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Here’s why you look better in mirrors than you do in pictures

This article originally appeared on 7.21.21

Usually the greatest fear after a wild night of partying isn’t what you said that you might regret, but how you’ll look in your friends’ tagged photos. Although you left the house looking like a 10, those awkward group selfies make you feel more like a 5, prompting you to wonder, “Why do I look different in pictures?”

It’s a weird phenomenon that, thanks to selfies, is making people question their own mirrors. Are pictures the “real” you or is it your reflection? Have mirrors been lying to us this whole time??


The answer to that is a bit tricky. The good news is that there’s a big chance that Quasimodo-looking creature that stares back at you in your selfies isn’t an accurate depiction of the real you. But your mirror isn’t completely truthful either.

Below, a scientific breakdown that might explain those embarrassing tagged photos of you:

The mirror is a reflection. It’s not the real you.

SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES

Although we’re the most comfortable and familiar with the face staring back at us while we brush our teeth in the morning, the mirror isn’t really the real us. It’s a reflection, so it shows how we look like in reverse. Because we’re so used to seeing the reverse version of ourselves, seeing how we look in pictures can be jarring. And unless you’re blessed with a perfectly symmetrical face, the photo version of yourself can be even more wonky.

“We see ourselves in the mirror all the time—you brush your teeth, you shave, you put on makeup,” Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Center, told The Atlantic. “Looking at yourself in the mirror becomes a firm impression. You have that familiarity. Familiarity breeds liking. You’ve established a preference for that look of your face.”

Scientists call this the “mere-exposure” effect. Basically, it’s a behavior concocted by psychologist Robert Zajonc that says people react favorably to things they’re most familiar with. So, when you see a flipped version of yourself, you immediately hate it or even find it grotesque because it’s the opposite of what you’re used to.

So although we think we look better in a mirror, we’re more psychologically inclined to feel that way even if we truthfully look better in photos. Weird, huh?

The camera lens also plays a part.

SOURCE: ISTOCK

So if your reflection isn’t the real you, does that mean your ugly selfies are your “true self”? Although mirrors show a flipped version of yourself that tones down the harshness of your asymmetries, the myth that “pictures never lie” isn’t true either. After all, most people take more than one selfie before they find their most flattering one, and usually it takes a combination of angles, lighting, and duck lips before landing one that’s Instagram-worthy.

But the problem might not be your angles, it could be lens distortion. Because of the proximity of your face to the camera, the lens can distort certain features, making them look larger than they are in real life. Pictures also only provide a 2-D version of ourselves. Depending on your features, if you have a soft, round face, photos can flatten your features and further distort the “real” you.

For example, just changing the focal length of a camera can even change the width of your head. As Gizmodo writer John Herrman pens, the fancier the camera, the better you’ll look in the picture:

“Telephoto lenses are usually seen as more flattering, giving the impression that the subject is flattened, and slightly compressing the width of your foremost features, like your nose or breasts. So you might want to think twice before fleeing the pesky paparazzi and their fancy zoom lenses; it’s the tourist with the pocket cam whose snaps will make you look fat on the Internet.”

And because cameras don’t show the 3-D version of you, it’s easy to “trick” cameras to present a reality that’s not even true. Professional models have perfected this, which is why people can do photo sorcery like this by merely tweaking their angles:

It’s also the camera flash.

SOURCE: ISTOCK

Although good lighting is the key to all flattering photos, a harsh flash from your iPhone can actually make you look a lot worse, especially if it’s taken in a dark room. In fact, according to OKCupid, harsh camera flashes add seven years to your face.

In addition to making you look shiny and greasy, cameras can’t adjust to lightness and darkness the ways our eyes naturally can. Cameras can only focus on highlights or shadows, and sometimes that can result in lighting that can be less than flattering. A good rule of thumb is to stick to natural or outdoor lighting instead.

Your smile could also be the culprit.

SOURE: iSTOCK

Everyone knows what it’s like to pose for an awkward photo, like a driver’s license or a passport. The photos never turn out looking nice, and they hardly look like our natural smiles. When you’re looking at yourself in the mirror, you’re relaxed, confident, and more likely to smile and act naturally.

If someone shouting “Say cheese!” at you makes you feel self-conscious about your unphotogenic reputation, obviously you’re going to tense up and have a photo that looks different and foreign from the version you see in the mirror. It’s best to relax when taking pictures and try to focus on something else. That tense, forced awkwardness will always translate to a bad photo.

It’s possible you’re less attractive than you think.

But no matter how many factors you want to blame for your crappy pictures, it all boils down to psychology. Perhaps the reason you look different in pictures is because the version of yourself you like best is a figment of your imagination.

According to a 2008 study, people tend to think they’re more attractive than they really are. In the experiment, researchers photoshopped pictures of participants to make them look more attractive and then mixed those with photos of strangers. Next, they asked the subjects to pick their picture out of a line-up. People were quicker at picking photos where they looked more attractive, concluding that “attractiveness” was the version of themselves they were most familiar with.

However, other experts have also said the opposite, that people tend to think they’re less attractive than they really are. Whatever the case, if you’re beating yourself up about why you look different in mirrors and pictures, there’s a good chance that all your fear and anxiety is just in your head. It’s sort of similar to how people hate the sound of their own voice. Perhaps the key to looking better in pictures is taking as many selfies as you can to help familiarize yourself with both the “mirror” and “camera” version of yourself.

“People who take a lot of selfies end up feeling a lot more comfortable in their own skin because they have a continuum of images of themselves, and they’re more in control of the image,” Pamela said. “Flipped or not flipped, the ability to see themselves in all these different ways will just make them generally more comfortable.”

Or, you know, just download FaceTune. Might as well fight science with science.

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1980s cultural icon Michael Winslow made an emotional comeback on ‘America’s Got Talent’

This article originally appeared on 07.14.21

Actor, comedian, and self-proclaimed “voicetramentalist,” Michael Winslow was just about everywhere in the ’80s. His incredible ability to make sound effects with his voice and uncanny beatboxing skills landed him the role of officer Larvell Jones in all seven “Police Academy” movies.


He also did voiceover work in “Gremlins” and appeared in Mel Brooks’ “Spaceballs.”

But Winslow was forced to scale back his career in 1993 after the death of his first wife Belinda Church. As a single father, he had to stop appearing in films so he could spend more time with his children.

He continued to star in the occasional commercial, perform stand-up comedy, and make guest appearances, but he didn’t have the profile he once had.

On Tuesday, Winslow stepped back in the spotlight with a performance on “America’s Got Talent.” After some prodding from his son, he decided it would be the perfect venue to relaunch his career on television.

In the ’80s, he was known as “The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects,” but things have changed since then, he now claims to have “hundreds of thousands.”

“Now, after raising my two kids, I’m in a different phase. I think this is my time,” Winslow, 62, said on Tuesday’s episode. “And America’s Got Talent is the place for me to show the world I still have something to offer, I still have some sounds to make. There’s still room for a little more.”

Judge Simon Cowell was excited to see Winslow when he took the stage. “We know you!” Cowell exclaimed. “I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you are here!”

Winslow then gave a stunning performance where he impersonated the chimes on an airplane, beatboxed to Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” and performed Jimi Hendrix’s version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” His performance was proof that after five decades in show business Winslow hasn’t lost a step and, in fact, he may be at his peak.

After his performance, Winslow won a standing ovation from the audience and four “gigantic yeses” from the panel.

“My life has changed again for the better, and I’ve gotten another blessing,” Winslow told Terry Crews after leaving the stage. America’s Got Talent is the place for me to show I still have something to offer. I’ve still got some sounds to make, and there’s still room for a little more.”

Winslow is a great reminder that sometimes when celebrities seem to fade away, it isn’t necessarily because they’re washed up or past their prime. They are humans with real challenges just like the rest of us and real-world events can affect their career trajectories. It’s great to see such a wonderful performer get another shot at the big time.

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I spent a week sharing my feelings with everyone. Here’s what happened.

This article originally appeared on 07.27.16

We all know that phrases like “How’s it going?” and “How are you?” are mostly pleasantries.

It’s just how we say “Hello.” You’re not expected to answer any more than the person asking is expected to care.

But every once in a while, someone will surprise you. You’ll toss out a casual and totally insincere “How are you?” and the floodgates will open out of nowhere. “I’ve had the WORST DAY,” they’ll say.


I’ve always secretly envied people who can open up on a whim like that. It seems weirdly fun. And there might be a lot of psychological benefits to it.

So I tried it. For a week, I decided that when strangers asked how I was doing, I’d actually tell them.

But before I could start, a pretty important question occurred to me: Would I even know what to say? After all, I am a dude, and everyone knows dudes aren’t always super in touch with how we’re feeling.

Ronald Levant, a professor of counseling psychology at Akron University, told me a story about a man he once treated early in his career that sums up this whole thing pretty nicely:

“[He] came in complaining about how his son had stood him up for a father son hockey game. Being relatively naive back then, I said, ‘So, how did you feel about that?’ His answer was ‘Well, he shouldn’t have done it!’ I said again, ‘Yeah, he shouldn’t have done it, but how did you feel?’

“He just looked at me blankly.”

Levant recalled similar sessions where women, by contrast, were able to walk him — in detail — through their emotional reaction to a situation: how anger turned to disappointment turned to worry, and so on.

“Among the men I was treating or working with there was a singular inability for many of them to put their emotions into words,” Levant said.

As part of my project, I wanted to test Levant’s theory, to see what it would be like to, you know, actually try to express my feelings. As the king of non-answers, deflection, and “I’m fine, how are you?” I wanted to know what it would be like to talk about me.

It turned out to be much less simple than I thought.

grocery, enthusiastic conversation, strangers

Day One

I was on my way to my daughter’s daycare to drop off more diapers, and I was trying to think about how I felt at that specific moment. It was a beautiful sunny day. There was a guy on the sidewalk walking three huge, puffy dogs. It made me laugh.The day had been a bit of a rollercoaster. My 1-year-old daughter woke up all smiles. But by the end of breakfast, she had collapsed into an inconsolable heap of tears, and that was how she left the house that day: wailing in the backseat of my wife’s car. When I arrived at daycare, though, she ran to me and leapt into my arms. She laid her head on my chest and giggled as she stared into my eyes. It was a total turnaround and a wonderful midday boost to my mood.

On my way home, I stopped off at a grocery store to grab an energy drink and, potentially, to share this happy moment with a stranger.

I chose the line manned by a fast-talking, bubbly woman. And when I got to the front, she teed me up perfectly with a sincere: “How are you?”

“Hey, I’m good!” I said enthusiastically. In the next instant, though, she was onto other things. “Ma’am?” she yelled to a wandering woman behind me. “I can ring you up over here.”

Her attention swung back to me, but almost immediately, she was telling me my total. “That’ll be $2.03.”

The transaction moved at hyper-speed. The moment was gone. As I shuffled for my wallet, I considered just blurting it out anyway, “I just visited my daughter at daycare and she was so happy to see me and it was the freaking best!”

But a voice popped up in my head, and I couldn’t shake it: She’s not going to care. Why would she care?

So I said nothing, paid, and went home.

To understand why men and women often handle feelings differently, we have to look at society first.

I can’t help but think my wife would have had no trouble talking to the woman in the store. Why is it harder for me then? Are we wired differently? Is it a brain thing? A hormone thing?

Apparently, in the 1980s and ’90s, researchers had something of a breakthrough on this question. They became “stimulated by this idea that gender was something that was socially determined,” Levant explained. He noted that boys were being socialized differently than girls were, and it was making a big difference for them down the road.

In a TEDx Talk called “Unmasking Masculinity” Ryan McKelley, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, echoed similar findings from his research.

First, he learned that infant and young boys surprisingly displayed more intensity and range of emotion than their female counterparts. “But that story starts to change over time,” he said.

Second, he looked at a series of studies polling men and women in America, which asked people to generate a list of emotions that are “culturally acceptable” for each sex. While the study found that women felt “allowed” to display nearly the entire emotional spectrum, men seemed to be limited to three primary feelings: anger, contempt, and pride.

But despite all these cultural “requirements” about emotion, it turns out that our brains aren’t processing things all that differently. McKelley says if you hook men and women up to equipment that measures things like heart rate, skin conductance, sweat, and breath rate, and then expose them to stimuli that can provoke strong emotions, “these gender differences disappear.”

“I do not deny there are biological differences,” McKelly told me in an interview. “However, the degree to which it influences all that other stuff, I believe, is overblown.”

My learning after talking to these researchers? Men DO feel feelings (yay!) but society isn’t doing us any favors when it comes to helping us learn how to express them.

Day Two

I was sitting in the sweltering parking lot outside a Home Depot when I decided I was going to do better than the day before.

I walked inside and stood in line at the customer service counter for what felt like an eternity. Finally, one of the tellers called me up. She had a shock of white curly hair and kind eyes. A grandmotherly type. “How can I help you?” she asked. Not the exact question I wanted, but we’ll see where it goes. “I have some returns,” I said.

I decided I was going to do better today.

We launched right into the specifics of what I was returning and why, and it was looking like I was about to strike out again. The transaction took a while so there was ample space to fill. Since she hadn’t asked me about my day, I took the initiative while she tapped impatient fingers along her computer waiting for it to load.

“How’s your day going so far?” I asked. She went on to tell me about how a big storm that rolled through nearly knocked out the store’s power and how the computers had been acting up ever since. “My day was going great until this!” she said playfully.

In my eagerness to share, I’d accidentally stumbled into a pretty pleasant conversation with a stranger. OK, so it was about computers and the weather, but it sure beats an awkward silence. She never did ask me how I was doing, and that’s OK.

But it did make me realize that talking about your own feelings is pretty damn hard, even when you’re going out of your way to try.

rainy day, gray, feeling depressed, shame

Day Three

Day three was tough. Outside it was gray and dreary and inside I felt about the same. Flat. Gray.

I was having trouble identifying the root of why I felt so, for lack of a better word, “blah,” so I Googled “how to find out what you’re feeling,” like I was some sort of robot trying to understand the human experience. “Pay attention to your physiology,” one article said. I felt totally normal and my heart rate was an unremarkable 80. What does that mean?

“Don’t think about it too much,” another article said. Well, shit.

As I read on about meditation and mindfulness and things of that sort, I started to get a little nervous. “What if I get too in touch with my emotions?” There’s something comforting about being a reasonably even-keeled guy without a lot of emotional highs and lows. I don’t want to go digging in the darkest recesses of my subconscious and unlock some terrible shit.

Apparently a lot of men feel like this.

McKelley described one man he treated who had severe anger issues and wasn’t exactly open to talking about his problems: “I asked him, ‘What do you find so subversive about crying?’ He said, ‘If I start, I’m afraid I’m going to curl up in a fetal position and never be able to stop.’”

I thought a little too much about this and decided I had to get out of the house.

I don’t want to go digging in the darkest recesses of my subconscious and unlock some terrible shit.

I headed out to grab a coffee at a local establishment (OK, it was a McDonald’s, but I really don’t need your judgment right now). There was a young, freckle-faced girl working the counter. She was probably 19. When it was my turn, she gave me a shy “Hello.”

“How are you?” I started. “Good. How are you?” she responded, on cue.

Since I hadn’t had any major emotional breakthroughs at that point, I just … told her the truth. “I just had to get out of the house a little bit. It’s so gray and crappy today and I just needed a break. You know?”

She gave me possibly the blankest stare I had ever seen in my life. I quickly filled the silence with my order — a large iced coffee. To go.

The more I learn, the more I realize there is so much more to this whole emotions thing than just “opening up.”

By the third day, I’d learned that men definitely feel things. Lots of things. But it’s what happens before those feelings bubble to the surface that accounts for the myth that dudes don’t have any emotions at all.

Think of it this way: Almost every single day, you take the same route driving home from work. And while driving is usually a conscious process that takes a lot of focus and effort, you could probably make that super-familiar drive home from work with barely any involvement from your brain at all. We sometimes call this “going on autopilot.” It’s the same way with breathing or blinking. Sure, you can control them if you want, but more often than not, they’re totally automatic.

And I’ve learned that it can be the same thing with suppressing emotions. For years and years, most men have been trained not to give any indication that we might be scared or lonely or nervous, and we push it down. If we do that enough, it can start to seem like we don’t feel those feelings at all.

It’s what happens before those feelings bubble to the surface that accounts for the myth that dudes don’t have any emotions at all.

McKelley expands on this idea in his TEDx Talk when he talks about the “male emotional funnel system.” Basically, he says all those emotions men might feel that make them vulnerable or that make them subject to judgment, or even being outcast, by their peers are transformed into anger, aggression, or silence. It’s how we avoid ridicule.

It’s how we survive.

But over time, not only do we lose the ability to understand our own true emotions — the emotions behind the anger or silence — but we get worse at figuring out and empathizing with what others are feeling too.

When it comes to emotional fluency, McKelley said, “it’s like speaking a foreign language. If you don’t use it, you lose it. It’s something you have to practice.”

Day Four

When I went to bed the previous night, the country was heartbroken over the death of Alton Sterling. When I woke up, we were heartbroken over the death of Philando Castile. Two black men dead at the hands of police within 48 hours.

But as devastated as I was, life goes on — right? I had work to do and, later, errands. In fact, we needed more diapers.

But the shootings were the only thing on my mind all day.

When I reached the cashier at the Walgreens down the street from my house, a small pack of size-five Pampers clutched to my side, I saw she was a young black girl. She asked how I was doing. And I told her, with all honesty, that I was sad.

We talked briefly about the news. She’d been at work and hadn’t heard much about Philando Castile yet. We paused so I could enter my phone number for reward points. There were no tears or hugs or anything like that — after all, we were standing at the front of a Walgreens and people were starting to form a line behind me.

She asked how I was doing. And I told her, with all honesty, that I was sad.

When I left, I don’t know if I felt any better. But I certainly didn’t feel worse. And talking to a real live human being about an awful tragedy felt a lot more meaningful than reading Facebook comments and Tweets.

So, on an awful, terrible, no-good day, I guess that was something.

While I worked on this project, I often wondered why all of this mattered. Do I really need to tell people what I’m feeling all the time?

And then I thought about our nation, and all the tragedies that we hear about on the news every day.

I thought about the 100 million men in America who, to varying degrees, have had their ability to empathize with the emotions of others slowly eroded over time because society tells them they cannot be vulnerable. I thought about the creep on the street chatting up a woman who clearly, visibly wants nothing to do with him. I thought about the catcallers who seem to be convinced they are paying women a compliment and are oblivious to how uncomfortable, even afraid, they’re making them.

I thought of the millions of men in America being conditioned from an early age to turn fear, helplessness, loneliness, shame, and guilt into two things: anger and aggression. I thought of the 80-plus mass shootings in America since 1982 and how almost all of them were committed by men. I thought about how many of those men might have been bullied, hurt, shamed, or humiliated and, perhaps, could think of no other outlet for those feelings than the barrel of a gun.

I thought about the millions of men in America who will never harm another person, but might funnel that anger and aggression inwards through alcohol or drug abuse or worse, with three and a half times more men dying by suicide than women.

To be extremely clear: There is no excuse for hurting another person, whether through harassment, rape, abuse, or gun violence. But when we talk about providing better mental health services in our country, maybe we ought to make sure we’re thinking of the next generation of otherwise healthy boys who need guidance about what to do with their emotions.

“If we’re not allowed to talk about [shame], we’re not allowed to express it, we’re not allowed to admit we’re experiencing it. And then you surround it with exposure to violence and seeing it modeled as a way to solve problems,” McKelley told me. “But women are bathed in the same violent cultural forces, so what’s the difference?”

“Until we can figure out a better way socially to help boys and men navigate feelings of shame, we’re going to continue to have problems.”

As bad as all the research sounds, there IS some good news.

intimacy, honesty, emotional intelligence, terrifying, men

My best advice for how all of the men I know can figure out what their feelings are? Give it a shot.

Many of us are risk-takers. We go skydiving, wakeboarding, speedboating, or even shopping-cart-riding (full-speed into a thorn bush on a rowdy Saturday night, amiright?).

But we won’t tell our best friend that we love them.

“The irony is men repeatedly score higher than women on average in risk-taking behaviors. And yet we won’t take those types of risks. Those emotional risks are terrifying for a lot of men. That’s probably the one thing at the end of the day that I suggest guys do,” McKelley said.

It might not always work out, but more often than not, he says, you’ll find so many other people are feeling the same way and just waiting for someone else to say it.

“It doesn’t require courage to hide behind a mask,” McKelley said in the closing minutes of his TEDx Talk. “What requires courage is being open and vulnerable no matter what the outcome.”

And as for me? I learned that talking about how I’m feeling, especially with people I don’t know or trust, can be pretty hard.

Throughout the week, there were a lot of voices inside me telling me not to do it.

It’ll be weird! They won’t care! They’re going to judge you!

And sometimes those voices were right. But as the week went along, it got a little bit easier to ignore them. And in the days since the “experiment” ended, I’ve found myself sharing just a little, tiny, minuscule bit more on a day-to-day basis.

What was most incredible was that I started to realize that the experts were right: This IS a skill. It’s something I can learn how to do, even as a self-described “nonemotional” guy. By taking “little risks” with my feelings, I am getting better and better at bypassing those instincts in me that want me to clam up and be the strong, stoic man.

I just hope I’ll have the courage to keep practicing.

But again, this isn’t just about me. And it’s probably not just about you either. It’s about the next generation of young people who will look to us (both men and women) for reassurance that men can feel, can talk about feeling, and can respond with things other than anger, aggression, or silence.

I want to leave you with a question, one I want you to really think about and answer as honestly as you possibly can. It might seem silly, but answering it could be one of the bravest things you’ll ever do.

All right. Are you ready? Here it goes:

How are you?

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A second-grade teacher’s unique homework policy went viral

This article originally appeared on 08.23.16


Back-to-school time has many parents rejoicing.

No more paying for expensive summer camp, yippee! GIF via “Anchorman.”

The one thing we don’t love about this glorious time of year, though? Yup, you guessed it: homework.


And that’s a bummer, because a lot of students these days are getting more and more homework — far more than the recommended amount, which is about 10 minutes per grade level.

That’s led parents all over the country and world to write about how unpleasant it is to see their little ones stressing out over piles and piles of math problems, pulling late nights, and missing out on time that could be spent reading, playing outside, or hanging with the family.

Plus, we parents sometimes have to help answer questions about subjects we haven’t studied in decades, which hurts our brains.

But one second-grade teacher from Texas wants to try something new with homework: not giving any.

Brandy Young kicked off the new school year with a note for her kids to pass on to their parents. When it made its way to social media, it quickly went viral:

The note reads:

“Dear Parents,After much research this summer, I am trying something new. Homework will only consist of work that your student did not finish during the school day. There will be no formally assigned homework this year.Research has been unable to prove that homework improves student performance. Rather, I ask that you spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success. Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside, and get your child to bed early.Thanks,Mrs. Brandy Young”

Her note struck a powerful chord with parents everywhere.

So far, it’s been shared nearly 70,000 times by moms and dads who are tired of playing “homework police” or just want a little more quality time with their kids at night.

Brandy Young is right: The research on the effectiveness of homework is a mixed bag, especially for kids as young as second grade.

That’s not to say developing good study habits isn’t important, especially as students graduate to much more difficult subjects like advanced math. Because it is!

But imagination, social skills, family bonding, and even just getting enough sleep are also important. It’s nice to see a teacher who recognizes that a lot of different things go in to making a well-rounded kid.

Students “work hard all day. When they go home they have other things they need to learn there,” Young told CBS News. “I’m trying to develop their whole person.”

Educating our kids is a seriously important job, and there are a lot of different ways to get that job done right.

But it’s not hard to see why people are getting excited about Young’s approach: More reading and playtime for our kids and fewer brain-busting long division problems for us to help with.

That’s a win-win.

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A Master List (Subject To Change) Of Every ‘Star Wars’ Title In The Works (As Of Today)

With a universe so massive and expansive as Star Wars, it makes sense that there are many stories to tell, and everyone wants to be the one to do it! Only a few of those stories ever make it past the development stage, though, and at this moment in time, there are quite a handful of Star Wars titles in the works, both streaming shows and movies. It seems like Disney’s release schedules are always changing, so here is a complete list of what to expect from the galaxy far far away–assuming they don’t get axed.

Star Wars: Ahsoka will follow Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson). The series is expected to take place during the same timeframe as The Mandalorian with some familiar faces. There is no release date for this show, but production began in the spring of this year, so we can expect it at some point in 2023, presumably.

Production on the upcoming series The Acolyte just began last month, featuring Bodies Bodies Bodies star Amandla Stenberg, Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae, The Good Place’s Manny Jacinto, and Jodie Turner-Smith. We can expect this series to air sometime in late 2023 or early 2024. Here is the official tagline: A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.

Then, Jude Law will lead The Skeleton Crew, an upcoming series that will follow a crew who get lost in space during the New Republic era. The series was announced earlier this spring, so it will probably drop sometime in 2024.

Of course, we can’t forget about the upcoming animated series A Droid Story which will give fans a fun little adventure with everyone’s favorite droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. That series is expected to drop sometime in 2023 on Disney+. Returning favorites like The Mandalorian season three and The Bad Batch season two are expected in 2023, while the future of The Book of Boba Fett remains unknown.

Meanwhile, Donald Glover’s Lando series has not been officially removed from Disney+’s roster, though the show has been on the back burner since it was first announced in 2020. As of this year, Disney is allegedly waiting for Glover to finish up various other projects before reprising his role.

As for movies, there are as few as three, but as many as six new Star Wars feature-length films in the works, though many of them are in their early stages. Taika Waititi, Kevin Feige, and Rian Johnson have all been attached to make various Star Wars movies, though none of them have gotten much traction. Johnson first confirmed that he would be making a trilogy back in 2017, and while he has confirmed that the movies are still on his radar, he’s mostly been busy with the Knives Out universe as of late. As for Feige and Watiti …they both have a lot of Marvel things on their plate.

In terms of previously announced titles Rogue Squadron and Rangers Of The New Republic, it seems like Disney has yanked those projects from the production schedule. Of course, the galaxy is ever-expanding, so who knows what could pop up over the next decade. A Jar-Jar Binks redemption movie would be a good place to start!

(Via IndieWire and EW)

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Will Drake And 21 Savage’s ‘Her Loss’ Debut At No. 1?

Drake and 21 Savage dropped their joint album last week. It appears the album is having a strong week. Because of this, Her Loss just might make it to a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200.

A Twitter user noted that the album has accumulated an additional 400k units, translating into over 500 million streams. Hits Daily Double also predicted that Her Loss will debut at No. 1 on their Hits Top 50 chart. The site has currently projected 370k to 390k in sales.

However, the rollout hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. As initial promotion, Drake and 21 Savage trolled with fake appearances on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, an interview with Howard Stern, and a fake Vogue magazine cover — which they are getting sued over.

“I feel like I relate to a lot of cultures because I was born in London, but then all my family migrated from the West Indies and sh*t,” 21 Savage said in the mock interview with Stern. “I’m damn near like gumbo when it comes to culture. Bruh, I might be the greatest rapper from my country, too, though.”

“Yo, you know, a lot of people say that, right?” Drake added. “A lot of people are like, ‘You’re the pride of London’ and sh*t. That’s why that London, that O2 night, that has to happen. That’s like some real homecoming sh*t. I’m excited for that.” Following the release of Her Loss, the duo have been teasing a tour — which this also appears to allude to.

Her Loss is out now via OVO/Republic Records. Stream it here.

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New Single Malt Whiskies From Across The Globe, Blind Tasted And Ranked

As each day passes, the single malt world expands a little bit more — both in breadth and depth. The interesting thing about single malt whisk(e)y is that it can be made anywhere in the world. There are no regional laws that require aging in a specific place, meaning that anyone, anywhere can make single malt whiskies as long as they keep it 100% barley-based. That in turn means that single malt whisk(e)y might just have the most diversity (globally) of any style of whisky.

To celebrate that diversity, let’s blindly taste-test some single malt whiskies from all over the world!

For this blind tasting and ranking, I pulled eight single malt whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Japan, Israel, and the U.S. It’s a wide mix of whiskies that each often carry unique characteristics. They’re also all unpeated to give a clear focus on similar flavor profile nuances. As for the ranking, this is purely about what tastes best.

Our lineup today is:

  • The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve
  • Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky Cuvee Cask
  • Busker Irish Single Malt
  • M&H Classic Single Malt
  • Starward Vitalis
  • St. George Single Malt Whiskey Lot 22
  • The GlenDronach Batch 10 Cask Strength
  • Yamazaki Mizunara

Okay, let’s dive in and find you a great and unique single malt to call your own this November.

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

Part 1: The Tasting

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

Taste 1

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

The nose is openly complex from the first inhalation with a matrix of sticky toffee pudding spices — cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg — next to dried red berries with a slight earthiness, a touch of salted toffee candies, and a whisper of vanilla wafers. The palate opens with a chocolate maltiness next to a bowl of fresh and tropical fruits — pineapple, tart apples, sweet pears, plums, bruised bananas — with a mild nuttiness, sharp orange zest, and subtle winter spices. There’s a light mustiness on the back end that leads to soft and moist pipe tobacco with a thin layer of orchard fruits and stewed figs.

This is freaking delicious. It’s complex and soft while still being bold and engaging. Goddamn, this is a great way to kick things off!

Taste 2

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

Light hints of lemon and orange oils mingle with dark berry soda and spicy caramel malts on the nose. The palate leans into the citrus with a lemon meringue pie feeling next to sour cherries tossed in sea salt, mulled wine spices, and a light sense of creamed honey with a vanilla underbelly. The end leans into that sweet honey before adding in some woody cinnamon sticks and allspice berries with a whisper of minced meat pie tobacco and old worn leather.

This is pretty nice overall. I can see this bridging the world of easy sipper and solid cocktail base.

Taste 3

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a good sense of orchard fruit next to cinnamon sticks floating in apple cider with a clear maltiness that’s more like a Graham cracker dipped in light honey. The palate has a touch of chocolate malts that leads to more apples/pears with a hint of old doughnuts and powdered sugar.

The end is short and sweet with a touch of honey, nuts, and oats.

This was… fine.

Taste 4

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a nice sense of floral honey and old oak on the nose with a big hit of orange oils and vanilla cake. The palate leans into the vanilla as caramel sauce and more honey sweeten the maltiness toward a counterpoint of black peppercorns and wet oak. The end has a woodiness that’s oaky and soft with vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks, and orange balancing with the grainy maltiness.

This was also fine. I did like the orange vibes but the rest was pretty light overall.

Taste 5

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a balance of toffee and rum raisin next to dark chocolate, grilled pineapple, old apricot, and tangerine on the nose. The palate opens with a meaty date and black tea bitterness next to chocolate malts, prune jam, and tart red currants with a hint of that apricot in the background. The end has a touch of mango skins next to roasted coffee beans and mocha lattes with woody berry tobacco with a touch of cedar bark and old leather.

This was a super tasty sip of whisky. It didn’t quite reach the heights of taste one, but it’s not far off.

Taste 6

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a big note of lemon and lime oils on the nose with a burnt orange vibe leading to some espresso beans, walnut cookies, and maybe a touch of fennel or coriander. The palate is part nougat and part mocha latte with spicy gingerbread next to savory melons. The end has a nutty/sweet vibe that leads to more of that melon savoriness with a hint of lemon-lime tobacco.

This feels pretty crafty with all of that citrus. It’s not unbalanced or bad. It’s just really out of left field in this lineup and a tad one note.

Taste 7

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

This feels classic on the nose with spiced holiday cakes next to clove-stuffed orange peels, meaty prunes and dates, soft sultanas, and old orchard tree bark. The palate leans into that spiced holiday cake with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg next to candied fruits and citrus peels, roasted almonds, and salted toffee sauce. The end meanders through shortbread and toffee next to old Christmas wreaths, stewed plums, and mulled wine with a spicy edge.

This is classic malt. It’s delicious, engaging, and feels full of fall/winter vibes.

Taste 8

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

This opens slightly tannic/wood-forward with old cinnamon bark next to whole cloves, allspice berries, star anise, and cardamom pods countered by creamy vanilla custard cut with dried lavender and sandalwood. The palate leans into the floral aspect slightly as sweet cinnamon and allspice mingle with sour mulled wine and dark honey. The end has a woody and spicy vibe with a creamy maltiness and an old and muted floral incense burning underneath everything.

This is pretty incredible. The floral aspects are pronounced but don’t overtake the whole profile. This is just good whisky.

Part 2: The Ranking

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

8. Busker Irish Single Malt — Taste 3

Busker Single Malt
Busker

ABV: 44.3%

Average Price: $33

The Whisky:

This budget single malt from Ireland highlights the brand’s ability to go old-school. The 100% malted barley whiskey is aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before blending, proofing, and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was fine but clearly a mixing whiskey.

7. St. George Single Malt Whiskey Lot 22 — Taste 6

St. George Single Malt Whiskey
St. George

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

This new release, Lot 22, is a blend made with single malts aged in used Kentucky bourbon barrels, used Tennessee whiskey barrels, and used American and French oak apple brandy, port, and California Sauternes-style wine casks. The ages of those barrels ranged from four-and-a-half years to eight-and-a-half years to 23 years old when blended.

Bottom Line:

This was very citrus-forward, which is fine. It just didn’t quite break through in this panel today, hence it ranking lower. All of that said, this was balanced and perfectly fine all things considered.

6. M&H Classic Single Malt — Taste 4

M&H Classic Single Malt
Milk & Honey

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $55

The Whisky:

This Israeli single malt whisky is aged in ex-bourbon casks and red-wine casks sourced locally. Those barrels are blended and proofed before bottling.

Bottom Line:

Again, this was fine. It was a standard single malt that felt like a mixer.

5. Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky Cuvee Cask — Taste 2

Courage and Conviction Cuvee
Virginia Distillery Co.

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $85

The Whiskey:

This expression is made from 100% malted barley distillate that’s aged for three years in Cuvée wine casks in the foothills of Virginia’s Appalachia. Those barrels are vatted and proofed down with local water and bottled without filtration or coloration, letting the barrels shine in the glass.

Bottom Line:

This is where the nice stuff starts. This a very balanced and deep whiskey that really feels like a solid sipper or great cocktail candidate. The only reason it’s this low in the ranking is that the next four bottles are a little bit (to a lot) more refined.

4. Starward Vitalis — Taste 5

Starward Vitalis
Starward

ABV: 52%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

This brand-new limited edition whisky from Australia’s biggest brand celebrates the 15th anniversary of the distillery. The whisky in this bottle commemorates the brand’s finishing program that made it famous. The whisky was blended from six different barrel types, focusing on tawny port, rum, bourbon, and Apera barrels between 11 and four years old.

Bottom Line:

This is a delicious whisky. There’s a nice balance of fruitiness on the palate that really helps this one have serious depth. It’s not quite as deep as the next three but it’s really good anyway.

3. Yamazaki Mizunara — Taste 8

Yamazaki Mizunara
Beam Suntory

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $5,230

The Whisky:

This is one of the most sought-after whiskies from Yamazaki. The juice spends over 12 years maturing in Japan’s super rare mizunara casks only, meaning that this isn’t some whisky that’s “finished” in old Mizurana casks for a few months. After over a decade of mellowing, the casks are hand-picked for their excellence, vatted, and just proofed before bottling.

Bottom Line:

Yup, delicious. It read as a little woodier on today’s panel which is why I ranked it third. But these top three are all stellar, I just liked the next two a little more as everyday sippers.

2. The GlenDronach Batch 10 Cask Strength — Taste 7

GlenDronach Batch 10
Brown-Forman

ABV: 58.6%

Average Price: $220

The Whisky:

The 10th release from the most beloved The GlenDronach Cask Strength series is another instant classic. Dr. Rachel Barrie blends the whisky in the bottle from Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. The whisky is then vatted and bottled as-is with no fussing.

Bottom Line:

This was close to being number one. The higher proof added a little oomph to the whole affair but it didn’t add more depth, that’s why it was narrowly beaten by the next entry.

All of that said, this is delicious sipping whisky with real depth that’s also super easy to drink and rewarding.

1. The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve — Taste 1

The Dalmore Cigar Malt
Whyte & Mackay

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $240

The Whisky:

This Highland whisky is a no-age-statement version of The Dalmore. The juice is made from Golden barley that grows on the island in the rich and very coastal soils. The ground malted barley is mixed with pure water from the Cromarty Firth nearby during the mashing process. After a couple of times through pot stills, the hot whisky is loaded into ex-bourbon casks, 30-year-old Matusalem Oloroso Sherry butts, and former Cabernet Sauvignon from the Saint-Estèphe appellation of Bordeaux. After 10 to 15 years, those barrels are vatted, the whiskey is proofed, and it’s bottled.

Bottom Line:

This is a phenomenal pour of whisky. This is a perfect sipper for backyard firepits, holiday parties, and rolling around in fall leaves. It’s just f*cking delicious.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Single Malt Whisky Blind
Zach Johnston

There was just no beating the top pour today. That The Dalmore Cigar Blend was so nuanced and delicate. It’s everything you want in high-end single malt that takes you on a journey with every sip.

I’d also highly recommend two through five on this list. Each one offers a little something different while also hitting high notes of damn near perfection. The rest you can pretty easily skip.

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Britney Spears Seems Upset After Millie Bobby Brown Said She’d Like To Play Her In A Movie

Millie Bobby Brown hopped on The Drew Barrymore Show yesterday (November 7) and while there, she told the host that she’d be interested in portraying Britney Spears in a movie. She said, “I think her story, first of all, resonates with me. Just growing up in the public eye watching her videos, watching interviews of how when she was younger.”

Now it appears Spears has caught wind of this and she doesn’t seem happy. Spears shared an Instagram post today and it reads in part:

“Good news, good news !!! Still breathing … it’s funny the same two people who gave me life are the same exact 2 people who took it away … but guess what !!! I’m alive and I’m breathing again !!! Yeah I know I’ve posted too much this week on Instagram … kinda fun though !!! Now that I’m breathing … I have time … it’s different !!! I like it !!! I hear about people wanting to do movies about my life … dude I’m not dead !!! Although it’s pretty f*cking clear they preferred me dead.”

Given the context, it seems she’s more upset with the idea that some see her life story as something to look back on retrospectively, more so than she is about what Brown said. (That’s assuming Spears’ post is even directly referencing Brown, who she didn’t mention by name, at all.)

Find Spears’ post below.

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Keke Palmer, Like Billie Eilish, Believes Porn Has ‘Destroyed’ Ideas Surrounding Sex

During a recent interview, Keke Palmer got candid about her thoughts on sex and other intimate details, such as her pornography preferences.

The Illinois actress stopped by the Whoreible Decisions podcast to chat with hosts Weezy and Mandii B about her sex life, revealing that while she is typically private about her dating and plans to keep it that way, she is “even across the board” and open to dating women in the future.

“Yeah, I’m definitely in the middle of the scale,” the Disney Channel alum said. “I feel like love is love, life is life, like do your thing, live your life. Like, I feel that way.”

Later in the conversation, Palmer opened up about her porn preferences, admitting she has a thing for all-female porn. “I only like girl-on-girl porn because it’s nice and beautiful,” Palmer said. “It’s the delicacy of the arrangement. I don’t like all that rough stuff.”

On the other hand, Palmer also noted that porn could affect ideas surrounding sex, a similar sentiment shared with “Bad Guy” singer Billie Eilish.

While appearing on The Howard Stern Show last December, the singer revealed that she started watching porn at 11 years old and felt it was very damaging to her, ultimately affecting her perceptions surrounding sex — calling pornography a “disgrace.”

“As a woman, I think porn is a disgrace, and I used to watch a lot of porn, to be honest,” she said. “I started watching porn when I was like 11. I didn’t understand why it was a bad thing. I thought that’s how you learned how to have sex. […] I used to be the person that would talk about porn all the time.”

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DVSN Will Head Back On The Road For The First Time Since 2018 For The ‘Working On My Karma Tour’

After nearly four years, DVSN is ready to return to the stage with their Working On My Karma Tour opening in January 2023.

This past October, DVSN their fourth studio album, Working On My Karma, which yielded singles like “If I Get Caught,” a toxic anthem set over a sample of Jay-Z’s “Dead Presidents,” centered on the pitfalls of love and infidelity in relationships.

Daniel Daley, one-half of the Canadian duo, said the album would trek through a wide range of emotions, ending at peace and growth.

“Pride comes before the fall,” Daley told Complex. “And [then there’s] accountability and remorse, growth, reflection, and taking a long, good, hard look in the mirror, you know? Maybe it’s even getting lost for a second and trying to medicate it through some other things that aren’t good. Maybe I’m going out, and I’m trying to just have sex through the fact that I already screwed up.”

Daley continued, “We want this to be at least the beginning of the growth if things are needed to grow.”

The tour is set to kick off in January next year, with international shows throughout the UK and Europe and shows across the US.

On Monday, the group announced via Twitter that tickets for the Working On My Karma Tour would be available on Friday, November 11, at 10 a.m.

Don’t want to wait? You can pre-save tickets now here.