JuJu Smith-Schuster is a budding star in the NFL, both for his on-field production as wide receiver for the Steelers as well as his ever-growing presence on social media and with numerous sponsorship deals. Over the course of this season, Smith-Schuster has been posting TikToks of himself dancing on the midfield logo in pregame warmups, which, for anyone that knows how oddly seriously NFL teams take the sanctity of The Logo, has been made out to be a sign of disrespect.
Smith-Schuster has insisted its not and is just something he’s doing for his fans, but this past week, it all came to a head when the Steelers lost to the Bengals on Monday Night Football and Smith-Schuster’s pregame dancing became a hot topic of conversation. Smith-Schuster had one of many Steelers turnovers on the night, leading directly to a Bengals score when he fumbled after getting lit up by Bengals DB Vonn Bell, who seemed to relish the opportunity to give JuJu the business.
Afterward, his Steelers teammates were asked about the pregame TikToks and what they thought about it, and as it became a story that was impacting his teammates, it became clear to Smith-Schuster that it was time to put a stop to it.
Asked JuJu about the dancing and if things like Vonn Bell’s extra-hard hit on him made him reevaluate the decision to dance on the logo.
He said he’s going to stop for the betterment of the team.
He says he’s not changing who he is and will continue doing his thing on TikTok, but just won’t be doing them in pregame at midfield anymore “for the betterment of myself and the team.” He notes he did it while they were undefeated and while they had some losses, but losing to the Bengals with Ryan Finley at quarterback will always lead to some serious self-reflection and contemplation of how you can change.
As is always the case in sports, what you do off the field only really matters to fans when things are going poorly on the field, and, as such, this was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back in terms of some backlash towards Smith-Schuster. He became the easy scapegoat for Pittsburgh’s swoon, as it’s much easier to say, “hey, his pregame dancing is angering the other team,” than it is to say, “hey, Ben Roethlisberger might not be very good.”
Fans of The Walking Dead might like to think that Steven Yeun — who played Glenn Rhee on the series for seven seasons — basically began his career on the long-running AMC series. A look at his IMDb page, in fact, might suggest as much. Before being cast on The Walking Dead, his biggest screen credit was as a guest star on one episode of Big Bang Theory.
After six years on The Walking Dead, a variety of roles in indie flicks (like Okja and Mayhem), Yeun is getting a lot of attention for his role in Minari, which won both the grand jury and audience prizes at Sundance this year. Yeun is also poised to be nominated for an Oscar for the role, although the movie itself is being unfairly sidelined as a foreign-language film by the Golden Globes.
What many people may not realize, however, is that before landing his gig on The Walking Dead, Yeun’s career path was in comedy. He studied improv in college in Michigan and then moved to Chicago to pursue a career in comedy through Second City, breaking into the troupe after nailing his audition with a sketch written by Steve Carell. Yes, that Steve Carell, from The Office.
The Carell sketch audition got him into Second City, after which he toured the country with the troupe alongside the likes of former SNL star Vanessa Bayer. “What I realize now about Steven is something they used to tell us in Chicago all the time, that the best sketch comics are often just amazing actors. Some of the stuff we were doing was extremely stupid, and he had such great comedic timing,” Bayer told Variety.
Yeun hit a wall at Second City, however, because he didn’t see a way into SNL for Asian men. “I didn’t see a pathway through Second City to get to ‘SNL,’ probably because there was nobody in front of me to lead the way. I was also thinking, who could I even play in popular culture that wasn’t an accented foreigner?” Yeun told Variety.
Yeun, however, has come to appreciate Bowen Yang — SNL’s first Asian American cast member — as much as the rest of us over the past year. “What’s been nice about recontextualizing that moment is to see what Bowen Yang is doing now on ‘SNL.’ He’s not playing a stereotype, he’s owning the multitudes of what Asian Americans can be or how Asian people are seen. I think that’s the thing that I wasn’t aware of or maybe brave enough to contend with at the time.”
The only logical thing for SNL to do at this point, of course, is to ask Yeun to host. He’s got a comedy background; Minari will be released wide in February; and Yeun will almost certainly be a huge topic of conversation around the Oscars. Do it, Lorne. It’d be one hell of a way to kick off the New Year.
Wonder Woman 1984 doesn’t hit HBO Max (and, oh yeah, whatever movie theaters remain open, too) until Friday, and while it’s been slightly divisive amongst critics, there’s one aspect of it almost everyone can agree on: Pedro Pascal’s villain Maxwell Lord is clearly supposed to be Donald Trump. Or is he? In a new interview with Variety, star Gal Gadot insists that the cast and crew were a little slow to pick up that a bad guy who’s also an ’80s businessman, television personality, and con man could have similarities with a president who’s been all of those things.
“It’s interesting because when we shot it, we didn’t really think about it until we got to the White House. And then we’re like, ‘Hmm,’” Gadot claims. She points to how Lord, like all comic book characters, has so many different iterations, and that theirs just happened to be Trumpian. Besides, she insists, he’s a far more complicated baddie than America’s 45th president.
“The thing about Maxwell Lord in our movie, unlike the comics, is that he’s more complex because he’s not just an evil villain,” Gadot said. “He is a regular person who wants to be all these things that you would see on TV. I know from Pedro while we were shooting the movie, that at a certain point, he just focused on the page and what was there. And along with Patty, they just created this character. But we never tried to mimic anybody else. We never tried to mimic Trump or anything.”
Whether or not you buy Gadot’s claim — that Pascal’s Maxwell Lord just happened to look an awful lot like Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko, who was, if not directly modeled on Donald Trump, then was of a similar type — is something everyone can find out when 1984 finally drops on Christmas Day.
With two holidays coming up back to back, it feels like it’s time to break out the whisky. In fact, we think it’s high time for a stiff drink or two of the good stuff. In this case, the “good stuff” is scotch whisky. Single malt, pure malt, blended… it’s all good this time of year.
We’re not ranking anything or blind tasting scotch for this. This is a simple list of 15 whiskies we like to drink across a pretty broad spectrum of flavors. There are a couple of blends, a few sweet single malts, and the requisite smoke monsters, all standing together. We also tried to keep the price range at $100 or less (with one exception).
Let’s stop with the preamble and get to the scotch!
Johnnie Walker’s Green Label is a solidly crafted whisky that highlights Diageo’s fine stable of distilleries across Scotland. The juice is a pure malt or blended malt, meaning that only single malt whisky is in the mix (and no grain whisky). In this case, the primary whiskies are a minimum of 15-year-olds from Talisker, Caol Ila, Cragganmore, and Linkwood.
Tasting Notes:
Soft notes of cedar dance with hints of black pepper, vanilla pods, and bright fruit with a wisp of green grass in the background. The palate really delivers on that soft cedar woodiness while edging towards a spice-laden tropical fruit brightness. The finish is dialed-in with hints of cedar, spice, and fruit leading towards a briny billow of smoke at the very end.
Auchentoshan American Oak is a stepping stone for bourbon drinkers looking to get into scotch. The juice is aged in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels only. Those fresh barrels help imbue bourbon-iness into the single malt while it matures.
Tasting Notes:
Bourbon vanilla and caramel greet you with a note of woody spice. That vanilla and spice carry through with a nod towards lemony citrus and cinnamon-dusted caramel apples. The wood, spice, fruit, and vanilla all shine on the medium-length finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a fairly accessible dram. Try it on its own first, then open it up with some rocks or in a highball to get the full experience.
Master Distiller John Campbell created this whisky to highlight the diversity of the casking process behind Laphroaig’s classic expressions. The juice is a blend of four casks. Their quarter, Pedro Ximénez, triple wood, and ten-year-old casks are married to create a deeply satisfying bottle of whisky.
Tasting Notes:
The whisky draws you in with hints of red fruit, plums, nuts, and a bit of maltiness. The fruit leads the way on the palate while the wood leans mildly spicy with a bit of warmth and more of that malt. The end lingers as the fruit and wood come together with an ever-so-distant wisp of smoke.
Bottom Line:
This is a super-easy drinking whisky that works well as a cocktail base or in a highball.
This whisky from Glenmorangie is hard to deny. The juice is aged in ex-bourbon barrels for several years before being transferred into French Sauternes casks for a finishing touch. The French dessert wine casks don’t really sweeten the whisky so much as it refines it to the point of deliciousness.
Tasting Notes:
Bourbon vanilla and fresh honey combine on the nose with a dose of orange zest and pears. The palate delivers while adding salted caramel with a more spicy stewed pear vibe next to that vanilla, honey, and oakiness. The end is long, full of brightness, and has real roundness to the mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
This is another sipper that you need to take your time with. Add a little water or a rock to really let it bloom and then enjoy it slowly.
This well-crafted whisky utilizes unique casking and blending to create a solid sipper. The juice is a blend of both peated and unpeated whisky that’s aged in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-Marsala wine casks.
After 12 years of maturation, the casks are blended, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
This is sherry meets bourbon on the nose with hints of vanilla, almonds, and fruit with a minor note of smoke way in the background. The taste embraces the vanilla while playfully hitting notes of peppery spice, worn leather, and plummy sweet wine. The end brings about a thin line of campfire smoke that just accents the overall palate.
Bottom Line:
This is the “smoky” whisky for folks who don’t like smoky whisky. The smoke is there but it’s a minor part of a very sippable whole.
This much-beloved expression from Aberlour focuses on one thing: its cask. The juice is aged exclusively in Spanish oloroso sherry casks. The whisky is then bottled at cask strength with no meddling whatsoever. The result is Aberlour in its purest form.
Tasting Notes:
Since this is cask strength, there will be slight variation in each batch. Expect plummy sherry next to a Christmas cake brimming with nuts, candied fruits, and plenty of molasses sweetness. The palate will carry on that Christmas cake route while getting spicier and a little woody. The end really amps up with water as notes of dark chocolate covered marzipan mingle with a hint of grassiness.
Bottom Line:
This is a splendid sipper. Just make sure to add little water or a rock to really let it shine.
This gateway to Oban’s beautifully built whiskies is a charmer. The whisky is made in one of Scotland’s smallest seaside distilleries and that atmosphere leaks into every single drop.
Tasting Notes:
The sea meets fruit orchards, bales of straw, malts, and wisps of seaside campfire smoke. The body of the dram is silken and carries notes of sweet pears, summer florals, and very dialed back smokiness. The end is long-ish with a focus on the sweet fruits and sea brine leading towards a warm embrace.
Bottom Line:
This is a killer highball mixer. It also works really well as a casual, everyday sipper.
This whisky is a salute to the smoked malts of Islay’s Port Ellen. The whisky takes its time with a long fermentation, distillation, and maturation process. After 16 long years resting in oak, the juice is proofed and bottled as is.
Tasting Notes:
Creamy vanilla meets green tea, sweet paprika, and plummy sherry with a concentrated dose of smoke. The palate of sherry fruitiness and nuttiness has more of that creamy vanilla leading towards a very iodine-heavy peatiness. The end is long and kind of like meandering through a smokehouse full of orchard fruits, vanilla trees, a dark spices.
Bottom Line:
This is a touchstone bottle of booze. It’s, of course, a great sipper with a little water. It’s also amazing with cola (especially Coke), in the famed Smoky Cokey.
This whisky from The Balvenie is a delicious outlier on this list. The juice is aged for 14 long years in ex-bourbon casks. It’s then transferred to Caribbean rum casks that held rum specifically made for seasoning the barrels which then finish this whisky specifically. It’s very dialed and very f*cking tasty.
Tasting Notes:
Buttery toffee, pineapple, banana, and malts greet you. The taste amps up the creaminess with plenty of vanilla, molasses, and more fruit leaning towards stewed apple and pears. The end embraces the vanilla and warmth of the wood as it slowly fades away.
Bottom Line:
This really blooms in technicolor rays of light with a little water or ice. Take your time, take it all in, and enjoy this well-made dram.
This whiskey from the far north of Scotland’s Orkney Islands remains enticingly distinct. The peat used to smoke the malts all comes from the grass on the wind-swept isles. This, combined with the brisk sea brine in the air and the sherry-cask-only maturation, makes for a complex drinking experience.
Tasting Notes:
It’s light, floral, and full of honey next to creamy lemon curd with a hint of that grass. The palate edges the citrus more into orange oil territory as the malts bring about a green tea earthiness with plenty of sweet berry fruit underneath it all. The end warms you with long rushes of dark spice and cedar leading towards a pleasant note of tobacco smoke.
Bottom Line:
This is a really solid mixing whisky. Give it a shot in a Manhattan (Rob Roy) or boulevardier the next time you’re mixing up drinks.
Pronounced “Oog-A-Dal,” this whisky is Islay’s peat in a bottle. The juice is crafted to be sweet and savory in the sense of the sea meeting the peat bogs on the land. The actual bottle is a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry matured whiskies that go in the bottle at cask strength, adding a serious kick.
Tasting Notes:
Christmas spices meet smoked plums and apricots with a distant hint of banana. The smokiness is very fruited with a malty underbelly leading towards more Christmas spice, creamy toffee, and dark espresso beans with a little water. The end is very long and full of peaty smoke, sea spray, dark fruit, and more of that Christmas spice.
Bottom Line:
If you dig peaty smoke monsters, this is the whisky for you. It really does explode with more flavors with the addition of a small amount of water or a rock.
This blended scotch is designed to be sipped. The whisky is a blend of 20 single malts from around Scotland, representing the entire country in the bottle. The result is a highly sippable and award-winning blend.
Tasting Notes:
There’s an eggnog essence at play with both a creaminess and a real sense of nutmeg next to malts and orange marmalade. The taste delivers with a Christmas cake spice body, plenty of orange oils, and a dusting of dark chocolate (when water is added). The finish lingers for just the right amount of time with plenty of oak and spice remaining on your senses.
Bottom Line:
Add a little water and sit back and enjoy the ride on this one.
This Highland whisky is all about that finishing maturation. The juice initially matures in white oak barrels from the U.S. It’s then transferred to Port pipes for a final touch of aging before being only slightly brought down to proof and then bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mulled wine feel to this dram with a focus on clove, orange, and plums. The whisky then goes full Christmas cake with plenty of molasses sweetness, dried and candied fruits, fatty nuts, and full-bodied cake mouthfeel. The end slows way down, as hints of spice and oak marry with rich pipe tobacco and a final note ginger spice.
Bottom Line:
This feels like $100 in every sip. It’s so easy to drink, really leans into the X-mas vibes, and is a wonderful gift bottle to boot.
This is a fascinating entry into Glenfiddich’s Experimental series. The distillery invited 20 malt masters to chose 20 barrels from their warehouses to create this whisky. Once the barrels were selected, Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman married the juices to create this expression.
Tasting Notes:
Big notes of cedar, orange oils, and buttery toffee draw you into the dram. The palate holds onto that cedar while Christmas spices mingle with creamy vanilla pudding and a note of milk chocolate buried deep within the sip. The end really lasts, especially when water is added, by amping up the milk chocolate to dark chocolate and bitter espresso with all that wood, spice, and creamy vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is a solid workhorse bottle. Yes, it’s a fine sipper that’ll satisfy. It also really works in cocktails. Try this in an old fashioned or nog and you won’t be disappointed.
This whiskey from the Isle of Skye remains one of balance between the mountains and seas. The juice is aged for 18 long years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry wood before it’s blended to create a single malt that truly embraces the beauty of Skye in every drop.
Yes, we know it exceeds our price parameters, but this one is worth it.
Tasting Notes:
This is amazingly smooth with hints of apple brandy, sweet tobacco, aged wood, and a whisper of rosewater on the nose. The body is pure velvet cradling notes of smoky fireplaces, peppery spice, and bitter black coffee next to a slight fruit and malt underbelly. The end amps up the spice to Christmas cake territory while the smoke lurks in the background with a bit of salted citrus coming in late.
Bottom Line:
One rock. One pour. One happy customer. This is a great sipper that is worth the price of admission every single time. It also pairs amazingly well with smoked salmon and/or oysters.
The HBO and HBO Max listings for January 2021 have arrived to remind us that, yes, we’ve actually made it through this hellfire of a year.
As a reward, enjoy more Euphoria specials, a crime thriller with Denzel Washington and Rami Malek, and a new season of the addictive comedy series, Search Party. Plus, there are plenty of film franchises including Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and Kill Bill Vol. 1&2 to keep your binge-watching schedule full.
Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) HBO and HBO Max this month.
The Little Things (HBO Max film streaming 1/29)
Academy Award winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto all star in this psychological thriller from John Lee Hancock. The film follows two California sheriffs (Denzel and Malek) as their hunt for a killer targeting women sparks a dangerous growing obsession around one suspect (Leto) for both of them.
Search Party: Season 4 Premiere (HBO Max original streaming 1/14)
This latest season of HBO Max’s singular comedy series sees Dory as the missing person (she’s being held prisoner by a psychotic stalker) forcing her friends Portia, Elliott, and Drew, to go searching for her this time around. Of course, they’ve also got to balance their post-trial lives — Portia’s filming a movie based on her experience last season, Elliott is now a far-right conservative talk show host, and Drew is drowning his sorrows as a theme park mascot.
Euphoria Special Episode Part 2: F*ck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob, Special Episode Premiere (HBO series streaming 1/24)
Euphoria follows up its superb special starring Zendaya and Colman Domingo with its planned second installment. This episode focuses on Jules (Hunter Schafer), who we last saw leaving Rue at the train station as she made a break for L.A.
Here’s everything coming to HBO and HBO Max this January:
Dates TBA: Arthur’s Law, Max Original Series Premiere The Event, Max Original Series Premiere Locked Down, Max Original Film Premiere Perfect Life (fka Vida Perfecta), Max Original Season 1 Premiere Possessions, HBO Max Season 1 Premiere Selena + Chef, Max Original Season 2 Premiere
Avail. 1/1 12 oz. Mouse, Seasons 1 & 2 42nd Street, 1933 All the President’s Men, 1976 Apple & Onion, Season 1B The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman, 1974 (HBO) Batman Begins, 2005 Batman Beyond Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker, 2000 Batman: Bad Blood, 2016 Batman: Death in the Family, 2020 Batman: Hush, 2019 Batman: The Animated Series Blade, 1998 A Better Life, 2011 (HBO) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005 Dog Day Afternoon, 1975 Check It Out! with Steve Brule Chinatown, 1974 Codename: Kids Next Door The Color Purple, 1985 The Conjuring, 2013 Courage the Cowardly Dog Craig of the Creek, Season 2 The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, 2002 (HBO) The Dark Knight, 2008 The Dark Knight Rises, 2012 Dim Sum Funeral, 2009 (HBO) Ed, Edd n Eddy El Amor No Puede Esperar (Aka Love Can’t Wait), 2021 (HBO) Happy Feet, 2006 The Electric Horseman, 1979 (HBO) Escape from New York, 1981 The Exorcist, 1973 Flashpoint, 1984 (HBO) The General’s Daughter, 1999 (HBO) Gossip Girl Green Lantern, 2011 Green Lantern: The Animated Series Gremlins, 1984 Gremlins 2: The New Batch, 1990 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Happily N’Ever After, 2007 (HBO) Happily N’Ever After 2: Snow White, 2009 (HBO) Happy-Go-Lucky, 2008 (HBO) He Said She Said, 1991 (HBO) Heaven Help Us, 1985 (HBO) The Infamous Future, 2018 Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, 2001 (HBO) The Jellies Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, 2020 Kong: Skull Island, 2017 Little Con Lili, 2021 (HBO) Loiter Squad Ma, 2019 (HBO) Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, 1983 Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015 Magic Mike, 2012 Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart March of the Penguins, 2005 Margaret, 2011 (Extended Version) (HBO) Miracle On 34th Street, 1994 (HBO) Miss Firecracker, 1989 (HBO) Mulholland Dr., 2001 Mystic River, 2003 Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D, 2012 (HBO) No Country for Old Men, 2007 The Notebook, 2004 Ocean’s 8, 2018 Ocean’s Eleven, 2001 Ocean’s Thirteen, 2007 Ocean’s Twelve, 2004 Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, 1985 Piter, 2021 (HBO) The Producers, 1968 Pulp Fiction, 1994 Purple Rain, 1984 Ready Player One, 2018 Revenge Of The Nerds, 1984 (HBO) Revenge Of The Nerds II: Nerds In Paradise, 1987 (HBO) Revenge Of The Nerds IV: Nerds In Love, 2005 (HBO) Rollerball, 2002 (HBO) Se7en, 1995 Shallow Hal, 2001 (HBO) Snowpiercer, Season 1 A Star is Born, 2018 Superman: Doomsday, 2007 Superman: Man of Tomorrow, 2020 Superman Returns, 2006 Swimfan, 2002 (HBO) This Is Spinal Tap, 1984 The Three Stooges, 2012 (HBO) TMNT, 2007 Tom Goes to the Mayor The Trouble With Spies, 1987 (HBO) Underclassman, 2005 (HBO) V for Vendetta, 2005 Van Wilder: Freshman Year (Extended Version), 2009 (HBO) Walk Of Shame, 2014 (HBO) Warrior, Seasons 1 & 2 (HBO) Willard, 1971 (HBO) Worth Winning, 1989 (HBO) You Can Count On Me, 2000 (HBO)
Avail. 1/2 The High Note, 2020 (HBO)
Avail. 1/4 30 Coins, Series Premiere (HBO)
Avail. 1/8 Patriot’s Day, 2016 Scream, 1996 Squish, Season 1
Avail. 1/9 The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, Season 2 Ben 10, Season 4A The King Of Staten Island, 2020 (HBO)
Avail. 1/12 Against The Wild, 2014 Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti, 2016 Alpha and Omega 5: Family Vacation, 2015 Alpha and Omega 6: Dino Digs, 2016 Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World, 2015 Blue Valentine, 2010 Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, 2000 Earth Girls Are Easy, 1989 An Elephant’s Journey, 2018 The Escape Artist, 1982 Get Carter, 1971 Hecho En Mexico, 2012 Hellboy: Blood and Iron, 2007 Hellboy: Sword of Storms, 2006 Hellboy: The Dark Below, 2010 Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again, 2016 The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, 1976 The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, 2013 La Mujer de Mi Hermano, 2005 Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: Amazing Word Explorers, 2015 Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: Counting on Lemonade, 2014 Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: The Letter Machine Rescue Team, 2014 Leapfrog: Numberland, 2012 Lost and Delirious, 2001 Love and Sex, 2000 Lovely & Amazing, 2002 The Man Who Would Be King, 1975 Meatballs, 1979 The Men Who Stare at Goats, 2009 A Mermaid’s Tale, 2017 Mistress, 1992 Mother’s Day, 2012 Mud, 2013 Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, 2016 Night is Short, Walk on Girl, 2017 No Eres Tu Soy Yo, 2011 Norm of the North: King Sized Adventure, 2019 Ollie & Moon, Seasons 1 & 2 Other Parents, Seasons 1 & 2 Pinocchio, 2012 Promare, 2019 Reservoir Dogs, 1992 Ride Your Wave, 2019 Righteous Kill, 2008 Sprung, 1997 The Spy Next Door, 2010 Tender Mercies, 1983 Thanks for Sharing, 2013 Turtle Tale, 2018 The Visitor, 2008 Vixen, 2015
Avail. 1/14 Search Party, Max Original Season 4 Premiere
Avail. 1/15 Stephen King’s It, 1990 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975 Poltergeist, 1982 Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Director’s Cut, Season 1 dubbed (Crunchyroll Collection) Real Time With Bill Maher, Season 19 Premiere (HBO) Roots (Mini Series), 1977 Si Yo Fuera Rico (Aka If I Were Rich), 2021 (HBO) The Wayans Bros
Avail. 1/20 At Home with Amy Sedaris, Season 3 C.B. Strike, Season 1 (HBO) C.B. Strike: Lethal White, Limited Series Premiere (HBO)
Avail. 1/21 Gomorrah, Max Original Season 3 Premiere Looney Tunes Cartoons, Season 1C
Avail. 1/22 The New Adventures of Old Christine Painting With John, Series Premiere (HBO)
Avail. 1/23 Don’t Let Go, 2019 (HBO) Person of Interest
Avail. 1/24 Euphoria Special Episode Part 2: F*ck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob, Special Episode Premiere (HBO)
Avail. 1/26 Babylon 5 Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
Avail. 1/29 ¡Animo Juventud! (Aka Go Youth!), 2021 (HBO) The Little Things What I Like About You
Avail. 1/30 The Mummy, 1999 (HBO) The Mummy Returns, 2001 (HBO) Pushing Daisies The Scorpion King, 2002 (HBO)
Avail. 1/31 Axios, Season 4 Premiere (HBO)
Here’s Everything Leaving HBO and HBO Max In January:
Leaving 1/7 War Dogs, 2016 (HBO)
Leaving 1/24 Wonder Woman 1984, 2020
Leaving 1/31 Ad Astra, 2019 After Hours, 1985 (HBO) Akeelah And The Bee, 2006 (HBO) All Is Bright, 2013 America, America, 1964 Anchors Aweigh, 1945 The Arrangement, 1969 Bee Season, 2005 (HBO) Before Sunrise, 1995 (HBO) Before Sunset, 2004 (HBO) Best Laid Plans, 1999 (HBO) Bigger Than The Sky, 2005 (HBO) Blade II, 2002 Blade, 1998 Blood Simple, 1984 (HBO) Bridge To Terabithia, 2007 (HBO) Bright Lights, Big City, 1988 (HBO) The Change-Up, 2011 (HBO) The Children, 2009 A Christmas Carol, 1938 Crash, 2005 (Director’s Cut) (HBO) David Copperfield, 1935 Days After Your Departure, 2019 (HBO) Enemy Of The State, 1998 (HBO) Everybody’s All-American, 1988 (HBO) Father’s Day, 1997 (HBO) Friday Night Lights, 2004 (HBO) Get On Up, 2014 (HBO) Guys And Dolls, 1955 High Society, 1956 Jeepers Creepers 2, 2003 (HBO) Jeepers Creepers, 2001 (HBO) Leprechaun 2, 1994 (HBO) Leprechaun, 1993 (HBO) Magnolia, 1999 (HBO) The Man With The Golden Arm, 1955 Mars Attacks!, 1996 Martha Marcy May Marlene, 2011 (HBO) Martin Lawrence You So Crazy, 1994 (HBO) New Year’s Eve, 2011 (HBO) Ocean’s Eleven, 2001 Ocean’s Thirteen, 2007 Ocean’s Twelve, 2004 On The Town, 1949 The Pelican Brief, 1993 Planet Of The Apes, 2001 (HBO) Risky Business, 1983 Semi-Pro, 2008 Some Came Running, 1958 Something Borrowed, 2011 (HBO) Splendor In The Grass, 1961 Walk The Line, 2005 (Extended Version) (HBO) When Harry Met Sally, 1989
Talking to Edmond Sumner and Andrew Mitchell about the AAU team that bears the former’s name is a pretty fun exercise. Here’s what Sumner had to say when Mitchell came up in conversation:
“I give him the most credit,” Sumner told me over the phone. “I basically just have my name on it, he does all the dirty work. That’s why, honestly, the interview should be more towards him because he knows everything. He’s the one dealing with the parents. He’s the one making sure everybody’s happy. He’s recruiting kids. He’s coaching the kids. He’s doing a phenomenal job and he needs 100 percent of credit. I’m just the guy that’s using the blessing God has gave me to be able to fund most of the things.”
And here is what Mitchell has to say in response:
“I’m just thankful that Edmond gave me this opportunity to try to run away with this,” Mitchell says. “And I think our program is headed for the stars. And I think we’re definitely headed in the right direction. And obviously Edmond gives me a lot of credit, but I give him a lot of credit for even believing in me and this opportunity.”
No matter who deserves more credit between the two, Sumner and Mitchell, a pair of former teammates with the Xavier University men’s basketball team, are determined to be a pair of positive influences in the young men who come through their program. Both Sumner, now of the Indiana Pacers, and Mitchell, who is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the program, came through the AAU circuit, and understand that people who run these programs don’t always have the best interest of the kids who play the game in mind.
As a result, the two wanted to make sure that the young men participating in their program were front and center.
“At the end of the day, you never know really what people agendas are,” Sumner says. “And I know what my agendas are. So, at the end of the day, it’s to get these kids the opportunity to get seen and potentially get a college scholarship. That was my goal. A lot of people who are in it for the wrong reasons. And my whole thing is making sure we all in it for the right reasons. If you’re in this circle, you’re in in for the right reasons. This is not about us. It’s about solely the kids.”
A former four-star guard recruit, Sumner was an All-Big East selection with the Musketeers. He parlayed this into a second round selection by the Pacers in 2017, and after spending some time with the team’s G League affiliate in Fort Wayne, was able to make the jump to the league.
Throughout his basketball career, Sumner always knew he wanted to do something with AAU. A talented player in his prep days who participated in the Nike EYBL circuit, Sumner remembers going from being a kid whose family had to pay for things — his dad was his coach when he was younger — to someone who was able to participate in AAU ball without that extra burden being on the adults in his life.
“My parents not having to pay for the tournaments, not have to worry about basketball shoes all the time and little things like that,” he says. “It adds up and that puts a whole other pressure. So my mindset always was, I always wanted to try to have either my own program or give back to a program. And Andrew, he’s the reason why. He brought it to my attention, it’s an opportunity we have and he knew what I believed in and stuff like that. So he basically told me ‘I’ll run it for you, I know you’re going to be busy during the season.”
Mitchell took the reins of the program prior to Sumner’s involvement. His partner’s son was on the team when it was known as Much Greater Elite, and when the team needed someone to step in as coach, it only made sense to turn to the former college basketball player who was around the program. It paid off, as he managed to lead them to a win in a tournament. Things snowballed from there — he kept volunteering as the coach as a way to help the kids out, they kept winning, and next thing he knew, Mitchell was the program’s full-time head coach.
At the time, the program’s sponsor was now-former NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones. Mitchell, who doubles as Sumner’s manager, thought it’d be cool to be the only AAU program sponsored by an NFL and an NBA player. Sumner agreed, hopped on board in a smaller capacity, and then got to thinking: How cool would it be to have his own AAU program with his name on it? As such, Edmond Sumner Select, led by Andrew Mitchell, came to fruition in Sept. 2019.
“We won over 120 games in three years and lost less than 25,” Mitchell says. “In three years! So we’ve had a lot of success and I don’t really go by the rankings, because I’m a big ‘scholarships over rankings’ guy. But, if you go by the rankings, in the last few years, we’ve been in every top-15 ranking in the country that’s ever been announced. We’re on every ranking site, we go to tournaments, we’re in super pools, which means the best teams are playing each other in pool play. So we’re playing against the best teams in the country right away.”
The early returns have been solid — as Mitchell noted, the ’26 squad, in particular, is quite promising — but neither want the kids involved to feel pressured to make it to the NBA. That’s far down the road, and if that comes to fruition, so be it. Instead, the pair care about taking care of young men who have dreams, while Mitchell has the long-term goal of seeing his kids all sitting together on signing day and making their college decisions together.
Still, the pair picked one heck of a time to get into the AAU game. Several months after the team started carrying its current name, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing movement for racial justice in the United States became as much a part of everyday life as getting out of bed in the morning. For Mitchell, this presented an opportunity to hammer home life skills — he teaches them things like making sure they always hold the door for someone walking behind them, and wants them to “be the best man on the court, be the best man in the classroom, [and] be the best man at home” — while letting the basketball court be a source of refuge.
“I feel like it’s just their getaway from all the stuff,” Mitchell says. “Obviously most of the families in our team, they’re not letting their kids do much. So their kids are on lockdown in the house, and it’s just you, your mom, your dad, your siblings in house. So as soon as we were able to come out and have an AAU tournament, I used it as a getaway. So I preached that to the kids before the games. Like, ‘The world has been crazy. We didn’t know when we were going to play basketball again, if you were going to play basketball again. This thing can last for years. So all these moments where you get to go on the court and you play with your friends, use that as your Why.’ I call it your Why, your fuel as like, ‘Don’t go out there and waste time. You never know when you could get these moments again, they could be your last moments, for some of you guys.’”
You’re never too old to learn, though, and for both, this year served as a learning experience for both of them on how they can use AAU basketball — and mentorship in general — as a way to improve the lives of young men. Mitchell praised the NBA for setting an example on how to come together in the face of multiple hardships, specifically citing the social justice-inspired slogans that players wore across the backs of their jerseys in the Orlando Bubble.
As Mitchell tells it, that trickled down to the AAU level, which adopted a similar practice. And unsurprisingly, he cited one player in particular who was in the Bubble and chose “EQUALITY” as his slogan for being able to cut through everything and get a message across to his kids.
“I think our kids have been torn all over the place, because they’re obviously getting older, they’re more mature, they’re listening to their parents talk, they’re listen to everybody talk,” Mitchell said. “Social media is huge. So they’re seeing ever thing and some of their favorite players — obviously Edmond’s in the NBA, so he’s a part of this stuff that NBA was standing for this year.
“You see everybody with jerseys, similar to the NBA — the Black Lives Matter slogans on the back, or ‘Equality,’ or ‘My Life Matters’ and things like that. So it was awesome to see white people, black people, all peoples of color just standing together as one. It was awesome.”
Sumner says in general, this year hammered home the importance of not taking life for granted. When it comes to the AAU program, while Mitchell is making sure everything is going well on a day-to-day basis, he’s taking pride in making sure he can set the sort of example that every kid is excited to follow.
“I feel you can really tell someone’s character by how they treat somebody that they don’t need, like a janitor or somebody who you don’t really benefit from them,” Sumner says. “It’s easy to go ahead and treat your head coach great, or treat somebody that you look up to, that’s easy. But for you to, like [Drew] said, somebody is behind you, hold the door open for them and let them walk in, or little stuff like that. That’s a testimony to your true character. And I just really try to be the best role in my life each and every day.”
Lil Baby has had about as much market penetration as anybody in 2020, as his album My Turn rocketed to the top of the charts. He’s become a household name, and consequently, it hasn’t been hard for him to find new endorsement opportunities. For example, he recently got in bed with Magnum Condoms for a new marketing campaign, for which he penned a new verse.
In the video promoting Magnum’s large size condoms, he balls out on a minute-long verse, which includes lyrics like, “She already know how I play, just bring the Magnums / Always keep a gold one, it fits right with my fashion,” as well as other words in a similar vein.
Baby has been pumping out hits this year, as “The Bigger Picture” came in at No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart, and his Pop Smoke hook-up “For The Night” was also a top-10 single. He spent the year going in and out of the studio, as he also collaborated with partners like Mulatto, Jack Harlow, and City Girls. Baby was also a member of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list this year, as were folks like Doja Cat, Murda Beatz, Polo G, Brent Faiyaz, Conan Gray, G Herbo, Ava Max, London On Da Track, and Saweetie.
All in all, though, there’s only one Lil Baby, which should be especially true going forward thanks to his new endorsement.
Famous for being supremely dedicated to the power and might of the gridiron, NFL coaches tend to go a bit overboard from time to time when they are asked to contextualize the importance of football compared to other things in their lives. They’re actually kind of famous for how important football is to them.
This year, Giants head coach Joe Judge is translating that mentality to the holiday season. When he was asked this morning on Good Morning Football about what it meant to be playing on Christmas Day against the Ravens, Judge went full scrooge.
“With all due respect to Christmas, we’ve gotta forget about Christmas for a little while and focus on the Ravens,” Judge told the show’s hosts.
The Giants are still in contention for the NFC East title or a wildcard berth, so Judge’s focus is warranted, but still pretty hilarious.
While Judge is in good company among coaches in his steadfast commitment to Playing Football, the first-year head coach ensured with this quote that he goes down in history. There’s just nothing like starting a sentence with the phrase “with all due respect to Christmas.” If you find yourself having to set aside a few words for quite literally the most important day of the year for millions of people around the world, it may be an indication that you’ve gone a bit too far with your football-ism.
Da-Da-dum da da da da-dum, da da-dum. Da-da-dum da da da da-dum, da da-dum.
As you’ve clearly guessed — because it couldn’t be more obvious — that is the most hum-able section of the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s jazz standard Linus and Lucy. It’s a song that not only says “Charlie Brown” but “Christmas.” It’s also reverberating in my head at the moment because I am in fact watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. While smoking a bowl of the green stuff.
This totally normal holiday activity got me thinking: “What weed strains embody each of the Peanuts characters?” Which, admittedly, is a random thought to have. But I think any stoner can agree that most of the strain names out there are garbage. Wouldn’t you rather live in a world where you can pick up a 3.5-gram jar of Schroeder flowers instead of, you know, Purple Monkey Balls or whatever?
The more I thought about this, the more I started to take it seriously. You wouldn’t name a giggle-inducing, munchie causing strain “Charlie Brown,” it just doesn’t match his character. So I started pairing my favorite characters from A Charlie Brown Christmas — which unfortunately means no Peppermint Patty, Woodstock, or Little Red-Headed Girl — with the weed strains my very high brain thinks that they’re best represented by.
Let’s dive in!
Lucy van Pelt — Riff OG
CBS/Apple+
Strain: Indica THC: 26.87%
“It’s too early. I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January” — Lucy van Pelt.
Okay, here we go, starting with Lucy van Pelt. When I was younger I didn’t like Lucy, I thought she was mean and a big bully. Why wouldn’t she let Charlie Brown kick the ball? Now that I’m older and wiser, I get it. Sometimes you see Charlie Brown, and you sympathize, but eventually, his incessant moping gets you to a point where you say to yourself, “You know what? F*ck that kid! Stop getting in your damn own way, Charlie Brown.”
What does any of this have to do with weed? Let’s see… Lucy van Pelt, she’s strong, she’ll throw hands with a trash talker, she doesn’t take anybody’s sh*t — as exhibited in A Charlie Brown Christmas — and she’s got a thing for Schroeder who riffs on the piano.
Easy, I’m going with Ember Valley’s Riff OG, a super-strong indica so powerful that it’ll knock you into a couch lock with a single bowl, no matter how regularly you toke up. It’s the bossy, weed strain that pulls the football out from under you.
“You wouldn’t hit an innocent Shepard would you?” Linus van Pelt.
Linus is the intellectual soul of the Peanuts cast, he drops knowledge on Charlie and his dumb friends constantly, yet ironically, he’s also a big baby who carries around a security blanket and sucks his thumb. He’s basically, a Zoomer. So he needs a weed-like Cereal Milk.
A cross between strawberry lemonade and thin mints, Cereal Milk is an Indica strain that sports beautiful light green buds caked in bright crystals, giving it a sugar cereal and milk vibe with limonene and linalool terpenes that crush anxiety, bring on a heavy rush of euphoria, and settle you into a sedative relaxed state.
“Dear Santa Claus. How have you been, did you have a nice summer? How is your wife? I’ve been extra good this year, that’s why I have a long list of presents that I want. Please note the size and color of each item and send as many as possible. If it seems too complicated, make it easy on yourself, just send money. How about $10s and $20s?” — Sally Brown
Charlie Brown spends much of the movie wandering around complaining about how the people around him are falling into the commercialization of Christmas and it’s making him depressed — it’s a very deep cartoon — but it doesn’t get any darker than when his own sister asks him to write her wish list to Santa and literally asks for rewards for good behavior.
As annoying as that is to CB, I think we can all agree that he needs to chill. Sally is just living her life and having fun. It’s the ’60s for god’s sake, Chuck. Grow out your hair and smoke some herb.
Anyway, Sally needs a weed strain to match her bubblegum personality. I choose Strawnana, aka Strawberry Banana, a cross between banana kush and strawberry bubblegum with fruity citrus notes, and a deep herbal flavor that makes for a great option for vaped weed or a glass-on-glass bong.
“Pigpen, you’re the only person I know who can raise a cloud of dust in a snowstorm” — Charlie Brown.
This has got to be the easiest one. All you need to know about Pig-Pen is that this dude is always dusty. Everybody has that one dusty friend in their life! So we’re going with a strain that’s so stinky it gives you a head change once you open up the jar. Durban Poison is a sativa with sticky dense buds dusted in trichomes, a pungent nose-scrunching smoke smell, and a burnt-earth flavor.
It brings on some nice body tingles and makes tactile sensations something to giggle over. Basically, it’s a weed you can get down with that’ll make you feel good, and if you’ve seen A Charlie Brown Christmas‘s dance scene, you know Pig-Pen gets f*cking down.
“What do you mean Beethoven wasn’t so great?” — Schroeder.
Schroeder has always been the coolest Peanuts character. Music is such a big part of the cartoon — which is ironic considering its comic strip origins — and those jazzy chords and rhythms are usually expressed through Schroeder rocking out on his toy piano.
For Schroeder, I’m going with Wedding Cake, an Indica-dominant hybrid that will chill you out, enhance your senses, and give you those closed eye visuals that make listening to music high awesome. Flavor-wise, this strain is smooth with piney herbal notes and a noticeable hint of sweet vanilla.
Snoopy is pretty much good at everything. In the movie, he wins a decorating competition, elegantly ice skates, plays guitar, and shows off his acting chops. He needs a strain worthy of a hero, so I’ve chosen Skywalker OG, which isn’t legally allowed to be called that anymore.
Now it’s sometimes known as Mazar x Blueberry OG. An ironic fit for a character who has been licensed for theme parks, clothes, toys, and food.
This indica dominant hybrid has a distinct earthy blueberry flavor with subtle spicy notes and a sort of diesel undertone. Get it? Diesel — jet fuel — snoopy’s a pilot — give me a break here.
“I think there must be something wrong with me Linus. Christmas is coming, but I”m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel. I just don’t understand Christmas I guess.” — Charlie Brown
I know I spent a lot of this article sh*tting on Charlie Brown, but that’s because in so many ways I am Charlie Brown. Or at least, I understand Charlie Brown. He’s an alien, he’s out of step with the people around him, sometimes it feels like he’s always losing. We’re all Charlie Brown, in fact. That’s what makes him such a resonant character. We may all collectively have shades of the entire Peanuts cast, but what is life but feeling like the star of a show who never wins? Especially in 2020.
So we’re giving Charlie Brown Alien OG. Coming from California’s Caliva, Alien OG is a thinking person’s indica. It’s not for knocking out and chilling out as much as it’s for soul searching. It’s a strain that makes you question things, but it’s limonene and myrcene terpenes keep you in a chill enough state that you don’t fall into panic mode.
We’ll always remember this tumultuous year as one that sparked necessary discussions, especially within the spirits industry. From shining a spotlight on “off-limits” topics — from sexism to the lack of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) representation — the industry felt the heat of controversy exposing its biggest flaws, leading to a welcoming influx of conversations with the focus on change. Though we still have quite a way to go as an industry, 2020 saw its share of redefining moments that offered a beacon of hope for the future.
“2020 was the year that forced us to look within,” says Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Blender, Eboni Major, one of a handful of women of color making positive advances within the spirits industry in 2020. “The positive stride is the visibility. I say that because, for a while, whiskey was seen as just liquor. For a while, it was just like, ‘Okay, this is the person that makes it.’ Now you have Black Bourbon Society and people like Becky [Paskin] that are calling out things that we knew, but it was kind of taboo.”
To Major’s point, whiskey has traditionally been marketed to solely older white men — leaving out a significant portion of its consumers, including women and people of color. Conversations that call that out are the first step in addressing it. Or, as Major puts it: “The visibility has been huge in being able to really see what’s going on because you can’t change or improve anything if you don’t take the time to really see it for what it is.”
Marketing is one vital piece of the representation puzzle, but jobs for BIPOC within the industry are equally important. This year saw massive growth for Uncle Nearest — a brand led by Fawn Weaver, a Black woman, and blended by Victoria Eady Butler, a Black woman. It also saw new voices enter the conversation, like the forthcoming Fresh Bourbon, whose founders, Sean and Tia Edwards, are the first Black owners of a grain-to-glass distilling company in Kentucky.
Fresh Bourbon will begin shipping their first batch in January 2021 to customers who supported the presale campaign, in addition to being on store shelves throughout Kentucky and expanding to six states by the end of next year. They also plan to break ground on their distillery in the summer of 2021.
“The spirits industry has been super receptive to new African-American owned brands entering the market,” says Sean Edwards. “If the industry allows a seat at the table for more people of color and women, it will only help it to be viewed more positively. It won’t just be paper statements; it will be concrete actions.”
Despite what the industry has gotten right this year, there is still room for actionable improvement.
“When it comes to diversity and inclusion within the industry, the conversations are there, but that’s all I see,” says Major. “The thing I’m looking for out of the future is more action.”
I share Major’s experience as the youngest person, the only woman, and/or the lone Black person in the room at whiskey tastings and events. So I speak from experience when I say that it’s not enough to simply talk the talk when it comes to change. Those talks need to be backed with action. As Major puts it: “Diversity is not just having representation. Having me in the room means nothing if I don’t have a voice, the power, or respect, and lastly, the equity that others do.”
Renowned author and creator of the award-winning Sorel Liqueur, Jackie Summers, has spoken on multiple panels this year about representation – and the lack thereof – in the spirits industry. Summers’ sentiments are similar to Major’s.
“The industry is beginning to listen,” he says. “They’re not beginning to institute change, but they’re beginning to listen. They finally figured out that while corporations are not required to have a conscience, they are required to produce financial benefits for the shareholders, and ultimately it is financially irresponsible to either not diversify your staff or not adequately serve a diverse audience.”
Change, he says, must start on the executive level and trickle down to employees.
“There has been a standard of mediocrity which has permeated how these companies are run,” Summers says, “and it’s insufficient for us anymore.”
Looking forward to 2021, there are big steps to be taken. How do we as an industry get past the conversations and into an atmosphere of action? How do you really diversify this industry from an equitable standpoint?
“I think that’s the next conversation,” Major says. “How do we make sure that this is something that continues on and on and this is not just a 2020 era of living in the moment? Intent is always great, but we know the more you ignore a situation, the more it gets left behind. So, as long as everyone is being held accountable, I think we will get where we need to be.”
Sean Edwards wants to see a shift on the executive level. “I think the industry still needs work on the C suites. What does the C suite look like? Is it as diverse as the customer? Introducing more diversity at the top would be a great move by the large companies in the industry.”
It’s human nature to take the path of least resistance. The key is to hold those in charge accountable and to continue to vocalize what needs to change to promote a shift.
“It’s important that as we seek diversity in this industry, I challenge those that will represent diversity – meaning the Black and Brown people – hold them accountable that we’re not just a number,” Major says. “It’s not just good enough to have us there. Make sure diversity and inclusion are included in everything you do. It’s about being able to create a future for others. As our ancestors did it for us, we need to do it for the next generation.”
The most important domino to fall is hiring practices. As Edwards states, “We also have a truly diverse team working with Fresh, that has assisted in every decision we’ve made. This not only makes us inclusive for people of color and women but also experienced professionals working with us who have committed years to the industry.”
Jackie Summers
Summers, who has written extensively about representation in the drinks industry, sees increased Black ownership — like himself, Fawn Weaver, and Tia and Sean Edwards — as the path forward.
“There are two parts to this game,” he says. “There’s what you do that everyone sees and then it’s what you do privately. Like Biggie said, ‘Bad boys move in silence and violence.’ So, publicly, I am trying to make sure there’s education. Publicly, I’m trying to make sure that there’s awareness. Publicly, I’m trying to put words out into the universe that bring these issues to light. Behind the scenes, I’m trying to make sure that I can not just work with organizations that put diversity and inclusion as a priority, but to create one. Because it isn’t enough anymore to accept crumbs from the table. We can make our own table.”
He certainly takes the initiative when it comes to not only speaking on change but driving it. Sorel will re-launch in the new year and be available in the Caribbean, North America, South America, and Africa. Summers also plans to release additional liquors “with centuries of cultural significance that have not been properly marketed.” Working with fellow advocates for diversity and inclusion on future projects, Summers adds, “I’m going to look for people like myself. Black people, women, Asians, Latin, anyone’s who been marginalized and help them grow their businesses. What’s important to me isn’t my achievement or my goals, but the community. There’s a model of consumer capitalism that is me and how much I can accumulate. I want to break that model. I want the model to be us and how much can we create and distribute.”
While 2020 saw the rumblings of significant change in the spirits industry, 2021 needs to be the year the chatter is put into motion.
“The industry finally figured out there are things not palatable anymore — like delicious rums that are named Plantation,” says Summers. “We love your rum, but we’re not going to support this anymore. So, they’re beginning to listen. But what have they done? That is to be seen. So, while I’m sick of hearing myself talk and I’m sure others are sick of hearing me talk too, they’re going to hear my mouth and more mouths like mine more vocally united over the months and years to come. Because we’re not accepting anything but change anymore.”
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