Month: May 2024

Is Burger King in the midst of a glow-up?

Admittedly, I have not been kind to Burger King over the years. The restaurant routinely ranks near the bottom of our various fast food rankings. I’ve given BK the benefit of the doubt time and time again, only to end up disappointed. But so far, 2024 has been different.

Last month, BK launched the Buffalo Sauced Nuggets, a spicy and tangy take on its Chicken Nugget. Not only did they perform admirably in a blind taste test against a range of other delicious nuggets, but I named the new menu addition one of the five essential Burger King menu items. And now, just a month later, Burger King is back with another new menu item — Mozzarella Fries.

The Mozzarella Fries are available as a permanent menu option at BK restaurants nationwide. Considering I’m a big fan of fried Mozzarella, I have pretty high hopes for these fried cheese sticks, even if I think the name is a bit confusing (these aren’t fries in any way, shape, or form, it’s just what BK decided to call them because I guess “mozzarella stick” isn’t appetizing enough).

We picked up an order and put them to a taste test to see if Burger King is two for two in 2024. Come on BK, don’t let me down.

Mozzarella Fries Taste Test

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Before I get into what these taste like, let’s talk about the name. Why are these called “Mozzarella Fries?” Well, because Burger King’s branding team is a bunch of dorks.

The menu has both chicken nuggets and chicken fries, the latter being the same processed chicken as the nugget in the shape of a French fry. It’s a small change but ultimately features a different breading-to-meat ratio, and a different blend of seasoning that leans more on the zesty side. It’s altered enough to justify a name change. That doesn’t justify naming these mozzarella sticks “Mozzarella Fries,” in our opinion, but ultimately, who cares right?

All that matters is whether or not these taste good. And I’m happy to say, they do! (Mostly.)

The Mozzarella Fries have that zesty pepper and onion-forward flavor that fans of Chicken Fries will recognize, but with a small touch of Italian seasoning, giving this cheese stick an herbal note that pairs nicely with marinara sauce. The cheese is creamy and flavorful, but also very salty. Unfortunately, that means these require sauce to help mask some of that saltiness.

Another gripe I have is that the cheese isn’t quite as luxurious or thick as I’d hoped. If you’re looking for a luxurious and appetizing cheese trail, what you’ll find here is thinner and stringy.

Small issues aside though, this is a positive step for the BK-menu and will definitely have me back in the drive-thru sooner than later.

The Bottom Line:

This year BK is two-for-two when it comes to new menu additions. These Mozzarella Fries are a must order, we recommend adding them to whatever you normally get from BK. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say they’re worth a trip to the BK drive-thru ASAP.

Wow, that’s a sentence I never thought I’d write in 2024.

Welcome To Wrexham has become a fan-favorite for both soccer/football fans and non-soccer/football fans and fans of either Ryan Reynolds or Rob McElhenney or both. There’s a lot to work with here.

A fourth season of the hit series has already been ordered, despite the fact that season three basically just began. Nick Grad, president of FX entertainment, said, “Wrexham AFC has exceeded all expectations on the pitch and with fans, scoring back-to-back promotions under the leadership of Rob and Ryan and rising to compete in League One next season,” Grad said in a statement. Get ready to see even MORE Ryan Reynolds on your screen, as if that were even possible.

Until then, season three is still going strong. Episode four, titled “Risky Business,” will air Thursday, May 16 at 10 EDT on FX. It will land on Hulu and Disney+ on Friday, May 17th by 3 am EST.

Here is the official synopsis for episode four, which features a prank war, obviously: “The Birthday Prank War between Co-Chairmen Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds escalates as Wrexham is reminded of the fragility of the city’s rebound on and off the field.”

Check out the season three trailer below:

If you aren’t watching Hacks, then you are missing out on a breezy, whip-smart, sexy, and funny comedy series that tackles the many sides of life in the spotlight. Last time around, the legendary Deborah Vance enjoyed her roast more than sensitive Tom Brady, and now, it’s finally time for Christina Hendricks to make her entrance on the Max comedy series.

When Doe ‘Hacks’ Season 3, Episodes 5 & 6 Come Out?

The two newest episodes will stream on Thursday, May 17 at 3:00am EST/12:00am PST.

The Episode 5 (“One Day”) description is not even half as entertaining as the episode itself: “As Deborah contends with writer’s block and Ava with a broken heart, the pair decide to clear their heads in the woods.”

As for Episode 6 (“Power Play”), the description is also much more businesslike than what actually transpires: “Deborah participates in a golf tournament to get face time with the cable affiliates who could decide her future.”

Will Deborah ever get her run as a late-night host? That’s the most pressing question of the season, but this show skillfully manages to be about several other different dilemmas of the human existence. As always, Ava and Deborah will get on each other’s nerves but be unable to quit their pairing. It’s not fun for the whole family, but for the intended audience, it’s remarkably effective.

Two years after making his debut with the impressive Ivory, Omar Apollo has announced the release of his second studio album, God Said No. Due June 28 via Warner, the 14-track set was written over the course of a three-month stay in London in 2023 as Apollo tried to decompress from his rapid rise to stardom, and inspired by poets Mary Oliver, Victoria Chang, and Ocean Vuon.

God Said No was recorded in London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios with executive producer Teo Halm with features from Mustafa and actor Pedro Pascal. The title was inspired by a friend’s assessment of his recently ended relationship: “I gave it my everything,” he said, “And God said ‘no.’”

Apollo announced the impending release on social media with an early look at the cover art, the tracklist, and the merch offerings that will be available, as well as a promise of a new single, “Dispose Of Me,” which he’ll release tomorrow.

The first single to be released from the album was the April track, “Spite,” his first single since 2023’s “Ice Slippin’.”

Apollo’s other plans for 2024 include a performance at Jack Harlow’s Gazebo Fest later this month.

God Said No is due on 6/28 via Warner Records. You can find more info here. See the tracklist below.

01. “Be Careful With Me”
02. “Spite”
03. “Less Of You”
04. “Done With You”
05. “Plane Trees” Feat. Mustafa
06. “Drifting”
07. “Empty”
08. “Life’s Unfair”
09. “Against Me”
10. “While U Can”
11. “Dispose Of Me”
12. “How”
13. “Pedro”
14. “Glow”

Popeyes doesn’t need to do anything else to be the king of fried chicken sandwiches. Since 2019, the chain has been the place to go if you want the best chicken sandwich in all of fast food. There have been some worthy competitors, to be sure — Dave’s Hot Chicken and Shake Shack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich come to mind — but nothing hits quite like the GOAT.

So anytime Popeyes does decide to make a change, we treat it like a big deal.

In the five years since its release, we’ve seen a sweet and spicy celebrity-backed version of the classic Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich, an iteration with Havarti cheese and bacon, and last year, an unbreaded Blackened version. All three were still amongst the best in all of fast food, but what surprised it most was the Blackened version. That’s right, Popeyes can skip the breading — the very thing that gives chicken sandwiches their pleasing crunch — and still make one of the best chicken sandwiches in the game.

With all that success, we were fired up to taste the Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich. It’s currently available now at participating Popeyes locations nationwide and, as far as we can tell, this is a permanent menu fixture. So how does the new sandwich measure up to the rest of the Popeyes chicken sando menu?

Here are our thoughts.

Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich Taste Test

Thoughts & Tasting Notes

Thick and luxurious. That’s how I’d describe Popeyes Golden BBQ. The sauce is much sweeter than typical BBQ sauce with some floral cracked pepper notes and a mellow tang in place of smokiness.

The sweet and tangy sauce elevates the flavor of the Popeyes chicken breading, which features a mix of garlic and onion powder, black pepper, and the slightest hint of cayenne.

I already think Popeyes’ chicken breading leans on the sweet and buttery side (compared to KFC’s more herbal breading) and this sauce helped to accentuate the savory and indulgent quality of the fried chicken filet. Overall, I think the Golden BBQ is a nice — albeit, non-essential — remix of the typical Popeyes Fried Chicken sandwich.

The Bottom Line:

If you like your BBQ sauce tangy and sweet rather than smokey, the Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich is worth a pick-up. But it’s not a significant change, so if our tasting notes aren’t appetizing you, you’re probably not missing out on anything by sticking with whatever your preferred chicken sando build is.

(WARNING: Spoilers for The Chi season 6 will be found below.)

It took just minutes for The Chi to return to its dramatic ways in the season 6, part 2 opening episode. Episode 9 titled “The Aftermath” picked up where episode eight left off, that being the events after Emmett and Rob’s assassination attempt on Douda. Though it looked like Victor was going to take matters into his own hands, he eventually came to his senses and decided to go home. Emmett had to dodge gunshots of his own after Smokey’s BBQ was the victim of a drive-by. His life is also spared after standing up to Douda, but it doesn’t come without a price, as Douda says Emmett will only live if he kills someone for him. That’s where we left off in episode nine, so here’s what to expect in episode ten, titled “Want This Smoke.”

When Will The Chi Season 6, Episode 10 Come Out?

The tenth episode of The Chi season six, titled “Want This Smoke,” will arrive on May 10. The Stacy Pascal Gaspard-directed episode will be available on Friday, 5/10 on the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME app starting at midnight EST/PST. The episode will later air on the SHOWTIME TV channel on May 12 at 9 pm ET/PT. A synopsis for “The Aftermath” can be found below:

Victor learns the value of compromise; Emmett and Kiesha’s date night is interrupted. Shaad makes an unlikely connection; Professor Gardner’s lecture inspires Bakari; the FBI finds more evidence linking to Q’s murder.

‘The Chi’ season 6, part 2 debuts on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME on May 10, 2024. Seasons 1-5 as well as season 6 part 1 are available now to stream on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

Rap fans who haven’t seen much of French Montana recently will get a chance to do so soon, as the Bronx native has announced the dates for his upcoming Gotta See It To Believe It Tour in August. The Moroccan rapper, who is currently promoting his mixtape Mac & Cheese 5, will be joined on tour by frequent collaborators and fellow New Yorkers Fabolous and Fivio Foreign.

French was recently pulled into all the drama surrounding Drake and the entire rap game turning against the Canadian star when Rick Ross called out Drake for allegedly sabotaging the Mac & Cheese 5 rollout by withdrawing a verse that would have helped generate some buzz for the project. “I unfollowed you ’cause you sent the motherf*ckin’ cease-and-desist to French Montana,” Ross says on his track “Champagne Moments.”

Artist presale for the tickets starts on Thursday, May 16, while the general sale begins on Friday, May 17. You can find more information on livenation.com.

You can check out the full schedule of dates below.

08/01/2023 — Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
08/02/2023 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
08/08/2023 — Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo RiverWorks
08/10/2023 — Chicago, IL @ Radius Chicago
08/15/2023 — Toronto, ON @ REBEL
08/16/2023 — Albany, NY @ The Palace Theatre*
08/17/2023 — Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues Boston
08/22/2023 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE*
08/24/2023 — Portsmouth, VA @ Portsmouth Pavilion*
08/25/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia

*Not A Live Nation Date

The Denver Nuggets are one win away from yet another trip to the Western Conference Finals after picking up their third win in a row over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their Game 5 win was the first time a home team won in the series, and they now send things back to Minnesota, where the atmosphere will be tense.

Game 5 was a Nikola Jokic masterclass, as the three-time MVP put up arguably his best playoff performance ever with 40 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and zero turnovers. The Serbian star seemed to delight in giving Rudy Gobert work all night, hitting him with every move you can imagine and never doubling up, showing the four-time DPOY something different on every possession. It was truly incredible to watch and there really wasn’t anything for Gobert to do differently, as Jokic just kept tossing, flipping, floating, and scooping the ball in the basket over, under, around, and through him.

Even though there are no answers for Jokic when he’s cooking like that, the entire point of having Gobert is that he’s supposed to keep the other team from dominating inside. When that doesn’t happen, he is going to shoulder a lot of blame. On Inside the NBA after the game, Draymond Green and Vince Carter were sitting in for Shaq and Charles Barkley, and Green has never been happier to have been called into work in his life than getting to sit on that desk and critique Gobert and the Wolves.

Green saying “the big Frenchman is sitting on that podium, speaking his native language, ‘we, we, we need to do this.’ You, you, you need to get a stop,” is an all-timer. He also called out that Karl-Anthony Towns’ body language leaving the court, limping heavily after playing most of the game (and showing few ill effects visually) after banging knees in the first half, and saying that told him everything he needed to know about Minnesota’s belief in themselves.

There’s an argument to be made that Gobert was one of the two best Wolves on the court in Game 5, as he had 18 points and 11 rebounds (with two steals and two blocks) on 7-of-7 shooting. However, that doesn’t really matter when you’re getting torched on the other end — at halftime, Green borrowed Shaq’s line, calling it “BBQ chicken”— and your reputation is as the best big in the league at keeping teams from scoring at the rim. We’ll see if the Wolves can find something deep down inside to challenge the Nuggets in Game 6, but as Green pointed out, the excuses were already being concocted and he doesn’t expect this series to return to Denver for a Game 7.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Since the last update of this weekly R&B column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists.

Here are some new releases from the past week that you’ll enjoy:

Ravenna — “Pluto”

Two years after Asha’s Awakening, Raveena is back with “Pluto.” The blissful record shines thanks to Raveena’s vocal runs that decorate the track that the singer says is “so inner child for me.” She added, “It’s a song about loss, but woven into the most joyful soundbed.”

Andra Day — Cassandra (Cherith)

For her first project since her 2021 The United States Vs. Billie Holiday soundtrack, Grammy winning singer Andra Day is back with her third full-length project, Cassandra (Cherith). Through 16 songs, Day guides listeners through a cleansing journey where she discards the dysfunctional and toxic relationships in her life to make room for things that bring her peace.

Kaash Paige — Catch Me While I Care

Dallas singer Kaash Paige is proudly independent nowadays, and her new project Catch Me While I Care is proof of that. Its 13 songs capture an extremely confident artist to shine in any storm. Paige also brings on Onlybino!, The Big Hash, and SSGKobe as collaborators.

Tink — “Huh”

With Winter’s Diary 5 still en route, Tink drops off her latest single, “Huh.” The emotive single captures Tink’s frustrations with an inconsistent lover. One moment they’re all for the singer, and the next they’re doing something to jeopardize the relationship. “Huh” follows “Charged Up” and arrives ahead of Tink’s gig as an opening act for Jhené Aiko’s The Magic Hour Tour.

Isaiah Falls — “Diva”

Florida singer Isaiah Falls reached new heights thanks to his breakout record “Florida Baby.” Now he’s looking to level up further with his new release, “Diva.” The track is both playful and sultry as Falls employs his smooth guy persona to persuade a woman into a night of fun loving.

4Fargo — Express&B

Extending the momentum he gained thanks to the success of “She’ll Be Okay” in 2023, Georgia singer 4Fargo returns with this debut EP Express&B. Named after his music being “an expression of me,” 4Fargo puts his artistry on display through eight songs and features from K Camp, Honey Bxby, and Jacquees.

SAFE — Tell It Like It Is

Toronto singer SAFE returns with Tell It Like It Is, his third project in two years. Following 2022’s Get Home SAFE, Pt. 1 and 2023’s GHS Pt. 2, SAFE gets straight to the point through 10 songs as he handles all the vocal responsibilities and opts for no features.

Jordan Rakei — The Loop

For his first project since What We Call Life, New Zealand singer Jordan Rakei checks back in with the self-produced The Loop. It’s 13 songs are dreamy, delicate, and intimate, descriptors that have followed Rakei for much of his career.

Otis Kane — “Morning Sun”

If you’re still watching Grey’s Anatomy in its gajillionth season, then you may have caught wind of LA singer Otis Kane’s new single “Morning Sun.” The feel-good record blends pop and soul for a sweet anthem that captures the feeling of new love.

Devvon Terrell — “No Commitment”

Since the end of February, Brooklyn singer Devvon Terrell has continuously delivered new music with weekly drops leading up to this week’s release, “No Commitment.” The synth-driven effort with a rattling bass captures Terrell’s struggles to lock down a woman he’s fallen for. He tries his best to persuade her, but she seems unmoved and determined to move at her own pace, something Terrell gets closer to accepting by the end of the song.

Amaka. — How’s Your Head?

Nigerian-born, Toronto-bred alternative R&B signer Amaka. offloads her second EP with How’s Your Head? The singer describes its seven songs as a “labor of love” and a “test of my patience,” but it was all worth it as How’s Your Head? is a truly elegant and ethereal experience.

The Royal Family has certainly been through a lot in the last year or so. After Queen Elizabeth II passed in 2022, Charles stepped up to the symbolic plate as King in 2023, just before revealing he was being treated for cancer in February of this year. There was also the whole tampon thing… but we’ll get back to that.

So, The Royal Family finally revealed King Charles’ official portrait. And you know what? It’s not very optimistic. The painting, made by artist Jonathan Yeo, features a very… vibrant King Charles descending out of an intense red tint. You can see where this is going, right?

The internet never forgets, of course, so everyone was quick to make the same Tampon Gate joke, referencing Charles’ infamous phone call in which he joked about becoming a tampon, a joke he will never live down.

Of the painting, the artist said, “When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed.” It’s even more puzzling when you look back at his other royal works, which are not at all like his blood-red portrait.

Besides the obvious comments, the real question here is….why? Especially when all of Queen Elizabeth’s portraits were exceedingly normal. But it seems to work in the context of the family.

For more information on TamponGate, you can watch The Crown season five now on Netflix!