Over the past few days, Conan O’Brien and BTS have found themselves in a bit of a situation. A few days ago, clip from a South Korean variety show surfaced, in which BTS’ J-Hope misidentified O’Brien as “Curtain” before he and his bandmates realized the error and had a laugh about it. O’Brien featured the clip on Conan and playfully got upset with the group. Now, the saga continues: Today, J-hope offered an apology to O’Brien, which he has accepted.
Taking to the official BTS Twitter account, J-Hope wrote, “Sorry,,,,, Curtain [kissing face emojis] @ConanOBrien.” He then used a subsequent tweet to tack on a selfie of himself pouting his lips. O’Brien responded with humor, of course, replying, “In Hobi’s defense, Curtain makes about as much sense as being named Conan.”
O’Brien made it clear on his show that there were no hard feelings about the mishap, as he said through laughter, “I’ll get you, BTS. Oh I’ll get you good. And by that, I mean I’ll silently resent you. I have no power to do anything to you. You’re going to go on to have huge success. I’m very old and on the way out and you guys are pretty much running the world. So when I say I’ll get you, I just mean I’m gonna stew in my own juices for quite a long time, and you’ll be vastly unaware.”
A pair of custom-made Jordan 35s commissioned by Boston-based artist Soems will be at the center of an upcoming capsule that Celtics standout Kemba Walker will release to raise money for charity. Vistaprint and Walker teamed up to announce that a pair of items — the sneakers and a one-of-one trading card — are going up for auction next week in celebration of National Small Business Week.
The kicks will feature Walker’s autograph and, per a release, pay tribute to some of the All-Star guard’s favorite Black-owned businesses in Boston, including “Mobar Cuts, The Urban Grape, Zaz, and Murl’s Kitchen.” Walker will also put his signature on the card, which will feature an element of a game-worn uniform thanks to a Vistaprint patch that appeared on his jersey. Money raised by the auction will go towards the Power Forward Small Business Grant, which helps raise money for Black-owned businesses throughout New England.
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“It’s clear Vistaprint is committed to leaving its imprint in the Boston and greater New England communities and I am excited to team up with them for this capsule collection which will support Black-owned small businesses,” Walker said in a statement. “Between the exclusive gear and the great cause, you won’t want to miss this auction.”
The auction will begin on Sunday evening at 9 p.m. EST on the I Got It app following Boston’s tilt against the Miami Heat earlier in the day and will run until Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. On the season, Walker is averaging 18.6 points and five assists in 31.4 minutes per game for the Celtics.
KennyHoopla has been on the rise, and last year, his increasing profile afforded him the opportunity to collaborate with Travis Barker on the single “Estella.” Now the pair is back together again, this time on the frenetic new punk single “Hollywood Sucks.”
A few months ago, Uproxx asked Barker about new artists he’s excited about and he mentioned Kennyhoopla, saying, “As far as a new pop-punk act that not a lot of people are hip to, his name is Kennyhoopla; he’s really, really talented. He would have to be my pick for a new pop-punk artist.”
Around the same time, KennyHoopla also spoke with Uproxx and explained how his fashion mirrors his self-image, saying, “Everyone wants to be this figure, but all I’ve ever wanted to be was myself and the greatest, biggest, strongest version of myself. So, it’s very important for me to be wearing Vans and dressing almost, you can call it normal, but myself, and expressing that. I know that a kid that felt just like me is going to be watching that and they’re going to be like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to have on leather pants and all this crazy sh*t.’ I know how that felt. Being like, ‘F*ck, I can’t afford that, but that is me, but I don’t look the part, or it’s not believable.’ But we’re changing that now.”
While Italian-American ragu tends to be lean towards tomato-based sauces, in Italy (and historically) ragu can be pretty much any long-braised sauce. Meaning that the most crucial element for a good ragu is time. The good news is that braising meats in wine and soffrito with fresh herbs for hours and hours makes your home smell amazing. Which is the first step to a good date. (We’re happy to help with other steps for a good date, too, if you want.)
I found the recipe for Ragu di Cortile (literally courtyard sauce) on one of my visits to Bologna over the years. It’s one of those dishes that stick with you. You’ll find yourself thinking back to it and craving it again and again. It’s comforting while also being somehow… light (another crucial date element). The flavors are highly concentrated and vibrant.
At its root, the dish is a light ragu that’s made of braised “courtyard” animals and fowl with simple veg and a lot of white wine. It’s also one of those very old-school Italian recipes that are going to vary pretty wildly — not just from region to region but from kitchen to kitchen. The sort of “what you have on hand” recipe that every foodway needs.
In my experience, the most common proteins are braised rabbit, duck, and chicken. You don’t need the best cuts of these meats. In fact, you want plenty of bone, skin, and cartilage to help bring a real depth to the final sauce (which should turn into solid gelatin if you put it in the fridge). You’ll also need a basic Italian soffritto — onion, carrot, and celery — some white wine (preferably light and dry), and some fresh herbs like rosemary and bay. That’s pretty much it. As with all classic Italian cuisine, the beauty is in coaxing huge flavors from minimal ingredients.
The recipe below is very much adherent to the rustic dishes I love best in Emilia-Romagna. All the ingredients are local to the Italian peninsula before American foods (tomatoes, corn, squash, beans, etc.) became centered in their cuisine. So this dish is taking it waaaaay back to hardcore ultra-traditional home cooking — which is often the best cooking when you’re talking about Italian food in Italy.
Don’t skimp on ingredients, especially proteins. You’re likely going to have to go to a butcher to get some rabbit legs, so get your chicken and duck there too. Ask about where it’s from, what breeds, how long it’s been there. The rest are ingredients you should be able to get at any grocery store. If you’re growing your own herbs and have nice rosemary and bay from your own backyard, good on you! Use it!
As for the wine, I used a Pinot Grigio from Emilia-Romagna. It was around ten bucks. I’ve used Italian Chardonnay in the past too, and that also works well. You don’t want to go too heavy on the wine, though. You’re going to be braising for a long time and want a light touch.
I decided not to make pasta. I was being lazy (and busy). This dish is perfect for hand-torn pasta though — which is a great date night activity if you’re looking to get your hands a little dirty (insert your own sex puns). I bought some fresh tagliatelle and that works perfectly fine for this dish. I would advise against dry pasta. It will weigh the dish down too much and not have that pop you want from fresh pasta.
Lastly, there’s the salt-cured egg. You don’t need to bury an egg yolk in salt for a week. You can do a very quick pickle/salt cure in less than ten minutes. First, separate your yolks into a bowl (you need this for slipping the yolks into the bath with ease). Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil with a teaspoon each of sea salt, white sugar, and white vinegar and fully dissolve into the water. Kill the heat. Slip in the two yolks and cover the pot with a plate. Let rest for four minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the yolks out and set them on the plate while it’s still on the pot of hot water to keep warm until you need them.
Zach Johnston
This will give the yolks a briny, umami-bomb flavor with a hint of sweetness. Yes, you can just poach two egg yolks if you want. But, these have a little extra x-factor that helps the end product shine that little bit more.
What You’ll Need:
Large pot
Large sautee pan
Small pot
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Tongs
Slotted spoon
Wooden spoon
Measuring spoons and cups
Cheese grater
Bowls
Zach Johnston
Method:
Remove the duck, rabbit, and chicken from the fridge. Place on a plate, generously salt on both sides and allow to come up to room temp (about an hour).
In the meantime, peel and chop the onion and carrot and chop the celery.
Put a large pot on medium-high heat with a large glug of olive oil.
Place the proteins into the pot and sear on all sides.
Remove the protein to a clean plate once nicely seared.
Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Use a wooden spoon to help bring up all the fond on the bottom of the pot from searing the proteins.
Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and lower the heat to medium, allowing the fond, veg, and stock to create a soffrito.
Once the stock has cooked away, you’ll hear the soffrito start to fry.
Add the proteins back in with the rosemary and bay.
Top with the wine and the rest of the stock (the liquid should just cover the proteins).
Semi cover and lower the heat. Allow to it simmer for at least two hours (this should be a very low simmer) and up to four hours, if you can.
Once the liquid has reduced to below the proteins, and the meat is falling off the bone, remove it from the heat.
Fish out the proteins gently and place them on a waiting clean plate. Also, remove the bay and rosemary and discard.
Use the tongs or a fork to pull the meat from the bone (it should fall off with almost no effort).
Scrape the soffrito and remaining liquid from the large pot into a waiting large sautee pan. Add the proteins back in and place on the lowest heat, bring it to a bare simmer (like one or two bubbles every couple of seconds).
In the same pot you braised the proteins, add water and a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add in the fresh pasta and cook for about three minutes (or according to the package’s instructions).
Once the pasta is al dente, use your tongs to transfer the pasta from the pot to the sautee pan, making sure to brings some pasta water along with.
Use the tongs to combine the pasta with the ragu. Splash with more pasta water to keep ragu moist (I needed maybe a spoon or two more).
Turn the heat off and let the pasta rest for a few minutes.
Use your tongs to roll some pasta onto a plate.
Garnish with a fresh rosemary top, fresh parm, freshly cracked black pepper, and a cured egg yolk (recipe above).
Serve.
Zach Johnston
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
Imagine the best chicken noodle soup you’ve ever had. Now, imagine that soup concentrated down into a ragu with delicate fresh pasta and you’ll have an idea of what this dish is.
This is one of those dishes where everyone at the table goes silent from the first bite. Then after the third or fourth bite, someone comes up for air and says, “Holy shit, this is really good” before tucking back in. Then everyone else sort of nods along in agreement with wide eyes and full mouths.
Zach Johnston
The yolk has a soft, creamy center which adds a textural and flavor element to the dish that takes it much higher than just a concentrated chicken noodle soup. The rosemary centers as the earthy star of the show, while the black pepper and parm offer sharp counterpoints.
The medley of duck, chicken, and rabbit creates this layered flavor profile that never over-powers or weighs down. The sauce is this damn near creamy silken ragu that’s fatty and earthy and meaty with nice little sweet carrot bombs waiting for your palate.
I’ve tried this recipe with garlic, spritzes of lemon juice, and just one protein, but it doesn’t quite work on the same level. The garlic is too much for the subtle beauty of this ragu. The lemon cuts through the fats and gelatin and kind of ruins the cohesiveness. If you’re forced into one protein, keep it rabbit as the duck will be too fatty and the chicken too thin. The fact that the rabbit is so lean is what balances the fat of the duck in the end.
Anyway, make this. It’ll be a hit. Your home will smell amazing for like a day. And whoever you’re making it for will come back for more.
Much like the original Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a must-play, and if you’ve been on the fence about starting it — or simply looking for the right time — it’s just around the corner. Square Enix has revealed the final trailer for the game’s upcoming DLC, Intergrade, which comes to PlayStation 5 exclusively on June 10. Based on the trailers, it looks to be a sizable upgrade and addition to Remake, with enhanced visuals and an entirely new chapter following everyone’s favorite ninja, Yuffie Kisaragi.
In this new chapter, titled Intermission, we see Yuffie and her fellow ninja companion Sonon navigate through Midgar prior to that tragic moment in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. During their brief stint in the gritty city, the pair take on villains such as Shinra’s Head of Development, Scarlet, and Weiss and Nero, two brothers we last saw in working for the secret Shinra organization Deepground in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. Based on the new trailer, it appears like these battles are very personal, as Sonon blames Scarlet for the attack on his hometown the killed a woman who is presumably his love interest — and looks quite similar to Yuffie,
On a lighter note, it looks like we’ll also be seeing some new summons this time around, with the classic lightning summon Ramuh making a memorable appearance. Last, but certainly not least, the Fort Condor mini-game is back, reassuring fans that Square is truly keeping every bizarre gem from Final Fantasy VII in tact. While the tower-defense game looks a bit different from the original and no longer takes place in Fort Condor, it shares a lot of similarities and looks like something fans will be sinking a lot of time into.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will be available as a timed-exclusive on the PlayStation 5 starting June 10.
Shamir has gotten into the habit of releasing new songs on Bandcamp on Fridays, typically only leaving the tunes up for 24 hours. This new tradition has yielded some great covers, like his grungy rendition of Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes.” Today, he decided to cover another young pop star by taking a crack at Olivia Rodrigo’s recent single “Deja Vu.” Shamir’s version of the song is far removed from the slick pop production of the original, as he instead decided to style it like a lo-fi bedroom indie rock tune led by a crunchy electric guitar.
Rodrigo previously said of the song, “I sort of had this single picked out in September [2020]. […] It sort of took the pressure off for me of following up ‘Drivers License’ since we planned this so far in advance. But it’s definitely not like ‘Drivers License’ at all, which I’m really happy about. I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself into this category of ‘sad ballad girl’ thing. It’s definitely a little different and sort of weird. I really hope that people like it, and even if they don’t, that’s cool, too, though, because I loved making it.”
Kevin Durant got called for a foul in the third quarter of Brooklyn’s 113-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks’ on Thursday evening. It was an extremely unremarkable moment in the context of the game — Luka Doncic shot free throws, he missed both of them, the game went on — but thanks to it, we got a moment that deserves some recognition.
Durant went up to the referee who called the foul, veteran official Ed Malloy, and asked for an explanation for why he did that despite the fact that the way the play panned out meant this was the only way Durant could try to guard Doncic.
It seems like we see a clip of players and referees going at one another multiple times a week, and every now and then, we get stories about how players are mad with how games are being called, while refs are mad at how players react to things, blah blah blah, you know how this cycle goes by now. It is exceedingly rare that we get any, you know, transparency from either side of things that doesn’t feel like it’s some form of damage control.
This, however, is fantastic. It is an honest, straightforward interaction with a player who didn’t like something and the referee who made the call that went against him. Both guys seemed to get where the other was coming from and things stayed cordial the entire time. It’s great! A major reason people have gripes with officiating is that referees aren’t always clear in exactly why they did something, and this was proof that if it’s done right — and, to be clear, that will not always be the case — these sorts of conversations will always be positive additions to watching basketball. More of it, please.
Last May, the whole world reacted to the murder of George Floyd caught on video by a quick-thinking teenage bystander. We watched the minutes tick by as Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck. We watched Floyd tell the officers he couldn’t breathe and then call out for his mother. We watched him stop talking, stop moving, stop breathing while Derek Chauvin kept on kneeling with his hand in his pocket.
While most of the attention has been on Chauvin’s actions in that horrifying video, there were three other police officers involved at the scene.
Three other officers who participated in either helping hold Floyd down or watching as it happened. Three officers who witnessed their colleague murder a man in plain sight, with bystanders begging them to intervene, and doing nothing to stop it. Three officers who didn’t even try to resuscitate the man who had stopped breathing right in front of them.
The accountability of those officers has been in question since Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter in the George Floyd case. Now, a federal grand jury has indicted all four officers, including Chauvin, for willfully violating George Floyd’s constitutional rights.
Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao have been charged with depriving Floyd liberty without the due process of law, which, according to the indictment, “includes an arrestee’s right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs.”
The indictment lays out how the officers violated that right:
“Specifically, the defendants saw George Floyd lying on the ground in clear need of medical care, and willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd. This offense resulted in bodily injury to, and the death of, George Floyd.”
In addition, Derek Chauvin has been charged with the use of unreasonable force, and two of the officers, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, have been charged with willful failure to intervene in stopping Derek Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force.
All three counts fall under “Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law,” which, according to the Justice Department “is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland recently announced an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department to determine whether there is a pattern or practice of constitutional rights violations in the way policing is conducted in the city.
The Minneapolis police said in a statement that MPD police chief Medaria Arradondo “welcomes this investigation,” will fully cooperate with federal prosecutors, and “understands that the intent of this inquiry is to reveal any deficiencies or unwanted conduct within the department and provide adequate resources and direction to correct them.”
Garland vowed during his confirmation hearing that civil rights would be a primary focus of the Department of Justice and appears to be making good on that promise. There are also legislative changes in the works with the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill passed through the House of Representatives but not yet taken up by the Senate, which would limit the unnecessary use of force and make it easier to prosecute police officers accused of misconduct.
While there is much to debate about the future of policing in the U.S., there is little question that something needs to change in our criminal justice system. Derek Chauvin’s conviction of George Floyd’s murder was one big step toward greater accountability for police brutality. We’ll see what happens from here, but the indictments of these officers offer additional hope that police will not be able to violate people’s rights and do irreparable harm with impunity.
It’s actually a shock to the system to re-watch Jan de Bont’s 1994 action thriller Speed in 2021. No, seriously. And I’m not talking about passively having it on in the background as it plays on cable, or whatever. I mean really watching it. (A new 4K was released this week, so if you want to do this, you have a good excuse.) At least with me, it literally caused multiple adrenaline rushes. And it’s not just because it’s an action movie or, more precisely, a really good action movie. I honestly think my brain has been become so in tune with the current iteration of special effects, derived from CGI, that watching a movie that is all practical effects and stunts – and with Speed, it’s almost nonstop effects and stunts – I think my brain thought I was watching something “real.” It’s quite a thing.
Look, I have nothing against CGI. I like CGI, I guess. This is not an anti-CGI manifesto because CGI is a cost efficient way to make action movies and, whatever your opinion on it may be, it’s never going away. Even movies today that promise “practical effects” – J.J. Abrams made a big deal about this with The Force Awakens – it’s still going to be a movie with a lot of CGI. It’s just the way it is and it’s just the way it will be.
But, having said that, that doesn’t negate what a trip it is watching Speed today. It’s like deciding, one day, that you will never drink a Coke again. And from this point on, it’s Diet Coke* from here on out. Then, let’s say, many years later you’re at a restaurant and you order a Diet Coke and, on accident, the waiter brings you an actual Coke. Then, you take that first sip and, before realizing what’s going on, you proclaim to the world that this is the BEST Diet Coke you’ve ever had in your entire life! Before, slowly realizing, ah, of course, I am drinking sugar and of course it tastes amazing. This is what it’s like to watch Speed 26 years removed from its release. Speed is having sugar in a soft drink when you haven’t had sugar in a soft drink for 26 years. Even back then it was marketed as a nonstop adrenaline rush, but what should have been in those TV spots back then was, “then wait 26 years and watch it again because it will mess you UP!”
(*As a quick aside, did you know Diet Coke is actually the much-maligned New Coke formula? And that’s why it tastes nothing like actual Coca-Cola? Diet Coke was released before New Coke and was the first Coke brand to use the new formula. But it was such a big hit, once New Coke reverted back to Coke Classic, Diet Coke just kept its New Coke formula. Anyway, I guess my point is Speed 2: Cruise Control is New Coke.)
Here’s where, usually, I’d run through some scenes and tell you how good they look in this new 4K transfer. But you know all these scenes already. It makes no sense for me to tell you how good the elevator scene looks. Or how good the bus jump looks. Or how good the bus explosion at the airport looks. Or how good the subway crash scene looks. You already know these scenes are great! My point here is this movie physically did something to my body. It’s really remarkable. I know I promised to not lament on the nature of CGI, but it’s true our brains can just tell it’s not real. And that’s fine. Our brains used to be able to tell practical effects weren’t real. But the bar has been shifted. It’s a disconnect we don’t even truly know that’s happening until we watch something like Speed again. My brain is now so used to CGI, Speed made it go, “Oh, crap, that’s real, RUN!”
It’s pretty safe to say we’ll never see anything like Speed again – at least in regards to how a movie like this can physically affect our brains after years of CGI influence. And I know you, most likely, know this movie by heart. But really sit down and watch it and it winds up being a strange experience. Nothing looks cartoonish. There’s nothing there to stop our brains from interpreting it as real. Honestly, it’s pretty overwhelming.
Speed was released by Fox, so this movie is now owned by Disney. And Disney hasn’t exactly been at the forefront of releasing catalog 4K discs, so this is a welcome surprise that it even happened in the first place. I do wish Disney would consider putting this back into theaters. It would be an honest to goodness adrenaline-fueled trip to watch this again on the largest screen possible. But, the chances of that are pretty low. So, as an alternative, just sit in front of the largest TV possible and watch Speed again. It’s incredible. Speed rules.
After initially scrapping his plans for a season of American Crime Story focused on Bill Clinton’s impeachment, Ryan Murphy has confirmed that American Crime Story: Impeachment is not only back on track, but being closely monitored by executive producer Monica Lewinsky, who probably knows a thing or two about the scandalous moment in presidential history.
During the premiere party for the final season of Pose, Murphy made it clear that Lewinsky has been an active participant in the show’s production. “She’s involved with every script, gives a lot of insights and thoughts,” Murphy told Variety. “The great thing about the story that we’re telling is it’s Monica’s story, which I think needs to be told. Just like [in The People v. O.J. Simpson] we showed Marcia Clark in a different way, that’s what we’re doing with Monica.”
After originally announcing the series back in 2018, Murphy quickly backed away from the project after realizing it would be “gross” to do the show without Lewinsky’s input, which he personally told her at a party. Via The Hollywood Reporter:
“I told her, ‘Nobody should tell your story but you, and it’s kind of gross if they do,’” Murphy recalls saying. “If you want to produce it with me, I would love that; but you should be the producer and you should make all the goddamn money.’”
Clearly, Murphy made good on his promise because the show is on its way to FX and has locked down its cast. Sarah Paulson, Beanie Feldstein and Annaleigh Ashford, will play Linda Tripp, Lewinsky, and Paula Jones, respectively.
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