Month: March 2021

After San Diego Comic-Con announced that it would be holding another Comic-Con@Home event in 2021 due to the pandemic, comic book fans and creators assumed that this would be the extent for the pop culture event for the year (as everyone looked to 2022 for things to return to normal). So, it was a pretty big surprise when SDCC organizers announced on Saturday that it would be holding an in-person event over Thanksgiving weekend titled “Comic-Con: Special Edition.”

Of course, that surprise was mostly shock as everyone from fans to creators to entertainment journalists criticized Comic-Con dropping an event during the first holiday weekend when a majority of Americans will (hopefully) be vaccinated and finally able to safely visit their families. Not to mention, overall concerns that the pandemic is still an ongoing health issue. Clearly, Comic-Con organizers saw the backlash because they’ve since issued a statement defending the “Special Edition” event:

Of the dates presented with the fewest restrictions, Friday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend seemed to be the best balance of available space and our envisioned event. As longtime fans ourselves, we have attended many conventions over that holiday weekend, opting to spend Thanksgiving day with family and the rest of the weekend with friends and our families of choice. While this is not unusual in the convention trade, we understand this choice is not optimal for everyone.

Despite defending the sub-optimal timing of the event, the organizers also revealed that Comic-Con Special Edition is still very tentative and might not even happen at all. “Currently we do not know whether having this event in November is even feasible as we are still in the midst of the pandemic and while we are optimistic about Q4, we have not been privy to any specific information on large gatherings” the organizers wrote. “However, it was our desire to have something in place for our fans who have longed for an in-person event.”

You can see some of the reactions from comics creators below:

(Via Comic-Con International: San Diego)

When it comes to alcohol shrouded in mystery, it’s pretty tough to top absinthe. This wormwood and anise-flavored herbal spirit was illegal in the US from 1912 until 2007, when it was legalized with regulated levels of thujone — the naturally occurring, low-level stimulant that made the spirit so notorious in the first place.

For the record, absinthe has never has been poisonous in any way. The famous “green fairy” hallucinations are due to people being really, really drunk. Like “cut your ear off”-levels of drunkenness.

Regardless of the half-truths, stigmas, and overall air of secrecy surrounding absinthe, spring 2021 feels like a great time to give it a try. To pick a few favorite bottles, we asked a handful of bartenders to tell us the expressions they like to sip and mix with. Check their picks out below.

Pernod Absinthe

Chris Hennessy, bartender at Dylan Whisky Bar in Kilkenny, Ireland

The re-formulation of Pernod Absinthe in 2013 reaffirmed my love of Sazerac cocktails. This Absinthe tastes like a more upscale, refined iteration — menthol, hyssop, and savory fennel, with aniseed is present without a bitter metallic twang I’d associate with most Absinthe profiles.

Average Price: $40

Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe

Eoghain Clavin, brewery ambassador for Guinness

Vieux Pontarlier. I am a big fan of the flavor profile afforded by the mix of Provencal fennel seeds, green anise seeds, and aromatic herbs and spices selected by the distillery. It is intense and refreshing and an amazing tonic this time of year.

Average Price: $70

La Clandestine Absinthe

Tom Garvin, beverage manager at Tribeca’s Kitchen in New York City

I really like Swiss absinthe, with La Clandestine probably being my favorite brand on the market. For an absinthe, it drinks pretty delicately. While you definitely taste the anise and wintery spices associated with the spirit, there are some delightful green aromas like fennel that round it out.

The high abv associated with this spirit is more of a whisper than a loud yell in this particular absinthe, making it extremely drinkable.

Average Price: $82

Leopold Bros. Absinthe

Chandra Richter, vice president of beverage development & chief mixologist at Drinkworks

If I had to pick one absinthe to drink in the spring months, it would be Leopold Brothers Absinthe. It’s a bright, fruity expression of absinthe with the anise, which is nicely balanced with wormwood, coriander, and citrus. It works nicely for warm, winter cocktails, like a Sazerac or death in the afternoon.

Average Price: $68

Absinthe Ordinaire

Austin Zimmer, bartender at Le Privé in New York City

The Absinthe Ordinaire. It’s a mix of sweet anise, star anise, sweet balm, and peppermint giving a very refreshing touch to any cocktails. It’s also lower in proof than most other expensive bottles.

Average Price: $23

Copper & Kings Absinthe Alembic

Evan Charest, bartender, and owner of Severance in Los Angeles

While I usually stock it for a quality Sazerac rinse, I use Copper & Kings Absinthe Alembic for most cocktails uses and for drips. It isn’t as high ABV like many others and is much more approachable. Great notes of vanilla and pear.

Average Price: $57.99

Combier Blanchette Absinthe

Johnny Swet, bartender and owner of Jimmy at the James Hotel in New York City

I love the absinthe from Combier called Blanchette. It has a great anise flavor with an herb background and a dryness that works well with the sweetness. It’s also crystal clear the Combier guys are always doing their portfolio right.

Average Price: $64

St. George Absinthe Verte

Joseph Fredrickson, bartender at Society Lounge in Cleveland

I have always loved St. George Absinthe Verte. It was the first absinthe that I didn’t mind drinking straight. It also creates a beautiful louche. On the palate, you are going to obviously see the anise flavor that absinthe is known for, but you will also get pleasant notes of cinnamon and basil. The nose is incredibly floral, and the bottle is a piece of art definitely a great addition to any back bar home or otherwise.

Average Price: $63

Writer’s Picks:

Tenneyson Absinthe Royale

This 106-proof French absinthe is filled with aromas of pine trees and sweet licorice. The palate is filled with more pine, subtle wormwood spice, and lingering citrus zest.

Average Price: $60

Tattersall Absinthe Blanche

Fans of absinthe will really appreciate the rich, robust flavors of licorice, anise, wormwood, and citrus. It’s great on its own or mixed into your favorite cocktails.

Average Price: $50

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 best new R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear.

This week, Trevor Jackson debuted his freshman effort The Love Language, Bren Joy got together with Pink Sweats for a loving slow jam and Gallant dropped off his new album Neptune.

Trevor Jackson — The Love Language

Trevor Jackson has arrived with his 14 song debut, The Love Language, featuring his previously released tracks “Get To You” and “Just Friends.” “Love is the universal language of all things and I hope this album gives people more confidence to understand their own love languages and how to communicate them,” he said in a statement. “The power of this music will not only bring people together, but it’ll also bring people closer to themselves.”

Bren Joy — “Insecure” Feat. Pink Sweats

Nashville’s own Bren Joy and Pink Sweats have linked up for the dreamy, guitar-filled “Insecure” and its accompanying trippy bedroom visual. The deluxe version of his Twenties EP just hit streaming services with seven rounds of Bren’s ethereal essence.

Gallant — Neptune

Now is the time to get to know Gallant and his latest project Neptune is the perfect way to do just that. Starring features from legendary R&B singer Brandy as well as appearances from VanJess and Arin Ray, Gallant delivers real ’90s R&B energy with each track.

Shelley — “Cooking With Grease”

Shelley (who used to go by Dram) is gearing to gift the world with his forthcoming project and his pleading “Cooking With Grease” is just a taste of what’s to come. It’s a rhythmic vibe tied to an infectious hook over a groovy beat.

Elhae — “My City” Feat. Masego

Elhae and Masego’s “My City” is a bouncy R&B track done entirely over FaceTime. “Masego had the beat and the hook done already so it was up to me to provide the rest,” Elhae said in a statement. “I reached out to my good friend Ari to help as well and it was done. I’m really happy with how this song came out and I hope people enjoy it.” The singer is reportedly in the studio finalizing his Motown debut which was also named Uproxx’s Most Anticipated Albums of 2021 at the top of January.

Raiche — “Pick A Side (Remix)” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign

Raiche’s “Pick A Side” gained major popularity in 2020 with her debut EP Drive and this week its remix arrives with a feature from Ty Dolla Sign.

Umi — Introspection Reimagined

Umi got together string and horn sections at the iconic Shangri-La to breathe new energy into her 2020 album Introspection. Everything about Introspection Reimagined is vibrant and lucid, giving fans a fresh and new way to experience an already beloved project.

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

XXL reports 18-year-old Memphis rapper Bryson Potts — better known as NLE Choppa — was arrested in Florida Sunday on suspicion of burglary, carrying a concealed firearm, and possession of drugs including Xanax and weed. The arresting agency is listed as the Davie Police Department and he’s currently being held at the Broward County Sherrif’s Office in Fort Lauderdale with a bond set at $4,500. There are few other details about the circumstances of his arrest.

While it’s well-known that Choppa has had run-ins with the law in the past, including a stint in juvenile detention, he had seemingly turned over a new leaf recently — at least as far as his social media was concerned. Last September, he said he would no longer rap about violence, and since then, he’s promoted healthy living and practices such as meditation and veganism. He took that commitment further with the release of his mixtape From Dark To Light, which concerned his recent lifestyle changes. And while part of that newfound awareness involved promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, his most recent work seemed to waver between the two poles, such as in his “Picture Me Grapin” video, in which he channels Tupac but raps about gang life.

NLE Choppa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The old adage that controversy sells has never been more accurate than when it comes to Lil Nas X. He first shot to superstardom thanks to the chilly reception from the country music establishment to his breakout single “Old Town Road” and now, he’s making even more of a fuss with his fantastical video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and its clever cross-marketing gimmick. The “Satan shoes” Lil Nas X collaborated with design company MSCHF on may have drawn plenty of criticism for their wild conceptual execution but they also sold out in under a minute, according to Nas himself.

https://twitter.com/LilNasX/status/1376551415540195331

The shoes, which are customized Nike Air Max 97s (without Nike’s involvement), were produced in an ultra-limited run of just 666 pairs and reportedly featured one drop of human blood mixed into the ink used to fill the air unit. They retailed at $1,018 a pair, so for them to sell out so quickly is kind of an impressive feat. They haven’t hit StockX just yet, but you can bet when they do the markup will be absolutely insane.

The backlash to both the shoes and the video have “Satanic Panic” trending on Twitter as Gen X users fondly remember the similar fuss over now beloved cultural icons like Ozzy Osbourne, Harry Potter, and Dungeons & Dragons. Their ridicule hasn’t stopped conservative commentator and grumpy hip-hop heads from trying to condemn him, but as usual, he’s had a witty comeback every step of the way — including a funny, Chick Fil-A-inspired take on his shoes that evokes the backlash against the restaurant chain after accusations of homophobia against it prompted boycotts just over a year ago.

Check out the video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” here.

After Warner Bros. finally unveiled the long awaited Red Band trailer for The Suicide Squad, fans immediately fell in love with King Shark, who was later revealed to be voiced by Sylvester Stallone. However, DC Comics fans couldn’t help but notice that King Shark differs from his comic book origins, for which he’s typically a hammerhead shark. So as he often does, director James Gunn took the time to walk curious fans through his design process for the character. According to Gunn, they actually did try to emulate King Shark’s hammerhead look, but some things just look better on a comic book page than they do on camera. Via Twitter:

“I did tests with the hammerhead design, which I love & originally thought I’d use. But having eyes on the sides far apart made it incredibly awkward shooting interactions with other people. You couldn’t really see him looking at the other person & the shots tended to be too wide. But I was insistent on the dad-bod from the beginning as I didn’t think King Shark would have such mammalian body structure.”

As for how Gunn got Stallone to voice the role, it didn’t take a whole of convincing:

“I wrote this role for you in The Suicide Squad. It won’t take too much of your time.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. It’s a big, kinda chubby, human-eating shark.”
Laughs. “Anything for you, brother.”

You can check out the rest of the thread below. Gunn also explains why it’s pure coincidence why King Shark’s look matches the design for the Harley Quinn animated series. According to Gunn, The Suicide Squad was shooting a full year before Harley made her debut on the show, which began on the now-defunct DC Universe streaming service and has since moved to HBO Max.

(Via James Gunn on Twitter)

Lil Nas X’s video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” has been the talk of the music world since it was released on Friday. Some people love it while others don’t care for some elements of it, like its setting in Hell and Nas giving Satan a lap dance. Nas has spent some time responding to the backlash over the past few days and his latest return-fire is a new longer version of the song, which he has cheekily dubbed the “Satan’s Extended Version.”

The original song runs for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, while the extended version is beefed up to 2 minutes and 50 seconds. The longer version extends the outro with more of the instrumental and some lyrics from earlier in the track repeated.

Nas previously addressed the theme of the video, tweeting shortly after its release, “y’all love saying we going to hell but get upset when i actually go there lmao.” Over the weekend, he also responded to criticism from Joyner Lucas, who raised concerns about the song’s potential impact on children who like “Old Town Road.” Nas replied, “i literally sing about lean & adultery in old town road. u decided to let your child listen. blame yourself.”

Listen to “Montero (Call Me By Your Name) (Satan’s Extended Version)” above.

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

Wrath of Man, starring Jason Statham as a cash truck security guard, originally had a different title: Cash Truck. Now, I realize I’m just a small-town blogger, but if I were in charge of a major film studio, I would have kept the title as Cash Truck. Think about it. Are you more likely to see a movie called Wrath of Man or CASH TRUCK? Trick question. The answer is both. It’s a Jason Statham movie (a Jason Statham movie directed by Guy Ritchie, working with the actor for a fourth time after Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and Revolver). Of course I’m watching it. I would watch a six-hour cut of Justice League if all the characters were played by Jason Statham.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

A mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard (Jason Statham) surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

Wrath of Man, which also stars Scott Eastwood, Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett, and Post Malone, opens on May 7.

The People’s Eyebrow continues to keep The People updated on all exciting happenings related to The Rock. That includes his promise-threat to possibly run for president some day and keeping people up to date on “sexiest man”-type declarations, including joking around about refusing to concede People‘s Sexiest Man Alive label to Michael B. Jordan. Well, The Sun did a real doozy over the weekend by highlighting a mysterious analysis by supposed researchers of “times online in blogs, reports and pages found in Google searches” that bald celebrities have been described as “sexy.” Curiously, Prince William came out on top of this list, along with the likes of Mike Tyson, Jason Statham, and Vladimir Putin.

Not that this list really matters, and no one knows who on earth dreamed up such a thing, but it does look (although it may not be) suspicious after the big dust-up over Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s unflattering comments (to Oprah) about the British Royal Family. At least they included Statham on the list (to make it look semi-realistic), but if we’re gonna go there, fellow Fast and Furious franchise stars Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson should really be up at the top. For that matter, so should The Rock, but to his credit, he’s not holding himself out as a nominee (this time) while demanding a recount. Instead, he’s nominating Larry Freaking David. Good call.

Oh, and The Rock is loving the hell out of the “cinnamon toast f*ck” term that started circulating last week during the shrimp-tail controversy, and it’s worth noting that he first spied the declaration a tweet by journalist Imani Gandy.

Also, The Rock has officially noted the new release date for his long-gestating debut in the DCEU as frontman for the Black Adam movie. The film got stuck in development and scheduling hell for years (The Rock is a busy dude) even before the pandemic, but it looks like we’ll finally be seeing it on July 29, 2022.

Back in November, Dua Lipa hosted her “Studio 2054” livestream concert, which was an innovative take on the livestream concert format and an entertaining virtual show. Everybody who was digitally in attendance was in for a treat, but it turns out behind the scenes, organizers dodged a crisis as they were able to thwart a hacking attempt that could have ruined the show.

Livestreaming platform LiveNow faced cyber attackers during the broadcast but the company’s James Sutcliffe recently said that they were able to resolve the issue so it wasn’t noticeable to viewers. He said, “We were the victims of a cyber-attack at the start of the show. The years of experience our tech team had streaming live sports events meant they were ready to deal with that. The stream didn’t go down, users didn’t notice anything and we delivered a huge show to a huge audience.”

It turns out a lot of people were there for the show, as Lipa tweeted following the event, “I am BEYOND excited to let you know that Studio 2054 had over 5 MILLION viewers globally on Friday night !!! – thank you so much to everyone for tuning in!!”

https://twitter.com/DUALIPA/status/1333462066569555969

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.