Nicki Minaj may be working on a new album and a documentary about her career, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have time for some good, old-fashioned trash reality TV. By which I mean Andy Cohen has asked her to host the upcoming Real Housewives Of Potomac reunion special — according to a shared screenshot of her text conversation with the show’s publicist — an invitation she enthusiastically accepted.
She made the announcement in her usual fashion, by posting to her Instagram Story, then sharing a screenshot with her Twitter followers. “Who tf is ready?” she tweeted. On Instagram, she wrote, “Don’t move! Everyone binge-watch all the episodes cuz we finna get into some thangz hunty.” She also promised that “My questions will be well thought out, too. Mixed with funny & epic, of course.”
But, as is often the case, she had to include a quick disclaimer: “And Barbz, plz don’t send me a million comments about the album & doc chile just lemme have my moment.” She did toss her ravenous fans a bone, though, adding, “We almost there. Promise. Not lying this time. Love you.”
— BEAM ME UP SCOTTY MIXTAPE OUT NOW (@NICKIMINAJ) July 30, 2021
Naturally, the Barbz — who basically live for drama — were ecstatic to learn of this development. Get into their responses below, and follow along with the show’s cast Sundays on Bravo.
2021 is a big year for Jack Antonoff, given his involvement with new projects from Lana Del Rey, Clairo, and Lorde, as well as his own new Bleachers album, Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night, which was released today. He’s the subject of a new NME profile, and in it, he explains how Taylor Swift is “changing the music industry.”
He said:
“I’ve seen her change the music industry first-hand. She’s amazing for being a champion and making things better for the generations to come. She has a long history of rightly exposing some real darkness in the music industry. And I’m personally thankful for it, outside of our friendship and working relationship, just as an artist. She’s asked me some questions a lot of people are afraid to ask: ‘Why is this OK?’ ‘Why is it OK to treat an artist like this?’ ‘Why is it OK to exercise ownership over things that someone makes from their heart and soul? Why?’ And the answer is always the same: because that’s how it’s been. And that’s why it’s amazing if someone like her comes along and says, ‘Well, hold on: why?’”
He also offered some kind words about some of this other collaborators, like Del Rey, of whom he said, “What I love about working with Lana is that there’s so much more humor in their music than I think people understand.” He also called Clairo “one of our great artists” and noted, “It can’t be understated, the level of her work and her writing.”
The island of Islay may not be particularly large but it holds gigantic sway over the world of Scotch whisky. The sheep-filled interior and craggy shores of the island are also home to nine (including the recently opened Ardnahoe) distilleries. With names like Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Bunnahabhain, and Laphroaig, the Islay whiskies are some of the most respected single malts in the world.
Known for their rich, smoky flavor notes — thanks to the use of peat-smoked barley — Islay single malts usually aren’t the first foray most drinkers take into the world of Scotch. Neophytes typically level up to these briny, campfire-infused drams after enjoying softer, sweeter whiskies from Speyside and the more lightly peated Highlands expressions.
Once drinkers are ready for Islay single malts, they’d be wise to crawl before they walk. Test some entry-level expressions that won’t overpower the palate. That’s where these well-known expressions come in. They’re a leaping-off point — both in terms of smoke and price. Perfect for the newcomer.
For this test, we re-sipped the entry-level expressions from eight of Islay’s distilleries (Ardnahoe hasn’t yet released its own expressions yet). Check the ranking out below and click on prices to order a bottle for yourself.
One of the most iconic Islay whiskies ever made, Laphroaig 10 is distilled in the traditional style using malted barley that’s cold-smoked before being dried over peat smoke. Aged for ten years in ex-bourbon barrels, this expression is known for its unique, briny-smoky flavor matrix.
Tasting Notes:
This award-winning whisky begins with notable aromas of iodine, seaweed, ocean brine, and rich peat smoke. The palate is filled with vanilla beans, cracked black pepper, salted caramel, and a lot of peaty smoke. The finish is warming, dry, slightly medicinal with a heavy dose of smoked bacon.
Bottom Line:
Fans of Laphroaig can’t get enough of it. Others find the medicinal, band-aid, briny flavor mixed with peat smoke to be a little aggressive. We tend to agree.
Even though Islay is known for its peat-smoked whiskies, this doesn’t mean every expression must follow suit. While Bunnahabhain does make some peaty expressions, its 12-year-old offering isn’t one of them. This entry-level expression is matured in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
This results in a tremendously mellow, sweet, subtly nutty whisky.
Tasting Notes:
Before sipping, drinkers enjoy the aromas of raisins, dried cherries, sweet vanilla, plus just a wisp of smoke. It’s nothing like the smoke in other entry-level Islay malts. The palate is surprisingly fruity, with fresh berries — notably Bing cherries — countered by buttery caramel, subtle cinnamon, and creamy vanilla. It all ends with a warming, sweet finish.
Bottom Line:
If you’re hoping for a smoky, peaty whisky to start your Islay journey, this isn’t it. The smoke is extremely subtle and is only used to accentuate the other fruity flavors. This lack of smoke is the main reason this expression wasn’t ranked higher (it’s an Islay-based ranking, after all).
Kilchoman doesn’t have the name recognition of some of the other Islay distilleries but the distillery certainly crafts some high-quality single malts. This includes the entry-level Machir Bay. This peaty, smoky whisky was aged in both ex-bourbon casks and Oloroso sherry butts.
Tasting Notes:
This complex whisky begins with scents of orange marmalade, vanilla cookies, toffee, and gentle, rich peaty smoke. Sipping it reveals notes of dried cherries, raisins, buttery caramel, subtle spice, and a brinier, bacon-ish smoke. It ends with a combination of sweet sherry and rich smoke.
Bottom Line:
This is the single malt for fans of sherries whiskies who want to try what Islay has to offer. The sweet, dried fruits and sherry flavors work in perfect harmony with the robust peat.
This is where things start to get tricky. There isn’t much separating the top five whiskies (and pretty much all eight). Ardbeg 10 is the iconic distillery’s flagship expression. This non-chill filtered, ten-year-old whisky is well known as one of the smokiest, peatiest, most robust beginner Islay bottles ever created.
Tasting Notes:
This nose has everything an Islay single malt fan could want. There are aromas of candied orange peels, toasted vanilla beans, butterscotch, dried fruits, and a ton of rich peat. The palate is highlighted by buttery caramel, various baking spices, sticky toffee pudding, lemon curd, and peat smoke. The finish is smoky, sweet, and sure to be a significant departure for smoke newbies.
Bottom Line:
If you stop right here, you’ll be more than happy with your choice. That is if you enjoy a wallop of peat smoke. Otherwise, move on and try some of the other options that we ranked (ever so) slightly higher.
Bruichladdich makes its fair share of smoke bombs, but it does so under the names of Octomore and Port Charlotte. The Bruichladdich whiskies, including The Classic Laddie, are un-peated. This 100% Scottish barley-based single malt was aged in American oak barrels and has none of the smoky character of most Islay whiskies.
It sure is good though. And a great value.
Tasting Notes:
Unlike its smokier rivals, the nose on this expression is all candied orange peels, dried fruits, and clover honey — with just a kiss of ocean brine. Not a hint of smoke is found in the aroma. Once you sip it, you’ll be transported to a world of butterscotch, buttered toffee, sugar cookies, raisins, and subtle spices.
Bottom Line:
In between samplings of Octomore and Port Charlotte, The Classic Laddie is a welcome respite. It’s sweet, flavorful, and mellow. It may not be smoky, but it excels in so many other departments that it deserves to be one of your first Islay single malts.
3) Lagavulin 16
Lagavulin
ABV: 43% Average Price: $99
The Story:
Lagavulin is a sneaky distillery. While other Islay distilleries are content with offering ten and 12 -year-old entry-level expressions, Lagavulin’s sits at 16 years (although it does release eight and 12-year expressions at various times). One of the most beloved single malt whiskies in the world, Lagavulin 16 is rich, dry, warming, and brimming with peaty, campfire smoke.
Tasting Notes:
Known as one of the smokiest whiskies from Islay, the robust, peaty smoke is at the forefront of the nose. This is followed by vanilla cream and slightly spicy, medicinal flavors. The palate is filled with dried cherries, raisins, toffee, charred wood, and a massive wallop of smoky bacon. The ending is a perfect combination of fruity sweetness and peat smoke.
Bottom Line:
Lagavulin 16 might not seem like an entry-level whisky, but it truly is. The best part? While it could be the first smoky Scotch you try, you’ll likely continue drinking it for years to come.
One of the most underrated single malt Scotch whiskies, Caol Ila 12 was first launched in 2002. Since then, it’s gained countless fans because of its light, mellow, easy-to-drink nature with just the right amount of peat smoke to make you realize where it’s from.
Tasting Notes:
Before taking a sip, you’d be smart to give this whisky a proper nosing. If you do, you’ll be met with hints of smoky bacon, orange marmalade, vanilla beans, and a nice herbal backbone. The palate is loaded with dried fruits, sugar cookies, nutty sweetness, and a nice kiss of rich, robust peat smoke at the finish.
Bottom Line:
Few single malts ease you into the world of peat-smoked whiskies better than Caol Ila 12. While some expressions lean heavily into the smoky aspect, this whisky uses it as a complement to other flavors.
Even though some of the distilleries grab more headlines, Bowmore is actually the oldest distillery on the island, founded in 1779. Its entry-level expression Bowmore 12 is, in our opinion, the best the island has to offer newbies. This award-winning whisky is complex, well-balanced, and filled with sweet caramel and gentle peaty smoke.
Tasting Notes:
Before sipping, breathe in the scents of butterscotch, vanilla, oak, clover honey, dried citrus peels, and peat smoke. On the palate, look for notes of sugar cookies, almond essence, chocolate fudge, and more briny campfire smoke. The finish is sweet, smoky, and savory.
Bottom Line:
If you only pick one entry-level Islay single malt, make it Bowmore 12. This is the most well-balanced, easy-to-drink expression on this list. It’s definitely not to be missed.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
Who says you need a pilot to tell if something is going to be a hit? Well, a lot of networks, actually… but not HBO! Without so much as a teaser trailer, it’s been revealed that the streaming service is going all in on their adaptation of the critically-acclaimed video game series The Last of Us. Like, all in. During a recent event detailing Canada’s economic future, Alberta premier Jason Kenny revealed HBO intends to spend a whopping 200 million per season on The Last of Us. In addition, Kenny said the project could could last as many as eight seasons. For those of you keeping track at home, that makes for a grand total of 1.6 billion making the most realistic plant-headed zombies you’ll ever see.
While it’s hardly surprising the The Last of Us is shaping up to be the most largely invested in video game adaptation, comparing it’s budget to other HBO original series is pretty jaw-dropping. Assuming each season of The Last of Us sticks to HBO’s usual 8 to 10 episode format, that means the network plans to spend between 20-25 million per episode. Just to put this in perspective, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ The Pacific — which currently holds the title of most expensive HBO series — sits at a budget of 20 million per episode. The special effects-filled final season of Game of Thrones pales in comparison, with a budget of 15 million an episode. In addition, the sheer number of intended seasons is pretty astounding. If Kenny’s “as many as eight seasons” claim is true, it would make the show one of HBO’s longest running series that’s not related to sports or Bill Maher.
However, while all this might seem excessive (and let’s be real, it is), HBO investing into the apocalyptic tragedy might be what the studio needs to do to keep up with its competitors. Over at Amazon, the upcoming Lord of the Rings series has been given a budget of one billion dollars to spread out over the course of five seasons, resulting in 200 million spent per season as well. At Disney+, Marvel is forking over a staggering 25 million per episode to bring Loki, WandaVision, and all your favorite characters back to life. Only time will tell which of these shows pan out and keep the services up and streaming another day.
On the heels of its Fear Street trilogy, Netflix is signaling that summer is the time for horror (or at last, it can be a secondary Halloween season). Since time does not matter anymore, why not? The streamer’s upcoming limited series, Brand New Cherry Flavor, premieres on Friday, August 13, so there’s a tie-in right there, and the show looks to be a good old-fashioned cautionary tale on trusting the wrong people and the hazards of making the wrong move for revenge. One of those wrong people appears to be a witchy woman (played by Catherine Keener), who’s helping the protagonist, a filmmaker named Lisa (Rosa Salazar), take down another one of those wrong people, an unfortunately-behaved producer with a wrong move.
Lots of wrong people and wrong moves here.
Before long, an entire colony of rabbit holes opens up in this trailer, and there’s a Lynchian vibe in how Lisa’s Hollywood adventure soon reveals fiendish undertones, which later become explicit. Laying that curse on the producer has unleashed all manner of spooky happenings, including faceless creatures who plague Lisa, and maybe that “binding ritual” was a bad idea. Yeah, I’m digging the Sam Raimi-esque afternotes, too. The series is based upon the 1996 novel by Todd Grimson, and here’s the synopsis:
Lisa N. Nova (Rosa Salazar) comes to LA dead set on directing her first movie. But when she trusts the wrong person and gets stabbed in the back, everything goes sideways and a dream project turns into a nightmare. This particular nightmare has zombies, hit men, supernatural kittens, and a mysterious tattoo artist who likes to put curses on people. And Lisa’s going to have to figure out some secrets from her own past in order to get out alive.
Brand New Cherry flavor will spook your pants off on August 13.
On Thursday, Annapurna Interactive held its first ever showcase event. They went around the world and gave a look into all of the games they’re currently assisting with and one of them from BlueTwelve Studio was a much wanted update about the game STRAY. This adventure about a stray cat as it explores the city has been teased many times in the past, but this was the first time we ever got to really dive deep into the gameplay of STRAY and what it’s about.
After watching the gameplay trailer there is really one takeaway that someone can have: the cat the player will take control of is adorable and must be protected at all costs. This cat needs our help to get through a perilous adventure in a dangerous city where it will meet many robot citizens. Some of them may help the cat, others not so much, but the cat will have a drone companion around for the ride to help translate conversations. It will also assist the cat in combat with slug monsters that are going to attempt to hurt it, and in this household, we protect the cat.
YouTube
While some parts of this adventure sound silly, the trailer actually does an incredible job of creating a sense of anxiety throughout the entire gameplay demo. This cat really does need our help to get through this adventure, because the town itself is anything but safe. It’s painted in beautiful but terrifying neon colors and the music accompanying it creates an atmosphere that something bad could occur at any moment. Gameplay features the cat having to puzzle its way through sharp fans, jumping through toxic sewers, and safely navigating busy alleyways. It seems pretty clear this cat is in a place it shouldn’t be and that means danger.
However, while the cat is in a dangerous place, there is a sense of mystery to all of it that makes the exploration sound incredibly fun. Why is this cat here in the first place and what does it even want? Also, while the drone can translate what others are saying to the cat, will the cat be able to speak itself in any way? Typically in games with silent protagonists we, the player, are supposed to see ourselves in the character, and almost interact with it in a roleplay element. So it may be that the developers are trying to put us in the role of this cat. They want us to feel as scared as a stray cat would.
STRAY
It’s early, and we won’t get to play STRAYuntil 2022, but early signs point to an adventure that could be incredibly gripping. This is a game that might emotionally break people if the anxiety in the trailer carries over into the game itself. It also could be one of the best video game experiences of 2022. Utilizing the emotions that people feel towards animals in an adventure like this is going to get the kind of emotional reaction that only video games can create.
STRAY makes all of us want to protect this cat at all times. That feeling is going to be the driving force of this game and it’s going to be what pushes a lot of players forward. However, that won’t be enough for everyone, there needs to be a story about why this cat is here in the first place. Hopefully future details tell us why it is we’re a stray cat in a strange city, but for now we’ll just continue hoping that it’s going to be okay by the end of the adventure.
Jay-Z and Will Smith are the unofficial avatars of Black wealth, and with their latest venture, they hope to provide a means for building wealth for more people. Their investment funds, Roc Nation and Dreamers VC respectively, have joined a group of investors raising $165 million in housing startup Landis, which will rent homes to clients until they can afford to buy them.
According to Bloomberg, the company purchases a house, rents it to the client, and then sells it to them at a preset price (including a fee on top of its original value) up within two years from the initial purchase. Landis also provides financial coaching to clients to help them manage their budgets, build credit, and save the down payments they need to purchase their homes. After the first two years, the company may offer more time or sell the property.
The idea is, of course, to make it easier for aspiring homeowners to actually achieve their goal in a housing market that has become increasingly expensive and risky in the years since the Great Recession, which was in part caused by a housing market bubble bursting in the mid-2000s.
Bloomberg reports that the typical Landis client is a first-time buyer with a budget under $400,000. The $165 million investment will allow the company to buy around 1,000 homes with the hopes of following through on 80% of its initial customer base. That would be way more than traditional rent-to-own companies. The company’s founder, Cyril Berdugo, credits the business model, which would see Landis “make money when our client buys the house back.” “If we leave money on the table,” he says, “That’s our problem.”
Soraya Marquez is a fighter. Growing up in a single-mother led household in Far Rockaway Queens after arriving from Puerto Rico at the age of 10, Marquez was raised with the cards stacked against her, but that didn’t stop her from letting her daily commute in the rich and vibrant city of New York inspire her to strive for more.
“I didn’t have art in my house, but when I went to the street it was like graffiti everywhere. It was like a moving museum,” Marquez says in the above video. “We would always take the A Train all the way to Washington Heights. Seeing all the graffiti in the tunnels, I was able to connect the dots, like ‘this is art too.’ I wanted to be a part of that, I wanted to be somebody.”
With tons of passion but little means, Marquez was able to carve a space for herself in the New York art scene, throwing graffiti on the walls under the name Indie184, a pseudonym Marquez views as a superhero-like alter ego who isn’t fazed by life’s challenges. Given the boy’s club nature of the NYC graffiti scene, this was no easy task.
“At that time there were very few women in New York City doing graffiti, and I was one of them. Being new in any culture, you’re going to be questioned. If you didn’t do a certain task… then you’re going to be criticized.” Seeing the challenge to be accepted in the graffiti scene ahead of her, Indie184 didn’t let the hurdles of being an outsider stop her from realizing her dreams,
“I had to prove myself, I had to prove my lettering skills, my can control, so I did that my way. I taught myself graphic design, photography. So I mixed all these styles [and] and all these mediums. I’m making my own lane, I’m not following this patriarchal format of being an artist in graffiti, you’ve just got to blaze your own trail.”
Indie184 credits that boldness with the fighting spirit of her mother,
“I center women in my murals because I grew up with a single mom. I absolutely admire that, women are constantly inspiring me to own my power… Creating these colorful murals in all these neighborhoods I grew up in, it’s a visual diary. I get to put a piece of myself out there to share with the world. The role of the muralist in the community is to beautify and empower its people.”
Watch the video above to learn more about Indie184’s story, how she got her name, and how she’s continued to carve a space out for herself in the NYC graffiti scene over the last 20 years. Be sure to keep an eye out for additional episodes from our Salud to Summer series, created in partnership with Modelo.
Every parent wants to see their kid get good grades in school. But now we know social success is just as important.
From an early age, we’re led to believe our grades and test scores are the key to everything — namely, going to college, getting a job, and finding that glittery path to lifelong happiness and prosperity.
It can be a little stressful.
All GIFs from “Billy Madison.”
But a new study shows that when children learn to interact effectively with their peers and control their emotions, it can have an enormous impact on how their adult lives take shape. And according to the study, kids should be spending more time on these skills in school.
Nope, it’s not hippie nonsense. It’s science.
Researchers measured the social skills of 800 kindergarteners in 1991. Two decades later, they looked them up to see how things turned out.
Kindergarten teachers evaluated the kids with a portion of something called the Social Competence Scale by rating statements like “The child is good at understanding other’s feelings” on a handy “Not at all/A little/Moderately well/Well/Very well” scale.
The research team used these responses to give each kid a “social competency score,” which they then stored in what I assume was a manila folder somewhere for 19 years, or until each kid was 25. At that point, they gathered some basic information about the now-grown-ups and did some fancy statistical stuff to see whether their early social skills held any predictive value.
Here’s what they found.
1. Those good test scores we covet? They still matter, but maybe not for the reasons we thought.
Traditional thinking says that if a kid gets good grades and test scores, he or she must be really smart, right? After all, there is a proven correlation between having a better GPA in high school and making more money later in life.
But what that test score doesn’t tell you is how many times a kid worked with a study partner to crack a tough problem, or went to the teacher for extra help, or resisted the urge to watch TV instead of preparing for a test.
The researchers behind this project wrote, “Success in school involves both social-emotional and cognitive skills, because social interactions, attention, and self-control affect readiness for learning.”
That’s a fancy way of saying that while some kids may just be flat-out brilliant, most of them need more than just smarts to succeed. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt spending a little more time in school teaching kids about the social half of the equation.
2. Skills like sharing and cooperating pay off later in life.
We know we need to look beyond GPA and state-mandated testing to figure out which kids are on the right path. That’s why the researchers zeroed in so heavily on that social competency score.
What they found probably isn’t too surprising: Kids who related well to their peers, handled their emotions better, and were good at resolving problems went on to have more successful lives.
What’s surprising is just how strong the correlation was.
An increase of a single point in social competency score showed a child would be 54% more likely to earn a high school diploma, twice as likely to graduate with a college degree, and 46% more likely to have a stable, full-time job at age 25.
The kids who were always stealing toys, breaking things, and having meltdowns? More likely to have run-ins with the law and substance abuse problems.
The study couldn’t say for sure that strong or poor social skills directly cause any of these things. But we can say for sure that eating too much glue during arts and crafts definitely doesn’t help.
3. Social behaviors can be learned and unlearned — meaning it’s never too late to change.
The researchers called some of these pro-social behaviors like sharing and cooperating “malleable,” or changeable.
Let’s face it: Some kids are just never going to be rocket scientists. Turns out there are physical differences in our brains that make learning easier for some people than others. But settling disputes with peers? That’s something kids (and adults) can always continue to improve on.
And guess what? For a lot of kids, these behaviors come from their parents. The more you’re able to demonstrate positive social traits like warmth and empathy, the better off your kids will be.
So can we all agree to stop yelling at people when they take the parking spot we wanted?
But what does it all mean?
This study has definite limitations, which its researchers happily admit. While it did its best to control for as many environmental factors as possible, it ultimately leans pretty heavily on whether a teacher thought a kid was just “good” or “very good” at a given trait.
Still, the 19-year study paints a pretty clear picture: Pro-social behavior matters, even at a young age. And because it can be learned, it’s a great “target for prevention or intervention efforts.”
The bottom line? We need to do more than just teach kids information. We need to invest in teaching them how to relate to others and how to handle the things they’re feeling inside.
Ignoring social skills in our curricula could have huge ramifications for our kids down the road.
This is short, but it definitely packs a punch. Be sure to pay close attention from 1:34 to 2:06; it’s like equal parts “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “Econ 101.”
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
(@NICKIMINAJ) July 30, 2021
(@BarbieDreaming) July 30, 2021
#BarbiTingz pic.twitter.com/nln0z12lIZ
pic.twitter.com/8Z6YrSE761
𒊹︎ (@iamtreyforde) July 30, 2021
pic.twitter.com/zxIJEA4E8u
