Month: August 2023

This weekend saw the Jonas Brothers bring their tour, dubbed simply The Tour, to an iconic New York City venue: Yankee Stadium. At the second show, they linked up with another NYC fixture: Jimmy Fallon.

One thing photos from the event make clear is that while The Tonight Show has been off the air, Fallon has settled back into his beard. When he got on stage, he asked the audience, “How would you all like to be in the world’s biggest karaoke party for two minutes?” He then played the studio version of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” and sang along as the audience joined in, too.

“Mr. Brightside” was a major debut for The Killers in 2003, when it was a top-10 hit in the US and UK. It’s racked up over 1.8 billion streams on Spotify and is one of the defining songs of its era, making it a crowd-pleasing choice for Fallon.

Fallon’s beard first made waves around this time last year, when he wore it to the MTV Video Music Awards and had a lot of people thirst over the unexpectedly hairy host. He kept it for a little while after that, but before long, he was back to clean shaven.

Addison Rae is finally arriving with new music, much to the excitement of fans. The speculation started after Rae’s previously unreleased songs started getting removed from the internet for copyright.

She has since confirmed that the songs will drop this Friday in a special Instagram post. “Dug up a few leaks from the lost album,” Rae wrote, complete with a bubblegum-themed photoshoot.

Not only that, but she has some high-profile collaborators that might have confirmed their role on the record.

Charli XCX, who had been rumored to be featured on Rae’s upcoming “2 Die 4” track, shared Rae’s album reveal to her story. “Gonna be 2 die 4 I can’t wait,” Charli captioned.

Other songs of Rae’s that are expected to drop include “Nothing On (But The Radio),” “I Got It Bad,” “It Could’ve Been U,” and “Obsessed.” There’s also a possibility that additional ones could make the tracklist, as other of Rae’s songs like “Love Sick” and “Mess Over U” have been pulled from YouTube.

“That moment when you, a queen, come across another queen, and discuss how best to maximize your joint slay,” one fan wrote in response to Charli and Addison joining forces.

“Sorry but THIS is real music. Nobody is doing FUN music anymore. No one is SERVING,” another added.

Check out Addison Rae’s new music reveal above. Below, find some additional fan reactions to the possibility of a Charli XCX collab.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Elijah Craig Bourbon is one of the best whiskey brands on the shelf today. The good people behind the heritage brand — at Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky — were smart enough to keep Elijah Craigh bourbon accessible, cheap, and delicious for all these decades (the brand was introduced back in 1986). Then to support that good ol’ bourbon that we all can find and afford, Heaven Hill started releasing special Barrel Proof and limited edition versions — basically amping up the flavors consumers had already fallen in love with.

To that end, Heaven Hill just released a brand-new limited edition expression to celebrate the 2023 Ryder Cup in September. Since the Ryder Cup is a competition between European and U.S.A. men’s golf teams, Heaven Hill added some European flare to their very American bourbon. They accomplished this by using European toasted oak to finish classic Elijah Craigh for this one and … it works pretty damn well.

So let’s get right into it and break down the nitty-gritty of how this whiskey is made, what makes it special, and what to expect when you take that first sip.

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys From Kentucky, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• The ‘Smoothest’ Bourbons On The Market, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The 100 Best Bourbons That *Aren’t* From Kentucky, Ranked
• The 100 Best Bourbons Under $100 Right Now, Ranked

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Ryder Cup Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in European Toasted Oak Barrels

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was created to commemorate the “greatest team contest in golf” happening this year in Rome, Italy. The actual whiskey in the bottle is classic Elijah Craig Kentucky bourbon made with a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. After around four to six years, some of that bourbon was batched and re-barreled into toasted new European oak barrels from the wine-growing region around Rome, the state of Lazio. Once just right, those barrels were batched and left to rest before proofing and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Big notes of crème brûlée pop on the nose with a deep vanilla oiliness next to salted caramel with a hint of malted chocolate and dry pear/apple cider that’s just kissed with winter spice barks, cedar, and candied dry red fruits.

Palate: Those fruits take on a sweet and almost tart vibrance on the palate as moist marzipan cut with pear brandy leads to more spice barks dipped in mulled wine, apple cider, and cream soda with a hint of tobacco spiciness lurking in the background.

Finish: That tobacco ascends on the finish with a cedar woodiness as the spices refine toward powdery cinnamon and allspice with a hint of eggnog nutmeg and walnut loaf cut with dried cranberries and cherries.

Bottom Line:

This is a nice, classic, and very enjoyable bourbon. The ABV is light enough that you can easily sip this one neat and feel the rounded edges and silky nature. That all said, I can see this working far better in a whiskey-forward cocktail than anything else. I want to make old fashioneds all day with this one.

Ranking:

88/100: This is a solid B+ whiskey. It’s not overly “toasted” or wood-forward and has a nice overall balance.

Where To Buy:

This Limited Edition Elijah Craig will be available nationwide starting in mid-August. Expect to find it at good whiskey shops for close to MSRP (maybe as much as $120 or $150 depending on who’s pricing things). This is still a limited and allocated bourbon though, so don’t expect it to linger on shelves beyond August/September.

You’ll also be able to find it at this year’s Ryder Cup in Rome at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club since this is the “Official Bourbon” of the whole show.

Shortly after he was warned to not make inflammatory statements about those involved in one of his many criminal cases, Donald Trump made an inflammatory statement about someone involved in one of his many criminal cases. “I am reading reports that failed former Lt. Governor of Georgia, Jeff Duncan, will be testifying before the Fulton County Grand Jury. He shouldn’t,” the quick-to-temper tantrum former president wrote on Truth Social.

Trump not only spelled Duncan’s name wrong (it’s Geoff Duncan), legal experts agree he could be in big trouble for his remarks. Well, bigger trouble. He’s already in big trouble.

“This morning’s first attempt at witness intimidation,” attorney George Conway (yes, Kellyanne’s ex-husband) tweeted, while Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University, added, “Add witness tampering to the potential predicate acts for a Georgia RICO charge. O.C.G.A. § 16-10-93. This is blatantly unlawful stuff… This is exceptionally bad even for Donald Trump.”

“Trump needs to be behind bars without access to social media while he awaits trial,” posted Mark Jacob, former editor for the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times. “This is attempted witness intimidation. If Trump’s lawyers can’t stop him from committing mob-style witness intimidation, they should quit. Otherwise they’re accomplices.”

New York University law professor Ryan Goodman broke things down further:

Trump will somehow blame this on Hunter Biden. Guaranteed.

(Via Raw Story)

When most people think about Korean cooking, they probably imagine the enticing aroma, colors, and flavors of a plate filled with kimchi and bulgogi or a hot bowl of bibimbap. But when cooking influencer Kyong reflects upon his childhood, he has fond memories of his Korean mother cooking him a delicious and easy-to-prepare spaghetti and meatballs recipe.

“My parents were busy running their dry-cleaning business and couldn’t call off work or take long breaks like a traditional 9 to 5 job, so there wasn’t a lot of time to cook,” he recalled. “So, my mom learned how to make quick-and-easy meals, and her spaghetti and meatballs were my favorites.”

Is there any better example of the American melting pot than a hard-working Korean mother cooking an Italian staple for her family?

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Kyong and his fiancé, Mei, are popular chefs whose
Two Plaid Aprons Instagram page has over 500,000 followers. The couple met at Chef John Folse Culinary Institute of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

Two Plaid Apron’s Instagram and YouTube pages have dozens of videos that teach you how to cook everything from kimchi spam fried rice to chicken alfredo to crab rangoon. The recipes come from all parts of the globe, with a particular focus on Asian cuisine.

Two Plaid Aprons has partnered with O Organics to teach you how to make Kyong’s mother’s spaghetti and meatballs while also giving you an easy (and tasty!) way to help Americans suffering from food insecurity.

“Food is very important to us, not only because it fills our stomach, but also because we relate memories to food,” Kyong and Mei said. “So, we were incredibly happy to be able to partner with Albertsons and Upworthy to help fight food insecurity. O Organics is donating a meal for every product purchased at Albertsons stores, up to 28 million meals. This recipe uses 8 O Organic products. That’s 8 meals donated. That is incredible.”

Plus, with O Organics, you’re providing these families with nutritious meals. O Organics is committed to producing USDA-certified, affordably priced organic foods that support the well-being of all.

Food programs like this are even more critical during the summer. Did you know that 1 in 8 kids experience food insecurity in the United States, and 22 million of them rely on school meal programs unavailable in summer?

“For the more than 22 million children who depend on school breakfast and lunch programs, summer vacation means worrying about when they’ll eat next,”
Feeding America says.

Here’s how to make Kyong’s mother’s delicious spaghetti and meatballs using O Organics.

Yield: 2 Servings (10 Meatballs)

Spaghetti & sauce:

1 jar (25 oz) O Organic tomato basil sauce

8 oz O Organic spaghetti

1/4 large O Organic yellow onion, diced

1 TBSP O Organic extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

5 tsp sugar

Meatballs:

1/3 cup O Organic plain breadcrumbs

1/2 cup O Organic whole milk

1 lb O Organic ground beef (85% lean)

1 large O Organic egg

1/4 cup parmesan, grated

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tsp salt

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onion and sauté until translucent.

2. Add the jar of tomato basil sauce, salt, and sugar.

3. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow the sauce to simmer for about 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the meatballs. First, mix together the breadcrumbs and milk. Set aside to let soak.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, egg, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, and the soaked breadcrumbs. Mix until everything is well combined and cohesive.

6. Use a small cookie scoop to portion the meatballs (2 scoops per meatball). Gently compact each portion in your palms and roll it into balls.

7. Once finished, give the simmering sauce a good stir and place the meatballs into the sauce. Make sure to arrange them in a single layer.

8. Cover and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for about 30 minutes or until cooked. Make sure to swirl and/or stir the sauce occasionally. Be gentle to prevent breaking the meatballs.

9. While waiting, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook according to the package instructions or about 12 to 14 minutes. Drain well and portion onto serving plates.

10. Top the pasta with the desired amount of sauce and meatballs. Enjoy!

Now that you’ve enjoyed Kyong’s mother’s spaghetti and meatballs. What are some of your favorite meals that you can make using
O Organics?

This weekend, All Points East returns to London’s Victoria Park with a lineup that includes Aphex Twin, Dermot Kennedy, Haim, The Strokes, and Stormzy. The 10-day festival kicks off Friday, August 18, with This Is What I Mean Day. Stormzy will headline, supported by Kehlani and Sampha, with Knucks, Lucky Daye, WSTRN, Ms Banks, and more set to appear. Gates open at 3 pm, and you can find the set times below.

3:00 PM – 4:15 PM – Gilles Peterson @ 6 Music Stage
3:20 PM – 3:45 PM – JayO @ Cupra North Arena
3:30 PM – 3:55 PM – Trebla @ East Stage
3:50 PM – 4:30 PM – Nippa @ West Stage
3:55 PM – 4:25 PM – Natanya @ TBA
4:05 PM – 4:35 PM – Amaria BB @ Cupra North Arena
4:15 PM – 5:10 PM – DJ Karaba @ 6 Music Stage
4:25 PM – 5:00 PM – Debbie @ East Stage
4:55 PM – 5:35 PM – Dankie Sounds @ Cupra North Arena
5:00 PM – 5:40 PM – Elmiene @ West Stage
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM – Tamera @ TBA
5:10 PM – 6:05 PM – Jordss @ 6 Music Stage
5:30 PM – 6:10 PM – Lucky Daye @ East Stage
6:05 PM – 6:55 PM – Ms Banks @ Cupra North Arena
6:05 PM – 7:35 PM – Rampage Sound @ 6 Music Stage
6:10 PM – 6:55 PM – Knucks @ West Stage
6:10 PM – 6:40 PM – Tay Iwar @ TBA
6:45 PM – 7:45 PM – Sampha @ East Stage
6:50 PM – 7:20 PM –- No Signal @ E3 Stage
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM – Kehlani @ West Stage
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM – WSTRN @ Cupra North Arena
7:35 PM – 8:30 PM – Dreamcastmoe @ 6 Music Stage
8:00 PM – 8:30 PM – Dexter in the newsagent @ TBA
8:40 PM – 10:55 PM – Stormzy @ East Stage

Mike Flanagan doesn’t miss in terms of quality and rarely in terms of viewership (with The Midnight Club being a rare miss on the second front). The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor fans were delighted at his most recent smash-hit followup, Netflix’s Midnight Mass, starring one deliciously unsettling Hamish Linklater and several Flanagan regulars, including Kate Siegel, Annabeth Gish, Rahul Kohli, Samantha Sloyan, and Carla Gugino. The latter stars in his upcoming project, The Fall Of The House Of Usher, which is (of course) inspired by the 1839 short story by Edgar Allen Poe.

From the looks of things, the story has been reinterpreted with a modern spin, and the limited series will find inspiration in other Poe offerings as well, but here is what we know so far about The Fall Of The House Of Usher, which will naturally incorporate some familiar faces while spooking you out.

Plot

The following synopsis should spark your curiosity (if you aren’t already in that state as a die-hard Flanagan fan):

From Mike Flanagan, the creator of The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, a wicked horror series based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege, and power. But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth.

Cast

The leading duo, Roderick and Madeline Usher, will be portrayed by Bruce Greenwood and Carla Gugino, respectively. The rest of the cast includes Mark Hamill, Carl Lumbly, Michael Trucco, Paola Nuñez, Henry Thomas, Kyleigh Curran, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Sauriyan Sapkota, Zach Gilford, Willa Fitzgerald, Katie Parker, Malcolm Goodwin, Annabeth Gish, and more. Here are a few more stills:

Release Date

Netflix’s The Fall Of The House Of Usher arrives on October 12, right on time for the Halloween spirit to get rowdy.

Trailer

No full-on trailer exists yet (dang it), but you can watch this ominous teaser of Carla Gugino apparently up to no supernatural good.

Netflix’s The Fall Of The House Of Usher will debut on October 12.

Belgium’s Pukkelpop Festival is returning this weekend with an incredibly great lineup. For those who are attending, they might be wondering who to catch, where they’re playing, and on what stage.

Thankfully, we have you covered. Here’s what to know about the 2023 set times for the three main days.

On Friday, Nessa Barrett will be on the Marquee stage at 3:25-4:25 p.m. Shortly after, Ethel Cain will play on the Club stage from 4:30-5:20. Other key acts to note are: Years & Years at 6:40-7:40 (Main Stage), M83 at 7:45-8:45 (Marquee), Boygenius at 9:55-10:55 (Marquee), and Billie Eilish at 11-12:30 (Main Stage). Throughout the rest of the night, DJ acts will keep the party going.

Then, for Saturday, the festivities continue with acts including Tom Odell at 2-2:50 (Main Stage), Fousheé at 3:45-4:35 (Club), Jessie Ware at 4:35-5:35 (Marquee), Turnstile at 5:35-6:35 (Main Stage), Muna at 5:40-6:30 (Club), Limp Bizkit at 7:35-8:35 (Main Stage), Steve Lacy at 10:35-11:35, and more.

Finally, for the final day of Pukkelpop 2023, Sunday’s acts feature Dropkick Murphys at 3:55-4:55 (Main Stage), Girl In Red at 5-6 (Marquee), Macklemore at 6:05-7:05 (Main Stage), King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at 7:10-8:10 (Marquee), Florence & The Machine at 8:15-9:30 (Main Stage), and The Killers at 10:40-12 a.m. On the Boiler Room and Club stages, the festival continues until 3 a.m.

To view the complete list of set times, visit Pukkelpop’s website.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

As Ron DeSantis continues to stumble on the campaign trail, the Florida governor has reportedly lost significant ground to not just Donald Trump but other Republican primary challengers. GOP insiders are now predicting that DeSantis is headed for a downfall, and frankly, they’re not surprised.

“The more he is met by people, the more they are not going to like him,” Florida State Senator Joe Gruders told The Washington Post. “The more he’s out there, the more his numbers go down. It’s not a good long-term scenario for him. I fully expected the downfall of his campaign a long time ago.”

According to Florida GOP insiders, DeSantis’ interpersonal skills are not the best. The governor reportedly has a “my way or the highway” approach to negotiations and “infrequently talked to some senior members in his own Cabinet, including his top law enforcement officials, or other leading Republicans.”

Via The Washington Post:

“It’s kind of what I expected to see,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), whose backing of Trump stung DeSantis, according to people close to the governor, said of the DeSantis campaign. He added: “In presidential politics, you have to be able to engage and connect with people. It’s through TV, it’s through interviews, it’s charisma. You know it when you see it … I never felt like it was something the governor would be able to do or accomplish.”

The damning Washington Post report on DeSantis’ flailing campaign arrived on heels of another GOP strategist recently telling CNN that the governor is getting “killed in the focus groups.”

“We always ask people who do you want to see be the 2024 nominee? And six months ago, Ron DeSantis, he would always come up. He was the first one. If it wasn’t Trump, it was him,” Sarah Longwell told Inside Politics via Newsweek. “People don’t even mention him right now. They’ve said [Senator] Tim Scott, they’ve said Vivek Ramaswamy and he’s just not even getting mentioned—there was one guy who liked him… That is brutal.”

(Via The Washington Post, Newsweek)

The SpongeBob SquarePants theme song poses the question, “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?” The question’s answer will always be SpongeBob SquarePants (except for the various times his house was destroyed), but the question’s asker is sometimes different. It was this weekend, at least, when Tom Kenny, who voices the sponge, was joined for a performance of his show’s theme song by Slipknot leader Corey Taylor.

Both were at the Huntington Comic and Toy Convention in West Virginia this weekend, and backed by a full band, Kenny brought Taylor up on stage. After sharing a hug, Taylor noted, “This is the most nervous I’ve ever been in my whole career.”

After some more banter, they got into the song, with Taylor and Kenny trading off lines as the audience chimed in during the parts where it’s just a chorus of kids singing, “SpongeBob SquarePants!” The song is short and simple so the whole thing was over pretty quickly, but nevertheless, it was a fun collision of worlds.

Taylor actually has some previous experience with the song, as he’s covered it live a number of times before this. He sang it at a different convention last year, for example. Here’s another one from 2017.

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