Month: April 2022

Let’s talk about expensive Scotch whisky. Is it ever worth spending $250 on? Simple answer: “yes.” The thing with Scotch whisky is that this price point is rarely about hype. These whiskies actually cost this much money without the whisky machine inflating the prices the way you see in bourbon right now. A $250 bottle of Scotch is priced fairly to reflect the craft and time put into it. That’s not to say these are average bottles but they’re not unicorns by any stretch either.

So where do these pricey whiskies fit in the ecosystem? They’re all “the good stuff” and are (mostly) all 20 years old. This is kind of where the Scotch journey hits a peak before getting into rarities you might not ever actually find. So while the ten Scotch whiskies below are expensive, they’re still all fairly accessible on the open market.

For the ranking of these, I’m keeping it simple. I actually have the top four bottles open on my shelf right now and enjoy them regularly. The rest are all bottles I respect and think offer something unique at this price point but that I don’t generally chase down and spend my own cash on (just being real!). That said, your palate is different than mine — if something strikes your fancy, grab it!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

• The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2021, Ranked
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021
• The Best Scotch Whiskies Under $50, Ranked
• Every Scotch Whisky Brand From Diageo’s Massive Portfolio, Ranked
• The Best Value-Per-Dollar Scotch Whiskies, Ranked

10. Royal Brackla 21

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $250

The Whisky:

This whisky is the oldest aged statement from the Last Great Malts from John Dewar & Sons line. The juice is distilled slowly before it spends 21 long years maturing Olorosso sherry casks where it’s left untouched. The barrels are vatted when they’re just right, proofed with soft Speyside water, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

Light vanilla pudding with a big dollop of berry compote welcomes you on the nose as this vibrant white grape bursts forth. The taste meanders from spicy dark chocolate towards a malty Black Forest cake as stewed cherries, light cream, and a lot of dark chocolate shavings come together. The finish embraces the chocolate until that bright white grape comes back to bring about a nice end.

Bottom Line:

I randomly picked up a bottle of this at a whisky show and was pleasantly surprised. It’s light, sure, but there’s some real depth. In the end, it feels like an easy entry point to higher-end Scotch single malts that’s not challenging but just tasty.

9. Highland Park Draken Single Cask

ABV: 64.3%

Average Price: $200

The Whisky:

This whisky from the far north of the Orkney Islands is all about balance. The one-off bottling only yielded 400-odd bottles from a single sherry cask that held the juice for 13 years. The whisky was bottled as-is to really highlight the beauty of cold-weather whisky maturation in every sip.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a subtle warmth that ties ginger to eggnog spices on the nose with a hint of dry, almost cedary smoke. That smoke falls back towards a dry moss as the oak kicks in, with hints of marzipan, dark dried fruits, and a cinnamon-stewed fig, leading towards another note of sharp candied ginger. The end is long but soft, with a balance of sweet and fruity smoke lingering on your warmed senses.

Bottom Line:

This is a subtle whisky from a bold distillery. I really dig this over a rock or two to calm it down a bit, which is why it ranks a little lower on this list.

8. Aberfeldy 20 Exceptional Cask

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $225

The Whisky:

This special release spent 20 years mellowing in re-fill bourbon and sherry casks. Then the prime juice was married and filled into hand-selected Sauternes sweet wine casks from France for a final year of maturation. The results hold onto the signature honeyed heart of Aberfeldy while adding more sweetened nuance to the dram.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of honey on the nose with dried fruit, malts, and light oak. The taste leans into the honey and malts while a sweet red berry flourish arrives. There’s a hint of butter toffee next to those whisky malts that eventually end up with sweet honey tobacco married to soft dried apricots, sultanas, and a hint of cream soda. The finish feels like honey-soaked cedar planks that have been left in a fruit orchard all summer with a hint of black soil lurking underneath it all.

Bottom Line:

This is one of those bottles I have on the shelf but always sort of forget about until I stumble across it for a tasting. It’s great but then I forget about it again. I’m not sure why it doesn’t stick in my mind and that lowers its rank compared to some of the killers on this list.

7. Glenfiddich 21 Reserva Rum Cask Finish

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $230

The Whisky:

Rum casks and sweet single malts are a great match. This whisky starts off by mellowing for 21 years in ex-bourbon casks before that juice is transferred to Caribbean rum barrels for a final rest. That whisky is then blended and proofed down for bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Burnt toffee and dark chocolate lead the way on the nose as rum-soaked dates and plums mingle with wintry spice, a hint of cherry tobacco, worn leather gloves, and what feels like the most expensive cream soda you’ve ever drunk. There’s a floral flourish on the palate that gives way to ground ginger, cinnamon sticks, and black peppercorns before the dried fruit kick back in on the mid-palate with a rich and buttery sweetness. That mid-palate turns into a banana bread with walnuts as the finish fades into more winter spice and the slightest hint of lime zest on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This has no business being this good at 80 proof. There’s not a watery note anywhere and that’s kind of a miracle. Still, this is mostly fruity and sweet with a spicy edge and feels somewhat one-note.

6. Glenmorangie Signet

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $240

The Whisky:

This Glenmorangie expression is a prime example of something truly special. The juice is a mix of single malts with estate-grown malts and “chocolate malts” (meaning they were roasted until dark and chocolate-y). The hot juice then went into new American oak for varying amounts of time for blending, proofing, and bottling. While there’s no age statement, there are barrels up to 40 years old in the mix.

Tasting Notes:

You’re greeted with a note of dried apricots with a hint of clove, leading towards a very light dark orange chocolate. The chocolate amps up the bitterness, reaching espresso bean levels as some eggnog spice kicks in with a silky mouthfeel and a touch of wet tobacco. The end brings about a flourish of bright citrus zest that dries everything out, leaving you with a lingering end and a final note of earthy dried mushrooms.

Bottom Line:

This is a nice, deeply flavored whisky that’s also pretty easy to drink. You won’t be challenged or overwhelmed but you will be satisfied.

5. Dewar’s The Signature 25

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $249

The Whisky:

Master Blender Stephanie MacLeod has taken blended scotch to the next level with this expression. Grain and single malt whiskies are aged for 25 very long years before they’re married and placed in oak vats to get to know each other. Then the whisky is filled into single malt whisky casks from Royal Brackla Distillery for a final maturation. Think of it as a special finishing that’s a single malt barrel instead of rum, port, stout, etc.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a note of that iconic Aberfeldy honey at the core of the nose, leading your senses towards dried apple chips, a touch of cedar, and what feels like an English muffin covered in clotted cream and berry jam. The taste really leans into the muffin and berries as light notes of honey syrup, dried florals, and more of those dried apples (with a pinch of salt) mix on your tongue. The end is long and fruity with a nice spice counterpoint and a final note of minty tobacco in a cedar box.

Bottom Line:

This is a great pour of blended Scotch whisky. It’s pure sweet whisky to its core and really feels special in the glass, and that makes it a good turning point in this ranking toward the undeniably great bottles below.

4. Johnnie Walker Blue Label

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $240

The Whisky:

This is the mountaintop of Johnnie Walker’s whiskies. The blend is a marriage of ultra-rare stock from extinct Diageo distilleries around Scotland. That’s just … cool. This expression is all about barrel selection and the mastery of a great noser and blender working together to create something special.

Tasting Notes:

Prunes and dates lead to a smoked apricot vibe with hints of old leather, orange-infused marzipan, dried roses, and a honeyed sweetness on the nose. The palate is so soft and holds onto that orange/marzipan/rose vibe before turning towards a malty dark chocolate mid-palate with smoked almonds and plums lingering on the backend. The finish is full of spicy malts and smoked stone fruits with that dark chocolate adding a thin layer of bitterness.

Bottom Line:

This is a damn near perfect sipper, especially on a rock or two. It’s complex yet approachable. It’s so soft and welcoming while still having that whisper of Islay smoke lurking in the background. You cannot go wrong pouring some of this into a glass at the end of the day and letting it wash over you.

3. The Dalmore 18

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $250

The Whisky:

This is more than just an 18-year-old whisky. The juice in this case spent 14 years maturing in ex-bourbon casks. Then the whisky was filled into Matusalem sherry casks that held sherry for 30 (!) years for four more years of maturation. The casks, from Bodega González-Byass, are exceedingly rare and impart something truly unique into this whisky.

Tasting Notes:

Dried roses meet your nose as orange-zest bespeckled dark chocolate dances with hints of old book leather, vanilla husks, and sultanas. The taste holds onto the orange and chocolate tightly as a nutty, peppery, syrupy vibe takes over with a light touch of oakiness. The chocolate zeroes in its bitter qualities on the end, with a little bit more vanilla sweetness and a savory counterpoint that’s kind of like saline (or wet salt).

Bottom Line:

This is a highwater mark in sweet scotch. It feels like spring in a glass with such brightness and lightness. Yet it never overpowers your palate. It’s just … really nice.

2. Talisker 18

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $250

The Whisky:

This is a classic single malt that also happens to hold the title of “Best Single Malt Whisky in the World” from the World Whiskies Awards. The iconic juice is rendered in Talisker’s bespoke stills and then spends nearly two decades resting in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels, like most of the true classic single malts.

Tasting Notes:

This is subtle. The nose has a light yet clear sense of ripe plums, orange oils, buttery toffee, and an almost sour apple next to a distant whiff of briny campfire smoke from one beach over. The orange oils remain on the palate as eggnog spices peek in gently, with hints of that butter toffee driving a rich silkiness. The smoke remains in the distance as the spices warm your senses and the meaty fruit takes the edge off on the slow and satisfying fade.

Bottom Line:

This is the peated whisky that might get you addicted to peaties. This whisky is so subtle yet distinct while never slapping you in the face with its flavor notes, especially the bigger briny and smoky ones. This with a single rock is pretty much perfection, add in a freshly shucked oyster and it is.

1. The GlenDronach Parliament Aged 21 Years

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $250

The Whisky:

Don’t let the name fool you. The “parliament” in this case is the collective noun for rooks — a type of European crow that nests above the distillery. That dark essence is rendered in the whisky through 21 long years of maturation in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks exclusively.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a lot going on with this nose, starting with blackberry brambles hanging heavy with ripe fruit leading towards a well-spiced oatmeal cookie vibe and cut with hints of orange zest and vanilla. A sticky toffee pudding sweetness arrives (heavy on the dates) with flourishes of bitter dark chocolate notes and a sharp holiday spice matrix. The end is very long but very velvety with hints of dark fruits and spices warming your body as it fades away.

Bottom Line:

This is one of my favorite all-time whiskies, so there’s that. Moreover, this is just a great dram all around, especially for anyone looking for something truly special that stills feels comfortable and nostalgic. Neat or on a single rock, this whisky will stick with you for life.

As the highly anticipated sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, gets ready to fly into theaters with Tom Cruise back in the cockpit, director Joseph Kosinski and Cruise are opening up about their no CGI approach to recapturing the high altitude adrenaline rush of the ’80s classic. Part of the process involved shooting a whole lot of footage. We’re talking more than the entire length of a certain epic film trilogy.

“Out of a 12- or 14-hour day, you might get 30 seconds of good footage,” Kosinski told Empire. “But it was so hard-earned. It just took a very long time to get it all. Months and months of aerial shooting. We shot as much footage as the three Lord of the Rings movies combined. I think it was 800 hours of footage.”

According to Cruise, part of the reason for the sequel’s over-abundance of footage is that the actors were responsible for capturing their own performances during the short amount of time they got in the air:

“We had to teach the actors about lighting, about cinematography, about editing,” says star and producer Tom Cruise. “I had to teach them how to turn the cameras on and off, and about camera angles and lenses. We didn’t have unlimited time in these jets. If they were going up for 20-30 minutes, I had to make sure that we got what we needed.”

As for how much of that footage will appear in the movie remains to be seen. Obviously, the sequel won’t be 800 hours long, but as of this writing, Top Gun: Maverick hasn’t revealed its official runtime yet despite its release date coming up just on the horizon. The film maneuvers into theaters on May 27, 2022.

(Via Empire)

Another music icon will enter The Simpsons universe. Next Friday, Billie Eilish will voice herself in When Billie Met Lisa, a new short from The Simpsons.

In When Billie Met Lisa, the lattermost searches for a quiet place to practice her saxophone. Eilish invites Lisa to her studio for the jam session of a lifetime. Joining the “Happier Than Ever” singer in the short is her brother and collaborator Finneas, who produced the entirety of her albums When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and Happier Than Ever.

While this is Eilish’s first spin at voice acting in the realm of Disney, this is actually Finneas’ second. Earlier this year, Finneas voiced Jesse, a member of the fictional boy band 4*Town, in the Disney Plus original movie, Turning Red.

Is EGOT-ing in the O’Connells’ future? Last month, the two won an Oscar for Best Original Song for Eilish’s “No Time To Die” from the James Bond chapter No Time To Die. The two have also won several Grammy awards, including back-to-back Record Of The Year awards in 2020 and 2021 for Eilish’s “Bad Guy” and “Everything I Wanted.” Should When Billie Met Lisa secure an Emmy nomination in the future and win, it’ll only bring them one step closer to the coveted EGOT.

When Billie Met Lisa premieres 4/22 on Disney Plus.

Over the course of my conversation with Caracara frontman William Lindsay about the band’s new sophomore album New Preoccupations, he keeps returning to this idea of restraint. It’s a surprise — and a risk — in a time where people seem to be prioritizing music that overindulges, the kind that is short but jam-packed enough to intrigue the listener in a TikTok clip or on a Spotify playlist. As attention spans dwindle, maximalist songs are on the rise.

But at the same time, there’s been a theme of heavy bands whose songs used to burst with bombast taking it down a notch and settling into more quiet landscapes. Title Fight and Hundredth both shed their signature piercing, chaotic instrumentation for a woozier, more contained sound; Lindsay name-drops Deafheaven, admiring their shift from full-on metal to becoming “post-punk [leaning].” “I think, over time, you really start to see the value of restraint,” he contemplates about the group that released the rich Infinite Granite last year, “and how much you can accomplish by simplifying arrangements and individual parts and really focusing on — I guess a corny truism — the quality over quantity of the performances you’re capturing, the tones you’re dialing in, and thinking of songs in terms of living, breathing things that don’t always need to have every element all the time.”

In thinking about Deafheaven, he recognizes the way their progression has impacted Caracara’s. “With our first record [2017’s Summer Megalith], we wanted to go super small and super huge on almost every track on the whole thing. We wanted to get our point across and scream it at you, at every step along the way,” he says. “I think with more time spent playing together, listening to music together, and thinking through all this weird stuff together, we realized that the bands that we really look up to often are really about peeling back the layers and getting to the core essence of what’s going on. Deafheaven is an incredible example. We were well aware that they can create a magnificent, ten- to twelve-minute piece that covers an enormous amount of ground, and it’s almost more impressive when they withhold that from us and show us that they can write a clean post-punk track, too. A powerful, heavier screaming vocalist that can also sing is interesting to us.”

Caracara, who are a Philly-based quartet continuing to gain a modest but devoted cult-following, do not want to be a band that ends up with a song recommended by an algorithm. This can be noticed within the first few minutes of New Preoccupations; the tender, twinkling opener “My Thousand Eyes,” which features a celestial string arrangement, immediately explodes into the following song, “Hyacinth,” a fast-paced, angsty anthem. With Carlos Pacheco-Perez on the keys, George Legatos on the bass, and Sean Gill on the drums alongside Lindsay on vocals and guitar, as well as Will Yip on production and even Circa Survive’s Anthony Green on the track “Colorglut,” the album is an immersive reckoning with the highs and lows of addiction, with revelations, panics, and memories coming and going along the way. It’s designed to be heard in full. Lindsay, however, doesn’t want to call it a concept album, a term he associates mostly with prog-rock and double albums. “The record that I think does it maybe more perfectly than any record I’ve ever heard is — and I’m not sure if it would be appropriate to call it a concept album — Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by M83,” he says. “There’s clearly a narrative there, there’s a story being told, but it’s not being thrown in your face. It’s not a plot-driven journey through a land; it’s more filmic in a way. It feels like a score to whatever it is that you’re experiencing while you’re listening to it.”

That ability for the music to resonate with its listener is a priority for Lindsay. In this way, he values restraint both in the sound and in the lyrics, not wanting to go too deep into detail about the topics he’s grappling with. “Something that I’m talking about a lot on this record is my own relationship with alcohol over the years, and coming to terms with feeling as though I had a problem, right as we were finishing writing most of this music. That’s not an experience that everyone has gone through, but I feel like through a good amount of just introspection, therapy, and recovery-minded thinking I’ve learned a lot about the different struggles that different people are going through at any given time,” he says. “And I think that in a story about addiction, there’s a lot there for anyone.”

New Preoccupations can be for anyone who has ever missed someone: “I remember you in an August way / Chiaroscuro haze / Saw you watching summer evaporate / Simple like the words you say,” he intones longingly on “Ohio,” an emotive portrait of the past. It can be for anyone who is desperate to feel something: “Atop the plateau of a vaguely restless mind / Might need a greater length of time / Between the comedown and the high,” he sings on the jaunty “Strange Interactions In The Night.” Though it’s riddled with darkness and danger, there’s something celebratory about it — a sort of gratitude for the chaos, and a wistful closing of that chapter. “I think it is easy after the fact to kind to be like, ‘Oh, that whole phase of my life was terrible. And I want to drag you through the gutter with me on this story.’ But that just that would not be honest for me to tell,” he says. “Alcohol did always provoke a sort of adventurousness in me that can be hard to come by otherwise. Through that, I’ve experienced some of the most beautiful moments of my life.” Restraint, then is also embedded within the topics he is dealing with in his lyrics; Lindsay had to step away from a source of happiness that was excessive and tumultuous to embrace simpler ways of living. But there is magic in restraint, providing someone with a fuller sense of appreciation for both the present and the past.

There is something special about reminiscing about drunk nights with a newfound sober lens, the kind that shines with clarity and acceptance. New Preoccupations and this prevalent integration of restraint represent a change in Caracara; there is more of a lucidity and understanding in the lyrics, as well as a greater patience within the sound. Caracara have found their footing; it seems that they know this, ending the album with the confident, cathartic screaming of the words “I’m finally free to let go,” repeated over and over like an incantation. This liberation is evident, and it makes their songs all the more powerful.

New Preoccupations is out now via Memory Music. Get it here.

Rob McElhenney turned 45 years old today. Let’s all wish the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Mythic Quest creator and star a happy birthday. If you want to get him something, sorry but it’s too late: he already got the best present.

“As you know, I take birthdays very seriously. I’m excited to unveil the @RMcElhenney Commemorative Urinal at @Wrexham_AFC Racecourse,” actor Ryan Reynolds tweeted on Thursday. The Adam Project star also included a video of himself standing next to the plaque (featuring an unflattering photo of McElhenney) at Racecourse Ground, the home of the soccer team, sorry, football club they co-own, Wrexham A.F.C. “Today, we celebrate Mr. Co-Chairman, Robert Lucinda McElhenney, with this memorial urinal,” Reynolds says in the video before popping a celebratory bottle of champagne.

McElhenney was, um, flattered by the gesture. “My dream has always been to urinate while staring at a bronzed plaque of my face. Thank you Ryan for making dreams come true!” he tweeted.

McElhenney and Reynolds became fast friends while texting during the pandemic. “I was in Mexico and I had posted a photograph of my wife and me drinking tequila,” the It’s Always Sunny star. “I remember getting a DM from Ryan, and he was like, ‘Stop drinking that sh*t. I’m going to send you a case of Aviation Gin.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, okay, that sounds good. I’ll drink anything.’ Then Ryan said, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m a big fan of yours.’ And I said, ‘Obviously I’m a big fan of yours.’ And we just became text buddies.”

And now their friendship is immortalized in urinal form.

Meghan McCain has reacted to the news of Elon Musk‘s offer to buy Twitter, and in classic Meghan-style, no one can figure out what she’s trying to say. The conservative commentator fired off a tweet on Thursday morning where she lamented the amount of threats she receives on the social media platforms. McCain also name-dropped former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and claimed that he “personally called” her because of the amount of vitriol was so high.

“I’ve been on this platform 12 years & basically not a day goes by someone doesn’t threaten to kill or rape me. It’s so bad @jack personally called me about it,” McCain tweeted. “Women deserve better than what’s allowed to take place here – and the woke liberals in Silicon Valley don’t give a sh*t.”

Here’s where McCain’s message gets confusing. She seems to be saying that the situation on Twitter got so bad because of “wokeness,” and it’s very hard to read if she believes Musk will improve the situation. If she thinks Musk will somehow stamp out the “wokeness” and improve Twitter, McCain is sorely mistaken because the Tesla CEO is pushing for less content moderation. He’s a “free speech absolutist,” which essentially means anything goes.

If McCain thinks Musk taking over Twitter will be bad, she chose the most convoluted way to express that point because it definitely doesn’t come through in her tweet. Her main gripe seems to be that “woke liberals” allowed Twitter threats to run rampant, which more content moderation, not less, would fix. If McCain fears Musk will exacerbate the problem, she should just say that. Instead, she griped about “wokeness” and highlighted a problem that Musk has no intention of solving.

You can see reactions to McCain’s tweet below:

(Via Meghan McCain on Twitter)

Tomberlin has released several therapeutic songs ahead of the release of her upcoming second album, I Don’t Know Who Needs To Hear This.... On her latest, “Sunstruck,” she finds solace in her own company.

In the Ryan Schnackenberg-directed visual, we see Tomberlin in a photoshoot, applying and removing her makeup, riding through the city in a car, and walking along the beach. The beach is where she ends her day, basking in the sounds of the ocean and in the sight of the sun setting.

“This is an aerial view love song that is also not a love song,” said Tomberlin in a statement. “It is more a love song to forced distance, time alone with yourself, letting go, searching for yourself and the healing that takes place when you make those things an active focus in your life,” says Sarah Beth Tomberlin. “These things are choices, they don’t just happen on their own. You can choose to practice them or you can choose stagnancy. This is a love song to the growth that often can take place if you choose to tend to your own life’s garden.”

Check out “Sunstruck” above.

I Don’t Know Who Needs To Hear This… is out 4/29 via Saddle Creek. Pre-save it here.

John Mayer was joined by a special guest last night during a stop on his Sob Rock tour. During his performance in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena, Maren Morris surprised the audience on stage as the two opened the concert with Mayer’s live band for a performance of the Sob Rock track, “Last Train Home.”

Later on in the show, Morris joined Mayer, as they dueted the fan-favorite “Slow Dancing In A Burning Room” from Mayer’s 2006 album Continuum. Following the performance, Morris proclaimed, “My high school self just died.”

Though this is the first time the two have dueted vocally, the two previously collaborated at 2021 Grammy Awards, where Mayer played guitar and vocally harmonized during Morris’ performance of “The Bones,” a standout track from her 2019 album, Girl. Morris is also credited as a background vocalist on the album version of “Last Train Home.”

Ahead of last year’s Grammy’s, Morris spoke to People of her friendship with Mayer, saying, “He’s just smart as a whip. He is also really, really thoughtful and he internalizes every other word he says. I feel like it’s kind of adorable.”

Check out Mayer and Morris’ performance of “Slow Dancing In A Burning Room” above.

Never put it past the MAGA cheerleaders to not understand that “free speech” doesn’t apply to social media companies, which are obviously allowed to put forth their own policies on the subject. Twitter, of course, has been the target of much far-right grumbling ever since the platform finally banned Donald Trump for continuing to encourage the January 6 insurrectionists by tweeting false election claims.

And so, the Elon Musk Twitter saga is of great interest to the MAGAs (like rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert), who for some reason believe that this is the key to getting Trump back on Twitter (i.e., “taking back what is ours”). Last week, Elon bought up a significant number of shares in Twitter but declined to join the board for unknown reasons at the time. Maybe he balked at a background check, according to speculation, but as Elon put things on Thursday, he had no faith in management. He wants to own more things, apparently, and so, Elon revealed that he’s offered to buy Twitter $41 billion cash.

He very much wants to “unlock” the “extraordinary potential” for Twitter as far as “free speech” goes. So, it sounds like he will let anything be typed out, regardless of potential harm. A random purchase doesn’t sit well with anyone who watched what happened to MySpace, but more to the point, pundit Max Boot expressed concern.

“I am frightened by the impact on society and politics if Elon Musk acquires Twitter,” Boot tweeted. “He seems to believe that on social media anything goes. For democracy to survive, we need more content moderation, not less.”

A massive objection came, naturally, from QAnon troll extraordinaire Marjorie Taylor Greene, who fired off one of her classic “communist” insults in response. And Greene doesn’t seem to recall that she doesn’t want Jimmy Kimmel to have “free speech.” In fact, she called the Capitol Police after he made a joke about her. Nonetheless, she tweeted this mess:

“Kill freedom of speech to save democracy? Say you’re a communist. Just say it. You’re actually scared of people freely discussing ideas and saying words. You’re terrified of the impact on politics when truth isn’t censored. I’m offended by your weakness.”

In response, the “Kimmel” comebacks began to roll in.

Kimmel should have fun with this one tonight!

A person who broke into DaBaby‘s home in North Carolina was shot and injured Wednesday night, according to The Morganton News Herald. Around 7:45 pm police responded to a reported shooting at the property, taking the injured individual to a medical facility for treatment. The person was apparently on the football field on the property, but further details are scant as police are still investigating.

The home has been the center of a number of complaints from neighbors, with 31 calls for service to the Iredell County emergency communications office since the rapper moved in December of 2019. The majority of the complaints regard to noise and lighting, with burglar alarms going off and the construction of a wall and guard towers apparently annoying the citizens of the quiet neighborhood. A report about the complaints quoted some neighbors speculating that the rapper was building a football field — speculation that has turned out to indeed be true.

DaBaby was previously involved in another shooting in 2018. The rapper says that he was approached and threatened by an armed man while shopping at Walmart with his children. DaBaby shot the man, who later died, claiming self-defense. He was later sentenced to one year on probation for carrying a concealed firearm.