Month: November 2021

Finding a place to stay in Louisville isn’t all that hard, especially if you want to stay right on Whiskey Row. There are, however, a few places that do stand out. One such place is Hotel Distil (part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection). This is where you should stay if you’re in town to drink whiskey, soak up everything else Louisville has to offer, and eat some of the best food in the city.

Before we dive in, this hotel is right in the middle of Whiskey Row in Louisville. That makes it a foregone conclusion that you’ll be visiting the many distilleries mere steps away. Hell, Old Forester is literally next door. Within just a few blocks along Main Street, you can hit up Evan Williams, Angel’s Envy, Rabbit Hole, Michter’s Fort Nelson, and Kentucky Peerless Distilling with a hell of a lot more within another few blocks. Then a short drive west and you’ll be in Shivley where Stitzel-Weller (Diageo), Brown-Forman, Michter’s, and a Heaven Hill outpost sits. So, we’re going to focus on a few other attractions around Louisville below. Becasue, let’s face it, you can only drink so much whiskey before you need a break.

Okay, with that out of the way, let’s dive into why Hotel Distil in Louisville is one of the hotels we love!

WHY IT’S AWESOME:

As we mentioned above, this is where you want to stay if you’re in Louisville for whiskey. Walk out of the front door and there are about half-a-dozen options depending on if you turn left or right along Main, and they’re all within walking distance. For a city like Louisville, that’s pretty crucial as the Uber and Lyft scenes aren’t that great (the apps work, but you’ll need a fair amount of patience).

Walking to your favorite whiskey distillery tour is great. Highlights include the tour at Peerless, the cocktail bar at Michter’s, hitting up Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen for a little honky-tonk and shots, and Justins’ House of Bourbon for those super rare pours.

But all of that is outside the hotel. The hotel is actually a pretty rad destination on its own. The bar/restaurant just off the lobby, Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse, is a spot where hip locals and travelers in the know go for fantastic food. This leads us to…

IN-HOUSE FOOD + DRINK:

You’ll want to make a reservation for Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse when you book your room. First and foremost, get their dinner rolls. They’re not on the menu but they’re the best bread I’ve ever had in my life. And I’ve been to the best boulangeries in Paris and tandoori ovens in Delhi and have baked my own bread in ancient ovens in Tangier. These dinner rolls beat all of that. They’re the softest, buttteriest, stretchiest dinner rolls I’ve ever tasted. They feel like grandma’s house on a snowy Christmas morning. The word is, they let these rolls ferment for over five days before they’re baked with just the right amount of salt and butter. These are truly what bread is meant to be. I’ve gone back to Repeal and just ordered the dinner rolls and a glass of whiskey and sat at the bar and unabashedly enjoyed the whole plate to myself.

There’s also an excellent menu built around Euro-American classics. The Oysters Rockafeller is a must (pictured below) alongside the Oak-fired Heirloom Carrots, a ridiculously huge Wedge Salad with a cow’s-tongue-sized slice of in-house smoked and cured bacon, and the Steak Tartar … all must-haves.

Then there are the steaks. Generally speaking, I don’t get too excited for cuts like sirloin or strip, but between the bespoke rub, the fire fueled with oak whiskey staves, and the quality of the beef, these steaks were damn near perfect. I was also able to order by calling out the internal temp I wanted for my steak and the server (and chef) didn’t miss a step.

All of this is before we even get to the drinks. It goes without saying that the whiskey collection at Repeal’s bar is stellar. Grab an Eagle Rare Old Fashioned to start things off. They’re about $25 but 100 percent worth it. Then check their deep wine menu for your dinner pairing. Finally, if you’re feeling saucy, you can get a Pappy pour from $50 to $85.

Lastly, each evening, the hotel staff serves large pours of J.T.S. Brown Bourbon in the lobby for … free. If you’re hanging around the bar between six and eight, just listen for the big bell to ring in the lobby and mosey over. Just make sure to leave a good tip.

AMENITIES:

• Air conditioning
• Alarm clock
• Complimentary WiFi
• Coffee maker/tea service
• Crib, on request
• Individual climate control
• In-room dining, on request
• Iron and ironing board
• Hairdryer
• Valet Parking: $32.00 daily
• 24-Hour Fitness Center
• Maximum of 2 pets per room, $100 non-refundable pet fee includes bourbon barrel dog bed, Pupjoy treat box, and Hotel Distil toy

ROOM TYPES:

The standard rooms come with either two queens or one king, a small bar cart (and minibar), a work desk, coffee machine, plenty of closet space, and a well-fitted bathroom with tiles and decent fixtures.

One step up, and you can get yourself a Corner King which has the same amenities but a view over the Ohio River or Louisville from a corner window. There’s a little more room and a proper seating place with a small couch and chair.

The top tier is the Connessuir Suite which has quite a bit more space with a proper seating area, a full wet/bourbon bar, a larger bathroom with a view, and just more space to stretch out in.

THE BEST THING TO DO WITHIN A 15 MINUTE WALK:

We already talked about the whiskey plenty above. So, take a little time to hit up the Muhammad Ali Center. It’s a short walk from the hotel and won’t take up too much of an afternoon. Even if you’re not into boxing, the Center does a great job telling the story of Ali’s many other achievements in life and how deep his impact truly has been for both Louisville and the world.

THE BEST THING TO DO WITHIN A $10 CAB RIDE:

A great way to spend an evening away from Whiskey Row is at Churchill Downs. The iconic race track has races happening most nights. You can post up in the bleachers with a mint julep in hand and bet on the ponies all night (there’ll be around a dozen races).

If you’re not into the gambling aspect, you can also go during the day. There’s a tour of the facilities, a museum, restaurants, and you can even pay to ride some horse around the legendary track. No matter what you choose, it’s a nice change of pace.

BED GAME:

7/10 — Overall, these are just Marriott beds. They’re fine and perfectly comfortable but still have the stiffness you get from Marriott’s line. Let’s just say that thread counts and down-sourcing are not at the top of the list when making these beds.

SEXINESS RATING:

8/10 — The bar scene at Repeal is pretty lively most nights. You can definitely meet either a local or tourist if you post up at the bar and order a cocktail or whiskey pour. The rooftop bar, Bitter Ends, also has a lively scene that runs a little longer in the summer months.

That being said, the restaurant definitely leans more towards couples out for a night on the town.

INSTAGRAMABILITY:

10/10 — If you want that perfect shot of an expertly made cocktail, this is the spot. The lighting is generally pretty good at the bar for drinks but fades nicely away at the edge of the bar, allowing for more atmospheric lighting over the seats. The staff is all in white shirts and bowties, adding to the mystique of the place. Plus, the food is super photogenic.

BEST SEASON TO VISIT:

Generally speaking, late summer/early fall is probably high on the list as that’s when whiskey festivals take place. Plus, Louder Than Life happens around the end of summer (usually) in case you want to see some serious metal bands in between whiskey tours.

Otherwise, you can really hit Whiskey Row and Hotel Distil year-round.

IF I HAD TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ONE THING:

The rooms do have a twinge of corporate-ness to them. It’s not as blank as a standard Marriott, but it’s still there. Muted colors, matte art, and plastic coffee machines don’t really add up to much. The rooms are very comfortable in an average sort of way, which gets the job done. Look at it this way, the bar scene and food more than make up for any fault I have in the greyness of the rooms.

BOOK HERE:

Rooms start at $200 per night.

Check availability here.

MORE PHOTOS:

We’d like to acknowledge and honor the original peoples of this land, the Kaskaskia, Ni-u-kon-ska (Osage), ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East), Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee), S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), Adena, and Hopewell nations.

The F*ck Love era has been prosperous for The Kid Laroi, and now, the rapper officially brings it to an end with a video for the Mustard-featuring “Still Chose You.” He announced the conclusion of the F*ck Love era in a letter she shared on social media today.

In the message, he explained why he shared today’s video, saying, “I know that record is a fan favorite, so I felt that it was only right for that to be the video that finally closes the ‘F*ck Love’ era.”

He also noted that he’s gearing up to take a break, saying, “Last week I went on a small vacation for the first time in a while. During that time I started thinking, and I made the decision that I need to take some time away from everything and focus on the next project; my debut album. I’m going to miss you all beyond words can describe, but I do believe that this is what I need to do to give you all the best music possible.”

Laroi ended the message by promising to be “back soon.”

Watch the “Still Chose You” video above and and check out Laroi’s full letter below.

“To my beloved fans,

I hope you all enjoy the ‘Still Chose You’ video! I know that record is a fan favorite, so I felt that it was only right for that to be the video that finally closes the ‘F*ck Love’ era.

It’s been a wild year to say the least. Seeing the impact of the project and hearing about how it’s helped and changed so many peoples lives is f*ckin’ beautiful — but also incredibly surreal. It’s the reason why I do this sh*t. My life has also changed so much this past year because of it and I owe I owe it all to every single one of you. There is no way I will ever be able to repay you.

Last week I went on a small vacation for the first time in a while. During that time I started thinking, and I made the decision that I need to take some time away from everything and focus on the next project; my debut album. I’m going to miss you all beyond words can describe, but I do believe that this is what I need to do to give you all the best music possible.

I’ll be back soon, I promise.

I love you,
Laroi.”

In order to attain creative ownership of her back catalog, Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums: 2006’s Taylor Swift, 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, 2012’s Red, 2014’s 1989, and 2017’s Reputation. Fearless was the debut installment in the “Taylor’s Version” series, followed by Red. We’ve already ranked the 50 best Swift songs; now we’re doing the same for every “From the Vault” song. “From the Vault” is Swift’s designation for previously unreleased songs. That means the re-recorded tracks and songs we’ve heard before, like “The Other Side of the Door” on Fearless and “Ronan” on Red, are not eligible. We’ll update every time there’s a new Taylor’s Version album.

With the fine print out of the way, it’s time to put on your scarf and read on.

15. “Run” (w/ Ed Sheeran)

I was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of “All Too Well: The Short Film” at a movie theater in New York City last week. We cheered, we cried, we booed J*ke. But before the film debuted, a playlist of the same seven or eight Taylor songs played on a loop. I like “22” as much as the next happy, free, confused, and lonely guy, but not a half-dozen times in 90 minutes. Still, much of the crowd, myself included, found ourselves singing along to “State Of Grace” and “Holy Ground” even though we heard them 20 minutes ago (and 20 minutes before that), because those are great songs. The only song that didn’t get a pop from the 400-strong crowd every time was “Run.” It was met with indifference. Among Red songs with Ed Sheeran, stick with “Everything Has Changed.”

14. “Babe”

“Babe” is one of the final country songs that Swift wrote before transitioning to full-blown pop (and her only songwriting credit with Train lead singer Patrick Monahan), but she declined to include it on Red. Instead, she offered her “promises, promises” to country duo Sugarland, who turned it into a Billboard-charting hit with Swift on guest vocals. She’s the lead vocalist on the “Babe” that’s included on Red (Taylor’s Version), though, and while there’s some fun new flourishes in the production, like the trumpets, it’s not different enough from Sugarland’s version to really stand out.

13. “That’s When” (w/ Keith Urban)

I have a confession to make: many of Taylor’s colloborations with other featured artists don’t do it for me. Please respect my privacy in this time, but “Breathe” ft. Colbie Caillat, “Everything Has Changed” ft. Ed Sheeran, “Bad Blood” ft. Kendrick Lamar, “End Game” ft. Sheeran and Future, and “Me!” ft. Brendon Urie rank among the least impressive songs in Swift’s prolific catalogue. She course-corrected on Folklore (Bon Iver) and Evermore (Haim, the National, more Bon Iver), but “That’s When,” an endearing throwback that Swift sings with country music legend Keith Urban (she opened for him during the Fearless era), is no “Coney Island.” It’s also not as bad as “End Game.” It’s a fine song that fails to leave much of an impression.

12. “The Very First Night”

From here on out, every “From the Vault” track is all killer, no filler, beginning with the starry-eyed anthem “The Very First Night.” You can practically picture Swift smiling in the recording studio while singing, “I wish I could fly / I’d pick you up and we’d go back in time / I’d write this in the sky / I miss you like it was the very first night.” “The Very First Night” was written for Red, but it has the youthful, dancing-around-your-childhood-bedroom exuberance of Speak Now.

11. “You All Over Me” (w/ Maren Morris)

“You All Over Me” is a sweet little song (and a prequel to 1989 closer “Clean”) with maybe the most Taylor Swift chorus ever:

And I lived, and I learned, had you, got burned
Held out, and held on
God knows, too long, and wasted time
Lost tears, swore that I’d get out of here
But no amount of freedom gets you clean
I’ve still got you all over me

Holding onto a relationship for too long? Unable to completely shake the person you once loved? Crying? Couldn’t be every Taylor Swift fan.

10. “We Were Happy”

If you removed the line about “your daddy’s farm,” “We Were Happy” could effortlessly slide onto Folklore and Evermore and no one would notice. Heck, make it the B-side to “Happiness” and call it The “Happy” Songs That Will Break Your Heart collection. The tender ballad about a future that could have been with a former lover highlights Swift’s maturity as a songwriter even when she was still a teenager (look at this demo CD!). “Oh, I hate those voices telling me I’m not in love anymore,” she sings in the bridge. “But they don’t give me choices and that’s what these tears are for.”

9. “Forever Winter”

For someone as meticulous as Taylor Swift, it’s thrilling when it feels like a “mistake” slipped through the cracks. I use that word in quotes because nothing on Red (Taylor’s Version), or any of her albums, is an actual mistake, but listen to the way Swift’s voice cracks during the pleading chorus to “Forever Winter” — she would not have allowed this “mistake” to make the final product 10 years ago. But Swift is now more confident in her vulnerability, and her perfectly imperfect vocals add texture to a wounded song about a partner’s mental health struggles.

8. “I Bet You Think About Me” (w/ Chris Stapleton)

Reputation is Swift’s I Drink Now album, but “I Bet You Think About Me” will go down as one of her best drinking songs. “We wanted to kind of make people laugh with it, and we wanted it to be sort of a drinking song,” she said about her duet with country music star Chris Stapleton. “I think that that’s what it ended up being.” It begins the way all the best drinking songs do: sh*t talking an ex- in the wee small hours of the morning. “3 a.m. and I’m still awake, I’ll bet you’re just fine / Fast asleep in your city that’s better than mine / And the girl in your bed has a fine pedigree / And I’ll bet your friends tell you she’s better than me, huh,” she sings, sounding more sarcastic than hurt. Personally, I can’t think of a better last call drinking partner to kvetch about your old flame with than Stapleton.

7. “Bye Bye Baby”

There’s a theory among Swift fans that “Bye Bye Baby” was left off Fearless because it sounded too much like “Goodbye To You,” the third single from Michelle Branch’s pop-rock classic The Spirit Room. I have no idea whether this is true, but we do know that “Bye Bye Baby” was originally titled “One Thing” (or “The One Thing”), and the lyrics were reworked for Fearless (Taylor’s Version). It takes a bit to get going, but it’s worth it for the build, especially the moment in the final chorus when the music comes to a halt so Taylor can vamp.

6. “Nothing New” (w/ Phoebe Bridgers)

It’s no shock that “Nothing New” is devastatingly lovely. But it is surprising how it sounds like a Phoebe Bridgers song with Taylor Swift, rather than a Taylor Swift song with Phoebe Bridgers. “How long will it be cute / All this crying in my room / Whеn you can’t blame it on my youth / And roll your eyes with affеction?” has a haunting specificity that would fit at home on Bridgers’ remarkable debut album, Stranger In The Alps.

But the song it most closely resembles in terms of subject matter is Red standout “The Lucky One,” which tells the story of a singer who chose “the rose garden over Madison Square” and “got the hell out,” and Swift understanding her decision once she reached the same level of fame. Swift wrote “Nothing New” in 2012 as an anxious critique of a culture that quickly moves on from female “ingénue” to another. But it hits differently in 2021: Swift no longer fears sharing the spotlight. She happily trades verses with Bridgers, one of her “favorite artists in the world.”

5. “Better Man”

Every version of “Better Man” is great. The Little Big Town single that won a Grammy, a CMA Award, and a CMT Music Award is great. The leaked demo is great. The Red (Taylor’s Version) cut is great (and a great choice the next time you’re looking for a song to sing-scream along to during a late-night drive). But my favorite performance of “Better Man” — and one of my favorite Taylor performances, period — comes from Bluebird, a documentary about the famed Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Her voice has rarely sounded as powerful as it does here (it’s even better without a certain someone else in it).

4. “Don’t You”

Of all the “From the Vault” songs so far, “Don’t You” is the one I most wish we could hear what it originally sounded like. In its Taylor’s Version form, it sounds more at home on the synth-heavy 1989 than Fearless’ country-pop. “Sometimes, I really wish that I could hate you / I’ve tried, but that’s just something’ I can’t do,” Swift sings over dreamy synths. It’s a shame “Don’t You” was buried — it has all the makings of a yearning fan favorite. But it’s already a favorite of this fan.

3. “Message In A Bottle”

Red (Taylor’s Version) has only been out for a few days, but I’m ready to make a bold prediction: “Message in a Bottle” will go down as one of Taylor’s best bops. It’s a peppy blast with a hook that will burrow its way in your brain. Unsurprisingly, the ear worm was co-written by Shellback and pop music mastermind Max Martin, the team behind Red singles “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “22,” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” as well as much of 1989. It was the first song she worked on with them — and one of their best.

2. “Mr. Perfectly Fine”

One thing that I think about a lot — inarguably too much — is the setlist for Swift’s next tour. The last time she hit the road, it was three years ago for Reputation. Since then, she’s released five albums: the rainbow-colored pop of Lover; the lost-in-the-woods folk of Folklore and Evermore; and re-recordings of Fearless and Red. That’s a lot of albums to tour for at once! Will we ever hear “The Story Of Us” live again? There’s going to be a lot of tough cuts (I’m already bracing myself for the disappointment of not hearing “Cornelia Street”), but one song that better make the final setlist is “Mr. Perfectly Fine.”

It was casually cruel of Taylor to not include “Mr. Perfectly Fine” on Fearless. It’s one of her best songs from any era, with an intoxicating hook and unforgettable kiss-off chorus: “Hello, Mr. Perfectly Fine / How’s your heart after breaking mine?” The way she sings “the best seat, in the best room” with a scoff gets me every time. “Mr. Perfectly Fine” proved that her “From The Vault” songs weren’t left off the original albums because they weren’t good enough; they are more than perfectly fine.

1. “All Too Well (10-Minute Version)”

The first time I listened to “All Too Well (10-Minute Version),” I gasped. It happened during the second verse, which begins familiarly enough with Swift recounting how a certain Oscar-nominated actor’s mom told her stories about when he was on the tee ball team — and then came the swerve. “And you were tossing me the car keys, ‘fuck the patriarchy’ / Key chain on the ground, we were always skipping town.” Gasp.

“All Too Well” is Swift’s best song, so what else could number one be? I already spent hundreds of words describing the power this anthem has over people, and “All Too Well (10-Minute Version)” is nearly as perfect as “All Too Well.” This thing is still a masterpiece, she did not tear it all up. But it evokes a different mood than the original. “All Too Well” is cathartic and dramatic, like Swift is past the worst of the pain. It’s reflective. But on “All Too Well (10-Minute Version),” she’s still in the middle of the hurt and sounds pissed off. “Some actress asking me what happened, you / That’s what happened, you” is a fantastic burn. So is, “And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punch line goes, I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age.” Another gasp.

“All Too Well” makes me cry. “All Too Well (10-Minute Version)” makes me [Taylor voice] want to die.

Prepare yourself for either the most delightful or frustrating thing you’ll watch all day.

During Monday night’s episode of The Ingraham Angle, host and Big Bird skeptic Laura Ingraham and Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo were discussing “all those woke storylines in so many shows today” when Arroyo mentioned that he recently watched an episode of Netflix’s hit series You that had to do with measles. “Wait wait wait, when did I mention measles?” Ingraham interrupted. Arroyo clarified that he wasn’t referring to “you,” as in Laura Ingraham, but “You” the show, but this cleared nothing up.

Ingraham: “What was on me? What are you talking about? I never had the measles.”
Arroyo: “… the vaccine episode was on You.”
Ingraham: “We never did a measles and vaccine episode. Is this a joke?”
Arroyo: “I know! It was on You. It was on You!”
Ingraham: “I’ve never had… Raymond, I’ve never had measles.”

It went on like this for awhile before a fed-up Arroyo clarified, “There’s a show called You on Netflix.” Ingraham was still confused, replying, “There’s a show called Laura Ingraham on Netflix?” That’s when he gave up. If it was a bit, Abbot and Costello would be proud (it was probably a bit). If it wasn’t, God help us all.

Not long into Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a badass Jackie Chan-esque fight scene breaks out on a bus where audiences and, a stunned Awkwafina, learn for the first time that Simu Liu‘s title character can freaking throw down. It’s easily one of the best action scenes Marvel has ever produced, as the impressive sequence combines a full-on brawl with a runaway transit vehicle. However, it’s that last part that’s been blowing up after Shang-Chi hit Disney+ over the weekend.

Following the film’s streaming release, an actual bus driver laid down a viral thread where he fact-checked the fight scene and added some hilarious commentary that Disney should immediately snatch up and put on the Blu-ray release. This thing had everything from a lesson to how many brakes are on a public transit vehicle (spoiler: a lot) as well as the importance of mirrors.

Right out of the gate, Marvel gets props for the authenticity of the vehicle, but the driver can’t help but notice that this particular bus is way off route.

In what will become a recurring theme, the driver says that as soon as the first punch is thrown, he would’ve already been hitting the brakes and shutting these shenanigans. As for passengers just sitting there filming the whole thing? Painfully real.

Oh, but the sword dude cut the brakes? There are still more brakes to hit immediately.

In fact, here’s a whole lesson on air brake systems. Enjoy.

The driver also dinged the driver in the movie for not using his mirror and looking back at the fight. Although, in his defense, it was a pretty sick fight.

Once again, mirrors are your friend, so of course, our hero uses them! Also, haha, more passenger humor.

Awkwafina was doing a great job operating the runaway bus — until she wasn’t. Mirrors! Mirrors, people.

After our heroes successfully bring the bus in for a landing, the driver in the film is almost definitely fired. But don’t worry, he’ll land on his feet, and more importantly, he’s learned a valuable lesson. When a superhero fight breaks out on your route, hit the damn brakes.

(Via Mack, yes, That Mack on Twitter)

Chris Christie disappeared from the spotlight for awhile, and he’s back, suddenly and everywhere, to promote his upcoming book, Republican Rescue. Already this week, he detailed how their massively petty feud escalated after Christie contracted COVID while on the debate trail to coach Trump. The ex-president even heartlessly wondered whether Christie would publicly blame him for catching the virus, but Christie has pointedly mentioned the “real difference” between Donald and Melania because she called Christie every day while he was in the hospital. Well, Christie took his tour to The Daily Show, where he sat down for a thoughtful interview with Trevor Noah, but his Trump stories did not grow any less outrageous.

After the 8:00 minute mark above, Christie details his toxic relationship with Trump. There’s been no secret about how it’s very on-and-off in nature. Yet Christie revealed here how he turned down Trump’s offered White House chief of staff job because he’d have “probably gotten fired” since Trump doesn’t like to hear what Christie really thinks of any given situation. And then Christie remarked about how only a few people knew about the job offer (Trump, Christie, and Melania), yet Axios miraculously ran a story while Christie slept on it. Yup, Trump leaked it:

“I told him that I had to go home and talk to my wife about it, and then I’d get back to him the next morning. On the Acela Train on the way up, it’s leaked that I’m gonna be the next chief of staff in Axios… I said, like, ‘How did this get out?’… the next day when I called him to tell him I turned it down, he said to me, ‘How did you like that story in Axios?’ And I said, ‘Who leaked it, Mr. President?’ And he said, ‘I did… I called the reporter.’”

That’s not terribly surprising at all, but it’s nonetheless entertaining to see Trevor Noah’s reaction after the 9:20 mark.

Christie isn’t done with his nonstop tour yet. He also grew contentious with CNN’s Dana Bash after she used the term “cop-out” because he won’t swear off supporting a Trump 2024 run. You can see that clip at Mediaite.

At this point in their careers, both Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas have been on The Tonight Show on numerous occasions. Their first time on the show, though, was back in March 2018, when Finneas joined Eilish to perform “Bellyache.” That was a major moment in both of their careers, but ever since then, something about it hasn’t sat right with Finneas: He’s pretty sure Questlove flipped him off during the show. On last night’s Tonight Show, Finneas went ahead and addressed that with Fallon and The Roots’ drummer.

At the end of the interview, Fallon set Finneas up to tell the story and Finneas noted, “I came for some answers tonight, if that’s OK.” Finneas went on to give some background about the performance and the lead-up to it. He spoke about how Fallon kindly greeted him and and Eilish backstage and about how despite his nerves, he felt the performance went well. He then described Fallon and The Roots sending the show to commercial after the performance, saying, “I’m clapping, I’m looking over, and you guys do your crescendo at the end. I’m just smiling and clapping and looking at Quest, and Quest put his sticks in one hand, and he pointed right at me, and he flipped me the bird.”

At this point, a shocked and confused Questlove chimed in with, “Wait, what?”

Finneas continued, “And then they all left. They all left and I was standing there clapping and Questlove, who I had never met, had just flipped me the bird, and everybody left.”

Questlove then flashed a peace sign and asked, “You sure I didn’t do this?” Finneas quipped, “It was not peace or love.” He continued, “So I’m shocked, and then your producer goes, ‘We’re going to just do the song one more time.’ I think they aired the second take and I look like I’ve seen a ghost.”

He then sought a response from Questlove by prompting, “I’m just curious.” Questlove had no clue what to say, so he just shrugged and made some confused grunts. Everybody was laughing throughout this whole story, though, so it seems some sort of friendly misunderstanding was at play here.

Watch Finneas’ interview above. He also performed “Only A Lifetime” on the show, so check that out below.

We’re not going to lie, we love a good collab whiskey around here. We also tend to be pretty ride-or-die for Waco, Texas’ Balcones Distilling. Part of that adoration is in the fact that the distillery team is always changing things up and innovating. They’re also always dropping cool collab bottles that actually deliver.

Case in point, their new release (so new that it’s still pre-order only) is a collaboration between the Texas distillery and the legendary Texas band, ZZ Top. This sounds like a match made in whisk(e)y heaven.

The batch was created this year over Zoom as the three band members met with the Balcones team to taste barrels and create blends to build this whisky. They ended up with a Texas whisky that’s a blend of whiskies from Balcones. Each whisky ended up representing a member of the blues rock trio and was named ‘Tres Hombres’ in their honor. We were lucky enough to get a bottle in advance, so let’s see what’s in the bottle!

ZZ Top Tres Hombres Texas Whisky

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $60 (pre-sale)

The Whisky:

ZZ Top worked directly with Jared Himstedt (over Zoom) to blend three Balcones whiskies together. The blend is one part Balcone’s signature Blue Corn Whisky, one part Texas Single Malt, and one part Texas Rye. The idea behind the blends was to build the sip from a bold and oily base towards a fruity mid-palate that ends up nice and spicy. Let’s see how they did.

Tasting Notes:

The nose really leans into the apple crumble with plenty of buttery streusel, brown sugar, and holiday spices (especially cinnamon) with a hint of a worn suede jacket that’s layered with decades of your grandma’s favorite perfume, honey, and cigarettes. The palate does indeed shift away from those notes slightly. The apple crumble is still there but leans more into the brown sugar to the point that it feels wet and almost heavy while a chewy and almost earthy note of grape skins, seeds, and stems arrive with a very slight bitter note that’s also green and herbal. That fruity but woody mid-palate leads towards a finish that’s very spicy and warm but more like a fresh pile of grated ginger next to apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks and a flutter of something savory … it kind of feels like fresh rosemary or thyme stems.

The Bottle:

Balcones puts all of their expressions in an old-school port bottle and it works. These bottles always stand out on a bar cart or whiskey bar shelf thanks to the stout size.

The label on this one also pops with a unique design dominated by the abstract image of ZZ Top. It’s eye-catching for sure and you know everything you need from that label by just looking at it.

Bottom Line:

I really dig this. It’s not a mind-blowing whisky but it’s a really solid sipper. It goes to interesting places and feels like the perfect gift for any ZZ Top fan this coming holiday season.

Ranking:

90/100 — This is a solid and very unique sipper and a great gift for a fan.

Back in 2011, Willie Nelson recorded a stirring cover of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” for a moving Chipotle short film called “Back To The Start,” which looked at problems with the modern farming industry. Kacey Musgraves has already followed in Nelson’s steps in a number of ways and now she has done so in this regard, too: Today, Chipotle shared a “Back To The Start” sequel called “A Future Begins,” and it is soundtracked by a new Musgraves recording of another Coldplay classic, “Fix You.”

The new film is animated in the same style as the original, and it follows two characters: An aging farmer who seemingly hoped his son would take over the family business, and the farmer’s son who instead went off to college. It’s an emotional clip that ultimately comes through with a happy ending.

Chipotle also shared a behind-the-scenes video of Musgraves and her collaborators working on the song. In it, Musgraves says of the film and her cover’s relationship to it, “Usually, back in the day, the kid would just take over the family farm, but now, [farmers] are getting too old to take care of it themselves and they don’t have anyone to really pass the torch to. There’s a lot going on in the first minute, there’s a lot of storyline coming together, so I don’t want to compete with that.”

Watch the short film and the behind-the-scenes video above.

Coldplay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There’s not much that the internet agrees on, but Paul Rudd being named Sexiest Man Alive by People was greeted with near-universal enthusiasm. Paul Rudd might be the only person who can unite us all. The loudest voice of dissent came from the New York Post, which days before had proclaimed that Rudd’s Marvel co-star Chris Evans would receive the sexy title for 2021 and then wrote a hit piece against Rudd.

“Paul Rudd has been dubbed People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. I think I speak for many women out there when I say — huh?” the article begins. The author later writes, “Then again, perhaps, the choice is a sign of our troubling times. If you, like me, lie awake in bed at night, worrying about the ravages of COVID-19 and climate change (to name a few), then perhaps you’re also looking for solace instead of excitement…”

I’m not sure what that has to do with Paul Rudd, but sure.

The Ghostbusters Afterlife actor returned to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday, where he was asked about the New York Post‘s coverage. “Hey, that might be the first thing I ever read in the New York Post that I agree with. That is not fake news,” Rudd joked. You can watch the rest of his The Late Show interview above.