Month: July 2021

Blended whisk(e)y is a loaded designation. All whiskeys are a blend in one way or another unless it’s labeled as “single cask” or “single barrel.” In Scotland, “blended whisky” varies from whiskies made with single malt and single grain whiskies to blended malts made only with single malt whiskies (from different distilleries). In Ireland, almost all the whiskey is a blend of grain and malt whiskeys that were aged in ex-bourbon and/or ex-sherry (usually from the same distillery). Canada tends to blend their whiskeys in a similar way that sort of bridges both Scotland and Ireland. Then, there’s “American blended whiskey” which is often a blend of whiskey or bourbon with a neutral grain spirit (think a cheap vodka) that distilleries make to get out a cheap product.

All of that makes defining a “blended whisk(e)y” very broad and understandably confusing. Depending on where you’re buying your “blended whisk(e)y” from, you’re going to find vastly different quality in that bottle. After all, some of the best and most expensive whiskies in the world have the “blended” on the label.

To help steer you towards the many highly mixable and often surprisingly sippable blends we went to the pros for advice. We asked a handful of bartenders to tell us the best blended whiskeys for under $40. If any of these bottles sounds enticing to you, make sure to click on the prices to try them yourself!

Crown Royal Blended Canadian Whisky

Jared Staples, general manager of Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano in Pensacola, Florida

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40 for a liter

Why This Whisky:

Crown Royal is easy to drink. It’s also a brand that a lot of people who don’t know a lot about whiskey seem familiar with. It’s easy to make a cocktail with it as well. Whether it’s a complex cocktail or just a simple “Crown and Sprite,” Crown Royal is a pretty good bang for your buck blended whisky.

The Busker Blend Irish Whiskey

Andy Seymour, owner of Liquid Productions in New York City

ABV: 44.3%

Average Price: $26.99

Why This Whiskey:

There are so many wonderful blended whiskeys that can be purchased for a reasonable price. The one I’ve been loving lately is The Busker Blend Irish Whiskey. The Busker has beautiful honey and grain notes in the nose and wonderfully integrated alcohol. Bright flavors of green apple and orange rind linger in the mouth and the whiskey carries a long finish of confection notes — chocolate and light spice. It has the complexity of a whiskey I’d certainly be happy to spend more on but am happy that I don’t have to.

Johnnie Walker Black

Chris Stevens, general manager at Five Sisters Blues Cafe in Pensacola, Florida

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $39

Why This Whisky:

Johnnie Walker Black – a tier up from its little brother Johnnie Walker Red — surely fits this description. The appearance of the caramel, burnt sugars, medium legs, and the charred oak, peat smoke, toffee candy, pecan rolls, and over-ripened grapes on the nose makes its flavors great.

Grand Old Parr Blended Scotch

Andres Rairan, lead bartender at High Tide Beach Bar & Grill in Miami

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $33

Why This Whisky:

Grand Old Parr is a great bargain blended whisky. It’s a great, easy-to-drink scotch with tons of sweet honey and vanilla flavors that go down easy. A lot of times with blended scotch, you get too much bite and not enough flavor. With Old Parr, it’s the opposite. There are lots of flavors, not too much bite, and it’s exactly what I’m looking for if I’m going to be drinking your everyday scotch under $40.

The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch

Jeremy Williams, mixologist at MDRD at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, Michigan

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $24

Why This Whisky:

I always try and keep Famous Grouse around for whisky highballs. It’s just under thirty dollars but its flavors of roasted barley, wood, and dry fruit are all well pronounced and can still be detected after some Topo Chico and lemon peel. Very refreshing, I might add.

Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey

Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $28

Why This Whiskey:

For the price point, Tullamore D.E.W. is my favorite blended whiskey. Aged in both ex-bourbon as well as ex-sherry casks, this blend comes off sturdy and subtle at the same time. The nose is barley and apricot with maybe a touch of citrus. On the palate, there’s more apricot, toffee, and dank barrel. The finish is dry and bright with a bit of vanilla.

Monkey Shoulder Blended Scotch

Nikole Calvo, bar manager at SIX in Tampa, Florida

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $29

Why This Whisky:

Monkey Shoulder is the best blended whisky. It has notes of caramel, molasses, brown sugar, and honey. It’s easy on the palate for first-time drinkers and the aroma gives off a zesty citrus flavor with a hint of spice. You can mix this Scotch whisky into a cocktail or you can drink it on the rocks. It’s a beautiful blend.

Canadian Club 12 Year Canadian Whisky

Bobby Gleason, USBG bartender in Las Vegas

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $22

Why This Whisky:

Canadian Club 12 Year is full-bodied with a rich creaminess and luxurious honey on the palate. The finish is long, warming, and glorious.

Johnnie Walker Red Label Blended Scotch

Frantjesko Leonora, lead mixologist at Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort in Curaçao

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $35 for a liter

Why This Whisky:

Johnnie Walker Red Label is a great bargain blend. Fresh citrus fruitiness, a burst of black pepper and cinnamon, with a long, lingering smoky finish.

Shieldaig The Classic Blended Scotch

Pascal Pinault, food and beverage general manager at Ambersweet at The Confidante in Miami

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $14

Why This Whisky:

The best cheap blended whisky is Shieldaig Blended Scotch Whisky “The Classic” Aged 12 Years. It’s a premium blend for a reasonable price. Ian MacLeod made this blend with grain and malt whiskies from multiple distilleries across the Highlands. Flavor-wise, it focuses on honey, vanilla, sweet spices, and a touch of smoke. My favorite way to enjoy this whisky is with a few drops of water, which allows the oak flavors to lead.

Writer’s Picks:

Dewar’s White Label Blended Scotch

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $34 for a liter

Why This Whisky:

No blended whisk(e)y list is complete without Dewar’s. Its classic White Label is a bargain at under $30 and filled with flavors like creamy vanilla, sweet honey, and charred oak. It’s perfect for mixing or sipping.

Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $29

Why This Whisky:

There might be no better bargain blended whisky than Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition. It’s 100 proof, but still highly drinkable with hints of rich toffee, buttery caramel, and a nice kick of peppery spice.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

There has been a bit of a Lorde “extended universe” takeover on The Late Show over the past couple days. Lorde guested on the July 21 episode, during which she went day-drinking with Seth Meyers and also performed “Stoned At The Nail Salon.” Jack Antonoff, the song’s co-writer, joined Lorde for that performance, and then he returned to guest by himself on last night’s episode, as well as to perform with Bleachers.

During the conversation, Mayers asked Antonoff (who sported a shirt featuring the cover art of Claud’s 2021 album Super Monster) about the friendship that has formed between his and Lorde’s parents, and Antonoff said, “Yeah, they’re like… they hang. I think they party a little bit, but… actually, I don’t know about… I’ll segue: My parents party hard and I’ve noticed that they’ve, like … yeah, our parents are cool, they do stuff, but I don’t want to out anyone else’s parents for partying.”

He went on to speak about how his parents (specifically his father) are getting more into substances as time goes on, saying, “The older I’ve gotten, every stage that I go through in life, my parents start doing different drugs, because they’re, like, letting go.”

He also spoke about working with Bruce Springsteen and performed “Stop Making This Hurt” with Bleachers, so check out clips from the show above and below.

It’s always fascinating to learn a director’s favorite movie in their own filmography. For instance, Alfred Hitchcock’s preferred film of his own was Shadow of a Doubt because “he loved the thought of bringing menace into a small town,” as his daughter explained. That is not the answer I would have expected. The same goes for M. Night Shyamalan.

The filmmaker once crowned “the next Hitchcock” was asked to name his personal favorites in an interview with GQ. He did not answer with The Sixth Sense, the Oscar-nominated box office sensation that is generally considered to be his masterpiece.

“The ones I have most affinity for are the ones that have maintained that quirky nature. Unbreakable, and Lady in the Water, and The Visit, and this movie,” Shyamalan answered, referring to his new feature, Old. “The ones that are poky.” What does “poky” mean? “The edges aren’t rubbed off,” he explained, using Old as an example. “I’ve been able to, especially in the photography and the casting and the balance between the tragedy and the oddness of it… It had enough breadth for me to be here and different.” Shyamalan thinks The Sixth Sense has a “suit and tie quality” to it. He’s attracted to the shagginess in his oeuvre, which explains why he’s fond of Lady in the Water.

Also not listed among Shyamalan’s favorites: The Last Airbender. Even he can’t defend it.

(Via GQ)

Marjorie Taylor Greene is… a complicated woman. When she’s not busy taunting AOC or losing money while fundraising alongside accused sex trafficker Matt Gaetz, she can most often be found giving elaborate and ridiculously incorrect answers to simple yes-or-no questions. Particularly if she can find a way to work in a comparison to the Holocaust (which she only recently, at the tender age of 47, seems to have learned about). So Late Night host Seth Meyers was hardly surprised that, when Greene was asked whether she had been vaccinated, her answer (or non-answer) was, well, wrong.

“On Tuesday,” Meyers explained, “Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was asked by a reporter if she had personally been vaccinated, given that she continues to lie and spread dangerous information about COVID vaccines.”

The reporter—who pointed out that fellow vaccine holdouts like Steve Scalise were now touting the vaccine as safe and effective—asked a pointed question: Have you been vaccinated? Greene’s response was as exhausting as expected: “[Your] question is a violation of my HIPAA rights. You see with HIPAA rights, we don’t have to reveal our medical records and that also involves our vaccine records.” Meyers, of course, was quick to correct yet another lie coming out of Greene’s mouth:

“That’s not a thing. A reporter asking you if you’ve been vaccinated doesn’t violate your HIPAA rights any more than a neighbor needs a warrant to enter your house for a barbecue. HIPAA establishes national standards to protect your medical records. It doesn’t stop journalists from asking questions.”

But Meyers didn’t stop there in his takedown of Greene’s worldview, or understanding or acronyms in general.

“She probably also thinks Miranda rights means she doesn’t have to visit her friends in Manhattan anymore after she moves to Brooklyn with Steve,” Meyers, who is clearly a Charlotte, added, along with his best impression of Steve from Sex and the City. “I doubt she even knows what HIPAA is or what it stands for. She probably doesn’t even know it’s an acronym. ‘Asking me if I’ve been vaccinated violates my HIPAA rights, and asking me if I’ve been to the zoo violates my HIPPO rights, and asking me if any of my siblings are royalty violates my PIPPA rights.”

You can watch the full segment above, which begins around the 9:10 mark.

At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, AMC dropped the news that fan-favorite The Walking Dead character Rick Grimes would be returning to the zombie universe, but not on TV. No, Rick would be making his comeback in theaters in an ambitiously announced movie trilogy. However, it’s now two years later, and the first Rick Grimes movie is nowhere in sight. (Although, the recent Fear the Walking Dead season finale may have laid some key groundwork for that outing.)

Naturally, the real world just went through a catastrophe of its own with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has scuttled projects all over Hollywood. A delay for the Rick Grimes movie was to be expected at this point. But just to calm the fears of fans, veteran The Walking Dead director Greg Nicotero recently told Comic Book that the film is “still alive,” and right now, the biggest hurdle is “making sure that they get it right.” If Rick is going to return on the big screen, the story has to demand that full theatrical experience:

Nicotero, who was behind the camera on the Season 9 episode of The Walking Dead that ended with a near-death Rick disappearing aboard a Civic Republic Military helicopter, expects Rick’s story to continue with a scope and scale deserving of the big screen.

“I would always say The Walking Dead makes hour-long movies every week,” Nicotero said. “I don’t want to get comfortable and say, ‘Oh yeah, you make a movie, you got more money [in the budget].’ Because they’re going to expect more because they have more money.

Nicotero’s words echo that of Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman who said back in March that the movie has to feel bigger than just a two hour long episode.

“This isn’t just some kind of expansion of what you’re expecting from the show,” Kirkman said. “This is something that’s gonna be very different but it’s gonna be the Rick Grimes that we all know and love. And I’m very excited for people to finally see it when it’s released in 2032.”

(Via Comic Book)

Sean Penn apparently took a hardline stance by refusing to return and film Gaslit, his Watergate limited TV series with Julia Roberts, until the entire crew and cast got vaccinated. Deadline originally reported that Penn made the insistence due to Covid-19’s Delta variant spread in Los Angeles, and he also offered to “facilitate the vaccination effort, free of charge,” through his CORE organization. Penn’s stance arrives on the heels of LA reinstating an indoor mask mandate as cases rise again, and he’s apparently only got two weeks of filming left, so replacing him wouldn’t really be an option.

This stance also lands on the heels of widespread reports about a committed set of conservative voters who are digging in their heels and refusing to get vaccinated, and that’s a stance that endangers the immunocompromised and paves the way for more variants. However, Penn first tried to get his message across with a little bit of humor.

“Anecdotally, I’m told that not only are the vaccines totally safe, but they also help burn weight,” Penn tweeted last week. “Healthier & slimmer in one shot.”

Yes, it’s silly, but there may be a handful of people who have (incidentally) lost weight since getting vaccinated. Being able to get out of those house and to the gym would make a difference, after all. Yet Penn is not known for subtlety, so he’s likely being sarcastic and hoping that something will eventually convince those who refuse to protect not only themselves but those around them. And the report that he’s offering to vaccinate the Gaslit crew would be consistent with CORE’s efforts to help run drive-through testing facilities earlier on in the pandemic.

There’s been no word yet of a response from the Gaslit production heads (on the Starz limited series) on the reported Penn hardline stance.

(Via Deadline)

Sierra Nevada is a big name in the craft beer world. Founded in 1979 in Chico, California (where it’s still brewed) by Paul Camusi and Ken Grossman, it has consistently launched award-winning, well-respected beers while also helping launch the entire craft beer movement. This includes the pale ale that started a beer revolution: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

One of the top ten largest breweries in the country, Sierra Nevada remains privately owned. While it’s most known for the aforementioned pale ale, the brewery has become a center of the IPA universe bridging the gap between piney, resinous West Coast IPAs and juicy, sweet, fruity New England IPAs perfectly. All told, Sierra Nevada makes ten IPAs (and its beloved pale ale that’s so hoppy it often makes IPA lists).

All of its IPAs are noteworthy, but some are better than others. This is why we decided that it was important to the beer-drinking community (especially IPA fanatics) that we ranked each and everyone one of this iconic brand’s IPAs. We’re also ranking the original Pale Ale as a check and balance to the rest of Sierra’s line. Check them all out below to see where your favorites landed. And if you want to try any of these yourself, just click on the prices!

11) Sierra Nevada Summer Break

ABV: 4.6%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Brewed with two-row pale malts, oats, wheat, and Chinook, Simcoe, Comet, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Strisselspalt, this is a winner in the session IPA world in the hops department.

Tasting Notes:

For the number of hops included in this beer, there isn’t much of an aroma. There are slight hints of resin as well as light citrus. But they’re fairly muted. The palate is a little better with notes of caramel malts, citrus rind, tangerine, and pineapple. The finish is slightly bitter but rather uneventful.

Bottom Line:

For a crushable summer beer, this hits the spot. Being the only session IPA on this list, it’s a little lighter in the flavor department than the others. It’s just that it’s pretty bland when you compare it to the rest of Sierra Nevada’s portfolio.

10) Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing

ABV: 9%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Brewed with ale yeast, pale malt, wheat malt, and Munich malt, as well as Magnum, Crystal, Chinook, Idaho 7, Columbus, Cascade, and Mosaic hops, this is a bold, brash, aggressive IPA. It’s 9 percent ABV and filled with malty, tropical flavors.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a mixture of floral, resinous pine, and slight fruit. Sipping this beer reveals a lot of fruity sweetness along with slight biscuity-like malts, wet grass, pineapple, grapefruit, and more subtly bitter, dank hops. The finish is a nice mix of fruit and bitter hops.

Bottom Line:

Once again, this is definitely not a bad beer. However… when compared to the other offerings on this list, it’s a bit aggressive in the bitterness and high alcohol department.

9) Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $25 for a 12-pack

The Beer:

This is a fun beer and it tastes exactly as the name suggests. This slightly malty, highly fruity beer is brewed with Citra, Comet, Mosaic, Amarillo, and El Dorado hops. The result is an IPA designed to make you feel like you’re enjoying this beer in a tropical paradise and not in your backyard overlooking corn fields somewhere in the Midwest.

Tasting Notes:

As expected, the nose is all tropical fruits. There are hints of ripe peaches, mango, guava, and pineapple. There are also piney hops to round it all out. The flavor follows suit with a gargantuan fruity, tropical flavor. There’s also a nice caramel malt backbone and a slightly bitter finish.

Bottom Line:

This is a tasty, fruity beer. The only reason it landed so low on the rankings is that it’s fairly one-dimensional. By that, we mean it’s all fruity, tropical flavors and that’s about it.

8) Sierra Nevada Fantastic Haze

ABV: 9%

Average Price: $12.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Fantastic Haze is a bold, citrus-filled beer. Brewed with ale yeast, two-row pale malts, oats, wheat, as well as Chinook, Azacca, Amarillo, Idaho 7, and Strata hops, it lives up to its fantastic name. It’s hazy, juicy, and so filled with citrus and tropical fruit flavors, you forget that it’s 9 percent ABV.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find aromas of dank hops, wet grass, mango, guava, and various other tropical fruit flavors. The palate follows suit with stone fruits, grapefruit, slight bready malts, and very little hops bitterness. Even with the high ABV, it’s surprisingly crushable and sweet.

Bottom Line

To really enjoy this beer, you should try it side by side with Big Little Thing. They’re both 9 percent ABV, but the differences are so subtle that drinking them one after another is the only way to really find the subtle nuances.

7) Sierra Nevada Hop Bullet

ABV: 8%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This double IPA is the bold, vibrant hop-bomb that West Coast IPA fans dream about. Not only is it chocked full of hops, including Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Crystal, Magnum, and Idaho 7, it also gets its slightly bitter, floral, and dank flavor from the addition of lupulin dust that’s added right into the tank.

Tasting Notes:

Based on the ingredients, you’d expect this nose to have a little more going on. There’s an obvious, piney hops aroma that pairs with citrus zest, and a floral component West Coast IPA drinkers expect. But it’s all a little muted. The palate is slightly acidic with notes of tangerine, lemon zest, and dank pine. It’s fairly bitter, but that’s expected with an IPA like this.

Bottom Line:

With a name like Hop Bullet, there’s an expectation that this beer will be over-the-top hoppy. That’s just not the case. While a great beer for West Coast IPA drinkers, it doesn’t live up to its moniker.

6) Sierra Nevada Dankful

ABV: 7.4%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

With a name like Dankful, you definitely know what you’re in for with this beer. Brewed with ale yeast, various malts, and Columbus, Chinook, Mosaic, Ekuanot, Nelson Sauvin, Zappa, and Idaho 7 hops, it’s a dank, resinous, hoppy West Coast IPA you’ll go back to again and again.

Tasting Notes:

Before sipping, take a moment to breathe in the aromas of resinous pine, wildflowers, slight soap, and citrus zest. The palate is swirling with earthy, herbal notes, dank pine, slight bready malts, grapefruit, and a nice kick of hops bitterness at the very end.

Bottom Line:

On top of being a great, hoppy, dank West Coast IPA, drinking Dankful actually helps those in need. A portion of its proceeds to go nonprofit charities.

5) Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

ABV: 11%

Average Price: $9.99 for a four-pack

The Beer:

This is not a beer for IPA novices. This triple IPA, brewed with Chinook, Magnum, and Idaho 7 hops sit at a bold 11 percent ABV. It’s bitter, piney, dank, and definitely pushes the envelope in terms of what exactly a West Coast IPA is. It’s a true palate destroyer.

Tasting Notes:

Sierra Nevada’s hoppiest beer begins with aromas of citrus zest, dank pine, resin, and just a hint of floral hops. The flavor is filled with caramel malts that are enveloped with tangerine, grapefruit, and a whole forest of dank, resinous pine trees. This is a bold, hop-bomb that IPA drinkers need to try.

Bottom Line:

If you’re the type of person who wants to push the limits of the West Coast IPA, this is the beer for you. It’s crazy hoppy, dank, and filled with bitter, pine flavor.

4) Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Even though it seems like every brewery makes a hazy IPA now, there’s a reason Hazy Little Thing still makes lists ranking the best of the best. That’s because this IPA brewed with Citra, Magnum, Simcoe, Comet, Mosaic, and El Dorado is juicy, sweet, and highly crushable on a hot summer day.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is what you expect from a hazy, New England-style IPA. It’s filled with guava, mango, tangerine, pineapple, and grapefruit. The palate is highlighted by flavors like ripe peaches, passion fruit, mango, fresh oranges, wet grass, and just a hint of hop bitterness at the finish.

Bottom Line:

This is a true, unrivaled juice bomb. Fans of hazy New England IPAs will have a hard time finding a better, more crushable juicy IPA than this.

3) Sierra Nevada Celebration

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Celebration is a bit different from the other IPAs on this list. It’s a wintry IPA brewed with Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops. Unlike many winter beers, it’s not spiced. Instead, it’s fresh, piney, and crisp. The perfect beer to drink while you take a break from pumpkin ales and barrel-aged stouts.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is filled with scents of orange peels, fresh flowers, grapefruit, and subtle spice. The palate has a nice caramel malt backbone that pairs perfectly with citrus zest, resinous piney, dank hops. It’s a great combination of citrus, malts, and crisp hops.

Bottom Line:

In a sea of spiced, overly sweet holiday beers, Sierra Nevada Celebration is a welcomed respite of crisp, hoppy, floral refreshment.

2) Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

ABV: 5.6%

Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the beer that started the American pale ale craze. It’s also so hoppy — being brewed with ale yeast, a handful of malts, and a large amount of Cascade hops — that it manages to sneak into many IPA ranking lists.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find a combination of caramel malts, lemon zest, floral hints, and subtle, piney hops. The palate is littered with flavors of biscuity, caramel malts, grapefruit, lemon rings, and floral, dank, slightly bitter hops. It’s a perfectly balanced beer that deserves all of the accolades it receives.

Bottom Line:

If you only drink one pale ale, make it this one. It’s crisp, citrusy, and completely refreshing on a hot day (or literally any day).

1) Sierra Nevada Torpedo

ABV: 7.2%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

You heard it here first. Torpedo is the best beer Sierra Nevada makes. This 7.2 percent “extra IPA” gets its slightly herbal, dank, piney flavor from the addition of Crystal, Citra, and Magnum hops. Even with its dry-hopped flavor, it’s surprisingly well-balanced and highly drinkable.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a nice mix of malt sweetness, resinous, dank pine, citrus zest, and floral notes. Take a sip and you’ll find notes of ripe pineapple, lemon zest, grapefruit juice, spruce tips, and gentle, sweet, caramel malts. It’s super hoppy, yet balanced with a nice malty backbone.

Bottom Line:

This is the best Sierra Nevada IPA because it has a nice ABV level, pleasing floral, piney hops, slight bitterness, and a good amount of malty sweetness. A great year-round IPA for sure.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

Morgan Wallen was a crossover country star on the rise thanks to his 2021 sophomore album Dangerous: The Double Album: The album topped all-genres Billboard 200 chart and he booked a gig as Saturday Night Live musical guest. Then, it happened: He was filmed using a racial slur. While his album continued to break chart records despite the controversy, the singer remained on the bad sides of many. Now, he has addressed the whole situation on Good Morning America, sitting with Michael Strahan today for his first interview since everything went down.

Strahan asked Wallen if his use of the word happened out of “nowhere,” and Wallen explained, “No, I don’t think it just happened. I was around some of my friends and, you know, we just say dumb stuff together. It was… in our minds, it’s playful, you know? I don’t know if… that sounds ignorant, but that’s really where it came from, and it’s wrong.”

Strahan then suggested the word is one Wallen uses “frequently,” and Wallen responded, “I wouldn’t say frequently, no. Not frequently. It was just around this certain group of friends, I would say.” He went on to note that as for his use of it in the video, he “didn’t mean it in any derogatory manner at all.”

When asked what made him think the word was ever appropriate for him to use, Wallen said after a pause, “I’m not sure. I think I was just ignorant about it. I don’t think I sat down and was like, ‘Hey, is this right or is this wrong?’”

Elsewhere during the conversation, he revealed that he spent 30 days in rehab following the incident and noted that he donated the money from his increased album sales to Black organizations.

Watch the full interview here and check out clips from it above and below.

After more than a year of being stuck indoors, it’s understandable that any excuse to be in a room with living creatures who aren’t your cats would be tempting. But if that weird uncle or kid who ate his boogers in kindergarten invites you to a dance party via Facebook, do yourself (and the world) a favor and just say no. On Thursday, The Late Show host Stephen Colbert revealed a truly idiotic new trend among anti-vaxxers who desperately want to keep spreading their dirty lies about COVID, but are having trouble getting around the social media network’s misinformation triggers: dance parties!

“The only thing spreading faster than COVID variants is COVID misinformation, especially on social media. In response, Facebook has been hunting down and removing groups that present misleading or sensationalized information about vaccines… Facebook finds the groups using keywords, but they’re having trouble because some anti-vaccination groups are changing their names to euphemisms like ‘dance party’ in order to skirt bans from Facebook. So get ready for new dance crazes like Actual Saturday Night Fever, The Harlem Ache, and The Floss (of Taste and Smell).”

Of course, it won’t take long for Mark Zuckerberg and his merry band of tech goons to come up with an algorithm that shuts down these virus-fueled dance parties, so these same people who don’t believe in science have begun creating their own online language to further evade detection from Facebook’s powers-that-be. As seen here:

“For example, instead of ‘got the vaccine’ they say ‘danced’ or ‘drank beer,’” Colbert explained. “References to Pfizer generally use the term ‘pizza’ and Moderna is referred to as ‘Moana.’ Dancing? Beer? Pizza? Moana? If you’re going to describe you think is killing everybody, maybe don’t use code words that are things that everybody universally loves. You might as well just say: My sister ‘danced’ with a ‘laundry basket full of puppies’ and now I’m afraid she’s given me ‘rock-hard abs.’ In fact, she’s pressuring the whole family to ‘drink a chocolate milkshake’ with ‘Jason Sudeikis.’”

You can watch the full segment above; it begins around the 3:20 mark.

After the thrill of stepping outside again (after you know what) wears off due to sweltering heat, we sure could use some programming relief. Fortunately, Netflix knows how to give the people what they want. The streaming service is serving up some new series and films to cover all interest bases, including a sequelized take on a beloved 1980s childhood classic. That series is in good hands, given that the ultimate fan, Kevin Smith, is showrunning, and next up, there’s a dating show that’s bizarre enough to make most other dating shows seem downright conventional in comparison. Also, we’ve got a Guillermo del Toro project, a crowdfunding caper, and a time-traveling love story to give you some vicarious adventures without overextending your own heart. We’ve rounded up the most bingeworthy selections of this week, so that you can relax and take a load off while (hopefully) also binging on a cool, sweet snack.

Here’s everything else coming to (and leaving) the streaming platform this week.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation (Netflix series streaming 7/23)

The very battle for Eternia’s soul continues with the ultimate fanboy, Kevin Smith, picking up the showrunner sword. Smith’s enthusiasm for all stuff geeky has led him down many roads, all of them filled with huge feelings, and honestly, the dude has the Power of Grayskull running through his veins. So, one can expect him to nail the tone here while advancing the story, justifying a revival, and continuing the story of the rivalry between Skeletor and everyone else. Cringer and Orko and Teela are on board, and the voice cast (including Lena Headey, Henry Rollins, and Jason Mewes) is phenomenal here, especially Mark Hamill as Skeletor. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of He-Man, guys.

Sexy Beasts (Netflix series streaming 7/21)

Well, if you thought that you’ve seen every kind of dating series out there, Netflix is shouting something about holding their beer. The show purports to feature contestants that will choose matches based on personality only. Sounds practical, right? Well, the key to doing that here is dressing up as furries and other prosthetic-adorned creatures, and no reveal of actual physicality shall happen until the pivotal decisions are made. It’s like The Masked Singer, only way hornier.

Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (Netflix film releasing 7/21)

This franchise installment (from Guillermo del Toro) picks up after the events of the Tales of Arcadia films, and those heroes must now come together to banish the evil Arcane order and defend humanity. Of course, the Arcane Order has ancient titans on their side and the darkest of magic, so vanquishing them won’t be a simple feat.

The Last Letter From Your Lover (Netflix film releasing 7/23)

Shailene Woodley and Felicity Jones star in this story (based upon the novel by JoJo Moyes) about a journalist who uncovers decades-old love letters that reveal a forbidden affair. While investigating the individual threads that make up the mystery surrounding the affair, the journalist soon falls into a love story of her own.

Bankrolled (Netflix film releasing 7/23)

When two unemployed young entrepreneurs wildly (and drunkenly) develop a video pitch about a (nonexistent) video app, the crowdfunding dollars start pouring in. As it happens, however, they have no bloody idea what to do but must make good on the millions of dollars that came their way.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 7/18
Cosmic Sin

Avail. 7/20
milkwater

Avail. 7/21
Chernobyl 1986
The Movies That Made Us: Season 2
One on One with Kirk Cameron: Season 1
Sexy Beasts
Too Hot to Handle: Brazil
Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Avail. 7/22
9 to 5: The Story of a Movement
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop

Avail. 7/23
A Second Chance: Rivals!
Bankrolled
Blood Red Sky
Kingdom: Ashin of the North
The Last Letter From Your Lover
Masters of the Universe: Revelation
Sky Rojo: Season 2

Avail. 7/24
Charmed: Season 3
Django Unchained

And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:

Leaving 7/28
The Croods

Leaving 7/30
Spotlight

Leaving 7/31
A Clockwork Orange
Bride of Chucky
Child’s Play 2
Child’s Play 3
Eat Pray Love
Four Christmases
Freak Show
Fred Claus
Friends with Benefits
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Grand Designs: Season 10
Grand Designs: Season 15
Hardcore Henry
Hinterland: Seasons 1-3
Hook
Horns
Jupiter Ascending
King Arthur
Little Baby Bum: Nursery Rhyme Friends: S1
The Little Rascals
Mad Max
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Nacho Libre
Nights in Rodanthe
The Patriot
Remember Me
Seed of Chucky
Step Up: Revolution
Your Highness
Zombieland