Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour is in full swing, bringing out all the special guests, hours of hits, and hilarious fan stunts you could have expected when she announced the tour last year. And while the tour is living up to expectations for her fans, one self-declared “Taylor Swift fiancé” detailed on TikTok how the show can be a good time even if you aren’t a Swiftie yourself and just got dragged along.
“There’s no better concert experience than Taylor Swift as a male,” he asserts in the video. “Beer and cocktail lines [are] absolutely non-existent. While they might have turned a lot of the men’s bathrooms into women’s bathrooms — for good reason — that has not affected the line in the men’s bathrooms.”
“And, of course,” he continues, “as a Taylor Swift fiance, you can leave during a song and go stand in the merch line, which is almost non-existent during the show.”
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRKeE74X/
While The Eras Tour already become one of the highest-grossing tours in decades, these tips might help convince some skeptics that there’s enjoyment to be had for the plus-ones too. And heck, who knows; they might just come in handy for another big tour that’s already looking like it’ll overshadow Taylor’s earnings later this year.
People might think that the funniest thing to happen to Saturday Night Live is one of the iconic legacy characters like Mary Katherine Gallagher or Chad or Matt Foley, when in reality it’s none of those. It’s not even a character at all. In fact, it’s Bill Hader’s cute little face when he cannot stop making himself laugh as Stefon, New York City’s busiest city correspondent and club promoter (this was before Nicholas Braun’s time).
Stefon was one of Hader’s most beloved characters who would show up and spew some NYC nonsense while trying to hold it together, often failing. But when it was time for Hader to graduate from SNL University, many thought that he would take Stefon to new heights, which could also be the name of New York’s hottest new club where you can free fall from a skyscraper while sipping martinis… or something.
Hader was recently asked by The New Yorker if he felt a type of pressure to venture into movie territory with his hit SNL character, along with the likes of other beloved SNL bits. “Oh yeah, a hundred percent,” Hader explained, adding that he felt like he didn’t know where to go after leaving the late-night show. “It’s this weird combination of being open, but also clearly knowing what you don’t want. Like, nah, I don’t want to do a Stefon movie. It didn’t work as a sketch! That’s why it was on ‘Weekend Update.’ And the reason people liked it is because I kept laughing.”
In the past, SNL-inspired movies have been either hits or BIG misses, and Hader didn’t seem to think that Stefon would work as a standalone character. Clearly, he hasn’t seen Zoolander in a while.
Hader left SNL in 2013, and he had fears that people would forget about him, and therefore Stefon. “I just was kind of burnt out,” he told The New Yorker. “I remember leaving SNL and doing some press for this animated movie I was in, and most of the press was people going, like, ‘All right, well, you’re leaving ‘SNL’ It was nice knowing you! We might never see you again!’
Despite the setback, Hader is doing fine on his own. Maybe he’ll pop back behind the desk every once in a while, but he has some other things to deal with lately, mainly by reinstalling the fear of dying at the hands of quicksand into the cultural consciousness.
There’s not a whole lot we can do about the last two points, but I can help you understand the style a bit more. To do that, I’m going to highlight a single bottle of new Japanese single malt that’s so good that it feels essential. Some — me! — might even claim that it’s quintessential.
Below, I’m giving you an in-depth look at 2023’s Nikka Whisky Single Malt Yoichi 10 Years Old. The subtly peated malt is a nuanced and deeply unique sipping whisky that, yes, will both be harder to find (compared to, say, a local bourbon or rye) and, yes, is likely to be expensive when you do find it. But it’s worth the price, in that this bottle conveys the balanced and nuanced brilliance that Japanese whisky can often exhibit.
I say “can” because Japanese whisky has just as much garbage on the lower shelves as any other style. But this is the antithesis of that. This is the whisky that helps you fall in love with the entire region/style of whisky and makes you a devotee for life. With that in mind, let’s get into what’s in the bottle.
Check Out The Best New Whiskeys Of The Last Six Months:
The Yoichi facility is perched on the Hokkaido coast in the far north of Japan. The whisky is made very slowly with lightly peated local malt. The mash is made with local spring water and slowly distilled in pot stills with direct coal heating underneath. That whisky is then left to age for 10 years by the sea but also in the forest, in used oak, until it’s just right. The barrels are then vatted in a large wooden tank and bottled with a touch of that local water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of an old herb spice cupboard with a hint of mint and sage that leads to fresh tart apples and red berries with a touch of smoked plums and apricots next to fresh pain au chocolate dipped in floral honey.
Palate: That buttery pastry opens the taste with a hint of white pepper and dried strawberries dipped in milk chocolate and drizzled with a spiced caramel before this thin whisper of smoked mushroom powder sneaks in.
Finish: That smoked umami vibe attaches to a dry oakiness with a sense of apricot leather just kissed with sweet orchard wood smoke and soft pepperiness tied to malted honey digestive biscuits before a final rush of creamy yet still floral honey softens everything.
Bottom Line:
This is the ultimate slow-sipping whisky that just keeps going. Add some water and you’ll start getting creamy nuttiness and soft white cake with a hint of toffee and raspberry cream. Add a rock and it gets even creamier — almost buttery with a sense of croissant covered in salted butter and marmalade. There might be no end to how deep this whisky goes.
Moreover, it might be one of the only whiskeys out there that feels like it’s worth the price from the moment you smell it.
Ranking:
95/100 — There are a few better whiskies from Japan, but not many at this price point. It’s a great example of the style — so buy a bottle and chalk it up to your “whiskey education fund.”
aespa has been on an absolute roll. The K-pop group (consisting of KARINA, GISELLE, WINTER, and NINGNING) only just debuted in 2020 and they’ve already become one of the biggest names in the game. Their first two projects, 2021’s Savage and last year’s Girls, topped the charts in South Korea and fared well in the US, too, achieving Billboard 200 peaks at Nos. 20 and 3, respectively. (They’re also recent Uproxx cover stars.)
The productive run continues today (May 8) with MY WORLD, a new mini album that’s out now. On top of that, they also shared a new video for “Spicy.”
The album was preceded last week by the lead single, “Welcome To MY World,” which features nævis, their AI-generated character. Beyond the aforementioned tracks, the project also includes “Salty & Sweet,” “Thirsty,” “I’m Unhappy,” and “‘Til We Meet Again.” Press materials note the album “ignites the second season of the SMCU (SM Culture Universe).”
Ahead of the project, the group also shared a behind-the-scenes clip for the “Welcome To MY World” music video, so check that out above, along with the “Spicy” video, and find the MY WORLD art and tracklist below.
Warner Records
1. “Welcome To MY World” Feat. nævis
2. “Spicy”
3. “Salty & Sweet”
4. “Thirsty”
5. “I’m Unhappy”
6. “‘Til We Meet Again”
MY WORLD is out now via Warner Records. Find more information here.
aespa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Nowadays, it’s super important for companies to be upfront about their social and ecological standards. We’re living in the age of conscious consumerism and sustainable shopping. People want to know that the products they’re putting their money towards positively impact the environment and society at large — even for things as simple as wine.
The good news for drinkers is that more and more wineries are taking steps towards reducing their carbon footprints by incorporating organic, biodynamic, or sustainable practices in their vineyards and cellars. And plenty of certifications and seals are featured on wine bottles these days to help aficionados know exactly what they’re drinking.
We’ve rounded up some of the best affordable and approachable bottles to help wet your palate in the tastiest ways. But before we get into the wine, here’s a quick little run down of what you need to know about organic, biodynamic, and sustainable vino.
What is the difference between organic, biodynamic, and sustainable wine?
Just like organic apples in the produce section at Trader Joe’s, organic wine is simply a wine made from organically farmed grapes. This means the vineyards where the grapes grow are free of synthesized ingredients, and the same follows for practices in the cellar where the wine is made. There are several indicators that you may have an organic wine on your hand. Some common seals drinkers may see on bottles for certified organic wines include the USDA Organic badge, the Made With Organic Grapes stamp, or the EU Organic logo.
Biodynamic wine is similar to organic in that it is free of harmful synthesized chemicals, but it takes things one step further. In addition to organic practices, biodynamic winemaking views the entire vineyard as one living ecosystem working together to create a natural product. So everything has a job, from the moon and sun (tasks in the vineyards, like picking and pruning will follow the lunar cycle) to the birds and animals that eat pests and naturally fertilize soils and the insects that live in them that promote overall soil health.
Biodynamic vineyards aim to create low-intervention wine, meaning little is done to the grapes during fermentation, and any additives introduced during the winemaking process are natural and often vegan. While there is no official biodynamic seal in the U.S., some wineries will note on the bottle if the wine is made biodynamically. However, there are internationally recognized certifications, including Demeter or Biodyvin.
Then there’s sustainable wine, which is all about reducing waste and effectively managing resources like water and energy. Sustainability is a bit more complicated in that it could encompass organic or biodynamic farming or neither — it’s all about what’s top priority for a winery. Some companies may skip some of the pricier methods that come with organics or biodynamics (like raising sheep to manage cover crops) to invest in renewable energy sources (like solar panels) to power the winery. Like biodynamics, no official badge in the U.S. indicates that a winery is sustainable (and the very idea of what is truly sustainable can get murky). However, a winery can join various associations to certify that the vineyards and cellars are carbon neutral, etc..
Now that you’re more familiar with “green wine,” let’s finally get to the bottles. It’s worth noting that bottle prices may vary depending on location. However, the wines on this list are generally in the $15 to $30 price range. Speaking broadly, it’s considerably more expensive to produce organic, biodynamic, and sustainable wine for obvious reasons. Let’s get to it.
Root 1 was Chile’s first winery to be certified 100% sustainable in 2013. The winery works with small production vineyards across the Maipo, Colchagua, and Casablanca Valleys to make many wines, all while managing waste, monitoring water usage, and using clean energy sources. For the winery’s newest bag-in-box wine, GEA — which can serve up to 20 glasses of wine — a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and the native Chilean grape País are used to create a ruby red, full-bodied wine in portable and eco-friendly packaging.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: There’s a lot of fruit to smell in this wine. Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries — all the berries! There are also some subtle notes of vanilla, which indicates oak aging. This wine spends four months in French and American oak barrels, and those influences are detected in the fragrance.
Palate: This wine feels fresh and relatively easy drinking on the palate, especially for a full-bodied red. Some nuances of red fruit with hints of oak and chocolate intertwine with ripe tannins — the naturally occurring polyphenols in grape seeds, skins, and leaves that influence a wine’s pucker power, or rather, astringency. That’s all balanced with a clean acidity that leaves the wine balanced and fresh in the mouth.
Finish: The wine wraps with delicate red fruit notes.
Bottom Line:
This is a bang-for-your-buck wine. It’s tasty and doesn’t cost a fortune for a lot of wine that will last longer than the usual bottle — the big perk of bag-in-box styles of wine is that they maximize the freshness and longevity of the wine. That alone makes this box worth drinking. (Though to be fair, having an eco-wine come in a plastic bag does feel kinda funny.)
For more than 30 years, Berziger has produced wines in the heart of Sonoma. In 2000, the family-owned and operated winery transitioned its Sonoma Mountain Estate from conventional to biodynamic farming and has kept environmentally friendly winemaking at the core of its practice by working with organic, biodynamic, and sustainable grape growers across the region. Berziger sourced certified sustainably-grown fruit from Monterey County to create a soft and velvety red wine for this particular bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: At first whiff, you can smell aromas of black, blue, and purple fruits and a lot of spice.
Palate: All those dark fruit flavors show up on the palate, along with nuances of vanilla and baking spices. Soft and supple tannins lift the medium-bodied wine well into the finish.
Finish: The finish of this wine is smooth and clean, and it lingers with a subtle note of black cherry and blueberry.
Bottom Line:
This wine is lean and clean but still has depth. It can easily pair with a variety of foods — lighter and heartier dishes. However, the fruit and spice of this well-rounded wine could be enjoyed totally on its own.
Bonterra has helped lead the charge toward environmentally conscious farming since its inception in 1987. It started as an organic winery. Over the years, Bonterra has started converting its estate to regenerative farming — a new-school style of biodynamic agriculture that emphasizes land health more by increasing soil biodiversity to create wines with greater complexity, all while combating climate change. The Grenache grapes used for this wine come from Bonterra’s organic vineyards in Mendocino.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: This pretty pink wine is bursting with fruity nuances. Fragrances of red cherry and watermelon mingle with the scents of citrusy grapefruit while stone fruit nuances linger in the background. This wine has a sweet smell — almost like cotton candy — but don’t let that aroma fool you. This wine is entirely dry on the palate.
Palate: Refreshing watermelon and berry characteristics show up on the palate, but the most significant selling point of this rosé is perhaps its texture. The wine is crisp at first sip but has splashy acidity, giving it a mouthwatering edge.
Finish: The finish is long and lingering.
Bottom Line:
This is the good-for-your-conscious, good-for-your-palate, easy-drinking, crushable rosé that will keep your mouth refreshed all summer.
The Bertrand family has made wine in France’s Languedoc region since the 1920s. However, it was under the stewardship of third-generation winemaker Gérard Bertrand that the company’s estates transitioned over to biodynamic agriculture. All the family’s vineyards are Demerter certified, which means drinkers can sip on this vibrant orange-hued blend of Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne, Muzak, Muscat, and Clairette grapes knowing that an appreciation for mother Earth was at the heart of its production.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: While this wine appears orange, it doesn’t taste orange. The nose is booming with scents of stone fruits like peach and apricot.
Palate: No, the wine doesn’t taste orange either. Orange wine is simply white wine that got some skin contact during the winemaking process. It’s a similar process to the way red wines soak on the skins to get its color. That said, this wine does exude the flavors of the same fleshy fruits that’s detected in the aroma. It’s ethereally fresh and has a nice viscosity to it that gives the wine a round, complex, medium-bodied feel on the palate.
Finish: The wine coats the tongue like brand-new silk and evolves into a fresh, lingering finish dotted with prickly tannins.
Bottom Line:
This is a wine for the adventurous drinker. It’s fun to drink and has a silky, complex texture that begs for a second glass. Drink it with spicy dishes or all by itself.
The Niepoort family has been involved in Portugal’s wine industry since they relocated from Holland to the country in 1842. Famous for their world-renowned ports, fifth-generation winemaker Dirk Niepoort led the winery into the modern age, added dry table wines to the repertoire, and sustainable and organic farming practices in the vineyard and cellar. This particular wine looks natural in the bottle. It’s not fined or filtered, so it appears cloudy, unlike the translucent conventional still-white wines you may be used to seeing on shelves.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: As if the lemon yellow hue of this wine wasn’t a dead giveaway, this wine smells like a basket of citrus fruits. Peachy, herbaceous fragrances start unraveling after a few swirls in the glass, and it even smells slightly salty.
Palate: As the aromas suggest, this wine is hella citrusy on the palate, but all that fruit gets toned down by vibrant salinity that pairs well with the zippy acidity that arrives mid-palate.
Finish: Fresh, zippy, and lingering with acidity.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent wine for folks who are like natural wines but aren’t so interested in the barnyard-y stuff. While it’s not filtered and still presents a cloudy hue with traces of sediment in the bottle, this stuff is clean and delicious.
This family-owned and family-made wine hails from Australia’s Riverland, which makes up most of South Australia’s wine region. It’s produced with Shiraz grapes that grow on a certified organic winery.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: This ruby red wine has a delightfully ripe black and red cherry aroma, along with hints of black licorice and star anise.
Palate: Shiraz is known for being a full-bodied wine, and this one certainly is. And yet, this wine is surprisingly fresh on the palate. As for the flavor, it’s booming with cherry characteristics that evolve on the palate, with dusty, earthy nuances, lean tannins, and fresh acidity leading the way.
Finish: This wine has a delectable finish dotted with fruit and earth notes.
Bottom Line:
Everything about this wine makes me feel like I should be at a barbecue, tearing through ribs smothered in sweet and tangy barbecue sauce and washing it all down with a glass of this Shiraz.
Matanzas Creek Winery Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc
Founded in Sonoma County in 1977, Matanzas Creek produces wines from estate vineyards certified under the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. This particular bottle is made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes from the winery’s cool climate Knights Valley Vineyard and grapes from warmer estates in Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley. The blend of grapes from different climates results in a dry, medium-to-full-bodied, and crisp wine balanced with fruit, floral nuances, and dashing acidity.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: Bring on the melon! You can smell plenty of it in this wine — honeydew, cantaloupe, guava The wine also displays hints of white flowers and peach on the nose.
Palate: The first thing you may notice after a sip of this wine is its bright acidity. It’s brimming with it. Follow up all that mouthwatering acidity with a bursting of tropical fruit and floral notes, and you have a wine begging to be drunk on a hot summer day.
Finish: Tingly acidity leads to a bright and lively, long finish.
Bottom Line:
This is the wine to grab when you want something easy-going, refreshing, and classy that doesn’t require too much thought. It’s too elegant to call a porch pounder, but it would make for a darling aperitif at a spring backyard party served with oysters, shrimp cocktail, and lighter bites.
Château Paloumey Crus Bourgeois Supérieur Haut-Médoc
This big-body blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is produced by Château Paloumey in the French region of Bordeaux. It holds a Crus Bourgeois du Médoc classification, basically a stamp of approval from the region noting the wine’s high quality and affordability. The winery also holds a Level 2 High Environmental Value certification, an official French endorsement for sustainability. The château’s owner and winemaker, Pierre Cazeneuve, has worked with organic farming and winemaking since 2018.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: This deep, dark red wine smells of ripe black and red berries with an underlying perfume of cedar and leather.
Palate: Notes of rich black and purple fruits are intense on the palate, and they meld together with noticeable hints of oak, vanilla cream, cigar box, and black pepper. Straight-edged tannins give the wine some depth while nuances of cocoa and graphite linger in the background.
Finish: Long and memorable.
Bottom Line:
This is a wine that you can hold on to. It’s only going to get better with time.
For over a decade, Argentinian winery Bodega Argento has put the betterment of the environment at the core of its winemaking. That’s why the winery is certified organic in the vineyards and the wine cellar. This wine is made with Malbec grapes from Argento’s estate in Mendoza.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: This wine smells like a fruit salad full of red berries and plum slices drizzled in balsamic vinegar.
Palate: A medium-to-full-bodied wine, this Malbec tastes as it smells. Herbaceous notes of fresh basil and oregano follow ample cherry and juicy plum flavors. And there’s a hint of balsamic in the background. Fresh acidity acts as a mellowing factor for the grippy tannins.
Finish: The finish lingers with herby nuances.
Bottom Line:
This is what we call a weeknight wine. It’s not so heavy that it requires food to enjoy, although it will be a tasty companion alongside a nice cut of meat and potatoes. More than anything, this is the bottle to open on a mundane Wednesday when you want something that will help you unwind and relax.
Safeguarding the planet has been part of Valdo’s winemaking ethics and efforts since its inception in Italy’s Valdobbiandene Prosecco Superiore DOCG area in 1926. Over the last 20 years, more specifically, the winery has taken steps to reduce its carbon emissions by minimizing synthetic chemicals in the vineyards, reducing waste, planting thousands of trees throughout its properties to promote biodiversity, and converting to renewable energy.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: Fresh flowers and citrus fruits lead the aroma of this wine.
Palate: Made with Italy’s native Glera grape, this wine is crisp and fruity. The bubbles are persistent while maintaining a delicate mouthfeel.
Finish: The cheerful finish lingers with citrusy nuances and zippy acidity.
Bottom Line:
No special occasion is needed to pop open a bottle of bubbly, and the simplicity of this pulled-back sparkling wine makes that point all the more true. Drink this anytime you need a little razzle-dazzle in your life.
Ahead of the season four premiere, Succession creator Jesse Armstrong was asked if there’s an episode that he thinks fans will be shocked by, outside of the movie-length series finale. “What will they be shocked by?” he replied, considering the question from the Hollywood Reporter. “Maybe episode eight.”
The episode, “America Decides,” is written by Armstrong and takes place on Election Day. “Every vote must be counted. This is about the future of the country,” Shiv says in the episode promo, to which Roman replies, “False flag.” When Shiv fires back, “You can’t just say ‘false flag’ every time you don’t f*cking agree with something,” Roy repeats “false flag” over and over again. That’s the classic Roy rapport we’ve grown to love.
Unless Armstrong’s tease is a false flag, it must be something big to be more shocking than Logan’s death in episode three. Unless…
hbo
Did someone say President Connor and First Lady Willa? That would be a shocker. The most overlooked of Logan’s kids becoming the most powerful person in the country. The Conheads are gonna love this (if it happens). Following “America Decides,” there are two more episodes of Succession, with the series finale, titled “With Open Eyes, airing on May 28.
No matter whether you adore or roll your eyes at AMC’s The Walking Dead universe (and its unifying helicopter timeline), you gotta admire its ability to keep resurrecting itself. This franchise is the Law & Order of zombie shows. And Dick Wolf’s stream of criminals-of-the-week ain’t got nothing on the survivors who are frequently even more lethal than the walkers themselves. Soon, there will be a handful of new spinoffs led by characters from the flagship series (and I’m especially curious about how Daryl Dixon handles being Daryl In Paris), yet since 2015, the franchise’s longest-existing spinoff (although not the only one so far), Fear The Walking Dead, has been hobbling along.
I should pause here and discuss how I might be coming at this spinoff in a different way than you did. With The Walking Dead, I kept up from season to season, even if that happened in 3-4 episode bursts that were slightly behind the masses. With Fear, I fully procrastinated and only knew the show (along with crossovers including Morgan and Dwight) via Dustin Rowles’ faithful recaps and analysis. Then earlier this year, I binged seven seasons in less than a month. It was perhaps a mind-melting exercise.
Watching it all at once made the sluggish parts of the show feel like an exercise in treading quicksand. For several seasons (after the novelty of the show’s regular changes in scenery wore off), it wasn’t a good time. Jack sh*t happened for multi-episode blocks. I wanted to punch Nick in the face. I’m not sure what the Filthy Woman was supposed to accomplish other than inventing the world’s first Antifreeze Villain. She helped guide this spinoff into such a void that Dwight’s Season 5 move from The Walking Dead seemed like a worse punishment than being exiled by Daryl.
Other than Madison, most of Fear The Walking Dead‘s characters didn’t grab me (and she “died” in Season 4), but I hung on because Dustin had promised that the show grew much better in Season 6. And I agreed. Morgan’s entry and the John Dorie warmup helped, but Virginia made for a chilling villain. She was pivotal, and after her death, the show maintained momentum even while jumping over shark after shark. A nuclear apocalypse in Texas on top of a zombie apocalypse? Too much, but the show learned to embrace its trappings.
Now, we’re at the eighth and final season, which appears to be — from the episodes that I’ve seen thus far — a way to send this show careening down the most nonsensical hill ever and crashing into the ocean so that the new spinoffs can start things fresh. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s attempting to do so in a spectacularly pants-sh*tting way, and I suspect that existing fans will be fine with where this is going. It’s a mess, yes, but Madison is back. And even though there have been many downsides to this spinoff, the upsides have been largely illustrated by her relationships with various characters, including Daniel Salazar, who makes a hell of a re-entrance, too.
AMC
As such, there is some payoff for viewers who have kept tuning in each week despite this admittedly being an inferior spinoff.
Fear The Walking Dead, as well, has been a series that has shifted gears so many times that it’s hard to keep track. The story has moved from the ocean to Baja and across the U.S. before eventually ending up in Texas, where Strand set up his little luxury tower, which happened to be the one place where radioactive fallout didn’t dare to tread. It’s been a lot. The most recent season finale bid farewell to Alicia, and Madison suddenly reappeared on the beach after being assumed dead for multiple seasons.
In Season 8, the show reinvents itself one final time, and my only hope was that it continued to maintain momentum. I dared not hope for quality. There’s a new lead villain, and we get to finally find out what all of that mythical “P.A.D.R.E.” talk was about — and I won’t spoil what P.A.D.R.E. actually is, but I think most of us can guess how a promise of a utopian society in this universe (just think back to Terminus days of The Walking Dead ) ends up going. The show picks up where the last season finale left off — Morgan’s daughter being kidnapped with he and Madison setting off while blindfolded in a boat — and then takes a seven-year time jump.
AMC released three new episodes to critics, and let’s just say that the spinoff has included some of the more f*cked-up moments I’ve ever seen in this franchise. Seven years after they found P.A.D.R.E., we get to see how it’s treated June, Dwight, Sherry, Morgan, and Madison. In particular, June is barely hanging onto her sanity by a thread. Morgan is uncharacteristically “with the program,” mainly because of his daughter, Mo. We are supposed to see a reinvented Strand at some point. I haven’t seen it happen yet, but I suspect that will be pivotal to how the season is fully received.
This final season, sadly, sits in an odd place because I suspect that AMC wanted to formally close put a knife through the heart of this beast and start fresh. This is kind-of like Shazam! Fury Of The Gods ahead of James Gunn’s DCU relaunch. It’s a placeholder and good enough. Again, though, the show brings back a beloved character in Madison, so that’s a plus. It’s wild to remember that she and Morgan have never met until now, since they seem to be natural companions. I quite enjoy watching them bounce off each other, even if they are both less true to themselves due to P.A.D.R.E.’s rule. And if there’s a soul to Fear The Walking Dead, it’s found in the hopes that, eventually, these characters will come full circle in some way. For Morgan, that will mean going back to where he began.
AMC
Let’s be clear, though: The Walking Dead franchise has never aspired to be prestige TV. It’s many things for many people, and for me, it’s a guilty pleasure and comfort food. As messed up as it might sound, I feel like this is a world where, yes, the whole “reanimated bodies” thing is both inevitable and disconcerting, but at least there’s a concrete threat that can be vanquished with a spear and tangibly and swiftly halted. To me, this feels like a less anxiety-prolonging scenario rather than worrying about the at-times invisible and often nebulous, uncontrollable forces that we worry about in 2023.
So, The Walking Dead universe must live on as escapism. And Fear The Walking Dead appears to be setting itself up to pass the baton so that the other spinoffs can rise unimpeded. After all, Negan and Maggie will soon return in The Walking Dead: Dead City, which will head into the Big Apple. This spinoff will say goodbye and hope that, just maybe, we’ll see Rick Grimes resurface in Fear The Walking Dead‘s series finale. That would be the most fan-pleasing transition to make. We’ll see if the franchise can pull it off.
Spoilers for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 follow below.
The third Guardians Of The Galaxy movie hit theaters over the weekend, and just as did in the first two films, music plays a big role in the new one. The ending in particular hits hard, thanks in part to the Florence + The Machine classic “Dog Days Are Over.” The scene got to Florence Welch, too.
In a TikTok video shared today (May 8), Welch cries and laughs as she watches the scene. She wrote in her caption, “So I cried all the way through this movie but when the The Guardians of the Galaxy started dancing to Dog Days I really lost it. Thank you so much for all the love for this moment. The superhero obsessed little girl in me can’t believe it happened [heart emoji] x.”
As for what goes down in that scene, The Wrap explains, “Before Quill heads back to Earth, he gives Rocket his Zune. Earlier in the movie, we saw Rocket sing along to Radiohead’s ‘Creep,’ which is a profoundly touching moment that says a lot about his character and his emotional journey. (Remember in the first movie he was utterly baffled by Quill’s love of pop music?) At the end of the movie we see Rocket with the Zune; he toggles down to 2000s music and selects Florence And The Machine’s sing-along barnstormer. It’s a moment where all of the Guardians, together for one last time, can let out all of their nervous, joyous, pent-up energy.”
In a clip played for the jury, Trump is asked about the infamous Access Hollywood tape where he brags that when you’re a star you can just grab women “by the p*ssy.” Instead of downplaying the remarks, the former president doubled down and managed to make things worse. Stern, who has heard a lot of things over the years, was astounded by Trump’s answer.
Stern mentioned the Access Hollywood part of the deposition in which Trump said, “Historically, that’s true, with stars.”
“True that they can grab women by the p*ssy?” Carroll defense attorney Roberta Kaplan said.
“Well that’s what — if you look over the last million years, I guess that’s been largely true. Not always, but largely true, unfortunately or fortunately,” Trump said.
“First of all,” a flabbergasted Stern said, “a million years, there haven’t been movies for a million years. You know — a million years ago there were caveman. Secondly, fortunately or unfortunately, you don’t say fortunately if someone’s being raped, who’s it fortunate for? I guess for the rapist. I guess maybe that’s his point.”
Stern then tried to put himself in the shoes of Trump’s lawyers, who have already expressed their frustration with the former president’s penchant for saying the first thing that pops into his head.
“But if I’m a lawyer, I’m like, I just told him to shut his f*cking mouth. I just had a conversation with the guy. I mean, what is he doing? The f*ck is he doing?” Stern said. “That is the worst deposition I’ve ever seen. I mean, you can’t do worse than that.”
The classic West Coast IPA highlights hops better than any beer on earth, without hitting you over the head with them. When done right, a craft West Coast IPA is complex and balanced while retaining the piney, resinous bite IPA drinkers expect. When done wrong, they’re overly bitter, one-dimensional, and almost undrinkable (we’ve all seen the bearded beer heads muscling down an overly hopped brew — it looks miserable).
Crafting a West Coast IPA is like walking a tightrope of bitterness. It’s a very fine line. We’ve all had our fair share of bitter bombs. We’ve all ordered a West Coast IPA at a small craft brewery with high hopes only to be let down. We’re not going to talk about these beer bungles today though. Instead, we want to highlight some of the best, most flavorful, complex, perfectly bitter, dank West Coast IPAs. The types of IPAs you’ll want to stock up on immediately and sip throughout the spring and summer months.
To find them, we went to a slew of experts for help. We asked some brewers, craft beer experts, and brewing professionals to tell us the absolute best West Coast IPAs to drink this spring. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Santa Fe Happy Camper
Santa Fe
Jim Bruckner, head brewer at Bootstrap Brewing in Longmont, Colorado
Happy Camper IPA by Santa Fe Brewing Co. I have to go with a nostalgic beer here. It’s old school, maybe a little more of a Rocky Mountain IPA than true West Coast due to the malt bill but I’m not splitting hairs on that.
Tasting Notes:
Has that great piney, resin, citrus combo of the OG Pacific Northwest hops with a super-friendly malt backbone. As with all IPA, fresh is the best, and drinking this beer sitting at the brewery in Santa Fe with my dogs will always add to my love of it. It’s in a sexy can, too. Might be the green Chile in my blood talking there.
Lagunitas IPA
Lagunitas
Bijan Ghiai, beverage manager at Urban Hill in Salt Lake City
I would say Lagunitas IPA, it’s a true classic. The beer is really balanced, it’s not too bitter, not too light, and it has a nice, grassy taste. That taste is what you’re looking for when you are looking for a solid IPA.
Tasting Notes:
It begins with malty sweetness and works its way into lemon zest, honeydew melons, and floral, piney hops. The finish is memorably bitter and resinous.
The appeal of West Coast IPAs is so undeniable that the folks at Fieldwork Brewing Company in Berkeley, California decided to revamp one of their Northeast IPAs into a new ‘Pulp Free’ West Coast IPA version.
Tasting Notes:
An avalanche of Citra hops on the nose and tongue doesn’t disappoint with notes of bright citrus, sweet lemon candy, and light tropical undertones. At 6.9% ABV and a smooth, balanced finish, this West Coast IPA is dangerously crushable.
Noda Hop Drop N’ Roll
Noda
Lee Moore, bartender at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina
Noda Hop Drop N’ Roll. It’s perfectly hoppy but not overpowering. It gets its flavor from the liberal use of Citra, Amarillo, Centennial, Warrior, and Chinook hops to go along with a sweet, caramel, malty backbone.
Tasting Notes:
It’s malty and sweet at first and then moves into bright citrus and tropical fruit flavors before finishing with a kick of piney, resinous bitter hops.
Modist Teal Label
Modist
Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
It’s refreshing for a brewery to use Maris Otter malt. Even more so in a West Coast IPA because it lends it a little more sweetness than normal malt and a very subtle nutty flavor. Modist Brewing uses it in their West Coast-style IPA called Teal Label.
Tasting Notes:
The beer is soft, and the hop profile is a balanced combination of piney, citrus, and resiny hops without it being overly sticky or heavy on the palate. I consider it to be a newer age West Coast that you can have a few of without overwhelming your taste buds.
Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin
Ballast Point
Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago
Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA. If you enjoy the original Ballast Point Sculpin but prefer more citrus flavor, you’ll love this version. The tart freshness from the grapefruit paired with the citrus hops create a memorable, hoppy beer.
Tasting Notes:
Grapefruit is big on the nose. There are also floral notes and some sweet malts. The palate continues this trend as grapefruit takes center stage followed by light malts and floral, dank, resinous, biting hops at the finish.
Russian River Pliny the Elder
Russian River
Tom Muscolino, director of beverage innovation at Landmark Hospitality in Plainfield, New Jersey
I really enjoy Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing Company. It’s a double IPA made in very limited quantities and made to drank fresh. It’s quite difficult to get, but well worth it. It is a perfectly balanced beer, in my opinion, one that set the groundwork for the thousands of craft IPAs that came after.
Tasting Notes:
The use of Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops gives this beer a ton of tangerine, grapefruit, and resinous, floral flavors.
Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA is a rare balance that is a big mosaic and Citra hop bomb but is still refreshing and not heavy, with floral and lemon notes. This is an IPA that can be enjoyed on a humid day and not weigh you down.
Tasting Notes:
This memorable beer is hoppy, piney, and is loaded with passionfruit, grapefruit, and orange zest. It lives up to its fresh-squeezed name.
Lagunitas Sumpin’ Easy
Lagunitas
Jared Bailey, bar manager at Soho Cigar Bar in New York City
Lagunitas Sumpin’ Easy is the preferred west coast IPA for me. Its delicate flavors, lower abv, and drinkability make it an easy go-to in the spring and summer especially with all of the fruit-forward, but subtle flavors.
Tasting Notes:
With flavors like sweet wheat, tropical fruit, and bright, floral hops, this easy-drinking IPA is light but manages to still be full of complex flavors.
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale is the granddaddy of the style. It’s the beer I cut my teeth on as a young beer geek. It’s, in fact, the beer that first inspired me to Homebrew. Sadly, it’s only a seasonal beer. That’s why my pick is the equally great Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Made using the brewery’s proprietary dry-hopping device, this “extra IPA” is bursting with hop flavor and aroma.
Tasting Notes:
Citrusy and piney hop notes meld with caramel toasty malt character. It’s just a classic beer you’ll go back to again and again.
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