Following the Texas school shooting that left 21 people dead, including 19 kids, Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourketweeted, “These massacres aren’t natural disasters, acts of God, or random. They are totally predictable, direct consequences of the choices made by Greg Abbott and the majority of those in the legislature.” The democrat later called on gun-loving Governor Abbott to “immediately withdraw” from the (gun-free) National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Houston this weekend.
On Wednesday, O’Rourke attended a press conference at Uvalde High School, where he approached and criticized Abbott (and his GOP cronies) in person for doing nothing after yet another mass shooting. “You’re offering us nothing. You said this is not predictable. This is totally predictable,” he said. “This is on you until you choose to do something different! This will continue to happen. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state, or they will continue to be killed, just as they were in Uvalde yesterday.” His comments were greeted by those on stage with jeers of being told to “sit down” and that he’s “out of order.” The same man also called O’Rourke a “sick son of a b*tch” for making the mass shooting a “political issue.”
O’Rourke was led out of the auditorium by security. Watch it below.
Meanwhile, this was Abbott’s response to the shooting.
Texas Gov. Abbott: “It could have been worse.”
— Neda Toloui-Semnani (@Neda_Semnani) May 25, 2022
O’Rourke’s justified confrontation is being praised on Twitter.
Wow! Beto O’Rourke just crashed Gov. Abbott’s press conference on the Uvalde Massacre and demanded he do something about the state’s gun problem. Thank you, @BetoORourke!
Good for Beto. Gun Violence is a political issue and a policy issue. This is exactly the place to confront the council of @gop psychopaths running #Texas. I hope more Democrats will transform from shrinking flowers pleading with fascists and start confronting them. https://t.co/OzoDFY6Jz6
Hey Texas @BetoORourke has balls. @GregAbbott_TX has balls… in his mouth. So Texas what’s it going to be? Guns? Or kids? What is more important to you? Are you going to show some balls and stick up for kids or you going to keep sucking https://t.co/uh928mQaDu
Pristine beaches, sunset views, and endless sunshine make Southern California the perfect location for a weekend full of live music. The BeachLife Festival proved this to be true, as it embraced all things SoCal with a beach-inspired lineup of music, art, and culinary experiences. The waterfront festival took place in Redondo Beach in Los Angeles County from May 13 to 15 (after being cancelled twice because of the pandemic), making for the ultimate summer kickoff event.
The eclectic list of performers featured long-time beloved artists including Weezer, The Smashing Pumpkins, Steve Miller Band, Sheryl Crow, Stone Temple Pilots, Capital Cities, 311, Vance Joy, Black Pumas, and more. With classic live music, tasty food vendors, and DAOU Family Estates as the official wine of BeachLife Festival, it’s safe to say the good vibes kept flowing throughout the weekend-long event.
For a peek into what went down at BeachLife Festival, scroll through the photos below. The scenes and style choices of the weekend are sure to leave you daydreaming about your next California beach trip.
Senior class president Zander Moricz was given a fair warning: If he used his graduation speech to criticize the “Don’t Say Gay” law, then his microphone would be shut off immediately.
Moricz had been receiving a lot of attention for his LGBTQ activism prior to the ceremony. Moricz, an openly gay student at Pine View School for the Gifted in Florida, also organized student walkouts in protest and is the youngest public plaintiff in the state suing over the law formally known as the Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in grades K-3.
Though well beyond third grade, Moricz nevertheless was also banned from speaking up about the law, gender or sexuality. The 18-year-old tweeted, “I am the first openly-gay Class President in my school’s history–this censorship seems to show that they want me to be the last.”
However, during his speech, Moricz still delivered a powerful message about identity. Even if he did have to use a clever metaphor to do it.
Moricz told the audience, “I must discuss the very public part of my identity. This characteristic has probably become the first thing you think of when you think of me as a human being…”
“As you know, I…have curly hair,” he quipped, nonchalantly taking off his grad cap as the crowd began to clap.
If it’s not obvious now, it will soon become clear that “curly hair” is a euphemism for being gay. But it’s also about so much more.
“I used to hate my curls,” he continued. “I spent mornings and nights embarrassed of them, trying to desperately straighten this part of who I am. But the daily damage of trying to fix myself became too much to endure.”
A major criticism of Florida’s new law is that it potentially further discriminates against an already marginalized group. This can be especially damaging to mental health, and for young people in particular. It can be confusing to have a part of one’s reality so heavily politicized, not to mention at a time when that reality isn’t fully understood.
Moricz proceeded to praise a teacher who answered his questions when he didn’t have “other curly haired people to talk to,” highlighting the important role that an accepting community plays in shaping our identity and self-esteem.
“So, while having curly hair in the state of Florida can be difficult, due to the humidity, I decided to be proud of who I was, and started coming to school as my authentic self,” he shared.
Getting emotional, Moricz lamented, “There are going to be so many kids with curly hair who need a community like Pine View and they will not have one. Instead, they’ll try to fix themselves so that they can exist in Florida’s humid climate.”
The use of code words is sadly not a new concept for the LGBTQ community. And while Moricz made good use of clever wordplay, he still found the experience to be “dehumanizing.” Luckily, his speech was met with an outpouring of love from fellow students, who gave him a standing ovation.
Despite the disheartening challenge, Moricz considered the speech a “great finale” to his high school years and is more determined than ever to continue his advocacy by studying government at Harvard. Sometimes when you have something important to say, silence isn’t an option.
As Tom Cruise gets ready to fly into theaters with Top Gun: Maverick, the actor has been making the promotional rounds where he tries to provide the most humble answers possible to questions like, “Why do you almost kill yourself in every movie?” and presumably, “Do you even age, man?” During a recent interview with Bella magazine, Cruise opened up about his tireless work ethic, which he claims comes easily because his job doesn’t feel like work. When asked what he does on his days off, Cruise revealed that he has no idea because he never takes one.
“This is a day off for me, because I am not shooting!” he told Bella (via Contact Music). “I’m just chillin’ now. I don’t have days off. Look, I’m fortunate, I’m lucky. I’ve spent my life on movie sets and traveling the world, which is what I always wanted to do. So this is not work – I’m living the dream.”
Cruise’s claim that he doesn’t take a day off jibes with a recent anecdote from director Doug Liman who not only worked with, but actually lived with the intense star while filming American Made. According to Liman, Cruise’s birthday was coming up, and instead of planning a big bash or taking the long weekend, the actor scheduled an eight hour aviation meeting. For fun.
“He said, ‘Yes, that’s what I want for my birthday. I want to be making a movie. That’s the best birthday present,’” Liman told Deadline. “There was no blowing out candles, either. Cake? No, Tom doesn’t eat cake.”
Perhaps Kendrick Lamar’s music may soon be in rotation on Lorde’s Solarsystym station on Sonos: Today, in an email sent to fans, the “Solar Power” singer shared an update with her fans, just over two weeks after her US tour for Solar Power came to an end.
She shared some of the books she’s been reading, including Fleur Jaeggy’s Sweet Days Of Discipline and Danyel Smith’s Shine Bright: A Very Personal History Of Black Women In Pop. Additionally, she let us know the music she’s been listening to lately, which includes Kendrick Lamar’s new album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
“I’m loving Kendrick,” she said. “I cannot get over the most popular and influential artist in modern music displaying a working nervous system, admitting mistakes, trying to process intergenerational trauma and prejudice. I love the way the album opens, the pace and heat of the first few songs, and later ‘Count Me Out,’ the build and strings in ‘Auntie Diaries’ … special.”
Could this mean a collab between the two is in order? Perhaps. But given the fact that both artists love to take long hiatuses in between projects, it’s best not to get our hopes up that we’ll hear a collaboration in the near future.
Last month, Kehlani released their third album, Blue Water Road, marking their first album put out since coming out to the world as Queer. The singer had teased the fact that Blue Water Road was, “…vastly different than anything I’ve ever created.” And while there’s a new sense of confidence in these passionate tunes, to long-time fans, it’s still that same sultry vocalist from hits like “Gangsta” and “Nights Like This.”
With the new video for “Melt,” we get the first intimate look at Kehlani’s relationship with their new partner, rapper 070 Shake. In the clip, the pair are in Brazil, sitting at an idyllic outdoor café at opposite tables. They each swig their cachaça at the same time and then meet up in a jungle abode to romance each other.
Speaking on the track itself, Kehlani said in a statement, “It’s about the feeling of laying up with someone, cuddling, or even being sexually intimate, and you want to fall in their skin.” And lyrics like “I can’t tell where your hair ends and mine begins,” and, “Across the bed feels way too far,” really raise the stakes for a pure depiction of their intimacy in the beautifully shot clip that also captures the essence of the pace of life in Brazilian so well.
Watch the video for “Melt” above.
Blue Water Road is out now via Atlantic. Get it here.
Kehlani is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It seems like medals are handed out to bottles of booze at a breakneck pace in the whiskey and spirits world these days. It’s kind of true, a lot of bottles end up with little stickers or neck hangers touting medals from various awards. And hey, that’s great for them. But with so many medals hanging off those bottlenecks, how do you find the true “best” bottles from each competition?
You have to dig into the actual “best in category” bottles to see what truly rose to the top, that’s how. To that end, we were lucky enough to get the exclusive “best of category” winners from this year’s Ascot Awards. And while we love all spirits around here, we’re going to focus on the bourbon and Scotch whisky categories (with the rest of the winners listed below).
Just to quickly clarify, Fred Minnick’s Ascot Awards are the new kids on the block with this year being the second installment. The medals are “honorable mention,” “gold,” “platinum,” and “double platinum” based on a double-blind panel of judges making those calls one dram at a time. For this list, the double-platinum winners all went into the final’s Thunderdome for a best-in-category showdown before Minnick alone picks the “best in show” bottles.
I’m listing all the whiskey winners below with my own tasting notes, using the distiller’s or Ascot Awards judges’ notes where necessary. In the end, hopefully, you’ll be able to find a new whiskey for your own bar cart.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This is Ardbeg’s yearly release of special batches of 19-year-old peaty malt. The whisky is Ardbeg’s signature peated whisky that’s bottled during a “haar.” That’s a thick and briny foggy morning on Islay, which imparts that x-factor into the whisky as it goes into the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
You’re drawn in with a super subtle waft of soft smoke with hints of sour cream, fennel, and cold-smoked salmon on a pine cutting board that’s been washed in the sea. The palate holds onto that briny seaside vibe as it veers towards sea salt-laden dark bricks of fudge bespeckled with dried orange zest and lavender. The end circles back around to a sooty smoke that feels like a warm granite rock that’s been dipped in the sea and then rolled around in the dying embers of a fire.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskies that some would say “isn’t for everybody.” I reject that. This is a world-class whisky that’s so well (and deeply) layered, that you’re sure to find something that speaks to you in that pour.
Best Single Malt Scotch Up to 12 Years: Glenmorangie Lasanta
The 12-year-old expression from Glenmorangie spends most of those years maturing in old bourbon casks. The juice is then transferred to Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks for a final maturation. It’s then proofed with Highland water and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a subtle spice next to sweet, almost toffee malts with a touch of honey. There’s some nice dried fruit next to a mild nuttiness. This is definitely a sherry cask finish. A touch of spicy orange and dark chocolate comes in late as those sweet malts linger.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic entry-level Scotch whisky that’s actually pretty good for bourbon stans. Dried fruits, nuts, and toffee all lend themselves nicely to the subtle malts at play in this one.
Best Single Malt Scotch No Age Statement: Ardbeg Uigeadail
The mix of peated malts, yeast, and that inky lake water creates a spirit that’s already full of flavors. That hot juice is then aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. When the whisky in the barrels is just right, they’re blending into this single malt expression and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Smoky plums in a Christmas cake mingle with a very distinct sense of dried flowers and a sugary banana. The star of this show is the balance between the sweet fruits and smoky malts as the spices fade in to accentuate, not overpower. The sip slows down when you add a few drops of water and really lets the smoke, spice, and fruit work together. The end is soft with a sense of urgency, driving you towards your next sip.
Bottom Line:
This is another smoky whisky that’s so much more than just “peaty.” This is a nuanced sipper that deserves a second chance even if you don’t dig that first sip.
NV William Grant & Sons ‘Fior’ 21 Year Old Blended Malt
William Grant and Sons
ABV: 55.8%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Whisky:
This is an ultra-rare one-off bottling from William Grant & Sons.
Tasting Notes:
None available.
Bottom Line:
The chances of finding this one are pretty slim outside of very rare whiskey bars and vaults.
Bourbon Whiskey:
Best Craft Bourbon: Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Bourbon
These barrel picks from Huber Winery’s Starlight Distillery are starting to light up the craft bourbon scene. The Indiana juice is real craft from a family going back to the mid-1800s on the same farm (this isn’t MGP). Depending on the barrel, the mash here is a unique one with 58 percent corn, 27 percent rye, and 15 percent malted barley. That whiskey is aged for at least four years before it’s considered ready for these barrel picks.
Tasting Notes:
Expect a big nose with vanilla birthday cake, sprinkles, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream next to a touch of peppery spice, old leather, and a hint of soft wood. The palate leans into the pepperiness and layers in orange and lemon oils with cream soda and subtle berries vibes. The end dries out a tad as the black pepper gives way to that vanilla cake with a mild dose of dry wood and black soil.
Bottom Line:
You’re going to be hearing a lot about Starlight in the coming months and years as their whiskey starts hitting more and more shelves outside of Southern Indiana. And, trust me, that’ll be a good thing. They rock.
This is the standard Bulleit but with a little more dialed-in flavor profile that allows the juice to shine on its own. The sourced bourbon is small-batched from hand-selected barrels and bottled at Diageo’s new Bulleit facility without any filtration or cutting down to proof.
Tasting Notes:
Expect sweet woody notes next to oily vanilla and a big note of black pepper. The taste delivers ripe peaches next to more peppery spice and a hint of Christmas spices, with the vanilla taking a backseat and the oak really stepping in to shine. The end is spicy, hot, oaky, and peachy, with a hint of caramel corn.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t very surprising. This is hard-core classic bourbon. It’s also bold enough to be the perfect base for a killer old fashioned or Manhattan. Or you can just enjoy it low and slow in a rocks glass on its own.
Best Single Barrel Bourbon, Up to 10 Years: Redemption High Rye Single Barrel Select
These bottles are the masterwork of chef-turned-master-blender David Carpenter. The juice is hand-selected MGP single barrels that provide a classic bourbon base that then leans a little softer on the palate.
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla wafers with flecks of orange zest open up toward red berries that are slightly tart yet sweet and dusted with cinnamon, clove, and anise. The palate refines those notes toward dried cherries dipped in chocolate next to a black pepper spice with a touch of lemon, a hint of cedar, and some olf glove leather. The finish softens toward a chocolate-mint ice cream pipe tobacco on the very end while the cherry, lemon pepper, and cedar all slowly fade away.
Bottom Line:
I just tested this in a double-blind today and it was great! It’s not something I often reach for but I think that might change.
Best Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon: Doc Swinson’s Exploratory Cask La Mente
For “The Mind,” a whiskey was created to challenge the mind. The five-year-old MGP barrels were batched and refilled into Oloroso sherry casks for a final maturation before bottling.
“NOSE – Holiday spice cake, almond paste, orange zest, and wildflower honey. PALATE – Dried apricots, candied citrus peels, roasted nuts, and baking spices. FINISH – An uplifting and fragrant bourbon full of seasonal fruits and citrus peels followed by honey and toasted oak.”
Bottom Line:
This sounds pretty delicious but more like a holiday sipper than an everyday one.
Best Small Batch Bourbon, Up to 5 Years: The Heart Distillery Small Batch Cask Strength Bourbon
This tiny Windsor, Colorado, distillery is grabbing some attention with this bottle. Beyond the fact that this is three or four years old, not much else is known.
“Inviting aromas of oak, warm vanilla, and decadent caramel swirl with sweet candied orange and rich plums. The delivery is masterful – silky and full, with slight notes of lingering char playing with the complex sweetness and spice. The finish greets you as an old friend, gracefully revisiting all of the flavors and aromas that met you with the first sip.”
Bottom Line:
This sounds straight-up delicious. I think I might order one today and not wait until the next time I’m in Colorado.
Best Small Batch Bourbon, 6 to 10 Years: Moylan’s Cask Strength Bourbon
Moylan’s is crafty bourbon from Stillwater Spirits in Petaluma, California. This four-year-old whiskey is finished in French Chardonnay barrels before it’s bottled at cask strength.
“Aromatics of rich vanilla and fresh toasted coconut conquer the nose with a soft oaky notion. The brilliant golden-amber hue promises a delicious, elegant complexity of faint coffee bean and restrained citrus sweetness.”
Bottom Line:
This sounds a little young with that coconut note. That said, it’s worth giving a shot given its placement at this whiskey event.
Best Small Batch Bourbon, 11 Years and Older: Cinder & Smoke 16 YEAR
Beyond the fact that this is a sourced bourbon blended by The Bard Distillery in Kentucky, not much else is available about what’s actually in the bottle.
This expression is Weller in its purest form. There’s no water added. There’s no filtration. There’s no single barrel supplying the juice in the bottle. This is a marrying of the best barrels wherein the whiskey stayed at 114 proof from going into the barrel to coming out of it.
Tasting Notes:
Imagine red Bing cherries soaked in vanilla syrup then dipped in caramel and allowed to harden then sprinkled with a pinch of sea salt and dusted with mild, powdery cinnamon on the nose. The palate holds onto that mild cinnamon and vanilla but then builds this big, layered vanilla cake with a buttery frosting full of caramel and baking spices with a hint of cherry tobacco and soft, dry cedar in the background … kind of like smoked stained wood paneling in an old bakery. The finish lingers and really leans into the buttery vanilla notes and, eventually, you’re left with this velvet warmth and a distant echo of dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
I highly doubt anyone is surprised Weller made it to the top of a wheated bourbon award. This stuff is beloved for a reason and really does kind of live up to the hype around it.
Best Blend of Straight Bourbon: Penelope Bourbon Private Select Batch 21
This new-ish whiskey from Penelope really helps solidify the brand as a powerhouse in blending. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of three bourbon mash bills (one is 21 percent rye, another 90 percent corn, and a 45 percent wheated bourbon — all from MGP), which create a four-grain (corn, wheat, rye, and barley) bourbon. Beyond that, this is about masterfully blending of four to five-year-old barrels into something bigger than the individual parts.
Tasting Notes:
You get a sense of dry cornmeal on the nose next to apple crumble, plenty of wintry spice, a hint of mulled wine, wet brown sugar, and a thin layer of wet yet sweet cedar. A hint of brandy-soaked cherries arrives on the palate with a dusting of dark chocolate powder next to more apple pie filling, spice, and buttery crust alongside a sweet, toffee-heavy mid-palate. The end arrives with a dry wicker vibe, cherry tobacco chewiness, and a hint of that dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
These always rule. They’re fun, fresh, and deliver on a serious flavor profile that’s never overwhelming. Wins all around.
This new age statement released from Jack Daniel’s feels like a throwback to a bygone era in Tennessee Whiskey. The whiskey is aged for at least ten years. During that time, the barrels spend time in the “Buzzard’s Roost” at the top of the rickhouse. Once they hit the right flavor profile, those barrels are moved to the bottom floors of other warehouses to slow the aging down. Finally, the whiskey is vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a rich matrix of cherry syrup, apple cores, sticky toffee, vanilla ice cream, and a thin line of wet and sweet wood. The palate opens up towards the dark fruit but dries it out and married it to a sticky and spicy tobacco leaf while toasted cedar soaked in salted caramel vibes with dry corn husks that are just singed. The finish really takes its time as the cherry attaches to an old cinnamon stick and the tobacco takes on a sticky chewiness with a mild savory fruit edge.
Bottom Line:
This was one of the best overall whiskeys of all of 2021, so it’s no surprise to see it picking up awards this year. If you can find one, grab it. It’ll change how you see Jack Daniel’s.
Winners from Other Categories:
Other Whiskeys Categories:
Best Special Barrel-Finished Rye: Old Scout Rye Port Cask Finish
Best American Whiskey: Old Carter Straight American Whiskey
Best American Whiskey: Single Barrel: 291 Colorado Whiskey Finished with Aspen Staves, Barrel Proof Single Barrel
Best American Rye Whiskey: O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Rye Whiskey
Best American Rye Whiskey Single Barrel: Middle West Spirits Straight Rye Whiskey – Dark Pumpernickel Cask Strength
Best Light Whiskey: Penelope American Light Whiskey
Best Craft Whiskey: Chattanooga Bottled in Bond Fall 2017 Vintage
Best Special Barrel-Finished Whiskey: Saints Alley Heretic
Best Blend of Straight Rye: Smooth Ambler Contradiction Rye
Best Whiskey Club Barrel Pick: 5280 Whiskey Society – Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel “Thunder Chicken” and Naptown Bourbon Club Pick – Backbone Bourbon Uncut
Best Blend of Straight Whiskies: Bardstown Triple Blended Stave Finish Distillery Exclusive
Best Blended Malt: Lost Lantern American Vatted Malt Edition No. 1
Best American Single Malt: Cloudsplitter Single Malt Whisky and Old Line American Single Malt Sherry Cask Finish
Best Corn Whiskey: Paradigm Spirits Co. 2020 Heritage Collection
Best Wheat Whiskey: Journeyman Distillery Corsets Whips and Whiskey
Best Flavored Whiskey: Tennessee Legend Salted Caramel
Best Moonshine | Flavored: Tennessee Legend Apple Pie Moonshine
Best World Whisky: Archie Rose Distilling Co Single Malt Whisky
Best Light Whiskey: Penelope American Light Whiskey
Best Canadian Whisky: Paradigm 2022 Heritage Collection
Best Blended Irish Whiskey: The Quiet Man Traditional Blend
White Spirits:
Best Flavored Vodka: Deep Eddy Lemon
Best Vodka: Deep Eddy Lemon
Best Gin: Wilder Gin
Best Flavored Gin: Tinkerman’s Gin – Sweet Spice
Best Aged Rum: Privateer Rum Distiller’s Drawer – Intrepid
Best Flavored Rum (Spiced): Bohique Spiced Rum
Best Unaged Tequila: Campovaso Blanco Tequila
Best Reposado Tequila: Familia Camarena Reposado Tequlia
Best Anejo Tequila: E. Cuarenta Anejo Tequila
Best Flavored Tequila: Antano Valencia Orange Flavored Tequila
Best Mezcal: Cutwater Spirits Mezcal Joven
Best Sotol: Cazul 100 Sotol Blanco
Best American Agave Spirit: Cutwater Spirits Mezcal Reposado
Best Baijiu: Ming River Sichuan Baijiu
Best Cognac: Flavored: Grand Brulot VSOP Cognac & Café
Best Apple Brandy: Starlight Distillery 10 Year Bottled-In-Bond Estate Apple Brandy
Best Grape Brandy: O’Neill Vintners & Distillers BRANDYLAB
Best Plum Brandy: Yebiga Bela Plum Brandy
White Liqueurs:
Best Liqueur, Herbal/Botanical: Foro Amaro
Best Liqueur, Chocolate: Faretti Biscotti Chocolate
Best Liqueur, Coffee: Granddad Jack’s Barbershop Coffee Liqueur
Best Liqueur, Cream/Dairy: Evan Williams Egg Nog
Liqueurs, Aperitif: Foro Rosso Vermouth di Torino
Best Liqueur, Fruit: PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur and Ferrand Dry Curaçao
Best Liqueur, Nut: Watershed Nocino
Ready to Drink:
Best Ready-to-Drink Seltzer: Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka + Soda
Best Ready-to-Drink Cocktail: Cutwater Spirits Tiki Rum Punch
Best Mixers Non-Alcoholic: Betty Buzz Sparkling Lemon Lime
You can check out Fred Minnick’s pick for “Best in Show” live on Friday, May 27th, on his YouTube channel.
Those May-June flowers are out there with plenty of pollen to feed your allergies, so if you need to stay inside, there’s plenty of fresh content for you from Netflix. The streaming platform’s bringing back The Umbrella Academy for extra family drama amid the already scrappy set of superhero-powered siblings. And finally, Peaky Blinders fans can watch bloody hell unfold in the final season while a new Chris Hemsworth thriller and a dramatic Adam Sandler turn is landing on streaming devices, too.
Don’t forget about comedy, though. The recent Netflix is A Joke festival helped to crank out some specials coming your way. That includes entries from Pete Davidson and David Letterman along with a Bob Saget tribute. Bill Burr’s got another comedy special coming, too, and several Mission: Impossible movies arrive in the library while Tom Cruise readies more sequels for theatrical runs.
Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix in June.
The Umbrella Academy: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 6/26)
The formerly ghostly Ben (Justin H. Min) is back, and he’s not sweet and nice and only antagonizing Robert Sheehan’s Klaus. He’s got it out for the Hargreeves family that we know and love, and in another timeline, he’s part of the Sparrow Academy. Get ready for Elliot Page’s Viktor to rise along with the rest of the familiar siblings, and hopefully Klaus and his savvy dance moves, while they all gather around to repair another riff in the universe. Lila will even join forces with Viktor, which should only add to the chaotic mess that is this live-action realization of Gerard Way’s comic book series. Will these rampant apocalypses ever end? Let’s hope not.
Peaky Blinders: Season 6 (BBC One/Netflix series streaming 6/10)
This season’s been sitting pretty for months now across the pond, but stateside viewers will finally get to see Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby kicking ass and fending off new rivals as he preps to head toward North America. The family’s missing its matriarch now (due to actress Helen McRory’s death), and it’s all coming down to a final batch of a half-dozen episodes, although one should expect some movies and spinoffs to eventually arrive. Dig that cockney rhyming slang!
Hustle (Netflix film streaming 6/8)
Adam Sandler’s getting dramatic again (finally) and leaving those Hubie Halloween-type characters behind to portray a down-on-his luck scout who discovers the next basketball star. He takes a long shot to get this player into shape for an NBA run while also fighting against a less than savory set of past behaviors. The Sandman is back, y’all.
Spiderhead (Netflix film streaming 6/17)
Chris Hemsworth follows up on his Extraction success with a less-actiony story to portray an unsettling researcher who’s pulling strings at a tech-heavy prison awash with mind-altering experiments. Two inmates will nonetheless form a valuable connection, and this story’s based upon George Saunders’ “Escape From Spiderhead,” so get ready for a tense ride from a bespectacled Hemsworth.
Pete Davidson Presents: The Best Friends (Netflix comedy special streaming 6/13)
Yes, Pete Davidson will joke about Kanye West while curating and hosting this special chock full of his fellow stand-up comedians. Expect this to arrive with some controversy of course, even though he’s gone rather mainstream in his romantic life. Pete recently said goodbye to SNL, and plenty of eyes await his upcoming films and, of course, what he’ll do while being funny.
That’s My Time with David Letterman (Netflix comedy special streaming 6/7)
David Letterman’s already got a series on Netflix (as you can see in the above trailer for that project), and here, he highlights six up-and-coming comedy stars for a mini-sets and a nice chat in the aftermath. It’s a way for the legend to help others rise to public view, so expect to see Rosebud Baker, Phil Wang, Sam Morril, Brian Simpson, Robin Tran, and Naomi Ekperigin. Oh, and that famous Letterman folksy charm.
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Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Tribute (Netflix comedy special streaming 6/10)
Bob Saget’s legacy will (at least partially) get its due here as his co-stars and friends gather around to pay their comedic respects following his untimely death. Saget, of course, left an enormous void, but there’s a therapeutic benefit to laughter. Whew.
Avail. 6/1 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Dear John
Dumb and Dumber
Edge of Seventeen
Eraser
His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass
Lean on Me
Léon: The Professional
Life as We Know It
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible II
Mr Bean’s Holiday
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Soul Plane
Steel Magnolias
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Boy
The Departed
The Fighter
The Girl Next Door
The Hurt Locker
The Players Club
Titanic
Troy
Vegas Vacation
We Are Marshall
Avail. 6/2
Borgen – Power & Glory
The DUFF
Yuri Marçal: Honest Mistake
Avail. 6/3 As the Crow Flies
Floor Is Lava: Season 2 Interceptor
Mr. Good: Cop or Crook?
The Perfect Mother
Surviving Summer.
Two Summers
Avail. 6/5 Straight Up
Avail. 6/6 Action Pack: Season 2 Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill
Avail. 6/7 That’s My Time with David Letterman
Avail. 6/8 Baby Fever
Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis
Hustle
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
Avail. 6/9 Rhythm + Flow France
Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
Avail. 6/10 Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness
Closet Monster
Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Tribute
First Kill
Intimacy
Peaky Blinders: Season 6 Top Gear: Season 27 Top Gear: Season 28 Trees of Peace
Vice
Avail. 6/11 Amy Schumer’s Parental Advisory
Avail. 6/13 Charlie’s Colorforms City: Mighty Movie Adventures
Charlie’s Colorforms City: Miss Weather and Friends
Pete Davidson Presents: The Best Friends
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
Avail. 6/14 Jane & Lily: Ladies Night Live
Halftime
The Mole: Season 3-4
Avail. 6/15 Centauro
Front Cover
God’s Favorite Idiot
Heart Parade
Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend
Maldivas
Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet
The War Next-door: Season 2
The Wrath of God
Avail. 6/16 Dead End: Paranormal Park
Karma’s World Music Videos: Season 2 Love & Anarchy: Season 2 Rhythm + Flow France
Sing, Dance, Act: Kabuki featuring Toma Ikuta
Snoop Dogg’s F*cn Around Comedy Special
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Avail. 6/17 The Martha Mitchell Effect
Rainbow High: Season 2 She: Season 2 Spiderhead
You Don’t Know Me
Avail. 6/18 Alchemy of Souls
Charmed: Season 4 SPRIGGAN
Avail. 6/19 Civil
It
Avail. 6/20 Doom Of Love
Philomena
Avail. 6/21 All That: Seasons 2-3 The Future Of
Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual
Kenan and Kel: Seasons 1-2 Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide: Seasons 1-2 Zoey 101: Seasons 1-2
Avail. 6/22 Bruna Louise: Demolition
The Hidden Lives of Pets
Love & Gelato
The Mist
Sing 2
Snowflake Mountain
The Umbrella Academy: Season 3
Avail. 6/23 Best of the Fest
Best of the Festival, highlights from throughout the 11-day Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival.
First Class
Queen
Rhythm + Flow France
Avail. 6/24 Angry Birds: Summer Madness: Season 2 Legacies: Season 4 The Man from Toronto
Man Vs Bee
Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area
Avail. 6/25 Grey’s Anatomy: Season 18
Avail. 6/27 Cafe Minamdang
Chip and Potato: Chip’s Holiday
Avail. 6/29 BEAUTY
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Pirate Gold of Adak Island
The Upshaws: Season 2 Part 1
Avail. 6/30 BASTARD -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Sharkdog: Season 2
Leaving 6/2 Documentary Now!: Seasons 1-3 Lady Bird
Leaving 6/6 The Night Shift: Seasons 1-4 Vampire Academy
Leaving 6/13 Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce: Seasons 1-5
Leaving 6/17 Silver Linings Playbook
Leaving 6/23 Reign: Seasons 1-3
Leaving 6/29 Criminal Minds: Seasons 1-10
Leaving 6/30 Corpse Bride
Desperado
Eagle Eye
Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother’s Fight to Save Her Daughter
The Exorcist
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Godzilla
Happy Gilmore
Her
How to Train Your Dragon
Into the Wild
Joan Rivers: Don’t Start with Me
Just Go With It
Looper
Memoirs of a Geisha
Midnight in Paris
My Fair Lady
The Originals: Seasons 1-4 Shrek Forever After
Stand by Me
Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.
This past week was filled with some strong R&B and afrobeat releases. They include Omah Lay’s “Woman,” John Legend’s “Dope” with JID, Foushee’s “I’m Fine,” Sudan Archives’ “Selfish Soul,” Ravyn Lenae’s “Xtasy,” and a new video for Eli Derby and 6lack’s “Lately.”
Ravyn Lenae — Hypnos
In 2018, Ravyn Lenae gave us her Crush EP. Now in 2022, she returns with her debut album Hypnos and she’s better than ever. Sixteen songs take listeners on a luscious and ethereal journey with help from Steve Lacy, Mereba, Foushee, and Smino.
Jacquees — “Say Yea”
It’s been a little while since we’ve heard from the self-proclaimed “King Of R&B.” Jacquees’ last spotlight moment came with his 2019 sophomore album named after the title he wears so proudly. The Atlanta native is now ready to release his third album and he kicks off its rollout with the sultry and passionate “Say Yea.”
Xavier Omar — “Feelings 4 You”
Beautiful heart-warming music is something that you can expect to receive from Xavier Omar. His 2019 and 2020 albums, Moments Spent Loving You with Sango and If You Feel respectively, are both examples of that. Omar is about to give us more examples of that and it begins with “Feelings 4 You.”
THEY. — “Blü Moon”
Nearly two years after releasing their sophomore album The Amanda Tape, singer Dante Jones and producer Drew Love of THEY. are back in action with their new track “Blü Moon.” The tender record speaks to the duo’s hesitant feelings about a one-of-a-kind woman they’re growing feelings for.
Mahalia — Letter To Ur Ex
The last project we received from British singer Mahalia was her 2020 EP Plastic Hearts which followed her 2019 debut album Love And Compromise. While we’re still waiting for her sophomore album, Mahalia returns with her Letter To Ur Ex EP which presents five new songs to hold her fans over until her second album
Davion Farris — Moved
The latest generation of the Farris family has more to offer than SiR and D Smoke. Davion Farris, who is brothers with the aforementioned names, released Moved his first project in five years. “I want my fans to feel seen, heard, and understood,” Davion said about the 7-track release. “I want them to know that a strong black man can be vulnerable and that vulnerability helps make him whole.”
August 08 — Towards The Sun
After inking a deal with Def Jam, Los Angeles singer August 08 has arrived with his first project under the new label. Towards The Sun is now available for listeners to press play on and it touches down with sevens songs and a lone feature from Schoolboy Q. Additionally, Towards The Sun is the first half of his upcoming two-part debut Seasick, Towards The Sun, so you can expect more from August 08 soon.
Allyn – After Hours, Pt. 1
Sacramento-born singer Allyn gave us her Overthinking project towards the end of the summer last year. Less than a year later and Allyn is already back in action with a quickstrike project. After Hours, Pt. 1 arrives with four songs and a lone feature from fellow Cali native Phabo and surely the first of more to come soon from Allyn.
Leon Thomas & Benny The Butcher — “X-Rated”
He’s produced and co-written records for Ariana Grande, Ella Mai, Rick Ross, Drake, and more, and now, Leon Thomas has a record deal after signing with Ty Dolla Sign new label EZMNY Records. His first release under the imprint is “X-Rated” with Benny The Butcher, a record that’s supported by glitchy production and Thomas’ praises about a woman and her sexual freedom.
Lojay & Sarz — “Monalisa (Remix)” Feat. Chris Brown
There were many records that were highlights in the afrobeats world last year. Lojay & Sarz’s “Monalisa” is certainly one of them. Almost a year after the song was released, the duo gives it a special boost with help from Chris Brown, who supplies his own verse to the irresistible song.
Jada Kingdom — “Last Call”
Jamaican-born singer and songwriter Jada Kingdom is looking to make a name for herself this year. She takes another step towards achieving that with her new single “Last Call” which strikes as a sizzling and sultry number focused on her inability to remember the thrilling and excellent moments from the night before.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
While hot sauce is nothing new (we’ve been dousing our eggs, sandwiches, mac and cheese, and almost everything else with it for years), it feels like the culinary world is hot sauced obsessed in recent years. And we’re not just talking about a tad bit o’ heat. We’re talking about a trend of ridiculously hot, make-sure-you-have-milk ready, mouth-burning, day-ruining hot chips, crackers, mac and cheese, chicken, soda… the list is long.
While we don’t know where it at all began, we can likely thank the wide range of “Flamin’ Hot” chips for getting everyone obsessed with over-the-top, out-of-bounds hot-hot heat. Meanwhile, Hot Ones, hosted by Sean Evans, has amplified the idea of adding a little spice to your food by turning it into a sort of masochist challenge. So a Hot Ones chip was probably inevitable.
Recently, Pringles collaborated with Hot Ones to create limited-edition chips called Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Ones. The flavors are Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Ones The Classic Hot Sauce (only available at Circle K starting in July), Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo (only available at Walmart starting in June), and Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Ones Los Calientes Verde (available at retailers nationwide starting in June).
We got cans of all three flavors in advance of their release. Keep reading to see how they all stack up and find out which ones are worth trying and which ones aren’t.
Christopher Osburn
The Flavors Ranked From Least to Most Hot:
3) Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Ones The Classic Hot Sauce
Christopher Osburn
This flavor is described as a “timeless hot sauce flavor with an extra peppery kick that will keep snackers coming back for more.” We couldn’t agree more. When the can was cracked open, the smell was of classic, vinegar-based hot sauce. It was very reminiscent of a plate of hot, slathered, spicy chicken wings. Eating one continued this trend. It was fairly nostalgic in that way.
Covered in bright red powder, this chip doesn’t seem to be hot at first, but the heat builds. Behind the heat are slight notes of vinegar, cayenne pepper, a pleasing salty flavor, and a nice, unexpected tang that hits you in the back of your taste buds. Not as hot as expected, but we can imagine eating a whole can would leave your mouth on fire. In the hierarchy of the three, this is definitely the beginner flavor. It’s hot but not “call in sick to work”-hot like the other two.
Hotness Level:
1/5
2) Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Ones Los Calientes Verde
Christopher Osburn
This iteration of spicy Pringles is described as a “punchy, smoky blend of serrano and habanero chiles, sweet fruit and tart tomatillo packed in one, crispy bite.” We think their description is perfect, but the nose was heavily dominated by habaneros and nothing else. That’s not such a bad thing as we love these ridiculously spicy peppers.
While the Classic Hot Sauce and Caliente Rojo flavors are covered in red dust, this one is a vibrant green. The flavor is surprisingly smoky with tart tomatillo flavor, spicy habanero, and serrano peppers. It has a nice mix of smoke, tart tomatillo, and spicy peppers. It might be the most well-rounded of the three. There’s a lot more heat than the Classic Hot Sauce Flavor but not remotely as much Caliente Rojo. If you’re working your way up in the heat index, this is step two.
Hotness Level:
3/5
1) Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo
Christopher Osburn
These crisps are described as having the “perfect balance of sweet applewood-smoked red jalapeños and tangy habanero for a fiery blaze in every bite.” We aren’t positive we agree with their sentiment as the nose smells remarkably like barbecue-flavored chips. There might be a little pepper in there too, but it’s dominated by a fake-smelling barbecue sauce aroma.
Just like the Classic Hot Sauce-flavored crisps, these bad boys are covered in red dust. Slight smoky, salty, and with a healthy, potent kick of jalapenos and habaneros — these are a lot hotter than the classic hot sauce flavor. It only took one chip for me to start looking around for the glass of milk I had on standby. These are definitely not for novice hot sauce fans. Be prepared for a fairy numb tongue when you’re done.
Hotness Level:
5/5
The Bottom Line:
With the connection to Hot Ones, we expected all three of these flavors to be uncomfortably hot. But it makes sense that there would be a gradual climb in heat. There are three levels of heat perfectly suited for every level of spicy food fans. While they differ in heat, each is flavorful and memorable.
If they weren’t just available for a limited time, we’d make every one of these a permanent addition to our snacking arsenal.
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(@TonyAtamanuik) May 25, 2022
Pickles the Drummer
-Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy
