The second annual Gayming Awards, where games across the entire industry were celebrated for their creativity and how they chose to represent the LGBTQ+ community, took place at the Troxy theater in London. In an industry like video games, where even the smallest steps of progress feel like a monumental achievement, an event like the Gayming Awards is a bright spot.
“We obviously don’t expect every games awards to be celebrating queer stuff up and down the categories,” Gayming Magazine founder Robin Gray told UPROXX. “There’s obviously more things out in the world, but that’s why the Gayming Awards exist, so the community can have that moment without necessarily expecting other people to do that for us.”
Gray launched Gayming Magazine in 2019 and later started the Gayming Awards with the goal of giving LGBTQ+ players and developers a positive spotlight. Historically, gaming has focused on appealing to a straight, white, male audiences that make up a large portion of players and people within the industry. As a result, members of the LGBTQ+ community are rarely in the spotlight, and the Gaymind Awards provides a place within the gaming industry for members of the LGBTQ+ community to have their accomplishments to be uplifted.
“It was a bit of a reaction to seeing other mainstream video game awards shows doing a bit of the work in celebrating diversity, but really you only ever see them cropping up as the special category, for lack of a better phrase,” Gray says. “I think for us, we really want to dig into that, because I think hanging a medal on one game, or one person, it’s obviously wonderful, but it kind of misses the nuance that we bring to it in terms of the best character, best game, best developer, or people who are doing stuff in the industry looking outwards. So for us, it gives the opportunity to really dig in and celebrate queer video game excellence, whether that’s in game, in the industry, or around the peripheries with streaming.”
Through two years, the Gayming Awards have already made strides across the games industry. EA served as the inaugural presenting sponsor, Twitch filled that role in 2022, and many of the categories were presented by major publishers like PlayStation and Xbox. Major studios and brands are showing they want to be part of what the Gayming Awards represent — Gray says he’s been “led to believe” that having Xbox and PlayStation on the same bill “is nearly unheard of.”
Considering the support and publicity that has come in such a short time, we can expect the Gayming Awards to continue to grow as the event reaches its third year. All of this, Gray hopes, will continue to push progress within gaming.
“The industry is going in a very positive direction,” he says. “I think the people at the top need to really start reaching down into their organizations, identifying these diverse people, and putting them on on leadership pathways. Ensure that they have the training and the support, they need to grow into the next generation of leaders.”
After Justin Lin stepped down as the director for the latest Fast And Furious installment, many were questioning why, with the most common theory being that actor Vin Diesel is being a bit of a diva, though nobody knows for sure. Well, it looks like they have quickly found a new director to step in, as producers were scrambling after shooting already began last week.
Loius Leterrier will step in for Lin, Variety reports. Leterrier is no stranger to action films: he directed The Incredible Hulk (the Edward Norton one), along with the first two Transporter films, and the classic action/magic thriller, Now You See Me.
Fast X began filming just last week, with Diesel and Charlize Theron beginning to shoot their scenes, and newcomer Jason Momoa prepping to appear as the villain (he’s very excited). Lin shockingly exited as director of the movie after some alleged “creative differences.” Lin has worked on five of the films in the franchise over the last decade. He will still act as a producer.
The Fast franchise has its fair share of behind-the-scenes drama, which is only natural when you get a ton of celebrities and million-dollar cars in one room. Recently, Diesel pleaded for The Rock to return to the franchise, to which he declined. Some people need to retire from the fast lane! Let the man live!
Nearly two weeks later, Donald Trump is still stomping mad over his interview with Piers Morgan, and the British TV host is absolutely loving it. Morgan stopped by Fox & Friends on Monday morning where he fielded questions from Steve Doocy and the gang about the former president’s ongoing tantrum.
In Trump’s latest statement, he wrote, “Ratings for the Piers Morgan interview with me were great! Unfortunately, after that interview, his show bombed completely because of the fake narrative he tried to portray.”
Morgan couldn’t help but laugh at the whole thing as Trump essentially tried to claim that the interview had both huge ratings yet also somehow bombed.
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) May 2, 2022
“I think you know you’ve got a great interview when a recently departed president of the United States issues not one, not two, but three statements so far about the interview. All of them with conflicting reports from his mind about how he thinks it went,” Morgan said.
After basking in getting under Trump’s skin, Morgan attempted to lower the temperature by addressing the former president who routinely watches Fox & Friends. As Morgan explains to Trump, the promo that he’s so mad about worked because people tuned in, and more importantly, they didn’t think Trump looked that bad.
“Everyone I know who watched it actually thought you came out of it really well,” Morgan said via Mediaite. “So why you are going completely crackers at a 30-second promo?… I simply used a promo to sell the interview to get people to watch. It worked! Everybody watched!”
Author George R.R. Martin has been hard at work in an “isolated location” on the follow-up, The Winds of Winter, for 11 years and counting. By the time he’s finished, it may end up being even longer than Dragons. So, look forward to that in 2053.
“THE WINDS OF WINTER is going to be a big book. The way it is going, it could be bigger than A STORM OF SWORDS or A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, the longest books in the series to date,” Martin wrote on his Not a Blog, along with updates on the respective NFL drafts for the New York Giants and Jets (he approves). He added, “I do usually cut and trim once I finish, but I need to finish first.” No kidding.
Martin also shared an update on the Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon:
I saw rough cuts of a couple more episodes of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, and was just as pleased as I was with the earlier episodes. [Creator Ryan Condal] and [director and executive producer Miguel Sapochnik] and their cast and crew are doing great work. Those of you who like complex, conflicted, grey characters (as I do) will like this series, I think. There will be plenty of dragons and battles, to be sure, but the spine of the story is the human conflicts, the love and the hate, character drama rather than action/ adventure.
Nestled neatly between standard bourbons (40 to 49% ABV) and high-proof bourbons (51 to 69% ABV) are bottled-in-bond bourbons, at exactly 50% ABV. These whiskeys are considered the “good stuff” by old school bourbon fans, thanks to that slightly elevated proof, and the four years minimum these whiskeys need to spend in the barrel before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Of course, there’s more to bottled-in-bond than just proof and age. The main distinction/rule for the style is that each release is from one distillation season at one distillery that’s made by one distiller. The main reason that those rules elevate this class of whiskey — in some folks’ estimation — is that the barrels blended into the final whiskey are from the same distillation season and year. Very broadly, that means the blender and/or distiller can’t take barrels from various different years to hide flaws or fill in gaps in the flavor profile. In theory, there’s a little more fidelity to a bottled-in-bond expression than your standard, everyday bourbon.
And while all of this sounds like it’d make bottled-in-bond bourbon way more expensive, there are plenty of bottled-in-bond masterpieces out there that won’t break the bank. To that end, I decided to name eight of my favorite, bargain bottled-in-bond bourbons, which all clock in under $30. Check them out below and maybe you’ll find your next great mixing bourbon!
Named after some of the first Europeans to reach Kentucky, this bottle is an entry-level Buffalo Trace expression. The juice is from BT’s famed Mash Bill No. 1, which has a little rye and barley in it alongside plenty of corn. The mash is the recipe for heavy-hitting BT brands like E.H. Taylor, Stagg, and Eagle Rare, making this a lower-rent version of those bangers.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is caramel apples, vanilla, and a nice kick of spicy rye, but not much else and that’s not surprising for a value bottle. The flavor is decent but fairly generic. There’s vanilla, caramel, and some oaky wood, but that’s about the extent of the flavor profile. The finish is long, warming, and has a spicy kick of pepper.
Bottom Line:
For a bargain bonded bourbon, this isn’t terrible. It’s just not all that exciting either. The flavors are fairly muted and bland and that’s why we’re starting here. This is a bourbon-and-Coke bottle at best.
As the legend goes, this historical whiskey was first distilled out of a hollow log back in 1836 by a man named Joseph Dant. Since 1993, it’s been produced by Heaven Hill, which kept the old-school logo and design. The juice in the bottle is made from HH’s 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye mash bill — just like Evan Williams below, Elijah Craig, and Henry McKenna.
Tasting Notes:
Apples, caramel, and oak are prevalent on the nose. Otherwise, it’s fairly muted and boring. Sipping it highlights notes of dried fruits, caramel candy, vanilla, and slightly cracked black pepper. You can taste that this is high proof, but the flavors are still fairly light with oak and pepper taking up most of the palate.
Bottom Line:
You can do much worse for less than $15. But if you were to stack this up against most $25 bottles, you’d be pretty sad about the results, and so it’s going to stay pretty low on this list.
Jim Beam makes a pretty decent bonded whiskey from their classic 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley mash. Beyond that, this 100-proof, award-winning bourbon was aged for a minimum of four years in a bonded warehouse.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a ton of sweetness coming out in the nose with aromas of dried cherries, brown sugar, vanilla, and heavy oak. The palate is very robust and filled with heat as well as flavors like vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate, and warming, spicy pepper at the very end. It’s flavorful but has a little too much burn for some drinkers.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of Jim Beam White Label and you want to turn it up to 11, this is the whiskey for you. It’s a heightened, bolder version of the classic bourbon. It does have a little more burn than necessary for an everyday sipper, making this a cocktail bourbon more than anything else.
Early Times was founded by John Henry Beam (Jim Beam’s uncle) in 1860. Its Bottled-In-Bond expression was discontinued in 1983 before being relaunched in 2017. This expression pays tribute to the original recipe of 79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% malted barley. Like all bonded whiskeys, it’s aged a minimum of four years in bonded warehouses.
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla, cherries, raisins, and honey are prevalent on the nose. The palate is fairly sweet, yet complex with notes of dried cherries, candied orange peels, pipe tobacco, vanilla beans, caramel, and oaky wood. The finish is dry, warming, and memorable.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a spicy and bold bonded bourbon, look elsewhere. Early Times is surprisingly sweet with vanilla and dried fruits taking center stage, making a perfectly fine mixing bourbon.
Named for an iconic thoroughbred horse, Old Bardstown Bottled-In-Bond from Willett has a mash bill of 72% corn, 15% malted barley, and 13% rye. Unlike some bonded bourbons, it’s rumored that Old Bardstown’s barrels spend up to 10 years aging in new, charred American oak barrels.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lot of spice on this whiskey’s nose, highlighted by aromas of cinnamon candy, vanilla, caramel, and light, peppery spice. The palate is more than just spice with gentle, dried fruits, cinnamon sugar, maple candy, butterscotch, vanilla, oak, and a nice hint of pepper to tie everything together nicely.
Bottom Line:
There’s definitely a great mix of spice and sweetness at play here. This one earns bonus points for being pretty good for this price, though we’re still squarely in “I’d use this as a mixer” territory.
This non-chill filtered, bottled-in-bond bourbon comes from Jim Beam. Originally, it was only available at the distillery’s gift shop. In 2020, it became a limited-release offering available in stores. Distilled with Beam’s signature mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley, it’s aged for a minimum of four years in new, charred American oak barrels in bonded warehouses and bottled at 100-proof.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lot going on with this whiskey’s nose. There are aromas of candied pecans, caramel, slight peppery rye, and cinnamon. On the palate, you’ll find hints of caramel corn, nutty sweetness, dried fruits, butterscotch, and rich oak. The finish is sweet, and fruity with just a hint of baking spices.
Bottom Line:
This is a surprisingly cheap whiskey for its quality. It’s complex, flavorful, and well-balanced with warming spices and gentle nutty, fruity flavors. This beats out Beam Bonded above for that lack of filtration, adding a little more character to this one.
Heaven Hill’s award-winning 100-proof, bottled-in-bond bourbon has the same mash bill as J.W. Dant above but a little more nuance. Still, this is aged for a minimum of four years and bottled in the same place.
Tasting Notes:
Classic aromas of vanilla, rich oak, butterscotch, and dried fruits are heavy on the nose. It’s very inviting and leads to a palate of vanilla cream, orange peels, cinnamon sugar, raisins, dried cherries, and a nice kick of spicy cracked black pepper. It all ends in a warming, dry, slightly spicy finish.
Bottom Line:
There are few bargain-priced, bottled-in-bond bourbons better than Evan Williams. It’s complex, slightly spicy, and loaded with caramel and vanilla flavors. It’s a great, potent sipper on the rocks or a killer cocktail base.
The jewel in Jim Beam’s “Olds” crown, the Old Grand-Dad on this classic bottle is none other than Basil Hayden (who also has a whiskey named for him). This spicy, high-rye whiskey — 63% corn, 27% rye, and 10% malted barley — is aged for a minimum of four years in bonded warehouses.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find scents of caramel corn, toasted vanilla beans, candied orange peels, brown sugar, and a nice kick of peppery spice. The palate is a nice mix of sweetness and spice with orange zest, buttery caramel, toasted oak, vanilla, cinnamon, and cracked black pepper all making an appearance. It all ends with a warming mix of sweet citrus, creamy vanilla, and peppery spice.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Old Grand-Dad Bonded is beloved by bartenders and drinkers alike. It’s bold, and spicy, but has enough sweetness to counteract the heat. It’s a great sipping whiskey as well as a terrific base for your favorite bourbon cocktails. It wins today because it’s always cheap, flavorful, and available.
Last week, former The O.C. star Olivia Wilde was served legal documents while on stage presenting at CinemaCon. The move left fans confused about who exactly was to blame for the ordeal: was it ex’s Jason Sudeikis’ idea? Or did his legal team do this without his knowledge? And where was the CinemaCom security?!
While many answers are still up in the air, we finally have some footage of what went on. TMZ shared a new clip of Wilde being approached with the papers, saying “this is very mysterious.” She quietly opened the envelope, which turned out to be legal papers from Sudeikis. She handled the situation by quickly saying “got it” and moving on with her presentation. You can watch the moment below.
The situation is all a bit unclear: Sudeikis’ team insists the Ted Lasso actor had no knowledge of when and where the papers would be served, which can be at the discretion of the legal team that was hired.
A source told Page Six that the whole ordeal sent Wilde reeling. “Olivia was confused when she was handed the envelope, and she was even more confused when she opened it,” the source shared. Despite the confusion, she handled it like a champ, before showing the bonkers trailer for Don’t Worry Darling.
Remember how fun Wii Sports was? The motion based sports game that was packaged with every Nintendo Wii took the world by storm as everyone fell in love with their little Mii avatars playing Tennis, Golf, Bowling, Boxing, and Baseball. With such wide range appeal it quickly became a game that everyone from the most hardcore gamers to grandparents who had never played a video game before were all gathering around to play Wii Sports together. Unfortunately, some people would take these light hearted games and try a little too hard.
When playing Wii Sports, there are constant reminders that the player doesn’t need to use full force while copying movements and to always wear the wrist strap. Some players though would ignore these and the results would involve their controller, the Wii Mote, flying out of their hands and straight into their TV. Viral images and videos of people smashing their flat screen TVs with Wii controllers were everywhere from mid-2000s message boards to local news stations.
So surely, with everyone fully aware of how silly it was that people kept smashing their TVs with Wii Remotes, now that Nintendo Switch Sports has been released everyone is going to be way more careful right? Nintendo has spent much of the lead up to Switch Sports reminding everyone to wear their straps so when they play these games they don’t once again accidentally smash their TV.
What’s truly incredible about this clip is that, when you imagine someone destroying a TV, you picture them aggressively swinging their controller around, but no this is someone just casually flicking their wrist and sending their controller flying into their TV. His face in the moment tells the entire story.
Twitch/Reddit
Reviews so far about Nintendo Switch Sports have been very positive. It doesn’t have quite the same mass appeal that Wii Sports had, but most people not smashing their TVs are having a really fun time with it. If you do decide to go out and buy it though then please wear your straps. If not, you’re gonna be like this poor guy.
Harry Styles season is rapidly approaching, as Harry’s House is set for release on May 20. Actually, you could say Styles season has been ongoing for a little while now as “As It Was” dominates the music world. It’s had a couple different stints on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and now it adds another week at No. 1: On the new Hot 100 dated May 7, “As It Was” is No. 1 for a second consecutive week and third total.
Its top spot has a lot to do with the 52.7 million radio airplay audience impressions it tallied over the tracking week (from April 22 to 28), which is up 23 percent from the previous week. It dipped a bit in streams with 28.2 million (down 6 percent) but saw an uptick in downloads sold at 9,200 (up 9 percent).
Meanwhile, Jack Harlow’s “First Class” is still doing well, spending a second week at No. 2 after debuting in the top spot, dethroning “As It Was.” Styles returned to the top, though, demoting Harlow to his current position. Another former No. 1, Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves,” is also still hanging around the top at No. 3.
Harry’s House is out 5/20 via Columbia/Erskine. Pre-order it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Once celebrated attorney and former “America’s Mayor,” Rudy Giuliani is being absolutely roasted on social media thanks to a new video promoting his Cameo account. The cash-strapped Giuliani has taken to the video platform after hitching his star to Donald Trump’s wagon, which has reportedly left him broke after a combination of multi-billionaire lawsuits and the former president allegedly stiffing Giuliani on his legal fees.
In the latest video posted to his various social media accounts, Giuliani awkwardly stands on a golf course in a pair of silly, huge shorts while he awkwardly swings a club from side-to-side in an effort to entice someone, anyone to pay him for a Cameo video.
“I’m Rudy Giuliani,” the giant shorted menace says. “If you want to have a really nice conversation, or a birthday greeting, or just talk golf, go to the link below.”
Much like his disastrous appearance on The Masked Singer in late April, the jokes started flying in as people went to town on Giuliani’s outfit. Specifically, his shorts, which again, are stupid huge. As one Twitter user expertly notes below, they’re a size only Kevin Smith could dream of.
You can see reactions to Giuliani’s mammoth shorts below:
— Mr. Butter Chicken (@MrButterChicken) May 2, 2022
To the surprise of no one, Giuliani’s time on Cameo has been a non-stop thrill ride of embarrassment. Shortly after joining the platform, he got duped into making a video that essentially trashed his own client. It’s the type of bonehead legal move that only Giuliani could make in his desperate attempt to stave off the poor house after working for Trump. Then again, he could easily sublet his shorts. There’s plenty of room in them.
Once upon a time, back before we all had supercomputers in our pockets but after video killed the radio star, the place to go to learn more about the then-nascent music and culture of hip-hop was Yo! MTV Raps (at least for those of us outside the New York tri-state area). Airing in the US from 1988 to 1995, the two-hour video block was the first of its kind on the network, airing rap videos, interviews with rappers, and in-studio performances. It was the first time many folks outside of urban America got to see the exciting new art form as it gained in popularity and power.
With the exception of a few anniversary shows, the block has been off the air for over 25 years. However, that’s soon to change thanks to the new streaming service Paramount+, which is relaunching the show with battle rapper/MTV fixture Conceited as the host alongside DJ Diamond Kuts. Like its predecessor, the show revival is set to feature interviews, performances, and, perhaps inspired by the original show’s legendary final episode, live ciphers from some of hip-hop’s hottest rising stars.
The show will premiere on May 24 with Freddie Gibbs and will air weekly, with future takeovers from Latto, Saba, JID, Shenseea, Tee Grizzley, IDK, and Trina. According to Complex, more stars including Baby Tate, Just Blaze, and Maino will appear throughout the season. In addition, Paramount+ will feature archived episodes from the show’s original run alongside past episodes of VH1’s Behind The Music and another pivotal MTV staple, Unplugged.
Check out the trailer for the return of Yo! MTV Raps above.
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See the infamous moment … 
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