Prairie dresses have never really gone away. The long, flowing, frilly gowns reemerged in the early ’70s as a way for women to assert themselves after a decade of miniskirts designed for the male gaze.
In the ’80s the frills popped up again with the giant puffed-up sleeves and ruffled collars that were common in women’s fashion. In the ’90s, prairie dresses became chic grunge style and were often paired with chokers and Dr. Marten’s boots.
Now, the prairie dress has suddenly reemerged at your local Target. Their appearance was rather jarring to Facebook user Lorca Damon who thought they were some type of comment on life during the pandemic.
“Target has decided if we’re gonna suffer a pandemic, we might as well look like we just lost the farm after locusts ate our crops,” she wrote. Adding: “I swear, if I run into a woman wearing this and she’s not in a stage revival of Oklahoma!, I’m going to help hide her from the other sister wives until we can get her a safe house and a divorce.”
Rachel Weingarten, brand strategist, and trend analyst doesn’t believe that target intended on making such a loathsome piece of clothing, rather it was a bungled attempt at mimicking the style of Kate Middleton.
“I don’t think Target meant to create a hideous dress,” Weingarten told Forbes. “I think they meant to piggyback off the Duchess of Cambridge’s ladylike dresses, only an affordable version. It was just bad timing.”
Damon’s post quickly went viral and became the catalyst for the #TargetDressChallenge where people have been posing for old-timey pictures, many of them with livestock, while wearing the gowns.
Whereas bourbon is close to maxing out at this price point (before expressions hit the aftermarket), we’re only just now entering the elite-range when it comes to Scotch whisky. Yes, it’s all “damn good stuff,” but the top tier is yet to come. We still haven’t hit the 20-year-old expressions yet (one of the most coveted sweet spots in all of scotch production), much less the one-offs.
What we are talking about are bottles that can help you expand your scotch knowledge, gain awareness of various regions, and educate your palate about interesting barrelling techniques. We tried to cast a wide net to include a solid selection from the smoky and sweet side of scotch production, but beyond that, these are just our favorite drams between $125 and $150. Click the prices to order the expressions that look best to you!
Released late last year, this expression aims to bring a dessert vibe to Glenmorangie’s deep line of expressions. The juice is first aged in ex-bourbon casks. Then it’s vatted and transferred to ex-Tokaji wine casks (a Hungarian dessert wine) for final maturation. The idea is to imbue the whisky with a pineapple cake feel that accentuates the whisky in the glass.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with classic Glenmorangie notes of fresh honey and nuts with a touch of chocolate that leads towards a rush of tropical and stone fruits — almost like a hazy NEIPA. The taste holds onto those base Glenmorangie notes while adding in ripe pear next to vanilla cream, a touch of sweet orange cake, and a whisper of mint. The end circles back to the honey, nuts, and chocolate notes as it (fairly quickly) fades away.
Bottom Line:
This really does feel like a great dessert sipper. There’s a nice sweetness that’s never cloying but very fruity, edging towards buttery. Pour a dram after a big meal and let it work its magic.
This release from late last year is a masterclass in finishing a whisky. The juice is first aged for 18 years in refill bourbon and sherry casks. Then the whisky is transferred to first-fill red wine casks from Pauillac, Bordeaux. The whisky is then proofed with the soft water from a local, gold-flecked river to a very accessible 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
That beautiful creamy honey and vanilla of Aberfeldy greets you with notes of blackberries, soft cedar, and a hint of marzipan and rose water. The palate creates this bowl of vanilla sauce over ripe red berries (blackberry and raspberry especially) that’s drizzled with fresh honey next to soft and dry cedar leading to dry grass. The end embraces the fruit and takes on a fermented apricot (not quite a schnapps) vibe, as the honeyed sweetness and nuttiness slowly fade out.
Bottom Line:
Full disclosure, this is my favorite expression from Aberfeldy, so maybe I’m biased. But I’m telling you — this is phenomenal with a single rock in a Glencairn. The berries, honey, almond, cedar all hit just the right balance to be something that’s impossible not to enjoy.
This Island whisky from Jura is a fairly new expression from the old-school distillery. The juice is matured for 18 long years in ex-bourbon. It’s then vatted and finished in Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux barrels for a finishing touch. As a final touch, it’s proofed down with spring water to a very sippable 88 proof.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mix of cinnamon, clove, pineapple, and citrus on the nose that reminds you of a tropical cocktail you can’t quite put your finger on. The bourbon comes through with a rich vanilla underbelly, supporting very distant sprays from the sea next to dried red berries covered in bitter dark chocolate. The end holds onto the bitter, edging towards coffee beans while the fruit gets drier with a final briny note arriving late.
Bottom Line:
This is a really interesting whisky. It’s squarely in the sweet scotch category but carries a lovely and light note of the seaside — bringing something new to the mix. A rock in the Glencairn might even bring about a light smoky cedar note, while amping up the chocolate and dried berries.
This tiny and iconic Dufftown distillery is the whisky aficionado’s distillery. The whisky in this bottle is distilled almost three times (2.81 times to be exact) through various types of pot stills. The juice is then aged for 16 years in sherry casks before it’s, vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
You’re met with a bowl full of stewed plums with anise, clove, and cinnamon in the mix, next to a slight sense of dry moss. The taste has a faint vanilla edge next to velvety honey, sharp spice, old leather-bound books, and a touch of bruised apricot. The end is very long, holds onto the spice and fruit, and leaves you with a sense of creamy vanilla honey.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those scotches that you either know about and love or have probably never heard of. I’ve yet to have a dram from this shingle that’s not been superb-to-straight-up-stunning. This expression isn’t their very best, but it’s definitely special.
Last year’s Distiller’s Edition is all about a unique finishing. The small seaside distillery vats their iconic whisky and then transfers that into Montilla Fino sherry casks for a final maturation by the sea. The end results are batched, proofed, and bottled at a very crushable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
The nose pulls you in with an orange-flavored saltwater taffy wrapped in wax paper next to a whisper of sea brine-filled smoke. The palate mixes a soft malty grain beside a mild orange zest, salted peanut shells, and oyster liquor with a hint of the shell. The end is very subtle, with hints of salted dark chocolate leading towards a mild bitter coffee bean vibe on the slow fade.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect seafood pairing whisky. Grab a plate of fresh oysters, a bucket of steamed clams, or a hearty seafood chowder and enjoy the nuance of this seafoam-whipped whisky.
This whisky switches up the aging process a bit. The juice is first aged for 18 years in old sherry hogshead casks. Then the whisky is finished in first-fill bourbon casks for the final maturation. Finally, the whisky is proofed with water from just outside the distillery’s walls and bottled without any other fussing.
Tasting Notes:
The nose isn’t that bourbon forward. Instead, you’re greeted with a mix of dried florals, malts, straw, and honey that leads towards a bourbon vanilla pod note. The palate bursts with orange oils, peppery spice, and honeyed sweetness with a touch of ginger juice and oak. The end embraces the honey and spice as it slowly fades out, leaving you with a final (mild) touch of vanilla and oak.
Bottom Line:
There’s an interesting base to this dram that’s rooted in a sweet scotch through and through. The bourbon notes feel like a final flourish instead of a part of the dram’s core — it’s very dialed back and easy to miss.
Still, it’s interesting to try a whisky that treats bourbon the way that other expressions use sherry in the finishing process.
This is the culmination of all of Laphroaig’s 200-year history in a single expression. The juice is a mix of whiskies aged in first-fill sherry, first-fill bourbon, refill bourbon, and sherry hogshead casks. The ages range from seven to 21 years. The whisky is then vatted and proofed down to 96 proof with soft Islay water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of black smoke and ash on the nose next to a cut of bitter dark chocolate and slight hints of sea brine. The palate embraces the heavier notes of peaty ash with a dry edge next to dark chocolate touched with chili spice and a hint of nuttiness. The end is surprisingly short and leaves you with a sense of sea salt, cold ash, and a dose of honey-roasted almond.
Bottom Line:
Personally speaking, this isn’t for me. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the craft. There’s a clear complexity that unabashedly embraces the beauty of peaty Islay whisky heritage in every sip.
If you’re a true peat-lover, this is going to be your jam.
This Viking whisky from high up in the Orkneys takes barreling one step further. Their 18-year expression is matured in casks made from American and European oak specifically for Highland. Those bespoke vessels are sent to Jerez, Spain to age sherry for three years. The same barrels are then sent back to Orkney to age this whisky for all 18 of its years.
Tasting Notes:
This really feels like a classic scotch at every step. You’re greeted with notes of marzipan, dark berries, honey, and light lines of smoke on the nose. Those notes hold on as buttery toffee arrives with a dark chocolate counterpoint, leading towards ripe red cherries and floral honey. The end embraces distant billows of sweet smoke with a dry and earthy undertow on the slow, sweet, and berry-filled fade.
Bottom Line:
This feels like the best of all worlds when it comes to scotch. It’s mildly smoky without being a peat-monster. At the same time, it really holds onto the berry and honey sweetness of a sweet scotch without overpowering the peat.
This is a whisky with a gimmick. The game that’s afoot with this dram is that it was released with no information about what it is: No age statement, maturation notes, or even tasting notes. It was kind of like the perfect blind tasting exercise from a major brand and we’re here for it!
Tasting Notes:
The dram opens with warm notes of stewed apple with a lot of cinnamon in a buttery and crumbly pie crust with a touch of orange zest in the mix. The palate adds in notes of dried fruits, ripe cherry, and more of a tart apple than a stewed one while holding onto the dark spices. The end is very long and holds onto the spice and fruit the longest, with a hint of dried grapes (sultanas really) and wet oak.
Bottom Line:
SPOILER ALERT:
Turns out this was aged in American oak and finished in Cognac casks. That aside, this is a fun dram for any tasting. No one can glean anything from the bottle and you really are going in blind (as long as you don’t spoil the ending).
This is classic, old-school whisky making. The juice is aged in a mix of sherry casks for 18 years before it’s vatted, proofed, and bottled without filtration or any other fussing.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a nice mix of maple syrup with blueberries that almost feels like blueberry pancakes with a mug of cinnamon-spiked apple cider to wash it down. The palate holds onto that warmth with spicy grilled peaches dripping in more syrup with notes of orange zest brightening things up. That’s paired with a touch of wet oak. The end really holds onto the cooked peaches, spice, and orange as it fades out fairly slowly towards a mild yet dry tobacco chewiness.
Bottom Line:
This whisky might be a little harder to find, but it’s worth it. It’s a fine, fruity whisky that goes deeper the more you nose and taste it. Take your time and let all the bright fruit flavors develop.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood (Netflix series) — A renowned Dragon Knight (Davion) ends up over his head in this sweeping fantasy series about how he strives to wipe the world of scourge. He ends up running into both a dragon and a princess (who’s doing duty on her own mission) while also finding himself unable to extricate himself from situations that he never would have thought possible.
John Wayne Gacy: Devil In Disguise (Peacock miniseries) — The NBCU streaming service is stepping into the true crime game with a six-part series about one of the most terrifying and notorious serial killers. The docuseries will contain a full-on interview with the subject from prison while presenting accounts from an ex-wife, a confidant, and other exclusive interviews. Prepare to be horrified and riveted and afraid to turn out the damn lights at night.
Baketopia (HBO Max series) — A reality-baking competition goes extreme with larger-than-life creations in a flour-filled wonderland in a fully-stacked kitchen. Throughout 12 episodes, competitors will aim to create gorgeous and tasty desserts to win $10,000 from the “cake council.” (I think I’ve gained weight simply reading about this series.)
The Runaway Bunny (HBO Max film) — The beloved 1942 childhood book from Margaret Wise Brown gets the animated treatment with voice work from Mariah Carey, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelly Rowland, Rosanne Cash, Ziggy Marley, Kimya Dawson, and Rufus Wainwright. The story follows a restless bunny who wishes to explore the world and takes magical adventures before returning back home to his mom’s embrace and love.
Secret Magic Control Agency (Netflix film) –Hansel and Gretel are secret agents in this film with magic, clever thinking, and team work to guide them on a quest to find a king.
Station 19 (ABC, 8:00pm EST) — Maya’s jealous of one of Carina’s old flames, Vi’s shocked about soething, and Andy is very frustrated with Sullivan.
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 9:00pm EST) — Teddy’s struggling to cope after a difficult loss while Owen’s attempting to help her recover and withstand long-standing truths.
Cake (FX, 10:00pm EST) — Season 4 begins for this assortment of bite-sized shorts, and this year, the diverse array of narratives is anchored by Nine Films About Technology from Peter Huang. Expect a loosely connected set of stories that get darkly comedic and explore human relationships in an era of (arguable) over-connectivity.
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Maya Rudolph, Christopher Meloni, 24Goldn
The Late Late Show With James Corden — Chrissy Teigen
Late Night With Seth Meyers — Sacha Baron Cohen, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Ash Soan
In case you missed these recent picks:
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (HBO Max) — Fans hoped this day would come, and finally, “we live in a society” where the fabled “Snyder Cut” is fabled no more. This four-hour installment is a vast improvement on Joss Whedon’s much maligned theatrical cut, and there’s a smidge of Jared Leto’s Joker to add some “WTF” flavor. Finally, there’s loads of character development, which the hard-core nerds will appreciate, so even though Joss’ version remains canon, the Snyder Cut is here to satisfy the hearts and minds of DC Comics fans.
Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American (Netflix stand-up special) — The Tennessee-born funnyman launches his second Netflix special, which is chock full of Oregon Trail throwbacks and talking about all the ways he’s relatable as a father and husband.
Coming off the successful release of Spillage Village’s Spilligion and working on his follow-up to 2018’s DiCaprio 2, Atlanta rapper JID took time out to help a local fan who was going through some recent hardships and put out a call for more members of the community to assist.
Rosalee Thomas lost her job and health insurance during the pandemic but then, to make matters worse, her car was also totaled. JID partnered with Seattle-based pizza chain MOD Pizza to drop off a new car to Thomas as the opening act of their “Random Acts of MODness” campaign. After the video of the gift went live, JID himself went on Twitter to offer “three wishes” to more fans in need.
One responder was a first-generation student who needed help paying for school, while another was an ICU nurse at the VA hospital in Temple, Texas. Finally, JID selected a second-grade teacher to receive school supplies and library books for her students. In a press release promoting the campaign, JID explained, “It’s been a tough year and we know folks are struggling. So, I’m excited to partner with MOD to spread some love in our local communities.”
In addition to recording his long-awaited third album, JID also released a handful of new songs and freestyles this year, including “Cludder Freestyle,” “JIDtranada Freestyle,” and “Skegee.”
What was expected to be a quiet NBA trade deadline brought fireworks, as All-Star Nikola Vucevic was sent to Chicago first thing in the morning to set things off, and a number of rumored players changed teams before the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
The landscape of the league changed once again, as tends to happen on deadline day. One West contender improved its fortunes greatly, while Orlando’s wheeling and dealing created another tanking team down the stretch.
Here are your winners and losers of deadline day 2021:
Loser: Western Conference wings who face Denver
By trading for Aaron Gordon (at the cost of Gary Harris, RJ Hampton, and a future first-round pick), the Nuggets plugged their biggest hole, one that has plagued them for multiple years. In Gordon, Denver finally has an answer for the question every NBA contender has to ask itself: “Who guards LeBron?”
There are very few players in the league who can credibly be given that task, and Gordon is one. His strength, athleticism, and IQ make him a nice fit in Denver on both ends, as their aggressive defense and Nikola Jokic-centric offense are relatively unique. Gordon should slide in smoothly, provided he is OK having the ball even less than he did in central Florida.
During the 2019-20 season, when Orlando at least had DJ Augustin to run the offense, Gordon was in the 92nd percentile as a cutter, per Synergy Sports, scoring 1.5 points per possession. If even a fraction of that efficiency and willingness to score off the ball gets on the plane with him to Colorado, Gordon will be a brilliant addition for the Nuggets.
Sure, skepticism is warranted when it comes to his overall defensive impact, as even on an underrated Orlando defense under Steve Clifford, Gordon rarely graded out as an enormous positive on that end. Orlando has been better defensively with Gordon on the bench this season and two of the past three, according to Cleaning the Glass.
However, the Nuggets went from losing Grant, not really replacing him, and having no chance against LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, or Luka Doncic to now having one of the players best-suited to defending those guys in the whole NBA when engaged on that end of the floor.
Winner: The 2024 Orlando Magic
When one of the most reticent tanking teams in the NBA finally tears down its roster, it’s a big deal. The Magic finally looked at their team honestly and realized that not only was it the right time to do so, with a playoff berth unlikely, but also an opportunity to sell relatively high on their best players. Vucevic has been one of the most productive centers in the NBA this season, Gordon is on a hot streak, and even Evan Fournier fetched two second-round picks from Boston.
This not only helps the Magic commit to playing through young players like Chuma Okeke, Cole Anthony, and deadline acquisitions RJ Hampton and Wendell Carter Jr. the rest of the season, but should shore up their lottery odds and allow them to basically start from scratch. The only players Orlando has locked up long-term now are Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz, giving them a strong defensive foundation with two well-regarded young players.
In a strong 2021 Draft, the Magic should be able to add another promising piece and get to work building another winner. Orlando fans may be dreaming of Cade Cunningham already, but if an offensive creator is the bounty, even Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs would be a nice get and a strong fit next to Fultz. If you believe Orlando would have been wrong to tread water forever, this is a nice starting point for their rebuild.
Winner: Portland’s bench
Something has gotten into Neil Olshey and the Trail Blazers’ front office. Perhaps it was the electrifying run Portland went on in the Bubble that opened their eyes to the potential of the team, but the Trail Blazers have been remarkably aggressive over the past few months, and have nailed just about every move. With effectively no first-round picks to trade, Portland still got one of the crown jewels of the deadline in Norman Powell, giving up Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood in the process.
There is some risk in giving up two rotation players to get just one back, but not if a deep playoff run is the goal. Hood just has not been the same player this season since returning from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, and while Trent looks like a good 3-and-D player, he is mostly just a shooter at this point in his career and enters restricted free agency this summer. Portland flipped those two for Powell, who has been among the best sixth men in the NBA and best wing scorers overall in the league for two years running.
With 50/44/87 shooting lines this year and a ton of playoff experience, Powell joins a completely overhauled wing group in Portland, with the potential for some exciting small lineups with Robert Covington at center that the Trail Blazers have never had before. Their team is now far more playoff-ready than it was coming out of the Bubble, and perhaps the best of the post-LaMarcus Aldridge era.
Loser: Danny Ainge and the Celtics
Another NBA deadline, another letdown from Boston’s general manager. The Celtics entered the week as the reported front-runners for Aaron Gordon, then got wrapped up in a potential bigger deal for Evan Fournier before ending up with just Fournier at the cost of two second-round picks.
Then, as the deadline passed, they made a deal with the Bulls to duck the luxury tax, sending Daniel Theis to Chicago for Mo Wagner. In the end, both trades were purely financial, with the Fournier deal using up Boston’s massive traded player exception and the Theis deal saving the team money.
When dust settles, the cost of acquiring impending free agent Evan Fournier will essentially be 4 second-round picks, Daniel Theis, Javonte Green, and Jeff Teague.
Celtic take on Wagner, duck the tax (for now), and maybe have slot for buyout guy. And TPEs. Always TPEs.
For a team that has been in three of the past four Eastern Conference finals, this is disappointing. They are clearly banking on Kemba Walker gtting healthy or a young player like Robert Williams III braking out to spur them along in 2021. In the coming days, we will probably hear about more deals that Boston almost made, but don’t get it twisted: The Celtics hardly got better here.
Winner: Luka Doncic
In large part because they lost Seth Curry, the Mavs are a middling shooting team this season. That was maybe the only real hole in their roster, and they helped to plug it with JJ Redick and Nicolo Melli in a deal with New Orleans. On a hot streak, Dallas could join Denver and Portland as the West teams most likely to make a run during the second half of the year.
The conference is suddenly up for grabs, and Dallas found two cost-effective pieces to help them stabilize the offense for the postseason.
Winner: Victor Oladipo
After declining an extension in Indiana and another in Houston, Oladipo ends up in a winning situation in Miami, where he will not have to handle too much on offense or defense. Ideally, his energy and work ethic make him a good fit in the Heat locker room, and potentially set him up for a new contract in south Florida this offseason.
What’s hard to know is how much Oladipo provides at this point in his career, as he is still seemingly recovering from an injury and wasn’t exactly in the best situation in Houston. Still, he got what he wanted and set himself up for the future.
Loser: The Houston Rockets
Please read this.
For the record, the final return Houston ended up getting for Harden was Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, four late firsts, five pick swaps that are never gonna happen, and a future 2nd from Indiana.
Every year, Bob Odenkirk proves himself to be just a little more versatile as an actor. It’s a phenomenon that’s been building since Mr. Show in the 90s, and Better Call Saul was essentially built around it (and is, in my opinion, a stronger show than Breaking Bad from whence it came). If this guy can crush every role you throw at him, why not action?
So the thinking must’ve gone when Universal signed Odenkirk up for Nobody, from Hardcore Henry director Ilya Naishuller and John Wick writer Derek Kolstad. Can Slippin’ Jimmy become Killin’ Jimmy? Bob Odenkirk: action hero is an intriguing prospect, so much so that it may have actually doomed the project. Once they had the pitch, all the movie had to do was simply exist. And exist it does! Nobody shoehorns Odenkirk into a stock action movie with no real regard for, and without especially utilizing, any of his particular skills.
Okay, give Nobody some credit for the setup. Odenkirk plays Hutch Mansell (a Tim & Eric-ready name if ever there was one), your typical hen-pecked suburban dad who never puts the trash cans out in time for the garbage truck and works at a crummy desk job earning him less than his bus bench-famous realtor wife, played by Connie Nielsen (Gladiator). One day, a Bonnie-and-Clyde team of robbers attempts a home invasion. The robbers have guns, but Hutch’s large son tackles Clyde and seems to have him subdued, while a golf club-wielding Hutch seems to have the drop on the Bonnie. Rather than dome her with his Big Bertha, Hutch chooses to minimize the chances of collateral damage by dropping the club and letting the burglars escape. Clyde gives the large son a black eye on his way out. C’mon, dad, why didn’t you nail ’em?
Now, everyone in Hutch’s neighborhood, from his son to his wife to his prick of a neighbor to the first cop on the scene, thinks he’s less than a man. It’s a provocative setup, and a clever articulation of this very American phenomenon, in which restraining the Judeo-Christian vengeance impulse in order to minimize harm to your family can be viewed as less manly than simply putting your loved ones at risk in order to slake your thirst for retributive justice.
The trouble with Nobody is that this intriguing setup has virtually no connection to the movie that follows, in which Hutch Mansell, who turns out to be a semi-retired international assassin, takes on the Russian mob. There’s some embryonic idea here about Hutch getting his groove back by killing lots of people, but it doesn’t really come off because everything seems to happen to Hutch through random coincidence.
The inciting event is a completely random encounter with a gang of toughs on a city bus. That puts Hutch on a collision course with a Russian heavy who manages “The Obshak,” a massive mobile bank for other Russian heavies. So the banker guy takes his gang of henchman on a revenge mission to Hutch’s house and hoo boy is anyone else bored already? Does any part of this movie have anything to do with any other part of this movie? It’s a random grab bag of tropes with no connective tissue.
As for the actual fights, for which everything else in Nobody seems to exist as setup, the execution is more dutiful than inspired. The fight choreography is lively enough, with lots of impalings and dutifully staged face bashings, but nothing with the mayhem and glee of the library book fight in John Wick 3 or virtually any of the stunts in Extraction. Bob Odenkirk isn’t Tony Jaa, obviously, but whatever combination of Odenkirk and his stunt double they employed here looks perfectly acceptable. But he could be virtually any actor here. “Bob Odenkirk as an action hero” is an idea that seems to have spawned zero further ideas. Again, it seems like the filmmakers’ challenge was to get this movie finished, not make it any good.
Naishuller eventually does finish Nobody, but only thanks to long stretches of slow-motion montages set to Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Heart, etc. Naishuller cut his teeth making music videos and can’t seem to bear filming any action that isn’t set to a song. It gives every scene a sense of cutesy unreality regardless of context, like we’re watching a dream sequence or a big-budget commercial that never cuts to the slogan. It’s a collection of shiny filmmaking tricks in search of a reason for existing. It has the soul of a car commercial. After 90 or so minutes of cynical plate spinning, Nobody‘s one big idea, Bob Odenkirk as action hero, remains largely an abstraction.
‘Nobody’ hits theaters March 26th. Vince Mancini is onTwitter. You can access his archive of reviewshere.
The Los Angeles Lakers stayed put at the trade deadline on Thursday, as they weren’t willing to part with a significant enough package to pry Kyle Lowry away from the Toronto Raptors. They are expected to be the frontrunners for Andre Drummond once he completes a buyout with the Cavaliers, but for a team on the slide due to injuries to their top two stars, they won’t see a ton of reinforcements arriving in the immediate.
For a team with title aspirations once their stars return, not panicking at the deadline is a perfectly reasonable approach, as they know a short-term skid shouldn’t be a longterm concern. That said, in a very crowded Western Conference, they’ll need to pick up a few wins without LeBron and AD if they’re to ensure they are clear of the play-in tournament, because they are still a ways away from seeing both stars together again. According to Stadium’s Shams Charania, Davis is still a week or two away from his return and James even further after suffering a high ankle sprain. The team had said they were expecting a possible slow recovery, and Charania reports his timetable is 4-6 weeks from the injury suffered this past Saturday.
“LeBron James from the time he got hurt last weekend has an expected 4-to-6 week recovery period.”
That means the Lakers are 3-5 weeks out from having their full squad back together, and in the meantime they’re going to have to figure out a way to produce something offensively, because they have, unsurprisingly, been dreadful on that end since James has been out. At present, the Lakers are just four games ahead of Dallas in seventh, which means it’s possible that when James returns he will be tasked with clawing the Lakers into a mid-seed and out of the play-in. No matter what, if James and Davis are healthy, the Lakers will remain among the title favorites no matter their seeding, but the path to the title might be much more difficult if they have to go through three top 4 seeds to reach the Finals.
Dear Ian Smith, owner of The Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey:
I see that you are offering free memberships to your gym for anyone who refuses to get a COVID vaccine. In a Twitter post, you wrote, “In light of Krispy Kreme giving free donuts for receiving the CVD shot, here at The Atilis Gym we are giving out free memberships to all who don’t get vaccinated. We believe in health — the real way — exercise, good diet, plenty of Vitamin D, Zinc, and an environment to destress.”
In light of @krispykreme giving free donuts for receiving the CVD shot, here at @TheAtilisGym we are giving out fre… https://t.co/wOs4MaBwms
First of all, I’m totally with you on the “believing in health” front. I eat well, focusing on a good balance of fruits and vegetables, healthy carbs and protein. I buy collagen powder sourced from grass-fed cows and eat as much organic produce as we can afford. I exercise six days a week, a mix of HIIT and pilates and strength training and yoga. I take vitamins, including a focus on Vitamin D and Zinc during the pandemic. I’m conscious of my stress levels, which is part of why I exercise. I also practice meditation and make sure I get outdoors for sunshine and fresh air.
I believe in a natural, holistic approach to health. I believe in keeping my body’s systems and functions in tip-top shape.
I also believe that in no way conflicts with getting the COVID vaccine.
Keeping our immune systems strong is important. But even a robust immune system isn’t foolproof. That’s why we see a small but real percentage of young and healthy people die from the flu every year, and why we’ve seen young and healthy people die from COVID. While rare, having a strong immune system can actually backfire on a healthy person, revving up so much that it creates a “cytokine storm” where the immune system starts attacking things it shouldn’t.
And this particular coronavirus appears quite adept at deranging people’s immune systems. It’s not as simple as “strong immune system = successfully fighting off the virus.” Maintaining our body systems is important, but COVID infection isn’t a result of weakened bodily systems. It’s a foreign invader.
Part of a holistic approach to health is utilizing modern medicine when it makes sense. We’ve seen 545,000 Americans die from COVID and millions more sickened by it. Some have ongoing health problems from the infection. These are known risks, and there’s still a lot that we don’t know about the long-term effects. While COVID vaccines are new, the risks are statistically far, far lower than with the virus.
Think of it this way: The COVID vaccine is like a personal trainer for your immune system, prepping it for a specific event. If you’re preparing to compete in a decathlon, you could exercise and eat well and hope your general being-in-shape will suffice, but you probably won’t do all that well. You might be incredibly strong or have great endurance, but to actually be competitive in a decathlon, you need to prepare and train and hone your strength and skills for those 10 specific events. That’s what the vaccine does. It trains and preps your immune system specifically for a COVID competition.
Therefore, I see no conflict whatsoever between keeping your body healthy and getting the COVID vaccine.
If you disagree, that’s your prerogative, but what you’re doing isn’t just about you. I’m all for people having the autonomy to make their own choices, but encouraging people not to get the vaccine is a ludicrous move. Not only does it not make sense on a personal level for the reasons I just laid out, but it’s grossly irresponsible on a societal level. (Especially considering the hotbeds of infection gyms and fitness classes can be.)
Vaccinations aren’t just about an individual’s protection, but about stopping the spread so the virus won’t keep mutating in deadlier ways and keep infecting people who are genuinely at high risk. A pandemic is a group event, literally. Imagine being on a sports team and deciding that you don’t need to train with your teammates because you feel like you’ve already got your position covered. Only in this case, the team sport has long-term disease and death as potential consequences of losing. Doesn’t that seem like a terrible attitude?
One last point: If optimal health is as important to you as it is to me, I question why you would risk it on a virus that we know can result in ongoing health problems, even for people with mild symptoms. More and more evidence shows that long-haul COVID patients often have initially mild cases of the disease, but are still dealing with various symptoms months after their infection. Two common long-haul symptoms are breathlessness and fatigue—which would certainly make trying to work out a real drag, if not impossible. Doctors still don’t know why that’s happening, but even if you survive and don’t get severely ill, you still could be impacting your health by catching the virus.
It seems pretty clear that being a model of health would include getting the vaccine that trains your body to fight the virus that could damage your health. Yes, absolutely keep those bodily systems in good shape and take care of your overall health, but to rely on that to fight the virus is like heading into a decathlon with no training. It simply doesn’t make sense.
Sincerely,
Someone who eats well, exercises, takes my vitamins, and thinks you’re dead wrong
While discussing Chrissy Teigen quitting Twitter after spending the past decade as one of the most popular users of the social media platform where she used her quick wit and comedic timing to parlay her modeling career into a successful line of cookbooks and cookware, The View co-host Meghan McCain launched into a diatribe on cyber-bullying, which she herself has experienced on Twitter. However, where McCain gets into trouble, as she often does, is equating herself with the topic of the day, and in this case, her situation is markedly different than Teigen’s.
I was trending on Twitter yesterday. I don’t think it’s ever been positive. It’s always something negative. It’s not just random people. It’s people with blue checkmarks and I don’t need a pity party. I said yesterday there’s no crying in baseball. I’ve chosen to do this work, this is not indentured servitude. I’m the one conservative woman in all of mainstream television. I’m the only one left. With that, I’m saying things that are not said in an echo chamber. I say things that people just don’t want to hear, and if they disagree with me, it automatically becomes personal about how fat I am, I’m a disgusting white woman of privilege, I only get anywhere because of my dad. Everything you guys have already said, it’s not anything I haven’t thought and felt and been insecure about for my whole life.
It’s true that online harassment is a serious problem that tech platforms have failed to adequately address. Teigen has been repeatedly attacked for every little thing she tweets and has recently been the target of QAnon accusations, which involved allegations about her family that go beyond the pale and Twitter did very little to stop it.
McCain, on the other hand, was trending on Wednesday for a very different reason. She made extremely controversial remarks on The View about how race and gender shouldn’t factor into hiring decisions, which many people noted is a hypocritical thing for her to say considering her career has been built on being the daughter of a late senator and presidential candidate. Does McCain deserve to have her weight mocked? No, of course not. But is it unusual or purposefully nefarious that she trended after making racially-charged remarks about how an Asian American host couldn’t do her job better than her? Also, no.
Of course, the best response came from Joy Behar who sympathized with Teigen, and perhaps threw a little shade at her co-host in the process. “There comes a time in everyone’s life when they ask themselves, ‘Is this job worth the aggravation?’” Behar said. “I ask myself that question on a regular basis.” We wonder why.
Today, Big Sean celebrates his 33rd birthday — one that he almost didn’t get to see. To commemorate the occasion, he’s shared a video of a special live performance of his Detroit 2 tracks “Lucky Me” and “Still I Rise,” highlighting just how fortunate he feels to hit his Scottie Pippen year.
Prior to his last album’s release, Sean was very open about sharing his struggles with mental health, admitting that he’d contemplated suicide as a result of depression and anxiety. Meanwhile, on “Lucky Me,” he raps about the heart condition he experienced as a teen that nearly killed him. Although doctors suggested putting in a pacemaker to keep things moving along, his mother’s insistence on trying alternative medicine led to an unconventional cure.
Sean recently repaid his mom for going above and beyond for him by introducing her to Seán Schemmel, the voice actor who portrays the Dragon Ball Z hero Goku. The two Seans spent some time hanging out, with Schemmel posting pics from Big Sean’s in-house studio and explaining that kids like the younger Sean were the inspiration behind his performance.
Incidentally, it was on his 32nd birthday last year that Sean announced the impending release of Detroit 2, the follow-up to his fan-favorite 2012 mixtape that featured breakout songs like “Mula” and “24 Karats Of Gold” with J. Cole. Two weeks ago, he announced that the tape would finally make its way to DSPs, mixed and mastered. Here’s hoping all the samples were cleared as well.
Watch Big Sean’s live performance of “Lucky Me” and “Still I Rise” above.
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