Y.A.K.T.I.N.S.F.W = Y’all already know this is “not safe for work.”

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“I’ve been practicing social distancing since I was 4 years old.”

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“The most important part of a wedding day is marrying your person,” said bride Jen O’Leary. “We were still able to do that.”

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Welcome to this week’s Wednesday Night Wars open discussion thread. This week we’ve got an AEW Dynamite featuring Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin and Lance Archer fridging Dustin Rhodes in semi-finals matches in the TNT Championship Tournament going up against an episode of NXT featuring Charlotte Flair vs. Mia Yim, and a North American Championship match in the hoss division.

On tonight’s cards:

AEW Dynamite

• TNT Championship Tournament Match: Cody (Rhodes) vs. Darby Allin
• TNT Championship Tournament Match: Dustin Rhodes vs. Lance Archer
• No Disqualification, No Count Out Match: Best Friends with Orange Cassidy vs. Jimmy Havoc and Kip Sabian with Penelope Ford
• Mr. Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt
• Jon Moxley makes an appearance and “speaks,” hopefully not about Jake Hager

NXT

• NXT North American Championship Match: Keith Lee (c) vs. Damian Priest
• NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Mia Yim
• Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Match: Drake Maverick vs. Tony Nese

As always, +1 your favorite comments from tonight’s open thread and if we get enough comments, we’ll include 10 of the best in tomorrow’s Best and Worst of NXT and AEW reports. Make sure you flip the comments by selecting “newest” in the drop down menu under discussion, and enjoy the show!

Everything’s moving online these days, from SNL to Trolls World Tour to Chris Martin concerts. So why not conventions? As per The Hollywood Reporter, May the 4th — better known round geek circles as “Star Wars Day” — will be fitted with a virtual convention, or as they’re dubbing it, “An Online Revelry.”

The internet hoedown is being organized by New York Comic Con and Star Wars Celebration organizers ReedPop, and it seems to be a packed affair. There will be live-tweeting for movies and shows like Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, on top of Q&As and discussion with the likes of voice actors and authors of Star Wars novels.

But there’s more:

Additionally, fans will be able to take part in trivia quizzes and prize giveaways across the May 4-5 period, with ReedPop encouraging usage of the hashtags #Maythe4th and #Revengeofthe5th for those participating. Events will take place across social media accounts associated with multiple ReedPop properties, including New York Comic Con, C2E2, BookCon, Emerald City Comic Con and Florida SuperCon, on both Twitter and Facebook.

Star Wars Day was first launched in 2011, the May 4th date chosen, of course, because it allows revelers to make a “May the Fourth Be With You” joke. Surely future conventions will take note of how this one goes off.

You can view the day’s full schedule over at THR.

(Via THR)

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If you’re watching a second-season trailer for Amazon’s Hanna, then you almost certainly don’t need a SPOILER ALERT for what went down the first time around, right? Just in case, feel free to head out now if you haven’t finished the last round.

Now that we’re all alone, we can talk about the ending of the action-espionage series’ first season. This was a gorgeous and well-acted effort, even if it didn’t fully explain its own existence as a gritty TV adaptation of Joe Wright’s 2011 film, which was fable-like and full of ethereal, fairy-tale-like elements. Still, the series was successful enough to continue, even after saying goodbye to Joel Kinnaman’s Erik (RIP), and now we’ve got a teaser that reminds us that not only has the teen assassin (raised by her father in the wilderness) been discovered, but she’s being ominously monitored by Utrax’s new leader, John Carmichael, who’s portrayed by Dermot Mulroney.

Nothing like a dose of Dermot to antagonize things up — something that he’s recently done well on The Righteous Gemstones, Prodigal Son, and The Purge. He also did well by Amazon in the first Homecoming season, so the odds are that he’ll rattle up the Hanna series nicely, even if the title character isn’t terribly intimidated by anyone, not even sinister government agencies. Esme Creed-Miles looks like she’s continuing to own that vibe, and Mireille Enos will also return as her CIA operative character.

Hanna‘s second season premieres on Friday, July 3.

Universal Pictures recently received some good news and some bad news. The good news: Trolls World Tour, the first blockbuster released to PVOD amidst the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, was a monster success. The bad news: That success has drawn the ire of two of the nation’s top movie theater chains, who have declared that, once theaters re-open, they won’t be running any Universal pictures.

The AMC news broke Tuesday, not long after Universal publicly claimed that the sequel to Trolls, which was made available as 48-hour rental for a cool $19.99, raked in $100 million in its first three weeks, prompting CEO Jeff Shell to say he’d open new movies in theaters and on PVOD concurrently. If you thought people could simply head to the nearest Regal, then sorry: As per Deadline, Cineworld, which owns Regal Entertainment, joined its competitor in the Universal ban.

Mind you, that doesn’t necessarily mean AMC and Regal’s ban will apply to some of the bigger movies on Universal’s slate, including F9, the newest Fast and Furious number, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and Jurassic World: Dominion, all of whose release dates were shuffled to 2021 in the wake of the national shutdown. It only applies to, as Cineworld put it, “movies that fail to respect the windows.” In other words, if Universal decides to release Halloween Ends, due next year, in theaters and on PVOD, Regal won’t play them. It’s unclear how they’ll approach the aforementioned blockbuster titles.

Earlier Wednesday, Universal defended their decision to release the sequel on PVOD, saying that, “given the choice of not releasing Trolls: World Tour, which would not only have prevented consumers from experiencing the movie but also negatively impacted our partners and employees, the decision was clear.”

(Via Deadline)

The Green Bay Packers turned heads on the first night of the 2020 NFL Draft. Instead of bolstering their defense or improving the talent around Aaron Rodgers on offense, Green Bay traded up to take Utah State signal caller Jordan Love. A raw but talented prospect, Love is potentially a good replacement for Rodgers whenever that day comes, but it is hard to say that he can help Green Bay win a Super Bowl any time soon, especially while Rodgers (who makes a hilarious amount of money for the foreseeable future) is in town.

It’s a situation that is familiar to Packers fans in particular, as Green Bay drafted Rodgers in the first round to replace an aging Brett Favre. Rodgers sat for three seasons — getting the occasional mop-up cameo — until he took over, and for the entirety of his time on the bench, there was apparent tension regarding the arrangement.

So naturally, there are questions about whether the past will repeat itself with Rodgers and his presumed successor. Time will ultimately tell, but in the eyes of the dude Rodgers replaced, Green Bay’s All-Pro signal caller will make at least one more more pit stop before his career ends.

“Tom Brady and myself and Joe Montana and Peyton Manning, just to name a few, finished their career elsewhere,” Favre said. “In my case, I played for four different teams. So, I think you’re gonna see that trend more and more, and I think Aaron will finish somewhere else. That’s my gut.”

Favre made it a point to stress that this was a gut feeling and not something he knows for certain. There’s no guarantee that Love will turn into a replacement for Rodgers, or perhaps things will go more smoothly than they did with Favre and Rodgers, but it seems like Favre is under the impression Rodgers will follow in his footsteps and leave the Packers some day.

Just because we’re both socially distancing and sheltering-at-home, doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy some of the fun holidays coming down the pike. In fact, we might as well go all out on renowned party holidays like Memorial Day and The Fourth of July. No need for a designated driver and your bed is just steps away.

Next week, Cinco de Mayo will kick off the summer party season in full. This holiday — celebrating the Mexican army’s victory in the battle of Puebla (not Mexico’s Independence Day) — is perfectly suited for sampling Mexican beers, tequilas, and mezcals. It’s the latter spirit that we’re looking at today.

Mezcal, for the uninitiated, is similar to tequila as both are made from agave hearts. The difference is that while tequila can only be made from blue agave, mezcal can be made from any type of agave. It’s also typically roasted in underground ovens — giving it a deep smokiness and a raw, vegetal flavor — elements that are less common in tequilas. It’s a perfect spirit for mixing, slow sipping, or balancing with cheesy, savory Mexican fare. It’s also a great way to dip a toe in Mexican spirits if you’re normally a fan of smokier whiskeys.

“There’s so much about mezcal that appeals to whiskey drinkers,” says Nicole Quist, beverage director at Bartaco in Aventura, Florida.

With Cinco de Mayo coming quick, we asked some of our favorite bartenders to tell us the mezcals they wish more people knew about.

Banhez Mezcal

Nicole Quist, beverage director at Bartaco in Aventura, Florida

Banhez has some beautiful single expression mezcals right now, and I’m quite taken with the Arroqueno. The Arroqueno agave takes 25 years to mature, found only in rural Oaxaca. Its smoke-meets-sweet notes are perfect for a whiskey lover and this mezcal is so smooth.

Wahaka Reposado

Ellen Talbot, lead bartender at Fable Lounge in Nashville

Wahaka Mezcal is fabulous mezcal made in Oaxaca, Mexico. They produce a barrel-aged reposado that makes a beautiful old fashioned. It’s a mezcal I serve to people who aren’t sure about making the leap from tequila, because it’s smooth and subtle.

Illegal Mezcal Reposado

Matt Shields, bartender at The Bay Restaurant in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

Illegal Mezcal Reposado is a brand The Bay carried for a long time and I believe it will compete with any Mezcal out there. It has just enough smoke and sweet to make a great craft cocktail or to drink straight on the rocks or neat.

Doña Vega Espadín

Sean Pearson, beverage director at La Esquina in New York City

One mezcal people really need to keep an eye out for is Doña Vega Espadín. It’s one of the most well-balanced and flavorful Espadíns on the market. It perfectly exemplifies the complex beauty and versatility of mezcal in its youngest form, all-the-while capturing the same essences of agave that traditional mezcaleros have been trying to achieve for centuries. Whether enjoyed in a cocktail or on-the-rocks, Doña Vega offers a silky, vibrant, and long-lasting burst of flavors that will have even the most hesitant of mezcal drinkers landing on a new favorite.

Ilegal Mezcal Joven

Blake Jones, bartender and director of beverage at The Kennedy in Pensacola, Florida

Ilegal Mezcal Joven. This stuff is just incredible. Their reposado joven is one I could drink straight anytime. The flavor profile is so clean and has a nice sense of smoke with a little bit of natural salinity. Their marketing is also super rad, so it’s hard not to love them. Also, El Silencio. A little lesser known in this region but give it time, their product is great, and they truly care about bartenders which is not as common as you’d think.

El Silencio

Gabriela Dimovska, general manager at V DTLA in Los Angeles

El Silencio Mezcal. Easy to drink on its own or in a good spicy mezcal margarita. I especially love it because it’s local to L.A. and the guys behind it are such friendly, down to earth people that just want to enjoy life and share their favorite spirit with the rest of us.

Wahaka Espadin

Danielle Becker, bartender at the Aspen Meadows Resort in Aspen, Colorado

Wahaka Mezcal Espadin. A group of friends fulfilling a dream and bringing community together to make amazing juice. There are a few different styles, and all are delicious. The Dionisio Ocotepec from Oaxaca is super fun — full of winter spice and vanilla.

Mezcal Zignum Añejo

Freddy Concepcion Ucan Tuz, bartender at JW Marriot in Cancun, Mexico

Mezcal Zignum Añejo. A mezcal aged for 16 months in a French barrel. A smoky mezcal with a fine and persistent finish in the mouth. I often try to convince guests to have a mezcal tasting in order to highlight this exceptional mezcal.

Palenqueros Mezcal

Wesley MacDonald, owner of Caña Bar and Kitchen in Curaçao

Palenqueros, pure single palenque mezcal. These mezcals focus on the craft of a single mezcalero from a single distillery, hence the name “single palenque mezcal.” It is bottled by Velier, an Italian independent bottler. Only the best mezcaleros are chosen and the focus is on them and the spirit. Due to the popularity of agave spirits, some unsavory producers cut corners with regards to environmental and labor issues. As consumers, it is important we educate ourselves about the story behind the bottles we buy, and this is a great example. The mezcals in this line being ridiculously good helps as well.

Los Amantes Reposado

Alan Walter, spirit handler at Bar Loa in New Orleans

The one mezcal I wish more people knew about is Los Amantes Reposado Mezcal. It’s a refined mezcal that is reminiscent of honey basted apples over a suburban fireplace. Perfect for drinking neat or mixed into a cocktail.