Month: December 2021

There is no greater gift in the world than a key to the great outdoors. During these chaotic times, engaging with the outside world on a deeper level can offer the ones we love a healthier outlook and a healthier self. So instead of giving them another piece of useless tech that will clog up the electrical outlets and drain their data plans, set them up with a chance for some IRL fun.

Below, we have a last-minute list of gift picks for anyone looking for outdoor gifts — from inflatable paddle boards to mountain bikes. As always, everything you see featured has been road-tested by the crew here at Uproxx and given our stamp of approval. Enjoy!

On Cloudventure Waterproof Shoes

Price: $169

The Company Line:

This waterproof trail running shoe is made with extreme cushioning and grip. Run every trail in any condition. With the men’s On Cloudventure waterproof trail-running shoes, you can laugh in the face of drenching downpours and foot-dousing puddles out on the trail (or, at the very least, your feet can).

Why They’re A Great Gift:

Running, especially trail-running is one of the most enjoyable and easy ways to get the heart rate up. But not everybody owns a pair of shoes fit for more than just pavement, and not having the right gear can definitely detract from the experience. Nothing kills a good time like cold, wet feet. Give your favorite outdoors person a pair of these kicks and they will think about you fondly every time they’re sprinting through the woods like they’re on air.

Buy Here

Isle Explorer Paddle Board

Price: $695

The Company Line:

The Explorer was designed for those adventurous paddlers. This board excels on flatwater; from still lake water to fast-paced rivers — it’s a great all-rounder. Its pointed nose is built to cut through tough waters and has a reinforced grab handle that’s great for portability.

Why It’s A Great Gift:

Getting out on the water can be one of the best ways to find peace of mind and to work out the body. These inflatable paddle boards don’t just perform great on rivers and oceans, but they are extremely portable. They also come with a cool four-point bungee system on the back to put your clothes or fishing gear. The company also has a great eye for design — all of their boards stay looking sharp.

Buy Here

Priority 600x Adventure

Price: $2,499

The Company Line:

The 600x is a hardtail 29er designed with cross-country geometry and trekking in mind. With fast-rolling knobby tires, an all-conditions Pinion gearbox with 600 percent gear range, and the grease, grit, and rust-free Gates Carbon Drive belt drive system, plus braze-ons for extra gear, this bike is ready to take you miles into the unknown.

Why It’s A Great Gift:

The whole world seems to be enjoying indoor cycling but the outdoors is where the real fun is at. Every day the world is getting safer for cyclists on the pavement, and there are more great trails for riding every day. The Gates Carbon Drive is a game-changer when it comes to the build, and its overall durability. It was designed in partnership Ryan Van Duzer, to get insight from a proper adventurer.

This beautiful model will be a welcome addition to any garage, perfect for the next big bikepacking trip.

Buy Here

Orvis Encounter Fly Rod Outfit

Price: $169

The Company Line:

Built for the hardcore angler, yet priced with frugality in mind, the Encounter rod series combines state-of-the-art rod design with a smooth, crisp performance-packaged with a large arbor Encounter reel, weight-forward floating line, backing, and leader. The Encounter rod outfit is easily the best value-priced outfit of its kind.

Why It’s A Great Gift:

This rod from Orvis is the perfect piece for the fly fisherman or woman — giving you everything that you need to snatch a huge trout out of the local river. Fly fishing is one of the most serene hobbies in the world, and in this fast-paced digital world it can become a sanctuary as well as a great place to bond with friends. The beauty of giving this gift, is you might also be providing yourself with some fresh caught fish for dinner (though avid fly fishing folk are most often committed to catch-and-release).

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Black Diamond Momentum Lace

Price: $99

The Company Line:

Built for unparalleled comfort during all-day cragging and gym sessions, the Momentum Lace is a shoe that combines innovative technology with a classic, flat-last design. The result is an entry-level shoe that excels in performance. With an upper fabric that consists entirely of our Engineered Knit Technology, the Momentum Lace provides stretch where you need it, support where it matters and all around exceptional breathability.

Why They’re A Great Gift:

Over the past few years climbing has been an increasingly popular pastime, and more climbing gyms are opening every day. Not only are they a great place for getting a workout in, but they are also amazing places to meet new people. There has never been a better time to get into climbing as a sport and you can help someone show up prepared like a pro with these amazing climbing shoes.

Black Diamond is a brand trusted by the likes of Alex Honnold, so they are more than fit for the job of getting you or someone you love on the rock.

Buy Here

Patagonia Black Hole 25L Travel Pack

Price: $129

The Company Line:

A weather-resistant daypack with just the right amount of space to haul your daily essentials, the 25-liter Patagonia Black Hole travel pack protects your gear from scuffs, scrapes and rough handling. Padded shoulder straps help ensure all-day comfort; molded back panel sheds moisture and allows cooling airflow.

Why It’s A Great Gift:

Any good outdoorsman knows that being prepared for all scenarios is a necessity when it comes to planning a good hiking trip. But too often you will see the hobbyists walking down the trail without food or water because they are worried about messing up their work bag. This pack has it everything that you need, from the chest strap to help with the strain on your back to being hydration compatible.

Buy Here

Oru Inlet Kayak

Price: $899

The Company Line: The Inlet is the lightest, most portable, and easiest to assemble folding kayak yet, an origami kayak for everyone. Designed for flat water, it’s playful and light and ridiculously fast to assemble. With the smallest box of any of our models, you can store it just about anywhere.

Why It’s A Great Gift:

Kayaking is an extremely serene way to experience local lakes and waterways, not to mention a great workout. But unless you have a rental place it can be difficult getting your hands on a craft where you want to go. And it also can be a pain to transport a traditional kayak from spot to spot if you want to road trip. The beauty of these Oru kayaks is they fold up neatly, and are light for their size, so that getting on the water is a breeze. If you want to upgrade the gift there is also a tandem model, the Haven TT, so that your loved one can paddle out with their canine companion or perhaps even take you for a cruise.

Buy Here

EDITOR’S PICKS: RadWagon 4 Electric Cargo Bike — Steve Bramucci

Price: $1,899

The Company Line:

It’s the strongest and most versatile version of the RadWagon yet, featuring smaller, innovative new tires developed by our in-house team of expert engineers to achieve a lower center of gravity. Its patent-pending new frame design ensures multiple points of adjustability, including a telescopic seat post and easily maneuverable handlebars.

Why It’s a Great Gift:

I actually profiled this bike over in our adventure gift guide too, but it’s a gift that keeps on giving, so it’s getting a last-minute shout out. The RadWagon is my go-to e-bike (I own two) because of its versatility. This is the bike I ride to the surf break on. It’s the one I take to cruise to the farmers’ market and then a hike. It’s an all-rounder that gets you where you want to go and can carry your outdoor gear easily.

As I mentioned before, the best part of the RadWagon is the “open source” approach to adding hardware. These things are endlessly modifiable. If you want to load it up with gear, that’s an option. If you want to carry two more people on a padded bench seat, you can do that.

Bottom Line:

If we were in the wild west this would be the surprisingly fast packhorse that can get you where you’re going and bring all your toys loaded on its back. — Steve Bramucci

Buy Here

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were shutout on Sunday Night Football, losing to the Saints in a 9-0 slog. That result didn’t do anything to dampen the Bucs’ playoff hopes, but did drop them into a tie for the 2-seed, one game back of the Packers who now are in pole position for the lone first round bye in the NFC.

However, much more damaging than dropping the game on Sunday was the loss of star receiver Chris Godwin, who took a nasty hit to his knee in the second half, but seemed initially to have avoided a catastrophic injury as he walked off the field under his own power.

Unfortunately, an MRI on Monday revealed Godwin had in fact torn his ACL and would be out for the season, a massive loss for the Bucs offense.

Godwin is, by far, Tom Brady’s top target this season, hauling in 98 catches for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns. Losing Godwin takes away a massive chunk of their passing attack and will only shift more attention over to Mike Evans. The eventual return of Antonio Brown and what he looks like coming off of his own knee injury and suspension for a fake vaccine card now looms large for the Bucs, who have dreams of a repeat championship but will now have to do so without a key piece of their vaunted passing attack.

For Godwin, it’s particularly gutting given he’s having a career year while playing on the franchise tag and was looking to get paid like a top receiver this coming offseason, but now faces the uncertainty of a free agency while rehabbing his injury.

Over the past few weeks, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has been gradually been working its way towards the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Two weeks ago, it was at No. 3. Last week, it was at No. 2. Now, it has continued on that linear upward trajectory: On the new chart dated December 25 (aka Christmas), “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is back at No. 1 yet again.

This actually isn’t the first time the song has been No. 1 this year, as “Christmas” was the first No. 1 song of 2021, on the chart dated January 2. At the time, it became the first song to go No. 1 in three separate years. Since this week’s chart will be the last one of 2021 (the next will be dated January 1, 2022), “Christmas” was both the first and last No. 1 song of the year.

It is now the first song to top the Hot 100 during three distinct runs, previously doing so during the 2019 and 2020 holiday seasons. This is the song’s sixth total week at No. 1. Coincidentally, Carey is now the only artist two be No. 1 on two separate Hot 100 charts dated December 25, as she previously did so in 1993 with “Hero.”

Meanwhile, five other holiday tunes join Mariah Carey in the top 10 of this week’s chart: Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is at No. 2, Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” is No. 3, Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” at No. 5, Andy Williams’ “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” is No. 7, and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” is No. 10. Adele’s “Easy On Me,” last week’s top song, slides down to the No. 3 spot.

Looks like there’s absolutely nothing Chloe x Halle Bailey can’t do. These sisters have been Beyonce’s proteges for years now, and broke out in a big way in 2020 with their second album, The Ungodly Hour. Since then, Chloe Bailey has launched her own solo career with the single “Have Mercy,” and Halle landed a starring role as Ariel herself in new live action The Little Mermaid remake. Not too shabby for a few pandemic years! But they won’t stop there, now the sisters are getting involved in the gaming world, and advocating for more women in the male-dominated and historically sexist space.

In an attempt to combat some of the past toxicity, LG is launching a content series as part of its Only On OLED campaign. Chloe and Halle will face off in a live streamed Twitch battle and during their 90-minute match the sisters will be joined by Evil Geniuses Creator Collective stars Lisa Wallen and Aruuu. “We want to encourage women to get involved, learn more, support and take over gaming!” said Chloe of the collaboration. No exact info has been shared on what games the sisters will be competing against each other in, but in the practice snippets from above, they’re driving cars — so definitely some races. Check out the teaser above and look out for the live stream tonight at 7:30 PM EST.

The Vieux Carre is the best whiskey cocktail for the holidays. Boom — we’re declaring it! You heard it here! The New Orleans take on the Manhattan is easy to make, has a warming quality, and really hits the spot this time of year (thanks to a nice herbal punch).

We’ve already got into how to make a Manhattan and a Black Manhattan. This is very similar but requires a few extra ingredients — namely cognac and Bénédictine. The latter is a French herbal liqueur. With the addition of Peychaud’s Bitters as well, this cocktail sort of becomes a bridge between the world of Sazeracs and Manhattans but is somehow subtler than both.

Okay, let’s get right into making this damn-near-perfect whiskey cocktail for the holidays.

Vieux Carre

Ingredients:

• 1.5-oz. rye whiskey
• 1.5-oz. cognac
• 0.5-oz. Bénédictine D.O.M.
• 0.5-oz. sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• Lemon peel
• Ice

First, let’s talk about the base spirits. You really need to adhere to rye and cognac here. I’m not saying you can’t use bourbon or brandy. But the softness of a good cognac with a light and fruity nature is what you’re aiming for alongside the vanilla, spice, and stone fruit of a good Kentucky rye. I’m using Hennessy Very Special and Michter’s Single Barrel Rye respectively.

The next big bottle you’re going to have to track down is Bénédictine D.O.M. It’s a very useful herbal liqueur that you can use in a very long list of (higher end) cocktails.

Lastly, there’s the sweet vermouth (I’m using Carpano Antica), Angostura, and Peychaud’s. You really can’t get around these ingredients. They bring the sweetness, botanicals, and a touch more spice to the mix and help this really stand out as a holiday-vibed cocktail.

What You’ll Need:

• Coupe, martini glass, Nick and Nora, or lowball
• Cocktail mixing jug
• Cocktail strainer
• Jigger
• Barspoon
• Pairing knife or fruit peeler

Method:

• Prechill your glass in a freezer (preferably overnight)
• Add the rye, cognac, Benedictine, vermouth, and both bitters to the mixing jug.
• Top up with ice and stir until very well-chilled, at least 15 to 20 seconds.
• Grab your glass from the freezer and strain the cocktail into the glass.
• Peel a thumb-sized piece of peel from the lemon, express the oils over the cocktail, and rub the peel around the rim and stem of the glass.
• Slice a small slit in the peel and prop it on the edge of the glass and serve.

Bottom Line:

This is delicious. So delicious that I ended up kind of killing a whole bottle of rye and cognac making these over the weekend for myself, family, and friends. They were that big of a hit. If that’s not a good sign of a great holiday cocktail, I don’t know what is.

The whiskey shines through in the base. The botanicals, soft herbs, and sweetness from the vermouth and cognac really all just vibe together, making this very easy to drink while still feeling full-bodied.

After two special episodes held fans over as the pandemic delayed production, Euphoria season 2 finally has a full official trailer as the Zendaya-fronted HBO series prepares to return in January. In this longer look at the new season, Rue (Zendaya) has clearly relapsed following a devastating breakup. Not only that, but she appears to be falling into the drug trade, which will drag her and her friends into a world of violence that ratchets up the terrifying intensity. Things have changed since the first season, is the point.

Teenage drama also abounds as the show’s stars clash with their parents and each other. Tables are flipped, mascara is run, and guns are drawn as Rue attempts to find love again as her world devolves into chaos around her.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Euphoria follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma and social media. The series is executive produced by Drake, along with manager Future the Prince. The ensemble cast includes: actor and singer Zendaya, Maude Apatow (Girls), Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith and Sydney Sweeney (Sharp Objects).

Euphoria Season 2 premieres January 9, 2022 on HBO.

Dave Chappelle’s The Closer controversy (revolving around his re-upped trans jokes and declaring himself “Team TERF”) never really saw a resolution. Chappelle’s last input on the situation involved him asking people to vote (on whether his alma mater should name a theater after him) with their dollars or “shut the f*ck up forever.” This happened after high schoolers booed him during a surprise visit, and regardless, the school will still go ahead with the renaming.

On the newest edition of 60 Minutes, The Daily Show host Trevor Noah spoke with Leslie Stahl about the Chappelle issue, and he’s reluctant to take a side because, as Noah stated, it’s a very complex issue. “Did Dave Chappelle cross the line?” Noah asked. “Yes, no. It immediately puts me in a position where I have to choose a side when I think that the matter is a lot more complex than that. I think everybody is defining the line for themselves.”

Stahl countered that “society defines the line,” and Noah respectfully pushed back while elaborating on how “there is no line”:

“But America is clearly divided in that half of society has gone like, ‘No, Dave Chappelle, we love what you said. We’re sick of wokeness. We’re sick of people being told what to say. We’re sick of not knowing how to use the right pronoun. You’re right, Dave Chappelle.’ So then if half of society is saying Dave Chappelle is right and half of society is saying that he’s wrong, then that means there is no line. It means society is seeing the line from two different sides. And so that’s why I say you cannot say did he cross the line because which side are you looking at the line from defines whether or not he crossed it.”

Noah’s take is a nuanced one, and one would hope that Chappelle is, at the very least, listening to him. Meanwhile, Chappelle will team up with Netflix again for a comedy festival, so that’s kept the conversation going, including from Wil Wheaton, who penned a heartbreaking essay about why the comedian’s trans jokes do real harm.

(Via CBS News)

The Kelly Clarkson Show has been airing for a couple years now, and during the program’s run, its titular host has established herself as a real force in daytime television. She hasn’t lost touch with her music roots, though, as the show’s “Kellyoke” segment regularly has Clarkson putting her spin on recognizable tunes with her covers. On today’s episode, she took on Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s Silk Sonic hit “Leave The Door Open” and showed that she can really sing just about anything.

Clarkson’s backing band delivered a serviceable performance of the soulful song, and Clarkson, being the pro that she is, dominated the track with her powerful vocals, whether she was belting it out during the climactic moments or keeping things reserved and smooth during more low-key sections.

Clarkson has had a handful of memorable moments on her show this year. She successfully covered some of this year’s other biggest hits, like Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” and Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” Of course, she also had a particularly illuminating conversation with country legend Clint Black, in which she described a time that she narrowly avoided voiding her bowels on stage, saying, “I got some kind of wrecked up from some kind of food and I literally… we were in an arena, and I shouldn’t tell this story, but like I said, my man: I don’t have a filter. I had to run backstage to my quick-change. I grabbed this poor trash can and boy, I destroyed it. It was bad. It was bad, Clint.”

Watch Clarkson sing “Leave The Door Open” above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

You know them, you love them. Baking shows are a tried and true television niche, capturing the hearts and stomachs of viewers everywhere. Add classic Disney characters into the mix, and you’ve got a whole new level of sweetness. That’s exactly what the new Disney+ Original Series, Foodtastic, is doing in its debut season.

Foodtastic is more than just another cooking competition. It’s upping the ante on the level of creativity in the realm of “food art.” The series features highly skilled artists — sometimes the art seems far more vital than flavor, which you may or may not mind, depending on why you’re watching — vying to make larger-than-life sculptures made entirely out of dessert. Food art experts, including FLOUR SHOP founder Amirah Kassem and NYC’s City Cakes founder Chef Benny Rivera, join Emmy Award winner Keke Palmer in judging the contestants’ work and deciding who comes out on top.

This week, with everyone baking and in full holiday mode, we caught up with Rivera to learn more about the world of food art and how you can create your own beautifully curated recipes at home. Check out the conversation below, along with photos from Foodtastic on Disney+.

To start, why do you think it’s important for a show like Foodtastic to bring awareness to the food art community and movement?

Oh my God. It’s just like, this is the best and the perfect opportunity to showcase this type of artistry to the world. The market has been saturated with traditional baking competitions or cake competitions. Don’t get me wrong, I like them. But it is the first time we are gonna have a food art show where we can show the people the beautiful pieces that people are capable to create using different types of food. I mean, people will never think that food can be transformed in such a beautiful way. And this is the perfect show to show that to the public.

Contestants on the show are designing cakes and food that most people probably aren’t cooking in their own homes. So what’s the approach to the show that people can really learn from? In other words, what can viewers really take away from watching Foodtastic?

Yes, the artists are gonna be creating larger-than-life pieces of art with different types of food, but the message also is that there’s beauty within each piece of food or different type of media. At home, you can even create some beautiful plates, and that doesn’t mean necessarily that you have to create a crazy sculpted piece of art. There are beautiful fruits and vegetables, and you can bring that beauty to the plate when you set up and serve your plate.

One of the intentions of the show is to make people aware of the beauty of each food medium that everyone can be using.

With the holidays coming up, people are going to be decorating cakes and cookies, along with nice meals for family dinners. Do you have any simple tips and tricks for people decorating at home? How they can make their plates more beautiful than they typically would?

Well, it’s all about the placement. I mean, sometimes when we are in rush, we tend to just chop the food and put it on the plates. And that’s it. But try taking the time to arrange. For example, if you are serving rice, just put the rice in a beautiful round cup. Then just flip the cup on the plate and decorate the surrounding areas around the rice with all the vegetables that you’re gonna use. It’s gonna be a beautiful presentation. It just takes something simple like that.

With TikTok and reels, social media has really been blowing up different niche audiences. How do you think social media has played a role in the cake decorating movement this year, specifically when it comes to hyper-realistic cakes?

It’s huge. The media is just huge, not only in this field but in any type of field. Within the cake industry, we have been using it to present people with how awesome the medium is to create. Like you say, people are blown away by uber hyper-realistic cakes and the pieces that you are able to see on TikTok. It’s just like, people would never think that what they’re about to cut is a cake until the moment they actually cut it and they realize it’s a cake. It’s not just cake, but food in general. There’s something beautiful about it. And you can transform that beautiful thing into a piece of art.

People now know that there are no limits when it comes to cake and there are so many things that you can do with cake designs. It’s not just a traditional standard round tier. Three-dimensional cakes have become extremely popular these days, and that comes together with hyper-realistic cakes.

How can people at home with little to no experience use food as a useful tool for exploring their creativity in new ways?

It’s so easy. If you have, for example, a bunch of different vegetables, it’s about placing them and playing with the color combinations that you have. For example, if you have a bunch of small tomatoes and a larger one, you can just chop the larger one in half, line up the smaller ones around that half tomato, and immediately you have the shape of the flower. Then, you can add some green around at the base, and that will basically represent the leaves of the flower. You should use your imagination. I guess that’s the artistic interpretation that we can have as an artist or as a person individually. I can see things in a completely different way than you see it, but if you start playing around, you probably can create something cool with it.
All episodes of Foodtastic are available on Wednesday, Dec. 15 on Disney+.

Between the low attendance, terrible weather, and public disagreements, Donald Trump and Bill O’Reilly’s “History Tour” is going great! But if you kept meaning to buy a ticket to see two grumpy men talk about Abraham Lincoln being canceled by the woke mob, or whatever, you’re too late: the tour came to an end in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday, although not before the former-president was booed for saying that he got a booster shot.

“Both the president and I are vaxxed. Did you get the booster?” O’ Reilly said, to which Trump replied, “Yes.” This did not sit well with some in attendance (including members of the QAnon group Negative48). “Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,” Trump responded after hearing the loud jeers, adding, “It’s a very tiny group over there.”

Speaking of tiny groups:

Despite the touting of massive crowds by both Trump and O’Reilly, photos and videos on social media show empty seats were a regular feature at venues throughout the tour. Steven Monacelli wrote in Rolling Stone that he moved from the “cheap seats in the second section” to a “half-empty” center row closer to the stage.

You can hear the boos in the video below:

Moments before, Trump spoke about the importance of getting vaccinated (while also speaking about the importance of himself). “We did something that was historic. We saved tens of millions of lives worldwide — we together, all of us,” he said. “We got a vaccine done in less than nine months. It was supposed to take from five to 12 years. Because of that vaccine, millions and millions of people — I think this would have been like the Spanish flu of 1917 where up to 100 million people died. This was going to ravage the country far beyond what it is right now.” He added, “Take credit for it. Take credit for it. You’re playing right into their hands [when you doubt the vaccine].”

(Via Newsweek)