Month: October 2020

Truth Seekers: Season 1 — (Amazon Prime series) Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, Spaced, and several more team-ups weren’t enough for Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They reunite once again for a British serial take on The X-Files about a ragtag group of paranormal investigators who travel the U.K. in pursuit of ghosts. No location will be left unturned (from World War 2 bunkers to abandoned insane asylums), and it’s the perfect weekend for this brand of wackiness.

The Mandalorian: Season 2 Premiere (Disney+ series) — The Baby Yoda star vehicle has made its highly anticipated return with plenty of callbacks to the first Star Wars movie and a pretty big subsequent comeback (maybe?). Also, they’ve got Timothy Olyphant now, and of course he plays a marshal, which no one would protest.

His House (Netflix film) — Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) leads this British horror movie about a young refugee couple who flees war-torn South Sudan but finds a whole new horror in England, where evils lurk in their new home and threaten their seemingly newfound better situation.

Holidate (Netflix film) — Here we go, everyone. The holiday season has officially begun with this romcom starring Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey. Despite being strangers, they make a pact to do the “holidate” thing with each other for a full year. They will obviously vow to never have romantic feelings for each other, but you know how that always ends, right? Oh, let’s just embrace the clichés, already. It’s 2020.

The Right Stuff: Episode 5 (NatGeo series on Disney+) – It’s do or die time (not literally) as Bob declares the flight order of Mercury 7’s first three astronauts. Someone (or someones) is not gonna be happy.

Somebody Feed Phil: Season 4 (Netflix series) – You’re having some wanderlust right about now, yes? Well, Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal is once again traveling the globe in search of new local cuisine, so do join him for some vicarious adventures.

Here’s the rest of this weekend’s notable programming:

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Remembering RBG – A Nation Ugly Cries with Desi Lydic (Friday, Comedy Central 11:00 p.m.) — The terrifically funny Desi Lydic comes together with a group of whipsmart women to process the loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Together, they work through the stages of grief over the liberal firebrand and discuss how she changed America while giving her a proper sendoff amid our current chaos.

How To With John Wilson (Friday, HBO 11:00 p.m.) — This comedy docuseries launches with John Wilson diving into New York’s vast and sprawling scaffolding “protection,” which stretches 300 miles throughout the city. Wilson also spoke with us about capturing the intimacy and absurdity of life in New York.

Eli Roth’s History of Horror (Saturday, AMC 10:00 p.m.) — This show keeps the spooky season’s spirit intact with the Cabin Fever and Hostel director exploring chilling children characters, who often make for the scariest horror films of all.

Saturday Night Live (Saturday, NBC 11:29 p.m.) — Host John Mulaney and musical guest The Strokes are here for the Halloween edition.

Supermarket Sweep (Sunday, ABC 8:00 p.m.) — Leslie Jones and every bit of her enthusiasm will host contestants in this revival of the grocery-shopping game show.

Pandora (Sunday, CW 8:00 p.m.) — An intergalactic fight club is causing troubles, as those tend to do, while Jax is attempting to gather intel via Osborn from a beautiful princess, who finds her loyalty tested.

Good Lord Bird (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — Ethan Hawke stars as violent abolitionist John Brown in this series that takes place in the Kansas territory in 1856. This week, John Brown’s army advances toward Harper’s Ferry, and Onion’s struggling to make new recruits as directed.

The Undoing (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — Hugh Grant’s fascinating turn as a possibly shady dude (and it’s about time) returns with Jonathan still missing while Nicole Kidman’s Grace is dodging detective questions.

Fear The Walking Dead (Sunday, AMC 9:00 p.m.) — A death gets written off as an accident, and John’s not buying that explanation.

Fargo (Sunday, FX 10:00 p.m.) — Oraetta’s had enough of her critics, Josto prepares to make a move, and Loy’s battling his demons.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond (Sunday, AMC 10:00 p.m.) — The next spinoff in this universe continues to feel itself out with madmen, water, and group bonding while threats gather ’round a vacant high school.

In case you missed these releases while you watched Borat last weekend:

The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix series) – This chess-centered drama is a surprisingly interesting and tightly paced show. It’s also a meditation upon addiction and danger and what it means to be a champion, all wrapped up in a coming-of-age tale about a boozy grandmaster in the making. As fictional prodigy Beth Harmon, Anya Taylor-Joy’s piercing gaze is here to demonstrate how a board game can look like a battlefield in Scott Frank’s adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel. The supporting cast (including Marielle Heller as a tragic 1950s housewife, Moses Ingram as a kickass childhood friend, and Harry Melling and Thomas Brodie-Sangster as gameplay rivals) also crushes the game

On The Rocks (Apple TV+ film) – Bill Murray’s back with his Lost in Translation director, Sofia Coppola, and this time, he plays a lifelong playboy who’s attempting to be a good dad to Rashida Jones. The movie’s a bit of a roadtrip, and it’s no Lost but still a welcome and pleasant diversion. Murray does what he does best here — lets his Murrayness shine through, even when his character’s not entirely likeable.

Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb — (Netflix documentary) Archaeologists take viewers back for millennia to the tomb of Old Kingdom priest Wahtye, whose resting space has remained undisturbed for 4,400 years. What could go wrong? This isn’t a horror movie, but it’s spooky all the same and seeks to unravel an ancient mystery that will (hopefully) lead to greater understanding.

Would Bob Dylan by another name still sing as sweet? Lost letters and interviews from Dylan are up for auction at Boston-based RR Auction, and they reveal a rare insight into the legendary singer’s feelings on anti-Semitism as well as his name change.

The archives include transcripts of interviews between Dylan and American blues artist Tony Glover conducted in 1971, as well as letters exchanged between the two musicians. Some of the 37 typed pages are scrawled with handwritten notes from Dylan. “In many cases, the deletions are more telling than the additions,” Bobby Livingston, the auction house’s executive vice president said.

Dylan, who was born Robert Zimmerman to Jewish parents in Minnesota, discussed his name change with Glover. “I mean it wouldn’t’ve worked if I’d changed the name to Bob Levy. Or Bob Neuwirth. Or Bob Doughnut,” Dylan joked on March 22, 1971.

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But Dylan’s thoughts were more serious in some of the transcripts. Dylan was asked if he changed his name because of anti-Semitism, and Dylan replied it wasn’t. However it has been an issue in his youth. “I did know there were a lot of people who were prejudiced. My first 18 years, I encountered that,” Dylan said.

Dylan also opened up about his thoughts on anti-Semitism. “[B]ut there is Jewish discrimination. A lot of people are under the impression that Jews are just money lenders and merchants. A lot of people think that all Jews are like that. Well, they used to be cause that’s all that was open to them. That’s all they were allowed to do,” he wrote.

Glover conducted the interviews while working on an article for Esquire magazine, however Dylan lost interest and the article was never completed. Glover was a close friend of Dylan, and both Dylan and Glover broke into music in Minneapolis. Now, Glover’s widow, Cynthia Nadler, has put the letters up for auction as part of RR Auction’s “Marvels of Modern Music” auction.

The letters also reveal happier trivia, such as the fact he wrote “Lay Lady Lay” for Barbara Streisand. It was previously thought the song was penned for the 1969 Oscar-winning movie “Midnight Cowboy.”

Dylan, who converted to Christianity in the 1970s, hasn’t always openly discussed his relationship to Judaism, so the archives give us a rare insight into his thoughts and experiences.

Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016, so it’s surprising to think that his road to success would have been hindered by those who didn’t like him based only what he goes by. People should be judged on their merit, not their names.

Trippie Redd released his new hotly anticipated album Pegasus today after a long buildup that included singles “Sleepy Hallow” and “I Got You” featuring Busta Rhymes. To punctuate the release, he later shared the video for “Love Scars 4,” an emo reconciliation bid that finds him insisting the object of his affection still feels the same way bout him. The video suggests otherwise, as Trippie’s female lead uses a voodoo doll to set him on fire and drown him.

Among the tracks that Trippie released in the run-up to Pegasus‘ release, the Canton, Ohio sing-rapper also crooned alongside PartyNextDoor on “Excitement,” channeled his inner rockstar on “Dreamer,” and reunited with Young Thug on “Spaceships” after previously rapping with the Atlanta trap maven on “Yell Oh” from the deluxe edition of his 2019 Love Songs 4 You album.

In other adventures this year, Trippie reportedly pushed his label, TenThousand Projects, to create a half-million-dollar initiative dedicated to social justice, donating funds to programs designed to empower Black Americans. Trippie also appeared on the posthumous Juice WRLD single, “Tell Me U Luv Me,” Juice’s second single since his death last year. Trippie was especially affected by Juice’s passing, promising to give up hard drugs in an impassioned social media video a few weeks later.

Watch the “Love Scars 4” video above.

Pegasus is out now on TenThousand Projects. Get it here.

Why do people love The Craft? Ignoring for a minute the assumption contained within that statement, my guess is that it’s because the 1996 surprise Andrew Fleming hit contains within it many of the usual ingredients for cult popularity — goth girl kitsch, unabashed melodrama, vamping theater kids, 90s nostalgia. It’s kind of corny, but more importantly, it doesn’t seem to care whether you think it’s kind of corny. And, of course, it starred Fairuza Balk and Neve Campbell, both of whom belong on the respective Mount Rushmores of both goth kitsch and 90s nostalgia. It’s no coincidence that The Craft starred four girls and became a hit right before Lilith Fair, during a simpler, slightly more organic era of female empowerment-as-a-genre.

This week brings us an attempt to capitalize on– er, an update on, the original. The Craft: Legacy, was written and directed by Lola Versus screenwriter Zoe Lister-Jones and produced by Blumhouse. It’s not streaming for free anywhere but you can buy or rent it on Amazon or iTunes and some other places, which is a shame because free streaming would’ve suited this kind of movie much better.

This time around, the cast includes Lovie Simone as proud black girl Tabby, Gideon Adlon as blabbermouth comic (ish) relief (and “Twilight stan”) Frankie, Zoey Luna as transgirl teen Lourdes (will this be the formula for all teen movies, post-Euphoria?) and Cailee Spaeny as our shy new Neve Campbell, Lily. (Incidentally, reading the words “Cailee Spaeny” makes my head hurt). Lily has a pixie cut and dresses like a 30-something secretary at an interior design firm in Monterey — unlike the rest of the crew, who dress like they’re going to a Clueless-themed cocktail party — and has just moved to town… from… uh, somewhere else. While the original named its settings (Los Angeles and San Francisco), The Craft Legacy takes place in an unnamed everytown. Lily’s mom, played by Michelle Monaghan (who is oddly much taller than her daughter, though this will be explained later) has taken her daughter to live with her brand new boyfriend, played by David Duchovny, and his three weird high school-aged sons, Jacob, Abe, and Isaiah.

On her first day at school, Lily has her period all over her chair, gets roasted for it by the school jock, Timmy (Nicholas Galitzine) and quickly gets adopted by the witch girls, who give her a new pair of shorts and soon discover, to their delight, that she seems to have an air of the enchantress about her (maybe it’s the pixie cut?). Their dialogue consists of about half expository magick talk (the subtitles actually spell it “magick,” which is just great, the K makes it witchier) and half clunky attempts to shoehorn social commentary. Sample dialogue:

“We literally house babies in our bodies, that’s some Ridley Scott shit. We have superpowers without even trying.”

“Not all of us can do that, but…”

“Ooh, point taken, my bad, Lu.”

“No, it’s all good, y’all know we trans girls got our own magic anyway.”

You know teen girls, always talking up Ridley Scott and his famous movie from 1979. Meanwhile, Lily’s hobby is, you’ll never believe this, photography. Have we ever seen an artsy girl in a teen movie do photography before? We may have to research this further.

Yes, the dialogue is obnoxious, exhaustingly sassy, and trying way too hard, but what’s being a teen if not acting obnoxiously sassy and trying way too hard? Grating woke teens aren’t my first choice of things to watch, but you have to admit that it suits the source. The newly formed coven do magick together in the park and soon sneak into Timmy’s house to cast a spell on him. Using his bong as a “cauldron” (wonderful touch) they say some magic words in the hopes that it will make him less of an asshole.

It works, almost too well. Timmy immediately shows up to school the next day lecturing other bros about how their jokes are “triggering” and “in eighth period he went on a tear about heteronormativity.” Soon he’s confessing same-sex hookups and opening up about his dead mom. They’ve essentially turned the insensitive jock bully into an faux-sensitive hybrid of gay best friend and f*ckboi nightmare, which could’ve been the perfect “be careful what you wish for” moment, and almost is. “You recreated Timmy in your own image,” one of girls says, in a moment of guilty introspection.

For all its cheesiness, The Craft: Legacy makes some deliciously bold story decisions, and Timmy’s about face (reminiscent of Luke from the first season of The OC, who started out an A-hole bully, but quickly turned sensitive confidant with a gay dad) is one of them. Yet, just as it seems like it’s about to go somewhere really interesting, The Craft: Legacy seems to decide belatedly that it needs an antagonist. It finds one in David Duchovny’s character, whose evilness was telegraphed early on with the reveal that he’s some kind of men’s rights guru who writes books with “masculinity” in the title.

From there on out, The Craft: Legacy feels like it’s on fast-forward. The abruptness of its reveals, and the way it basically smash cuts from semi-realism to pure schlock is laugh-out-loud funny, not to mention, again, admirably bold (and reminiscent of that guy suddenly turning into a wolf in Twilight, which may explain the otherwise shoehorned Twilight shoutout). It morphs from a movie about sassy teens into a plot about dueling covens, enchanted medallions, and dark family secrets.

If I had been on the fence about the movie earlier, suddenly I was in. Then, just when things are beginning to heat up, it ends. And no, “there was too much material here” doesn’t quite cut it. It feels more like The Craft: Legacy sold its own plot down the river in order to pimp a sequel.

Are we still doing this? It’s not 2015 anymore. In a year that threatens to kill movie theaters as we know them, nothing feels as out of place as using the third act of a movie as a trailer for some future movie we’ll likely never get. Buddy, I paid $20 for this. And mostly in order to distract myself from the possibility of a civil war in two months. Do us a solid and at least finish your sentence. And thus a movie that attempts to capitalize on nostalgia becomes an anachronism all its own.

‘The Craft: Legacy’ is available now on VOD. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

Joel Embiid is going virtual on Friday night to celebrate the release of his first-ever signature shoe with Under Armour, the UA Embiid One, hosting an NBA 2K21 tournament on Twitch alongside NFL wide receiver Justin Jefferson and celebrity gamer and 2K League champion LosPollosTV.

The competition will be streamed on Under Armour’s Twitch channel at 7 p.m. ET and will pit six challengers against one another for the opportunity to take on Embiid in the final round. The winner will get bragging rights (which you can be sure Embiid will take advantage of if he wins) as well as a pair of the UA Embiid Ones sent to a charity of the winner’s choosing.

Heading into his seventh season in the NBA, the three-time All-Star is finally getting his first signature sneaker, and as one of the most active athletes on social media and in advertisements for an assortment of products, it’s no surprise he’s going straight to the fans to celebrate the release of the UA Embiid One.

It’s unclear how much 2K game Embiid has, so Sixers fans may want to tune in to see whether one of the actual gamers can knock him off during his own release event. Either way, it’s all for a good cause, and one lucky charity is going to get a shiny new pair from the first batch of UA Embiid Ones.

Tracking down a limited edition bourbon should feel fun, not like some sort of military strike. We respect collectors but it’s a shame when the really exciting limited expressions get snatched up to be profited off of rather than enjoyed. Bourbon is made for drinking, after all, and these limited editions are often tasty as f*ck. Buying them up for resale on the aftermarket keeps anyone but the 1% from savoring these special drams.

We’re not saying you shouldn’t collect limited edition bottles, of course. Each one of the expressions below can easily be squirreled away and opened at a later date. But with the world seeming like it might end any minute now, it’s tough to find the motivation to wait. If you score a gem this year, maybe you want to find a reason to celebrate sooner rather than later.

The 10 bottles below are the 2020 limited edition releases that caught our attention. Some of these bottles are easy to find. Some definitely aren’t. The throughline is that they’re all delicious and worth a try, even if only at a tasting.

Michter’s 10-Year-Old Bourbon

ABV: 47.2%
Average Price: $200

The Whiskey:

Michter’s makes fine whisky full stop. Their varieties hit high marks among casual drinkers and connoisseurs alike. They take risks with Unblended American Whiskey, toasted barrels, and long-form aging. That last realm is best enjoyed by grabbing a bottle of this year’s 10-year-old release of single barrel Kentucky juice.

Tasting Notes:

Maple syrup sweetness and oak dance on the nose. The palate hints at creamy vanilla, butter toffee, and charred oak, giving this bourbon a classic and well-rounded vibe. The maple sweetness, oak, and toffee bring around a slow, warming finish, as you’re left with a heated embrace and a hint of leather and spicy tobacco smoke.

Bottom Line:

This is a nice sipping bourbon with a little water or a rock. I do love it on its own but, wow, does this make a mean Manhattan — an expensive cocktail, sure, but a stellar one.

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch

ABV: 55.7%
Average Price: $320

The Whiskey:

Four Roses yearly Limited Edition Small Batch release is an event — one of the most sought after limited editions in bourbon. This year’s juice married four whiskeys from the Four Roses cellars with a lean toward spice and fruit in the base.

Tasting Notes:

The nose greets you with a creamy butterscotch mingling with cinnamon, ripe cherry, and a good dose of oak. The sip expands to a full-on Christmas spice cake flavor — with plenty of vanilla and caramel and more of that cherry, plus a hint of dried fruit. As the sip fades, the spice leans peppery while maintaining its fruity nature.

Bottom Line:

This is meant to be sipped slowly with water to really let those spicy, fruity, and woody notes bloom. I added a rock and it was a delight for the senses that left me wanting more.

Eagle Rare 17

ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $1,200

The Whiskey:

This bottle from Buffalo Trace’s annual Antique Collection roll out gets a lot of attention. Deservedly so. The whiskey spends 18 years and three months aging in a specific location in a specific warehouse. Over half of the juice is lost to the angels over all those years, leaving behind this nectar of the whiskey gods.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a mesh of cherry, oak, and vanilla on the nose that draws you in with its subtlty. The taste revels in those notes while building a tower of taste with rich caramel, woody spice leaning towards fresh tobacco, and a wisp of bitterness (especially with some water added). The gently peppery spice and woody notes slowly fade away as the cherry makes a sweet late appearance.

Bottom Line:

This is a lovely bourbon. But it wasn’t my favorite of this year’s Antique Collection (more on that later). Still, this 100-percent lives up to the hype — even if the $99 MSRP is almost impossible to find in retail.

Give it a try with a little water to see what all the fuss is about and go from there.

Pinhook Bohemian Bourbon

ABV: 57.25%
Average Price: $52

The Whiskey:

Pinhook Bourbon marries fine winemaking with Kentucky whiskey. This year’s “crop,” as Pinhook calls it, is a low-rye bourbon that’s blended for maximum approachability while also remaining very affordable.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a minerality that’s met with orange oils, plenty of Christmas spices, and an almost pecan pie nature. The sip delivers on those promises with the addition of caramel sweetness and a wave of tropical fruits. Finally, the nuttiness returns on the mellow and warming end as the spices slowly fade.

Bottom Line:

This is a very fine sipper at this price point. But the higher ABVs and (relatively) inexpensive price make this a cracking cocktail base. Whip up an old fashioned, boulevardier, or Manhattan and enjoy.

Barrell Dovetail

ABV: 62%
Average Price: $90

The Whiskey:

Barrell Whiskey is all about creating the perfect bourbon experience in the glass through blending the best of the best. This year’s Dovetail release marries whiskey from American oak, Dunn Cabernet barrels, toasted French oak, vintage port pipes, and blackstrap molasses casks.

The result is another multi-award-winning masterpiece.

Tasting Notes:

This dram draws you in with notes of creamy vanilla pudding spiked with walnuts next to well-oiled saddle leather, smoked stone fruits, huckleberry jam, and a hint of wildflowers. The taste brings a spicy nature, counterpointed by campfire roasted marshmallow with a herbaceous underbelly. The end leans into the more vinous nature of the oak, with a candied citrus feel as the fade accelerates towards fatty nuts and whispers of fresh mint.

Bottom Line:

Goddamn, this is tasty. Add in some water or a rock and really let this dram shine. The water brings around the creamy vanilla pudding back with an addition of tropical fruits, leaning towards banana.

Belle Meade Honey Cask Bourbon

ABV: 56%
Average Price: $125

The Whiskey:

Belle Meade (the bourbon wing of Tennessee Whiskey powerhouse Nelson’s Green Brier) does some of the best cask finishings in the game. This year’s Honey Cask proved just how special great cask finishing can be, by utilizing real honey barrels and not just honey “seasoning.”

(On the flip side, you can buy the honey that was aged in the eleven-year-old bourbon barrels, which would later go on to finish this whiskey.)

Tasting Notes:

Floral honey notes greet you, with support from cedarwood, plenty of cinnamon Red Hots, and nice caramel sweetness. The sip carries on the cinnamon path and adds in honey-glazed doughnuts next to butter toffee.

Orange zest arrives to usher in the long, honeyed, and spicy end.

Bottom Line:

This stuff sold out almost immediately. That means you’re going to have to pay a pretty penny on the secondary market for a bottle, if you can find one at all. If you do get your hands on one, drink this with a few rocks to help it shine. Then try it as a cocktail base and jettison the sugary syrups.

Blanton’s Gold Edition

ABV: 51.5%
Average Price: $350

The Whiskey:

This single barrel masterpiece is made for the international market but now available widely in the U.S., albeit for a hefty price. The juice is all about the refinement of the single barrel aging process, with masterful finishing to bring this down to a very drinkable 102 proof.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a big greeting on the nose with notes of spicy tobacco leaves next to honey, dark berries, and orange oils. The palate carries those notes forward, while leaning into the tobacco and amping up the rye pepperiness then balancing it with a bit more honey and caramel.

This whiskey takes its time fading out as notes of vanilla, spice, and oak linger — with a final billow of pipe tobacco popping on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is the ultimate slow sipping whiskey that really needs some time and water to fully bloom. Take your time with this one. It’ll be worth it.

Knob Creek 15

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $116

The Whiskey:

This bourbon does a balancing act of showing its age while not overdoing the oakiness that often comes with these older bourbons. The juice is aged in very deeply charred oak barrels which are stored in specific locations in the warehouse to minimize temperature variations throughout the years. The final product marries those barrels into this crowd-pleasing whiskey.

Tasting Notes:

The oak greets you first, with a billow of tobacco smoke underpinned with dark berries, worn leather, and mild Christmas spice. Rye pepper and oak follow on the palate — with a rich and sweet Christmas cake, full of dried and candied stone and citrus fruits, spice, and molasses sweetness.

The slow finish leans into malt, with a dry edge featuring notes of fruit, tobacco, and wood.

Bottom Line:

This really is a slow-sipping bourbon that needs water to help it step into its full beauty. That being said, I also made a Manhattan with this and it was f*cking amazing.

Woodford Reserve Distillery Series Double Double Oaked

ABV: 45.2%
Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

This very limited release only comes in half-bottles. Don’t let that stop you from enjoying what’s inside. The whiskey is made from the standard and stellar Woodford Double Oak that’s then transferred to a finishing barrel for another year. That last barrel is an outdoor toasted and very lightly charred new oak barrel. That may sound like putting a hat on a hat but that finishing barrel adds a marvelous depth to the bourbon.

Tasting Notes:

You’re transported to a backyard campfire with a roasted marshmallow on a stick in your hand, caramel dipping sauce at the ready, and plenty of maple syrup wafting through. The sip leans into rich Christmas spices, as a fruity undertow brings you into a fruit orchard overflowing with cherry, cranberry, and blackberry. The end is long with plenty of that oak and spice leaving you warmed to your core.

Bottom Line:

You really want to add some water or a rock to this one to let it open up. Best savored outside, next to a campfire, bundled up in some flannel.

William Larue Weller

ABV: 67.25%
Average Price: $700

The Whiskey:

This wheated bourbon from Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection is a masterpiece. The wheated juice is stored in two different warehouses where 73 percent of the whiskey is lost to the angels. That’s a lot. The remaining bourbon is something that lives up to every accolade ever bestowed upon it.

Tasting Notes:

Creamy vanilla mixes with rich caramel, oak, and a clear nutty nature on the nose. That vanilla meets cherry on the tongue. A little water brings about a dark, almost espresso bitterness. The oak and cherry come back into play as the sip takes its time fading away — with a final whisper of dark chocolate depth.

Bottom Line:

This is probably my favorite bourbon of 2020 and certainly a top-five whiskey overall. The sip really deserves a little time and water so that you can get the full experience. It’s an easy-sipper that keeps calling you back, again and again.

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 411 species of coral, along with dozens of other species. But since 1995, it’s lost more than half of its corals due to warmer waters and climate change. Recently, one of those pieces of coral has been found. And it’s big. It’s 1,600 feet tall, to be exact, making it taller than the Empire State Building.

Not only that, but the coral is healthy and thriving. The coral has a healthy ecosystem and a “blizzard of fish,” lead scientist Dr. Robin Beaman said per Reuters. “We are surprised and elated by what we have found.”

Even better, the coral didn’t show any evidence of damage, even though the section of the Great Barrier Reef it was found in experienced bleaching in 2016. Bleaching happens when the water gets too warm, which causes the coral to expel living algae then calcify and turn white.

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The coral was found off the coast of North Queensland. Since the late 1800s, seven other detached reefs have been discovered in this area, however this is the first time a discovery of this size has been made in 120 years.

ROV Dive 401 (Pt B) – Newly Discovered 500m Tall Reef

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The coral was found when a team of scientists from James Cook University were mapping the northern seafloor of the Great Barrier Reef using an underwater robot called SuBastian. The scientists also collected samples, which will be archived and placed in the Queensland Museum and the Museum of Tropical Queensland.

“To find a new half-a-kilometer tall reef in the offshore Cape York area of the well-recognized Great Barrier Reef shows how mysterious the world is just beyond our coastline,” Jyotika Virmani, the executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute, said in a statement. The Schmidt Ocean Institute was behind the expedition, and is a nonprofit that supports ocean research founded by ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy.

The Great Barrier Reef, which stretches over 1,400 miles, and was designated as a World Heritage site in 1981. Unfortunately, the Great Barrier Reef experienced bleaching events in 2016 and 2017. Afterward, the number of newly born corals fell 89% below the historically average amount. On top of that, the replacement corals weren’t as big and branching as they used to be, leading some to believe the ocean habitat will never be the same again. The Great Barrier Reef has experienced bleaching before, and has normally rebounded, however the size of the bleaching in 2016 and 2017 is what’s worrisome.

While climate change is changing more than just the climate, it’s great to know there is marine life that is, in some ways, still thriving.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the hottest R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week Queen Naija anointed fans with her debut Missunderstood, Omarion dropped his full-length album The Kinection and rising R&B darling Ayanis delivered Yani. Check out the rest of the best new R&B below.

Queen Naija — Missunderstood

Queen Naija‘s Missunderstood is finally here to much fanfare. 18 songs deep, including “Pack Lite” and “Lie To Me” featuring Lil Durk, the rising R&B singer also connected with Toosii, Lucky Daye, and Kiana Lede throughout the project. Missunderstood lives to clarify who Queen Naija is and sonically represents why she’s here to stay for the long haul.

Omarion — The Kinection

Omarion came through this week with nothing but positive vibes and energy with his latest release The Kinection. It features his previously released tracks “Can You Hear Me?” with T-Pain and “Unbothered.” The Kinection is certainly one for the day-one Omarion fans.

Ayanis — Yani

After sharing her Pretty Ricky-inspired song “Ecstasy,” Ayanis arrives with her debut release Yani. Full of women’s empowerment anthems and love songs over moody R&B production, the album also includes features Mulatto on “Drip” and Wiz Khalifa on “One Night.” Ayanis is definitely one R&B darling to look out for.

Melii — “Way Too Soft”

https://uproxx.com/music/melii-meek-mill-label-controversy/ shared her gangsta music video for “Way Too Soft.” The New York native is set to release her next project sometime soon in the winter and is expected to feature a more stripped-down Melii. “Everybody has a broken side,” she said on a statement. “I no longer work off ego. I’m true to self. I’ve grown so much, I have times where I do fall off and ego kicks in, but I’ve learned how to manage my life a lot better.”

Sainvil — 2020 Was Hijacked

Sainvil is right. 2020 Was Hijacked is an accurate descriptor of how this year has gone for all of us and Sainvil expresses this years happenings with his smooth vocals on his project packed with seven songs. 2020 Was Hijacked also features Melii on their collaborative track “HBK.”

Check out this week’s R&B picks, plus more on Uproxx’s Spotify playlist below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Politicians have linked up with pop stars a lot during this election cycle, like Bernie Sanders and Cardi B, Bernie Sanders and Halsey, and Bernie Sanders and Dua Lipa. Now it’s Selena Gomez’s turn (not with Bernie), as she has shared a video of herself and Kamala Harris chatting about big issues.

They discussed healthcare for people with pre-existing conditions (like lupus, which Gomez and Harris’ sister have), with Harris saying, “That’s one of the things that Joe and I are fighting for, which is to hold on to the Affordable Care Act and expand it, including what you’ve talked a lot about. Mental health care, the way I think about it is that we have to understand health care. You can’t just think that the body starts from the neck down. We also need health care for the neck up.”

Gomez added, “I just read too much about how deep this country is being affected mentally. I’ve had so many dreams about creating places that people could go to. I think there’s a part of me that wishes we had some sort of place that felt like maybe you just need to get help.”

The singer also declared that young people need to take control of their own democracy, saying, “We are the ones that are going to trail blaze. And we are going to be the next wave of people that truly are going to decide our future. And I plan on doing everything that I can to help and to just also encourage people to vote. I don’t know if they’re sick of me by now.”

Gomez shared a message with the video, writing, “I had the opportunity to speak with Senator @kamalaharris and we discussed several issues that matter. Here is a clip of us discussing the importance of voting and supporting people with mental health issues. There is too much on the line this election for anyone to sit on the sidelines. We all must use our voices and vote. Vote EARLY, vote safely and try to vote in person or drop your ballot in a dropbox (that’s what I did and it couldn’t have been any easier). If you aren’t voting in person, please make sure you follow the instructions that come with your ballot carefully and do not forget to sign your ballot (it’s usually smart to use a blue or black ballpoint ink pen)! For more info to learn how and where to vote in your state go to IWillVote.com”

Watch the video above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lori Loughlin arrived at a California federal prison on Friday where she surrendered herself to start serving a two-month sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Loughlin and her husband Mossimmo Gianulli, who will serve a longer five-month sentence, were implicated in Operation Varsity Blues, an FBI sting that unraveled a vast college admissions scandal involving bribery and cheating on SAT exams and also ensnared actress Felicity Huffman. After making a deal with prosecutors, Loughlin and Gianulli both pleaded guilty to using the illegal services to get their two daughters into prestigious universities, which prompted a judge to chastise Loughlin for participating “in the corruption of the system of higher education in this country.” Via Variety:

“I thought I was acting out of love for my children, but in reality it only undermined and diminished my daughters’ accomplishments,” she said at the time. “I wish I could go back and do things differently. I have great faith in God, and I believe in redemption and I will do everything in my power to redeem myself.”

After being caught up in the admissions scandal, Loughlin was written out of the final episodes of Netflix’s Fuller House, which deprived Aunt Becky of a proper exit. Loughlin was also written off of the Hallmark Channel series When The Heart Calls, and to add insult to injury, both shows came up with the same silly excuse for her characters’ absence: “She had to go help her mom.” Oof.

(Via Variety)