Month: February 2022

With the nominees for the 94th Annual Academy Awards out in the wild, fans of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad are not happy that the film was snubbed for Best Visual Effects while Marvel films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings made the cut. Despite all of its impressive outfits, The Suicide Squad was also snubbed in the Best Costume Design and Best Makeup & Hairstyling categories.

As for which films did make the cut for Best Visual Effects, here’s the full list from the Academy:

Dune
Free Guy
No Time To Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

While most, if not all, of the The Suicide Squad fan reactions agree that Dune definitely deserved its nomination, there’s obviously some animosity over seeing the two Marvel movies make the cut. As for Free Guy‘s inclusion, well, that’s a head-scratcher.

Here are some of the reactions below:

While The Suicide Squad may have been snubbed at the Academy Awards, the film’s legacy continues to live on despite attempts to paint it as a disaster because of its disappointment at the box office. (In the film’s defense, it had a duel theatrical and streaming release that hit as the Delta variant was surging pandemic cases over the summer.) The spinoff series Peacemaker starring John Cena is currently streaming on HBO Max and has been dominating streaming charts as well as getting rave reviews.

So, yeah, The Suicide Squad might not be getting Academy love, but fans and streaming audiences are clearly loving Gunn’s spin on the DC Extended Universe.

The latest major trade domino involving the Portland Trail Blazers has fallen. According to multiple reports, the Blazers have decided to end CJ McCollum’s time in the Pacific Northwest, as the team will send the high-scoring veteran guard to the New Orleans Pelicans. This comes several days after the team decided to send a pair of wings, Norman Powell and Robert Covington, to the Los Angeles Clippers.

News of the Pelicans’ interest in McCollum had been circulating in the last day or two, and on Tuesday morning, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the two teams were in serious discussions regarding a deal.

The news was eventually confirmed by Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reported that the Pelicans will send a package involving Josh Hart and some of the considerable draft compensation the team has accrued in recent years via the trades involving Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday to Portland.

Later, Shams added that Hart, Satoransky, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker would the the three players headed to Portland, with draft picks still being determined.

Woj then brought word that Tony Snell and Larry Nance would also be included in the deal going to New Orleans.

After a rough start to the year, the Zion Williamson-less Pelicans have quietly sneaked into the play-in picture in the Western Conference, as the team sits in 10th place with a half-game cushion between themselves and the 11 seed. There’s a bit of a gap between themselves and the teams ahead of them, but presumably, acquiring McCollum — who is under contract for the next two seasons, too — is an attempt to make up some of that gap.

McCollum, who has only played for the Blazers in his NBA career, is averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 35.2 minutes per game this season while connecting on 38.4 percent of his attempts from three.

There’s one Oscar record that’s unlikely to be broken this year: most awards won by a single film. The current record is 11 set by 1959’s Ben-Hur, 1997’s Titanic, and 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, but only one film was even nominated in 11 categories for the 94th Academy Awards: The Power of the Dog, with 12. But considering Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee are both up for Best Supporting Actor, that would mean Jane Campion’s gothic Western would have to win every other award it’s nominated for. That’s doubtful (but not impossible!) to happen.

A lot of other Oscars history was made this morning, though, including:

-Steven Spielberg is the first director to be nominated for Best Director in six different decades (1970s: Close Encounters of the Third Kind; 1980s: Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; 1990s: Schindler’s List, which he won, and Saving Private Ryan, which he also won; 2000s: Munich; 2010s: Lincoln; and 2020s: West Side Story).

–Jane Campion is the first female filmmaker to be up for Best Director twice

–Drive My Car is the first Japanese film to be nominated in more than one category

–Flee is the first film to ever be nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, Best International Feature Film, and Best Documentary Feature

-Denzel Washington extended his own record as the most-nominated Black actor in Oscars history with his 10th nomination for The Tragedy of Macbeth.

–CODA star Troy Kotsur is the first deaf male actor to be nominated for an Oscar, and only the second deaf actor overall after Marlee Matlin for Children of a Lesser God

-Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Best Original Song nomination for “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto puts him one step closer to an EGOT. He already has the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony

-At 87, Judi Dench is the oldest nominee in Best Supporting Actress history

-Ariana DeBose and Kristen Stewart getting recognized for West Side Story and Spencer, respectively, marks the first time that two openly queer people have been nominated for acting Oscars in the same year

-Jared Leto wasn’t even nominated for his, um, unique performance in House of Gucci, preventing Nintendo from winning the company’s first Oscar

You can find the full list of nominees here.

After dropping the killer “Baby Don’t Cry” last October, Sunflower Bean have officially announced their third studio album, Headful Of Sugar. Due out May 6th, the album sees Julia Cumming, Nick Kivlen, and Olivia Faber sardonically tackling the often ridiculous world America has become.

“Tomorrow is not promised, no tour is promised, no popularity is promised, no health or money is promised,” Cumming said in a statement. “Why not make what you want to make on your own terms? Why not make a record that makes you want to dance? Why not make a record that makes you want to scream?”

Surely we can get behind that sentiment. On the lead single, “Who Put You Up To This?,” Cumming grows deeper into the role of the indie pop vixen, morphing with the mood of each of the band’s twists and turns. Nick Kivlen’s guitar solo stands out and is a depart from the band’s early days, where they rested their laurels (delightfully) on jangly C-86 guitars. Lyrically, the song dissects anxiety, identity and self-actualization.

“Questioning your life is the first step to taking the agency to change it,” the band says of the song. “Sometimes you have to let go of who you have been so that you can become who you want to be. ”

The video paints Cumming as a femme fatale of sorts, in the midst of a money heist gone awry. She narrowly escapes, only for us to witness a cliffhanging ending to the clip that seems destined to continue in the lead up to the album release.

Watch the video for “Who Put You Up To This?” above. Check out the Headful Of Sugar album artwork and tracklist below and Sunflower Bean’s tour dates here.

1. “Who Put You Up To This?”
2. “In Flight”
3. “Otherside”
4. “Roll The Dice”
5. “Headful Of Sugar”
6. “I Don’t Have Control Sometimes”
7. “Stand By Me”
8. “Post Love”
9. “Baby Don’t Cry”
10. “Beat The Odds”
11. “Feel Somebody”

Headful Of Sugar is out 5/6 via Mom+Pop. Pre-order it here.

First-time Oscar nominee Kristen Stewart (for her role as Princess Diana in Spencer) has reached this achievement after dozens of movies, and her fans (which hail back to the days of not only Twilight but super early entries like Panic Room) couldn’t be more thrilled. She’s going up against a gathering of veteran nominees (Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Olivia Colman for The Lost Daughter, Penelope Cruz for Parallel Mothers, and Nicole Kidman for Being the Ricardos), but can she truly be the People’s Princess and snag the win from all of them? Never say never.

Stewart’s faced a rocky ride, for sure, during awards season. She swept up an early accolade from the Gotham Awards, but she was surprisingly overlooked for the SAG nominations. In addition, she (and the entirety of the Spencer production) got snubbed by the BAFTAs, which isn’t too surprising, given the critical outlook of the film and the Royal Family’s influence and ties with the British Academy. Still, it’s finally happening now, and NEON proudly represented with a tweet: “Oscar-nominated actress, Kristen Stewart.”

Naysayers, be gone. And Bella Swan, you can get outta here, too, but seriously, Twilight wasn’t the best showcase of anyone’s talents in that saga of films (ask Billy Burke, Robert Pattinson, Michael Sheen, J.D. Pardo, Rami Malek, and many more). This morning, though, it’s all about Kristen Stewart.

The 94th Academy Awards will broadcast on March 27.

January 6th was Donald Trump’s Super Bowl. While White House staffers watched in shock at the violence that was occurring just steps away from where they were standing, the then-president was apparently as giddy as a schoolboy.

As The Daily Beast reports, testimony given to the January 6th committee seems to confirm a story that former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham has already told: That in the midst of the deadly chaos that Trump and his cohorts had unleashed and encouraged during their Stop The Steal rally on the morning of January 6, 2021, then then-president was practically gleeful watching what was transpiring on Pennsylvania Avenue—so much so, that he actually rewinding and re-watching certain parts of the footage like a proud papa.

The AP reports that as rioters began to force their way into the Capitol, they were further egged on by Trump, who tweeted (back when he could tweet): “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution …” Also according to the AP:

Back in the White House, as staffers watched in shock at what was unfolding down Pennsylvania Avenue on television screens positioned throughout the West Wing, Trump’s attention was so rapt that he hit rewind and watched certain moments again, according to Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary.

“Look at all of the people fighting for me,” Trump said, according to Grisham, who also served as chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump. At one point, the president was confused why staffers weren’t as excited as he was watching the unrest unfold.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg was there that day, and told the Jan. 6 Committee that he, along with several other staffers, including Ivanka Trump, attempted to convince the then-president that he needed to address the nation and tell the rioters to go home, but that he refused. Though Kellogg clarified that they were reluctant to have Trump appear before the press or make any live statement, as they feared that, if left to his own devices and whims, he could make the situation much worse.

“The president ultimately agreed to a video statement,” Farnoush Amiri wrote for the Associated Press. “Multiple takes were filmed but not used. In each one of the initial takes, according to the committee, he failed to ask rioters to leave.”

The final take wasn’t ideal either. In it, Trump stated that “This was a fraudulent election” and told the rioters “We love you; you’re very special.”

(Via The Daily Beast)

Jeff Bezos’ transformation from gigantic nerd to gigantic d-bag may officially be complete. The billionaire, who makes an estimated $222,900 per minute—yep, even while he’s sleeping—is about to become the proud owner of a $500 million mega-yacht, which is currently being constructed by Oceanco, a Netherlands-based shipbuilder. But as Business Insider reports, locals are not thrilled about Bezos’s latest display of his grotesque amount of wealth—as getting the 417-foot ship to its new owner will require that it pass through Rotterdam, where the city’s century-old Koningshaven Bridge will have to be taken apart then reassembled in order for the vessel to pass through.

To show Bezos just what Rotterdam’s citizens think of dismantling a beloved cultural landmark because of some rich dude’s latest dick-measuring contest, they’ve taken to Facebook to organize an official protest dubbed “Eieren gooien naar superjacht Jeff Bezos”—or “Throwing eggs at Jeff Bezos’ superyacht.”

More than 3,700 individuals have already confirmed their attendance at the event, which is set to take place on June 1, 2022, with nearly 13,000 more people registering their interest in attending. The plan is simple. According to the Facebook page:

Calling all Rotterdammers: Take a box of rotten eggs with you and let’s throw them en masse at Jeff’s superyacht when it sails through the Hef in Rotterdam.

Rotterdam was built from the rubble by the people of Rotterdam, and we don’t just take that apart for the phallic symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire. Not without a fight!

News of the potential disassembling of the bridge, which was renovated in 2017, was first made public last week. At the time, as Business Insider previously reported, Rotterdam’s mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb assured concerned citizens that “no decision” had been made as to whether the bridge would need to be fiddled with, nor had any application for a permit to even do so been filed. If a request was submitted and approved, Aboutaleb said that Bezos and/or Oceanco would be the one footing the bill, which… yeah, one would hope.

While concerned citizens await the decision, local grocery stores may want to increase their egg orders.

(Via Business Insider)

The Jeen-Yuhs documentary series on Ye (aka Kanye West) is set to premiere on Netflix on February 16. That’s pretty soon, but Ye, who has plenty of experience of working up until and often beyond deadlines, wants to make a last-minute change.

In a now-deleted Instagram post (archived by The Shade Room), Ye shared a screenshot of a text conversation with somebody represented by a “C” icon… perhaps Clarence Simmons Jr. or Chike Ozah, aka Jeen-Yuhs directors Coodie & Chike? In response to a message that reads, “Would love for you to see all 3 movies,” Ye responded, “I need Drake to do the narration.” Ye also captioned the post, “DRAKE WANNA NARRATE THE DOCUMENTARY.” Furthermore, Drake actually liked the post, suggesting that he’d be interested in taking Ye up on that proposal, or at least that he was amused by the post.

It doesn’t seem like this request will be fulfilled. Ye previously requested final edit approval, but Coodie & Chike shot that down considering the documentary was already complete. Coodie also noted, “Me and Chike have a company called Creative Control, because you don’t want to lose your creative control.” Coodie also said of running into Ye, “I asked him, ‘Did he watch the film?’ And he said, ‘I have a process.’ I said, ‘That’s great that you got your process.’ And we just talked as brothers from that point.”

In a world of over-the-top milkshake IPAs, maple syrup and bourbon-barrel-aged stouts, and fruited sour beers that more resemble fresh-squeezed juice than “beer,” it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s why it’s great that there’s a classic beer style that’s a great reset. I’m talking about the iconic, crisp, refreshing, perfect pilsner.

And, while I don’t have a problem with them, I’m not referencing the American version that many breweries label as a “pilsner.” I’m talking about the hoppier, maltier, and often more bitter versions popularized for centuries in countries like the Czech Republic and Germany. These are the beers where decoction (a specialized and time-consuming method of cooking the malts) and judicious use of hops matter when finding balance in a great pilsner.

So, as my winter reset, I’m going to do a blind taste test featuring some classic European pilsners like Pilsner Urquell, Bitburger, and Grolsch as well as a few from well-known American breweries, like Jack’s Abbey and Firestone Walker, who are known to brew their beers as close to the traditional way as possible in the American craft beer world.

I could take a handful of well-known pilsners that I know and love and rank them based on my personal preference any day. But where’s the fun in that and how is that impartial? That’s why a blind taste test is needed. There are no glossy, flashy labels, and big, historic brand names to sway my rankings in any direction. I simply use my senses of taste and smell. That’s it. It’s completely impartial (except for my own personal taste).

Our lineup today is:

• Pilsner Urquell
• Bitburger
• OEC Coolship Lager
• Radeberger
• Firestone Walker Pivo Pils
• Krombacher
• Grolsch
• Jack’s Abbey Post Shift

It’s time for a pilsner party!

Part 1: The Taste

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This beer smells exactly the way you’d hope it would. There are notes of bready, caramel-like malts, fruit esters, and bright, dank, floral hops to round it all together. The flavor starts with freshly cut summer grass and delves into Noble hops, a slightly fruity flavor, and dank, piney hops. It’s very well-balanced and crisp.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

This beer smells like a field of wildflowers melded with pine trees, slight caramel malts, and earthy, dank hops. It’s fresh and enticing and led me to a palate of wet grass, biscuit malts, toffee, a slightly fruity flavor, and subtly bitter, piney, dank hops. The finish is crisp, dry, and left me craving more.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. First, I noticed aromas of freshly-baked bread, followed by fruit esters, slight honey, sweet cereal grains, and piney, floral hops. On the palate, I found notes of biscuity malts, earthy, herbal, piney hops, caramel, and slight spice. It’s a very well-rounded and flavorful beer.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

There’s a lot of bready and sweet aromas coming off of this beer at first. It’s followed by some citrus and maybe some floral hops, but that’s about it. The palate is fairly sweet with notes of caramel, freshly baked bread, and some more floral, slightly bitter hops. Overall, it’s very refreshing but not all that exciting in the flavor department.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

This beer had a bit of a wet grass aroma at first sniff that went into freshly-baked bread and slight pine. Otherwise, the nose was pretty lacking. There was a slight mineral taste along with floral, piney hops, and light toffee malts. This definitely wasn’t the most exciting beer I’ve ever had but not a bad crusher either.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

The aroma was fairly uninspiring with hints of wet grass, floral hops, bready malt, and a slightly skunky aroma I couldn’t place. Taking a sip revealed slight caramel, sweet yeast, and gentle, slightly dank hops. The finish was dry and crisp. All in all, this is a decent and highly drinkable pilsner.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Bready, grassy, herbal, earthy, this beer has a lot going on with its nose. It definitely prepares you for the flavor palate led by notes of slight skunk, a lingering minerality, freshly-baked bread, caramel sweetness, and gentle, clean, and floral hops.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Complex aromas of yeast, caramel malts, cereal sweetness, dry hay, and floral hops met my nose before taking my first sip. The palate was swirling with a slightly skunky flavor that jumped to biscuit-like malts, a slightly fruity flavor, and more subtly bitter, very floral, piney hops at the finish.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Krombacher — Taste 5

ABV: 4.8%

Average Price: $9 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This 4.8 percent ABV pilsner touts itself as Germany’s “No. 1 premium lager.” Brewed with 2-row malts, Hallertau Siegel hops, with natural spring water, it’s well-known for its fruity, malty, well-balanced flavor that leaves you wanting more.

Bottom Line:

This beer was clearly created to be enjoyed quickly on a hot day as there isn’t much substance to it besides its clean, refreshing flavor.

7. Jack’s Abbey Post Shift — Taste 4

ABV: 4.7%

Average Price: $10 for a four-pack

The Beer:

Jack’s Abbey makes nothing but high-quality, delicious lagers. Its Post Shift Pilsner, on top of being one of its most popular, crushable beers is brewed using German malts and hops to give it a crisp, authentic taste.

Bottom Line:

This is a great beer if you simply want to knock back a few after a long day of work. It doesn’t really have a ton of depth otherwise.

6. Grolsch — Taste 6

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $8.50 for a four-pack

The Beer:

When you think of Dutch beer, there’s a good chance Heineken is the first brand you think of. But the country is also home to Grolsch Premium Lager, a five percent ABV European pilsner made with a proprietary blend of hops and three different barley malts.

Bottom Line:

For a pilsner, this beer has a fairly complicated flavor profile. It was malty, hoppy, and very fresh. I would give it another try.

5. Bitburger — Taste 8

ABV: 4.8%

Average Price: $6 for a four-pack

The Beer:

With a name like Bitburger, this beer almost sounds like a Midwest fast-food chain. In reality, it’s actually a German pilsner that’s been brewed since 1817. A popular (inexpensive) beer in Germany, it’s known for its crisp, slightly hoppy, and refreshing flavor.

Bottom Line:

This is a highly drinkable, well-balanced, and memorable pilsner that I plan to drink again. A lot was going on with this beer’s flavor profile.

4. Firestone Walker Pivo — Taste 1

ABV: 5.3%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Firestone Walker is a big name in the American beer world. Known for its award-winning beers, its Pivo Pils just might be its best beer overall. This 5.3 percent ABV pilsner gets its unique flavor from being brewed with Spalter Select, Tradition, and Saphir hops and being dry-hopped with even more Saphir hops.

Bottom Line:

There’s a great malt presence that pairs well with the slightly bitter, floral, and piney hops in this beer. It’s a great, well-balanced beer.

3. Radeberger — Taste 3

ABV: 4.8%

Average Price: $9 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Brewed since 1872, this 4.8 percent ABV bottom-fermented pilsner is brewed with simple ingredients like on-site well water, hops, malts, and yeast. It’s known for its well-balanced, crisp flavor with very little hop bitterness.

Bottom Line:

This beer had everything a pilsner fan could want. It’s crisp, clean, and dry, but still has a nice malt backbone to stand up the floral and piney hops.

2. OEC Coolship Lager — Taste 7

ABV: 5.2%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

This OEC in this beer’s name stands for Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores. This 5.2 percent ABV pilsner is brewed in Connecticut as close to “authentic” as you can get in the U.S. craft beer world. Case in point, this unfiltered Czech-style pilsner was brewed with a double decoction mash in the traditional way.

Bottom Line:

This is the epitome of a well-balanced and refreshing pilsner. Everything seems to be where it belongs in this beer, and I can’t wait to try it again.

1. Pilsner Urquell — Taste 2

ABV: 4.4%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

One of the most popular beers in the world (for good reason), Pilsner Urquell was created back in 1842. This well-balanced beer gets its iconic flavor from being brewed with triple-decocted malt and a healthy dose of Saaz hops.

Bottom Line:

This might be the most well-balanced, crisp, thirst-quenching, and memorable pilsner I’ve ever had. It makes me want to stop the tasting right now and go drink a few of these bad boys.

Kristen Dunst and Jesse Plemons should both have been nominated for Oscars long ago, her for Dick or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and him for I’m Thinking of Ending Things or Game Night. If his line reading of “how can that be profitable for Frito-Lay?” isn’t award-worthy, I don’t know what is. But the Academy made up for lost time by nominating the real-life couple for their performances in The Power of the Dog.

Dunst is up for Best Supporting Actress alongside Jesse Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Judi Dench (Belfast), and Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard), while Plemons will compete against Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (CODA), J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos), and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) for Best Supporting Actor. The Power of the Dog was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, among other categories.

Dunst and Plemons met on the set of FX’s Fargo and started dating in 2016; they got engaged in 2017 and have two kids together. “I knew that she would be in my life for a long time,” the Friday Night Lights star told the New York Times about Dunst. She added, “We laugh about the fact that we were two child actors, and we both made it out OK.”

They’re more than OK: they (and Penelope Cruz for Parallel Mothers and Javier Bardem for Being the Ricardos!) are an Oscar-nominated couple.