After a failed attempt to regain the masters of her first six albums following the end of her contract with Big Machine, the label on which they were released, Taylor Swift wound up re-recording them through her new deal with Republic Records. The first re-done release arrived last Friday with Fearless (Taylor’s Version), an updated take on her 2008 sophomore album, which also boasted six new songs. In a recent sit-down with People, the singer opened up about her thought process in re-creating the project more than a decade removed from its release.
“In terms of production, I really wanted to stay very loyal to the initial melodies that I had thought of for these songs,” she said. “And so we really did go in and try to create a ‘the same but better’ version. We kept all the same parts that I initially dreamed up for these songs. But if there was any way that we could improve upon the sonic quality, we did… But yeah, I did go in line by line and listen to every single vocal and think, you know, what are my inflections here.” She added, “If I can improve upon it, I did. But I really did want this to be very true to what I initially thought of and what I had initially written. But better. Obviously.”
Shortly after she released Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Swift wrote a touching letter about the album in which she said, “It was an honor to get to be a teenage alongside you.”
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is out now via Republic Records. Get it here.
Anthony Edwards: not a baseball fan! The Minnesota Timberwolves’ rookie guard spoke to the media after the team’s game on Tuesday afternoon and made it clear that he’s never heard of the more famous half of the team’s new ownership duo. This, of course, means he has never heard of Alex Rodriguez, who is maybe the most famous baseball player of the last decade or so.
It was the latest funny moment involving Edwards, who is rapidly becoming one of the funniest dudes in the NBA. And a few hours after this quote started making its way around the internet, Rodriguez decided it’d probably be prudent to introduce himself to the young tentpole of the franchise, tagging him in a post on his Instagram Story.
It’s unclear exactly when Rodriguez will begin his involvement in the team’s ownership group, although we do know he and business partner Marc Lore will become majority owners in 2023. But whenever A-Rod gets around the team for the first time, I demand that he and Anthony Edwards find a local batting cage or something and go bond.
Last month, Key Glock returned with some help from Young Dolph for his third project in a little over twelve months. The new effort was the Memphis rappers’ Dum And Dummer 2, the sequel to the pair’s 2019 joint album. Just a little over two weeks after the project’s release, Key Glock has released a laidback video for “Move Around,” one of five new solo tracks from Glock. Here, the rapper posts up by his Lamborghini truck to deliver cold lyrics about the fame and wealth he’s accumulating over his career.
While the arrival of Dum And Dummer 2 was big one for fans of both rappers, it came with some unfortunate news about the former. “I hope y’all enjoying the new mixtape, it’s my last project putting out,” Dolph revealed in an Instagram post. “I wasn’t gonna tell y’all but i thought y’all should know im done with music. ENJOY.” Last summer he publicly contemplated retirement, but he changed his mind, returning with his last solo album, Rich Slave. The duo has also delivered music videos for “Aspen,” Dummest And The Dummest,” “Penguins,” and more.
Watch the “Move Around” video above.
Dum And Dummer 2 is out now via Paper Route Empire. Get it here.
The failed MAGA riot of January 6 was a surprise even to the most pessimistic observer, but there’s one reason it got out of hand: According to a new 104-page report, Capitol police were told to hold back when it came to the incoming MAGA protesters — despite knowing that potential for violence was high.
This comes from The New York Times, who reviewed the large document, prepared by internal investigators and to be presented before the House Administration Committee on Thursday. What the inspector general, whose name is Michael A. Bolton, found is pretty scathing:
Mr. Bolton found that the agency’s leaders failed to adequately prepare despite explicit warnings that pro-Trump extremists posed a threat to law enforcement and civilians and that the police used defective protective equipment. He also found that the leaders ordered their Civil Disturbance Unit to refrain from using its most powerful crowd-control tools — like stun grenades — to put down the onslaught.
They had every reason to be prepared. The report states that Capitol Police intelligence were warned three days before the events that supporters of then-president Donald Trump — riled up by false claims about a stolen election, including by Trump himself — were likely to turn violent. Says Bolton’s report:
“Unlike previous postelection protests, the targets of the pro-Trump supporters are not necessarily the counterprotesters as they were previously, but rather Congress itself is the target on the 6th … Stop the Steal’s propensity to attract white supremacists, militia members, and others who actively promote violence may lead to a significantly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public alike.”
And yet despite this, the plan laid out the day before asserted that “no specific known threats related to the joint session of Congress.”
It’s not clear if Bolton’s report lays the blame at the feet of any one party or parties, but it did find, at the very least, rampant dysfunction. As per NYT:
Some of the shields that officers were equipped with during the riot “shattered upon impact” because they had been improperly stored in a trailer that was not climate-controlled, Mr. Bolton found. Others could not be used by the police in desperate need of protection because they were locked on a bus in the middle of the siege.
But there’s more:
The agency did not train its recent recruits with the required 40 hours of civil disturbance training, citing concerns about the coronavirus, and failed to ensure its officers completed their 16 to 24 hours of annual training over “the past few years.”
Munitions stocked in the police armory were beyond their expiration date, and the agency repeatedly failed to adequately complete required quarterly audits of the unit, the inspector general said.
Moreover, within the agency, the Civil Disturbance Unit “has a reputation as an undesired assignment” and that fostered a “culture” that decreased “operational readiness,” the inspector general found.
One curious note: Officers were ordered not to use “heavier, less-lethal weapons,” including stun grenades. Bolton’s report also offers damning critiques for those managing Capitol police that day, nearly 140 of whom were injured and one, Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who died as a result of injuries perpetrated by Trump supporters. Meanwhile, conservative media — chief among them Tucker Carlson, on the most watched program on Fox News — have been spinning the failed MAGA coup as not that bad.
Thanks for all your comments regarding @LilNasX “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” It’s unfortunately out of our control but we are doing everything possible to keep the song up on streaming services. We will keep you up to date as we hear more. Thank you for understanding.
“Thanks for all your comments regarding @LilNasX ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name),’” the company wrote. “It’s unfortunately out of our control but we are doing everything possible to keep the song up on streaming services. We will keep you up to date as we hear more. Thank you for understanding.”
It was such a shock that some people assumed it was all a big joke. But Lil Nas revealed that it was all too serious.
not even joking. everybody stream call me by your name hard today because it may no longer be available tomorrow and there’s nothing i can really do about it. thanks for all the support tho!
“Not even joking,” he wrote on Twitter. “Everybody stream call me by your name hard today because it may no longer be available tomorrow and there’s nothing i can really do about it. thanks for all the support tho! (white heart emoji).” He even told them to “screen record the audio/video on YouTube so you will have the song in your gallery worst case scenario.”
But there is some hope: One managed to get the controversial song to play on a Game Boy Advance, which even surprised the singer himself.
Despite the ever-mounting bad news, Matt Gaetz has been trying to act like he’s not being investigated for his alleged role in a sex trafficking ring. He’s given public speeches. He’s tweeted. He’s tried to blame the “deep state.” And yet his scandal continues to escalate. Now there’s this: The New York Times is reporting that the associate at the center of all of this is, as already well-suspected, expected to rat him out.
Joel Greenberg, a former local Florida tax official who was first indicted in June by the Justice Department last year, reportedly disclosed to investigators that both he and Gaetz indeed exchanged cash or gifts in exchange for sex. One of them may have been 17 in violation of sex trafficking statutes. Greenberg made the allegations to alleviate his punishment, which at minimum would be 12 years. He’s expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks.
There’s some suspicion that the range of criminal charges against him, including fraud, could damage his credibility as a witness. However, Greenberg is said to have deep knowledge about Gaetz’s alleged activities. Besides, there are already some receipts, in the form of Venmo transactions that became public last week. Now that Greenberg cooperating with the feds in exchange for leniency, it should be clear, even to Gaetz, that he can’t simply tweet his way through it, as Republicans — and Democratic governors — so often do when drowning in scandals.
“I’m sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today,” Greenberg’s lawyer, Fritz Scheller, told reporters.
Justin Bieber has been a superstar in the music world since he was 16. That means he missed out on a normal childhood. But in a recent profile with GQ, Bieber revealed that, early in his career, he did something in attempt to seem like a regular boy.
“I was working so much as this young kid that I got really sad, and I missed my friends and I missed normalcy,” he said. “And so me and my friend hid my passport. The record label is freaking out, saying, ‘You have to do The Today Show next week and you can’t find your passport.’ It takes a certain amount of days to get a new passport. But I was just going to do anything to be able to just be normal at that time.”
He eventually confessed to hiding the passport and later performed on the show, but the move left people worried about his well-being. Fortunately enough, the singer apparently convinced everyone that he was okay and returned to the grind of stardom.
The anecdote arrives after his sixth album, Justice, returned to No. 1 on the albums chart two weeks after it debuted there. This marks the first time in a decade that one of Bieber’s albums have spent multiple weeks at No. 1.
As the top overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Anthony Edwards came to the Timberwolves with lofty expectations but the understanding that he might take some time (as all rookies need) to reach his immense potential. On the court, Edwards has steadily improved as he gets more comfortable in the NBA, and for the past two months he is averaging just over 23 points per game on much improved efficiency, and has shown flashes of his tremendous abilities, both in his basketball skills and his natural athleticism.
However, it’s off the court where Edwards has consistently shined, becoming one of the NBA’s best interviews less than a full year into his career. He is brutally honest at all times, which makes him an absolute delight for the Minnesota media, as he doesn’t have it in him to throw out cliches, instead delivering some tremendous quotes with full confidence and honesty. On Tuesday, after the Timberwolves faced the Nets, Edwards had arguably his greatest interview moment when he was asked for his thoughts on new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez — one of baseball’s best players in recent memory.
Anthony Edwards on his feelings about Alex Rodriguez being the Timberwolves new owner:
“I don’t know who that is. I know he’s going to be the owner. But I don’t know anything about baseball.”
I love the honesty here. He’s obviously heard that there’s new ownership, but there’s no reason really as a player you would see a couple names you’re not familiar with and go, “I better look these guys up.” As such, if you’ve never watched much baseball or Shark Tank then you’re not going to know much about A-Rod and if he’s buying the team you assume he’s just another super rich guy. For most sports fans, though, this is a very funny answer and one that is a reminder that even elite athletes — and Edwards was an elite football and basketball star growing up — don’t follow every sport the same way many fans do. As such, even A-Rod can be a name someone’s never heard of, and when he buys the basketball team you play for, you don’t even really blink.
We know that mammals feed their young with milk from their own bodies, and we know that whales are mammals. But the logistics of how some whales make breastfeeding happen has been a bit of a mystery for scientists. Such has been the case with sperm whales.
Sperm whales are uniquely shaped, with humongous, block-shaped heads that house the largest brains in the animal world. Like other cetaceans, sperm whale babies rely on their mother’s milk for sustenance in their first year or two. And also like other cetaceans, a sperm whale mama’s nipple is inverted—it doesn’t stick out from her body like many mammals, but rather is hidden inside a mammary slit.
Most whale and dolphin babies nudge the mammary slit to expose the nipple, allowing them to “suckle.” A sperm whale baby’s head and mouth aren’t really designed for suckling in the traditional sense, obviously, as its massive nose protrudes over its much smaller lower jaw. But even in the whale sense of mom shooting milk into a baby’s mouth, it’s been unclear how it works for sperm whales due to their oddly shaped heads. Photos and observations have led researchers to believe that the mother whale expresses milk into the water for the baby to ingests outside of her body, but the real mechanics haven’t been clearly understood.
With the proliferation of underwater photography and filmography, it may seem strange that we don’t have more nursing whale evidence to examine, but because baby whales can’t breathe and nurse at the same time, nursing events are usually quite short. Even being in the right place at the right time to observe a whale nursing is rare, much less capturing it on film.
A new four-part documentary series from National Geographic has provided, for the first time, film footage of a sperm whale baby nursing. It shows how the baby actually inserting its lower jaw into the mother’s mammary slit, and the milk—which contains ten times more fat than human milk and is the consistency of yogurt—shooting directly into the baby whale’s mouth.
The documentary series containing this footage, “Secrets of the Whales,” was conceived of by National Geographic Explorer and photographer Brian Skerry and follows the stories of five different whale species—narwhals, humpbacks, belugas, sperm whales, and orcas. It was filmed in 24 locations around the world and took three years to make. Produced by award-winning filmmaker and conservationist James Cameron (of “Titanic” and “Avatar” fame) and narrated by award-winning actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver, the series is sure to please whale lovers and nature lovers alike.
In addition to sperm whale babies breastfeeding, the docuseries shows how beluga whales name themselves so groups can keep track of each other, how baby belugas share their moms’ call signs, how 30,000 humpbacks travel together from Australia to Antarctica and use breeches to talk to each other, and how a beluga pod adopted a narwhal into their bod—apparently the first ever cross-species adoption ever recorded.
Executive Producer James Cameron called the series a “challenging, daunting project” in a SXSW Conference panel last month.”It’s also so important for people to understand and for this film to illuminate how these creatures think, how they feel, what their emotion is like, what their society is like,” he said, “because we won’t protect what we don’t love.”
The series premiers on streaming service Disney+ on Earth Day, April 22.
Secrets of the Whales | Official Trailer | Disney+
The filmmakers hope that by sharing with people the unique identities of the whales they followed, they can inspire people to think about how these magnificent mammals can be better protected.
“It’s inescapable that they’re being poisoned by us, that they’re being deafened by us, or their behaviors, all of their feeding strategies and mating strategies and reproductive strategies are being dismantled by all of this noise from shipping channels and military sonars and all that,” Cameron said. “They’re going to continue to decline. The right whales are down to about 300…We barely understand these animals, so I think we have to, as a society, we have to think about doing it better.”
We’ve written in the past about the plethora of beer styles well-suited to spring. This week, we turn our attention to the German Kölsch. This top-fermented, crisp, subtly hoppy beer is similar to a classic lager and originated in the city of Cologne in the 17th century. Like many other region-specific forms of alcohol, a true Kölsch has very specific geographical parameters — in this case, that it can only be brewed within 50 kilometers of the city.
On top of location, there are other rules that must be met in order to call the beer a Kölsch. It can’t be hazy, must be pale, hoppy, and brewed in accordance (like many German beers) with the Reinheitsgebot (German’s beer purity order that is designed to limit the ingredients that can be added to any recipe).
But just because the Germans are strict about the style, hasn’t stopped American brewers from making their own Kölsch-style brews. Check out ten of our favorites below.
When it comes to Kölsch-style ales, they’d better be bright, subtly floral, and filled with crisp, refreshing flavors. Left Hand Traveling Light — with its clean flavor and 2-Row, Vienna, and Acidulated malts and its Willamette and Mt Hood hops (among other varietals) — definitely fits the mold.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find clean, fresh scents of floral and subtly piney hops as well as freshly baked bread and malt sweetness. On the palate, you’ll be greeted with fresh-cut grass, sweet caramel, rich malts, and a nice resinous backbone. The finish is fresh, crisp, and very thirst-quenching.
Bottom Line:
It’s hard to top this Kölsch-style beer. It’s light-yet-flavorful and totally sessionable. Overall, a great choice for spring drinking.
What sets this Kölsch-style beer apart from the others on the list is the addition of wildflower honey sourced from Rogue’s onsite Revolution Garden. This cloyingly sweet, natural product melds perfectly with the 2-Row and Munich, wheat, DextraPils, and Aciduated malts and Kölsch #2 yeast and Crystal hops.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to breathe in the aromas of clover honey, rich malts, and caramel corn. The palate is swirling with floral sweetness, rich honey, graham crackers, and subtly bitter hops. The finish is a great combination of piney hops and sweet honey.
Bottom Line:
This is a different type of Kölsch than many on this list and that’s not such a bad thing. The addition of natural honey is subtle enough to simply highlight the other flavors instead of overpowering them.
If you’ve never had a beer from Colorado’s Upslope, you’re really missing out. We suggest starting with one of its best, its Rocky Mountain Kölsch. The crew in Boulder set out to create a beer that tasted like you were drinking in the Rocky Mountains themselves. They did this by combining traditional Kölsch yeast and locally sourced honey with sage, Lemondrop, and Mosaic hops.
Tasting Notes:
Nose this beer for a few moments and breathe in the aromas of subtle baking spices, lemon zest, and graham crackers. Take a sip and you’ll find flavors of subtle sage, baked bread, fresh, floral hops, and orange peels. It all ends with a mixture of resinous hops and caramel sweetness.
Bottom Line:
This is a beer for fans of the great outdoors. Pack it into your backpack and bring it on your next hike or mountain biking excursion for a mid-trip pick-me-up.
With a name like Fancy Lawnmower, you know this is a beer for spring and summer imbibing. This German-style Kölsch was crafted to be as close to the real thing as possible. They do this by brewing with traditional Kölsch yeast and Hallertau hops.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of fresh-cut grass, cracker malt, subtle caramel, and vibrant lemon zest. On the palate, you’ll find rich malts, sweet corn, and floral, subtly bitter hops. The finish is clean, bright, and thirst-quenching.
Bottom Line:
We’re all about drinking light, refreshing beers after mowing the lawn, doing yard work, or simply standing outside in the sun. This beer feels like it was made with these exact activities in mind.
Like many of the beers on this list, Schlafly believes that you can’t truly make an authentic Kölsch-style beer without using traditional Kölsch yeast. The brewery gets its yeast from Köln, Germany, where the style originated. That’s about as authentic as it gets.
Tasting Notes:
The aroma is filled with ripe fruits, sweet cereal, and piney hops. Drinking this beer will reveal bold malts, Noble hops, freshly baked bread, and citrus zest. The finish is clean, dry, and (no surprise here!) refreshing.
Bottom Line:
Located in St. Louis, Schlafly might find itself in the shadow of a well-known macro-brewery, but we implore you to grab a six-pack of this Kölsch next time you’re in the beer section at your local grocery store — it’s a winner.
This traditional Köln-style Kölsch was first introduced in 2014. Its inspiration is the classic, crisp, floral brews of Germany. It recreates this iconic style with the addition of German pilsner malts and Hallertau hops.
Tasting Notes:
Before taking a sip, bask in the scents of green apples, biscuity malts, fresh grass, and lime curd. On the palate, you’ll be greeted with a subtle nutty sweetness paired with floral hops and lemon zest. The end is light, subtly tangy, and ends with a nice kick of bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
Fire up the grill, throw on some sausages (or hot dogs if you prefer), and pair them with this classic German-style Kölsch.
Almanac’s True Kölsch lives up to its name. When you crack open a can, you’ll be transported to the German countryside where you’ll hear the sound of accordion music and smell the rich smoke from grilled sausage. Its thirst-quenching, light, and way too easy to drink.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find bready malts, bright citrus zest, caramel notes, and sweet corn. On the palate, you’ll get hints of citrus zest, floral hops, subtle pepper, and sweet yeast. The finish is dry and refreshing with a nice hit of spicy hops.
Bottom Line:
On the next nice day, grab a comfortable chair, find a warm spot in the spring sun, crack open a True Kölsch and slowly sip it, forgetting about the stresses of your daily life for a few brief moments.
You know if you’re buying a beer from Prost, it’s going to be as authentic as possible. Its Kölsch was created to pay tribute to the classic style. It’s fruity, dry, and utterly refreshing. That’s why Prost is able to refer to it as a “Kölns Classic Ale”.
Tasting Notes:
Nose this beer and you’ll be met with scents of lemon zest, tropical fruits, freshly baked bread, and floral hops. On the sip, you’ll find orange peels, rich malts, sweet cereal, and spicy hops. It all ends in a crescendo of pleasingly bitter hops and sweet malts.
Bottom Line:
Hoist a pint of this classic beer and let out a guttural “Prost!” or whatever exclamation you like to toast to. Trust us, you’ll be that excited after taking a sip of this thirst-quencher.
If you didn’t guess it already, KSA stands for Kölsch Style Ale. While many of the beers on this list pride themselves in using only authentic German ingredients, KSA is the meeting between the European country and America. That’s because Fort Point uses American hops paired with German malts to create a transatlantic beer experience.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of wet hay, tart grapes, and citrus peels. The palate offers up tropical fruits, sweet wheat, sourdough bread, and floral hops. The finish is a great combination of rich malts and crisp, bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
Since this is a mashup of America and Germany, we suggest pairing this with classic, grilled red hots instead of bratwursts.
This sessionable golden ale is brewed with European pilsner malts and malted wheat as well as Magnum hops. The flavor is ramped up with end-of-boil additions of Saphir, Saaz, and Tradition hops. The result is a full-flavored, complex beer that hits the spot on a warm, hazy spring day.
Tasting Notes:
Breathe in the aromas of freshly baked bread, caramel sweetness, and subtle herbs. Take a sip and you’ll be transported to a world of clover honey, rich malts, citrus zest, and piney, resinous hops. The finish is light, smooth, and perfectly hoppy.
Bottom Line:
This is the kind of crushable, hop-filled beer that’s bold enough for the early days of spring but bright and vibrant enough for the humid days of summer.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
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