Month: November 2022

This article originally appeared on 08.23.16

Back-to-school time has many parents rejoicing.

No more paying for expensive summer camp, yippee! GIF via “Anchorman.”

The one thing we don’t love about this glorious time of year, though? Yup, you guessed it: homework.

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And that’s a bummer, because a lot of students these days are getting more and more homework — far more than the recommended amount, which is about 10 minutes per grade level.

That’s led parents all over the country and world to write about how unpleasant it is to see their little ones stressing out over piles and piles of math problems, pulling late nights, and missing out on time that could be spent reading, playing outside, or hanging with the family.

Plus, we parents sometimes have to help answer questions about subjects we haven’t studied in decades, which hurts our brains.

But one second-grade teacher from Texas wants to try something new with homework: not giving any.

Brandy Young kicked off the new school year with a note for her kids to pass on to their parents. When it made its way to social media, it quickly went viral:

The note reads:

“Dear Parents,After much research this summer, I am trying something new. Homework will only consist of work that your student did not finish during the school day. There will be no formally assigned homework this year.Research has been unable to prove that homework improves student performance. Rather, I ask that you spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success. Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside, and get your child to bed early.Thanks,Mrs. Brandy Young”

Her note struck a powerful chord with parents everywhere.

So far, it’s been shared nearly 70,000 times by moms and dads who are tired of playing “homework police” or just want a little more quality time with their kids at night.

Brandy Young is right: The research on the effectiveness of homework is a mixed bag, especially for kids as young as second grade.

That’s not to say developing good study habits isn’t important, especially as students graduate to much more difficult subjects like advanced math. Because it is!

But imagination, social skills, family bonding, and even just getting enough sleep are also important. It’s nice to see a teacher who recognizes that a lot of different things go in to making a well-rounded kid.

Students “work hard all day. When they go home they have other things they need to learn there,” Young told CBS News. “I’m trying to develop their whole person.”

Educating our kids is a seriously important job, and there are a lot of different ways to get that job done right.

But it’s not hard to see why people are getting excited about Young’s approach: More reading and playtime for our kids and fewer brain-busting long division problems for us to help with.

That’s a win-win.

With a universe so massive and expansive as Star Wars, it makes sense that there are many stories to tell, and everyone wants to be the one to do it! Only a few of those stories ever make it past the development stage, though, and at this moment in time, there are quite a handful of Star Wars titles in the works, both streaming shows and movies. It seems like Disney’s release schedules are always changing, so here is a complete list of what to expect from the galaxy far far away–assuming they don’t get axed.

Star Wars: Ahsoka will follow Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson). The series is expected to take place during the same timeframe as The Mandalorian with some familiar faces. There is no release date for this show, but production began in the spring of this year, so we can expect it at some point in 2023, presumably.

Production on the upcoming series The Acolyte just began last month, featuring Bodies Bodies Bodies star Amandla Stenberg, Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae, The Good Place’s Manny Jacinto, and Jodie Turner-Smith. We can expect this series to air sometime in late 2023 or early 2024. Here is the official tagline: A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.

Then, Jude Law will lead The Skeleton Crew, an upcoming series that will follow a crew who get lost in space during the New Republic era. The series was announced earlier this spring, so it will probably drop sometime in 2024.

Of course, we can’t forget about the upcoming animated series A Droid Story which will give fans a fun little adventure with everyone’s favorite droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. That series is expected to drop sometime in 2023 on Disney+. Returning favorites like The Mandalorian season three and The Bad Batch season two are expected in 2023, while the future of The Book of Boba Fett remains unknown.

Meanwhile, Donald Glover’s Lando series has not been officially removed from Disney+’s roster, though the show has been on the back burner since it was first announced in 2020. As of this year, Disney is allegedly waiting for Glover to finish up various other projects before reprising his role.

As for movies, there are as few as three, but as many as six new Star Wars feature-length films in the works, though many of them are in their early stages. Taika Waititi, Kevin Feige, and Rian Johnson have all been attached to make various Star Wars movies, though none of them have gotten much traction. Johnson first confirmed that he would be making a trilogy back in 2017, and while he has confirmed that the movies are still on his radar, he’s mostly been busy with the Knives Out universe as of late. As for Feige and Watiti …they both have a lot of Marvel things on their plate.

In terms of previously announced titles Rogue Squadron and Rangers Of The New Republic, it seems like Disney has yanked those projects from the production schedule. Of course, the galaxy is ever-expanding, so who knows what could pop up over the next decade. A Jar-Jar Binks redemption movie would be a good place to start!

(Via IndieWire and EW)

Drake and 21 Savage dropped their joint album last week. It appears the album is having a strong week. Because of this, Her Loss just might make it to a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200.

A Twitter user noted that the album has accumulated an additional 400k units, translating into over 500 million streams. Hits Daily Double also predicted that Her Loss will debut at No. 1 on their Hits Top 50 chart. The site has currently projected 370k to 390k in sales.

However, the rollout hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. As initial promotion, Drake and 21 Savage trolled with fake appearances on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, an interview with Howard Stern, and a fake Vogue magazine cover — which they are getting sued over.

“I feel like I relate to a lot of cultures because I was born in London, but then all my family migrated from the West Indies and sh*t,” 21 Savage said in the mock interview with Stern. “I’m damn near like gumbo when it comes to culture. Bruh, I might be the greatest rapper from my country, too, though.”

“Yo, you know, a lot of people say that, right?” Drake added. “A lot of people are like, ‘You’re the pride of London’ and sh*t. That’s why that London, that O2 night, that has to happen. That’s like some real homecoming sh*t. I’m excited for that.” Following the release of Her Loss, the duo have been teasing a tour — which this also appears to allude to.

Her Loss is out now via OVO/Republic Records. Stream it here.

As each day passes, the single malt world expands a little bit more — both in breadth and depth. The interesting thing about single malt whisk(e)y is that it can be made anywhere in the world. There are no regional laws that require aging in a specific place, meaning that anyone, anywhere can make single malt whiskies as long as they keep it 100% barley-based. That in turn means that single malt whisk(e)y might just have the most diversity (globally) of any style of whisky.

To celebrate that diversity, let’s blindly taste-test some single malt whiskies from all over the world!

For this blind tasting and ranking, I pulled eight single malt whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Japan, Israel, and the U.S. It’s a wide mix of whiskies that each often carry unique characteristics. They’re also all unpeated to give a clear focus on similar flavor profile nuances. As for the ranking, this is purely about what tastes best.

Our lineup today is:

• The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve
• Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky Cuvee Cask
• Busker Irish Single Malt
• M&H Classic Single Malt
• Starward Vitalis
• St. George Single Malt Whiskey Lot 22
• The GlenDronach Batch 10 Cask Strength
• Yamazaki Mizunara

Okay, let’s dive in and find you a great and unique single malt to call your own this November.

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

• All Of Johnnie Walker’s Core Whisky Line, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• Johnnie Walker Vs. Chivas: Which Scotch Whisky Brand Will Win Our Blind Test?
• The Winning Scotch And Bourbon Whiskeys From This Year’s Ascot Awards
• World Class ‘Sipping’ Single Malt Whiskies Under $100, Ranked
• Peated Scotch Blind Taste Test: Our Professional Taster Picks His Earthy Favorites

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

The nose is openly complex from the first inhalation with a matrix of sticky toffee pudding spices — cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg — next to dried red berries with a slight earthiness, a touch of salted toffee candies, and a whisper of vanilla wafers. The palate opens with a chocolate maltiness next to a bowl of fresh and tropical fruits — pineapple, tart apples, sweet pears, plums, bruised bananas — with a mild nuttiness, sharp orange zest, and subtle winter spices. There’s a light mustiness on the back end that leads to soft and moist pipe tobacco with a thin layer of orchard fruits and stewed figs.

This is freaking delicious. It’s complex and soft while still being bold and engaging. Goddamn, this is a great way to kick things off!

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Light hints of lemon and orange oils mingle with dark berry soda and spicy caramel malts on the nose. The palate leans into the citrus with a lemon meringue pie feeling next to sour cherries tossed in sea salt, mulled wine spices, and a light sense of creamed honey with a vanilla underbelly. The end leans into that sweet honey before adding in some woody cinnamon sticks and allspice berries with a whisper of minced meat pie tobacco and old worn leather.

This is pretty nice overall. I can see this bridging the world of easy sipper and solid cocktail base.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

There’s a good sense of orchard fruit next to cinnamon sticks floating in apple cider with a clear maltiness that’s more like a Graham cracker dipped in light honey. The palate has a touch of chocolate malts that leads to more apples/pears with a hint of old doughnuts and powdered sugar.

The end is short and sweet with a touch of honey, nuts, and oats.

This was… fine.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

There’s a nice sense of floral honey and old oak on the nose with a big hit of orange oils and vanilla cake. The palate leans into the vanilla as caramel sauce and more honey sweeten the maltiness toward a counterpoint of black peppercorns and wet oak. The end has a woodiness that’s oaky and soft with vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks, and orange balancing with the grainy maltiness.

This was also fine. I did like the orange vibes but the rest was pretty light overall.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

There’s a balance of toffee and rum raisin next to dark chocolate, grilled pineapple, old apricot, and tangerine on the nose. The palate opens with a meaty date and black tea bitterness next to chocolate malts, prune jam, and tart red currants with a hint of that apricot in the background. The end has a touch of mango skins next to roasted coffee beans and mocha lattes with woody berry tobacco with a touch of cedar bark and old leather.

This was a super tasty sip of whisky. It didn’t quite reach the heights of taste one, but it’s not far off.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

There’s a big note of lemon and lime oils on the nose with a burnt orange vibe leading to some espresso beans, walnut cookies, and maybe a touch of fennel or coriander. The palate is part nougat and part mocha latte with spicy gingerbread next to savory melons. The end has a nutty/sweet vibe that leads to more of that melon savoriness with a hint of lemon-lime tobacco.

This feels pretty crafty with all of that citrus. It’s not unbalanced or bad. It’s just really out of left field in this lineup and a tad one note.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

This feels classic on the nose with spiced holiday cakes next to clove-stuffed orange peels, meaty prunes and dates, soft sultanas, and old orchard tree bark. The palate leans into that spiced holiday cake with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg next to candied fruits and citrus peels, roasted almonds, and salted toffee sauce. The end meanders through shortbread and toffee next to old Christmas wreaths, stewed plums, and mulled wine with a spicy edge.

This is classic malt. It’s delicious, engaging, and feels full of fall/winter vibes.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

This opens slightly tannic/wood-forward with old cinnamon bark next to whole cloves, allspice berries, star anise, and cardamom pods countered by creamy vanilla custard cut with dried lavender and sandalwood. The palate leans into the floral aspect slightly as sweet cinnamon and allspice mingle with sour mulled wine and dark honey. The end has a woody and spicy vibe with a creamy maltiness and an old and muted floral incense burning underneath everything.

This is pretty incredible. The floral aspects are pronounced but don’t overtake the whole profile. This is just good whisky.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Busker Irish Single Malt — Taste 3

ABV: 44.3%

Average Price: $33

The Whisky:

This budget single malt from Ireland highlights the brand’s ability to go old-school. The 100% malted barley whiskey is aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before blending, proofing, and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was fine but clearly a mixing whiskey.

7. St. George Single Malt Whiskey Lot 22 — Taste 6

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

This new release, Lot 22, is a blend made with single malts aged in used Kentucky bourbon barrels, used Tennessee whiskey barrels, and used American and French oak apple brandy, port, and California Sauternes-style wine casks. The ages of those barrels ranged from four-and-a-half years to eight-and-a-half years to 23 years old when blended.

Bottom Line:

This was very citrus-forward, which is fine. It just didn’t quite break through in this panel today, hence it ranking lower. All of that said, this was balanced and perfectly fine all things considered.

6. M&H Classic Single Malt — Taste 4

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $55

The Whisky:

This Israeli single malt whisky is aged in ex-bourbon casks and red-wine casks sourced locally. Those barrels are blended and proofed before bottling.

Bottom Line:

Again, this was fine. It was a standard single malt that felt like a mixer.

5. Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky Cuvee Cask — Taste 2

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $85

The Whiskey:

This expression is made from 100% malted barley distillate that’s aged for three years in Cuvée wine casks in the foothills of Virginia’s Appalachia. Those barrels are vatted and proofed down with local water and bottled without filtration or coloration, letting the barrels shine in the glass.

Bottom Line:

This is where the nice stuff starts. This a very balanced and deep whiskey that really feels like a solid sipper or great cocktail candidate. The only reason it’s this low in the ranking is that the next four bottles are a little bit (to a lot) more refined.

4. Starward Vitalis — Taste 5

ABV: 52%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

This brand-new limited edition whisky from Australia’s biggest brand celebrates the 15th anniversary of the distillery. The whisky in this bottle commemorates the brand’s finishing program that made it famous. The whisky was blended from six different barrel types, focusing on tawny port, rum, bourbon, and Apera barrels between 11 and four years old.

Bottom Line:

This is a delicious whisky. There’s a nice balance of fruitiness on the palate that really helps this one have serious depth. It’s not quite as deep as the next three but it’s really good anyway.

3. Yamazaki Mizunara — Taste 8

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $5,230

The Whisky:

This is one of the most sought-after whiskies from Yamazaki. The juice spends over 12 years maturing in Japan’s super rare mizunara casks only, meaning that this isn’t some whisky that’s “finished” in old Mizurana casks for a few months. After over a decade of mellowing, the casks are hand-picked for their excellence, vatted, and just proofed before bottling.

Bottom Line:

Yup, delicious. It read as a little woodier on today’s panel which is why I ranked it third. But these top three are all stellar, I just liked the next two a little more as everyday sippers.

2. The GlenDronach Batch 10 Cask Strength — Taste 7

ABV: 58.6%

Average Price: $220

The Whisky:

The 10th release from the most beloved The GlenDronach Cask Strength series is another instant classic. Dr. Rachel Barrie blends the whisky in the bottle from Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. The whisky is then vatted and bottled as-is with no fussing.

Bottom Line:

This was close to being number one. The higher proof added a little oomph to the whole affair but it didn’t add more depth, that’s why it was narrowly beaten by the next entry.

All of that said, this is delicious sipping whisky with real depth that’s also super easy to drink and rewarding.

1. The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve — Taste 1

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $240

The Whisky:

This Highland whisky is a no-age-statement version of The Dalmore. The juice is made from Golden barley that grows on the island in the rich and very coastal soils. The ground malted barley is mixed with pure water from the Cromarty Firth nearby during the mashing process. After a couple of times through pot stills, the hot whisky is loaded into ex-bourbon casks, 30-year-old Matusalem Oloroso Sherry butts, and former Cabernet Sauvignon from the Saint-Estèphe appellation of Bordeaux. After 10 to 15 years, those barrels are vatted, the whiskey is proofed, and it’s bottled.

Bottom Line:

This is a phenomenal pour of whisky. This is a perfect sipper for backyard firepits, holiday parties, and rolling around in fall leaves. It’s just f*cking delicious.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

There was just no beating the top pour today. That The Dalmore Cigar Blend was so nuanced and delicate. It’s everything you want in high-end single malt that takes you on a journey with every sip.

I’d also highly recommend two through five on this list. Each one offers a little something different while also hitting high notes of damn near perfection. The rest you can pretty easily skip.

Millie Bobby Brown hopped on The Drew Barrymore Show yesterday (November 7) and while there, she told the host that she’d be interested in portraying Britney Spears in a movie. She said, “I think her story, first of all, resonates with me. Just growing up in the public eye watching her videos, watching interviews of how when she was younger.”

Now it appears Spears has caught wind of this and she doesn’t seem happy. Spears shared an Instagram post today and it reads in part:

“Good news, good news !!! Still breathing … it’s funny the same two people who gave me life are the same exact 2 people who took it away … but guess what !!! I’m alive and I’m breathing again !!! Yeah I know I’ve posted too much this week on Instagram … kinda fun though !!! Now that I’m breathing … I have time … it’s different !!! I like it !!! I hear about people wanting to do movies about my life … dude I’m not dead !!! Although it’s pretty f*cking clear they preferred me dead.”

Given the context, it seems she’s more upset with the idea that some see her life story as something to look back on retrospectively, more so than she is about what Brown said. (That’s assuming Spears’ post is even directly referencing Brown, who she didn’t mention by name, at all.)

Find Spears’ post below.

During a recent interview, Keke Palmer got candid about her thoughts on sex and other intimate details, such as her pornography preferences.

The Illinois actress stopped by the Whoreible Decisions podcast to chat with hosts Weezy and Mandii B about her sex life, revealing that while she is typically private about her dating and plans to keep it that way, she is “even across the board” and open to dating women in the future.

“Yeah, I’m definitely in the middle of the scale,” the Disney Channel alum said. “I feel like love is love, life is life, like do your thing, live your life. Like, I feel that way.”

Later in the conversation, Palmer opened up about her porn preferences, admitting she has a thing for all-female porn. “I only like girl-on-girl porn because it’s nice and beautiful,” Palmer said. “It’s the delicacy of the arrangement. I don’t like all that rough stuff.”

On the other hand, Palmer also noted that porn could affect ideas surrounding sex, a similar sentiment shared with “Bad Guy” singer Billie Eilish.

While appearing on The Howard Stern Show last December, the singer revealed that she started watching porn at 11 years old and felt it was very damaging to her, ultimately affecting her perceptions surrounding sex — calling pornography a “disgrace.”

“As a woman, I think porn is a disgrace, and I used to watch a lot of porn, to be honest,” she said. “I started watching porn when I was like 11. I didn’t understand why it was a bad thing. I thought that’s how you learned how to have sex. […] I used to be the person that would talk about porn all the time.”

After nearly four years, DVSN is ready to return to the stage with their Working On My Karma Tour opening in January 2023.

This past October, DVSN their fourth studio album, Working On My Karma, which yielded singles like “If I Get Caught,” a toxic anthem set over a sample of Jay-Z’s “Dead Presidents,” centered on the pitfalls of love and infidelity in relationships.

Daniel Daley, one-half of the Canadian duo, said the album would trek through a wide range of emotions, ending at peace and growth.

“Pride comes before the fall,” Daley told Complex. “And [then there’s] accountability and remorse, growth, reflection, and taking a long, good, hard look in the mirror, you know? Maybe it’s even getting lost for a second and trying to medicate it through some other things that aren’t good. Maybe I’m going out, and I’m trying to just have sex through the fact that I already screwed up.”

Daley continued, “We want this to be at least the beginning of the growth if things are needed to grow.”

The tour is set to kick off in January next year, with international shows throughout the UK and Europe and shows across the US.

On Monday, the group announced via Twitter that tickets for the Working On My Karma Tour would be available on Friday, November 11, at 10 a.m.

Don’t want to wait? You can pre-save tickets now here.

At this point, it should be no surprise that the public personas worn by celebrities and political candidates are drastically different from their real-life personalities. And yet, this story about Dr. Oz’s real feelings toward pal and political ally Donald Trump still managed to be shocking.

During the monologue for the latest episode of his late-night show, host Jimmy Kimmel regaled his audience with a story told to him by Mehemet Oz and his wife, Lisa, during a dinner party they both attended years earlier. According to Kimmel, this dinner took place around the time Trump was running for president, which is what prompted Oz to gossip about what a terrible human being the real estate tycoon was. Oz told Kimmel of an event he and his wife attended at Mar-a-Lago in which Trump, completely unprovoked, pushed an elderly woman into a pool in order to humiliate her in front of all of his guests. Apparently, the woman who Oz described as “glamourous” asked Trump how she looked and he responded by telling her she would “look better wet” before shoving her into the pool.

“He pushes this fully-dressed older lady into the pool and she’s humiliated,” Kimmel said. “Lisa Oz helped to get her out of the pool and warms her up and Trump just looked on and laughed like a maniac.”

But Trump behaving like an ass isn’t the surprising part of the story, it’s how disgusted Oz and his wife were with the future president who Oz has since aligned his run for office with.

Watch the full video below:

The idea of Donald Trump having access to America’s nuclear codes has always been a terrifying thought, and one of the most oft-repeated reasons for not voting him into office in the first place. And the former president apparently agrees that people would and should be afraid to imagine him wielding that sort of power — but for all the wrong reasons.

On Monday, Trump was in Ohio to rally for fellow Republicans like senatorial candidate J.D. Vance. But, Trump being Trump meant that much of his stumping was more self-promotional in nature — including the moment where he teased that he’d be making a big announcement from Mar-a-Lago on November 15th. But one of the most memorable moments came when the former president brought up the nuclear codes (or what he calls “The N Word“).

As Raw Story reports, Trump went off on a bit of a rant that saw him touching on a number of different — and somewhat unrelated — subjects, including Letitia James’ $250 million lawsuit against Trump, his kids, and the Trump organization and even found time to play a quick round of “Do you pay your taxes?” with people in the audience. When talked turned to the number of classified documents Trump was harboring at Mar-a-Lago, however, he seemed to have adopted a new talking point on the matter — namely, that it would be a good thing for everyone if he did, indeed, possess the nuclear codes:

“But maybe our country would be better off if I actually had the nuclear codes… Because our enemies would be afraid, unlike the way they are now.”

Yes, because nothing screams “be afraid of me, fellow world leaders” like a 70-something-year-old man who fanboys over Vladimir Putin and exchanges beautiful “love letters” with Kim Jong-un.

(Via Raw Story)

Cher’s illustrious dating history is on par with the great daters of our time, like Derek Jeter. The “Believe” singer has been in relationships in the past with the likes of Val Kilmer, Tom Cruise, David Geffen, Gene Simmons, Warren Beatty, Michael Bolton, and others. But her latest boyfriend presents a new dimension for the 76-year-old icon. That’s because Cher’s new boyfriend, Alexander “AE” Edwards, is 36 years old, making him 40 years her junior. And despite the usual flurry of naysayers on social media, Cher is undeterred in her new commitment.

She tweeted a photo of Edwards this weekend (albeit a grainy one) with a heart emoji, and “fans” expressed their “concern” for her. They cited the age gap first and foremost, to which Cher replied with, “LOVE DOESNT KNOW MATH, IT SEES [heart emoji].” When others kept pressing her on Edwards checkered past (which we’ll elaborate on shortly), she wasn’t having any of it, saying, “Let Me Explain…I DONT GIVE A [plane emoji] FK WHAT ANYONE THINKS.”

Edwards is a VP of A&R at Def Jam Records. He previously dated Amber Rose and the two have a child together, three-year-old Slash Electric Alexander Edwards. But, Rose accused Edwards of cheating on her with as many as 12 women in the past, to which he eventually admitted, saying, “Sh*t, I got caught.”

But hey, Cher has seen her share of good and bad men in the past and would seem to know what she’s doing. So, let the woman love who she wants, right?