Month: January 2021

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the pleasant surprises of the early NBA season, as they have gotten off to a 6-7 start and seen continued positive growth from young players like Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, as well as a defensive leap from the entire team, spearheaded by the play of Larry Nance Jr.

One name missing from that list of promising young players on the Cavs is Kevin Porter Jr., who has yet to play this season due to personal reasons but recently rejoined the team to sit on the bench and seemed to be working his way back to getting on the court. Porter Jr. was arrested this offseason after a single car crash for improper handling of a firearm and marijuana possession but had all of those charges dismissed and was getting himself back into playing shape.

However, his tenure with the Cavs seems to have come to an end, as his return to the team was not as cheery as it may have seemed. According to The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd and Joe Vardon, the swingman learned that his locker had been moved to make room for new acquisition Taurean Prince to take over his old space and threw quite the tantrum at just about everyone, including the coach and GM.

Porter, 20, who has not played this season due to personal issues, grew angry when he entered the locker room and realized the team gave his old locker to Taurean Prince, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade Wednesday.

Sources said Porter, whose locker was moved to the wall where the younger, end-of-bench players reside, began yelling and at one point threw food.

Sources said general manager Koby Altman came into the locker room and confronted Porter, and the player remained combative with his boss. The Cavs spent the weekend trying to trade him.

Now, one could understand frustration with having your locker moved without being consulted, but also, yelling, throwing food, and going after the guy who makes roster decisions probably isn’t the wisest way to go about that situation. A year ago, Porter Jr. was a player Cavs fans believed could end up being one of the best of their young bunch, as he averaged 10 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a rookie, coming on particularly strong in the second half of the season before the stoppage.

This season he’s yet to play and may not see the floor for a second season in Cleveland, and it remains to be seen what his trade value is right now given his talent mixed with this latest off court incident. As an aside, it’s nice that someone on the Cavs is carrying J.R. Smith’s legacy on by throwing food in anger.

More and more, Oscar winners and nominees are joining the MCU, and the names keep getting bigger. Angelina Jolie will (eventually) make her Marvel Studios debut in The Eternals, and former Batman Christian Bale will portray the villainous Korg the Conqueror in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love And Thunder. Now, the MCU has reportedly nabbed a few new A-lister editions, one of whom will make his first superpowered turn while joining Oscar Isaac in Disney+’s Moon Knight series, and the other who has already cameo-d twice for properties associated with Marvel comics.

One of those properties happened to be a straight-up MCU entry, Thor: Ragnarok, so yes, we’re talking about Matt Damon, who made a surprise cameo as a Loki cosplayer of sorts while he portrayed the role of the trickster in an Asgardian theater company production. Damon’s rendition was written as much more sympathetic to the plight of Loki than conventional Marvel Studios lore has painted him, and now, Australia’s news.com is reporting that Damon is quarantining in Australia while preparing for a mystery role in Thor: Love And Thunder alongside Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, and possibly the real Loki (Tom Hiddleston) as well.

The outlet speculates whether Damon will reprise his Ragnarok role again while noting that quarantine might be too much trouble unless he’s playing “a larger role.” However, I’d wager that any excuse (even another mere cameo) to hop onboard a private jet and get the heck out of the U.S. would be worth it, even with the quarantine involved. And who knows, his role could totally go off the rails and be something completely different. He could even pick up a variation of his Deadpool 2 yokel-cameo character, given that the Merc with a Mouth is also now part of the MCU. Anything could happen! We are truly in the Wild Wild West these days.

Speaking of wild and western, Ethan Hawke is reportedly following his fire-breathing performance in the proto-Western The Good Lord Bird with a role in Disney+’s upcoming Moon Knight series. According to Hollywood Reporter, Hawke will be stepping onboard as lead villain in opposition to Oscar Isaac’s protagonist. Of course, this development is stirring up how Hawke previously drew a distinction between “a fine superhero movie” and “a great movie” while talking about Logan to FilmStage (via ComicBook.com). He later clarified to Collider that he was “a comic book geek… The idea that I’m the one criticizing them is a joke.” He also emphasized his desire to teach his son that “being a geek is being real. That’s what it means: I’m gonna be real.”

Well, it looks like Ethan Hawke will be getting both geeky and real, and Matt Damon’s gonna be doing the same, once again.

(Via Australia’s news.com & Hollywood Reporter)

Snoop Dogg and Eminem have been in a bit of a feud lately, which began with Snoop leaving Eminem off his list of the ten best rappers ever. Eminem admitted those comments were the reason why he decided to diss Snoop on “Zeus.” It seems this beef has blown over, though, as Snoop indicated recently that everything between he and Eminem is alright. Now, though, he has spoken on the matter a bit more expansively and reiterated that sentiment.

During a recent interview with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, Snoop answered some viewer questions, and one person asked what his response was to Eminem calling him out on “Zeus.” Snoop replied, “We still friends. I think that’s family business and I don’t want to make it more than what it is. He said what he said, I respect that, we just going to keep it right there. It’s family business.”

The “Zeus” lyric in question goes, “As far as squashin’ beef, I’m used to people knockin’ me / But, just not in my camp / I’m diplomatic ’cause I’m tryna be / Last thing I need is Snoop doggin’ me / Man, dog, you was like a damn god to me / Man, not really / I had ‘dog’ backwards.”

As the days pass and the arrests mount, we’re learning more and more about the people involved in the MAGA riot at the capitol that left five people dead at the US Capitol earlier in the month. And that includes just what the insurrectionists did after they breached the capitol and what they’ve done in the aftermath of the coup attempt.

And according to Politico, at least one of those self-described “patriots” attempted a bit of espionage that has a lot of people on social media making jokes about Burn After Reading. According to the report, a woman stole a laptop from Nancy Pelosi’s office during the attack and tried to sell it to Russia. The FBI is currently investigating a Pennsylvania woman, Riley June Williams, who entered the Capitol during the January 6 attack, took either a laptop or hard drive from Pelosi’s office and hoped to sell it to Russia.

According to the affidavit, a witness who spoke to authorities claimed to have seen a video of Williams “taking a laptop computer or hard drive from Speaker Pelosi’s office.””[Witness 1] stated that WILLIAMS intended to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who then planned to sell the device to SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service,” the agent noted. “According to [Witness 1], the transfer of the computer device to Russia fell through for unknown reasons and WILLIAMS still has the computer device or destroyed it.”

“This matter remains under investigation,” the agent concludes.

While actual acts of treason are apparently all the rage these days, it is a pretty serious matter. Who can really know what’s on the laptop, of course, and Russia has actively worked to hack the US government and gain access to all sorts of information in recent years. But given the litany of problems we collectively have these days moments for levity are scarce, and so a bit of botched espionage was a chance for people on social media to make jokes about Burn After Reading.

Burn After Reading is, of course, a very good Cohen Brothers movie from 2008 that featured an embarrassment of acting talent and hilariously bad espionage. Two gym employees find some sensitive data in their hands thanks to an unemployed former CIA agent, and hijinks ensue as they try their best to sell it. It had a lot of great lines, and a lot of them popped up on Twitter after the news broke.

And much like Sunday’s Master and Commander incident, it was also a good opportunity for people to just talk about a movie they like and feel is underrated.

If you’re choosing your screening options based on recent online events, you’re certainly in luck this week. Burn After Reading is currently streaming on Peacock, and it makes for a nice follow-up to a movie about the Napoleonic Wars, if you need it.

[via Politico]

If you had to name one defining artist of the streaming era, a strong argument could be made for Drake. He was Spotify’s most-streamed artist of the 2010s. On top of that, he was the platform’s most-played artist in 2015, 2016, and 2018, and his three years on top of the year-end tally are more than any other artist has had.

Now, it looks like he has hit another amazing streaming milestone that further sets him apart from the rest: Chart Data reports that Drake is the first artist to reach 50 billion streams across all his credited songs on Spotify.

That claim is supported by ChartMasters, whose data indicates that as of January 16, 2021, songs on which Drake is credited as a lead artist have accrued 35,704,203,269 streams. Meanwhile, songs on which Drake is listed as a featured artist have 14,297,795,559 total streams. That adds up to 50,001,998,828 (50 billion with about an extra 2 million added for good measure).

ChartMasters also notes that of Drake’s 222 songs on Spotify, 209 (nearly all of them) have eclipsed 10 million streams, 91 of them have topped 100 million streams, and three are at over a billion streams. Additionally, Drake’s “One Dance” is at about 1.964 billion Spotify streams as of January 18, so if it hits 2 billion streams (which seems likely), it will be his first song to hit 2 billion and only the fourth ever. It’s currently behind Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” (2.692 billion), Post Malone and 21 Savage’s “Rockstar” (2.098 billion), and Tones And I’s “Dance Monkey” (2.044 billion).

Drake had a huge 2020 on Spotify as well. Bad Bunny was the platform’s most-played artist of the year, but Drake came in at second.

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

The saga of Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump’s ongoing fallout following the failed MAGA coup continues. Last week, the Washington Post reported that Trump was refusing to pay Giuliani’s rumored $20,000 per day legal fees because the insurrection backfired (in a lethal way), and Trump was looking for someone to blame for his place in history as the only U.S. president to be impeached twice. Then the member of Trump’s so-called “Elite Strike Force” (that failed to overturn the election because, well, there were no grounds to overturn the election) was apparently still set to be an attorney for Trump’s second impeachment trial, but now, those plans have been scrapped.

What gives? ABC News’ Chief White House Correspondent Jon Karl reports that Rudy directly told him that he will not be part of Trump’s defense team. According to Karl on Twitter, the given reason is “Because I gave an earlier speech [at the January 6 Trump rally], I am a witness and therefore unable to participate in court or Senate chamber.” Yep, Rudy is talking around the fact that he delivered “trial by combat” remarks (and later claimed they were a Game of Thrones reference) onstage at that rally.

This, of course, looks a little sketchy, not necessarily because of the word “witness” but because Rudy isn’t known for telling the whole story. Rudy may have bowed out because he isn’t getting paid, or he could actually be downplaying his situation by claiming to be a “witness.” In fact, Rudy was busted (on failed MAGA coup day) leaving a voicemail for the wrong senator in an attempt to slow down the electoral college vote. So, Rudy could actually be a lot more than a “witness,” and the words “subject,” “co-conspirator,” and “accomplice” are popping up in speculation on Twitter.

Regardless of the reason, it sure looks like Rudy won’t be representing Trump, which is a shame from an entertainment standpoint. There shall be no Total Landscaping replay, no goo-oozing, and no passing gas in public (although Rudy might still pull that one off elsewhere). Also, it’s fair to remember that Rudy has been Geraldo’d because Trump reportedly won’t even take his calls, so perhaps he’ll attempt to turn on Trump to save himself. Or he might be planning to implicate himself while crossing fingers for a Trump pardon, which might be inevitable.

No matter what, Rudy’s been the subject of disbarment complaints, so he might not be anyone’s attorney in the future. Maybe he should brush up on his acting skills? The world might be here for a followup to Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, at least for a giggle.

Given the social distancing measures that were in place for the majority of 2020, last year wasn’t a great one for parades. There’s a big one in a couple days, though, and so far, it looks like it’s going to be fantastic. It was just revealed that the New Radicals are getting back together for the first time since the ’90s to perform “You Get What You Give” at Joe Biden’s Virtual Parade Across America, which will follow his inauguration on January 20. Now, TMZ reports that Nathan Apodaca — aka the guy who went viral for listening to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” while drinking cranberry juice on a skateboard — will also be joining the proceedings.

TMZ notes that Biden’s team reached out to Apodaca “because they saw how his feel-good video uplifted the world this past fall during social unrest and pandemic anxiety.” Apodaca has apparently already filmed something for the parade from his home in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Fleetwood Mac is grateful for the renewed success Apodaca has helped bring the band, as Mick Fleetwood told Apodaca on BBC last year, “We owe you and it’s such a celebration of everything. It’s so joyous and fun and I was just lead right into it. […] I just want to say, outside of Fleetwood Mac, we owe you. It’s such a great story and so needed in days that are challenging I’ve heard you speaking and I’m so happy to be a part of it. Congratulations on a wild, wild skateboard journey that has led us to talking today. I hope Stevie [Nicks]’s watching. She’s going to be overjoyed.”

After Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will be hosting the Virtual Parade Across America, which will be televised and is set to “feature diverse, dynamic performances in communities across the country.” Now some of that lineup as been revealed, and it’s huge for bucket hat fans: the New Radicals are reuniting to perform for the first time since 1999. Naturally, they’ll be playing their iconic ’90s hit “You Get What You Give.”

The song has a personal significance to the Biden family, as the president-elect wrote in his 2017 autobiography Promise Me, Dad, “During breakfast, Beau would often make me listen to what I thought was his theme song, ‘You Get What You Give’ by the New Radicals. Even though Beau never stopped fighting and his will to live was stronger than most — I think he knew that this day might come. The words to the song are: ‘This whole damn world can fall apart. You’ll be OK, follow your heart.’”

The band’s Gregg Alexander said in a statement:

“If there’s one thing on Earth that would possibly make us get the band together, if only for a day, it is the hope that our song could be even the tiniest beacon of light in such a dark time. America knows in its heart that things will get bright again with a new administration and a real plan for vaccines on the way. That’s the message of the song… this world is gonna pull through. […] Performing the song again after such a long time is a huge honor because we all have deep respect for Beau’s military service and such high hopes for the unity and normalcy Joe and Kamala will bring our country again in this time of crisis.”

This isn’t the only special musical treat set for Biden’s inauguration, as Justin Timberlake will also be performing a new song for an inauguration TV special.

What does “value” mean to you? Importance? Utility? Those definitions certainly have a place. But when you’re talking about bourbon whiskey it’s a little more direct. It just comes down to quality-compared-to-price.

Is the juice worth the squeeze? Or is it worth even more?

In a whiskey world full of bottle lotteries, aftermarket auctions, and insane markups, “value” might be the most important word there is. But it’s not always easy to ascertain.

“How corn heavy is the mash bill?” asks Dan Marlowe, mixologist at Modena in Washington, DC. “What is the intended use — sipping or cocktails? What’s the proof? There’s a lot to consider.”

The gather opinions on the best value bourbons, we went to the folks who spend their days mixing up drinks behind the bar. We asked some well-known bartenders to tell us the favorite bottles, dollar for dollar. Check their picks below.

Maker’s Mark

Felipe Muñoz head bartender at Sweetleaf Cocktails in Long Island City, New York

I still think that Maker’s Mark Bourbon is the best value for your money. It has become underrated and underappreciated. Since it has wheat in it, it offers a creamy sweet instead of a bolder sweet that most bourbons show.

Price: $24

Wild Turkey 101

Brandon “Habi” Habenstein, beverage director at The Kitchen & Bar at Bardstown Bourbon Company in Bardstown, Kentucky

Wild Turkey is making some of the best value bourbon on the shelves today. Maybe it’s in their process or maybe it’s in their yeast strain they kept alive in two separate refrigerators in two different counties in case of a power outage. There are lots of great bourbons out there at great prices. Old Forester’s caramelized banana profile is delicious. Beam’s peanut butter bombs are great. But Turkey’s bourbons are like cinnamon candied walnuts.

These are my absolute favorite bourbons outside of our own.

Price: $25

Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch

Mike Renzulli, bartender at City Works Eatery & Pour House in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

The best value bourbon in my opinion is Colonel E.H. Taylor by Buffalo Trace. Coming in at under $40 price point, it is considered a world-class bourbon with flavors of plum and dry raisins and notes of vanilla and a smooth toffee finish.

Price: $42

Buffalo Trace

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

Buffalo Trace always comes through with the assumed profile of vanilla and toasted barrel age, channeled through a clean expression.

Price: $24

Elijah Craig Small Batch

Gavin Humes, bartender at Scratch|Bar & Kitchen in Encino, California

I enjoy the Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon for a value bourbon. It’s a higher proof than some others, which makes it stand up great in cocktails, but it’s smooth enough to work as a sipper if you’re so inclined. It’s got a nice winter spice quality of nutmeg, vanilla, star anise, etc. But with a well-balanced toasty, caramel quality that balances out the harshness of the overproof quality and makes it very enjoyable.

Price: $32

Eagle Rare 10

Dan Marlowe, mixologist at Modena in Washington, DC

If you can find it, Eagle Rare 10 year is one of the best priced 10-year whiskeys in the market, often as low as $35. It has a high corn content with no more than 15% rye, but the masterful aging and blending process makes it sip warm and mellow instead of hot and crisp like some rail bourbons tend to do.

Price: $34.99

Old Grand-Dad Bonded

Frederic Yarm, USBG bartender in Boston

Old Grand-Dad Bonded offers an amazing value with a long history. It’s a bourbon that has been in continuous production since the mid-19th century and is currently made by Jim Beam in Clermont, Kentucky. I love its high rye spicy nature, and that combined with the barrel notes offer up cinnamon, black pepper, vanilla, and other baking spices on top of caramel, citrus, and dried fruit flavors.

Price: $20

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Eric Vincent, bartender at Sparrow in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof.

I will always sip this in any fashion, as well as make cocktails with it. It’s a jack-of-all-trades kind of whiskey that has great flavor at an affordable price range. Fantastic balance of char (after all, it was invented by Elijah Craig himself), leather, caramel, and a decent amount of sweetness from having a high corn content. Gives the impression of a creamy mouthfeel.

Price: $75

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength

Erin Delaney, food and beverage director at Barn8 Restaurant & Bourbon Bar in Goshen, Kentucky

Maker’s Mark. We like getting Maker’s 46 or the Cask Strength because they deliver high-quality bourbon, they truly care about their people and their prices are great for the market. Those are both fuller-bodied and higher proof, which I thoroughly enjoy. They also just released a special bottle for the LEE Initiative, which provides relief for service industry workers and families that are out of work during COVID.

Price: $59.99

Writer’s Pick:

Four Roses Single Barrel

You can’t go wrong with Four Roses Single Barrel. It’s complex, warming, and filled with hints of dried cherries, charred oak, sweet vanilla, and creamy caramel. It’s perfectly suited for an old fashioned or on the rocks.

Price: $49.99

There must be something in the air tonight, because both Smino and Brooklyn rapper Kota The Friend (born Avery Michael Johnson Jones) decided to drop new music on a Sunday night instead of the standard late Thursday release. It’s always good to keep fans on their toes, and after a few empty weeks early in the year, it seems like once the projects start dropping, they start coming fast and furious.

Even though he dropped a full-length album, Everything last spring, along with the Vol. 1 counterpart to what he’s dropping tonight, Kota is back with plenty more to say just a few short months later. Yes, the mixtape may only be 15 minutes long with tracks that range between one and two minutes — similar to the format of Vol. 1 — but even within these micro tracks, he manages to pack a punch.

Kota began to tease the new release earlier today, while also commenting on his plans of “coming for everything” in 2021.

He also has plans for vinyl pressings this year, and celebrated an early win for the new tape — it’s reportedly about to hit the number one spot in the iTunes store already!

Not too shabby for a surprise release of a fifteen minute mixtape halfway through January. Stream the full tape below.