Month: September 2020

Zayn likes to keep to himself, so he doesn’t necessarily put himself out there all that much when he doesn’t have new music to promote. So, it’s been pretty quiet on the Zayn front since his 2018 album Icarus. Now, though, he’s back.

He dropped a video for a new song, “Better,” today, and indicated that it is the first track from his upcoming album (his third), which does not yet have an announced title. As for the song, it’s an R&B tune on which he sings about love and second chances. Press materials indicate the upcoming album is “set to be his most personal project to date” and also note, “With total creative reign on his third album, Zayn is making the music he has always wanted to.”

Meanwhile, the former One Direction member recently celebrated the birth of his first child, with girlfriend Gigi Hadid. Sharing a photo of his newborn daughter’s tiny hand gripping his finger, Zayn wrote in a Wednesday post on Instagram, “Our baby girl is here, healthy and beautiful. to try put into words how i am feeling right now would be an impossible task. The love I feel for this tiny human is beyond my understanding. Grateful to know her, proud to call her mine, and thankful for the life we will have together x.”

Watch the “Better” video above.

It’s had competition over the years from the likes of Chernobyl, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones, but Planet Earth II remains atop the IMDb Top 250. The Planet Earth sequel is the top-rated show on IMDB with a 9.5 rating, followed by the original’s 9.4 (which is tied with Band of Brothers, among others). The popularity of the nature documentary series can be attributed to the cute animals and the planet’s stunning landscapes, but really, it’s because narrator Sir David Attenborough has a soothing voice. Attenborough has a new series coming out next month, Netflix’s A Life on Our Planet, and to celebrate its release, the 94-year-old joined Instagram — and broke a world record:

Sir David Attenborough (UK) has debuted on Instagram and claimed the record for the fastest time to reach one million followers on Instagram. Sir David’s first post, an IGTV video about global warming concerns, was posted at 2 a.m. PDT and his account reached one million followers over four hours later at 6:44 a.m. PDT – with the video gaining more than two million views.

That’s according to the Guinness World Records, which notes that the previous record-holder was Jennifer Aniston; Attenborough beat her to a million by over 30 minutes. Also, Friends only has a 8.8 rating on IMDb (#45 overall), so he’s double-dunking on Rachel.

Here’s more on Attenborough’s new project:

In this unique feature documentary, titled David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, the celebrated naturalist reflects upon both the defining moments of his lifetime and the devastating changes he has seen… The film addresses some of the biggest challenges facing life on our planet, providing a snapshot of global nature loss in a single lifetime. With it comes a powerful message of hope for future generations as Attenborough reveals the solutions to help save our planet from disaster.

A Life on Our Planet premieres on Netflix on October 4.

(Via Guinness World Records)

Although Cardi B says she isn’t accepting applications for Offset’s replacement at this time, that apparently hasn’t stopped a plethora of would-be suitors from shooting their shots. During a recent fans-only Livestream on her OnlyFans account, Cardi noted that her DMs have been “flooded” despite her focus on music and business moves, according to Us Weekly.

The “WAP” rapper is noted as again reiterating her reasons for filing for divorce from Offset after three years of marriage and told fans that critics’ jabs couldn’t have much effect on her, since it was her own choice. “You cannot hurt my feelings trying to throw the divorce in my face because at the end of the day, I decided I wanted to leave,” she said. “I didn’t wait until he cheated on me again. I didn’t wait [for] another controversy with him being involved. I decided to leave. If I wanted to stay, I could have stayed. I decided to leave.”

However, it seems she hasn’t gotten much space from men who want to see if she lives up to her raunchy rap persona in real life. “My DMs are flooded,” she admitted. “I don’t actually want to date nobody [right now]. I’m so focused on my business, that it’s crazy.”

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ever since Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury first appeared in the end credits scene for Iron Man, kicking off the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there has been talk of a solo Nick Fury movie for the better part of a decade. But, now, the eye-patched king of espionage is getting the next best thing: His own Disney+ series. Via Variety:

The exact plot details of the show are being kept under wraps, but multiple sources say Jackson is attached to star with Kyle Bradstreet attached to write and executive produce. Like all the other Marvel shows at Disney Plus, Marvel Studios will produce.

The announcement of a Nick Fury series arrives on the heels of an aggressive push to populate Disney+ with MCU characters. Due to the pandemic, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier missed its August release date and will arrive sometime in 2021. However, WandaVision is still on track for a 2020 release, and its latest trailer did Avengers-level numbers when it debuted during the Emmys, which proves fan interest is strong for new MCU series.

In addition to the growing hype for WandaVision, Marvel made waves in mid-September when it announced that Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany has officially signed on to play She-Hulk in the upcoming Disney+ series. Meanwhile, Ms. Marvel is moving full steam ahead with Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, and the Loki series is reportedly on track for a 2021 release despite having to pause production. As for Hawkeye and Moon Knight, both series are still in the works, and there are unconfirmed reports that Moon Knight will be announcing a casting decision soon.

(Via Variety)

The Los Angeles Lakers somehow eked out a 114-108 win in Game 4 on Thursday night against the Nuggets to take a 3-1 series lead and put them just one game away from the NBA Finals. Despite their series lead, nothing has come easy for the Lakers, as they’ve had to withstand huge performances from the Nuggets’ star duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

But the Lakers have a pair of formidable stars of their own in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the combination of which has proved too much to overcome for even this feisty Denver squad that has continued to shock in the Bubble by overcoming two straight 3-1 series deficits.

The likelihood of them accomplishing that feat again is slim, especially given the way Davis has played, with his most recent dominant performance coming in Game 4 with a 34-point outing on 10-for-15 shooting. James told reporters on Friday that he knew Davis was in for another big night, now that he’s learned to read the non-verbal cues from Davis that let him know he’s in the zone.

We know NBA players can be a superstitious lot, but this is a whole other level. Davis has been a nightmare matchup for the Nuggets this series, the highlight of which came at the end of Game 2 when Denver had a chance to even the series before Davis knocked down a devastating game-winner.

We’ll be keeping an eye on both The Brow and his brow for the remainder of the series as the Nuggets try to stay alive when Game 5 tips off on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed how everybody lives their lives. On a day-to-day basis, these changes have been mostly minor: Wear a mask in shared public spaces, wash your hands a little more often, stand a bit farther away from people than you usually would, and so on. There are those, though, who aren’t interested in adapting to life in the pandemic in these non-laborious ways, and among them is legendary 75-year-old Northern Irish musician Van Morrison.

He announced last week that he would be releasing a trio of anti-lockdown singles, and as promised, he delivered the first of them today, “Born To Be Free.” Stylistically, the song is in line with the breezy Van Morrison songs of yesteryear, but lyrically, things are different.

Some choice snippets include, “Don’t need the government cramping my style / Give them an inch, they take a mile,” and, “The new normal is not normal / It’s no kind of normal at all / Everyone seemed to have amnesia just trying to remember the Berlin Wall.”

Morrison previously said of the songs in a statement, “I’m not telling people what to do or think, the government is doing a great job of that already. It’s about freedom of choice. I believe people should have the right to think for themselves.”

Two more songs, “No More Lockdown” and “As I Walked Out,” are set to arrive soon, but in the meantime, check out “Born To Be Free” above.

Ever since Travis Scott announced his collaboration with McDonald’s using the action figure from his Rodeo album cover in the commercial, fans have been clamoring for the toy to become available. Now, after three sold-out drops of collaborative merch that included floor rugs, chicken nugget body pillows, and all sorts of other zany stuff, they are finally releasing the action figure from the TV spot — but there’s a catch. Fans won’t be able to purchase the toy on Travis’ website or at their local McDonald’s.

Instead, they’ll have to enter a sweepstakes from this weekend, from September 25 to September 27, to win one of just five of the action figures. Fans will need to quote tweet the below and add: “Cactus Jack sent me to @McDonalds #CactusJackSweepstakes.”

To be honest, it’s pretty disappointing that the most hot-ticket item of the whole collab essentially comes down to a lottery prize, but on the other hand, it’s a genius marketing move for Travis and McDonald’s that ensures their social media reach will be effectively absolute over the next three days. It’s big promo for Travis too, as he just released his “Franchise” video, premiering it at IMAX screenings of Tenet. He’s also due to appear in Rihanna’s next Fenty X Savage fashion show, so things are looking up for the Houston star, even if they’re looking bleak for hypebeasts who wanted his McDonald’s action figure.

The country is (still!) on fire, the president is threatening to “sign an executive order” to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president (not to mention that whole democracy-upending thing), and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run has been delayed until 2021. Stressful times. But it’s important to remember to sit back, relax, and listen to Keanu Reeves and Zoe Kravitz talk about nature over footage of babbling brooks.

The HBO Max series A World of Calm is “designed to transform your feelings through enchanting music, scientifically engineered narratives, and astounding footage,” according to the streaming service. The collaboration with the Calm app combines “mesmeric imagery with narration by A-list stars,” including Reeves and Kravitz, as well as Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba, Oscar Isaac, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Nicole Kidman, Lucy Liu, Cillian Murphy, and Kate Winslet. Think: Planet Earth meets every therapist’s waiting room meets getting stoned and discussing the meaning of life with Nicole Kidman.

I haven’t seen an episode, but I’m ready to call it the perfect show:

A timely antidote for our modern lives, each half-hour episode takes audiences on an immersive visual journey into another world. Building on Calm’s Sleep Stories – bedtime stories for grown-ups – each relaxing tale is designed to transform how you feel.

A World of Calm premieres on HBO Max on October 1, so if your friend brags that he slept with Idris Elba on October 2, you’ll know why.

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker can’t seem to get enough of his own songs, collaborating with a number of other artists to bring life to his favorite tracks from his album. “Borderline,” the lead single from the band’s new album The Slow Rush, is the latest to receive a remix, this time courtesy of another multi-monikered multi-instrumentalist: Blood Orange’s Devonté Hynes. After previously re-working “Borderline” into an electronic jam for his appearance on The Tonight Show, this time around, he lets Dev Hynes slow it down and turn up the groove.

The remix extends the overall runtime of the song, adding an atmospheric intro, soft synths, and a downtempo bassline that turns the dancefloor-ready track into one more suited to lounging around the house on a day off, staring at the ceiling and zoning out. The song also now has a false ending, fading out at seven minutes before coming back for 10 more seconds of groove to leave listeners wanting more.

Other songs Tame Impala has had remixed by high-profile collaborators include “Is It True,” which was updated by Four Tet, “Guilty Conscience,” remixed by 070 Shake, and “One More Year,” which Parker remixed himself into an 18-minute epic.

Listen to Tame Impala’s “Borderline (Blood Orange Remix)” above.

Cheap bourbon should be fun. Before 2020, it was the bourbon we shot at dive bars with a beer back. It was the bourbon we took to raucous parties. It was the bourbon we learned to make cocktails with. We’re talking about bottles that are extremely accessible but still deeply enjoyable — with simple noses and flavors, divorced from any elitism or snobbery.

Generally, speaking, I find myself appreciating bottom shelf bottles of whiskey, even as I taste increasingly expensive drams. That’s why I was all too happy to take my editor’s challenge and blind taste test five affordable, mainstream bourbon expressions. Plus, I wanted to see if I could get them all right.

This is actually a twofold challenge. One, I want to test my mettle as a professional whiskey reviewer/drinker. Two, I’d also like to answer whether there really is that big of a difference in the low-end bourbons and decipher whether their prices fit their flavors. The five bottles I landed on are all around or under $20 mark and widely available nationwide — Jim Beam, Evan Williams, Wild Turkey, Four Roses, and Maker’s Mark.

(I was going to throw in a few more bottles, but five is enough for a single session and I can always do this again with five more cheap bourbons at a later date — I have my kidneys and liver to think of.)

The science here is easy. A friend came over for lunch and poured for me. I tasted the bourbons, then we ate brisket tacos. I had in my mind what each of these bourbons taste like, since I’ve had all of them multiple times over the span of two decades. Still, I was nervous that I was going to get tripped up, especially since Jim Beam and Wild Turkey have the same mash bills and barrel char.

Let’s jump right in and see if I flailed or soared in this little taste test!

PART I — The Blind Test

Number One

The Taste:

This is light and very familiar from the nose onward. There’s a clear sense of berries next to the vanilla. There’s a mild burn from spice as the sip quickly fades.

The Bottom Line:

I just ran an Expression Session with Four Roses and I know this is their entry-point bourbon. I feel both emboldened that I knew this from the first nose and also a bit nervous that maybe my friend led with this on purpose, to give me a false sense of security.

Number Two

The Taste:

Clear notes of grain crackers dominate this nose and sip. There’s a vanilla underbelly with a hint of spice. It’s brown sugar sweet and fades rather quickly, with a slightly astringent edge.

The Bottom Line:

I’m torn between Jim Beam and Evan Williams on this one. I know that cracker graininess. I know that sweetness. I have to go with Jim Beam.

Number Three

The Taste:

This is completely different and I’m back to being confident in my nose and palate. There’s a sense of oak next to mild fruit. Then as the sip fades, you get this sense of dried florals and an almost plummy nature.

The Bottom Line:

This can only be Maker’s Mark. The wheat in the mash bill is easy to spot when you’re tasting this next to corn and rye-forward bourbons.

Number Four

The Taste:

Ah, grainy crackers are back. There’s that sweetness again next to a hint of orchard fruit. Mildly spicy. Bit of vanilla. Easy burn with a bit of metallic edge.

The Bottom Line:

Again, this could either be Evan Williams of Jim Beam. I have to go with Evan Williams.

Number Five

The Taste:

This one is fruity up front, with a dose of spice and a hint of vanilla. There’s a nice, mild touch of apple and pear. This dram fades very easily with a nice warmth and a hint of oak.

The Bottom Line:

This has to be Wild Turkey. I know, it’s the only one left, but this is 100 percent Wild Turkey.

PART II — The Answers

Number One: Four Roses (Correct)

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Four Roses Distillery, Lawrenceburg, KY (Kirin Brewing)
Average Price: $22

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a blend of all ten of Four Roses mash bills. It serves as a gateway to the brand. It’s also crafted to be a cocktail base. Still, if you want to throw in on a couple of rocks and sip it, no one is going to stop you.

Number Two: Evan Williams (Incorrect)

ABV: 43%
Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Louisville, KY
Average Price: $12

The Whiskey:

Evan Williams is one of the most beloved cheap bourbons out there. The low-rye mash bill helps the corn grains shine. It definitely pisses me off I confused this for Jim Beam.

Number Three: Maker’s Mark (Correct)

ABV: 45%
Distillery: Maker’s Mark Distillery, Loretto, KY (Beam Suntory)
Average Price: $24

The Whisky:

This bourbon stands out, thanks to its wheated-bourbon mash bill. The whiskey swaps out the rye for 16 percent red winter wheat and it’s unmistakable from the first nose.

Number Four: Jim Beam (Incorrect)

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Jim Beam, Clermont, KY (Beam Suntory)
Average Price: $15

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a classic and a very easy-drinking dram. It’s also kind of shocking how similar it tastes to Evan Willaims when they don’t even have the same mash bill. They are very close though — Evan Williams is a mash bill of 78 percent corn, ten percent rye, and 12 percent malted barley. Jim Beam’s mash bill is 75 percent corn, 13 percent rye, and 12 malted barley.

Still, I got this one wrong. I admit it.

Number Five: Wild Turkey (Correct)

ABV: 40.5%
Distillery: Wild Turkey Distillery, Lawrenceburg, KY (Campari)
Average Price: $16

The Whiskey:

This 81 proof bourbon has a signature taste. The juice is crafted to be a cocktail base but I’d argue it’s perfectly suited for highballs with good, fizzy mineral water.

PART III — Final Thoughts

For around $16 per bottle, you really can’t beat Wild Turkey. That’s especially true if you’re mixing cocktails. Turkey also wins for having the nicest bottle. The cork is a nice touch. Though, I’d argue the Maker’s Mark is the better cocktail base, especially for Manhattans. Four Roses probably would rank next for me. It’s a little more refined than both Evan Williams and Jim Beam, which really registered almost identical for me on this tasting. Still, I always have a bottle of Jim Beam around.