Late last year, Rudy Giuliani was everywhere. He was even in the movies. While he was gallivanting about the country, repeatedly embarrassing himself in his flailing attempts to steal the 2020 election for his client, Donald Trump, the former NYC mayor could also be seen in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, unzipping his pants in front of someone he believed to be a minor. His attempts to subvert the will of the people may have failed, but at least he has something for his efforts: two Razzies.
This year’s Golden Raspberry Awards — the anti-Oscars, rewarding cinematic awfulness, or at least making pretty easy jokes — was a big for Giuliani, who took home two separate trophies. They were for Worst Supporting Actor, for his headline-making appearance in Sacha Baron Cohen’s sequel, and Worst Screen Combo, for him and “his pants zipper.”
But Rudy wasn’t the only Trump loyalist who was fêted with dubious honors. Mike Lindell, aka the MyPillow Guy, received two of the top prizes, thanks to Absolute Proof, his epic PowerPoint movie, in which he painstakingly laid out a nonsensical conspiracy about how foreign powers and even deceased world leaders helped flip Trump votes Biden’s way. That film beat the likes of Dolittle and Sia’s Music to nab Worst Picture. Lindell also won Worst Actor, beating Robert Downey Jr. in Dolittle and Adam Sandler in Hubie Halloween (in which he was actually quite good, but whatever, this is how the Razzies roll).
Alas, Giuliani and Lindell weren’t the biggest winners. That would be Sia, whose film Music won three: Worst Actress (for Kate Hudson), Worst Supporting Actress (for Maddie Ziegler), and Worst Director, for Sia herself. At least Music didn’t Worst Screenplay, which went to 365 Days, a Polish sex drama that became a big deal on Netflix over the summer. And Music was ineligible for Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel, which went to Dolittle.
You can see the full list of Razzies winners (and “losers”) below, and the Oscars will air Sunday night, where you may see Giuliani’s screen partner, Maria Bakalova, walk off with an Academy Award, in part for putting up with him.
Worst Picture Absolute Proof (WINNER)
365 Days
Dolittle
Fantasy Island
Music
Worst Actor Mike Lindell (the My Pillow guy) – Absolute Proof (WINNER)
Robert Downey, Jr. – Dolittle
Michele Morrone – 365 Days
Adam Sandler – Hubie Halloween
David Spade – The Wrong Missy
Worst Actress Kate Hudson – Music (WINNER)
Anne Hathaway – The Last Thing He Wanted AND Roald Dahl’s The Witches
Katie Holmes – Brahms: The Boy II AND The Secret: Dare to Dream
Lauren Lapkus – The Wrong Missy
Anna-Maria Sieklucka – 365 Days
Worst Supporting Actress Maddie Ziegler – Music (WINNER)
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy
Lucy Hale – Fantasy Island
Maggie Q – Fantasy Island
Kristen Wiig – Wonder Woman 1984
Worst Supporting Actor Rudy Giuliani (as “Himself”) – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (WINNER)
Chevy Chase – The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee
Shia LaBeouf – The Tax Collector
Arnold Schwarzenegger – Iron Mask
Bruce Willis – Breach, Hard Kill AND Survive the Night
Worst Screen Combo Rudy Giuliani & His Pants Zipper (Yes, That Really IS Rudy Giuliani!) – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (WINNER)
Robert Downey Jr. & His Utterly Unconvincing “Welsh” Accent – Dolittle
Harrison Ford & That Totally Fake-Looking CGI “Dog” – Call of the Wild
Lauren Lapkus & David Spade – The Wrong Missy
Adam Sandler & His Grating Simpleton Voice – Hubie Halloween
Worst Director Sia – Music (WINNER)
Charles Band – All 3 Barbie & Kendra movies
Barbara Bialowas & Tomasz Mandes – 365 Days
Stephen Gaghan – Dolittle
Ron Howard – Hillbilly Elegy
Worst Screenplay 365 Days (WINNER)
All 3 Barbie & Kendra Movies
Dolittle
Fantasy Island
Hillbilly Elegy
Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel Dolittle (Remake) (WINNER)
365 Days (Polish Remake/Rip-Off of Fifty Shades of Grey)
Fantasy Island (Remake/”Re-Imagining”)
Hubie Halloween (Remake/Rip-Off of Ernest Scared Stupid)
Wonder Woman 1984 (Sequel)
It’s coming on four months since Donald Trump was permanently kicked off Twitter, and one can definitely sense a change. Without the world’s loudest angry man, who also had the most powerful job on the planet, the social media site is a far more chill, less anxiety-inducing place. Even Trump is happy about it — or so he claims.
In a new interview that aired on Fox News Friday night, the former president chatted with Sean Hannity about how his life is so much better now that he’s off Twitter, which has become “very boring” without him — as though that was a bad thing. Besides, he has something far better, he claims: those press releases he puts out every handful of days.
“I’m really getting a big word out because we’re doing releases,” Trump told Hannity. “And every time I do a release it’s all over the place. It’s better than Twitter, much more elegant than Twitter. And Twitter now is very boring, a lot of people are leaving Twitter. Twitter’s become very, very boring.”
Mind you, those press releases aren’t always “all over the place.” Some publications don’t cover them at all, and they almost never go viral — almost suggesting that, after dominating the news for five-plus years, the vast majority of people are glad that he’s no longer around, rage-tweeting at all hours.
But he wasn’t done. He also took credit for making Twitter exciting. “When I started with Twitter years ago it was like a failed thing, concept, media platform,” Trump claimed. “And it became exciting. And I think I had a lot to do with it, to be honest with you. It became very exciting. And now it’s boring and it’s no good anymore. People are telling me.”
Twitter will likely continue to be boring to Trump and those alleged “people” he’s always talking about who are telling him things that don’t sound true. But he’s still thinking about launching his own social media platform.
“I am, I’m looking at it,” Trump told Hannity. “We’re looking at different platforms. We have a lot of people that want to come on existing platforms. They have to be strong. They can’t be dominated by Amazon and Google and people that can take them off the air right away. And you do need anti-trust, you have to do something about it.”
So something to look forward to. Unless it’s all just more hot air from a guy who can’t even deliver a wedding toast without ranting about himself.
It’s more than just the final frontier of scientific discovery. It’s also a sandbox where some of Hollywood’s greatest sci-fi adventures like to play. We’re talking galactic space operas that host universe-ending battles between evil empires and scrappy resistance fighters; exploratory missions meant to save mankind; out-of-this-world superhero origin stories set to some killer soundtracks, and more. When it comes to galactic epics, nothing is off-limits.
We’ve rounded up some of the best space movies streaming right now, in case all those movies set on Earth have become a bit boring for you.
We really can’t talk about space movies without paying tribute to this Stanley Kubrick classic. It’s a sci-fi adventure that set the tone for so many intergalactic treks that followed it. The film follows a crew of astronaut explorers who set out to find the origins of a mysterious object buried beneath the Lunar surface. Part thriller, part futuristic drama, there’s a lot to love about this genre entry, even if some of the special effects are a bit outdated.
Sure, plenty of Marvel movies feature space romps, but James Gunn’s comedy about a bunch of assholes sent to save the galaxy still ranks number one amongst them. It’s not just that this oddball superhero origin story features perhaps the greatest movie soundtrack of all time or that its cast – Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, and Dave Bautista – have incredible chemistry. It’s also because Vin Diesel gave us a masterclass in voice acting, playing a humanoid tree named Groot who repeats the same phrase for two hours and still manages to be the most beloved character of the entire Marvel Universe.
Ron Howard’s docudrama stars a slew of A-listers including Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, and Gary Sinise, but it’s the incredible true story off which the film is based that’s the real draw here. The Apollo 13 is infamous for becoming yet another failed mission to the moon, but it’s the tale of the survival of the crew against impossible odds, along with the fickle nature of space travel, that feels especially relevant. A lot of films celebrate space travel. This one reminds us of how harrowing and dangerous it can be.
Most of director Ridley Scott’s sci-fi catalog can be summed up as follows: mankind really needs to be less curious when it comes to space stuff. He continues that lesson with Prometheus, a CGI-backed space adventure that follows a crew intent on discovering the origins of the human race. But when you land on a foreign planet and start hunting for literal gods, you really should expect things to go wrong. The cast – everyone from Charlize Theron to Idris Elba to Michael Fassbender is in this thing – is top-notch and the suspense is nail-biting. You really can’t ask for more.
A space movie doesn’t always have to exist in, well, space. Hidden Figures proves that there’s plenty of tension and action and climactic build-up to be had on Earth, especially when recounting the origins of America’s space program. Taraji P. Henson plays Katherine Johnson, just one of the unsung African-American mathematicians who helped NASA launch a man into space. Watching her battle racism and sexism in her industry is almost as exhilarating as watching astronauts take that giant leap for mankind.
The godmother of French cinema heard our cries for more space movies, but make them weird, and she answered with this mindf*ck of an anti-gravity adventure. It follows a group of convicts journeying through space and being subjected to weird experiments by an unhinged scientist (hello, Juliette Binoche). And if you’re going to have Black Holes that literally tear people apart and masturbation boxes on spaceships, you have to know Robert Pattinson is going to be there.
George Clooney is charged with saving the human race in this post-apocalyptic film and though his quarantine beard is truly a testament to the willpower of man, what’s happening on Earth pales in comparison to the film’s space antics. While Clooney’s character tries to warn off a returning crew from coming back to their radioactive home, Felicity Jones, Kyle Chandler, and David Oyelowo are tasked with blindly navigating meteor showers and surviving long enough to reach a new planet. But no pressure. Really, it’s just the fate of humanity that’s at stake.
Rian Johnson’s entry into the Star Wars sequel trilogy is polarizing amongst longtime fans of the franchise because it dared to take risks and reimagine old tropes. But you know what everyone agrees on? How fantastic this space adventure looks. Whether Johnson’s taking characters on casino heists in Canto Bight or staging epic battles in hyperspace or building up to a familial showdown on the blood-red salt flats of Crait, he exploits all of the magic and mystery and terrifying beauty we associate with that great unknown. So just get over your gripes about Luke Skywalker and enjoy the visual treat that is this sci-fi masterpiece.
Really, any Star Trek movie is going to be a good space movie, but Wrath of Kahn gave us one of the franchise’s greatest villains and for that, we must include it on this list. William Shatner’s Admiral Kirk is pulled out of semi-retirement when an enemy from his past attempts to weaponize a technology intended to make worlds habitable. The Enterprise crew performs their usual heroics while planets explode and their hyperspace drive fails, but it’s the ending of this adventure that really elevates it above most other Trekkie installments.
No shade to the George Clooney remake, but Andrei Tarkovsky did something revolutionary with this early ’70s space epic. It follows a trio of astronauts whose mission to study an oceanic planet has stalled because the crew is going through an emotional crisis. Naturally, a psychologist is sent to figure out what the hell is going on, and he falls prey to the same phenomenon that has incapacitated the rest of the ship. It’s a very contained, humanized view of the effects of space and the isolation of space travel.
Look, this Wachowski sibling space opera gets a lot of, frankly undeserved, hate. That might be because the central romance between Mila Kunis’s reincarnated galactic queen and Channing Tatum’s half-human, half-canine genetically engineered soldier falls a little flat. But dammit, the world-building and stunning visual effects more than make up for it. Oh, and Eddie Redmayne over-acts his ass off in this thing as a galactic king who wants to harvest Earth to create a youth serum so he can live forever. Do yourself a favor and watch, just for him.
Yes, technically Rogue One is another Star Wars movie, but it doesn’t feel like it. It’s darker, filled with ambiguous characters that explore new worlds. And it’s scrappy, a story about a band of rebels out of their depth in the larger war between the Empire and the Resistance, between the Sith and the Jedi. Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso, a criminal with a murky past who joins other criminals with even murkier pasts to strike a blow against the Dark Side. There’s more adventure and planet-hopping here for space junkies – and some great character beats for Star Wars fans craving more.
This totally ’90s sci-fi film is chock full of cheesy camp and really, that’s not a bad thing. If you want cerebral, hyper-realistic space treks, there are plenty of other options on this list. But, if you want a hilarious Swiss Family Robinson-style adventure featuring a truly inspiring villainous turn by Oscar-winning galactic saboteur Gary Oldman, well then … this is the film for you.
We’re convinced people would’ve appreciated this sci-fi thriller from J.J. Abrams more if he’d just changed the damn title. If you come at this horror story set in space without any expectations from other Cloverfield entries, you’ll find a pretty interesting account of a group of scientists trying to solve an energy crisis and stop a war on Earth. There are also some timeline mysteries to be solved and people disappearing into the ship, literally, and doppelgangers, but it’s all carried by a more than capable cast.
Look, the word “space” is literally in the title of this ’90s animated-hybrid favorite and Michael Jordan has to defeat a basketball team filled with oversized aliens to save some beloved Looney Tunes characters. So we really don’t want to hear how this doesn’t qualify as a “space movie.” Expand your mind people.
The Wizards of Washington are suddenly winners of seven straight games, and their latest came in large part as a result of a massive performance from Russell Westbrook, who put up 37 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a blowout victory over the Thunder on Friday night.
As is often the case, Westbrook played better because he had confidence in his jump shot, frequently taking Thunder players off the dribble and nailing jumpers left and right.
That opened up the rest of Westbrook’s game, including his vicious rim attacks in transition, as the old Russ began to creep out of the shadows for 48 minutes on Friday.
In addition to Westbrook’s throwback explosion, Bradley Beal did his thing, scoring 33 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. Overall the Thunder’s young backcourt — even with Luguentz Dort — was no match for Washington’s savvy star duo.
After this win, the Wizards are now 26-33 on the season and back in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. It would be hard to expect Washington to keep this up the rest of the season, but they have played themselves back into the No. 10 seed and a shot at the play-in game. The Wizards are currently one game up on an equally hungry Chicago team for the final spot in the East standings in a battle that may go down to the wire this season.
On JJ Redick’s “Old Man & The Three” podcast this week, Redick was joined by his former Pelicans teammate and new Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday and asked what it’s like to train and play with Giannis Antetokounmpo, to which Holiday offered up a very topical Hollywood comparison for the Greek Freak’s, well, freakishness.
“He really should be like in Space Jam,” Holiday said, “where your arm just stretches, your legs are out. It’s some of the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen.”
Redick then rebutted saying that not only is Giannis’ athleticism remarkable, but the way he can contort and fight through contact at the rim to finish tough dunks and layups. Holiday responded with maybe the best comparison there is for a Giannis collision at the rim.
The lingering question here is which legendary monster Giannis is, but it almost seems like what Holiday is getting at here is that Giannis is both. Judging from the fact that the man is one of the most insane physical marvels the NBA has ever seen and is putting up numbers that should earn him consideration for a third consecutive MVP award, it’s not as if anyone would argue with Holiday for saying that.
It’s cool to see Holiday talk about his new star teammate so glowingly, as he can’t help but marvel at Giannis’ work ethic both on the court and in the weight room. As Holiday notes, Giannis truly wants to be great and Holiday, a guy who prides himself on his work ethic as well, can’t help but be impressed by the mindset the two-time MVP has.
The roots of the senior prom date back to the 19th century, at a time when colleges were separated by gender. The prom—short for promenade—was an opportunity for young men and young ladies to meet and mingle at a formal party. The idea moved to younger ages in the 1920s and evolved into the modern-day prom, complete with tuxedos, limousines, over-the-top “promposals,” and, of course, the infamous prom “court.”
The fact that students are still being asked to vote among their peers for a “king” and a “queen” of the prom is somewhat baffling. The idea felt outdated when I was in high school decades ago. Am I missing something, or is it really just a glorified popularity contest where the naturally outgoing and beautiful among the student body get the privilege of winning a prize that has no real meaning or significance?
Traditions are odd things when you step back and look at them objectively. Many people aren’t able to do that, which is why there’s so often an uproar when traditions get broken or messed with in some way. But not all traditions are worth keeping—or at least worth being precious about.
That’s the lesson for an Ohio community whose senior class voted in two girls as prom king and queen this year. The couple, Annie and Riley, were chosen by their peers at Kings High School to wear the crowns and carry the titles—a choice that was brought up and discussed at a local school board meeting.
At least one parent at the school board meeting expressed concern over having a girl serve as prom king, but others were supportive.
“I admire this generation for their thirst of knowledge and understanding, their strength to stand up for what they believe in,” said one parent.
“Sorry, but I believe that there are still two genders, a male and a female,” said another.
The decision, however, was the students’ to make, not the parents’.
“This is solely a Kings High School senior class nominated and voted-on initiative,” Dawn Goulding, a community relations coordinator for the school district, told WLKY News.
The school shared a photo of the girls on their Facebook page with no extra fanfare—just a simple message of congratulations. “Congratulations to Kings High School 2021 Prom King and Queen, Annie Wise and Riley Loudermilk! #KingsStrong.” Though there was a mix of comments on the post at first, they grew more supportive.
“The queen and king that were nominated and won were thrilled, they were so excited and they feel so supported at school, Gould told Fox 19 News. “What is great is it shows a lot of the character of our students at Kings High School. They’re inclusive and they get it.”
The Facebook post now has more than 2,000 comments, most of which are words of celebration and support for the students.
Let’s just step back a second. For parents to raise a fuss about a prom court in any way shape or form is just silly. “But a king is by definition a male! But the point is to have a boy and a girl!” It’s a prom court, for the love. It means nothing in the big scheme of things, regardless of who wears those crowns.
The students of Kings High managed to at least give it some fleeting meaning, using an archaic prom tradition to make a statement of solidarity and an expression of inclusivity. And the school district has stood by the students as they’ve endured criticism from certain parents and community members.
The students have spoken, and what they’ve said is, “We’re turning traditions on their heads and celebrating our friends just as they are.” Seems like a fitting coming-of-age milestone for young adults heading into an increasingly diverse world.
Let’s cut to the chase. No beginner should be spending $300 on a single bottle of booze — whisk(e)y or another spirit — unless they have endless means. Scotch whisky at this level is all about collectability, nuance, and rarity. When you’re spending the same about for a single bottle of whisky that you could spend on a case of very solid stuff, that bottle had better mean something. It needs to take you somewhere new and be a defining moment on your whisk(e)y journey.
The ten bottles below are all unique and mean something to their respective distillers, blenders, nosers, warehouse managers, and barley growers. Hopefully, they’ll mean something to you, too. If any of these bottles piques your interest, click on the prices to give them a try. At the very least, you’ll have a conversation starter. At best, you’ll find a whisky that truly speaks to you and your ever-expanding whisky palate.
This whisky from the far north of the Orkney Islands is all about balance. The one-off bottling only yielded 400-odd bottles from a single sherry cask that held the juice for 13 years. The whisky was bottled as-is to really highlight the beauty of cold-weather whisky maturation in every sip.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a subtle warmth that ties ginger to eggnog spices on the nose with a hint of dry, almost cedary smoke. That smoke falls back towards a dry moss as the oak kicks in, with hints of marzipan, dark dried fruits, and a cinnamon-stewed fig, leading towards another note of sharp candied ginger. The end is long but soft, with a balance of sweet and fruity smoke lingering on your warmed senses.
Bottom Line:
This is a true rarity from Highland Park (which does release a lot of rare bottlings). Overall, this hits a nice balance between light smoke and dark fruity sweetness and spice. It’s refined and feels like you’re drinking something truly unique with every sip.
This well-crafted blend from London’s Compass Box is a celebratory bottle (it helped mark the blender’s 20th anniversary) that was created as the perfect food-pairing whisky. The juice is a marriage of mostly Miltonduff single malt with doses of Clynelish single malt, Glen Elgin single malt, and North British Distillery single grain whisky.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with a sense of tropical fruit eclairs with hints of light vanilla cream and almost a mango/pineapple vibe. The sip warms slightly as a fresh ginger juice sharpness arrives with a light touch of wet oak and citrus. The end is medium-length and leans into the creamy vanilla pastry filling with more of the tropical fruits brightening the whole experience, leaving you wanting more.
Bottom Line:
There’s a slight dessert aspect to this sip that’s endearing. This definitely feels like a digestif that you’d sip after a big holiday meal.
This release is an interesting experiment of sorts. The “1st Edition” was released in 2004 as a 12-year-old whisky that was aged in refill bourbon and sherry casks. The “2nd Edition” is the same whisky that was left in the same barrels for an additional ten years to see how it’d mature. It was bottled in 2014 after those refill barrels were married and the juice was proofed down to a very agreeable 44.3%.
Tasting Notes:
Although this was almost 22 years old when it was bottled, there’s still a greenness to the oak and vanilla that leads towards a bitter yet sweet orange marmalade edge on the nose. The taste holds onto the orange and adds in dark chocolate while a slow-stewed and spicy apple compote arrives with a touch of dried tobacco buzz. The end sweetens slightly with a dried fruit feel as this sip slowly fades away, leaving you with a touch more vanilla and spicy fruit.
Bottom Line:
You don’t need to compare this to the “1st Edition” bottle to enjoy it. This 20+-year-old whisky stands on its own as a ridiculously easy sipper that’ll keep your senses enthralled until the last drop.
This Octomore is a refined and very unique batch of whisky that highlights barrel influence on the uber-peaty malt base. The release is a small-batch of 77 barrels, which are mostly first-fill and second-fill used barrels from Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Jack Daniel’s, and Buffalo Trace. The whiskies age for over nine years and are then married to an eight-year-old whisky that matured in new oak barrels.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear billow of fruity smoke on the nose that’ll draw you towards hints of honey-roasted almonds, candied mango, and a spritz of orange oils. The taste has notes of bright ripe sweet peach counterpointing the heavier pall of the smoky peatiness, which leads towards a dry oakiness and dried tropical fruits. The end is lengthy and relies on the smoke carrying you through moments of dried apricot, vanilla husks, and toasted coconut, leaving you with a mild tobacco head buzz.
Bottom Line:
There’s a shisha vibe to this sip, thanks to how married the smoke is to the fruit. While it is really peaty, the fruit is bold enough to counterpoint that, while providing something else for your senses to latch onto and enjoy. Still, this is a smoky monster of whisky and not for the light of heart.
Don’t let the name fool you. The “parliament” in this case is the collective noun for rooks — a type of European crow that nests above the distillery. That dark essence is rendered in the whisky through 21 long years of maturation in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks exclusively.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lot going on with this nose, starting with blackberry brambles hanging heavy with ripe fruit leading towards a well-spiced oatmeal cookie vibe and cut with hints of orange zest and vanilla. A sticky toffee pudding sweetness arrives (heavy on the dates) with flourishes of bitter dark chocolate notes and a sharp holiday spice matrix. The end is very long but very velvety with hints of dark fruits and spices warming your body as it fades away.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those “ah-ha!” whiskies where you might finally “get” what all the fuss is about when it comes to pricey Scotch. This is a phenomenal dram that needs a little time to really open up. So add some good water. Re-nose. Re-taste. Take your time and find the depths within this one.
The Macallan is a much-beloved scotch. This expression celebrates the home of Macallan by using barley grown exclusively at the Macallan Estate. It’s a true grain-to-glass Scotch whisky experience.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with hints of bananas foster with plenty of nutmeg and cinnamon and a good dose of orange oils next to minor notes of cedar and sweet tobacco. The palate holds onto the dry wood as the tobacco becomes slightly chewy and hewn with dates, more cinnamon, and a touch of that bright citrus oil. The end isn’t too long and really lightens and brightens as the orange almost blooms on your tongue.
Bottom Line:
This yearly limited release really embraces the essence of what The Macallan is from grain to glass. You feel the softness of the River Spey in every sip. It takes you there the moment you close your eyes and let all the complexity and depth of the whisky settle into your senses.
It’s all in the name with this yearly special release from Glenfiddich. The whisky matures for over 23 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before it’s vatted and then filled into French Cuvée casks that held Champagne. That whisky is then cut down to proof and bottled just in time for the holiday season.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a real feel of apple fritters with plenty of brown sugars, cinnamon, and candied orange on the nose. The taste really holds onto the pastry vibe with a buttery underbelly, while hints of sour grape, saffron stewed pears, and vanilla husk offer a counterpoint. The end has a slight dried floral edge that marries to the pear, vanilla, and spice as the sip slowly fades away, leaving you with a velvet mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
This is built (and marketed) as a celebration whisky. Save up, buy a bottle for the end of the year, and then enjoy the hell out of it as you ring in the new year.
The Dalmore sort of did the impossible with this expression. The blend is a marrying of six barrels. French wine, Madeira, sherry, Marsala, port, and Kentucky bourbon casks and barrels are all in play. This is one of the more creative and extreme examples of barreling in the single malt game and resulted in an award-winning whisky.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a deep sense of fruit on the nose which really leans into raspberry, red currant, and a touch of blueberry with chocolate maltiness and creamy bourbon vanilla. The palate embraces the vanilla to the point of creating a pudding texture while dark chocolate-covered almonds lead towards cherry brandy, hints of boozy oranges, and salted caramel ice cream. The end is long and full of Christmas spices that bring everything together like a brandy-fueled, marzipan-heavy, and fruity dessert-laden holiday meal in a Glencairn glass.
Bottom Line:
This is a whisky that feels like the finest of Cognacs. It’s so specifically brandy-fruited while still holding onto the malts and inherent whisky-ness of its backbone. That being said, it really does feel like an after-dinner sipper that’ll put you straight into bed.
This whisky marries locally grown barley with peat sourced from where that barely is grown. The malts are then fermented with spring-filled lake water from down the road before distillation and maturation in sherry casks for 19 long years. The best cask is chosen from the bunch and bottled as is.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mellow, almost honey-laced, smokiness that draws you into the sip while tart dark berries lurk in the background. The taste has a smoldering beach campfire vibe that leads towards notes of wet summer flowers, rich toffee, a touch more honey, and mild wet tobacco. The end darkens as the smoke amps towards a sweet billow and the fruit takes on an almost sour berry edge on the lingering fade.
Bottom Line:
This is another peaty whisky that’s so much more than just “smoky.” The sourness of the berries with sweeter notes really takes this sip to another level and allows you to indulge in the smokier side of scotch without being overwhelmed by that smoke.
This 21-year-old expression from The Glenlivet is a constant winner of the biggest awards in whisky. The juice is a classic whisky, aged in specifically selected ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The whisky then spends 21 years maturing as the team at Glenlivet keeps a watchful eye on the process, making sure the final product is something truly unique after those two decades.
Tasting Notes:
There’s an almost West Coast IPA feel to the nose with notes of dank pine resin mingling with dried stone fruits and a touch of dried roses. The palate really embraces the sherry notes with big swings of cinnamon-stewed plums, sherry-soaked oak, and caramelized barley with a hint of honey sweetness. The long end softens that honey while adding a marzipan nuttiness next to a vanilla tobacco chewiness.
Bottom Line:
This feels like the mountaintop of what The Glenlivet can do. It’s so uniquely a “scotch” through and through while still pushing into more and more refined territory. In the end, this is one of those whiskies that feels like you’re taking a victory lap with every sip.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
While the recent Mortal Kombat reboot is an incredibly beginner-friendly introduction to the Mortal Kombat video game series — which made its debut in arcades back in 1992 — there’s no denying the series can feel as complicated as it is gory and controversial. In order to help you go into the movie feeling a bit more prepared, here is a quick rundown on some of the game’s lore and characters.
Fair warning though, while this article can prepare you mentally, the new film — which was nearly rated NC-17 — is a real gore fest, filled with the series signature “fatalities,” and I can’t prepare you for those. Oh, and one last thing before we begin: I’d like to clear up the number one confusion I and all of my friends had while growing up and tell you no, Sub-Zero and Scorpion are not brothers. I know, weird right? Anyways, “get over here” and let’s dig into this.
The Gist
First things first, the series title, Mortal Kombat, refers to the name of the tournament held between the warriors of the game’s different realms. The tournament was created by the Elder Gods as a way to maintain order, as no realm can invade another one without earning ten victories against the realm they wish to take over. So, what are the realms of Mortal Kombat?
The Realms
While there are six realms in the Mortal Kombat series, these are the ones you need to know for now:
Earthrealm: Just as it sounds, Earthrealm is… Earth.
Outworld: Out of all the realms in this article, this is the weird one. Originally ruled by Onaga the Dragon King, the dark and violent land was taken over by villain Shao Kahn, who seeks to take over the other realms. It is filled with wastelands, pools of acid, and other sinister structures
Netherrealm: You can think of this realm as essentially Hell. It’s hot and full of dead people. Fun fact: it’s also the name of the studio behind Mortal Kombat!
The Good Guys
Cole Young: Cole Young is a new face in the series, so don’t worry about not knowing what his deal is–none of us do!
Jax Briggs: Jax debuted back in Mortal Kombat II as the United States Special Forces superior officer to Sonya Blade. His is one of the series most iconic characters and has been in nearly every title as well as the Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe crossover game.
Sonya Blade: Sonya is an OG Mortal Kombat character and a commanding officer in the United States Special Forces. Her primary goal throughout most of the Mortal Kombat series is to eliminate the Black Dragon crime syndicate.
Kano: Kano is another character who’s been around–and starting shit–since day one. Kano is an Australian mercenary and the leader of aforementioned Black Dragon crime syndicate. While he’s a villain in the game series, Kano is a part of the Earthrealm warriors in the film.
Liu Kang: If there were a main protagonist of Mortal Kombat, it might just be Liu Kang, a Shaolin monk inspired by Bruce Lee and mentored by the thunder god Raiden.
Kung Lao: Kung Lao was first introduced in Mortal Kombat II as a member of the White Lotus Society and best friend to Liu Kang. He was originally selected to represent the Shaolin in the Mortal Kombat tournament, but rejected the invitation, leaving Liu Kang to become the champion.
Raiden: Raiden is perhaps the one recognizable–and important– Mortal Kombat characters. The literal god of thunder, Raiden possesses incredibly strong powers and uses them to protect Earthrealm.
Scorpion/Hanzo Hasashi: Scorpion is another of the original seven Mortal Kombat characters, and is an undead, Japanese Shirai Ryu ninja who is solely driven by revenge after he and his family were slain. His arch-nemesis, and murderer, is Sub-Zero.
The Bad Guys
Mileena: Mileena made her first appearance in Mortal Kombat II, where she was revealed as the genetic experiment and obedient servant of the Shang Tsung.
Kabal: First introduced in Mortal Kombat 3, Kabal is a fairly chaotic chracter who–while having history with the Black Dragon–has bounced between good and evil.
Reiko: Reiko debuted in Mortal Kombat 4 and has only been playable in one other game, making him perhaps an odd choice in the movie. He is portrayed as stoic and power-hungry, with ambitions of ruling Outworld.
Goro: Goro first appears in Mortal Kombat as the notoriously hard mini-boss before the final fight with Shang Tsung. The henchman later became playable in Mortal Kombat Trilogy.
Nitara: Nitara made her debut in the fifth Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, and is a vampire who preys on others to stay alive. While she serves Shang Tsung in the film, Nitara is generally morally neutral.
Shang Tsung: Tsung is a powerful warlock and shapeshifter who devours souls in order to maintain his power. He serves the game’s main villain, Shao Kahn.
Sub-Zero/Bi-Han: An iconic character from the first Mortal Kombat game, the first Sub-Zero is the murderer of Scorpion and a vengeful member of the Chinese Lin Kuei clan who serves under Shang Tsung.
While this information is not necessary to understanding the Mortal Kombat reboot, we hope it cleared any questions you had up a bit and will help you enjoy it even more. Mortal Kombat is in theaters and streaming on HBO Max now.
The 2021 WNBA season is right around the corner, with opening night on May 14 featuring four games, headlined by a showdown of longtime West powerhouses between the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury. For the Lynx, it will be an opportunity to get all their new acquisitions on the floor together and test themselves against a strong opponent, as Cheryl Reeve was very active this offseason in upgrading the roster coming off of a surprising semifinals run in the Wubble.
Among the top returners for the Lynx is Napheesa Collier, the 2019 Rookie of the Year and a second-team All-WNBA performer last year. Entering her third season, Collier is looking forward to building on last year’s success and getting a chance to share the floor with some of her new star teammates. Before the season starts, though, Collier is partnering with the Jr. NBA, along with Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies, to co-chair the Jr. NBA Court of Leaders, a new program that will pair up-and-coming young basketball players with mentors from the NBA and WNBA. The goal is to provide them with resources to continue growing not just as players, but off the court as future leaders in the community.
Collier spoke with Dime earlier this week about the upcoming season, the Lynx’s offseason, why she was excited for this partnership with the Jr. NBA, the vets that have helped her along the way and more.
We’re coming up on the WNBA season here soon. What has been your focus this offseason as you come off a couple really good seasons to start your career?
I’m playing in France right now, so I felt like last year because of COVID, you know, I couldn’t play [overseas] and I felt kind of rusty coming back into the season. So I was really excited to be able to play this year, try to work on things that I think I need to get better at like three point shooting and things like that. So just working on that and I’m super excited to see and meet all of the new people on our team. I think we’re looking really good so I’m excited.
Yeah I was gonna ask your thoughts on how the Lynx have handled the offseason, because obviously Cheryl made a bunch of big moves in free agency with Ariel [Powers] and, oh my goodness I’m spacing on the other two…
Natalie Achonwa and Kayla McBride.
Yes! Then with Rennia [Davis] in the Draft, it looks like another steal that she got with a later pick in the first round. What do you think of how this team has come together when some folks thought maybe it would go into a rebuild it looks like a reload?
Yeah, Cheryl is great at her job. She’s a great recruiter. There’s a reason she’s a great coach to play with and people want to play hard for her. So it’s not hard for her to bring people in, I don’t think, but she did a great job. And like you said, we have some great people coming to our team, some great pieces, key players, so I really cannot wait for the season because like you said, we kind of went from zero to 100. It’s awesome, so I’m excited.
Last year, getting that experience and making that run to the semis, what were the things that you felt that y’all as a team learned and can really build off of for this next season as you add these pieces?
I think we went a lot farther than people thought we would. And I think a lot of that is attributed to our team chemistry. We all got along so well and the personalities that we have are awesome on the team. So really trying to continue that. We have a lot of new people, so bringing them into our culture showing them, you know, how we do things in Minnesota and bringing them into the fold and building upon that team chemistry I think is going to be really crucial.
For you personally, from where you came in winning Rookie of the Year to now — you mentioned looking to get better at the three point shooting — but where do you think you’ve evolved in your game most as you come into year three in the WNBA?
I think the biggest aspect is mental, just like with anything experience is so important. And in this way you have people like Sue [Bird] and Diana [Taurasi], they’re obviously great players, but they’re so smart in the way that they play and it’s why they’ve been able to play for so long at a high level. So just more experience, and this’ll be my second year being a captain. So, you know, trying to come into that a little bit more and come out of my shell. But yeah, I would say experience for the number one thing.
Who are the vets both with the Lynx or playing overseas that you’ve been able to to lean on and learn from and gain some of that experience, especially learning to be a leader as you said being a captain again?
Mama Syl [Sylvia Fowles], of course. She’s the best vet. And I had Seimone Augustus my rookie year, love her, she’s awesome. So I really felt like I had two great vets my rookie year and obviously Syl is still there. I feel like I learn from her every day, the presence that she brings on and off the court is amazing and she’s a legend, obviously. So I really feel like I could talk to her about anything and she brought me under her wing when I first got there and I try to model my captain behavior after her.
You’re working with the Jr. NBA on the Court of Leaders. What drew you to this and what do you hope your impact can be on these young kids as you get to work with them?
I think the premise of it is awesome bringing young players from around the country together, and helping them build their leadership skills and developing them. I think that premise is awesome. I would have loved to have something like that when I was their age, so to be a part of it in any way I just thought it was such a great opportunity. So, you know the best I’m trying to do is listen to them — they’re so smart, and things that they talk about like with COVID and politically what’s going on, they’re so mature in the way that they speak. So it’s just really, it’s awesome for me to be able to be a part of it, and to listen to them.
Obviously the WNBA has always been a big voice for social change and social justice and we’re continuing to see that. What does it mean for you to be able to impart that on this next generation and continue to empower these young women as they come in to continue pushing forward and continue pushing for this change, as these fights continue?
Yeah, I think that’s so important. Again, it’s something that I wasn’t doing when I was their age. So the earlier you can start and try to get people to do that, I think the better and they’re already doing such a great job having conversations with their friends and family — hard conversations. And again the you know the goal of the Jr NBA Court of Leaders is to help develop them. Career readiness, community impact, respect, teamwork, all the Court of Leaders fundamentals. And they really already embody so many of those attributes, I’m seriously in awe of them, so to be able to try to start that as early as possible I think is amazing.
And then, from an on-court perspective, having the opportunity to speak to this next generation, they’re getting a chance to interact with pros and also with the best players their age from around the country. What does that do, do you think, on the court for them and getting to know more players who they’re going to see at these next levels as they continue to climb the ladder?
Yeah, I think it builds even more love for the game. You know, if I had a personal relationship with any professional player when I was growing up it would have been awesome. I would have been watching all their games. I would have been telling all my friends to watch other games. So it builds a relationship and it builds a connection between the two generations. So I think that’s also super important.
For once, Meghan McCain isn’t the one stirring up controversy on The View. Joy Behar has apologized after misgendering Caitlyn Jenner several times during a panel discussion on Friday. Behar made the repeated gaffe while the co-hosts addressed Jenner’s recent announcement that she’ll be running for governor of California. In Behar’s defense, she did catch herself and attempt to fix her pronoun usage on the fly, but at the end of the show, she made it a point to apologize to Jenner even though Behar had several issues with her candidacy, including the use of Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale. Via The Wrap:
“So first of all let me apologize for my pronoun mixup. I think I just didn’t get enough sleep last night,” Behar said. “I had no intention of mixing them up, and I tried to correct it immediately, but whatever, it just came out. So I’m sorry if anybody was upset by that.”
While Jenner is one of the most prominent transgender Americans thanks to her Olympic gold metal status and achieving reality show fame on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, her gubernatorial run is not going over well with the transgender community due to Jenner’s continued affiliation with the Republican Party. However, there is a correct way to address those issues without resorting to misgendering as transgender activist Charlotte Clymer demonstrated.
“Caitlyn Jenner has no real support. I don’t care about her candidacy. I do care about the ways in which her asinine views will be weaponized against trans people and the ways in which transphobia will go unchecked,” Clymer wrote. “This is purely a vanity campaign, and it’s incredibly selfish.”
Caitlyn Jenner has no real support. I don’t care about her candidacy. I do care about the ways in which her asinine views will be weaponized against trans people and the ways in which transphobia will go unchecked.
This is purely a vanity campaign, and it’s incredibly selfish.
I wish this didn’t need to be said, but undoubtedly it does: whatever you may think of Caitlyn Jenner–and I do NOT think kindly of her–please remember there are numerous valid critiques of her without turning to transphobia. Please think before you post. Please.
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(@cmclymer)