While there’s still no word on whether or not we’ll get another annoyingly catchy song in the upcoming Witcher spinoff series, it’s clear the show won’t be lacking in talent. Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Star Trek Discovery, Crazy Rich Asians) has been cast in the upcoming Witcher prequel, The Witcher: Blood Origins, as a major character named Scían. As of right now, not much is known about Scían, but based on Netflix’s description of the elven warrior one thing seems pretty clear: she’s going to be a total badass.
“Scían is the very last of her nomadic tribe of sword-elves. No one can come close to her artistry with the blade, and no one carries as much loss within their heart. When a chance presents itself to retrieve a stolen sacred sword, taken from her fallen tribe by nefarious means, she launches herself into a deadly quest that will change the outcome of the Continent.”
Announced last year, The Witcher: Blood Origins takes place roughly 1200 years prior to the events of The Witcher and tells “a story lost to time” in the The Witcher universe: The Conjunction of the Spheres. The Conjunction of the Spheres refers to the cataclysmic event in which the many universes existing in the world of The Witcher collided into one another, creating multidimensional rifts that allowed supernatural creatures and magic to enter the world. The event plunged the world into a time of darkness and despair, pushing several towards the brink of extinction while providing others with opportunities to relocate and seize power. According to Netflix, the six-episode series will explain how exactly this event occurred, as well as how the first witchers came to be.
Yeoh will be joining Game of Thrones actor Laurence O’Fuarain as well as Iron First and The Originals writer Declan de Barra on the project that is scheduled to begin shooting later this year. Here’s hoping we learn even more about The Witcher: Blood Origins — and The Witcher Season 2 — during this weekend’s first-ever WitcherCon, held exclusively online on YouTube and Twitch July 9-10.
South Korean producer, rapper, DJ, and singer Park Hye Jin has announced plans to release her debut LP, Before I Die, in the fall via Ninja Tune. The album is entirely written, produced, and performed by Park and follows a lengthy list of high-profile collaborations with artists like Clams Casino and Take A Daytrip (“Y Don’t U”), Blood Orange (“Call Me (Freestyle)”), Nosaj Thing (“Clouds”), and Galcher Lustwerk.
In addition to the album news, Park has released the LP’s lead single, “Let’s Sing Let’s Dance,” a skittering, chilled-out dance track sung in Korean and English.
Listen to “Let’s Sing Let’s Dance” above. The Before I Die tracklist is below, and so are Park’s upcoming US fall tour dates, kicking off in Toronto in October.
Ninja Tune
1. “Let’s Sing Let’s Dance”
2. “I Need You”
3. “Before I Die”
4. “Good Morning Good Night”
5. “Me Trust Me”
6. “Where Did I Go”
7. “Never Give Up”
8. “Can I Get Your Number”
9. “Whatchu Doin Later”
10. “Sex With ME (DEFG)”
11. “Where Are You Think”
12. “Never Die”
13. “Hey, Hey, Hey”
14. “Sunday ASAP”
15. “I Jus Wanna Be Happy”
10/7 — Toronto, ON @ Coda
10/8 — Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
10/22 — Miami, FL @ III Points Festival
10/23 — New Orleans, LA @ Buku Festival
Before I Die is out 9/10 via Ninja Tune. Pre-order it here.
The word “best” sure does get thrown around a lot in the whiskey world. Lord knows I’m guilty of it. But there are bottles of whisk(e)y that do stand out and rise above the scores of other entries in the field. One of those bottles is one of my favorite whiskies of all time, Talisker 25.
I have a deep love for Talisker. It was the first real single malt I was introduced to (by my father-in-law) on my first ever trip to Edinburgh. So the nostalgia factor is through the roof. Then, I ended up going to the Isle of Skye, drinking Talisker 25 in the shadow of The Old Man of Storr while looking out over the sea. Needless to say, my brain is programmed to prefer this whisky.
But there’s more to it than just that. This is a bottle I never hesitate to buy because it’s what I truly want to drink — more than any bourbon, rye, Canadian whisky, or… any other style, frankly. It’s not that I don’t deeply enjoy those whiskeys or love showing them off and leading tastings with friends and all of you. Talisker 25 is just more personal. It’s my whisky. It’s what I reach for at the end of the week or after a long, hard spell. Comfort food, but with whisky.
Let’s dive into what’s in a bottle of Talisker 25. And if this sounds like something you’d dig, click on the price to grab your own bottle.
This whisky is a marriage of American bourbon barrels, Spanish sherry casks, and Talisker’s seaside location. The whiskies in this single malt spend a minimum of 25 years resting in old bourbon and sherry barrels a few short steps from the sea in the Isle of Skye. Talisker’s tiny warehouse feels a bit like an old pirate ship that’s seen too many sea battles and that aura is imbued into every barrel as it matures.
Tasting Notes:
This one opens with a note of wet wildflowers next to sweet beeswax candles (unlit) with hints of murky apple cider, creamy chocolate, and a whisper of briny campfire smoke. The taste really brings out the wooden beams of the Talisker warehouse with notes of sea salt next to cobwebs and wet moss that’s all counterpointed by a blossoming wisteria, orange tobacco, and a little bit more of that campfire smoke lurking in the background. The end holds onto the florals as it slowly fades away, leaving you with a wisp of smoke, a mist of sea spray, and a touch of that orange.
The Bottle:
The bottle is that classic scotch single malt bottle that feels like it was built to be stored on a roving sea vessel 200 years ago. The real highlight is the box with a velvet cushion. It’s a nice touch that elevates this beyond just glass and cardboard.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t an either/or whisky. It’s not going to either push you deeper or push you away. This whisky is so well-rounded, soft, and inviting that it can only pull you deeper into the world of subtle single malts and whisky in general.
Is it the best whisky is in the world? Right now, maybe. For my palate, 100 percent. Tomorrow, who knows? That all being said, it’s so rare to find something this refined, dialed, and (relatively) easy to find that will elevate your palate with every single sip. All of that makes it pretty damn special.
Rating:
100/100 — This is perfect. Or, if it isn’t, I’m not able to think of why.
The 12-player roster for Team USA women’s basketball is set and ready to play for a seventh consecutive gold medal. The team is headlined by two players chasing a fifth gold: Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, as well as six first-time Olympians including A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd, Ariel Atkins and Chelsea Gray. The roster is rounded out by Sylvia Fowles, Brittney Griner, Tina Charles, and Breanna Stewart.
The team controversially won’t include Nneka Ogwumike, the WNBA star who has competed for Team USA in various competitions including the 2020 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where she won MVP. The 30-year-old is the only former WNBA MVP to not compete at any Olympic games (so far).
Even without Ogwumike, Team USA is the overwhelming Olympic favorite. The team is set to play three exhibition games in Las Vegas on July 14 against the WNBA All-Stars, July 16 against Australia, and July 18 against Nigeria before heading to Tokyo. They open up Olympic group stage play on July 27 against Nigeria followed by a July 30 matchup against Japan and August 2 game against France. (The complete Olympic women’s basketball tournament schedule can be found here.)
On Monday, USA Basketball announced which numbers its players will wear at the Olympic games. Jerseys run from No. 4 to No. 15. Ariel Atkins is the lone player to wear the same jersey number for Team USA as she does in the WNBA (No. 7). Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi will continue to wear their numbers (6 and 12) from year’s past.
A few years ago, Quentin Tarantino was asked by a San Diego Comic-Con attendee (back when SDCC was an in-person event) to name his favorite scene from his movies. “That’s actually such a good question I don’t even know if I have an answer for it, especially with this pressed-for-time bullsh*t,” the filmmaker answered. “My favorite thing I think I’ve ever written is the scene at the French farmhouse at the beginning of Inglourious Basterds. Before that, it was in my very first script, True Romance, it was the whole Sicilian speech. That was the one to beat. And then when I finally wrote that scene in Inglorious Basterds, I was like, oh, I think I finally beat that one!”
Try to convince me he doesn’t have a burner Letterboxd account. You can’t.
Anyway, the Inglourious Basterds scene is still his all-time favorite, but on CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast, Tarantino named his favorite scene from his recent triumph Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It involves Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Trudi Frazer (youngster Julia Butters) talking on the phone, and if that doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because it’s not in the movie (it’s in the novelization and its trailer).
That was my favorite scene in the script. So the idea that that wouldn’t be in the movie was unfathomable… I think it was probably Leo’s favorite scene that he shot. We were in tears. It was the only time… I’ve gotten misty-eyed every once in a while when I was shooting this scene versus that scene. But that thing, I mean, Julia [Butters] was in tears every time we finished every take.
As for why the scene was excised from the final version, Tarantino explained, “It seems like an ending to the movie.” Maybe it’ll make the 20-hour cut.
On Instagram, the media mogul posted a video of himself eating fruit and dancing by his pool — a fairly typical day in the life of Diddy, I guess. But it’s the caption drawing all the attention at the moment, as Diddy insists that “one day when I was growing up, I woke up and there was 15 roaches on my face. At that moment I said hell no, I refuse to live like this. Work hard, believe in your crazy dreams… AND NEVER SETTLE!”
Unfortunately for Diddy, the clearly overestimated number of insects in his story “bugged” some fans on Twitter, and naturally, he became the subject of the latest roast session, clearing him out for his faux pas and calling cap with their own roach stories. Check out the responses below.
Xbox has never been a stranger to getting famous musicians involved with their brand to promote their products. Around Christmas, places like Twitter are usually full of Usher wishing a Merry Christmas to Xbox, for example. Their latest attempt to involve music as a promotional tool, though, is one of the weirdest advertisements you will ever see.
R&B group All-4-One has went and made a music video for Xbox. In a bizarre remix/homage of their hit song “I Swear,” this is “It’s All There (I Swear),” which shows how essentially everything a gamer could ever want is right there on Xbox. Yes, this is real, and it’s one of the stranger music videos you will ever see. That said, “I Swear” is a heat rock no matter what year it ism so this song is way better than it has any right to be.
Also, the music video featured an ESRB rating and I can’t figure out if they were legally required to do that or if it was just a fun detail.
YouTube
It goes without saying, but more companies should consider silly ideas like this because they’re fun and allow all of us to smile and laugh together. These are video games, they don’t have to be serious and Xbox seems to understand that better than most.
In recent days, there have been a lot of changes regarding the Britney Spears conservatorship situation and her life in general. Specifically, people involved are starting to distance themselves. A few days ago, it was reported that Bessemer Trust, the financial institution that was set to become Britney’s co-conservator, backed out. Then, just earlier today, it was revealed that Spears’ longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, submitted his resignation, indicating that Spears has been “voicing her intention to officially retire” from music.
Now, another domino has apparently fallen: TMZ reports that Samuel Ingham, Spears’ court-appointed lawyer for the past 13 years, will file documents “as early as today” requesting to “be dismissed as Britney’s court-appointed lawyer.”
The publication reports, citing “sources with direct knowledge,” that Ingham is “extremely upset” by Spears’ statement in court, “that she never knew she could end the conservatorship,” as he “regularly gave Britney options, including requesting that the conservatorship should end,” but she chose not to act on them.
Following the hearing in which Spears spoke out, she shared a follow-up message on Instagram, writing, ““I apologize for pretending like I’ve been ok the past two years. I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me … but honestly who doesn’t want to capture [their] Instagram in a fun light. Believe it or not pretending that I’m ok has actually helped.”
This is the month of endlessly sunny and often magical summer days. But hazy, hot weather requires refreshment, and we can only drink so many ice-cold hard seltzers and canned cocktails before we’re left longing for a smooth craft beer with a little depth. That’s where our old pal the IPA comes in.
Whether you prefer a bitter West Coast IPA or a hazy New England-style IPA, the sprawling beer style is ideal for warm weather drinking. But not all IPAs thrive in the dog days of July. A super bitter beer, for example, is rarely refreshing — whereas a pure fruit bomb might be great but end up feeling one-note after a few cans. In our (not so humble) opinion, it’s all about balance.
Below, you’ll find eight of our favorite craft-brewed IPAs that master that sense of balance. They don’t swing too far in any direction, offering a variety of notes well-suited to the season. Make sure to click on the prices if you want to try any of these refreshers yourself!
If you’ve never heard of Houston’s Karbach, you’re really missing out. Karbach Hopadillo is a bold, dry-hopped “Texas IPA” brewed with a pleasingly bitter cacophony of German Magnum, Cascade, Citra, Amarillo, East Kent Goldings, and Simcoe hops.
Tasting Notes:
Pouring this beer into a pint glass reveals aromas of fresh-cut grass, subtle hay, bright citrus, and biting floral hops. On the palate, you’re welcomed into a world of biscuit-like malts, caramel sweetness, resinous pine, wet grass, and a ton of vibrant bitter hops presence at the very end. This one is dangerously close to veering too bitter but is modulated by its malts.
Bottom Line:
This beer is remarkably bitter. But that’s not such a bad thing because the addition of a ton of malt flavor tempers it well and makes this beer extremely refreshing on a hot day.
Tampa’s Cigar City’s flagship beer is Jai Alai IPA. It’s an amazing, delicious summer beer. But if you’re trying to amp up the alcohol by volume and the hop flavor, grab some Florida Man. Made to pay tribute to the Sunshine State’s headline-grabbing denizen of the same name, Florida Man is a hoppy, tropical, slightly bitter double IPA brewed with Azacca, Citra, El Dorado, and Mandarina Bavarian hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with scents of ripe grapefruit, lemon zest, mango, and a subtle hint of pine. The palate is a symphony of bitter orange, guava, pineapple, grapefruit, caramel malts, and fresh-baked bread. The finish is filled with tropical fruit flavors and bold, slightly bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of Jai Alai or juicy, fruity IPAs, this is a great step up in the flavor as well as the ABV department. It’s a great beer for the end of a long summer day — never overpowering, always accessible.
With a name like Cosmik Debris, you should assume this beer is full of out-of-this-world flavor. It totally is. This double IPA is brewed with Chinook, Cascade, Strata, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops. The result is an intensely hoppy, piney, fruity beer well suited for summer drinking.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of caramel malts, orange peels, pineapple, guava, and dank, piney hops. But rather than staying in that lane, this complex beer features flavors of biscuity malts and a caramel sweetness that is paired well with citrus zest, grapefruit, and a final flourish of piney hops on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic example of a highly hoppy beer that doesn’t knock you off your feet with bitterness. It’s well-rounded with a great malty backbone.
This year-round offering gets its name because of the brewing process used to create it that consists of cycling of hops using Troegs’ HopBack vessel and dry-hopping with the likes of Bravo, Chinook, Mt. Hood, Nugget, Cascade, and Citra hops. This results in a highly floral, citrus-filled, slightly bitter summer refresher.
Tasting Notes:
Nosing this beer reveals hints of caramel malts, resinous pine, wet grass, and a nice, gentle citrus hops aroma. Take a sip and you’ll find notes of lemon zest, grapefruit, ripe berries, sweet malts, and bold hop bitterness at the finish. A lot is going on with this beer. It’s thirst-quenching with just the right amount of hops bitterness.
Bottom Line:
This is a great summer IPA because it’s a coastal bridge. It’s bitter like a West Coast IPA but still filled with floral, fruity flavors, and malts like an East Coast IPA.
This year-round offering was created to be an epic beach beer. It was definitely a success. Brewed with Centennial, Columbus, Citra, and Mosaic hops, it’s filled with floral, citrus flavors and a nice bitter bite.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. It starts with ripe pineapple, wildflowers, wet grass, and cereal malts. The flavor is loaded with more wet grass, tropical fruits like mango, guava, and pineapple as well as biscuit-like malts, and a nice, low bitterness at the very end.
Bottom Line:
If you’re only going to bring one IPA to the beach, make it this one. It’s fruity, filled with citrus flavor, wildly refreshing, and has just the right amount of piney bitter flavor without ever being too much.
There’s a reason this beer won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. It’s bright, hoppy, and highly complex. Brewed with Durst Munich, Bairds Carastan, and Canadian Superior Pale malts as well as Rahr white wheat and loaded with Hallertauer Herkules, CTZ, Centennial, Chinook, Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra, and Nelson Sauvin hops.
This is a hop lover’s dream — but it’s also not just hoppy.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll find scents of orange zest, fresh grapefruit, caramel sweetness, and a nice resinous, swirling pine. Sipping this IPA reveals hints of grapefruit, pineapple, mango, lime zest, sweet malts, and a whole heap of floral, citrusy, bitter hops. It’s well-balanced, sweet, hoppy, and well-suited for hot weather drinking.
Bottom Line:
If you only buy one beer on this list, make it LA Cumbre Elevated IPA. This aptly named beer is so chocked full of flavor, it will take a few pints to find them all.
Bear Republic’s flagship beer is one of our favorite West Coast IPAs for a variety of reasons. Most important of which is the fact that it’s one of the most well-balanced of the left coast’s IPAs. Brewed with wheat, crystal malts, and malted barley as well as Centennial, Chinook, Cascade, and Columbus hops, it’s bold, refreshing, and sublimely hoppy.
Tasting Notes:
Right away, this makes itself known as a beer for IPA fans who enjoy citrus flavors. The aroma is filled with notes of tangerines, grapefruit, lemons, and lime zest. This pairs well with notes of resinous, dank pine. The palate is more of the same with a ton of ripe, zesty citrus flavor that marries well with caramel malts. It all ends with a dry, tart, lemon finish with a nice, pleasing bitterness.
Bottom Line:
If you prefer your IPA to be dominated by citrus flavors, this is the summer refresher for you. Lime, lemon, grapefruit, this beer has them all.
With a name like Dankful, you should have a pretty good idea of what you’re in for with this brew. Brewed with rye, Two-Row Pale, and Caramelized malts and a deluge of hops including Columbus, Chinook, Mosaic, Ekuanot, Nelson Sauvin, Zappa, and Idaho 7, this is truly a dank, piney, bitter beer.
Tasting Notes:
Before sipping, you’ll notice aromas of dank, piney hops, mangos, guava, grapefruit, and light pale malt sweetness. The flavor is dominated by wet grass, more grapefruit, lime zest, and biscuit malts. The ending is sweet, fruity, and finishes with a light bitterness that leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
Sierra Nevada makes nothing but great, refreshing, memorable beers. Dankful is no different. If you love bright, slightly bitter, hop-filled brews, this is the beer for you — it certainly skews hoppy but never goes overboard.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
Major League Soccer will head to Los Angeles next month for its annual All-Star Game. A collection of the league’s top players will take on a similar group from Mexico’s top domestic league, Liga MX, and on Tuesday morning, we learned about the L.A.-inspired threads that MLS players will wear when they take the pitch.
MLS and adidas teamed up to announce the kits, which are a solid black with a gold trim and feature the league’s crest, along with a number of features that serve as nods to the host city and the significance of this specific game.
“The 2021 MLS All-Star Authentic player jersey will light up the night, symbolic to the city of Los Angeles,” MLS said in a release. “The Black jersey features unique reflective trims to shine on a backdrop of black and gold and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Inspired by Art Deco architecture in Los Angeles, the jersey is designed from adidas Aeroready performance fabric made up of stars and maple leafs that represent the U.S. and Canadian clubs of MLS. The right sleeve has the LA21 All-Star Game patch and the back-neck features LA staples and inspired icons of stars, ocean waves and freeways as well as the No. 25 to signify the 25th MLS All-Star Game.”
There’s intrigue over the format — since 2005, a team of MLS’ best has taken on a European side during its preseason for an All-Star Game, but this year, Major League Soccer will play host to a rival domestic league. While there is quite the rivalry between Mexico and the United States on the international level, Liga MX and MLS clubs compete annually to win CONCACAF Champions League, with no MLS team winning the event since the L.A. Galaxy won the then-Champions Cup in 2000, and in the recently-established Campeones Cup, which pits the winners of each league against one another. Additionally, speculation has been swirling for years ahead of the 2026 World Cup — scheduled to be split between Canada, Mexico, and the United States — of a potential merger of the two leagues.
The 2021 MLS All-Star Game is slated to take place on Aug. 25 at Banc of California Stadium.
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