Month: February 2023

I’ve had a lifelong love affair with chile verde, which is probably the only dish in existence that could ever inspire me to write a sentence this corny. Ah, love — the corniest emotion.

As I mentioned in my article about the taco truck mecca that is my home region in the Central San Joaquin Valley, chile verde (virtually always spelled chile verde here, not chili verde, though it is sort of a chili) is one of those dishes that became almost impossible to find, at least in the form I knew it, as soon as I left home. I lived in San Diego in the early aughts for college and while it has plenty of amazing Mexican food, possibly more than any place in the country, it didn’t, as far as I could find, have anything I would recognize as chile verde

Good luck finding the definitive history of chile verde, or even a definitive spelling. Some say it originated in Northern Mexico, others mention New Mexico and Colorado. One day we’ll have to work all that out, but for now, suffice it to say, the chile verde I fell in love with came from a little Mexican joint called Juanito’s in Reedley, California, and its one-time sister restaurant, Lalo’s, in nearby Dinuba — both in the rural San Joaquin Valley. “Chile verde” can refer to this entire dish, which is basically a pork stew, or to the actual green vegetables used in it, like Anaheim, poblano, serrano, jalapeño. The version I fell for had tender pork, tomatillos, and… well shit, what else did it have?

I only knew what I could taste and infer. I’ve basically been trying to reverse-engineer this chile verde for 20 years, and I talk about it so much that it’s probably my most requested recipe. I’m putting it down here for posterity. (And I don’t want to hear anyone bitching about how we recipe writers all have to write an essay before we get to the damn recipe — indulge me! I’m rhapsodizin’ ova heah!). Now that I actually know some of the people who run those restaurants I mentioned above, I’ve asked how they make theirs, and it’s actually way different than this.

I still stick with my version. Partly because I don’t have a restaurant kitchen in my house, but mostly because I’ve made this version, I’ve tested it, I love it, and it’s always been a success. I’m choosing Super Bowl week to share it with you because I think it’s a great dish for a party. Not a finger food, admittedly (though you could make it one), but a real crowd-pleaser. You can also make it a day or two ahead of time (it’s arguably better that way), and it feeds a lot of people relatively cheaply. It’s always been a hit at my house. And who are you to dispute me?

You insult me in my own house?

The Recipe

Chile verde essentially consists of three components:

– The Broth
– The Meat
– The Vegetables

You’re largely going to prep these separately, so it’s easier to think of them as separate components that you’ll eventually put together for the stew. It makes the full list of ingredients look messy and complicated, which it really isn’t, but you’ll still need a shopping list, so here goes:

• 2-6 pounds pork shoulder/pork butt (boneless is slightly easier to butcher, but it doesn’t really matter)
• 1 head of garlic plus 4-5 cloves
• 5-6 tomatillos, roughly golf-ball sized.
• 4-5 Anaheim chiles (try to make sure they’re the mild kind)
• 1-2 poblano chiles
• 1 large onion
• 1 bunch cilantro
• Dried oregano

The Broth

You’re going to need enough stock to cover your meat, generally 2-3 cups worth. Now listen: making your own stock is kind of a pain in the ass. It will add a day to the process, and I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not strictly necessary. If you want to use water and some chicken bullion powder, or broth from a can or a carton (chicken or beef, it honestly doesn’t matter that much) go for it. I’ve made chile verde that way many, many times and it’s still really good. By stewing the meat you’ll basically be making your own broth anyway. For a party, I do like to go all out and make my own. Because nothing makes a dish better than starting with an already-rich broth.

If you want to do that, it’s going to involve:

• A few pounds chicken backs or feet, pork neck bones, or beef soup bones
• 1 onion, quarterd
• 1-2 carrots, washed and cut into 2-3 inch chunks (no need to peel)
• 1-2 celery ribs, washed and cut into 2-3 inch chunks

I have an Asian supermarket near my house that’s great for finding soup bones, which my usual supermarket doesn’t have. You want anything that has lots of bones and cartilage — lots of people swear by chicken feet. This time I used some big-ass beef knuckle-looking things, but pork necks also work great.

Just get your stock pot nice and hot and pour a little oil in there (should be hot enough that the oil ripples). Then take your bony meat whatevers, and sear them in the hot stock pot. If it gets a little crusty and sticky on the bottom, that’s good. Once the meat/bones have a little brown to them, fill the pot up with water, stick it back on the stove, and add your vegetables, plus a healthy amount of salt and pepper (probably a palm’s worth of salt and a teaspoon-ish of pepper, but you can adjust at the end). Boil that for at least two hours, skimming the scummy stuff off the top as much as you want along the way.

Once it’s done boiling, strain all the solids out. If you’re steady with a ladle, you can try to scoop all the fat off the top. Hopefully, you have some time to refrigerate though, that way you can just break the congealed fat off the top after it’s cooled. That’s way easier.

The Vegetables

Here’s where things get controversial. As you would expect, a dish called “chile verde” obviously has some “verde” “chiles” in it. Beyond that, there’s quite a bit of variation. Not to mention a plethora of green chiles, specifically. I grew up on tomatillo-heavy chile verde, so I still make it with tomatillos — which are tart and tangy, enough that I don’t think it needs lime. I also don’t use anything really spicy in mine, like serranos or jalapeños, though I’m not against it. I just keep mine fairly mild so the kids can eat it and then pair it with a spicy pico de gallo so people can get as xXxtreme as they like in a Choose Your Own Spice Level-type situaish.

Personal preffy, ya know?

• 5-6 tomatillos, approximately golf ball-sized (take off the crinkly outer shell and wash the berry part)
• 4-5 Anaheim chiles
• 1-2 poblano peppers
• 1 head of garlic
• Half cup-ish of cilantro
• Dash of salt

The easiest way:

Just throw your tomatillos, chiles, and garlic (keep the whole head intact with all the skin on for cooking) in a baking dish at about 450 and bake until the chiles char and the tomatillos split. Then let them cool, remove the skins and seeds from the chiles (should be easy with enough char), pop out the garlic cloves (again, should be easy, they sort of steam in there and get greenish and nutty), and toss everything in a blender with a little cilantro and a dash of salt and then puree. Use a rubber spatula to get all that awesome, partly charred tomatillo juice off the baking or casserole dish.

The way I did it:

I have a little grill basket I just bought and I wanted to use it. Figured a little open flame couldn’t hurt. Of course, I didn’t want to lose any of that sweet tomatillo juice down the grill grates so I put the chiles in the basket and charred them outside and popped the tomatillos and garlic in a casserole dish in the oven.

The Meat

You can use a cheaper cut of pork for this, like country-style pork ribs maybe, or pre-cut “stew meat,” but in my experience, there’s a huge drop off in quality and the meat isn’t that much cheaper or easier.

• 3-6 pound pork butt/shoulder, trimmed and cut into small cubes (bigger than playing dice, but smaller than ice cubes?)
• Salt and pepper and/or your favorite seasoning blend

First, get your pot heating on the stove at medium-low. Then start trimming your meat. This one was pretty well trimmed to begin with but most won’t be, and even this had some chunks of pure fat that aren’t going to add much to the stew. As you cut those little pieces of fat off, toss them in the pot.

Those little fat chunks are going to render down while you butcher the rest of the meat. When they’re done you can just remove them to a paper towel to drain.

You can either save these to make a little crumble to add a little texture to the finished product, or do what I do, which is sprinkle a little salt on them and have yourself a healthy snack while you finish cooking.

MEAT CHUNKS. I’m told that was actually my mother’s nickname in high school.

Now that you’ve got your pork cubed out and ready to rock, get it nice and coated with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning. I used Alpine Touch all-purpose here, because I always have it around the house, it’s pretty neutral, and goes great on basically everything (I even did a prime rib with nothing but Alpine Touch, olive oil, and garlic once and it came out great). It’s just salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and MSG. If you’ve got that or a simple similar spice blend, use that. Some people use cumin. I don’t think it’s necessary or adds anything but it won’t ruin it either.

As with basically all meat, the longer you can let it sit there with the seasoning soaking into the meat, the better. But you’re going to braise all that in a seasoned broth in a minute so it’s not a huge deal if you don’t leave it sitting for very long here.

Let’s Make A Stew, Baby (A Stew Baby?)

Time to put it all together. You’ll need:

• 1 large onion, diced.
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
• The charred chile/tomatillo puree you made
• About 2 cups of the broth you made (or bought)
• The pork you cubed and seasoned
• About 1.5 tablespoons of flour (to thicken)
• Pinch of oregano

Hopefully, now you should have a pot of rendered fat (with chunks strained out). Crank the stove up to medium-high and start browning your meat in batches. You’ll want to grab a couple of handfuls of meat at a time (don’t overcrowd the pot or it won’t brown right) and get them into that hot oil. You just want to add some char and get the extra fat browned. When the meat has a little color on the outside, remove it to a plate or a bowl with a slotted spoon and get the next batch in there.

When you’re done browning the meat, turn the heat down to medium-low. At this point, if you have more than three or so tablespoons of fat in the pot, you’ll want to pour some of that off (save it or toss it, doesn’t matter for our purposes). If there’s stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan, don’t worry; that’s actually good. That’s just flavortown in there.

Get your garlic in the pot first, and cook it until it just starts turning golden (don’t burn it! dark brown is burnt!), maybe two minutes. Then drop in your onions. Cook those until they’re fully translucent and softened.

When they’re done, toss a little bit of oregano in there and your 1.5 tablespoons of flour in there and stir it up. The flour should soak up the oil and turn into a sort of paste.

If you’ve ever seen or heard someone talk about making a roux, that’s basically what we’re doing here. Only here it’s not a huge flavor element, just a thickener, so you don’t have to keep stirring it for a long time or let it turn dark brown and all that. Just get it nice and mixed in there and cook it for a minute or so.

Now add your browned meat and enough stock to just barely cover it all. Stir it up, and all that browned flavortown on the bottom of the pot should come off and add to the broth.

Get that up to a boil and bring it back to a simmer, and simmer it for about an hour. Now, could you just add the vegetable base puree and the stock all at once at the beginning and simmer it all for two hours? Probably! I don’t actually know if it makes a difference, but I’ve always done an hour without the green base and an hour with (two hours of simmering in total) and it always comes out great so I just keep doing that.

So, after an hour, add your chile/tomatillo puree and simmer for another hour.

Simmer until the meat is tender enough to almost fall apart, but not so long that it gets dry (about two hours, in my experience).

Skim as much fat off the top of the pot as you can, and you’re done! (With making the stew, anyway). Again, if you’re doing this ahead of time, you can refrigerate and just pick some of that congealed fat off the top after it cools if you want. Not strictly necessary.

Serving Suggestions

I’ve had chile verde many ways over the years — in a dry burrito, in a wet burrito, as a kind of stew/soup that you dunk your tortillas into, in an upturned bowler hat (just checking to see if you were paying attention) — but over the years I’ve discovered that my ideal chile verde vessel is actually a quesadilla. A nice flour tortilla soaks up that broth like biscuits and gravy the cheese is a nice addition without interfering with the flavor, and it’s also easy to eat with a knife and fork and you can make a bunch of them at one time for a party.

If you want to be “extra” you can make your own tortillas like I did for my last party, but generally speaking the store-bought ones work just fine. I use the pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend in a bag and cook them six at a time under the broiler in my oven.

I recommend not being an idiot like me, and buying tortillas smaller than soft taco size so they actually fit on your sheet pan, but this works okay too. You can melt that cheese under the broiler than put them all in basket with a towel or whatever will keep them warm.

Between this and the pot, now you’ve got yourself a self-serve chile verde quesadilla bar. If your friends don’t appreciate that, find some new friends.

I admit it, I’m not the most beautiful plater. And I added that sprig of cilantro specifically for Steve Bramucci, Uproxx’s chief Unnecessary Herb Garnish Appreciator. But the flavors are perfect and seriously, is there anything more body-warming than a nice stew?

This one really has everything, from beautifully tender, moist, and flavorful meat, to a rich, slightly tart, and tangy sauce that actually doesn’t feel that heavy, especially compared to your usual red and brown stews. Some people even put potatoes in it, which makes sense insofar as you’re going to want to sop up this sauce with anything you can. I don’t use them but I’m not against it.

Anyway, this recipe has always been a crowd-pleaser for me, even though I love it so much that I’d probably still make it even if “the crowd” hated it. I hope it can be the same for you.

Having a baby is an intimate, vulnerable experience, so people get pretty attached to their healthcare providers. I’ve met women who have planned an induction to have their baby with their preferred doctor and not whoever would be on call if they went into labor naturally. So it may not be a surprise to birthing people that Kylie McDevitt, Philadelphia Eagles player, Jason Kelce’s wife, isn’t taking any chances when she travels to Arizona for the Super Bowl.

Kelce made headlines with his brother Travis recently when it was revealed that the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs would be facing off for the Super Bowl, making the pair the first brothers to compete against each other for a ring. It seems that McDevitt didn’t want to miss the history-making moment, even though she’ll be two weeks shy of the standard 40 weeks of pregnancy.

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It’s a risky decision to travel to the other side of the country that close to giving birth but McDevitt made provisions—she’s packing up her OBGYN. Mama’s got a plan, and her doctor’s on board, literally and figuratively.

The Eagles player revealed the news on the podcast he co-hosts with his brother, “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,” saying, “Kylie’s bringing her OB because she’s going to be 38 weeks pregnant at the game.” Kelce joked, “That could be a super Kelce bowl. If she has a baby in the stadium, it’s officially scripted.” How did he respond to such a random revelation? “We’re in the Matrix,” Travis replied.

See on Instagram

Kelce and McDevitt have two children together and if you’ve heard anything about birthing babies, then you probably know that each subsequent child comes a bit faster. Of course, this isn’t true for everyone but barring any complications, it’s fairly accurate.

In an article for VeryWell Family, Dr. Robin Elise Weiss, a childbirth and postpartum educator, explained that subsequent births are quicker on average and that its thought that the body remains looser after childbirth. I mean, it certainly would make sense being that when pregnant, your body releases a chemical called relaxin. This specific chemical is designed to loosen the ligaments and muscles in the pelvis to prepare for birth according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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Personally, I’m hoping that baby Kelce holds off until after the Super Bowl. I couldn’t imagine giving birth on a dirty floor with most of America watching—it’s probably safe to assume McDevitt is hoping for the same.

Whether baby Kelce comes while the family is in Arizona or not, this is going to be a family celebration and a history-making moment. Fans are even petitioning for the Kelce brothers’ mom, Donna Kelce to do the coin toss. What a predicament to be in for a mother. No matter who wins, one of her sons loses. But from the looks of it, the family is close-knit so either way, it will likely be a joyous occasion.

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Stewart had booked his flight on LATAM, Latin America’s largest airline company. According to The Mirror, he heard that LATAM’s website sometimes showed different ticket prices depending on which language the browser was set to.

While booking his flight from Santiago to Easter Island, Stewart decided to experiment and switched his computer’s VPN or “virtual private network” to make it seem like he was located in Chile, along with changing the browser’s language.

“I cleared all cookies from my browser, and used private browser mode so there was no way the website would determine I was outside the country,” Stewart told 9News, according to The Mirror.

Using Google translate to navigate the site, Stewart was easily able to book. And it actually turned out “cheaper than economy.”

Stewart shared his story in an Instagram post, along with a photo in his cushy seat, all smiles as he sat next to a generous amount of some kind of orange beverage. Probably made from organic oranges they grow in the plane’s private garden.

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Is the trick foolproof? No. But with such a dramatic price difference, it might be worth trying out.

With ever rising inflation costs and constant headlines about an inevitable economic crash, people consider saving money to be more important than ever. Even those who are incredibly wealthy are looking for ways to save. Rather than cutting ourselves off from the things that bring us joy, there are plenty of creative solutions when it comes to living frugally.

That goes for traveling too. Airline tickets might be bonkers, but the need to travel still exists. Perhaps even more so post-pandemic. The good news is that with a little bit of work, you can discover incredible deals to make the trip more feasible—things like finding the optimal times to book, checking sites multiple times a day, and learning how to optimize credit card points, to name a few. Sure, it doesn’t guarantee a hoity-toity business class seat, but it does make adventure that much more attainable.

Excuse me while I change my browser settings to French. Allons y!

It appears that reports of Offset and Quavo fighting backstage at the Grammys may have been exaggerated. After the TMZ-reported rumor circulated online, Offset himself put in a rare appearance on Twitter to put paid to the speculation, tweeting, “What tf look like fighting my brother yal n****s is crazy.” Quavo, meanwhile, hasn’t made a comment yet.

However, he could just be doing damage control as Entertainment Tonight reports seeing camera phone footage from backstage yelling at someone off-camera, “Both of y’all wrong. This is not right.” While it’s unclear per ET who she’s talking to, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that she could have been addressing her husband and his cousin, who reportedly had to be separated after Quavo declined to allow Offset to join him onstage for his tribute to Takeoff during the ceremony.

The two have been on the outs since last year, when rumors of Migos breaking up hit social media after Offset unfollowed his bandmates on Instagram. Then, Quavo and Takeoff announced their joint album as Unc And Phew, while Offset announced what appeared to be a competing album, and reportedly took the trio’s label, Quality Control Music, to court over the rights to his solo music.

Quavo and Takeoff addressed the split in October, suggesting that the falling out was personal. “We stand on real deal loyalty, and sometimes that sh*t ain’t displayed,” Quavo said. “This ain’t got nothing to do with no label, no paperwork, no QC, nothing. This got something to do with the three brothers. And sh*t, it is what it is. Right now, we gon’ be the duo ’til time tell.”

Before the group could reconcile, though, Takeoff was shot dead in Houston at the start of November, and since then, both remaining Migos appeared to have been mourning separately. They haven’t been seen together except at Takeoff’s funeral.

LOS ANGELES – If 2022 was an all-time year for Miles Teller professionally and as a sports fan, 2023 has a chance to be even better. The 35-year-old saw critical acclaim for his role as Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick, which was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. But his favorite teams enjoyed intense success as well, between the Phillies magical run to the World Series, the Sixers making the move to acquire James Harden (and looking like a tough out in the Playoffs), and the Eagles’ regular season dominance rolling into a Super Bowl berth.

Teller is sharing that success — and his intense fandom — with his wife Keleigh, who joined Miles in shooting Bud Light’s Super Bowl ad this year. The pair have enjoyed incredibly memorable moments, whether that’s in Hawaii, at a Phillies game, or at home with their dog Bugsy, and are as appreciative as ever of the chance to spend time with each other and their loved ones. The opportunity to be in his first Super Bowl ad was a career highlight for Miles, but to do so with his partner (and Bugsy) was even more special.

The pair took some time on set of the Super Bowl spot to chat through their ideal Super Bowl spread, what it meant to be in a Super Bowl commercial, and how it feels to be a Philly fan as the city takes over the sports universe.

A Super Bowl ad is one of those things that – no matter what you do, sports, music, entertainment – you put on a bucket list if you want to be accessible, visible, all of that. I mean, I grew up wanting to be in a Super Bowl ad.

Miles Teller: It’s not too late.

No, it’s not.

It’s never too late.

Career pivot.

Yeah.

What does it mean to you guys? Especially to have that moment be together, which I know that’s got to be so special.

I think for us, that was the really exciting part, is that they said, look, well, first of all, when Bud Light comes to you and wants to put you in a Super Bowl commercial, that’s very flattering. And I think for us, just the fact that film is forever. It’s a moment in time. It’s –

Keleigh: A time capsule.

Miles: Yeah. It’s Keleigh and I, and our dog is in here, and they modeled the set after our house. I hope that the sincerity of the spot comes through, because that’s what the production has felt like for us.

Keleigh, getting that chance, I know a lot of the creative endeavors that you have, you’re always working to be that creative person, but to see the shoots, to be around it, but then to be on it, juggling everything from challenges to additional opportunities. Do you have a greater appreciation the more you see more of what Miles is doing, but also as it works with the stuff that you’re trying to do?

Yeah. It’s very different. I have a lot more respect in general, just of his technicalities, what he’s doing, and it’s really fun.

Miles: It’s a lot. It is a very technical enterprise when you’re filming.

Keleigh: It’s very technical.

Miles: But just watching her, I get more nervous for her than I do for myself.

Keleigh: I know.

Miles: But she’s doing a great job.

No mustache though, for the shoot?

No, no full mustache. No.

Keleigh: He’s on a new film –

Miles: I’m on a new train.

In terms of Super Bowls past, what do you guys usually do for the Super Bowl? I know it’s been weird the last couple of years, but as we start to entertain again, it’s important to get people together. It’s important to be with our families, safely obviously. It’s important to crack open drinks and be able to share those in person, not on Zoom anymore.

Miles: Yeah. I mean, we usually host a get-together of sorts. I think we have a pretty good cheese board. Some good snacks.

Keleigh: Always.

Miles: I mean, we were at the Super Bowl when the Eagles won. That was the best Super Bowl party. That was the best Super Bowl party we’ve ever had. But we host and we have a good time.

Was that the best sporting event that you guys think you’ve been to? I mean, obviously there’s some bias for Philly.

Keleigh: Yeah. People had gone their whole life without seeing the Eagles win the Super Bowl. And against Tom Brady?

How do you feel about the Phillies off season so far?

Miles: It was awesome. I’m on set right now, obviously, and there’s a lot of Dodger fans, and so they’re sad to see Trea Turner go. But the Phillies, it all starts at the top and their ownership. John Middleton really cares about his fans and you see it with the payroll that he’s willing to shell out for that team. It’s a really good team on paper. And Philly fans are some of the best fans in the world.

Getting to be a part of that playoff run, you guys had fun. You’ve got family there. You’ve got friends. And did that bring you guys closer together? I mean, sports are a weird thing. If you’re not in that world all the time, it can be a little intimidating, but then when you get moments like that, it feels special.

Keleigh: When we are home, we go to a lot of baseball games. We’ll go to spring training, and then we were at the stadium for the Phillies every day at 4:00 p.m. for BP. And then we wouldn’t get out of there until like 12:30 [a.m.]. Go talk to John Middleton. And Miles was, I think, the best week of your life?

Miles: It was pretty good.

Keleigh: “It was pretty good.” [Laughs.]

Miles: It was pretty sweet. I think I was a temporary mascot for the Phillies.

Keleigh: Oh, yeah. A hundred percent.

Miles: Me and the Phanatic bunking up.

Keleigh: Yeah. It was magical, honestly. Especially the first game. Yeah, having those moments.

And your dad mistaken for Bruce Springsteen?

Miles: Yeah, they showed Bruce Springsteen, which was my dad. The boss was there, Bruce was there. And then they showed me, and then they cut back to my dad and it said, “Not Bruce Springsteen.”

Keleigh: That was good. That was funny.

Miles: They had a sense of humor on the jumbotron.

Is your dad a Bruce fan?

Miles: Oh, who’s not?

In terms of just the way that this season has been for the Eagles, what does that mean? Especially when you consider the moment Philly is in sports-wise all around? It feels like this is the run that LA was on a couple years ago.

Miles: Every couple of years, Philly reminds people that they are a major sports city, and when they all click at the same time … I mean, Philly fans don’t need much of a reason to get pretty rowdy, but it’s been pandemonium up there and they’re looking really good. Jalen Hurts, I think, has proved a lot of people wrong. The entire team has.

I know you guys love Hawaii. What is it about that place that makes it so special for you both?

Miles: I think they’ve maintained a lot of the originality of it. Obviously they have to cater to tourism a bit. But really, there’s so much respect for the land. I don’t know. There’s a certain magic about it. And also I think it’s nice places shut down at a certain time. It really allows you to kind of connect to the environment. And yeah, there’s the Mana. I think that’s a real thing.

Keleigh: I really do.

And Keleigh, you said you grew up going there too?

Yeah. I brought Miles in probably the second year we were dating, so eight or nine years ago.

Miles: But your family’s done Thanksgiving out there.

Keleigh: Yeah, it’s our main go-to.

Miles: Their dad has a timeshare.

Keleigh: I have a lot of siblings. Yeah, we all kind of go out there. But we’ve been going since I was two. I think it was my first trip. And then we brought him and he fell in love with it.

And then you start bringing friends, and then it becomes your place together.

Keleigh: Everyone loves it.

Miles: Yeah, for sure, because I grew up on the east coast. We never went to Maui.

Would you have actually gone to UNC if you were playing baseball, like Project X? Did you have a college in mind that you wanted to go to?

Miles: I don’t know. Anywhere that would’ve taken me. Yeah. But I don’t know. I say I went D1 in acting. I think there comes a point, everybody’s like, they got to give up on it.

You give it up.

Miles: Give up on that dream.

Do you have any other big time dreams? Any other big things that you had given up for acting?

I would say I started out playing a lot of music and then playing a lot of sports and acting was something that came much later. But you can act your whole life.

That’s true.

As long as somebody’s hiring you and people care to watch you, you can do it literally until you’re dead.

Who was the best football player on the set in Maverick?

Tom Cruise.

Tom?

Yeah.

He’s a monster.

Yeah, he’s the best.

This interview has been briefly edited and condensed for clarity.

You probably know at least one person who wasn’t allowed to watch The Simpsons. It was too vulgar, or too dismissive of religion, or, in the case of residents of Hong Kong, too many references to labor camps.

CNN reports that a Simpsons episode that includes a line about “forced labor camps” in China has been removed from Disney+ in Hong Kong. In the season 34 (!) episode, “One Angry Lisa,” Marge gets really into Peloton, excuse me, Pedalon, and begins to have a one-sided emotional affair with one of the instructors. He offers her a private ride “on” the Great Wall of China. “Behold the wonders of China,” the instructor says. “Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones, and romance.”

CNN has confirmed that the episode — which first aired in October — is unavailable on the Hong Kong version of Disney+. The episode, however, is available to watch in the United States on Hulu, another Disney platform. The removal comes after the rollout of a controversial national security law in Hong Kong in 2020, which bans “sedition, secession, and subversion” against Beijing. It also enables Chinese national security agencies to operate in the city. Disney declined to comment, while the Hong Kong government did not respond to a request for comment.

Here’s the scene:

This is not even in the top 10 of Simpsons controversies. It’s below President George H.W. Bush’s “a lot more like The Waltons and a lot less like The Simpsons” speech and that time Bart wore a “down with homework” shirt. Thousands died in the Great Homework Revolt of 1996. Damn shame.

(Via CNN)

For the second straight year, Tom Brady has retired from the NFL. This time, he did so on his own terms with his own farewell video, and given how the Bucs season ended with a thud against the Cowboys in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, it certainly feels like this one will stick.

The second part of Brady’s career in football is already known, as he inked a 10-year, $375 million deal to become FOX’s next top NFL game analyst last year for whenever he steps away for good. When Brady announced his retirement, the expectation was he’d step into the booth this fall, but it seems Brady will take a year away from football before he jumps into the TV world, telling Colin Cowherd on Monday that he and FOX have decided he’ll make his debut in 2024.

That means one more year of Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen in the lead booth on FOX before Brady takes over, as Burkhardt and Olsen became a fan favorite this year after being thrust into the top spot after Troy Aikman and Joe Buck left for ESPN. Those two will handle Super Bowl coverage next week, and get one more year before FOX has to shuffle things around with Brady set to take center stage.

For Brady, it gives him a year away from football to get settled in life away from the field before diving into his new career at age 46.

As spinoff shows have become more of the norm and less of a cliché nostalgia trend, more networks are planning on expanding their own IP into various other shows. If a show works, why not take the same formula and either change the era or add more interesting characters? And then if that show is good, why not try it again? That’s what Showtime seems to think as well.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Showtime is planning not one, not two, not a million, but up to four spinoffs based on their hit drama Billions, which is one of the network’s strongest shows (until Yellowjackets returns, anyway). Showtime seems inspired by the multiple iterations of Yellowstone that Paramount+ has been churning out, and are experimenting with the model.

Billions, starring Paul Giamatti, was renewed for a seventh season last year, though some people seem to think that it should have ended once Damien Lewis exited the wild world of New York City high finance.

Billions: Miami will, surprise, take place in Miami, and be set in the high-flying world of private aviation. Billions: London will bring the same model across the pond. Millions will follow a young group of financial moguls making it in Manhattan, while Trillions will tell fictional stories of wealthy industry titans around the country. Naming a show “Quadrillion” might be confusing for fans of the popular puzzle game of the same name, but they can sure try!

In addition to the billions of Billions shows, Showtime is also expected to order more than one Dexter-related show, including one prequel and one spinoff. Or perhaps a Billions/Dexter crossover would be a fun way to get everyone involved.

(Via Deadline)

Rather than bringing his brothers back together, Takeoff’s murder last year only seems to have set off even more disputes in hip-hop. In addition to apparently sparking a physical confrontation between remaining Migos members Quavo and Offset at last night’s Grammys ceremony, it’s also led to friction between Offset and Houston rap impresario J. Prince.

Prince, in a recent appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth Of Game podcast, offered some criticism of Offset. Downplaying Offset’s importance to Migos’ success, he said, “The truth of the matter is, one can dance and do different things in front of these different cameras and all kinds of shit. The truth of the matter is, n***, you wasn’t really right there with Takeoff when he was alive. For you to be taking these positions that you taking. I got people everywhere, so I hear all kinds of things. I’ma just say this to you. Don’t never put me in no position where I have to defend myself. That wouldn’t be healthy for you.”

Offset replied in a video on Instagram, calling out Prince for his gangster image. “First off, y’all n****s speaking on my real brother,” he shot back. “. “I don’t know what the f*ck y’all n****s got going on. Y’all n****s speaking on my real brother. How dare you n****s even speak on me and Take relationship? I don’t know you from a can of paint. Y’all n****s don’t know how me and my brother rocked. You trying to clear your face. This your fifth interview… You ain’t think about his momma? You ain’t think about the family? We ain’t said nothing. Nobody said nothing but you.”

“Who y’all n****s think y’all is, John Gotti? Ain’t nobody going for none of that… And, if you heard something from me, I’ma tell you it’s gon’ come from me. Call my phone. Y’all n****s going off some ‘he say, she say’ sh*t. And y’all airing it out on interviews, talking about ‘I said this.’ Call my phone, homie. You call my phone we’ll have a conversation.”

J. Prince’s involvement appears to stem from the fact that Takeoff was murdered in Houston, and it appeared that his son, Jas Prince, was at the scene, leading to speculation and rumors that he was somehow involved in Takeoff’s death. Since then, police have arrested two suspects, but you know how that goes: once a rumor has begun to circulate, little can stop it.

Following the surprise trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks from the Brooklyn Nets, it’s up in the air whether Irving will be on the East or West squad in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on February 19. But today, February 6, Uproxx can exclusively report on Chlöe and Wiz Khalifa’s whereabouts to tip off NBA All-Star Weekend.

Chlöe and Khalifa are set to headline the NBA On TNT American Express Road Show at The Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday, February 16.

Per a release, “the day-long fan experience will include a live studio broadcast,” which will be anchored by the beloved Inside The NBA ensemble of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal.

It continues, “In addition to the live telecast, the free event will offer fan competitions via the NBA on TNT Arcade, food, drinks, premium giveaways and other interactive games throughout the evening, as well as watch parties for the matchups: Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix Suns.”

Chlöe, Uproxx’s August 2022 cover star, is gearing up to release In Pieces, her debut solo album due out in March. She dropped the soulful “Pray It Away,” its lead single, in late January.

Meanwhile, Khalifa started 2023 by performing “Memory Lane” from his July 2022 album Multiverse and his breakthrough hit”Black And Yellow” during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. It’s fitting that Khalifa is involved with NBA All-Star Weekend because he recently brushed up on his game at the expense of his son.

American Express Card Members have early access to tickets to the NBA On TNT American Express Road Show here before the general sale begins tomorrow, February 7. Learn more about the event here.

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will begin at 8 p.m. ET and broadcast live on TNT from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. See the full schedule for NBA All-Star Weekend here.

Wiz Khalifa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.