Month: November 2023

Eagle Rare Bourbon is one of the most beloved and sought-after American whiskeys on the scene. The elixir from Kentucky is often hailed as the best of the best by those in the know. And I’m here to tell you — it really does live up to the hype.

Of course, there isn’t just one Eagle Rare Bourbon out there. There are four. Each of the four Eagle Rare expressions is made at the iconic Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. All of the versions of the brand are made with the same mash bill (Buffalo Trace’s famed Mash Bill No. 1, a low rye bourbon mash). Incidentally, that’s the same mash bill as Stagg, E.H. Taylor, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, and Benchmark.

What sets each variation of Eagle Rare apart is age. The ages range from 10 to 25 years old. And that extra time in the barrel has pretty dramatic effects on what’s in the bottle. I’m not going to get into a debate about whether older is better because that completely misses the point of batching and building a flavor profile to match a specific expression of whiskey (no matter what the age is).

That all said, there are some major variations in flavor among these four whiskeys — which is great because they are, by all measures, the same whiskey at the base level. I’m going to give you my professional opinion on which is the best with my tasting notes. Then you can decide which Eagle Rare deserves a spot on your home bar cart. Let’s dive in!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys From Kentucky, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• The ‘Smoothest’ Bourbons Under $100, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The ‘Smoothest’ Bourbons On The Market, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The 100 Best Bourbons Under $100 Right Now, Ranked

4. Double Eagle Very Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (2023)

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $13,999

The Whiskey:

This whiskey ups the Eagle Rare game in two ways. First, this is “double” aged, meaning that the whiskey spends 20 years mellowing in Buffalo Trace’s warehouses — or twice as long as standard Eagle Rare. That makes the barrels that go into this expression super rare. The second aspect is the decanter. The crystal decanter has two eagles, one as a stopper and one that is blown into the bottom of the bottle. It’s a striking bottle and only 199 were produced.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this gently draws you in with mellow hints of cherry liqueur, dry cedar tobacco boxes, rich vanilla pods that feel oily, and a buttercream toffee candy that’s more sticky than brittle. The nose then leans towards a woody spice matrix of cinnamon sticks soaked in cherry syrup next to a slight note of anise that’s more absinthe green than licorice dark.

Palate: On the palate, very dark cacao dust opens up our taste buds as dates soaked in floral Earl Grey create a base for a moist and very sticky toffee pudding with a small dollop of the silkiest vanilla ice cream you’ve ever had.

Finish: The spices in that date-filled cake slowly rise after the sweet mid-palate veers into a soft and velvety finish that echoes with the woody spices but not the heat from them. The very end leaves you with this dry cedar box that once held allspice berries, anise, and cinnamon but now holds a very dry leaf of cherry-choco tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This is the most oaky whiskey on the list. And there’s no getting around that that is an acquired taste — not a refined one. There’s a lot of tannic woody bitterness on this one that is hard to get past without a drop of water or a single ice cube. Once you let this bloom in the glass, it’s a masterpiece. It gets creamy and luscious with a signature Buffalo Trace vibe that’s sweetly delicious and subtly aged. You just have to work to get there, and that’s why this is at the bottom of the list.

3. Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 17 Years Old (BTAC 2023)

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $550

The Whiskey:

This year’s Eagle Rare ended up being 19 years and three months old (the “17 Years” on the label denotes the youngest barrels used for the brand overall). This year’s release was distilled and barreled back in the spring of 2004 and then left to rest all those years around the Buffalo Trace campuses in warehouses C, I, K, M, and Q. Once the barrels were batched, the whiskey was proofed and bottled as-is otherwise.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is like eating a moist and perfectly balanced Black Forest cake while walking through an old barrel house and out into a fallow fruit orchard with fall leaves crunchy underfoot and rain barely misty the air with hints of cinnamon cake, smudging sage, and sweetgrass rounding things out.

Palate: Orange cake and salted caramel lead on the palate with a sense of dark chocolate tobacco moving the mid-palate toward dry roasting herbs and a touch of nuttiness.

Finish: Cinnamon sticks and nutmeg pop up on the finish with a hint of vanilla buttercream and eggnog before the spices dry out with a sense of mince meat pie and old leather tobacco pouches.

Bottom Line:

I struggled with the top three of this list. On a different day, this might as well be number one. While I love this whiskey, I have to admit that it’s classic and not quintessential. This is the whiskey I pour when I want a perfect example of Kentucky bourbon that’s 100% straightforward and delicious. I’m not going to say it’s exciting though or goes beyond purely and truly “classic”.

2. Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 10 Years

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $47

The Whiskey:

This might be one of the most beloved (and still accessible) bottles from Buffalo Trace. This whiskey is made from their very low rye mash bill. The hot juice is then matured for at least ten years in various parts of the warehouse. The final mix comes down to barrels that hit just the right notes to make them “Eagle Rare.” Finally, this one is proofed down to a fairly low 90 proof.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Old leather boots, burnt orange rinds, oily sage, old oak staves, and buttery toffee draw you in on the nose before a sense of old fallow fruit orchards with falling leaves hints at old brick barrelhouses in the distance with a whisper of dried apple.

Palate: Marzipan covered in dark chocolate opens the palate as floral honey and ripe cherry lead to a winter cake vibe full of raisins, dark spices, and toffee sauce before deep and earthy barrel warehouse vibes arrive with a sense of the cobwebs, mold, and ancient wood takes over.

Finish: The end has a balance of all things winter treats as the marzipan returns and the winter spice amp up alongside a hint of spicy cherry tobacco and old cedar wrapped with smudging sage, old fall leaves, and bourbon-soaked oak stave from decades ago.

Bottom Line:

This is quintessential Kentucky bourbon. Yes, this wins points for price and availability. Hey, you can actually get this one! But that’s not the whole story. This is really good bourbon from top to bottom. It takes you on a journey and feels way more than average. Cards on the table, this over a big rock is the perfect pour of bourbon whiskey.

1. Eagle Rare 25 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $9,899

The Whiskey:

Eagle Rare Straight Bourbon is made from Mash Bill #1 at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. That’s their low-rye mash bill, and that’s all that’s known about the juice. That whiskey was then left to rest for nearly two decades in a warehouse before being moved into Buffalo Trace’s new state-of-the-art Warehouse P facility. When the whiskey hit 25 years old, something magical happened to the barrel and it was ready for bottling.

The single barrel was proofed down to Eagle Rare’s 101-proof and otherwise bottled as-is, yielding only 200 bottles. The bottle is also a collectible with a hand-hammered sterling silver eagle wing wrapped around a hand-blown crystal decanter. That striking bottle comes in a custom display box that opens like an eagle’s wings.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose hints at old oak staves resting in a musty warehouse before veering toward stewed cherries with hints of clove and nutmeg next to salted dark chocolate shavings and rich powdered sugar icing cut with bourbon vanilla and light pipe tobacco essences with a whisper of fall leaves and orchard barks.

Palate: The rich vanilla gets buttery and creamy with an almost eggnog vibe thanks to the spice on the lush palate has dried cranberry, brandy-soaked cherry, and dried figs lead to rich toffee rolled in dark chocolate and anise before getting cut with a touch of earthy tobacco pulled from fresh black dirt.

Finish: The finish hugs you gently with warmth tied to winter spice barks soaked in apple cider cut with black cherry as the dirt takes on a warehouse must with gently sweet oak staves mingle with a whisper of whole black pepper and clove buds over creamy dark orange spice cake.

Bottom Line:

This is the mountaintop of Eagle Rare. What’s amazing is that this turns a corner after 20 years and by 25 years it hits this point of beautiful creamy lightness that’s almost … fresh. This is the bottle of Eagle Rare that’s not classic or not quintessential — it’s genre-defining. It’s also f*cking delicious.

Figuring out if your date is into you can be like reading a map—everyone has their own set of signs and signals, and some people’s can be hard to read. Plus, we all want to put our best foot forward, so we might not let our true feelings show right away, either. It’s like trying to win a friendly game of guess-who.

The problem is that in the fast-moving world of online dating, mixed signals can lead to missed connections.

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So, body language expert Kate Kali posted a video sharing the ‘3 Nonverbal Sings That Someone Finds You Attractive.”

@kate__kali

3 Things People Subconsciously Do When They Are Attracted To You 😍 #dating #datingadvice #datingtips #bodylanguage #nonverbalcommunication #readingbodylanguage #bodylanguagetips #bodylanguagesecrets #datingandromance #attraction #oppositesattract #readingpeople #humanbehavior #attractivebodylanguage #seduction #fyp #bodylanguagehacks #howtoreadpeople #datinglife #peoplereading #facereading

1. They touch you, even if it’s momentary

“If they touch you in any way, even if it’s like a little brush or they just kind of touch your shoulder for a second, that’s a pretty sure sign that they’re interested in you,” she says. “Typically in a dating scenario, if somebody touches you, they’re actually subconsciously—and sometimes quite consciously—testing out what it feels like to be physically connected to you.”

2. Dilated pupils

“If someone’s pupils dilate, they are definitely into you. The eyes are connected to the heart—that’s a Chinese face-reading thing—and when the pupils dilate, they are quite literally, physiologically, trying to take in more of you,” Kali says.

3. Watch their belongings

“You will notice that couples or people that are dating that are into each other will subconsciously and slowly, over time, get their drinks closer together,” Kali explains. Conversely, if your date moves their things away from you, it could mean they aren’t interested yet.

The ladies of The View were not buying Ivanka Trump‘s latest attempt to get out of testifying in her father’s Manhattan fraud trial, and neither did the judge.

Ivanka attempted to delay her testimony by claiming that traveling from Florida to New York would be an “undue hardship” in the “middle of a school week.” New York Attorney General Letitia James was not having it and filed a motion to deny Ivanka’s request.

“Staying her testimony may well serve to delay the fair and orderly resolution of a trial that has now been proceeding for over almost a month, in which OAG is nearing completion of its case in chief,” James argued via CNBC. “Ms. Trump’s mere need to attend trial for a single day to testify truthfully is not itself a serious harm that warrants emergency relief.”

The judge in the case agreed, and Ivanka’s request was “swiftly denied,” according to CNN. Enter The View‘s Ana Navarro who went to town on Ivanka’s lame excuse by noting that the Trump heiress was just at Kim Kardashian’s birthday party this week.

“I’m sorry, Ivanka gets absolutely no sympathy from me, and I think from most American women who have to, and men, who have to balance all sorts of duties,” Navarro said via Mediaite. “Girl, I fly back and forth between Miami and New York at least twice a week, and I don’t have a private jet or a $2 billion from the Saudis. Yeah. So I think you can do it for one day.”

“She traveled all over the world when she was at the White House and the children were even smaller,” Navarro added. “And also, don’t these children have a father that can take care of them on a school day?”

Sunny Hostin, a former attorney, offered her perspective on why Ivanka tried to play the “Mother of the Year” card.

“She has never really been implicated,” Hostin noted. “And so in a civil case, you can plead the Fifth because if something that you say can and will be against you in a criminal case, you don’t want to testify. She would have to testify… If she testifies and she was somewhat involved in any way… We saw her on The Apprentice. She was getting off the helicopter with the boys, too. She could say something that could now lead to criminal liability.”

(Via Mediaite)

Fast food brands are always introducing new foods to their menus. Those dishes range from totally forgettable to must-order delicious. But unless you’ve got your ear to the ground on all things fast food, you probably don’t know about them until you roll up to the drive-thru and see them on a signboard. At that point you’re hit with a dilemma — do you get what you came for? Or take a chance on something new and potentially ruin your lunch?

Don’t take that risk, friends. Let us take it for you.

That’s right, we’re taking all the hits so that you don’t have to wager your money or your tastebuds on shoddy fast food. The good news? Right now is a pretty tasty time in the fast food game — brands are bringing out their big guns to compete with the fall season, when people are cooking at home more often (if you need help in this department, we got you).

Below, we’re naming all of the best (and worst) new menu items in fast food for Fall 2023. Let’s eat!

10. Jack in the Box — The Basic Witch Shake

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

It’s drinks like the Basic Witch Shake that make people hate pumpkin spice season. This straight-up isn’t good. The flavor doesn’t deliver the right ratio of pumpkin spices, it’s heavy on nutmeg, ginger, and sugar, but the cinnamon is barely there and there isn’t any allspice or clove present. It’s pumpkin, without the spice.

What makes this drink different than all the other pumpkin spice drinks on the market is the inclusion of Oreos. Unfortunately, they don’t do much to add to the experience. The chocolate flavor just doesn’t meld with the intensely sweet pumpkin spice syrup.

The Bottom Line:

A huge swing and a miss. Do yourself a favor and just stick with the very good Oreo Milkshake.

Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.

9. Jack in the Box — Angry Monster Taco

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Jack in the Box is working overtime to bring us… mediocrity! Okay, I’m being a bit mean here, JiB’s Angry Monster Taco isn’t quite as bad as the Basic Witch Shake, but compared to some of the other drops we’ll be covering today, this one just doesn’t do enough to matter.

Here is what’s good about the Angry Monster Taco, it swaps out the usual shell of JiB’s crunchy taco with something that provides some heat at the forefront, which adds a bit more to the usual flavor of these greasy and salty (but delicious when drunk!) tacos. Unfortunately, if you’re not already a fan of JiB’s tacos, this isn’t going to win you over, or really even taste that different.

The Bottom Line:

Hits the spot when you’re drunk, but do not attempt to eat this of sober mind. Unless you already love JiB’s crunchy tacos or you’re stoned or drunk off your head, then this is definitely worth the pickup.

Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.

8. Chipotle — Carne Asada

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Last year Chipotle gave us five new protein options, each available for a limited time. All of them were delicious and better than most of the stock proteins on the menu. This year, Chipotle has only given us Carne Asada, a returning limited protein from the past and it’s, well, fine.

It’s not the best. The meat is pretty tough and is cut in large chunks, so if you’re the type that likes to laboriously chew your protein, this is the beef for you! While I think the texture is off, the flavor of the meat is well-seasoned with oregano, coriander, and a bit of cumin. But the meat also goes heavy on the lime and cilantro, so if those two flavors turn you off, you’re never going to like this.

The Bottom Line:

A good addition to the Chipotle menu, but we expect greatness. Especially after last year’s Pollo Asado and Guajillo Steak.

Find your nearest Chipotle here.

7. Panda Express — Chili Crisp Shrimp

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

A pleasing crunch is followed by sweet notes and the flavor of succulent shrimp with a chili spice that builds on the back end. That heat grows between bites but the majority of the flavor here is dominated by sweetness.

The shrimp is wok-fried with bell peppers and onions which strangely don’t do much to add any aromatics to the dish. For me, they didn’t come through, which was a bit of a disappointment. Still, the shrimp was very good. Here is the thing though — it’s wildly inconsistent. I’ve had this dish a few times where the crispy exterior was completely soggy.

As is the case with all Panda Express food, you need to look at the food under the heat lamp. If it looks like it’s been sitting there for a while, maybe order a fresher option.

The Bottom Line:

Succulent and crunchy with an addicting sweet and spicy flavor.

Find your nearest Panda Express here.

6. Burger King — Ghost Pepper Whopper

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

If you’ve read any of Uproxx’s other food reviews you’ll know that I have a bit of a reputation for not being kind to Burger King. The brand regularly ranks near or at the bottom of our fast food rankings. Having said all of that, I think the Ghost Pepper Whopper is one of the best things on the menu.

Yes, that orange-dyed sesame bun looks downright unappetizing, but if you can get past that what you’ll find is a big bite of smoky, meaty, and savory flavors with some vegetal spice courtesy of fried jalapeños, a hint of creamy, slightly bright notes from the ghost pepper cheese and more heat and salt from the queso sauce.

It’s a wonderful bouquet of spicy sensations that bounce across the palate in a way that makes each bite a delicious journey.

The Bottom Line:

Burger King’s best burger. Unfortunately, it’s only available for a very limited time — get it while you can!

Find your nearest Burger King here.

5. Wendy’s — Pumpkin Spice Frosty

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

It’s a Frosty flavor not a single person in the world asked for and yet… it might just be the best flavor ever. I know that sounds hard to believe but trust me. It has a strong cinnamon and nutmeg flavor with a vanilla finish that captures all of the magic of a slice of pumpkin pie.

Generally, I’m not the biggest fan of pumpkin spice-flavored drinks. I love a good slice of pie but find most pumpkin blended drinks to be a bit off-putting because they taste like someone liquefied a slice and that neither sounds nor tastes great. But somehow Wendy’s makes it work thanks to the super thick consistency of the Frosty.

The Bottom Line:

The best blended pumpkin-flavored drink you’ll ever have. Yes, really.

Find your nearest Wendy’s here.

4. Chick-fil-A — Honey Pimento Chicken Sandwich

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Salty, bright, vegetal, and tangy with an intense floral sweetness on the back end. The jalapeños here don’t provide any heat whatsoever, they’re pickled so the heat doesn’t even register as mild but they add a nice peppery quality to the sandwich that pairs interestingly with the pimento cheese and honey sauce.

If your big complaint about the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich is that it’s too bland and dry — this remedies that!

The Bottom Line:

A sign that Chick-fil-A is willing to shake things up! The Honey Pimento Chicken Sandwich mixes up the typical Chick-fil-A flavor so much that if you ate this blind, you’d never know it came from the brand.

Find your nearest Chick-fil-a here.

3. Flame Broiler — Korean Spicy Chicken

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

It’s so spicy that you feel the heat on your palate just from smelling it! After an initial blast of chili spice a savory and sweet flavor begins to take over. The chicken is tender and juicy (it’s dark meat) and tastes even better with some additional Magic Sauce (Flame Broiler’s version of Teriyaki) which helps to deepen the sweetness and bring some umami notes forward.

But be warned, this isn’t a dish for people who can’t handle spice.

The Bottom Line:

Some of the best cooked-to-order spicy chicken in all of fast food. And it’s healthier than all the fried options out there. Flavor in a relatively healthy dish that you can order and be eating in 10 minutes tops? That’s heaven on Earth.

Find your nearest Flame Broiler here.

2. Popeyes — Sweet ’N Spicy Wings

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

If you’ve had Popeyes’ Ghost Pepper wings in the past you might want to write the new Sweet ’N Spicy Wings off immediately. That would be a huge mistake. I don’t want to say “Popeyes has done it again,” because these wings don’t feel nearly as hyped as the famous chicken sandwich but… it kind of feels like Popeyes has done it again! They’re really on to something here.

The flavor is well balanced, which seems to be a challenge — most times fast food tries to give us sweet and spicy flavors they lean too heavily on the sweet. At first bite, you get a kiss of sweetness that is quickly taken over by the flavors of chili and garlic with a hint of ginger on the backend. As the flavor rests on the palate that initial sweetness comes back.

It seems like Popeyes is testing out these wings in random participating restaurants, there are three Popeyes in my neighborhood and only two of them have the new flavor, so call ahead of time to see if your local Popeyes has ‘em stocked!

The Bottom Line:

The best new addition to Popeyes menu since the chicken sandwich. It’s a must-try.

Find your nearest Popeyes here.

1. Shake Shack — Spicy ShackMeister Cheeseburger

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

The spice attacks your tastebuds at first bite before a mix of sweet and savory flavors kicks in. The beef is very unctuous and is complemented well by the vegetal flavor of the cherry peppers. Most of the heat comes via a hot pepper blend that is dusted across the patty. The fried onions, cherry pepper, and Maillard crust of the smashed patty add a lot of texture to every bite.

Hands down, this is the best burger in all of fast food right now. Spicy burgers are nothing new in this space — Wendy’s has one, Five Guys has one, and even In-N-Out lets you add Chopped chilies to your burger, which at least provides a mild heat. But none of those brands have anything on this burger. The Spicy ShackMeister is the perfect blend of texture and flavor.

It’ll be a sad sad day when this eventually leaves Shake Shack’s menu.

The Bottom Line:

A real treat for the senses. It’s spicy, rich, and textural. Easily the best burger released all year.

Find your nearest Shake Shack here.

The holiday season is upon us. Most musicians are focused on pumping out the festive tunes to serve as the soundtrack to these gatherings. “Umbrella” singer Rihanna, on the other hand, has her eyes fixed on the gift exchanges. From her Fenty cosmetic line to her Savage X Fenty lingere to her footwear relaunch with Puma, the mother of two has all the bases covered.

Are you looking to snag a product from the recording artist? Here’s how to buy Rihanna’s Fenty x Puma Avanti sneakers.

Unlike what often happens with some other popular footwear companies, the sneakers aren’t hidden behind an app and they don’t require shoppers to enter a raffle: The Avanti sneakers can be purchased at locations offering the line. In addition to in-person options, Avantis can be ordered directly on the Puma website. The kicks, which range from $75 to $160, are available in two colors: deep myrtle and club avy (green and blue) in women, men, and children’s sizes.

In an interview with Vogue, Rihanna opened up about reconnecting with the brand to revive the line, saying, “It’s a bit of a family reunion. Coming back to Puma as a mom, in a new space, allowed for new perspectives and ideas. This time around, we expanded our creations to kids, ’cause I selfishly want my boys in everything their dad and I wear or design.”

The Fenty x Puma Avanti by Rihanna is on sale now, at retailers where the line is sold, and on the brand’s official website. Find more information here.

Kid Cudi’s rollout for Insano takes a big leap forward with “At The Party,” featuring both Pharrell and Travis Scott. In September, the Cleveland rapper pushed the album back, advising fans that it wouldn’t arrive until January, but in terms of the sort of tracks that’ll hold them over ’til then, you could do way worse than “At The Party.”

A loopy, bass-heavy beat backs rap verses from all three participants, who each perform with a buzzy filter and a droning delivery. The effects are cool and help make the three verses more lively, considering none of the three has ever really been anyone’s idea of a showstopping rapper. The features are also fitting since you can usually hear a lot of Pharrell’s influence in Kid Cudi’s music and even more of Kid Cudi’s influence in Travis Scott’s music.

They’re just two of the planned features for Insano, which Cudi teased would also include contributions from fellow genre-benders like ASAP Rocky, Lil Yachty, and Young Thug. Cudi also recently collaborated with Lil Durk on the song “Guitar In My Room” but it remains to be seen whose project it’ll show up on, if any.

Listen to Kid Cudi’s “At The Party” above.

We’ve seen Keanu Reeves do it all: shoot guns, race around the world, and destroy men with his bare hands. But for his latest project, he’s narrating the story while someone else does some risky stunts. The man needs some rest, let him be.

Reeves narrates Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story, Hulu’s latest sports docuseries which recounts the story of 2008’s best underdog story. Reeves is, famously, a fan of going very fast, so this makes him the perfect person to tell the story. In the trailer, Reeves says that the story of Brawn GP ” barely seems believable,” which is why he’s the perfect man for the gig.

The doc features race footage and interviews with team owen Ross Brawn himself, plus former F1 executive Bernie Ecclestone and champ Jenson Button. Here is the official description:

Witness one of the most incredible sagas in Formula 1 history, the story of Brawn GP. Starring and hosted by Keanu Reeves, this gripping four-part series offers exclusive first-hand insights from racing legends and highlights the drama, both on and off the track.

In 2008, Honda’s racing team fell into administration, and in an unprecedented first for the sport, their rivals united and returned the team to the racetrack. With Ross Brawn at the helm and the team rebranded as Brawn GP, all was well — until they realized they had inadvertently created a fierce competitor.

The series will hit Disney+ and Hulu on November 15th. Check out the trailer above.

In his opening press conference following his trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, James Harden expressed some frustrations about the way he was used during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, going as far as to express his belief that he was “on a leash” during his tenure with the team.

“I’m not a system player,” Harden told the assembled media on Thursday. “I am a system.”

Harden’s most prominent running mate in Philadelphia, reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, was asked to respond to that sentiment, and made clear that he didn’t fully agree with Harden’s assessment of the situation.

Embiid said “I don’t think so” when asked if he got the sense that Harden was unhappy with his role in the aftermath of the team’s win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, and expressed his belief that Harden “did a lot of great things for us.”

“In my opinion, I just feel like we allowed him to just be himself,” Embiid said. “And we gave him the ball every single possession, because he’s really good — I mean, he’s an amazing player. Obviously, being that great of a passer, I think we gave him the ball, if you would watch the game, we gave him the ball every single possession to just go out and, you know, do his thing. And from there, he had to make decisions as far as getting guys open or looking out for himself. But I thought he did a pretty good job of getting us into an offense and just passing the ball, getting guys open. That’s the reason why he won the assist title last year.”

Embiid went on to speculate that there may have been discussions between Harden and the team’s coaching staff that fed into his perception of his role, but from his perspective as a teammate who would often share the floor with him, “we allowed him to have the ball every single possession.”

Following the devastating events of last week’s episode, which saw the Temporal Loom explode and spark the destruction of the Time Variance Authority, Loki is once again slipping through time just like his return to the TVA in the Season 2 premiere. However, that’s where the similarities stop.

In the premiere, Loki’s friends were still working at the TVA. Now, they’re scattered across different branches of reality with no memory of their lives working for the time-controlling agency. With the help of O.B. (Ke Huy Quan), Loki is able to gain some control over his time-slipping as he works to get the team back together. However, what Loki doesn’t know is that Miss Minutes activated the TVA’s Fail-Safe Protocol, which is disintegrating branches and everything in them.

Just as the Trickster God gathers Mobius, B-15, Casey, and Sylvie (whose memory notably stayed intact) in O.B.’s lab, Loki watches in horror as everyone he cares about starts to unravel into spaghetti right in front of his eyes. The whole thing gave off hardcore Avengers: Infinity War vibes, and Marvel fans definitely picked up on it.

You can see some of the reactions below:

While that was terrifying, watching his friends unravel gave Loki the push to gain full control of his time-slipping, bringing him back to the moment before they all disintegrated. He’s essentially leveled up going into the Season 2 finale.

More importantly, the tension was relieved so Marvel fans could go absolutely bananas over Episode 5’s romantic comedy vibes. And not for Loki and Sylvie. No, the vibes were off the chart for Loki and Mobius as their reunion had all the hallmarks of a rom-com, right down Loki looking wistfully at Mobius through a window.

You can see some of the reactions below:

The Loki Season 2 finale streams November 9 on Disney+.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Friday night, November 3, beginning at 8 p.m. EST at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The 2023 class features (but is not limited to) Missy Elliott, Kate Bush, Willie Nelson, Rage Against The Machine, Sheryl Crow, The Spinners, and the late George Michael.

Additionally, Olivia Rodrigo is set to perform with Crow during the ceremony, which will also welcome to the stage the likes of Elliott, Nelson, Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews, HER, New Edition, St. Vincent, Stevie Nicks, Adam Levine, Carrie Underwood, Common, Ice T, LL Cool J, Miguel, Queen Latifah, and Sia as presenters or performers.

That is a lot to cram into one night, so how long is this year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony expected to last? Well, considering it hasn’t happened yet — and there’s no official time limit, as far as anyone can tell — there’s no way to definitively know. However, as per Cleveland.com, the 2022 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony “lasted well over five hours.”

So, if you’re planning on watching the Disney+ livestream (as reported by Billboard in September), settle in. But if you’re a particularly patient person, you could also just wait until January 1, 2024, when ABC will air a three-hour edited broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. EST.

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