Dave Chappelle has been a long time supporter of his alma mater, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown, and has often credited the school with saving his life. Along with other notable alumni like Bradley Cooper and Chris Tucker, Chappelle regularly visits the campus and holds master classes. But following the backlash from his Netflix special, The Closer, the student body at Ellington have made it clear to administrators that Chappelle is not welcomed with open arms on the campus.
The stand-up comedian was scheduled to be honored during a fundraiser (to raise money for a theater named after him) on November 23, but the event was “quietly canceled” as a student revolt began to build behind the scenes. Via Politico:
Two students tell Playbook that their peers got into a heated debate with faculty after being told that they were expected to help assemble an exhibition to honor Chappelle on the same day as the fundraiser. With many of their classmates identifying as LGBTQ+, the students were uncomfortable supporting the comic, and some even talked about staging a walkout if the tribute went forward. Ellington ended up canceling the fundraiser, even though an invite had already been sent to multiple patrons.
While Chappelle has repeatedly embraced his new “canceled” status and boasted numerous times that he “loves” it, he notably took the time during one of his Netflix specials to visit Ellington because his experience at the school means that much to him. It will be interesting to see if being canceled by Ellington sparks a more open-minded response from the comedian, or if he’ll continue going down the J.K. Rowling path.
Handicapping NFL games can be a challenge, and occasionally it can even be hilarious. In Week 9, we enjoyed success with a 4-1 performance that featured a pair of large underdogs winning outright. The funny part, though, is that the pick with the most closing-line value of the week was the single losing selection. In fact, the 49ers were routed by a Cardinals team without Kyler Murray and others, and that is a spot in which you just have to chuckle.
Alas, Week 10 is another opportunity to find value, and we’ll try to do just that. Before we do, here’s a glance at the season-long progress in this space.
Last Week: 4-1
2021 Season: 26-18-1
Come get these winners.
Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots UNDER 45 points
The Browns are rounding into form defensively as the team’s health improves. Cleveland has allowed 15 points per game in the last three contests and the early-season struggles stemmed more from personnel absences than anything else. Meanwhile, the Patriots are a top-four scoring defense in the league, and it isn’t as if the Browns are *terribly* explosive on offense, particularly if Nick Chubb doesn’t play. Give me the under.
New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans UNDER 21.5 points in the first half
The full game under is also interesting here, but the Saints and Titans are very conservative. New Orleans has been leaning heavily on the ground in the first half of games, and Tennessee’s offense is still finding itself. On top of that, the Titans are playing surprisingly well defensively and the Saints have been undervalued on that side of the ball all season.
Atlanta Falcons (+9.5) over Dallas Cowboys
Dallas is better than Atlanta, but this line is a touch high. Yes, the Falcons can be maddening, but they’ve shown some rumblings in recent weeks as things get comfortable under Arthur Smith. Matt Ryan played very, very well a week ago, and the narrative will be toward a “bounce-back” for Dallas after a bad loss.
Detroit Lions (+8.5) over Pittsburgh Steelers
I don’t believe in the Steelers offense. That’s the majority of what this is, but the Lions are also a team that has shown the willingness to push hard until the final whistle. With the backdoor potentially open, Detroit should be live here.
Minnesota Vikings (+3) over Los Angeles Chargers
This may be a last stand for the Vikings. They’ve lost two in a row to fall to 3-5 and things won’t get too much easier. Minnesota has the firepower to make this interesting but, as we’ve stated in this space many times, the Chargers don’t have homefield advantage. Should the Chargers be a full field goal favorite on a neutral over the Vikings? I don’t think so.
Today marks the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), and during the week leading up to now, Taylor Swift has noticed that she’s having a much better time this time around than she did before releasing the original Red album.
“One thing that I noticed about just this week in general is that I think back to the release week of Red, which is the album that is, you know… just in case anybody missed it. It came out originally about a decade ago, and I was 22 and that release week was so stressful because nobody’s heard any of the music, there are like 14 different genres on this album. It’s a real patchwork quilt of genres, really experimenting. […] But I think that I was so focused on, ‘Is anyone going to like it,’ and I was also like at the time, honestly, really said, because I had actually gone through the stuff that I had sung about! But this time, I’ve got sunglasses on and a mojito and just like… it’s chill this time. It’s really nice to be able to put this album out and not be sad and not be taking breaks in between interviews to cry. I’m telling you, it’s much better this way. Much better.”
Watch the interview clip above.
Red (Taylor’s Version) is out now via Republic. Get it here.
With one Oscar (out of four nominations) and a slew of Emmy Awards, one of the keys to Aaron Sorkin’s success is that he isn’t afraid to bend or break the rules, and he really, truly does not seem to give a sh*t about what other people think of him or his work. It’s a rare quality in the hyper-sensitive land of Hollywood, and something that could be considered a kind of superpower. So when sitting down with The Hollywood Reporter’s Lacey Rose to discuss Being the Ricardos, his upcoming Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz biopic, Sorkin was ready to talk about the backlash surrounding his casting of Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as the movie’s stars.
When talk inevitably came around to his controversial casting choices, Sorkin made it clear that he was looking for people who could play the characters he had written—not do the best impersonations of the Lucy and Desi they knew from TV. As Sorkin explained:
We made this movie during COVID, and so in Zooming with Nicole and Javier and everyone else, I’d make it very clear to them that I am not looking for a physical or vocal impersonation of these people. Leading up to the first rehearsal, I’d write to them every day, “Just play the characters who are in the script.” I know that Nicole was working on Lucy’s voice for a while, and I wanted to relieve her of that. As far as audience anticipation, that’s something I’m just not worried about. I’m certain that when people see the movie, they’ll leave feeling that Nicole has made a very solid case for herself, but moreover, I’ve found that you can really leverage low expectations. I learned that with The Social Network. People assumed it was going to be a romantic comedy, where, like, Paul Rudd “friends” Drew Barrymore and they fall in love. And I just thought, “Great, they’re not expecting what they’re about to see.”
While much of the conversation around Kidman’s casting is indeed related to whether the two look alike, and whether Kidman has the comedic chops to pull off playing such an expressive and iconic actress, the issue surrounding Bardem’s role is much more politically charged. Casting Bardem, who is Spanish, as Desi Arnaz, who is Cuban, is not sitting so well with some people. But again, Sorkin stands by his decision:
First of all, Amazon’s casting department had a Latina casting consultant [who was focused on all Latinx casting] on board. I found out, for instance, because there was an actor who I was considering who’s Brazilian, and I was told by the casting consultant that Brazilians aren’t considered [Hispanic] because they speak Portuguese. So, Javier is Spanish and the casting consultant was fine with it. But I don’t want to use the casting consultant as cover. I want to tell you my opinion on this and I stand by it, which is this: Spanish and Cuban aren’t actable, OK? They’re not actable. By the way, neither are straight and gay. Because I know there’s a small movement underway that only gay actors should play gay characters. Gay and straight aren’t actable. You could act being attracted to someone, but most nouns aren’t actable.
What it ultimately boiled down to for Sorkin was: Are we demeaning anyone by casting a Spanish actor in a Cuban role? And he feels comfortable that the answer to that is no—and Ball and Arnaz’s daughter agreed.
“We know when we’re being demeaning,” Sorkin said. “We know that blackface is demeaning because of its historical context, because you’re making ridiculous cartoon caricatures out of people. We know that Mickey Rooney with the silly piece in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and that makeup, doing silly Japanese speak, we know that’s demeaning. This is not, I felt. Having an actor who was born in Spain playing a character who was born in Cuba was not demeaning. And it wasn’t just the casting consultant who agreed, Lucy and Desi’s Cuban American daughter didn’t have a problem with it. So, I’m very comfortable with it.”
Being the Ricardos will be released on December 10, 2021.
The follow-up books to the Trump administration keep yielding more evidence of an unorthodox presidency, to say the very least. Particularly during Trump’s bid to maintain power, the meltdowns kept coming, according to Jonathan Karl’s new book, Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump, which revealed Trump’s threat to quit the GOP and how his Tulsa COVID rally was even more of a sh*tstorm than previously reported. Now, we’re learning that those “hang Mike Pence” chants didn’t worry Trump at all while the insurrection happened. Yikes.
Karl interviewed Trump with a direct inquiry on whether Trump worried about Pence’s safety during the failed MAGA coup. And you guessed it, Trump wasn’t even slightly concerned, despite many of the insurrectionists harboring more violent intents than the Q’Anon Shaman (who claimed that he protected Senate muffins from theft). Rather, Trump appeared to think that those chants were justifiable because “people were very angry,” and “it’s common sense” for the rioters to want “to protect” because Pence decided to certify the electoral vote. From the Axios transcript:
Jonathan Karl: “Were you worried about him during that siege? Were you worried about his safety?”
Trump: “No, I thought he was well-protected, and I had heard that he was in good shape. No because uh I had heard he was in very good shape.”
Karl: “Because you heard those chants, that was terrible. I mean, you know, those–”
Trump: “He could have — well, the people were very angry… Jon, it’s common sense, that you’re supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent, right — how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress?”
Somehow, this actually doesn’t feel too surprising, considering the flat tone and apparent apathy (to loss of life) that we watched Trump display throughout the pandemic. That makes Axios’ “Why it matters” section on this story particularly surreal: “Well, it is unprecedented for a former president to openly say it was OK to threaten the life of his vice president.” And yep, that nails it.
Newcomers to Scotch whisky might not realize how varied the flavors can be from one bottle to another based on the barley, aging and finishing vessels, and the region it comes from. While Islay whiskies are known for their peaty, smoky, briny flavor and Speyside whiskies are more known for their honey and heather, two flavors seem to find their way into many bottles of Scotch whisky regardless of the region they were created in: orange peels and warming spices.
While vanilla, caramel, and even charred oak seem to get all the press, a bottle with a slight (sometimes much more than slight) hint of candied orange peel can really bring all of the flavors together. This is also true for flavors like cinnamon, cloves, and other spices.
Since these flavors are perfect for fall and winter weather, we decided the time was right to once again check in with our friends who bide their time behind the bar. We asked a handful of notable bartenders to tell us their picks for the best Scotch whiskies for candied orange peels and spice. Keep scrolling to see their picks and click on those prices to try one too.
The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso
The Glenlivet
Mike Fayad, general manager at Hearth and Hill in Park City, Utah
The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso is my pick. I think it encompasses all of the flavors mentioned above. It has a pronounced spice component and isn’t lacking in its citrus profile. It’s mellow, spicy, and perfect for sipping on a cold fall or winter night.
Glenmorangie The Original 10-Year-Old
Glenmorangie
Mohamed Khald, food and beverage manager at The Vinoy Renaissance in St. Petersburg, Florida
Glenmorangie The Original is the perfect Scotch whisky for those craving orange flavors and warm spices. It’s exceptionally smooth and has delicious fall flavors of butterscotch, caramel toffee, and walnuts, but is still well-balanced with sweet and dry aromas.
I enjoy Highland Park. It’s distributed nationally so you can look for it at your local liquor store. I’ve tried a few of them but do like 10-year-old Viking Scars. It’s filled with flavors of various citrus fruits and spices along with a mild smoky flavor.
The Glenrothes Maker’s Cut
The Glenrothes
Lauren Parton, general manager of Devereaux in Chicago
The Glenrothes Maker’s Cut is aged in sherry casks and is one of the sherry casked aged scotches that probably doesn’t get the attention it deserves. You could use it with your favorite toddy recipe thanks to all the citrus and spicy notes, but I just like it neat.
Pig’s Nose Blended Scotch
Pig
Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago
Pig’s Nose Blended Scotch whisky is a gentle scotch with nice notes of orange peel made from a blend of different five-year aged Scotch recipes from different regions. It’s nice to sip neat or in a Godfather cocktail with amaretto. Plus, the bottle has a cute pig on its label, so that’s always a plus.
Oban 14
Oban
Jess Collins, beverage director at Toups Meatery in New Orleans
I love Oban 14 when it comes to citrusy pairings. It has a great orange forward full-bodied flavor. It’s a little malty and honey forward too, which pairs well with baked goods and desserts.
The Balvenie 14-Year Caribbean Cask
The Balvenie
Christy Bradley, spirit guide at Virgin Hotels in New Orleans
The Balvenie 14-Year Caribbean Cask is my selection. It’s finished in rum casks and you get some citrus but mostly honey, spice, and toffee which leaves you with a warming sensation. It’s worth every penny to me.
GlenDronach 12 is a beautiful example of a sherried single malt that highlights citrus and dark yet light spices. It’s aged in a mixture of PX and oloroso casks for a truly decadent whisky. It offers a rich and complex flavor profile that will have you grabbing your glass for a second round.
Aberlour 16 can’t be beaten when you’re looking for a classic whisky known for candied orange peels and spice. It’s filled with intense orange flavors with great spicy notes. It’s a wonderful combination of spicy and sweet that’s perfect any time of year.
Glenmorangie The Lasanta 12 Year is an excellent choice for notes of spice and orange. It’s finished in sherry casks and has great elements of citrus, walnuts, and butterscotch.
Auchentoshan American Oak is triple distilled which makes it very smooth to drink. The flavors that burst on the scene are orange peels and tropical fruits with a nice spice warmth.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
Though there’s nothing funny about trying to overthrow the government, Jimmy Kimmel can’t help but laugh as, one after one, the most vocal of the QAnon conspiracy theorists who attacked the Capitol Building on January 6th are being hauled off to prison.
Earlier this week, the late night host made it clear that he has zero sympathy for Jenna Ryan, the Texas realtor who boasted that she’d never go to jail because she is “blonde” and “white”… but is going to jail. And now it’s time for the most memorable of that day’s insurrectionists—Jacob Chansley, a.k.a. the QAnon Shaman, a.k.a. the shirtless guy who looked like the drunkest guy at every football game with his horns, fur cap, and red-white-and blue-painted face—to face the consequences of his actions.
“The infamous insurrectionist known as the QAnon Shaman is probably not going to be storming anything anytime soon,” Kimmel said before introducing a series of clips about Chansley’s sentencing, including the fact that in a memo requesting leniency in sentencing, the Shaman’s lawyer included a quote from Forrest Gump (which was misspelled as Forest): “My momma always said, you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.” But Kimmel thinks “the more appropriate quote from the movie would be ‘Stupid is as stupid does.’” He went on to note:
“I guess he’ll have the chance to put that behind him because prosecutors are recommending 51 months behind bars, after which he will be remanded into the custody of Dancing With the Stars. Weird to think the QAnon Shaman could get four years in prison while the guy who encouraged him to do it could get four more years in the White House.”
After being met with a series of boos for even the mere mention of another Trump presidency, Kimmel changed the subject and asked the most obvious question: “Can we stop calling him a Shaman now? I mean, that would make half the fans at the Buffalo Bills game shamans, too.”
You can watch the full clip above; it starts around the 1:30 mark.
Swifties are rejoicing today because Taylor Swift’s latest re-recorded album, Red (Taylor’s Version), is out now. Aside from new versions of the songs that appeared on the original album, there are some previously unheard tracks as well, including the Phoebe Bridgers collaboration “Nothing New.” Swift was on Late Night With Seth Meyers last night, and on the show, she told the host about Bridgers’ heartwarming response after Swift asked her to collaborate.
Swift spoke about about her process for asking artists to work with her and gave some background about what “Nothing New” means to her, saying:
“I do send a very long text that I’ve crafted over many days, and I’ll send the song because I don’t want them to ever feel pressured to say yes to something creatively if it doesn’t gel with what they want to do. With Phoebe, I reached out and I sent her this song called ‘Nothing New,’ which I wrote when I was 22. It’s really, really special to me because it was the first time I was not a shiny new artist. I was on my fourth album and I felt like… I think this happens to a lot of artists, where they have their breakthrough moment, and the moment after that is really hard for them because they’re just not getting the same… it’s like the first time you walk into a room at a party and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, Kevin’s here!’ […] Then the next time you walk in, they’re like, ”Sup?’ And then the third time you walk in, they’re like, ‘Um, so what do you want to do tomorrow…,’ and they’re just talking. But I’m here, and you used to… so I was dealing with that moment in my life. So that song is really special to me.”
Swift continued, “I sent it to Phoebe and said, ‘It would mean the world to me if you would do this as a duet,’ because I really wanted another female artist who I loved to sing this with me, because I think it has a very female artist perspective, that we go through that experience. And her response was, ‘I’ve been waiting for this text my entire life.’”
Bridgers was probably similarly hyped to hear what Swift said about her before launching into the story of asking her to collab, as she told Meyers, “Phoebe Bridgers is one of my favorite artists in the world. I just think she’s… if she sings it, I will listen to it. I love her voice and I also love that she’s a very funny person.”
Meanwhile, Bridgers shared some thoughts about Red (Taylor’s Version) today, tweeting, “I was 18 when red came out. How is this real.” Bridgers also previously said of working with Swift, “It’s just been a dream. I just am so excited to have people take it at face value the day that it comes out, because I got teary recording it. I just couldn’t be more excited. […] I think that she is an incredible businessperson and an incredible writer. What she’s been able to build just from writing adeptly from a young age is insane.”
How did fall movies and TV progress so swiftly? We’re already officially past Daylight Savings Time, too, so the days are getting shorter, but the longer nights will give you plenty of opportunity to stay inside and stream to your mind’s delight. For that reason (and many more), Netflix pre-games the holiday season with an A-lister-filled movie starring Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, and The Rock. That’s one of the most anticipated titles on the streamer this year, and when you’re done with that selection, there’s a Sundance-acclaimed movie starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga, so you’ll have the action and festival circuits covered in your living room.
The TV series options are also coming in quite strong this week with the return of Gentefied, which is probably the most heartwarming, funny, and spirited shows that you haven’t watched yet. The animal kingdom gets an immersive new show as well, and there are a few Christmas movies tucked into the premiere list this week, too. In other words, Netflix makes it extra hard for anyone to clear out their queues, but that’s a very good “problem” to have.
Here’s everything else coming to (and leaving) the streaming platform this week.
Red Notice (Netflix film streaming 11/11)
A few years ago, Netflix set the stage for their supposed biggest (and most expensive) movie ever, and a lot of that has to do with the leading cast: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds. Well, we’re finally about to see what hundreds of millions of dollars purchased, so it should be a genuine blockbuster in your living room. Gal plays a notorious crook who mops the floor with Johnson’s FBI agent and Reynolds’ (also notorious) art thief, and yeah, I hope they never catch her. Even though she won’t be wielding the Wonder Woman magic lasso, she’s guaranteed to kick ass.
Gentefied: Season 2 (Netflix series streaming 11/10)
If you haven’t had the pleasure of binging this heartwarming dramedy yet, it’s time. Glorious character actor Joaquín Cosío (Narcos: Mexico) is up for deportation, and the siblings must work to save his ass while continuing to explore their own Mexican-American identity, save their taco shop, and generally be the coolest while wrapping their arms around the American Dream. That dream, of course, might be a double-edged sword because success also threatens the communities and values that the family’s hoping to help preserve. It’s a charming series full of authentic characters, and they must rescue Pops.
Ahead of a theatrical release, you can watch this Sundance-acclaimed black-and-white movie that follows opposite stances of the New York 1929 color line. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga portray two Black women (and childhood friends) who can pass as white, and they decide to take different routes during the Harlem Renaissance. They later have a chance encounter and soon find themselves deeply intwined in each other’s lives, which transforms the action into a story about obsession and repression while also exploring racial identity, along with sexuality and femininity.
Happiness Ever After (Netflix film streaming 11/10)
This Happiness is a Four-Letter Word sequel picks up with the gang four years later, while they’re seeking more self-discovery amid life’s latest challenges. Come for the rom-com vibe and stay for the thoughtful treatment of life’s issues, which many of us must also tackle.
Eight charismatic families of the animal kingdom (lions, wild dogs, kangaroos, and octopuses among them) take the stage for an emotional and immersive ride across planet Earth. The vast wildernesses will visually astound while the cameras highlight these creatures’ surprisingly human qualities.
Your Life Is a Joke: Season 1 (Netflix series 11/9)
Oliver Polak, a German stand-up comedian, welcomes weekly guests, who will receive the roasting of a lifetime. Then he’ll roast them on his social media accounts, which sounds like an interactive an long-lasting nightmare for those involved.
Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:
Avail. 11/7 Father Christmas is Back
Avail. 11/9 Swap Shop
Your Life Is a Joke
Avail. 11/10 Animal
Gentefied: Season 2 Passing
Avail. 11/11 Love Never Lies
Red Notice
Avail. 11/12 Legacies: Season 3
Avail. 11/3 Arcane
Avail. 11/14 Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You
Avail. 11/15 America’s Next Top Model: Season 21 America’s Next Top Model: Season 22 Kuroko’s Basketball: Last Game
Lies and Deceit
Snowbound for Christmas
Survivor: Season 16 Survivor: Season 37
And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:
Leaving 11/14 America’s Next Top Model: Season 19 America’s Next Top Model: Season 20 K-on! the movie
K-On!: Seasons 1-2 Survivor: Season 20: Heroes vs Villains Survivor: Season 28: Cagayan
When it comes to Rick Ross, it’s guaranteed that listeners will receive a heavy dose of braggadocious and luxury raps from the Florida rapper. It’s an expectation that Ross has fulfilled from the start of his career with 2006’s Port Of Miami which he released a sequel for in 2019. Through the years, Ross has delivered quality project after quality project and he’s prepared to offer another one to the world with his upcoming album, Richer Than I Ever Been. The project is already locked in for a release next month, and now Ross begins its campaign with a beautiful new single.
Ross kicks things off for Richer Than I Ever Been with “Outlawz” featuring Jazmine Sullivan and 21 Savage. The song is carried by soulful production supplied by producer AraabMuzik. Hard-hitting drums and soaring vocals sit under Ross and 21 Savage slick raps and Sullivans show-stealing hook. It’s a strong single that promises something great with Ross’ Richer Than I Ever Been.
Richer Than I Ever Been may not be the only project Ross has in store for the future. He and Drake have teased a joint album, one Ross spoke about back in June. “We may have spoken within the last 48 hours,” he said at the time. “But it’s only so much I can say other than: this is the closest or the realest he’s ever been. He’s wrapping up his project and I’m in the same space. So the timing and everything is aligning.” With Certified Lover Boy out now and Richer Than I Ever Been on the way, it seems like this joint album could become a reality.
Listen to “Outlawz” above.
Richer Than I Ever Been is out 12/10 via Maybach/Epic.
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