If there’s one person you might never want to direct to “go wild,” it’s Rudy Giuliani. Yet that’s exactly what Donald Trump apparently did when it came to letting the former New York City Mayor loose on trying to convince the world that the 2020 presidential election should be overturned.
In her book, Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman talks about Trump’s decision to put his old pal Rudy in charge of Operation Overturn The Election. And how it wasn’t the pair’s decades-long friendship that got Rudy the gig — but his willingness to actually attempt to claim that a totally legitimate presidential election was rigged. Which no other lawyer worth their license to practice was apparently willing to do, and understandably so.
According to The Independent, Haberman writes that Giuliani’s eagerness to embark on The Big Lie is what really sealed the deal (and his fate) on being appointed the head of Trump’s personal legal team. The book claims that Trump gave Rudy his blessing to take control of the narrative regarding the 2020 presidential election, and that all bets were off when it came to any restrictions.
“Okay, Rudy, you’re in charge,” Trump reportedly said. “Go wild, do anything you want. I don’t care. My lawyers are terrible.”
Have you ever sat down for your annual autumnal rewatch of The Matrix series and thought, “This is great but it would be better if maybe Keanu Reeves had a dance number or two?”
Probably not, but then you start thinking “actually, there could be some really interesting choreographed sequences in here” and suddenly you’re mapping out an immersive dance experience based on the hit sci-fi blockbuster. That’s probably where director Danny Boyle came up with his idea for Free Your Mind, the upcoming choreography-based adaptation of The Matrix.
Boyle will direct the project which will debut at a new arts center in Manchester, U.K. next fall. The production is described as a “large-scale immersive performance” which will hopefully not feature any audience members swallowing various colorful pills. According to the show’s logline:
Combining the hip-hop choreography of hundreds of dancers with the latest immersive design, Free Your Mind will take audiences on a thrilling journey through The Matrix and into a new realm of possibilities. This eye-opening production will stretch across the building’s ultra-flexible spaces, responding to them and harnessing the collective energy of the moment.
The director is known for non-dancing movies like 28 Days Later, 127 Hours, and Trainspotting, so this new venture will be quite intriguing! Though, to be fair, he did win an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire, so he knows a little bit about intricate dance sequences. It doesn’t seem like Reeves is on board, but we hear he loves showing up to dancing events unexpectedly, so maybe it will work out.
Have you ever sat down for your annual autumnal rewatch of The Matrix series and thought, “This is great but it would be better if maybe Keanu Reeves had a dance number or two?”
Probably not, but then you start thinking “actually, there could be some really interesting choreographed sequences in here” and suddenly you’re mapping out an immersive dance experience based on the hit sci-fi blockbuster. That’s probably where director Danny Boyle came up with his idea for Free Your Mind, the upcoming choreography-based adaptation of The Matrix.
Boyle will direct the project which will debut at a new arts center in Manchester, U.K. next fall. The production is described as a “large-scale immersive performance” which will hopefully not feature any audience members swallowing various colorful pills. According to the show’s logline:
Combining the hip-hop choreography of hundreds of dancers with the latest immersive design, Free Your Mind will take audiences on a thrilling journey through The Matrix and into a new realm of possibilities. This eye-opening production will stretch across the building’s ultra-flexible spaces, responding to them and harnessing the collective energy of the moment.
The director is known for non-dancing movies like 28 Days Later, 127 Hours, and Trainspotting, so this new venture will be quite intriguing! Though, to be fair, he did win an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire, so he knows a little bit about intricate dance sequences. It doesn’t seem like Reeves is on board, but we hear he loves showing up to dancing events unexpectedly, so maybe it will work out.
The arrival of The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore never bodes well, and Hurricane Ian continues to pack a wallop. This week, Cantore felt the brunt of Mother Nature while getting whacked by a tree in Tampa, Florida. And in Orlando, a reporter for CNN affiliate WESH performed a daring rescue of a nurse whose vehicle got trapped in rising flood waters as she attempted to make her way to work (hurricane dangers ain’t no joke). Fortunately, the parties in this story are all safe and accounted for as the storm continues to churn away.
CNN affiliate WESH reporter Tony Atkins waded into flooding caused by Hurricane Ian to assist the stranded nurse. The cable news network posted video of the heroic act, in which Tony Atkins carried the woman on his back while they made their way to slightly drier ground.
CNN affiliate WESH reporter Tony Atkins waded into flooding caused by Hurricane Ian to rescue a stranded nurse caught by the rising waters on her way to work.
Even though the woman’s car engine probably didn’t make it, she walked away with her life and she also made it to work. As Atkins later revealed on Twitter, the woman’s daughter sent a thank you note in his direction. “Her job as a nurse hung in the balance, according to her daughter,” wrote Atkins. “So glad things worked out. #NoCarNoProblem.”
Our woman from early this morning made it to work. Her job as a nurse hung in the balance, according to her daughter. I got this message from her daughter today! So glad things worked out. #NoCarNoProblempic.twitter.com/8yBHaGY8jI
All things considered, this is a miraculous story, especially considering the damage that this storm has wrought. Here’s a WESH video showing a roof being torn off in Daytona Beach. Stay safe out there, everyone.
The arrival of The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore never bodes well, and Hurricane Ian continues to pack a wallop. This week, Cantore felt the brunt of Mother Nature while getting whacked by a tree in Tampa, Florida. And in Orlando, a reporter for CNN affiliate WESH performed a daring rescue of a nurse whose vehicle got trapped in rising flood waters as she attempted to make her way to work (hurricane dangers ain’t no joke). Fortunately, the parties in this story are all safe and accounted for as the storm continues to churn away.
CNN affiliate WESH reporter Tony Atkins waded into flooding caused by Hurricane Ian to assist the stranded nurse. The cable news network posted video of the heroic act, in which Tony Atkins carried the woman on his back while they made their way to slightly drier ground.
CNN affiliate WESH reporter Tony Atkins waded into flooding caused by Hurricane Ian to rescue a stranded nurse caught by the rising waters on her way to work.
Even though the woman’s car engine probably didn’t make it, she walked away with her life and she also made it to work. As Atkins later revealed on Twitter, the woman’s daughter sent a thank you note in his direction. “Her job as a nurse hung in the balance, according to her daughter,” wrote Atkins. “So glad things worked out. #NoCarNoProblem.”
Our woman from early this morning made it to work. Her job as a nurse hung in the balance, according to her daughter. I got this message from her daughter today! So glad things worked out. #NoCarNoProblempic.twitter.com/8yBHaGY8jI
All things considered, this is a miraculous story, especially considering the damage that this storm has wrought. Here’s a WESH video showing a roof being torn off in Daytona Beach. Stay safe out there, everyone.
The tune isn’t explicitly about Pokémon in its lyrics (unless you want to count the mention of a “silver lining” as a nod to Pokémon Silver), but it touches on themes of love, friendship, and dealing with adversity. The video is certainly straight-up Pokémon, though. The clip starts with Sheeran sleeping in a bedroom (decorated with plenty of Pokémon goodies) before the world turns animated and he’s woken up by an electric shock from a Pikachu. From there, things flip back and forth between reality and an animated world as Sheeran goes about his day, interacting with various creatures from the Pokémon universe. There’s even an anime sequence where Sheeran becomes a Pokémon trainer himself.
Pokémon fans may also enjoy spotting some of the more obscure items that appear in the video, like some small plastic pucks from the Japan- and Taiwan-only Pokémon Battrio arcade game from 2007 (seen in a bowl at 19 seconds in) and the 1998 Pocket Pikachu handheld virtual pet toy (on a nightstand at 21 seconds).
“I started off with Pokémon cards when the craze hit primary school when I was about 7, then the tv show was on tv so I used to try and record it over the same VHS every week. After this me and my brother shared a game boy and Pokémon blue. I got a game boy colour with Pokémon yellow for my 8th birthday, obsessed was an understatement. Flash forward to me at 31 I still have the same game boy colour and still I play Pokémon silver on long haul flights. I really really love it. It gave me a proper escape as a kid into a fantasy world that seemed to go on and on, and in adult life it’s nostalgia that makes me feel like a kid again. I met the people from Pokémon when I was travelling in Japan, and we joked about me writing a song for them. But now here we are. Celestial comes out next Thursday, and the video is insanely amazing, animated by the incredible people at Pokémon. I love it, you’re gonna love it. And we all gotta catch ’em all.
The new song, by the way, will be featured in the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games, set to release for the Nintendo Switch on November 18.
Check out the “Celestial” video above.
Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The tune isn’t explicitly about Pokémon in its lyrics (unless you want to count the mention of a “silver lining” as a nod to Pokémon Silver), but it touches on themes of love, friendship, and dealing with adversity. The video is certainly straight-up Pokémon, though. The clip starts with Sheeran sleeping in a bedroom (decorated with plenty of Pokémon goodies) before the world turns animated and he’s woken up by an electric shock from a Pikachu. From there, things flip back and forth between reality and an animated world as Sheeran goes about his day, interacting with various creatures from the Pokémon universe. There’s even an anime sequence where Sheeran becomes a Pokémon trainer himself.
Pokémon fans may also enjoy spotting some of the more obscure items that appear in the video, like some small plastic pucks from the Japan- and Taiwan-only Pokémon Battrio arcade game from 2007 (seen in a bowl at 19 seconds in) and the 1998 Pocket Pikachu handheld virtual pet toy (on a nightstand at 21 seconds).
“I started off with Pokémon cards when the craze hit primary school when I was about 7, then the tv show was on tv so I used to try and record it over the same VHS every week. After this me and my brother shared a game boy and Pokémon blue. I got a game boy colour with Pokémon yellow for my 8th birthday, obsessed was an understatement. Flash forward to me at 31 I still have the same game boy colour and still I play Pokémon silver on long haul flights. I really really love it. It gave me a proper escape as a kid into a fantasy world that seemed to go on and on, and in adult life it’s nostalgia that makes me feel like a kid again. I met the people from Pokémon when I was travelling in Japan, and we joked about me writing a song for them. But now here we are. Celestial comes out next Thursday, and the video is insanely amazing, animated by the incredible people at Pokémon. I love it, you’re gonna love it. And we all gotta catch ’em all.
The new song, by the way, will be featured in the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games, set to release for the Nintendo Switch on November 18.
Check out the “Celestial” video above.
Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Uproxx’s new sneaker show, Fresh Pair, isn’t just about dope custom sneakers. It’s a deep dive into the careers, legacy, and the ambitions of its guests, reflected in wearable pieces of art that serve as both a celebration and a gift. In the premiere episode of the series, cohosts Katty Customs and Just Blaze were joined by iconic Yonkers rapper Jadakiss who was blown away by the attention to detail and deep research that went into his custom pair of Air Jordan 1s.
“This is ill man, ya’ll something else over here,” he says. “This is a mean pair, Fresh Pair made me a mean pair! I don’t know how ya’ll are going to top these… you’re going to need to make a hall or a wall of fame, these definitely going in there. Any other mean ones you make are going to be inspired somehow by these.”
Jadakiss’ custom AJ-1s tell a story of the raspy rapper’s rise from the streets to the stratosphere, while also paying tribute to the rappers who helped shaped his career and influence his unique style. Late legends Biggie and DMX are referenced on the sneaker’s heel wing logo and Jadakiss’ life spent with Styles P and Sheek Louch in The LOX is referenced at the tongue. It’s a poetic representation of a truly storied career and watching Kiss fall deeper in love with the sneaker as he unveils the details is a must-watch — if only to hear him say “this is crazy” so many times that he’s nearly breathless.
Check out the full episode above and be sure to catch the next episode of Fresh Pair on Wednesday, October 5th.
The famous rapper’s dad took to social media to share how proud he is of his son after attending his concert in Atlanta. In an Instagram Story, he wrote: “I’m beyond proud of you. Thinking back to this conversation we had about 4 years ago and to see your show last night, by the way was the best show I’ve seen since MJ. You was a kid with a dream and the determination to follow it. You was that one in a million.”
With his rise to fame, Lil Nas X has also been dealing with backlash. His responses to it are masterfully funny, such as when conservatives protested his show in Boston. “Can’t stop thinking about the cute homophobic guy that was protesting my concert last night,” he wrote on Twitter. “i just know we had a connection. i miss him so much man. i’m nothing without him.”
Beer and bourbon go together really well. A shot of rail bourbon — Evan Williams Black, Jim Beam White, or some good Old No. 7 — practically demands an ice-cold beer chaser to help it go down more smoothly. That’s just facts, folks. But I’m not here to pair cheap bourbon with cans of cheap beer (I’ll do that another day). I’m here for that other beer and bourbon pairing — bourbon barrel aged beer, where beer is aged in old bourbon barrels to add that little something extra. And with oh so many of these brews on the market these days, it’s time for a bourbon barrel aged beer blind tasting.
Beer aged in bourbon barrels is nothing new. It’s been around for a long time — beer has been shipped around the world in barrels (whiskey, brandy, or otherwise) for centuries. Very generally speaking, these days you’re most likely to find stouts that have been bourbon barrel aged but any beer can be aged in a bourbon barrel, even a fresh IPA. That said, I kept this blind tasting a little broader with beers that you might actually be able to find. I did throw in a bourbon barrel aged beer I’ve been cellaring since 2017. The reason? All of these beers below can be cellared and aged at home for years. The flavors will change and peak just like a fine Bordeaux. I was curious as to whether these beers taking up space in my closet really made that much of a difference (which I’ll address in my “Final Thoughts” section below).
Anyway, our lineup today is:
Firestone Parabolita
Dragon’s Milk
Stone W00tstout
Full Sail Harrington’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Red Ale (2017)
Oakspire
Goose Island Bourbon County
Okay, let’s get into it and find some good bourbon barrel aged beer for you to drink this fall!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
There’s a clear sense of vanilla on the nose with sour cherry, dry cacao, rich salted caramel, and a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. The palate is pure vanilla syrup with a hint more of that sour note before dark chocolate covered-espresso beans kick in with a sense of that salted caramel nicely layered between the chocolate and espresso bean.
Overall, there’s a nice fizziness to the beer with a full mouthfeel and deep flavor notes. Long story short, it’s really good.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This smells “Fizzy” and light with hints of dark chocolate and dark malts. The taste is very “dark ale” with a sense of chocolate malts and maybe some vanilla extract. There’s a hint of coffee but it’s more drip than espresso.
This very much felt like “dark beer” more than anything else.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is thick and syrupy with a hint of nuttiness and maybe some dark chocolate malts with a whisper of coffee grounds. The palate is really light and fizzy with sour cacao nibs next to cherry and maybe some dry hops that feel fruity.
This had a nice and soft feel to it overall but was very light and kind of landed with a thud.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Raisins and winter spice lead on the nose with a hint of Hostess Apple Pies and a thin line of vanilla. The palate has an apple Jolly Rancher vibe next to cinnamon and dates with a hint of spicy apple cider with a little honey.
This was wildly different (it’s clearly a red ale and not a stout, for one). It was so complex yet had a clear and distinct flavor profile.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Apple candy and canned brown bread lead on the nose with a hint of streusel and maybe some stewed pear. The palate has a nice lightness to it that’s accented by nutty notes, caramel malts, and a sense of apple fritter.
This was pretty damn nice, fruity, and very easy to drink while delivering a distinct flavor profile.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is super syrupy on the nose with dark chocolate sauce, salted caramel, nuttiness, and a good dose of fresh espresso straight off the machine. The palate has a sense of whiskey grains in a fermenter — think of sweet Cream of Wheat or grits — next to sour chocolate, rich vanilla, and plenty of toffee sweetness that gives way to a hint of soy sauce.
This is a huge beer with a lot of deep flavors and a lush mouthfeel. It does lean a little sweet for me, but there’s enough going on that I can forgive that.
Part 2: The Ranking
Zach Johnston
6. Dragon’s Milk — Taste 2
New Holland
ABV: 11%
IBU: 30
Average Price: $15 (four-pack of 12 oz. bottles)
The Beer:
Dragon’s Milk is New Holland’s award-winning stout. The beer is aged for three months in bourbon barrels that age their own bourbon. So this is a very in-house brew.
Bottom Line:
This simply landed by last due to it being the thinnest of the bunch today. There just wasn’t a lot there beyond basic stout vibes.
5. Stone W00tstout — Taste 3
Stone Brewing
ABV: 11.5%
IBU: 45
Average Price: $11.50 (one 22 oz. bottle)
The Beer:
This is a classic American imperial stout from Stone (which usually makes IPAs) with wheat and rye in the fermentation before a layer of English Target hops and pecans are added to the mix. The beer then spends time aging in various bourbon casks until it’s just right.
Bottom Line:
This was fine but really had a lot of blank fizziness and it just didn’t sing on the palate.
This New Belgium beer starts off with a mix of Pale, Munich, Caramel 80, Rye, Roasted Barley malts, and Nugget and Sabro hops to create a base ale. That ale then goes into vats where specially-made spires made from Four Roses bourbon barrels are added to help age the beer.
Bottom Line:
This was pretty nice overall. It felt like a bourbon barrel aged beer with a good and distinct flavor profile. It was a little on the lighter side, but well-rounded overall.
3. Full Sail Harrington’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Red Ale — Taste 4
This is a classic crafty red ale made with Two-Row, Pale, Caramel Red, and Caramel Rye malt alongside Nugget hops. That brew is then barreled in old Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels for a long rest before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This had that little more nuance and depth to it that put it easily into the top three. It was super easy to drink while still delivering a serious flavor profile that spoke to what was promised on the label.
Goose Island’s stout is aged in various bourbon barrels for a whole year before those barrels are vatted and bottled for this iconic yearly release.
Bottom Line:
This was very good, but a little syrupy and sweet by the end. That said, it delivered on a big and bold bourbon barrel aged stout at every step from the nose to the finish. Had it had a little more nuanced balance, it would have been number one.
1. Firestone Parabolita — Taste 1
Firestone Walker
ABV: 9.2%
IBU: 40
Average Price: $7 (one 16-oz. can)
The Beer:
This starts off as Firestone’s iconic Parabola bourbon barrel aged stout that’s mixed with Velvet Merlin Milk stout and then amped up with Madagascar vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and sea salt. The final product focuses on “Salted Caramel” as a jumping-off point for the bourbon barrel depth of the aged stout.
Bottom Line:
This was the most nuanced and beautifully built beer by far. There was no syrupiness or overly intense notes. It was balanced, delicious, and very much a bourbon-y beer.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
Overall, these beers were pretty damn nice. Some spoke to me more than others. The last two didn’t feel all that bourbon-forward at all, so I’d skip those if I was looking for a bourbon barrel aged beer.
That said, it can be overdone too. I really wanted to like the Bourbon County Stout but it was a lot to get through. It’s definitely a beer you want to split with a friend and slowly sip next to a backyard campfire.
As for the one cellared bourbon barrel aged beer (Full Sail), it was perfectly nice. It was light, distinct, and quaffable. I didn’t notice it being that much better than the better beers on the list though (it was still pretty damn good). So, maybe just drink whatever bourbon barrel aged beer you have right now — I can’t imagine that holding these back serves much purpose, so enjoy them!
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Video shared by WESH 2 viewers shows high winds tear off the roof of a Daytona Beach building. 
