Category: News

Optimism does not come naturally to Philadelphia sports fans. I know because I have been one for my entire life. Every little sliver of hope is often dashed by a crushing defeat or bad vibes. Look at the Sixers right now, with the reigning MVP and a bouncy young emerging star both getting dragged through the muck by the James Harden fiasco. Look at the Eagles, too, who are undefeated and loaded with talent and still make every game feel as exhausting as a marathon. (Follow some Eagles fans on Twitter if you need proof of this.) It’s making this Phillies season very weird. The vibes are entirely too good. It’s all kind of unsettling.

Another thing making it weird is that the whole team is… well, weird. They’re just a collection of dinger-smashing dirtbag himbos who do things their own way, the history of baseball and general logic be damned. Start at the top. Literally. Start at the top of the lineup, in the leadoff spot, a role generally reserved for fast little slap hitters who get on base and steal bags and is filled on this squad by Kyle Schwarber, a big beefy boy who looks like a guy who drives a truck that delivers hoagies to the clubhouse and sometimes opens the game by doing stuff like this.

It’s incredible. The Marlins have a leadoff hitter, Luis Arraez, who hit about .350 this year on the back of a zillion slapped singles, and the Phillies roll out a dude who hit 47 home runs and 48 singles and whose batting average didn’t even crack .200. Pretty much all he does is draw walks, strike out, or hit home runs. Sometimes the home runs go halfway to the moon. It’s great. Look at this guy.

The whole team is like this, in a way. Just a collection of weirdo characters. There are games where Schwarber starts in left field and he isn’t even the team’s weirdest outfielder. It’s hard to take that crown when there are guys like Nick Castellanos in right field, with his shirt unbuttoned halfway to his navel doing stuff like this.

To be clear, this play was madness. Catching the ball was ill-advised at best, with a runner on third ready to tag up and score what would have been the game-winning run. The quotes about it all after the game drive this home and help convey what a collection of goofballs we have out there.

“Drop it,” manager Rob Thomson said.

“I already told him that I had to be honest,” Garrett Stubbs said. “I was screaming at the top of my lungs to drop it.”

“I saw him not get behind it,” Bryson Stott said, “and I said, ‘Oh crap.’”

There is a voice in his head, Castellanos said. “Usually he just pops up when I’m hitting. You know? Like, don’t take this 2-0 pitch.” The voice does not sound like Scooby-Doo. He heard the voice as he moved toward the foul ball with one out in the ninth inning and the winning run on third base. “Catch it,” the voice said. “Throw him out.” Castellanos did it with a flourish, a spinning motion that resulted in a perfect throw home. It was both wrong and lucky.

Two things worth noting here…

ONE: It’s delightful to picture a professional athlete making decisions from moment to moment based on what a voice in his head is telling him.

TWO: That reference to Scooby-Doo in there was not random. It’s a callback to earlier this year when Castellanos was asked who his favorite superhero is and backed up his claim like this.

I mean… he’s not wrong, right? You have to love a silly outfielder who is guided by voices and makes you rethink everything you know about possibly stoned cartoon dogs. And he’s having a great influence on the other starting outfielder, Johan Rojas, a 22-year-old defensive phenom who has also been unbuttoning his shirt like he’s in a Miami nightclub in 1986. With the blessing of Castellanos. Look at these guys.

The background here is that Castellanos told Rojas he needed to loosen up more when he got called up straight to the majors from Double-A after some injuries, and unbuttoning seems to have helped, because the kid has been setting centerfield on fire in his time in the majors. Here’s a decent rundown of what he’s accomplished out there.

Rojas is challenging how defenders are measured in modern baseball. It’s best to ignore small samples. Rojas, obviously, is a talented defender who makes it look easy. He does things others cannot. But, entering Monday’s game, he had accumulated 14 Defensive Runs Saved. That ranked 14th among all fielders this season — and Rojas had played only 310 innings in the field. It’s an astounding rate. Rojas has broken the metric.

Or not.

“No,” Marsh said, “I don’t think it’s crazy. I mean, the dude had 11 Defensive Runs Saved in August. Right? You don’t see that.”

Marsh had the number right.

And here’s the best part of that blockquote: Brandon Marsh, who said those glowing things about Rojas, is the guy who basically lost his job to the new guy. Marsh went from starting centerfielder to platooning out in left because Rojas has been so damn good, and he seems actually kind of thrilled about it. This is what I mean about the vibes. They’re borderline immaculate. Here’s what Marsh did the night the Phillies clinched a playoff berth on a walkoff single by Rojas.

I mean… come on. How can you not root for these guys? What are you, some kind of Mets fan? Be serious.

The weirdness doesn’t stop in the outfield either. The team’s $300 million shortstop, Trea Turner, started out the year with a five-month slump before getting an extended “we got your back” standing ovation from notoriously fickle Philly fans and then hit about .350 with 16 home runs over the next two months. Their first baseman, Rhys Hoskins, last season’s bat-spiking playoff hero, tore his ACL in spring training and has been replaced by Bryce Harper, who returned from Tommy John surgery faster than anyone in history and learned a new position with no rehab stint in the minors and promptly returned to smashing game-winning home runs in the playoff push. The catcher, JT Realmuto, hits 100 points higher on the road with no good explanation why. The second baseman, Bryson Stott, moved there from shortstop without complaint when the team signed Turner and looks like Dax Shepard and showed up to the Little League Classic with a bat designed to look like a number two pencil. I love him very much.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, as if all the weird and positive energy in Eastern Pennsylvania weren’t firing itself like a laser beam into Citizens Bank Park, we also had this happen in the last week of the regular season.

What we have here, via bullet point:

• Phillies rookie reliever and minor league pitcher of the year Orion Kerkering making his major league debut
• Striking dudes out like freaking Mariano Rivera
• While his dad, a former Marine, drops tears and snot out of his face about it in the stands

It was the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen. As was the article about it the next day.

“I guess it was just seeing the kid,” Todd, who is 59, said Monday morning. “I don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of good things. I’ve seen a lot of ugly things in my life. I guess maybe it’s a culmination of all those things through life and, you finally reach a point when you get to something that is just unbelievable. I mean, there are 900 guys roughly in the MLB right now at that level. And he’s one of them. You know? I mean, I don’t know. It’s just what came out.”

He scanned the text messages from his Marine friends. They know Todd and some of them know Orion. They understood.

“I got tears in my eyes, too,” one told him. “Don’t worry.”

And so, again, the optimism. It’s an odd feeling. Especially since the team refuses to be normal. No lead is safe, for any team, when the Phillies are on the field. This season alone they’ve blown an 8-1 lead and come back from an 8-1 deficit. I’m actually more comfortable when they’re losing, sometimes, because I have more confidence in them making a comeback than holding a lead. I am equally as sure they are going to win the World Series as I am they are going to blow the next two games by a combined score of 24-3. Anything can happen. It’s… I mean, it’s nerve-wracking and it’s exhausting but it’s also a great time. I love my bomb-blasting boys. I love my tear-stained dads. I love my…

Wait.

Alligators?

This is real. His name is Wally. Yes, I researched this.

Wally, who will be 4 in July, was rescued from just outside Orlando when he was 14 months old. Henney said Wally could grow anywhere from 14 to 16 feet long and weigh 900 to 1,100 pounds. Wally eats chicken wings and shares a 300-gallon plastic pond, indoors, with Scrappy, a smaller, younger alligator the family has also rescued. Wally’s favorite programs to watch on television, of course, are Gator Boys and Swamp People. He also likes to watch The Lion King.

Scrappy watches what Wally watches.

What I’m getting at here is that there is a non-zero chance we are screaming toward a scenario where Kyle Schwarber holds an emotional support alligator named Wally as the Phillies World Series parade makes its way down Broad Street.

I deserve this.

Wally deserves this.

We all deserve this.

Go Phillies.

Boygenius has been everywhere this year. After reuniting for the first time since their debut EP Boygenius, which was released in 2018, the supergroup — comprised of Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker — dropped their full-length debut record, appropriately titled The Record.

Last night (October 3), the trio paid a visit to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, during which, they performed “Cool About It” from The Record.

During the performance, the trio stands around a microphone, delivering raw, intimate vocals. The ladies are dressed in black-and-white suites, with Bridgers playing guitar and Baker playing banjo. Baker and Bridgers glisten the song with sugary background vocals, while Dacus takes command of the song vocally.

In an interview with Loud And Quiet, Dacus spoke about her songwriting process, and how the women’s parts all come together in

“A lot of times I’ll write a song for us in a different frame of mind, so you can be harmonizing with me and saying something that’s still true for you,” said Dacus. “I don’t want to make either of you sing lyrics that don’t resonate with you.”

The Record has proven to be a promising era, with the supergroup performing at SXSW and Coachella this spring, and a critically-acclaimed tour over the past few months. Next Friday (October 13), Boygenius will release The Rest, a new EP, completing the story of The Record.

In the meantime, you can see the performance of “Cool About It” above.

After tackling the Halloween series, director David Gordon Green is back with another take on another horror classic, but so far, the only thing frightening are the reviews.

Heavily touted as a direct legacy sequel to the original film, The Exorcist: Believer arrives in theaters this week, and critics are not feeling this latest addition to the franchise. While the original Exorcist directed by the legendary William Friedkin is one of the best in the genre, Believer reportedly fails to capture that feeling of demonic horror thanks to its double-possession plot and its own inert fear of making bold statements about faith and religion.

Like previous attempts to expand the Exorcist franchise beyond the first film, Believer just doesn’t possess the skill and mastery of the original, and instead is a mish-mash of horror tropes that are old hat by now.

You can see what the critics are saying below:

Owen Gleiberman, Variety:

A new “Exorcist” movie shouldn’t be a slavish imitation of the original “Exorcist,” but it should conjure a certain danger; that’s what “The Exorcist” was all about. “The Exorcist: Believer,” in its superficially competent and poshly mounted way, feels about as dangerous as a crucifix dipped in a bottle of designer water.

David Ehrlich, IndieWire:

An execrable film that’s redeemed by almost nothing besides Leslie Odom Jr.’s well-modulated lead performance and the ambient sense of unease that Green casts over the story’s first half, “Believer” is so creatively spineless and bereft of its own ideas that its entire concept of sacrilege is limited to imperiling its franchise’s legacy.

William Bibbiani, The Wrap:

David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” trilogy reveled in returning Jamie Lee Curtis front-and-center to the franchise, but he doesn’t quite do the same thing with Ellen Burstyn. Whether that’s an interesting narrative choice, a half-assed attempt to capitalize on the enduring legacy of the original “Exorcist,” or merely a disappointment may be up for some debate, but the “half-assed” argument is by far the most convincing.

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter:

The music by David Wingo and Amman Abbasi turns up the tension, even if there’s nothing here to rival the needling effectiveness of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells,” which makes a welcome return in key moments, albeit in a remix that nixes the bells. That watered-down version of an inspired horror theme is symptomatic of a movie that starts out full of promise but fumbles the material as the stakes get higher.

Tom Jorgensen, IGN:

The Exorcist: Believer is a simmering duel with the devil buoyed through a confused second act by an enthusiastic cast and a timely meditation on the importance of community during crisis. But Believer is also palpably reluctant to deviate from the formula of its legendary forerunner. Though its predestined, blockbuster exorcism sequence just manages to provide a satisfying conclusion to the story, the underdeveloped synchronized possession element creates more problems than it solves.

Benjamin Lee, The Guardian:

His major ace is the return of the original protagonist Ellen Burstyn, who had wisely steered clear of any sequels, but was lured back by a “whole bunch of money” and the promise of a scholarship program for acting students. It’s a sound rationale given both the $400m Universal paid for the trilogy and what Burstyn, as one of our finest elder actors, deserves. But it’s also indicative of the overall emptiness of the endeavour, from an Oscar-winning William Friedkin classic to a soulless cash grab originally intended for a dual platform release on Peacock. Taken as just that, it’s serviceable; a silly, gloopy Halloween shocker that offers just about enough goofy entertainment for an undemanding fright night crowd. But it might be close to impossible for those with deep reverence for the original, of which there are a great many, to take it as such.

Chase Hutchinson, Collider:

There is something almost comical about how The Exorcist: Believer takes the premise of the first movie and attempts to go bigger by making it two girls becoming possessed instead of one. Rather than being something fresh or different, it comes across as a largely empty escalation in search of more profound emotion. On top of that, it isn’t particularly scary, as nothing visually holds the same mesmerizing power as Friedkin’s work, and the whole thing seems increasingly scattered.

Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting:

What made The Exorcist so scary and enduring wasn’t its concepts of faith or lack thereof but its authentic characters grappling with relatable issues as they venture further into the dark abyss of evil. Believer doesn’t spend enough time with any of its characters and instead rushes through all the requisite beats of an Exorcist movie right until it fizzles. Its bold, cynical commentary and occasionally effective imagery get lost in the shuffle. Believer is handsomely shot, at least, but mostly, it’s just unscary and soulless.

The Exorcist: Believer opens in theaters on October 6.

If you’re a bourbon or dark rum drinker and you’re not on the cognac bandwagon by now… what are you possibly waiting for? Fall is an especially great time to start enjoying this flavorful French, grape-based brandy. Grab a bottle, drink it neat, and enjoy the warming, rich, sweet flavor profile on a cool autumn night.

The spirit — which gets its name from the city of Cognac and the surrounding wine-growing regions — is well-known for its complex flavor profile, featuring caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, spices, and other notes that all appeal to whiskey and dark rum drinkers. It even has various levels (VS, VSOP, XO, etc.) letting you know how long it spent aging in oak Limousin barrels.

Don’t take our word for it though. The folks who bide their time behind the bar love this nuanced, exciting spirit even more than we do. That’s why we asked a handful of well-respected bartenders and mixologists to tell us the best cognacs to drink this fall. Keep scrolling to see all of their picks so you’ll know which bottles to add to your home bar cart.

Camus Cognac VSOP

Heidi Finley, lead bartender at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $60

The Cognac:

Camus Cognac VSOP is a great fall cognac. You can simply sip it slowly and savor in the delight of all of the harmonious flavors. I also like to make a cocktail with Camus VSOP that includes St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur, lemon juice, cinnamon, demerara sugar, and cardamom bitters called ‘The Perfect Pear’.

Tasting Notes:

It’s robust yet elegantly smooth with tastes of warm vanilla, bright orange zest, and a touch of baking spices, such as cinnamon and allspice.

Martell VSOP

Aleksander Simic, bartender at Hutong in Miami

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $50

The Cognac:

When it’s time to sip and savor in the fall, Martell Cognac VSOP takes center stage. It’s a complex blend of eaux-de-vie in which the youngest cognac has been aged for a minimum of four years in fine-grained oak barrels.

Tasting Notes:

Its aroma, redolent of plum, apricot, and candied lemon, perfectly complements the crisp autumn air. Martell VSOP is a delightful choice to warm your spirits during the fall season.

Cognac Park VSOP

Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $55

The Cognac:

Cognac Park VSOP is a great Cognac to drink on its own and it’s not crazy expensive to feel bad about using in a cocktail. It’s aged eight months in new oak barrels to extract bright sweet tones before being aged in mature casks for at least another three years. It’s perfect to enjoy on the rocks or in a negroni variation.

Tasting Notes:

This award-winning cognac is known for its fruity, floral, vanilla, honey, and spiced palate that makes it a perfect slow sipper on a cool evening.

Monnet Sunshine Selection Cognac

Alex Fitzgerald, beverage director at Paseo in Louisville, Kentucky

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $34

The Cognac:

I love Monnet Sunshine Selection Cognac for the transition to Fall, as it has all my favorite aromas and flavors of summer and fall in one. This complex blend was matured for a minimum of two years in Limousin oak casks.

Tasting Notes:

The flavor is light and sweet, with notes of peach and apricot, perfect for those warm September days, but it also has some vanilla, cinnamon, and dried fruit notes reminiscent of the colder months ahead.

Remy Martin XO

Ryan Smith Jr., assistant food and beverage manager at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort in Miami

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $250

The Cognac:

Remy Martin XO is a great cognac for the fall months. This blend of hundreds of complex, hand-selected eaux-de-vie that have been matured for at least ten full years in oak barrels.

Tasting Notes:

Smooth and velvety with a nice weight that sticks to you when you drink. Warm and inviting with baking spices, vanilla, and subtle caramel that makes it great for a fall sip.

Pierre Ferrand Ambré

Alex Pisi, lead bartender at The Wells in Washington, DC

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40

The Cognac:

I have always enjoyed sipping on Pierre Ferrand Ambré. It’s a warming blend of Ugni Blanc and Colombard eaux-de-vie that is aged for at least ten years in French oak barrels giving it a well-rounded, nuanced flavor profile.

Tasting Notes:

Lively grape notes with juicy tones are balanced by carefully aging this cognac. Notes of bitter orange, caramel, and everlasting nuttiness make it amazing to sip neat, slightly warm, or in a sidecar.

Courvoisier VSOP

Jared Bailey, bar manager at Soho Cigar Bar in New York City

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $46

The Cognac:

Courvoisier VSOP is not only a fun word to say, but a soothing cognac to drink when the leaves start to change, and the temperature starts to drop.

Tasting Notes:

Boasting an unparalleled smoothness, it also carries tasting notes of dark grape, caramel, and subtle oak. It’s a can’t-miss cognac for the cooler months.

Camus Borderies XO

Dana Lachenmayer, head bartender at The Wesley in New York City

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $220

The Cognac:

Without price limitations, Camus Borderies XO is one of the finest cognacs to sip on this fall. It’s the product of a single estate vineyard in the smallest cognac cru.

Tasting Notes:

This cognac is at once complex, velvety, and charming. A floral bouquet and palette is balanced with dried fruit, cinnamon, and pastry that leaves you wanting more.

Pierre Ferrand 1840

Kira Collings, bar manager at Hearth and Hill in Park City, Utah

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $45

The Cognac:

Pierre Ferrand 1840 is a fantastic cognac to drink in the fall. It is complex enough to enjoy sipping on it on its own and holds up well in a cocktail. I always enjoy making a sazerac with it. I follow in the footsteps of Death & Co and make their split base cognac and rye sazerac, perfect for sipping around a warm fire.

Tasting Notes:

The silky texture, cinnamon, and ginger give it a warm spice, with notes of caramel and stone fruit to round it out.

Dudognon Reserve 10 Year Cognac

Collin Frazier, head bartender at Great Jones Distillery in New York City

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $46

The Cognac:

Dudognon Reserve 10-Year Cognac is a great pick for fall. It’s a fantastic spirit that delivers an intoxicating journey. It’s a Grande Champagne cognac that picked up a ton of fruit, vanilla, and oak during the aging process.

Tasting Notes:

From its dry floral aromatics to the mineral-driven finish, this cognac has a distinct brightness reminiscent of summer’s end, while hints of vanilla provide a coziness apropos of autumn.

Frapin 1270 Cognac

Steven Dinsmore-George, bartender at The Pembroke in Washington, DC

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $55

The Cognac:

Frapin 1270 Cognac is a can’t-miss fall cognac. This single estate, Grande Champagne cognac is well-known for its indulgent, almost dessert-like palate that makes it an exceptional drink to finish a heavy meal on a cool fall evening.

Tasting Notes:

It has a wonderful smoky start and a spiced finish that will highlight any fall spirit-forward cocktail such as a Sazerac or a Japanese Cocktail. It also makes for a delightful after-dinner drink by itself.

Taylor Swift has sports fans buzzing after her rumored relationship with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce led to her showing up at the past two games. Because of this, it has raised speculation if Swift would ever play the Super Bowl Halftime Show in the future.

While she won’t be in 2024, as Usher was announced as the performer for the Vegas event, it doesn’t rule out it happening in the future. Swift is currently on a break between the legs of her massive Eras Tour, which will continue through next year.

A source also spoke with the Daily Mail about what Swift’s mindset is about playing. “Taylor is busy with her current tour, she has zero time to prepare a Super Bowl show, she will do it eventually, but she is in no rush at all to do it in Vegas or do it in the next couple of years,” they shared.

They also noted that Swift “knows she is at her peak in her career and each move from this point on is as important as the next. Working on her current tour and recording her old music and working on new music and living life are taking up the majority of her time.”

Swift won’t be any time soon, but the possibility of it hasn’t been ruled out permanently — and it could be a special, career-spanning thing when it does.

In the spirit of the film itself, I’m going to keep things short: here’s why you should see if Strange Way of Life is playing in a theater near you.

1. Strange Way of Life was written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Talk to Her, and Pain and Glory. He described the project as an “answer” to Brokeback Mountain. It’s only Almodóvar’s second English-language project, following the Tilda Swinton-starring The Human Voice (it was released during the pandemic so you may have missed it).

2. It stars Pedro Pascal as a gunslinger and Ethan Hawke as a sheriff who rekindle their sexual relationship after 25 years apart. Things get complicated, however, when Hawke goes after Pascal’s son for killing a local woman.

3. You don’t get to see Pascal and Hawke’s roll in the hay, so to speak (although Pascal’s butt makes a cameo), but they have strong chemistry together. “I don’t imagine sexual chemistry as something to approach,” The Last of Us star told IndieWire in a pre-strike interview. “It’s simply a matter of playing the character. Pedro put his trust in us to inhabit the story as he felt so much of the work was accomplished by casting. I think there’s a disarming and playful sexiness to everything Pedro does, so it’s exciting to step into that world. It also helped to have a scene partner as good as Ethan.”

4. There’s a scene where an item of clothing will turn every Taylor Swift fan into the Leo pointing meme.

5. This isn’t about Strange Way of Life, per se, but if you haven’t watched the Reservation Dogs episode with Ethan Hawke, you should get on that. You should also watch the entire very special show. Don’t be a sh*tass.

6. In a flashback, younger versions of Pascal and Hawke’s characters start making out after shooting a big bag of wine.

7. Are you sick of bloated blockbusters? Well, Strange Way of Life is only 30 minutes long. That’s less than half the runtime of the Ted Lasso series finale. It’s not the best movie you’ll see this year, or even this month, and it honestly could be longer to fill out the backstory. But Almodóvar fills the screen with warmth, Pascal and Hawke give grounded performances, and again, 30 minutes. You can spare 30 minutes — and then spend the next 30 minutes trying to buy Pascal’s green coat.

You can check to see if Strange Way of Life is playing near you here.

WARNING: Spoilers for the Ahsoka Season 1 finale below.

With the Ahsoka finale now streaming on Disney+, Star Wars fans were hit with a surprising piece of lore during the late Ray Stevenson‘s presumably last scene in the series. His character, former Jedi General Baylan Skoll, can be seen standing on a set of three statues that were immediately recognizable to fans of The Clone Wars animated series.

After the finale primarily focused on Grand Admiral Thrawn making his inevitable escape and returning to assume control of the Empire, the eighth episode caught up with Baylan who wanted to stay behind on Peridea. (Unlike Ahsoka, Sabine, and his former apprentice Shin Hati, who are now stranded on the planet.) While Stevenson’s final moments are brief, they pack a huge nerd punch as Baylan walks onto the outstretched hand of a massive statue. As the camera pulls out, we see the hand belongs to the middle of three statues, and the figures shown are a powerful trio in Star Wars lore: The Mortis gods.

The Mortis gods, or “The Ones,” were a powerful family who gained immortality through their deep connection of the Force. The Daughter was strongly connected to the Light Side, while The Son was strongly connected to the Dark. The Father represented the balance of the Force. They were eventually destroyed during an encounter with Anakin Skywalker and his apprentice, wait for it, Ahsoka Tano.

The Mortis episodes in The Clone Wars were fan-favorites, and their jump to live-action (at least in statue form) seemingly supports a fan theory about what has been calling to Baylan Skoll throughout Ahsoka: Abeloth.

Unlike the Mortis gods, Abeloth has never appeared outside of the Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi books, which are no longer canon. However, she is deeply connected to the powerful family. Initially, she started out as The Servant before becoming known as The Mother as she grew close to the trio and helped keep peace between them. Unfortunately, she was not immortal and merely human, so in attempt to stay with the family, she began drinking from the Font of Power (the Dark side) and the Font of Knowledge (the Light side) which transformed her into the chaotic immortal being Abeloth.

Fearing her power, the Mortis family found a way to imprison Abeloth, and that prison could be what Baylan saw in the distance during the Ahsoka finale. His talk of being more than just the struggle between Light and Dark also lends itself very heavily to Abeloth, who found a greater power that transcends both.

Or there’s something even more wild out there. We won’t know until Ahsoka gets a second season, which has not been confirmed yet.

Ahsoka Season 1 is available for streaming on Disney+.

Thank goodness that Rachel Bilson has opened up the “controversial” fountain on her podcast again. She co-hosts Broad Ideas with longtime best friend Olivia Allen, and they have been known to get bawdy with their frank exploration of subjects that are frequently related to sexual relationships. And let’s face it, this is a fun subject for the audience at home.

Previously, Rachel made headlines for losing a gig after a production decided that she was being too forthright for their liking. Rachel had insisted that she hadn’t said anything wrong, and that was also the general consensus, especially given the customary subject matter of the podcast. Some of her greatest hits include gushing over Bill Hader’s massive dong and revealing the age when she had her first orgasm “from, like d*ck.”

Now, Rachel is expressing how she isn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of dating men who haven’t had a lot of sexual partners. She admitted that this might not be the fairest take, but nonetheless, that’s how she feels. Via Us Weekly:

“This is gonna sound so judgemental, but if a dude is in his 40s and he [has] only slept with four women … but it all depends,” Bilson, 42, said on the Monday, October 3, episode of her “Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson” podcast. “Maybe he’s been in decade [long] relationships, totally respectable.”

Rachel further elaborated upon how she used to make a habit of asking dates about their number of former partners, although she “probably wouldn’t” continue doing so in the future. Why? She detailed how her 20s were spent in two long-term relationships, so that obviously affects the number, but she has seemed to enjoy her subsequent path, too. That is, if one can draw any interferences to that orgasm at age 38 that she previously mentioned. Back when she dropped that tidbit, she followed up to add that nothing was the fault of the dudes, and it was more about her own comfort. And these days, it’s good to hear her being comfortable again in podcast land.

(Via Us Weekly)

Blackpink is taking over the world. This past year, the ladies of the group released their sophomore album, Born Pink, embarked on a critically acclaimed tour, and performed at Coachella. While Blackpink has been killing it as a group, its individual members are also slaying as solo acts.

Back in June, Blackpink member Jennie made her acting debut as the fan-favorite Diane on HBO’s polarizing series, The Idol. Now, she is gearing up to release some solo music.

Blackpink’s official Twitter account revealed that Jennie’s new single, “You & Me,” will arrive later this week. “You & Me” marks Jennie’s first single outside of the group since her 2018 solo single, appropriately titled “Solo.”

Jennie has performed the song on stops during the Born Pink tour. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Korea (per Korea JoongAng Daily), she teased her upcoming solo era, saying, “I’m making a song that’s by Jennie, the most Jennie and something unique that is only Jennie’s”

The single’s poster notes that the single will be released through YG Entertainment — an announcement that arrives amid rumors of Blackpink members potentially not renewing their contracts with the label.

“You & Me” is out 10/6 via YG Entertainment and Interscope Records. Find more information here.

Aftershock Festival is kicking off in Sacramento, California this weekend, and has a lineup filled with a ton of bands to rock out to. For those who are going, here’s what to know about the set times for a few of each day’s key acts.

Thursday, October 5

White Reaper at 2:25-2:55 p.m. (Shockwave stage)
Pennywise at 3:30-4:10 (Shockwave)
AFI at 4:15-5:00 (Jack Daniel’s stage)
Pantera at 6:00-7:15 (Jack Daniel’s)
Senses Fail at 7:15-8:10 (DWPresents stage)
Incubus at 7:20-8:20 (Shockwave)
L7 at 8:20-9:10 (Coors Light stage)
Avenged Sevenfold at 8:25-9:55 (Jack Daniel’s)

Friday, October 6

Coheed and Cambria at 4:50-5:35 (Jack Daniel’s)
Megadeth at 5:40-6:30 (Shockwave)
Limp Bizkit at 6:35-7:35 (Jack Daniel’s)
Godsmack at 7:40-8:50 (Shockwave)
Tool at 8:55-10:45 (Jack Daniel’s)

Saturday, October 7

Babymetal at 4:45-5:30 (Shockwave)
Corey Taylor at 5:35-6:20 (Jack Daniel’s)
Parkway Drive at 6:25-7:15 (Shockwave)
311 at 7:20-8:15 (Jack Daniel’s)
The Amity Affliction at 7:40-8:20 (Coors Light)
Turnstile at 8:20-9:20 (Shockwave)
Korn at 9:20-10:45 (Jack Daniel’s)

Sunday, October 8

Mayday Parade at 2:05-2:35 (Shockwave)
Daughtry at 3:05-3:35 (Shockwave)
Dance Gavin Dance at 4:35-5:20 (Shockwave)
Movements at 5:25-6:10 (Coors Light)
Rancid at 5:25-6:15 (Jack Daniel’s)
Queens Of The Stone Age at 6:20-7:20 (Shockwave)
Guns N’ Roses at 7:25-10:25 (Jack Daniel’s)

Tickets for the fest are still available, including 4-day General Admission and VIP passes, as well as single-day tickets. Check out the complete set times for Aftershock Festival, along with more information, here.

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