.
But the Kings also knew about Iguodalaâs outside interests, and they were ready to make a pitch of their own.
Kings GM Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive tried their hand at wooing Iggy to Sacramento. Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty ImagesJuly 1, 2 a.m. ET: Kings come strong after Iggy
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has held Iguodala in high regard for quite some time. When he bought the team in 2013, he tried to sign Iguodala as a free agent. The two share similar interests, particularly in the tech world. So it should come as no surprise that Ranadive, who was accompanied by GM Vlade Divac and Scott Perry, the teamâs former executive vice president and currently the GM of the New York Knicks, was ultra-aggressive in promoting his franchise as the hot, new startup company, multiple sources said. It was a clear, purposeful analogy â in which he referred to the Warriors as Google â to tug at Iguodalaâs admiration for the tech sector.
They gifted Iguodala with a personalized iPad with his name engraved on a Louis Vuitton case. The deviceâs home screen featured him in a Kings uniform along with virtual tours of the plush Golden 1 Center and practice facility (with former Kings guard Doug Christie serving as the digital tour guide). Sources said Ranadive also pointed out that itâs only a 20-minute helicopter ride to Sacramento from Iguodalaâs Bay Area home, which resonated with Iguodala and his camp.
Divac and Perry focused on Iguodalaâs role on the basketball court, assuring him that he would be allowed to play up to his full capabilities as he did when he was with the Sixers. They believed he had more left in the tank and, at the same time, could teach their young prospects â rookies DeâAaron Fox, Justin Jackson, Harry Giles and sophomore guard Buddy Hield â what it took to be winners in the NBA.
Finally, they asked how much it would take to bring him to Sacramento. The Kings were equipped with cap space to the tune of approximately $43 million and, within reason, determined to put an immediate end to his free agency by making him the highest offer on the market. If he threw out a number and they matched it, the Kings wanted an agreement on the spot out of fear of it being shopped.
Iguodala was reportedly quiet, but impressed by their aggressive approach. He left the two-plus-hour meeting believing it probably wouldnât get much better than Sacramentoâs offer to get him the money he was looking for.
Ranadive, meanwhile, was lodging at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel across the street and wasnât checking out until he received word from Iguodalaâs camp, which needed some rest. It was going on 1:30 a.m. on the West Coast and they would be meeting with the Rockets in the morning.
The Rocketsâ meeting with Iguodala included a surprise call from James Harden and visit from CP3. Troy Taormina/USA TODAY SportsJuly 1, 11 a.m. ET: Harden, CP3 crash Rockets party
The Rockets arrived at the hotel an hour early for their noon ET meeting, prompting Rosenthal to call general manager Daryl Morey to make sure there wasnât a miscommunication. There wasnât. They were just ready to go.
When it was time to meet, Morey, who was joined by then-owner Les Alexander, assistant GM Gersson Rosas, coach Mike DâAntoni and chief executive officer Tad Brown, focused on how, with the addition of Iguodala, they could beat the Warriors in a seven-game series. He also detailed how the Rockets are well-positioned for the future and how Iguodala would save money (Texas residents donât pay state income taxes) and the relatively cheap cost of living in Houston. (California has the highest state income tax rate in the nation.)
DâAntoni discussed the NBAâs new brand of basketball and his vision to push the pace on offense. He also emphasized improving defensively, highlighting a fearsome foursome of Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza and Iguodala as a switch-everything recipe to cover the leagueâs most potent offenses.
Iguodala was impressed and soaked it all in, sources said, but what really grabbed his attention was what happened next. Moreyâs phone began to ring and, surprisingly, he answered. It was James Harden, who was unaware the meeting was happening at that time and called about an unrelated matter.
Harden apologized to Morey for interrupting.
âThatâs OK,â Morey said. âIâll always answer for you.â
Harden then asked Morey to hand Iguodala the phone. The Beard didnât attempt a recruiting pitch, but expressed his regret for intervening and wished him good luck with the process before hanging up.
The two sides carried on with the meeting until newly acquired Rockets point guard Chris Paul stormed into the suite and took over the presentation, multiple sources said. Iguodala, Rosenthal and Cline-Thomas were stunned.
Paul, who had been a Rocket for just four days, raved about the closeness of the team and the transparency within the organization for about 20 minutes. He revealed that the franchiseâs openness was something he has never experienced in the NBA. Iguodala was captivated.
The Rockets didnât have cap space, so all that was available was their midlevel exception. They offered him a four-year deal worth $32 million. But Morey, a mastermind at maneuvering through the cap, began jotting down â right there on the conference table â lucrative sign-and-trade scenarios like a mad scientist, sources said. It was understood that this would be the lone route at persuading Iguodala to join the team.
The meeting lasted almost two hours and was termed as âthe best recruiting presentation of all time,â according to a source within Iguodalaâs camp.
Afterward, sources said Iguodala canceled all subsequent meetings with the Sixers, LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz, and began investigating sign-and-trade possibilities.
The Rockets left without a commitment, but there was strong sentiment that he was Houston-bound.
With Iggy on the verge of leaving, Bob Myers and Steve Kerr paid him one last visit. Rocky Widner/NBA/Getty ImagesJuly 1, 7 p.m. ET: Welcome back, Warriors
When Bob Myers and Steve Kerr entered Iguodalaâs presidential suite, the conference table in the room was overflowing with Houston Rockets-themed items â virtual reality 3D glasses, an iPad, promotional magazines and presentation packets â left over from the free-agent meeting that morning. Kerr, in true whimsical fashion, put on the glasses.
The Warriors were granted a last-minute assembly out of respect. Iguodala had reopened the lines of communication with the Warriors and told Myers that if he still wanted to talk to âget down here.â
The Warriors had been in the dark for a day and a half and contacted representatives of free-agent small forwards Rudy Gay and Gerald Henderson as a contingency plan. But Myers immediately hopped on a plane from the Bay Area and Kerr was already in Los Angeles, having recently visited with free agent Nick Young. They didnât know it, but Iguodalaâs objective in sitting down with them was to personally say goodbye, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.
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Iguodala and Myers are close. Their conversations center around family, business and world matters. Kerr is one of the few coaches who gets Iguodala and all of his quirks. It wasnât going to be easy for Iguodala to deliver the news during this sit-down.
Myers and Kerr came prepared to offer him a fully guaranteed three-year deal worth $45 million and reiterated that their latest offer still wasnât indicative of what they believed to be his true worth. Their hands were just tied.
There was little hope for a resolution at this point. Iguodala wasnât budging from his request to make at least $16 million per year. If the Warriors didnât improve their offer, he was signing with the Rockets, sources said.
After an hour, both sides departed and a breakup appeared likely. Iguodalaâs camp proceeded to discuss their options. The Warriorsâ top reserve was inching closer to becoming a top reserve for the Rockets. But before Rosenthal was to call Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Antonio and Golden State to notify them of his clientâs decision, sources said Iguodala elected to make his final, most defining move yet: calling Golden State one more time.
On his way back to the airport, Myers received a call from Rosenthal, who wanted to see if there was a way to bridge that gap, but reaffirmed that Iguodalaâs asking price was concrete. Myers said he would contact Lacob, but couldnât make any promises.
Twenty minutes later, Myers called back.
âI got it,â he said.
On July 27, Iguodala took center stage in front of a large crowd once more. The Warriors star and Cline-Thomas were keynote speakers at The Morgan Stanley NextGen Software Summit in Deer Valley, Utah. More than 100 Silicon Valley CEOs were in attendance as the duo responded to questions about their recent contract negotiations.
âWhen players understand they can gather their own information, and the importance of empathy in negotiations, weâll be doing our own deals,â Iguodala said during the session.
Iguodala never wanted to leave Golden State. His heart and greatest career achievements â on and off the hardwood â are tied to the Bay Area. Itâs where his family is rooted and where he and his teammates have a chance to be mentioned among the ranks of the Lakers and Celtics as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Still, Iguodalaâs intention was always to take care of business first and foremost. And he did just that.
Aided by Rosenthal and Cline-Thomas, Iguodala never wavered from what he felt was appropriate compensation. The Warriors knew he had other offers and sensed he could very well bolt. And in the end, Myers, the two-time NBA Executive of the Year, got ownership to meet Iguodalaâs demands with a fully guaranteed three-year, $48 million contract, keeping the Warriorsâ championship core together.
âIâve said it before,â Kerr told ESPN, âAndre should become an agent when he retires. He was prepared.â
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NBA mock draft 2017: The Knicks get lucky and land the No. 1 pick
Markelle Fultz goes to the Knicks in our latest mock draft.
Phil Jackson wants a fresh start for the Knicks. If the ping-pong balls in the NBA draft lottery bounce like they did for this mock draft, heâll get his wish.
Weâre using ESPNâs lottery machine to randomize the draft order for every mock leading up the lottery on May 16. Last week, the Lakers landed the No. 1 spot. This time, the Knicks cash in a 5.4 percent chance at the top pick.
This exercise shows just how much a little lottery luck can change the future of a franchise. The Lakers fell to No. 6 on the lottery machine this time, which means their pick conveyed to the Philadelphia 76ers. In this mock, the Sixers now have two top-six selections, while the Lakers lose this yearâs pick plus another first rounder in 2019.
For more on the 2017 NBA Draft, check out our running list of whoâs in, whoâs out and whoâs still on the fence. We miss you, Miles Bridges and Robert Williams. Letâs mock!
1. New York Knicks - Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
Landing in New York would be a major change of pace for Fultz. Heâs been flying under the radar about as much as a future No. 1 overall pick can over the last few years.
Fultz was a late riser as a recruit who couldnât even make varsity as a sophomore at D.C. powerhouse DeMatha Catholic. Once he ascended to five-star status as a junior, he picked the Washington Huskies over all of the blue bloods. Washington finished 9-22, missed the NCAA tournament and played most of their games while the rest of the country was asleep.
Itâs a safe bet that Fultz will be able to make the adjustment. Heâs the total package as a point guard and should be a future superstar. Pairing him with Kristaps Porzingis would be trouble for the rest of the league. The Knicks deserve to catch a break once every three decades.
2. Orlando Magic - Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
The Magic have been joyless and terrible since trading Dwight Howard in 2012. Can one player really change that? If anyone is up to it, itâs Lonzo Ball.
Throw Evan Fournier and Mario Hezonja on the wings, Aaron Gordon at the four and Bismack Biyombo at the five, and suddenly Orlando looks like a team that could push the tempo and put shooting around the perimeter. Thatâs how Ball played at UCLA. It worked wonders for the Bruins.
3. Philadelphia 76ers - Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
The Sixers have needed a two-way wing for years. Jackson is the best one in the draft. He does his best work defensively, but he should also thrive getting out in transition next to Ben Simmons. Basketball-wise, the big question will be his jump shot. It doesnât look pretty, but Jackson hit a hot streak at the end of the year that boosted his three-point percentage up to a respectable 37.8.
NBA teams will have to investigate a troubling episode where he allegedly attacked a teammateâs ex-girlfriendâs car.
4. Boston Celtics - Jonathan Isaac, SF, Florida State
Falling to No. 4 would be the worst case scenario for Boston. If it happens, swinging for the fences with Isaac would be an interesting move.
The 6â10 wing from Florida State looks like the highest upside player on the board. He projects as a great, versatile defender with a burgeoning offensive skill set. If his jumper is for real, the Celtics will have a perfect power forward for the modern NBA.
5. Phoenix Suns - Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke
The popular sentiment is that Ball is the most polarizing talent in the draft, but Tatum is a close second. He was considered a top-2 recruit from the moment his class started being evaluated, but he showed some holes in his skill set even during a productive freshman year at Duke. Namely: who does he defend and how deep is his shooting range?
Still: thereâs never been a better time to be a versatile 6â8 wing in the league. Itâs easy to think Tatum has a high floor even if his ceiling isnât as high as others in this range.
6. Philadelphia 76ers - Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
The Sixers need shooters around Ben Simmons and Monk is possibly the best shooter in the class. If Philly ends up with two picks in this range, heâs an easy selection alongside a player with a more complete skill set like Jackson.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves - Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
The Wolves would be in a tough spot if the board broke this way. They donât need a point guard with Kris Dunn and Ricky Rubio on the roster, so DeâAaron Fox and Dennis Smith Jr. donât fit. Miles Bridges might have worked here as an explosive wing, but he opted to go back to school. Same goes for Texas A&M power forward Robert Williams.
Markkanen comes with major question marks about his defense, but heâs an incredible shooter at 7-feet tall. He and Karl-Anthony Towns would form a unique front line in Minnesota.
8. Sacramento Kings - DeâAaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Fox turned in the signature performance of the season when he dropped 39 points on Lonzo Ball in Kentuckyâs Sweet 16 victory over UCLA. His game is defined by speed: from the moment he enters the NBA, Fox will be one of the fastest players in the league. Heâs aggressive on both ends of the floor and a thrill to watch when heâs cooking. The only question is his jump shot.
9. Dallas Mavericks - Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Smith is talented enough to go in the top five. If he falls to No. 9, the Mavs will have a steal.
The NC State freshman is an ultra athletic lead guard who has drawn comparisons to Eric Bledsoe. Please watch him drop 32 points in a win over Duke in January.
10. Sacramento Kings - OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana
The Kings have already invested a lot of first round picks in the front court with Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis. Buddy Hield â big like Klay and shoots like Steph! â will be entrenched at off-guard. After taking a point guard in Fox with their first pick, the Kings need a wing.
Picking Anunoby requires a leap of faith. He tore his ACL in January, and didnât have the breakout offensive season many expected before that. Still, he projects as the best and most versatile defender in this class if heâs healthy. His defensive upside and athleticism is worth the risk.
11. Charlotte Hornets - Frank Ntilikina, PG, France
We had Miles Bridges pegged at this pick last week. So much for that. Ntilikina â still only 18 years old â works for Charlotte too because he has the length to defend either backcourt spot and shoot from three.
12. Detroit Pistons - Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Two years ago, Collins was the third string center at Las Vegasâ Bishop Gorman High School behind Chase Jeter and Stephen Zimmerman. Now heâs a certified lottery pick after breaking out in the Final Four for Gonzaga. Stan Van Gundy loves a versatile big man and Collins fits that profile.
13. Denver Nuggets - Justin Jackson, SF, North Carolina
It seems like thereâs a fringe first rounder who decides to go back to school and turns himself into a lottery pick every year. Last season, it was Buddy Hield. This year, itâs Justin Jackson. Both players led their teams to the Final Four, but Jacksonâs North Carolina Tar Heels finished the job by winning the national title.
Jackson was always a three-point shot away from turning into a first rounder. He found it as a junior and it changed everything for his NBA hopes.
14. Miami Heat - Jarrett Allen, C, Texas
Allen has quick feet and long arms. He might not be an instant impact rookie, but the Heat are in a position to draft a player with the best long-term potential. Allen fits the billing.
15. Chicago Bulls - Donovan Mitchell, SG, Louisville
Mitchell has the most interesting stay-or-go decision in the draft. If he goes back to Louisville for his junior season, the Cards will be a top-five team in the preseason polls and a trendy pick to make the Final Four. This spot would be on the optimistic side of his draft projection, but the Bulls could use an athlete and defender of his caliber.
16. Portland Trail Blazers - Isaiah Hartenstein, PF, Germany
The Blazers got a chance to see what Hartenstein looked like on the Moda Center floor at the Nike Hoop Summit, where he scored 10 points for the World team. Heâs a big body and fluid athlete with a nice face-up game.
17. Indiana Pacers - T.J. Leaf, PF, UCLA
The Pacers have been looking for a shooter at the four for two years now. Pairing Leaf with a young center in Myles Turner would give the Pacers great front court spacing for years to come.
18. Milwaukee Bucks - D.J. Wilson, PF/C, Michigan
Wilson is projected at No. 34 on DraftExpress right now, but Iâm sticking with my wildest first round prediction. Hereâs what I wrote last week:
No one has Wilson rated this highly, but that didnât stop the Bucks from drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thon Maker. At 6â10, 240 pounds, Wilson hit 41 threes (at 37.5 percent) and blocked 51 shots for Michigan as a junior. If Milwaukee is looking for an insurance policy for Jabari Parker, Wilson might be worth a shot.
19. Portland Trail Blazers - Terrance Ferguson, SG, Adelaide (NBL)
Ferguson hit six threes at the Moda Center last year in the Nike Hoop Summit. Portland could use a bigger wing and more shooting. Ferguson would be a steal if he falls this far.
20. Atlanta Hawks - Justin Patton, C, Creighton
The Hawks are in prime position to groom a young center behind Dwight Howard. Patton projects as a two-way big man with good speed and a soft touch around the rim. He exploded on the college scene this season after being hit with a redshirt last year as a true freshman at Creighton.
21. Oklahoma City Thunder - Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Kennard is a ruthless scorer who ascended from a role player to No. 1 option as a sophomore at Duke this year. Heâd add some much added shooting to OKCâs perimeter.
22. Brooklyn Nets - Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Giles is the hardest player to project in this class. The former No. 1 overall recruit has an unfortunate history of knee injuries and it slowed him down this year at Duke. Drafting him is essentially a medical decision at this point.
23. Utah Jazz - Rodions Kurucs, SG, Barcelona II
Kurucs is a draft-and-stash option at a premium position who combines size (6â8) and shooting. He could go higher than this.
24. Toronto Raptors - Ivan Rabb, PF, Cal
Rabb hurt his draft stock by deciding to go back to Cal for his sophomore season. He still projects as a quality role player in the front court with a soft touch around the basket.
25. Orlando Magic - Tyler Lydon, PF, Syracuse
The Magic have needed shooting in the front court for years. Lydon didnât get a ton of attention as a sophomore for a Syracuse team that missed the NCAA tournament, but he has first round talent.
26. Portland Trail Blazers - Devin Robinson, SF, Florida
Robinson is an elite athlete with a high defensive ceiling. His NBA success will likely come down to his jump shot. He made major strides as a junior at Florida this past season, hitting 39.1 percent of his shots from deep.
27. Nets - Jawun Evans, PG, Oklahoma State
Evans led the countryâs most efficient offense as a sophomore at Oklahoma State. Heâs short (6-foot) but can shoot, pass and dribble while providing pesky perimeter defense.
28. Lakers - John Collins, PF, Wake Forest
Collins put up 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds this season on 62.2 percent shooting from the floor as a sophomore at Wake Forest. The man can score the ball. His defense is a question mark. He could go 10 spots higher than this.
29. Spurs - Jonathan Jeanne, C, France
Jeanne is a long big man who projects as a rim protector. When in doubt, give the Spurs an international player.
30. Jazz - Wesley Iwundu, SF, Kansas State
A big wing defender with a good feel for the game, Iwunduâs NBA chances depend on his jump shot.
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