Category: News

It’s been a lost season for the Arizona Cardinals with a 4-8 record that includes four losses in the last five games. On Monday evening, Arizona hosted the New England Patriots in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football, and things became ugly in a hurry from a health standpoint. On just the third play of the game, Kyler Murray attempted to scramble down the right side and suffered what appeared to be a non-contact injury.

Peyton Manning said what everyone was thinking when ESPN came back from commercial and Murray was being carted off with a towel draped over his head still clearly in pain.

Murray was immediately replaced by veteran Colt McCoy, who made two starts earlier this season when Murray was injured. At this stage, it is too early to speculate on the severity or exact nature of Murray’s injury, but it’s always concerning when a player goes down with a non-contact injury.

In ten games this season, Murray has 2,359 passing yards, 415 rushing yards, and 17 total touchdowns. Though he has not enjoyed his best individual season, the Cardinals are fully committed to the former No. 1 overall pick after inking him to a massive contract extension over the summer. McCoy can keep the train on the tracks, but Arizona is clearly built around Murray for the long term, and all eyes will be on the diagnosis here.

Remember the Golden Globes? This year’s edition did things a little differently than usual: After a massive backlash against, among other things, the lack of diversity of its members, NBC refused to air the awards show. So instead of a live broadcast with lots of stars, they just tweeted it out. (It was still chaotic, because it was the Golden Globes.) But this year, after a hefty reworking to address criticisms, they’re back. But when?

As per the Globes’ own website, the show is back on, airing on both NBC as well as their streamer, Peacock, on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, starting at 8pm EST.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is working hard to get back in viewers’ good graces, hiring comic Jerrod Carmichael to host. The last time the show went on, in January 2021, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler served as emcees. Before that came what may still be the last stint by professional insult comic Ricky Gervais, who seemed genuinely nonplussed to be there.

The nominations for the next Golden Globes were announced on Monday, and they included lots of familiar faces. On the TV end, there was Better Call Saul, The Crown, House of the Dragon, Abbott Elementary, The Bear, and Only Murders in the Building, among others. On the movie side, a lot of love was foisted upon The Banshees of Ineshirin, featuring some career high work from stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson (who were both nominated, albeit not in the same category, so they won’t have to duke it out for real).

Anyway, welcome back, the Golden Globes, and see ya on January 10.

The Philadelphia Eagles improved to 12-1 on the season with a dominant 48-22 win in New York against the Giants on Sunday, doing much of their damage on the ground as the Giants had no answers for the Eagles rushing attack.

Miles Sanders led the way with 144 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, as he gashed the Giants for some big runs, but the play that had Sanders most excited was a Jalen Hurts run where he got to be the lead blocker. After the game, Sanders explained his excitement, saying he planned going in that he was going to yell and grunt like Bobby Boucher in The Waterboy on that play because he was mic’d up, and he delivered on that promise — even telling Jalen Hurts he was going to do it before the game.

This immediately belongs in the Mic’d Up Hall of Fame, as Sanders does a pretty incredible Boucher impression while delivering a great block. I’d love to know what the Giants defender thought as Sanders ran at him while screaming, because that had to be startling. Sanders delivered a great block on the play and there’s not a lot of running backs who would be this excited to become a lead blocker, so credit to him for finding a way to make blocking a highlight of his day and also giving us some tremendous mic’d up content.

On Sunday night, Elon Musk was booed off a stage by thousands of people after making a surprise appearance at a Dave Chappelle show. By the morning, he was no longer the richest person alive. As per Forbes, a slight dip in Tesla shares was enough to see the new king of Twitter drop to the number two spot, as well as gift him with his second major humiliation in less than 24 hours.

On Monday morning, stock in Musk’s once-thriving electric car company fell by 4%, which wound up shaving about $5 billion off his wealth. Far as billionaires go, that’s chump change. But it’s enough that he was overtaken by the former second richest person on the planet: Bernard Arnault, of the French luxury conglomerate LVMH.

Arnault — who isn’t a household name, partly because he doesn’t demand he host SNL or buy a social media service for way too much money then make it worse — is worth $186 billion. Musk is now “only” worth $184 billion.

There’s a couple reasons for Musk’s demotion, an expert told Forbes. One is that he cut prices in China, which isn’t good for the stock. There was also a negative article about Tesla stock in the Wall Street Journal, as well as one about Twitter’s souring relationship with advertisers.

In the month-and-change since taking over Twitter, the once-popular service has become a hotspot for bigoted slurs and un-banned figures. Musk himself has poured gasoline on the raging fire, even going after an ex-employee with baseless accusations of pedophilia, who’s been forced to flee his home after a torrent of death threats came his way. Getting booed by fans of a comic who anti-trans jokes and losing a few billion sounds like Elon got off easy.

(Via Forbes)

People can’t help but be fascinated by Taylor Swift’s productivity — putting out multiple albums in a year, hiding Easter eggs within music videos and songs, and now she’s about to direct her first full-length movie. To celebrate, she sat down with playwright Martin McDonagh for Variety and discussed her experience with and aspirations for directing.

The “Lavender Haze” singer talked about how she first ended up directing a video. “This actually came out of necessity. I was writing my videos for years, and I had a video that was a very specific concept I had written [2019’s ‘The Man’], which was that I wanted to be prosthetically turned into a man and live my life as a man. And I wanted a female director to direct it. And the few that I reached out to were fortunately booked. We like it when women work. So I was like, ‘I could do it, maybe.’ And when I did direct, I just thought, ‘This is actually more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined.’”

McDonagh asked, “So it’s almost by accident?” She answered, “It was, sort of. I think I’ve directed about ten music videos and now one short. I’m just inching my way along toward taking on more responsibility.” So, Swifties, get ready to head to the movie theaters.

For the last month, the crypto world has been gripped by the fall of FTX, the now defunct exchange company, which filed for bankruptcy in early November. Scores of customers may have to wait years to get their money back, if they ever get it all. It’s also made a name out of its schlubby young founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, who’s spent the aftermath playing video games and doing lots of probably incriminating interviews. Now he’s been arrested.

As per ABC News, Bahamian authorities have rounded up Bankman-Fried after receiving word that American authorities had filed criminal charges against him. (FTX and much of its staff were based in the Bahamas.) It’s not yet known exactly what charges he’s been brought up on; the sealed indictment has yet to be opened. Bankman-Friend and his associates have previously been accused of fraud, with eyes on $1 billion that’s mysteriously gone unaccounted for.

The arrest comes after Bankman-Fried refused to travel to testify before Congress in-person, telling them bluntly that he’s “quite overbooked,” as well as concerned about “paparazzi.” He was also afraid about being arrested upon touching foot in the States. He had sought to testify virtually.

Earlier this year, FTX was seen as a big deal in the crypto scene. It was even promoted by Larry David and Tom Brady, both of whom are surely nonplussed that they threw their weight behind a business that has left untold customers missing millions they may never see again.

(Via ABC News)

Ask, and you shall receive. Pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen will treat fans to yet another visual before the year is out. Last week, the Canadian musician lent her voice to the animated children’s show Hello Kitty: Super Style! for its theme song. This coming Wednesday (December 14), she is shifting her focus back on promoting her latest album, The Loneliness Time.

In a post on Twitter, Jepsen revealed to fans she would be releasing the official Brantley Gutierrez-directed video for her single, “Surrender My Heart,” writing, “a little holiday gift coming your way.”

The song, produced by Imad Royal, Max Hershenow, and Jordan Palmer, quickly became a fan favorite after it leaked back in May. Now, thanks to tech companies Lenovo and Intel, “Surrender My Heart” will get the proper rollout it deserves with a Broadway-inspired holiday visual. Jepsen, having starred in two productions herself, including Cinderella and Grease: Live is sure to over-deliver. Based on the promotional poster hinting at a guest appearance by actress and comedian Jane Krakowski, we can hardly wait.

When asked about the video’s direction, Jepsen told Rolling Stone, “What I really want to capture in this music video … is that there is like a no-good, terrible, horrible bad day going down for a few different women within the production, maybe myself, maybe a ballerina, maybe somebody else involved, and through the support of each other and the behind-the-scenes kind of chaos, that we’re able to pull off the mini miracle of what it is to be in a Broadway situation.”

The video will be uploaded to Carly Rae Jepsen’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, December 14th, at 9 am Pacific Time.

Earlier this month, BTS’ RM released his debut solo album Indigo. He played some of the tracks in an NPR Tiny Desk, he unveiled music videos, and now he’s sharing a video of his live performance at the Dia Beacon art museum in New York City.

The video watches RM performing in different sceneries — outside surrounded by trees and inside by mesmeric art installations. His vocals are nearly identical to his recordings. Still, in this setting, they take on an even more substantial, alluring emotional weight as he expresses the songs with his entire body. He starts with “Wild Flower” featuring Youjeen, then goes on to “Still Life” featuring Anderson .Paak. This is followed by “Change pt.2” and finishes with “No.2” featuring Parkjiyoon.

About working on Indigo and stepping out as a solo musician while also inviting collaborators onto the LP, RM said, “You might be surprised that many people participated in my first solo album, but this album is like an exhibition I curated myself. You will be convinced of this if you can see the synergy that those people and I have together. They were all the best people that could have been invited, and their frequencies cannot be replaced!”

Watch his performance above.

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

The Atlanta Hawks picked up a badly-needed home win on Sunday evening. The Hawks needed overtime and a buzzer-beater from rookie AJ Griffin to defeat the Chicago Bulls, but the victory came on the heels of six losses in eight games, and Atlanta’s roster was in a celebratory mood after the positive result was secured. That included star guard Trae Young celebrating with a relatively typical action and, on Monday evening, he was fined $25,000 by the NBA for what transpired. In short, the fine was assessed “for throwing the game ball into the spectator stands,” and Young immediately lamented his punishment.

This is a funny reaction for Young, who will miss Atlanta’s game in Memphis on Monday with low back tightness. It’s also a reaction that seems justifiable, especially if he actually didn’t know he couldn’t do that and, in his words, he believes players “can’t celebrate sh*t anymore.”

Of course, the other side is that the league probably doesn’t love this reaction from a superstar within minutes of a public fine. It isn’t as if $25,000 is life-changing money for Young, though, and this is a window into what his natural response likely was less than 24 hours after a memorable victory.

Although the experts say that sparkling wine is meant to be enjoyed beyond celebratory occasions (which I most certainly agree with), there’s something undeniably special about popping bubbly during the holiday season. In addition to being festive, fizzy, and super food-friendly, sparkling wine has a unique way of making every situation feel like a party.

However, not all sparkling wines are created equal. Beyond the usual suspects, there are actually a few more styles of sparkling wine worth getting to know—and no matter what you reach for, we always believe that understanding a little bit about what you’re drinking makes the experience all the sweeter. Today, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about the industry’s most popular sparkling wine categories, just in time for the holiday season. Get your flutes ready, it’s about to get bubbly.

Champagne

In the world of sparkling wine, Champagne sits atop the throne. Regarded as the world’s best sparkling wine-producing region, this eponymous viticultural zone just east of Paris is home to some of the industry’s best—and most expensive—bottles of bubbles. Yet all that comes from Champagne needn’t be expensive! There are still a number of affordable gems to be found.

A few things to know about Champagne: first, the region’s three main grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, though a handful of lesser-known varieties are also permitted (though rarely used). Champagne is produced via the méthode traditionelle (traditional method), which involves taking an already-fermented wine and allowing it to go through a secondary fermentation in bottle. This is done by adding a liqueur de tirage (a mixture of sugar and water) to the wine to ignite fermentation. Since CO2 is a byproduct of fermentation, the gas becomes trapped in the bottle – voila, your bubbles await.

The wine is then aged for a minimum of 15 months (in the case of non-vintage wines), riddled, disgorged, and bottled with a last bit of sugar (or not, in the case of Brut Nature wines), and released. Brut Nature will be the driest version of Champagne, followed by Extra Brut and Brut, which will also be dry. Wines labeled Demi-Sec and Doux will be sweet.

Prosecco

Produced in Italy’s Veneto region, Prosecco has long been the answer to affordable, go-to bubbles that promise to get the job done. Contrary to the traditional method used in Champagne, these budget-friendly bottles are produced via the Charmat method, meaning that secondary fermentation is executed in large, pressurized tanks rather than bottles. The resulting wines are generally fresh, fruit forward, and released much younger than those that undergo the traditional method of vinification. While there are exceptions (a handful of producers use the traditional method in Prosecco, for example), these wines are great for simple holiday gatherings, mixing into cocktails, or popping at holiday brunches everywhere.

Cava

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmCm60uN5Fs/

For Spain’s answer to delicious, budget-friendly bubbles, look no further than Cava. Crafted in the Penedès region of Spain from the Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and/or Parellada varieties, these textured and tasty bubbles are produced via the traditional method (same as Champagne) and are required to age for a minimum of nine months on the lees prior to release. For those looking to dive deeper into the world of traditional method sparklers, Cava offers a fun, more wallet-friendly option than Champagne, with a variety of age markers and designations (Reserva, Gran Reserva, etc.) to boot.

For stocking stuffers and go-to gifts for coworkers, friends, and in-laws, you really can’t go wrong here.

Pét-Nat

Looking to score a unique bubbly gift for the wine lover in your life? Reach for a bottle of pét-nat. Contrary to Champagne, Cava, and Prosecco—all of which undergo a secondary fermentation–pét-nats are created via the méthode ancestrale, which only incorporates one fermentation. In short, wines are bottled prior to the completion of fermentation and are allowed to finish in bottle, which in turn, leaves a bit of CO2 (less than that of wines that undergo secondary fermentation) and oftentimes a touch of residual sugar in the bottle. In turn, these wines are fresh, fruit-forward, and extremely easy to drink, as well as often boast a lower ABV than other sparklers.

Fair warning, most pét-nats are not disgorged, meaning the wines may be a bit cloudy / have some sediment in them – which are nothing to worry about!

Crémant

If you’ve perused your local shop’s sparkling wine section, you’ve likely seen the word crémant a time or few. Simply put, these sparklers are produced via the traditional method—that is, the same way that Champagne is made—though aren’t allowed to be called Champagne, as they aren’t produced in the eponymous region of France. Therefore, any wines made in a Champagne style outside of the region boast the title of crémant. Crémants are produced in nearly every region of France, though are often aged less than Champagne (and can also be produced from a number of different grape varieties).

Crémants from the Loire are often made from Chenin Blanc, whereas crémant from Bourgogne are made from Chardonnay. Other common crémant-producing regions are Bordeaux, Jura, and Limoux.

Franciacorta

Although Prosecco tends to get the spotlight, Franciacorta is Italy’s other—perhaps even more interesting—style of sparkling wine. Produced in the country’s Lombardy region, these tasty bottles of bubbles are produced using the metodo classico (AKA, the traditional method used in Champagne and Cava), from a combination of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (Nero), and/or Pinot Bianco. However, these wines actually have a stricter lees-aging time than Champagne; contrary to Champagne’s 15 months, Franciacorta must spend an impressive 18 months on the lees prior to release—and a whopping 60 months for vintage-designated bottlings!

Sekt

Sekt is the term for sparkling wine produced in Germany and Austria, though its regulations are much less strict than those of other regions. German and Austrian Sekt are produced in both the traditional style (Champagne) and Charmat / tank style (Prosecco), from a variety of grapes, and are bottled at varying levels of dryness / sweetness. This can make it a bit harder to navigate in terms of knowing what you’re getting strictly based on looking at the label, though many bottles will indicate some form of information with regards to the dryness / sweetness level of the juice inside.

These bottles are less commonly found in the United States than the regions above, but always promise a tasty, unique, and thought-provoking time.

Lambrusco

For those who can’t decide between red wine and bubbles, we ask, why choose? With Lambrusco, all of your red bubbly dreams promise to come to life. Crafted in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, these delicious red bubbles are frothy, fizzy, and seriously easy to throw back, no matter what time of day. Lambrusco is produced all across the flavor profile spectrum, but even the driest expressions are still extremely juicy and fruit-forward.

Never tried one before? Pop a bottle with your next charcuterie board or pizza night, you’ll thank us later.

Note: There are a number of other lesser-known wine-producing areas making delicious bubbles, such as Italy’s Trentino region (Trentodoc), and numerous regions across the United States (California, Virginia, New York State, and more). While these regions’ productions are much smaller than those of regions listed above, we implore you to try bubbles from as many wine-producing regions around the globe as possible!