News of the day

One factor for the return of the NBA at the end of this month to consider: It could be, as The Athletic’s Ethan Strauss put it, “Tamperpalooza.”

That’s because, of all the spots within the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, home of both the courts and the lodgings for the restarted 2019-20 season, the Gran Destino Tower could be where the bulk of the action is. The Bucks and star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be housed there for the duration of their run into the league’s playoffs next month and, most likely, beyond.

Also shacking up in the Tower with the Greek Freak and friends will be the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, there is backstory there: The Lakers spearheaded by LeBron James, intend to make Antetokoumpo their top free-agent prize in less than a year.

Antetokounmpo will be the most coveted free agent on the market in the summer of 2021, and he is a rare commodity: only 26 years old, already with four All-Star team selections under his belt and (so far) one MVP trophy. He was averaging 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists when the season was put on hold in March as the novel coronavirus spread.

The Bucks, obviously, are desperate to keep Antetokoumpo in the team’s fold and he has indicated in the past that he’d like to stay in Milwaukee on a long-term contract extension.

But if the Bucks, who have not reached the NBA Finals since 1974, flop out in the playoffs again this year, the chances that Antetokounmpo will be open to exploring other options in free agency grow exponentially.

And he’ll likely be the subject of many whispered sweet-nothings in the next few months weeks—many coming from folks with Lakers attachments.

Lakers Will Have Ample 2021 Cap Space for Giannis Antetkounmpo

The Lakers are among the teams best set up to make a run at Antetokounmpo in 2021. Assuming LeBron James opts out for the year, L.A. has no one on their books for that year, though they could wind up with some commitments, including their 2020 first-round pick, a possible extension for forward Kyle Kuzma, and/or a new contract for Anthony Davis in the coming months.

Even with those deals, the Lakers probably would have enough money to sign Antetokounmpo and bring back James as a free agent …read more

Source:: Heavy.com

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said her administration could have saved more lives and modeled “more responsible behavior” during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I know I would have done a better job,” Clinton told a Hollywood Reporter podcast on Friday.
Her comments come amid mounting case totals in the US. The nation reported its highest number of daily coronavirus cases on Friday: more than 56,000.
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Hillary Clinton isn’t relieved to be outside the Oval Office right now.

“I will tell you, it’s frustrating to be on the sidelines in a pandemic,” the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee told The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast on Friday.

She added that her administration would have been more successful at handling the coronavirus outbreak in the US.

“We wouldn’t have been able to stop the pandemic at our borders the way that Trump claimed in the beginning, but we sure could have done a better job saving lives, modeling better, more responsible behavior,” Clinton said. “I don’t think we necessarily should have had as deep an economic assault on livelihoods and jobs as we have. So I know I would have done a better job.”

The US’s initial response to the pandemic was hampered by testing delays, restrictive testing criteria, a lack of airport screenings, and a shortage of medical supplies. Advice from federal agencies has also been steadily plagued by inconsistencies. In January, President Trump insisted the outbreak was “totally under control.” The next month, he said the virus would “go away” by April.

But 18 of the 30 states that started reopening as of May 7 were still seeing daily new cases rise, according to data from the New York Times. Some public-health experts believe this allowed the outbreak to swell even further.

Over the last week, the US has recorded its highest numbers of coronavirus cases to date: around 47,000 daily cases, on average. Friday marked the peak of the outbreak so far, with more than 56,000 cases. New cases are now rising in the majority of states.

The nation’s death count has almost reached 130,000.

In recent weeks, public-health experts have amplified their call for a nationwide mask mandate to reduce coronavirus transmission. At least 21 states have instituted a statewide mask mandate so far, but the specifics differ state to state — and some cities and …read more

Source:: Business Insider

O-Town boy band members decided to return from a hiatus – without the direction of mogul Lou Pearlman – and landed a new, successful career that continues in 2020.

All but one of the members, Ashley Parker Angel, reconnected to form the group, OTWN.

Pearlman was convicted of fraud for swindling millions of dollars from thousands of investors, many of whom were retirees living in Florida, according to court documents filed in his case. Pearlman died in federal prison at the age of 62.

The story of the fraud aired in a two-hour special of 20/20 Friday, December 13, 2019 in its episode, “The Hitman: From Pop to Prison.” The episode is airing again tonight, Friday July 3, 2020, at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Here’s what you need to know:

O-Town Returned from a Lengthy Hiatus & Is Still Touring in 2020

Ahh the good ol days when we could actually walk into a tv studio and perform live. 🧔🏻🧑🏻‍🦱🧑🏽‍🦱🧔🏾 . We really can’t wait to get back to work! . . #tbt #strahansarakeke #gma #otwn #otown

A post shared by O-Town (@otownofficial) on Jun 25, 2020 at 6:21pm PDT

Four of the original five O-Town band members – Jacob Underwood, Erik-Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Dan Miller – rejoined in 2013 after many discussions about relaunching. They decided to make a comeback in 2013, sans Ashley Parker Angel. They kept in touch over the years and frequently talked about making a comeback until they formed OTWN seven years ago.

“It got to the point, at the 10 years mark, where everybody was going, ‘We need to do this … we talk about it every year,” Underwood told The Washington Post.

Many of the band members have families now, but Underwood told the newspaper they have found a balance between their home lives and their careers.

“I don’t see an end in sight,” Underwood told The Washington Post. “We’ve got to a point where we can all juggle life and family … when we started touring again, we never thought six years later we’d still be doing it.”

Jacob Underwood was married to Janie Underwood in 2002, but the couple later divorced. He went onto propose to Chandler Bay in 2018, and they …read more

Source:: Heavy.com

The five members of NSYNC have moved well beyond their boy band days tainted by mogul Lou Pearlman, many of them forming solo careers and landing prominent acting gigs. Each of the band members today has found love, and three of them are married.

Pearlman was convicted of fraud for swindling millions of dollars from thousands of investors, many of whom were retirees living in Florida, according to court documents filed in his case. Pearlman died in federal prison at the age of 62.

The story of the fraud aired in a two-hour special of 20/20 Friday, December 13, 2019 in its episode, “The Hitman: From Pop to Prison.” The episode is airing again tonight, Friday July 3, 2020, at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Here’s what you need to know:

Lance Bass Is Married & Is Trying to Start a Family With His Husband, Michael Turchin

I’m Blue – da ba dee da ba DYE, da ba dee da ba DYE Da ba dee da ba dye, da ba dee da ba dye Da ba dee da ba dye, da ba dee da ba dye Da ba dee da ba dye @thedailypopcast

A post shared by Lance Bass (@lancebass) on May 15, 2020 at 9:55am PDT

Lance Bass and his husband, Michael Turchin, are persevering at their dream to start a family after several failed attempts, the most recent of those announced in March, 2020. Bass told about his life today here.

Justin Timberlake Had a Successful Solo & Acting Career, & Married Jessica Biel in 2012

We made a song 🤘🤘🤘 DON’T SLACK for #TrollsWorldTour is out right now… link up top 🔥 @anderson._paak @trolls

A post shared by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake) on Mar 10, 2020 at 9:00am PDT

Justin Timberlake became one of the most recognizable faces of NSYNC when he launched his solo career in 2002. His first solo album, Justified, featured hits “Rock Your Body” and “Cry Me a River.” It sold 7 million copies worldwide, according to Biography. He launched his acting career in 2006, but finally made his name on the big screen in 2010 with “The …read more

Source:: Heavy.com