Month: January 2024

The 2024 calendar isn’t even two full weeks in and already, we’ve got rap beef cooking on the horizon — maybe.

Fans pressing play on Kid Cudi’s new album Insano are pretty convinced that there is, as line from guest rapper ASAP Rocky on “WOW” sounds like it could be referring to Drake. As true rap beef lore heads may remember, Drake has feuded with both fellow blog-era rappers as often as he’s collaborated with them, so there could be a little bit of merit to the speculation.

In his verse on the song, Rocky raps, “These n***as can’t stomach me, gotta go get a mandrake.” Fans have interpreted this as a clever way to sneak Drake’s name into the line, which references a natural remedy for stomach problems. It could also be reference to Drake’s 2023 admission that he’s taking time off to deal with a stomach issue. You can hear the song for yourself above.

Rocky citing himself as the source of Drake’s tummy troubles might be a nod to their shared dating history; Drake dated Rocky’s current partner Rihanna in 2016, however, she moved on pretty quickly. And while Drake insists he’s over it — most recently, on his For All The Dogs song “Fear Of Heights” — the fact that he keeps talking about it undercuts his argument pretty thoroughly.

(Drake also notably had a back and forth with Cudi after the Cleveland rapper appeared to shade him on Twitter in 2015. Drake later dissed him on “Two Birds, One Stone,” then collaborated with him on Certified Lover Boy. Basically, rap is wrestling, all this is kayfabe, and it’s hilarious that people keep taking these artists seriously.)

In any event, there’s probably a certain amount of good-natured gamesmanship going on here; and we’ll probably see Drake and ASAP on each other’s music at some point in the future. In the meantime, it’s fun to speculate (for some people) about when and how Drake will respond.

Roy Wood Jr. and Jordan Klepper don’t eat, drink, and sleep politics. Wood Jr. has done a ton of acting work (co-starring in Confess, Fletch), co-produced an award winning documentary, and developed scripted comedies that have nothing to do with Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Klepper is also developing projects that aren’t exactly in line with his Daily Show work, including one that “expands on documentary work that brings comedy to serious issues.”

With that all said, they do love this shit. That can’t be denied, even if Wood is having fun paying a little less attention to national news since leaving The Daily Show. What’s next for him? He’s weighing options still, whether that means self-producing something or going in with a big network or streamer. But more immediately, he’s going on tour with Klepper for the America, For The Last Time tour (click for info/tickets), hitting towns like Charlottesville, VA and Ann Arbor, MI to talk about the state of the world, reminisce about less divisive times, and discuss this incoming transformational election with attendees.

Below, we get into all of that with the comics and friends, discuss whether some voters are lost for good, and try to agree on whether there is too much politics in late night comedy.

Roy, Jordan and I were just talking about philosophy books while waiting for you to join us, and how I’m utterly lost with some of this stuff.

Klepper: You and me, both. I’ve just been looking for one easy interview where we could talk about Slovenian philosophy, but no. Okay, let’s talk comedy.

Roy Wood Jr.: To be fair, because Klepper’s still on the campaign trail, in the 2024 mix, I think we have different philosophies and different priorities right now. Different stuff. I watch the local news now, with pleasure.

Does that mean instead of the national news?

Wood Jr.: Yes. Fuck yes. To some degree, I have not completely unplugged from the news cycle. I’m just trying to balance it a little more. I don’t think it’s a luxury you have when you’re still at The Daily Show. I need to know what’s going on. But to the deeper philosophy so that I can then satirize them? No, I don’t have to do that right now.

Jordan, doesn’t that sound nice?

Klepper: (Laughs) Oh, my God. Dear, Lord, tell me what it’s like to hear about a puppy being rescued in Michigan. Sounds like the vacation I need right now, Roy.

It could be yours too. You’re the one who’s making you go to these rallies and exposing yourself to these people. Now it’s gone from philosophy chat to a therapy session. Jordan, what is it about you that makes you want to hurt you with these assignments?

Klepper: (Laughs) I have a morbid curiosity and the depth our brains will go, and so whether that’s Slovenian philosophy on one side or the QAnon philosophy on the other, I want to walk around the edges of the human mind.

So the tour that you guys are doing. I’ve read the poster. Can you give me a Cliff’s-notes version of the good parts of America that we’re celebrating here before the last light flickers out?

Wood Jr.: I think it’s the last bit of real unity before the AI and disinformation really starts reigning supreme. I mean, we call it America For The Last Time just because it’s tongue-in-cheek, but it really is about where we’ve been as a country up until this point. I don’t think we’re still going to be there after this. Now whether that’s for better or worse remains to be seen, but so far everything’s lined up to be for the worst. So I think it’s an opportunity to talk about some real issues, but also just jokingly laugh about things that we communally also all agreed were fun. I mean you had Popeye’s chicken sandwiches and people fighting over that, and now it’s Stanley cups. So are we the same? Are we better off than what we were before Trump? I don’t know.

Klepper: (Laughs) Well, I don’t know if we’re better off before Trump. I feel we’re in a crazier place, and I think Roy is totally right in that we are going to find ourselves in a very different time and space a year from now. And I don’t exactly know how it’s going to play out, but I do know people are stressed. People are getting pulled apart, as they have been for the last eight years, and it’s only getting worse.

And so this was an opportunity for us to, one, hang out and play with each other, which we love hanging out and having fun. So that’s what we want to do, but we wanted to bring it to an audience who, I know Roy experiences as well as I. When I go out on the road and I talk to audience members, they’re stressed too. They want to talk about the shit that’s on their mind, the things that they’re seeing in the news, from small to big. And to go to some of these towns and to get into big places and actually communally laugh over it, is cathartic. You feel like you’re on the same page, or at least you find a little moment of respite from the chaos. And so, I think this is an opportunity for us to find some fun before the dark times ahead.

These are going to have a town hall element to them. Obviously, town halls can descend into madness. Are you guys going to have Tasers? You going to be behind glass? What’s the security? Jordan, you know I always like to ask you what the security is like to make sure you’re safe.

Klepper: I think from a security standpoint, my New Year’s resolution, I’m trying to cut these carbs. So you’re going to see a sleeker or more efficient Jordan Klepper.

So more flight than fight?

Klepper: Exactly. Well, at least my flight is going to be swifter than it ever has been in the past. So that I can guarantee.

Seriously though, is that (the town hall aspect) the element that you are most looking forward to?

Klepper: I think in conceiving this show, it started with the fact that Roy and I have a lot of fun on stage together. And so we start there, and also something we don’t get to do enough is to interact with audience members during the shows that we do separately. And I think this was an example of let’s use this format. We’re going to have some fun, we’re going to tell some jokes, we’re going to riff off of each other. We’re going to tell some stories from our years on The Daily Show and out on the road, some close calls that we’ve had. But also a big chunk of this is going to be talking to the audience, what’s on their mind.

And I will tell you when I have those conversations on the road, when I have those conversations after shows, it’s a wide swath of things on people’s minds. Sometimes people want to know what it’s like doing comedy on TV. Sometimes people want to know what the political attitudes are like on the East Coast or the West Coast. The conversations vary vastly from, perhaps the more comedic to the more dire and serious. And I think this is an opportunity for us to field those, both in earnestness for people who really want to hear from what we’ve seen and our perspectives on it, but also with the dash of comedy that they’ve grown to expect from the other shows we’ve done and the way we approach these topics.

Wood Jr.: Yeah, I don’t think it’s about necessarily solving any of these issues, but just knowing that you’re not alone in thinking and feeling the way you feel. And I think if we’re able to do that as a group, I think there are parts of the show that will be a communal group hug and parts that will be a communal punch in the balls, but we’re still friends at the end. It’s like when your brother gives you a noogie, you don’t always love it. But I just think there are opportunities to have conversations, like real connected conversations on a myriad of issues, serious and silly.

There was a poll with something like 31% of Republicans saying they think the FBI was behind January 6th, and I think it’s 62% think that the election was fraudulent in 2020. Are those people reachable still, or are they just gone and you just have to hope that when you bring down their king that they’ll kind of scatter?

Klepper: I look at those polls and it bums me out. It shows the rot of the Republican party. All of the leaders in that party have given up any credibility they have, simply staking their claim with what has the best chance of winning. And I think because of that, you have a party with a bunch of cowards without spines and you have a bunch of people following because the people in power are lying to them, which is a real freaking bummer. And I think you are right, until the king moves on or craps his pants in public, I think you have a lot of people marching to the beat of pretty shitty, deceitful leaders. And comedians are going to try their best to get through, but I wish some leaders would try a little harder too.

Wood Jr.: I think that to a degree, comedy is really not that different from politics in the sense that it’s just a fight for the middle. The people in the center, who could be swayed one way or the other, the undecided voter, the person who voted for Trump because he passed laws that benefited their self-interest, versus someone who delusionally believes a person, or a platform that’s running on archaic ideology. No, I don’t think you’re going to have a golden joke. There’s no golden joke that will sway anyone’s opinion. But if done properly, you can educate people a little bit more, and then if they still want to make a decision to believe that, yeah, the election was stolen, you’re not going to change those people’s minds. They’re diehards. I will say though, I’m 50-50 on the FBI being a part of stirring up January 6th. As a Black person, it is hard for me to just say that the FBI is a bunch of great dudes with a good agenda. You almost swayed me on that one. I’ll say this, if someone says the election was stolen, I don’t want to hear it. But if you’re telling me the FBI did January 6th, I will simply say, “Tell me more.”

Klepper: (Laughs) Fifty-fifty, right? You’re going to get a coin flip odds.

You can’t even go like 60-40? 50-50?

Wood: No, 50-50 on the FBI. If you’ll put crack into entire neighborhoods and set up civil rights leaders, I am willing to see… I just need to see documentation.

I think, can we agree though, that if Trump crapped himself in public, that it would become a trend. You’d have at least 60% of the people in the House shitting themselves all the time.

Klepper: (Laughs) Yeah, it would be a new trend. Mitch McConnell will be so relieved. He’ll be like, I’ve been doing this for years. Thank God it can be cool again.

Exactly.

Wood Jr.: He would love that.

With regard to late night, so many of the shows have a political bend to them or they’re informed by the headlines to some degree. Is it surprising to you that there aren’t more options out there that are more in the silly space? Conan used to not really involve itself in politics too much. Craig Ferguson really didn’t get too deep into politics.

Klepper: When I look at late night, what I see is, yes, there’s a reason that there is a lot of politics on late night right now. It’s because of the weird fucking times we’re in right now. And like I always say, the comedian’s job is to read the room, and the room is scared and they’re talking about the end of democracy. So I do think there’s space for late night shows to talk about what’s happening right now because that’s what a late night show does. It talks about what’s happening right now, and frankly, I think there’s more space for these shows to go deeper into what is happening right now.

As far as silly shows in late night, I don’t know, I love Conan. I grew up on Conan, but I see the ethos of what is so funny and silly about Conan O’Brien in Tim Robinson’s sketch show, and there’s other formats now to get some of that silly and play, and I would love to see that in late night. There’s really smart, funny, silly bits in Amber Ruffin’s shows. She had some really great stuff there too. But I don’t necessarily think the future of late night looks like something that has a silliness that can live effectively on a bunch of other mediums. I think late night should own what it does, which is respond to the news of the day and what is happening right now with insights and swiftness and a budget in a way that other places can’t. And so I guess when I look over the next couple of years, that’s what I imagine.

I hear you, but sometimes I just want to clock out and watch a masturbating bear.

Klepper: Totally. I totally get that. But I think you don’t need to see Hollywood guests be interviewed after the masturbating bear. I think now you’re going to just go to YouTube and find whatever the new version of that silliness is. It’s not going to be attached to this 1950s or earlier format that had to sell you the latest movie that’s coming out and give you standup jokes. I think that format actually is being phased out and the thing that it still serves best seems to be topicality over silliness.

I think the key is to have the celebrities interviewed by the masturbating bear whilst eating hot wings.

Klepper: Now you’ve got it.

Wood Jr.: I just think that we’re more politically divided, so you’ll be hard-pressed to create a television show that addresses politics in a way where, and I’ve quoted him a million times on this, but as Mike Birbiglia said, “Comedy only works if everybody agrees on the premise.” So with politics, people don’t agree on the premise sometimes, whereas even at the height of Bush fumbling the Iraq invasion, we all agreed he was the elected president. Even at the height of hating Obama, everybody agreed he was at least the elected president. So if you can’t even get past that, then how do you get into any satire, the administration and the laws that they’re making?

So I just think that networks are trying to figure out a way to have something that, like Jordan said, that’s cost-effective and reaches a good number of people that want to hear that style of humor. And I think we have become more politically divided just in general. So that genre of late night has to become a little bit more either divided or unifying. And I feel like The Daily Show remains to be a unifier. It’s not like Gutfeld! in that sense. But then you look at what Gutfeld! does on Fox — it has the best ratings. But maybe that’s the way. I don’t know. I think networks are always looking at what the audience wants. And they’re always trying to be both sides and both sides are getting further and further apart and what they want and the premises that they choose to agree on.

I just wonder if it’s a chicken or egg thing, whether it’s we want political comedy, we want all this commentary on politics or it’s just everybody thinks that’s what we want, and so we just keep getting it. I don’t really know. What’s the driving hand there?

Klepper: Well, I also think there’s a market for it as well, right?

Yeah, but that’s the thing. So many shows popped up after Jon Stewart went off the air that were political in nature, and a lot of them kind of went away.

Klepper: The old man in me points the finger at what had happened the last five years is the explosion of social media. And if you look at the incentives across the board it’s what gets eyes, what gets attention, what gets clicks? And the answer to that is outrage. It’s hyperbolic takes and thoughts. And frankly, what I will say is what news is news is something that you can amp up to outrage. You throw that thing in a furnace and it gets hot and outrageous real quick. I don’t know if a lot of other topics burn as hot.

And so I do think part of that is because we live in a little bit of an inferno when it comes to our political discourse right now. Another part of it is, yeah, that’s the thing that burns really hot, so entertainment looks at it. It’s like, “Oh, well, if I need my late night show to travel online, the only thing that’s going to travel online is primarily going to be something that either is culturally really fun in a way that breaks through,” maybe you’ll get a carpool karaoke, but more often than not, you’re going to get the hot take, and that burns hottest on the platform that we’ve created.

The thing I quote too often is Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves To Death because this is the problem in the entertainment structure we’ve created: it’s all the incentives are killing us, and it pushes us to be outraged and to have only clicks. And because of that, it affects the discourse that we have and the way in which we can interact with one another. And so you look at a form like late night television, and any linear television is going through Herculean changes, and you look at it right now, and it still has these old artifacts about celebrity interviews and classic monologues, but all being digested through clicks online and likes and retweets, and the only method for those likes and retweets is often outrage or insight. And so it keeps heading towards those two things. I’d love there to be a place where the world of silliness and playfulness is incentivized in the way that perhaps it used to be, but I just don’t think it is anymore.

Again, I think the solution is clear: the masturbating bear interviewing celebrities while eating hot wings. I think we’ve learned that.
Klepper: I don’t hate.
Find out more about ‘Roy Wood Jr. and Jordan Klepper: America, For The Last Time’ here.

In 2022, The Black Keys dropped their critically acclaimed album, Dropout Boogie. Instead of taking a much-deserved break, following their even busier 2023, the group is prepping to release another full-length project. On January 12, The Black Keys announced a new album, Ohio Players, and shared the lead single “Beautiful People (Stay High).”

The record is a retro offering from the group, teasing that they’re returning to their roots, as their album’s title suggests. “Time I’ve been gone / I’ve been strugglin’ alone / Keepin’ all of my demons to myself / I’m saving my grace for that heavenly place / To the sun, I will sing you my song / Never coming back down / All of those beautiful people,” sings Dan Auerbach.

As if the new project wasn’t enough, The Black Keys will debut their Jeff Dupre-directed documentary, This Is A Film About The Black Keys, in March at the SXSW festival. The film is described, “From a jamming session in a basement in Akron, Ohio, to rock’ n’ roll super-stardom. They barely knew each other when they made their first recordings, yet quickly realized they shared a powerful musical connection and a drive to succeed.”

Listen to “Beautiful People (Stay High)” above.

This Is A Film About The Black Keys will debut at the 2o24 SXSW Festival. Find more information here.

Ohio Players is out 4/5 via Nonesuch. Find more information here.

Innovation is a constant pressure that all our favorite fast food chains face. It’s led to some great food — Chipotle’s guajillo steak and Shake Shack’s Spicy Shackmeister come to mind. These were menu options that were available for a limited time and never joined the permanent menus of their respective restaurants. But to make room for new dishes like these, sometimes a few fan favorites get the axe.

It’s not always a bad thing as often these decisions are made based on sales. If no one is really ordering this stuff who is it hurting?

But sometimes a fast food chain will get rid of a cult favorite and replace it with something similar but not nearly as good. And sometimes fast food restaurants just make weird decisions that are likely linked to supply chain issues, like Taco Bell getting rid of the Mexican Pizza or Wendy’s ditching the spicy nuggets, both of which are back on the menu permanently because fans demanded they be. We shouldn’t have to beg for our favorites but this is the reality of fast food, unfortunately.

While we’re glad to see our favorites make a comeback, for every returning champ there are about two or three dishes that become lost forever to the sands of time. To shine a light on these delicious dishes that are being forgotten, we’ve decided to collect a few of our favorites from recent memories. Hopefully, with enough noise, we can bring some of these back!

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane.

Arby’s — Potato Cakes

Why We Miss It:

I mean Potato Cakes — do we really need to say more? Additional potato recipes on a menu are always a good thing and potato cakes were essentially giant super thick hashbrowns. The dish was a glob of shredded potato shaped into a thick triangular piece, and fried. They were crunchy, buttery, and delicious.

Unfortunately, Arby’s has replaced the potato cakes with crinkle-cut fries, a decision that no one is happy about. Why would you ever order crinkle-cut fries when you could have curly fries? You never ran into this problem with Potato Cakes because they were entirely their own type of thing.

The Bottom Line:

We rate the chance of the potato cakes coming back high considering the dish has so many fans.

Burger King — The Ch’King Sandwich

Why We Miss It:

While researching for this article I cruised through a lot of internet forums and articles about discontinued BK fare, and one item kept coming up again and again. No, not the Ch’King sandwich, I’m talking about crown-shaped nuggets, to which I have to ask: what the f*ck is wrong with all of you?

Crown-shaped nuggets don’t taste any different from BK’s regular nuggets, which is widely agreed to be terrible. What does the shape matter?

Anyway, a couple of years back BK launched the Ch’King sandwich in response to Popeyes, and it was actually pretty good. It was hand-breaded on site, juicy, crispy, and huge. It wasn’t Popeyes-level good, but it was a damn fine chicken sandwich and one of BK’s best menu items. And then the brand thought the effort they were putting into this sandwich was too laborious, so they simplified the recipe and launched it as the “Crispy Chicken Sandwich.”

The sandwich isn’t as good as its predecessor. BK had one good thing going for it, and it dropped the ball.

The Bottom Line:

Bring back the Ch’King sandwich!

Chipotle— Pollo Asado

Why We Miss It:

In 2022 Chipotle spent most of the year testing out new protein options, all of them were delicious but none were quite as good as the pollo asado. The pollo asado was juicy and tender with citrus top notes over a body of oregano, pepper, and earthy achiote. It was legitimately one of the best protein options you could order at Chipotle while it was on the menu and a significant improvement over Chipotle’s usual chicken option.

The Bottom Line:

Please bring the Pollo Asado back Chipotle, or at the very least, spend 2024 giving us more new protein options.

KFC — Potato Wedges

Why We Miss It:

This one hurts. KFC’s Potato Wedges were unique, they were one of the only wedges in the fast food landscape and they were seasoned with the same blend of seasonings that make up KFC’s Original Recipe chicken. The wedges were tender, crispy in all the right places, and had a wonderful complex flavor that combined various spices and fluffy buttery potato flavor.

I love KFC’s OG recipe, I think it’s the best thing the brand has going for it, but unfortunately, KFC ditched the wedges and replaced them with its Secret Recipe Fries. The move isn’t a total loss because the Secret Recipe Fries are also pretty tasty, but they come across as less unique. KFC’s potato wedges made the brand different, and in our opinion, they should embrace that.

Fast food brands should spend more time setting themselves apart from the competition. The Secret Recipe Fries are nobody’s favorite, but the potato wedges might’ve been!

The Bottom Line:

The less unique KFC’s menu gets, the less interesting.

Jack in the Box — Mozzarella Sticks (Mid 2000’s Era)

Why We Miss It:

Mozzarella Sticks are always appearing and disappearing from Jack in the Box’s menu (just last year they came back for a limited time), and each time the recipe is slightly tweaked. I’ll take any Mozzarella Sticks I can get, but if Jack in the Box wants to be known as the fast food place with the best sides, they’ll bring back this specific formulation of Mozzarella Sticks.

And no, I promise you, nostalgia isn’t what makes me pine for the days of Mid-00s fried cheese, I remember exactly what made these mozzarella sticks stand out! The breading was seasoned with a mix of Italian herbs and red pepper flakes. Those red pepper flakes added the subtlest hit of spice to every bite, which paired excellently with the marinara sauce. Red pepper flakes in mozzarella sticks are an anomaly, but one that I will never forget.

The Bottom Line:

Jack in the Box, you nailed mozzarella sticks in the past and we know you can do it again.

McDonald’s — Chicken Selects

Why We Miss It:

There was a time when McDonald’s had chicken tenders on the menu. They were a nice alternative to the nuggets, offering less processed meat and a crispy exterior that was seasoned heavily with black pepper. Unfortunately, McDonald’s has continued to simplify its menu over the years, ditching these chicken tenders, salads entirely, snack wraps, and so many others.

The Bottom Line:

Stop experimenting with celebrity meals and Grimace milkshakes and please just give us chicken tenders back!

McDonald’s — Chocolate Dipped Cones

Why We Miss It:

“I’m sorry the ice cream machine isn’t working right now” is a sentence we’ve all heard at least once at McDonald’s. So I get it, McDonald’s seems to have a lot of issues with its ice cream, so they probably dropped the dipped cone because it was too much of a hassle but, come on, who doesn’t love a dipped cone?

Dipping your soft-serve vanilla ice cream in some warm fudge is a surefire way to turn a delicious snack into a mind-blowing one.

The Bottom Line:

Getting dessert at McDonald’s is a real toss-up. Never count on it.

Popeyes — Chocolate Beignets

Why We Miss It:

Were Popeyes Chocolate Beignets as good as the real thing? Not a f*cking chance, but come one, these were fried pieces of dough, dusted in powdered sugar, and filled with Hershey’s chocolate — they may have not been the real thing, but they were a delicious dessert option at a chain that has too few.

They’ve since been replaced with the strawberry biscuit, which is so dry that it should be considered a choking hazard.

The Bottom Line:

I’ll take poorly dusted chocolate-filled beignets any day over Popeyes’ other dessert options.

Shake Shack —Spicy Shackmeister

Why We Miss It:

While we legitimately like every selection on this list and would like to see them return to menus at least for a limited time, none of these items are essential, except for Shake Shack’s Spicy Shackmeister. Released last September, for four months, this wasn’t just Shake Shack’s best cheeseburger, it was the best cheeseburger you could buy in all of fast food.

The build consisted of a smashed patty dusted with hot spices, American cheese, a layer of fried onions, Shake sauce, and cherry peppers. Each bite was a blast of spicy savory flavors that was so good it led us to name Shake Shack the best fast food brand of 2023 in our annual Golden Bag Awards.

The Bottom Line:

This one feels like a true loss. Shake Shack has the capability of making the best fast food cheeseburger and it’s just choosing not to.

Taco Bell — The Meximelt

Why We Miss It:

A lot of dishes deserve to be here but considering Taco Bell makes a habit of bringing back fan favorites for a limited time, we’re going to refrain from listing them all. Just last year Taco Bell brought back the Volcano Burrito, the Mexican Pizza (permanently), the Enchirito, The Double Decker Taco, and wings, just to name a few, and each of these options was great.

But one dish Taco Bell hasn’t brought back yet is the legendary Meximelt.

The Meximelt consisted of a soft flour tortilla stuffed with ground beef, pico de gallo, and a three-cheese blend, toasted in a cool little machine they had at all locations. Yes, that’s essentially just a quesadilla, but the flavor can’t be denied. It’s so good that we have been making our own version (it’s better) and while this dish is possible to hack at Taco Bell, doing so can be pricier than necessary.

The Bottom Line:

Come on Taco Bell, you’ve brought everything else back, it’s time to bring back the Meximelt.

Wendy’s — Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich

Why We Miss It:

Wendy’s is at its best when it turns the decadent food meter to 10, and no chicken sandwich has ever been as decadent as the Hot Honey. The sandwich featured a spicy fried chicken filet topped with pepper jack cheese, bacon, a habanero-based honey sauce, and crunchy dill pickle chips. The way the flavors hit the palate was magic, a mix of complex spicy sensations, audible crunchiness, and an ever-shifting flavor that bounced between smokey, tangy, and wonderfully savory.

We never assumed this one was going to be permanent, but we’re waiting with bated breath for the day Wendy’s brings this back.

The Bottom Line:

The most under-discussed chicken sandwich in fast food history. This thing rocked.

On November 10, the Recording Academy unveiled its nominations for the 2024 Grammys. Diddy received his first Grammy nomination for his solo material since 2004, as The Love Album: Off The Grid is up for Best Progressive R&B Album. That’s where the positive news about Diddy ended because, on November 16, Cassie filed a disturbing lawsuit against Diddy alleging physical abuse, rape, and sex trafficking, among other things. That was followed by three other lawsuits alleging similar behavior, all of which Diddy has vehemently denied (despite settling with Cassie within 24 hours).

Will Diddy Attend The 2024 Grammys?

“The severity of the allegations cast a shadow over the artist — and over the awards show that recognized him,” The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reports this morning, January 12. “Diddy’s representative told THR that he won’t attend the Feb. 4 Grammys. Everyone nominated for a Grammy is invited to the show, and the Academy revealed in a Dec. 11 statement to RadarOnline that it is ‘taking this matter very seriously and we are in the process of evaluating it with the time and care that it deserves.’”

In the aftermath of allegations, Diddy stepped down as Chairman at Revolt, which he co-founded in 2013, and Hulu reportedly scrapped its in-development reality show focusing on Diddy and his family.

The 2024 Grammys will be hosted by Trevor Noah at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 4. The ceremony will broadcast live on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

Has anyone asked Tom Cruise for his thoughts on Reacher? Someone really should (and then ask him to send me a Christmas cake). The actor played him in two movies, Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and while they’re entertaining, the One True Reacher wasn’t found until Alan Ritchson was cast as the crowbar fighter in Amazon Prime Video’s Reacher.

If you’re interested in looking like Reacher, first off, good luck. You can add the muscles, but not the height (sorry, Tom). It’s also a lot of hard work: Ritchson told Men’s Journal that he was “grinding it out five days a week for the eight months that we had to prep.” But if you’re serious, F45 Mill Hill trainer and owner Reiss Mogilner gave some suggestions to GQ. There’s useful tips about sticking to a balanced, muscle-building diet (“Ensuring an ample supply of essential amino acids from protein sources is imperative for optimal muscle repair and growth”) and doing compound exercises, like squats and deadlift.

Mogilner (who hasn’t worked with Ritchson personally) also suggested a fitness routine. “Perform three to four sets of 8 to 12 reps of the exercises below twice a week, gradually increasing the weights to challenge the muscles over time,” he said. The exercises are deadlifts, bench press, overheard press, lateral pulldowns, and lateral raises. You can see the full conditioning here. Follow it, and before long, you’ll be fighting a guy named Sasquatch in a bar.

This video will help, too.

The latest episode of Reacher season two debuted on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, January 12th.

(Via GQ)

Not everyone needs to be a method actor (we don’t have to get into that now) but it’s assumed that most actors have at least some inkling of how to do whatever job they are pretending to do. In Jason Statham’s case, the man signed on as the titular keeper of the bees in The Beekeeper, and subsequently began beekeeping. Now he’s in it for the long haul.

Director David Ayer confirmed that the bee stunts were legit, and Statham got really into beekeeping to prepare for the role. “In the opening, Jason’s pulling out the comb, and smoking the hive, and doing all the processes. That’s real. The bees are real. He learned how to do all of that,” Ayer recently told EW. “It’s interesting, because we see him as this rough punch-up guy, and yet he got the zen of it — he really embraced the zen of beekeeping.” There is something particularly menacing about hundreds of tiny flying beings with razor-sharp butts out to get you. But for Statham, it’s real. And he welcomes it!

Even though The Beekeeper really does have bees, their presence is more of a metaphor, Ayer explained. “The idea of The Beekeeper is that there’s this secret society that monitors what’s going on in our societies and then can step in and intervene when the system can’t take care of itself.” And when the system can’t take care of itself, Statham arrives.

It seems like the bees trusted Statham, as he did not get stung, unlike the rest of the crew. “Jason did not get stung,” Ayer continued. “I got stung a bunch of times because I was operating camera, getting all these tight shots of bees, the hero bee-shots, and I was wearing black socks. I learned that bees will attack black cloth because they think that it’s a bear. [Laughs] And so that’s why the beekeepers wear these white suits.”

Of course, if he really was committed to his work, Statham would use this approach with all of his projects. Why didn’t he volunteer to swim with sharks while filming Meg 2? That would really show us.

The Beekeeper is in theaters now.

(Via EW)

The coming of age era known as your twenties are a time for experimentation, branching out, learning about different aspects of yourself, and of course, having stupid fun.

Of course, every generation‘s definition of fun varies. Just what might Gen Zers, those who navigated their teenhood through TikTok and basically came of drinking age during a global pandemic, do to elicit feelings of fun?

Thirty-two year old (read: millennial) Ashley Tea wondered this very thing. In a video that went viral on TikTok, she shared “I genuinely think millennials got to have a way better time than Gen Z does.”

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Tea then reminisced about her own experience of being “an emo kid in 2005,” going out to clubs, bars and restaurants with her friends having a “fun, great, trashy” time.

That simply wouldn’t be financially feasible in today’s economic landscape, Tea noted, leaving her “mystified” as to how today’s college age adults might enjoy themselves.

So again, Tea posed the question: “ it’s a Friday night, a Saturday night…What do do? Where do you go?”

Thousands responded to Tea’s question, and their answers were…illuminating, to say the least—and certainly different than how she spent her early 20s.

For starters, Tea’s joke about “Gen Zers not having any fun at all” rang true for many people of that age group.

“As a 23 year old: I don’t have any fun, hope that helps!” quipped one person.

Another joked, “sometimes I sit outside if I’m feeling extra.”

One obvious factor behind this is finances. With everything being far more expensive, many Gen Zer’s simply cannot afford to have a social life that resembles earlier generations.

“As a 21 year old, the economy makes it difficult to have fun that way, I work 40 hours weekly and I’m either too tired or can’t afford it,” one person wrote.

Another reason, which isn’t maybe as obvious, is surveillance. Tea noted that a lot of young people said that since either “parents can track their phones everywhere” they are deterred from doing things that could get them into trouble. Perhaps that’s a win for safety, but there is something to be said about excessive levels of control.

Then of course there’s the pandemic, which sucked the fun out of everything big time.

“I got ROBBED of my early 20s bs COVID started when I was 22 😭 Nwo things are normal but all the good bars and clubs in my area didn’t survive the lockdown,” one person wrote.

Plus a lack of third spaces to gather, leaving very little options beside staying home and scrolling on TikTok.

However, it’s not all gloom and doom, Tea discovered.

@ashleyteacozy

im genuinely curious

♬ original sound – Ashley Tea

For one thing, Gen Zer’s don’t “glorify binge drinking” nearly as much as millennials and Gen Xers. According to a study held at the University of Michigan, many are forgoing booze entirely. Part of this comes down to Gen Zers prioriotizing health and wellness more than previous generations. And the other, again, is the cost.

Plus, when Gen Zers do actually have fun, it tends to lean towards more wholesome activities, like house parties (sometimes even themes house parties) and crocheting. Lots and lots crocheting apparently.

So maybe things look quite a bit different for this generation. That’s not entirely a good or bad thing. And it’s definitely to be expected in some ways. The struggle of rising costs and limited opportunities to form connections and have fun are undeniably issues that must be addressed. But the fact that Gen Zers are leaning into their creativity is worth noting too. And it makes it clear that even though it might not look like it, there is still fun to be had.

What started out as a lighthearted class presentation quickly turned into a fabulous humanities lesson for all.

A teacher under the pseudonym Larry Lexicon has 1.8 million followers on TikTok, where they tune in to catch the funny-yet-inspirational interactions Lexicon has with his students.

Recently, Lexicon had his class rolling with his meticulously crafted PowerPoint explaining what certain Gen Z words mean.

“All year long I’ve been listening to you and making a list, which I’ve compiled here for you — the Gen Z Term Dictionary,” he told the class, saying that they should speak up if anything was inaccurate.

Here’s what he came up with.

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He took “bruh,” (aka the “staple of their generation”) to simply be the alternative for “bro,” except that “bruh!” can also be used as an exclamation. That was correct.

Although the word “Rizz,” was fairly new to him, he also correctly guessed that this was short for “charisma,” and thus refers to someone who has the ability to charm.

“You can use it in all kinds of ways. Like I’m the Rizzard of Oz!” he joked.

“Bussin” he took to mean that something was good, particularly food. Also correct. He even knew that “bussin’ bussin’” meant that something was really good. Clearly, Lexicon had done his homework.

@larrylexicon Let me know if there are more terms I need to add to my list! #larrylexicon #doyourbuckingvocab #genzterms #teacherlife #highschool #teachersoftiktok #school ♬ original sound – Larry Lexicon

However, a few people pointed out in the comments that many terms have roots in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). So in his third TikTok, Lexicon chose to make some revisions, and explained to the class why those revisions were important.

“I know you think you came up with a lot of these words, but you didn’t, and they’ve been around for a long time,” Lexicon said, noting how parts of AAVE language are at first “looked down upon by society as uneducated or thuggish” yet nonetheless sneak into daily vocabulary through pop culture.

“What happens is it makes its way into like, white suburbia, and you get a middle-aged dorky white dude mislabeling it just for a whole generation as a term dictionary,” he said. “And it ends up erasing the importance of it.”

@larrylexicon Food smacks, music slaps. Got it. #larrylexicon #aave #genzterms #teacherlife #teachersoftiktok #school #revisions #slaps ♬ original sound – Larry Lexicon

Lexicon then admitted that it was a mistake made by his own ignorance, which was okay, because he was able to take feedback, learn and act on it to grow.

“Being ignorant’s OK, but being willfully ignorant and not doing anything about it — not so OK.”

Viewers who have been following Lexicon’s series applauded him for taking the time to make even a silly little powerpoint into an important conversation for everyone involved.

“I love how you’re learning it and then teaching it! This is education!” one person wrote.

“The fact that you came back and showed HOW TO LEARN and that it’s OK NOT TO KNOW but not ok to be willfully ignorant,” added another.

“This is a hell of an example for your students,” read the top comment.

In case you’re curious, here are all the words gathered so far for the newly re-titled “AAVE-inspired Gen Z term dictionary.”

• “Delulu”— delusional.
• “Eepy”— really sleepy.
• “Be so for real”— “Are you serious?”
• “Witerawy”— “Literally,” but with emphasis.
• “Baddie” — “A pretty girl, typically very curvy and independent.” But can also be a guy.
• “Gyatt” — A substitute for “gosh darn!” typically used in response to seeing a baddie.
• “Getting sturdy” — A dance usually used when winning, kind of like a touchdown dance.
• “Bet” — Another way of saying “OK” or “alright.” Likely a shortened version of “you bet.”
• “Slaps” — a verb for when a song is really good. Or food. Maybe? Debate’s still out on that one
• “Cap” — A lie.
• “No cap” — The truth.
• “On god”— undeniable truth.

Lexicon plans to add new words each week throughout the remaining weeks of school. If you’d like to follow along, he can be found on TikTok.

This article originally appeared on 5.19.23

There’s a fine line between a unique name and one that sets kids up for a lifetime of ridicule.

On the one hand, maybe it shouldn’t matter what other people think, and parents should pick a name that suits their preferences, consequences be damned. On the other hand, their kid might not appreciate that kind of bravery after enduring years of bullying during childhood, followed constant confusion at Starbucks and truly unenviable work emails once they’re adults.

And this chapter of parenting can be a little stressful—even more stressful if neither partner can agree on a name they both like.

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This was the case for a husband who absolutely hated a name his wife so eagerly wished to give their unborn son. But rather than follow the popular “one no, two yeses” rule of baby-naming, where both parents must agree on the name chosen for a child, the wife instead went full steam ahead with her idea.

According to the husband’s account on Reddit, here’s what happened:

“Me (25m) and my wife (23f) are having our first child together. She is currently 9 months pregnant and could give birth anytime in the next couple of weeks. The only major fight we have had throughout her pregnancy happened a couple days ago, and it was about what we were going to name our kid.”

AITA for refusing to let my wife name our kid something stupid?
byu/Public-Praline-3691 inAmItheAsshole

“It all started when we found out the gender of the baby,” he continued. “After we found out we were having a boy we sat down together and made a list. Almost all of the names she suggested were normal, until the one that caused me to write this post. She suggested we name our son Mune.”

Mune. Like…dune an “m?” Or like “mun?” “Moon?” “Money?” “Mew-nay?” So many questions.

“She told me the name was from this movie she watched when she was younger and that it always stuck with her,” the husband explained, saying that when he told her it felt a “little out there” and was worried their son might get made fun of.

After a little back and forth, the couple agreed to take the name Mune off the list. Or so the dad-to-be thought.

“Later on in her pregnancy her mom decided to throw a baby shower as it was her first grandchild. It was fine for the most part until we started to open the gifts. Most of them were normal baby things like diapers and bottles, until we got to her mom’s gift. My wife opened the gift bag and pulled out a blue handmade blanket. It seemed normal enough at first until my wife unfolded it and low and behold there was the name Mune written on the blanket,” he wrote.

The man had tried to keep cool until after the party was over. However, when he confronted his wife about it, all hell seemed to break loose.

“She got defensive and told me that it was a good name and that I was overreacting about it,” he concluded. “I brought up the earlier points and told her it was a stupid name for a kid and if she wanted to name something Mune so bad she could use the name for a dog. She got upset and called her mom to come get her. After she left she called me and told me she wouldn’t be coming back for a while. Everyone I’ve talked to about this has said I’m not the asshole, but now that my wife has been gone and I’ve been thinking about it I feel like I could have handled the situation better.”

Yikes.

While the husband might have regretted his actions, public opinion overwhelmingly sided with him.

One mom wrote, “Naming a baby is a 2 yes or 1 no situation. You do not name a child something your partner does not agree with. You find a compromise. This is the start of many necessary compromises in life and it is a total AH move to unilaterally decide on a child’s name despite your partner’s misgivings…She is absolutely not mature enough for motherhood if she can not find a reasonable compromise on this.”

Another added “this is a child, not a goldfish. There are consequences and repercussions to choosing a name that is very unusual to begin with…. To go behind the other parent’s back and tell a grandparent what the name is going to be, that is unacceptable.”

Others noted how the wife and her mom “pulled a power play,” which “in itself is an a**hole move.” In addition, many pointed out that running away from the conflict (leaving to go to mom’s house) might have not been the best way to handle the situation.

“Leaving so she doesn’t have to face the argument is actually a form of abuse if it happens a lot,” one person commented. “She may just have baby brain and be overreacting due to hormones, but that is red flag behavior of it can’t be dismissed for reasons beyond her control.

And if there’s any doubt as to just how damaging weird name can be, take it from this person:

“My name has prevented me from doing anything that would have my name called out in a crowd of people. Never tried sports. Military was a no go. I don’t even want to apply for higher positions at work because I don’t want to have meetings in closed rooms where people might call my name.

“…Being forced to grow up with a weird name discouraged me from a lot of things and I began resenting my parents for thinking they were being creative. I had to live with it through grade school and high school. The ridicule didn’t end until the damage was already done.”

Raising a kid together is full of making compromises, prioritizing healthy communication, and honoring commitments, none of which are easy 100 percent of the time. But if couples can’t learn how to navigate these issues, then disagreeing on names is the least of their problems. We can all agree that parenting as true partners means men often need to step up their games. But it takes two for parenting to truly flourish and that includes respect your partner and making choices that are good for the entire family. Together.

This article originally appeared on 10.19.23