Acclaimed English actress Helen McCrory has died at age 52 after a battle with cancer. Her death was announced by her husband and fellow actor Damian Lewis, who shared a statement on his wife’s passing on Twitter:

“I’m heartbroken to announce that after a heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family,” Lewis wrote. “She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you.”

Following Lewis’ announcement, the BBC series Peaky Blinders honored McCrory’s passing. The actress was a regular on the series as Aunt Polly Gray, the matriarch of the Shelby crime family. “All our love and thoughts are with Helen’s family. Rest in peace,” the official Twitter account wrote in a statement.

On top of her roles in Peaky Blinders, the Harry Potter film series, Penny Dreadful, and Skyfall, McCrory was an award-winning actress on both stage and screen. Via Variety:

During her theater, television and film career, McCrory picked up several awards, like best actress at the London Film Critics Circle, the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, the Critics’ Circle Theater Awards and theatre actress of the year at the Glamour Awards. She was nominated for a Critics Choice Television Award and a Satellite Award for best supporting actress in a drama for “Penny Dreadful.” For her role in “Macbeth” in 1995, she was named most promising newcomer at the Shakespeare Globe Awards.

McCrory is survived by her husband Lewis and two sons.

(Via Damian Lewis on Twitter)

After getting a screenplay nomination at the Academy Awards for Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo waited 10 years before their next movie, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, which should have been nominated for Best Picture. The wait for their next feature won’t be nearly as long. Wiig and Mumolo are working on a “a live-action untitled Cinderella Evil Stepsisters film” for Disney, according to Deadline. “It is unknown whether Wiig and Mumolo would also be starring in the film,” but if they do, “it wouldn’t be as the stepsisters as the plan is for them to be played by younger actresses.”

The film is a fairy tale musical comedy that re-imagines the Cinderella classic from the point of view of her infamous evil stepsisters. Spanning their early childhood through the marriage of their universally beloved stepsister and beyond, we follow Anastasia and Drizella Tremaine as they struggle to uphold their family’s legacy.

First off, I did not realize Cinderella’s evil step-sisters had names (there’s only one animated Anastasia in this house). Also, Disney’s track record with live-action movies based on animated classics is spotty at best, but I’m comforted by the fact that Wiig and Mumolo can write one heck of a musical number.

(Via Deadline)

Retired NBA players purchasing ownership stakes in franchises is nothing new, and on Friday afternoon, we learned that Dwyane Wade has decided to get in on the fun. In an interview with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Wade revealed that he is purchasing a small ownership stake in the Utah Jazz, which were recently bought by Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith.

As Wade explained, he does not want to purchase part of the team just to have it on his investment portfolio or anything like that. Instead, his plan is to have a hands-on role with the franchise.

“This goes way beyond the dream I had to just play basketball in the NBA,” Wade told ESPN. “I’ve seen Shaq do it in Sacramento. I’ve seen Grant Hill do it in Atlanta. I’ve seen Jordan do it in Charlotte. If this partnership is going to be anything like my relationship is with Ryan, there are going to be a lot of things that I’ll want to be involved in.”

Wade and Smith are friends, having known one another since 2019. As Smith explained, he believes that bringing Wade on board is a “perfect fit” for what he wants to accomplish at the helm of the Jazz.

“It wasn’t like we wanted more partners; that wasn’t what we were trying to do,” Smith said. “I want to work with Dwyane on and off the court, on the business side, and so do our partners — because of who he is as a human being and what he’s accomplished. Those are the kinds of people you want around.”

There is no word on how this will impact Wade’s budding broadcasting career, as he’s been a member of Turner’s NBA broadcasts in recent years and is one of the stalwarts on TNT’s Tuesday night studio show. One thing that is clear is that Wade is excited to work with one particular member of the Jazz organization.

“I call him 2.0,” Wade said. “If there’s a player similar to me, it’s Donovan Mitchell.”

In a new study conducted in November by the Centers for Disease Control based on laboratory modeling and released yesterday, the CDC doubled down on its recommendation that airlines should continue to block passengers from sitting in middle seats. The study indicated that middle seat vacancy reduced COVID-19 transmission by 23 to 57 percent compared to full aircraft occupancy on single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft. A recommendation which many major airlines including American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, and Southwest Airlines politely shrugged off.

When asked for comment on the CDC’s new recommendation by Insider, all five major airlines deferred to Airlines for America, a spokesman for which told Insider, “multiple scientific studies confirm that the layers of protection significantly reduce risk, and research continues to demonstrate that the risk of transmission onboard aircraft is very low.” The group also shared studies by the Department of Defense, Harvard, and others that showed low transmission rates among passengers since enhanced safety measures were put in place at the start of the pandemic.

To be fair to the airlines who seem to be taking a laissez-faire approach, the CDC also gave the go-ahead in early April for fully vaccinated people to safely travel within the US without the need to self-quarantine or get tested before and after travel as long as safety protocols like wearing a mask and hygiene are followed. All of the major airlines still implement these enhanced sanitary practices and require passengers to wear face masks for the duration of their flight, regardless of vaccination status.

To date, Delta Airlines is the only major U.S. air carrier that is still actively blocking middle seats. But, they plan to stop doing so by May 1st.

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald was accused of assault earlier this week. The lawyer for a man named De Vincent Spriggs alleged that Donald was not provoked, but attacked his client outside of a nightclub in Pittsburgh in the early hours of April 11, which sent Spriggs to the hospital. As Spriggs’ lawyer said, “his arm in a sling, his eye is closed, 16 stitches in his eye and a concussion and other severe injuries he’s suffered.” A photo of Spriggs’ injuries can be viewed here.

Donald’s lawyer, Casey White, appeared on a Pittsburgh-area radio show on Friday morning to respond to these claims. He unsurprisingly called them bogus, saying that Spriggs, while intoxicated, bumped into Donald and “started coming at Aaron.” Spriggs was taken outside, and shortly after, Donald left while Spriggs was waiting outside with “something in his right hand,” which he thought was a gun but ended up learning was a liquor bottle.

“This guy goes at Aaron and swings with his right hand, and Aaron ducks,” White says. “The bottle then grazes the top of Aaron’s head — Aaron has a lump on his head from the bottle grazing the top of his head, and that’s when all hell breaks loose.”

White goes on to claim that Donald is pulled away, some people who were with him went after Spriggs and roughed him up, and eventually, Donald frees himself and begins pulling people off of Spriggs to keep him from getting beaten up any more. Shortly after White’s appearance on the radio, video popped up of the incident and appears to back up that Donald tried to pull people away from Spriggs, although the footage does not show what happened in the lead-up.

According to TMZ, White said that he received a correspondence from the police that says they have no video evidence to indicate Donald attacked Spriggs.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Conway The Machine, Young Thug, and more.

Hip-hop got busy this week as more artists tuned up for the warmer months to come. Lakeyah plugged her newly released sophomore album with the “Poppin” video featuring Gucci Mane; DreamDoll joined the “Whoopty” freestyle bandwagon; Key Glock once again flexed his yellow Lambo truck in the video for “Move Around“; and Moneybagg Yo announced the impending release of his new album with “Go!” featuring Big 30.

Friday saw new releases from IDK (“Shoot My Shot” featuring Offset), DMX, French Montana, and Swizz Beatz (“Been To War“), and Saweetie (“Risky” featuring Drakeo from her Pretty Summer Playlist compilation) along with the releases listed below.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending April 16, 2021.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

AJ Tracey — Flu Game

A grime rapper from Ladbroke Grove, West London, Tracey has been building his reputation for nearly a decade through EPs, mixtapes, freestyles, and his self-titled, 2019 debut album. Now, he’s cashing in all that credit and comparing himself to one of the greatest ever to do it. Featuring appearances from Nav, Kehlani, T-Pain, and more, Flu Game finds AJ Tracey spreading his wings as he aims for cross-cultural dominance.

Conway The Machine — La Maquina

We’ve already established that the Griselda Machine never stops chugging along. With La Maquina, though, Conway looks to expand the range of the prolific label’s influence. Tapping hitmaking producers like Bangladesh and Don Cannon, Conway changes lanes from the usual gritty output he’s best known for, connecting with ATLien stars like JID, Ludacris, and 2 Chainz to show that his comfort zone covers much more ground than you might think.

Kenny Mason — Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut [Deluxe Edition]

Rock influenced Atlanta spitter Mason carved out an intriguing niche for himself with the original Angelic Hoodrat, garnering attention for incisive raps and left-of-center production that helped him stand out from an increasingly crowded field. Its deluxe edition brings a collection of new songs and collaborators that includes Denzel Curry, Freddie Gibbs, and more.

Van Buren Records — Bad For Press

Hailing from Brockton, Massachusetts — a “city with no music industry” — the Seinfeld-referencing collective (they’re named for a street gang that sticks up Kramer at a pizzeria) brings all the chaotic energy of forebears such as Odd Future and Brockhampton, but with more cohesion, a lower-key presentation, and a level of focus that suggests they may have staying power more akin to the original rap supergroup, Wu-Tang Clan.

Young Stoner Life — Slime Langage 2

In the years since the original Slime Language helped introduce the Young Thug’s YSL collective to a wider audience, fans have clamored for a follow-up. With 23 tracks, fans got everything they asked for and more, with support coming from quarters including Big Sean, Coi Leray, Drake, Future, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Nav, and Rowdy Rebel.

Zaytoven — Zaytoven Presents: Fo15

The Bay Area producer returns home to throw his support behind local acts with a new compilation, the brainchild of Empire CEO, Ghazi Shami. Corraling some of San Francisco’s most buzzing burgeoning artists, Ghazi curates a project custom-designed to put the more overlooked part of the Bay Area back on the map.

Singles/Videos

22Gz — “Casa”

Flatbush rapper 22Gz sings the praises of the surefire tequila brand over a looming drill beat

Big Jade — “Bonnet Freestyle”

The Texas native keeps her takeover campaign moving with a slick-tongued take on a warped version of Missy Elliott’s “Hot Boyz” beat.

Dave — “Titanium”

After a bit of a hiatus, Santan Dave came blazing back this week with a pair of moody singles, “Mercury” and “Titanium.” The latter is harder, while “Mercury” leans more introspective.

Lil Poppa — “A.M. Flights” feat. Toosii

An upbeat, melodic rumination on the relationship hiccups that come with the jet-setting rap life, Jacksonville rapper links up with the increasingly popular Toosii for a song that has lots of hit potential.

Mike — “Evil Eye”

All raps, no brakes on the latest single from Mike, who’s promoting his new album Disco!, coming out in June.

Paris Texas — “Force Of Habit”

A genre-bending duo from Compton, Paris Texas popped up seemingly overnight with their debut single “Heavy Metal” in February, garnering a ton of blog recognition thanks to its churning sounds and their mysterious allure. They’re due to drop their debut album Boy Anonymous on May 14, so here’s your chance to get familiar with a group that everyone’s talking about.

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

Gucci Mane’s new label venture, The New 1017, seems to be off to a hot start, with fans falling instantly in love with its first two artists Pooh Shiesty and Foogiano. Now, Gucci’s turned his attention to the label’s next priority, Memphis rapper Big Scarr. The 21-year-old just dropped his debut tape, Big Grim Reaper, receiving support from his labelmate Pooh Shiesty and bossman Gucci in the accompanying video for “Ballin In LA.”

The video’s treatment sticks to the premise proposed by the title. In three separate scenes, we see each rapper soaking up the LA sunshine or patronizing one of the fine establishments serving either expensive sneakers or fine spirits. Lyrically, it’s a boastful track, with Gucci and Pooh utilizing slower, laid-back flows to complement Scarr’s souped-up cadence.

Big Grim Reaper is much the same, with thunderous trap beats backing Scarr’s street tales. Aside from New 1017 mates Foogiano and Shiesty, the tape also includes guest appearances from fellow Memphian Tay Keith and is a fitting introduction to the label’s latest priority artist. You can check out the tape here.

Watch Big Scarr’s “Ballin In LA” video featuring Gucci Mane and Pooh Shiesty above.

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

When a host guests on Saturday Night Live, part of their activities for the week is a photoshoot, the photos from which are used in promotional images for the episode. When Harry Styles was on SNL in 2019, Styles donned a pink ballerina tutu and tights for some of these photos. Now, as Page Six notes, some other Styles photos from that week on the show have surfaced after an apparently leak, and in them, Styles is dressed in a full-on Ariel from The Little Mermaid outfit, complete with long red hair, a shell bra, and a mermaid tail. (Interestingly, he was once attached to a live-action remake of the film, although he didn’t end up getting involved.)

Now these images have made the rounds on Twitter, and naturally, they’ve become a topic of conversation. They began trending on Twitter and the reactions have been plentiful.

This comes after Styles was a major talking point in the final months of 2020 when he wore a dress in a magazine photo shoot. Fox News and conservative personalities weren’t in love with the look, while others heaped praise on Styles for being himself in spite of societal norms.

Check out some more reactions to the photos below.

Kenny Coleman — the co-founder of Kentucky’s own Bourbon Pursuit — is more than just a whiskey podcaster. The proud Kentuckian lives and breaths whiskey. As with anyone deep in the whiskey game, Coleman taste-tests a wild amount of bourbon, rye, American whiskey, and other various spirits each year. So we knew we had to reach out to find out which expressions he actually keeps on hand at home.

Under the Bourbon Pursuit shingle, Coleman and his partners (bourbon experts Ryan Cecil, Fred Minnick, and Lauren Coleman) started off reviewing all things bourbon via the Bourbon Pursuit podcast and offering quick, 60-second whiskey reviews on YouTube. That led the team to release their own bourbon as independent Kentucky bottlers. Their flagship whiskey, Pursuit United, was an instant hit and one of our favorite bottles of 2021 (so far).

All of this is to say that Kenny Coleman knows a thing or two about bourbon and the broader whiskey world. We were lucky enough to get a few minutes of his time this week to have him call out bottles of the good stuff and break down why you should give these bottles a shot. If you’re into one of the expressions below, click on the price to give it a try yourself!

The Staple Whiskey: Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

Everyone likes to put Wild Turkey 101 on their list but I’m a bigger fan of Russell’s Reserve, especially any single barrel selection. This expression kicks it up a notch to 110 proof and with non-chill filtering, which really lets the barrel character shine through.

Tasting Notes:

You’re met with a big punch of baking spice with lingering fruit and oak. The finish continues by tingling areas of your tongue and letting traditional notes of caramel make an appearance. Can you really hate anything about this bourbon?

Bottom Line:

I would recommend this whiskey to anyone starting their bourbon journey. It’s also a bottle that is on every liquor store shelf in the country.

Once you go all-in on bourbon, start seeking private barrel selections of Russell’s and begin comparing them to each other. Find out if there are certain warehouses and floors you prefer. It will slowly become a bourbon nerd’s go-to.

The Under the Radar Whiskey: Woodinville Cask Strength Rye

ABV: 59.91%

Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

By now, the secret is out on Woodinville. But if you haven’t had a chance to try their Cask Strength Rye, you don’t know what you’re missing. At 5 years old, this whiskey can compete with the best in the world.

Tasting Notes:

The nose seems humble, with expected scents of honey and rye. The taste, on the other hand, will absolutely make you weak in the knees. You don’t know if you are at a farm or at a county fair because you become overwhelmed with red delicious apples and cotton candy.

Bottom Line:

This bottle is only regionally distributed (in the Pacific Northwest), but it’s available any day at their gift shop. If you see it, grab two and thank me later. The cask strength releases are usually around 120+ proof and will surely impress your friends (especially if they have never even heard of it).

The One Whiskey Everyone Wants To Try: Michter’s 20-Year Limited Release Bourbon

ABV: 57.1%

Average Price: $2,000

The Whiskey:

“Heaven in a bottle” is probably the only way to describe this unicorn. With its limited availability, bourbon hunters are always on the lookout for the silver wax. It’s one that most people will never get the chance to try and you should never turn it down if someone offers.

Tasting Notes:

Nothing melts my heart faster than the smell and taste of sweet oak. With an almost “dusty funk” undertone, the oak coats your tongue with an oil that has you licking the inside of your cheeks for more. It’s a flavor that can’t be matched by anything else, because this bourbon has been carefully aged for so long.

Bottom Line:

I’m still kicking the 2014 version of myself for not buying a bottle when I had it in my hands, but couldn’t afford it. I won’t let that ever happen again.

The whiskey is phenomenal, but the best part comes from discussing its source with other bourbon nerds. Michter’s will never reveal the source, but it’s fun to sit back and watch people argue about it and discuss if the taste matches the profile.

The One Whiskey I Call My Baby: Pursuit United

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $62

The Whiskey:

I feel compelled to put our new line extension on this list because I share it with everyone. We worked tirelessly for a year on finding the right partners to craft this blend and deliver a taste profile that has yet to be seen. As one of the few independent bottlers in America, it was an opportunity to start fresh and create something we knew every bourbon enthusiast would enjoy.

Tasting Notes:

With aromas of caramelized sugar and honeycomb, it feels like a sweet bomb is incoming. The flavor is rich like a malted chocolate ball with citrus tea and finishes with a rush of spicy orange marmalade.

Bottom Line:

As one of the founders of Pursuit Spirits, I’ve been enthralled to see all the positive feedback from this release. I’m happy to say there will be another release coming out very soon but it will still have limited availability. We do have new barrels aging, so stay tuned because Pursuit United will be on shelves across the U.S. in a few years.

Thank you to everyone that has supported us in this journey so far. We’re just getting started!

The Surprise Bottle: 1980 The Rare Armagnac Collection “Mars”

ABV: 49.5%

Average Price: $150 (waiting list)

The Bottle:

Once the bourbon bubble got bigger, many OGs started getting into Armagnac. I was hesitant at first but I followed the masses and found that I enjoy it quite a lot when I need to switch things up. This K&L Wines Exclusive was a bottle I purchased after trying many L’Encantada expressions, hoping it would beat the famed “Lous Pibous.” This particular expression is sold out but there are many good Armagnacs to be found.

Tasting Notes:

If you don’t like Cabernet Sauvignon, you can go ahead and just skip this, because the nose tastes like a big glass of it. The taste, however, brings forward more pronounced dried cherries and figs. The finish is subtle and sweet, making you want to pour yourself another.

Bottom Line:

Armagnac may have some of the best values in spirits. How often can you purchase a 38-year-old whiskey for $150 and there isn’t a line of people outside the door? If you haven’t dabbled in ‘yak, bite the bullet or split a bottle with a few friends to see what it’s all about. It’s not going to be a $30 value spirit, but it’s certainly a conversation piece for those who can appreciate a well-aged whiskey.

Almost four years to the date of the famous tropical debacle, Fyre Festival attendees who were suckered into a disastrous weekend have won their class-action lawsuit against organizers who promised them a luxury resort destination filled with music, but instead, delivered a garbage-strewn island where bands bailed after never being paid and ticket-holders were left to sleep in tents after being served a “gourmet meal” of a single cheese sandwich in a styrofoam container. While Ja Rule, who co-created the festival, was cleared in the lawsuit, other organizers will be forced to foot the reported $2 million settlement. Via Deadline:

The class-action settlement was reached between the festival’s organizers and 277 ticket holders. Each ticket holder will receive roughly $7,200, according to reports, but it is unclear who is paying the settlements. The final total has yet to be approved by the court.

While Ja Rule has escaped responsibility for bilking people into the doomed from the start event, creator Billy McFarland is currently serving a six year prison sentence for fraud. However, McFarland is still trying to tell his side of the story. Back in October 2020, he released a new podcast from jail titled “Dumpster Fyre,” which his lawyers claim landed him in solitary confinement for 90 days while the prison launched an investigation into McFarland allegedly publishing unauthorized photos from his cell.

As for Ja Rule, he’s helping Trevor DeHaas, the photographer of the infamous cheese sandwich pic, sell the photo as a NFT to cover DeHaas’ medical expenses as he awaits a kidney transplant.

(Via Deadline)