Now this. Former Trump officials told Rolling Stone, under anonymity, that he kept badgering people about a mysterious weapon that can only be dubbed a “hurricane gun.” As per RS:
“Near the beginning of Donald Trump’s time in office, the then-president had a pressing question for his national-security aides and administration officials: Does China have the secret technology — a weapon, even — to create large, man-made hurricanes and then launch them at the United States? And if so, would this constitute an act of war by a foreign power, and could the U.S. retaliate militarily? Then-President Trump repeatedly asked about this, according to two former senior administration officials and a third person briefed on the matter.”
It’s like something out of a movie, only not even the silliest blockbuster would dare feature a gun that can shoot weather at enemies. (Although maybe he got it from the Mega Man 2 baddie Air Man, who fires little whirlwinds at players.)
But one former official had a more blunt way of describing Trump’s claim. “It was almost too stupid for words,” they told RS. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”
And yet Trump spent the first year of his single-term presidency reportedly kept bugging flabbergasted officials and other staffers about this fantastical, ridiculous weapon. He would bring it up, former staffers say, until 2018, when he appeared to move on to other ideas, like nuking hurricanes.
As of this writing, Trump is still the presumptive frontrunner of the Republican party in 2024.
The Memphis Grizzlies will likely have to navigate the remainder of the 2022 NBA playoffs without the services of Ja Morant. The team announced on Tuesday evening that Morant underwent an MRI and got his right knee examined in the aftermath of the injury he suffered during Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors.
As a result, the team is going to list Morant as doubtful to return during the playoffs, although it did stress that he is expected to make a full recovery from the injury.
While it is unclear exactly when Morant hurt the same knee that cost him nine games during the regular season, much has been made of a moment when Warriors guard Jordan Poole went to grab the ball while Morant dribbled and instead grabbed his knee, which caused the league’s Most Improved Player to limp around, head to the bench, and eventually, leave the game. Morant went as far as to cite the same “broke the code” phrasing in a since-deleted tweet that Steve Kerr used to describe the hard foul Dillon Brooks committed on Gary Payton II.
Morant ended up missing Game 4 of the series as a result. The Warriors went on to win that game on Monday night, and currently hold a 3-1 lead in the series.
As far as celebrities go, Hilary Duff has presented herself more conservatively in the public eyes than most. In a day when Britney Spears was facing backlash from keyboard commandos for her nude Instagram photos, saying that they indicated that she was a questionable parent, it’s not hard to see why Duff has preserved a more traditional image of motherhood on her social media feeds. But at a time when politicians want to wield control over a woman’s body once again, Duff’s nude cover shoot for Women’s Health magazine makes a powerful statement in controlling her own narrative.
The Lizzie McGuire star posed nude for the most recent edition of the magazine’s popular “The Body Issue.” In Duff’s interview with Women’s Health, she spoke about body positivity, especially in the face of motherhood, saying, “I’ve gotten to a place of being peaceful with the changes my body has gone through.” She posted a slew of the images on her Instagram feed, and commented the following:
“Sooooo, this was scary….. I knew doing this would terrify me and I was right! @womenshealthmag had the most lovely all-women shoot and I actually had the best time. I felt strong and beautiful and laughed a lot getting into some of these poses without my high waisted mom jeans and oversized whatever I normally wear. Thank you to everyone who normalized this day for me and propped me up with compliments and love…. @daniellamidenge I love these photos so much, thank you for capturing a moment in time where I felt both completely vulnerable but powerful.”
Kudos to Duff for expressing herself the way she wants to. Just like Spears, she proves that her own nude self-expression online isn’t necessarily a comment on her ability as a mother. Instead, it’s simply what she wanted to do for herself.
On Saturday, Collins made the 9-1-1 call after someone left a colorful message in front of her home in Bangor, Maine. The missive asked Collins to support an upcoming measure to protect womens’ rights to abortion access reading, “Susie, please, Mainers want [the Women’s Health Protection Act]. Vote yes, clean up your mess.” Though the graffiti seemed pretty tame in comparison to the massive protests currently taking place outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices like Brett Kavanaugh, Collins (via Buzzfeed) filed a police report that described the message as “defacement of public property.”
Police said the message wasn’t threatening, and the city’s public works department quickly washed it away, but the whole thing has angered pro-choice activists. They see Collins’ hesitancy to support an upcoming piece of legislation that would protect a woman’s right to an abortion regardless of the Roe v. Wade outcome as a weak cop-out. Though the Senator has been in favor of abortion rights in the past, she’s refusing to endorse the Women’s Health Protection Act that should make its way to the Senate soon because the bill “protect[s] the right of a Catholic hospital to not perform abortions.” Collins is also the reason both Kavanaugh and Justice Neil Gorsuch currently serve on the Supreme Court after she confirmed both men despite claiming that she “could not vote for a judge who had demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade.”
Still, since the matter of abortion access is really a right to privacy issue, it feels only fair that lawmakers who are actively trying to snuff out women’s rights shouldn’t describe a chalk message as a privacy infraction. At least for Susie, the person who left the message only got their hands on her sidewalk instead of her uterus.
Over the past few months — perhaps even years, really — there has been a disturbing trend of ostensible music journalists outright disrespecting interview subjects for content. These podcast and radio hosts have crossed boundaries, making artists — especially women or femme-presenting ones — visibly uncomfortable during interviews. Fortunately, with social media, those artists have the capacity to stand up for themselves, which is what Kehlani did when Morning Hustle Show hosts Lore’l and Headkrack misgendered and insulted them during an interview they called “cringy and invasive.”
While on their press tour to promote their new album, Blue Water Road, Kehlani appeared on the show but became visibly agitated after the hosts seemed to mock their pronouns, folding their arms and offering short, clipped responses to questions like whether they were “scissoring with SZA.” Afterward, Kehlani responded to the interview on Instagram, writing, “This is why your favorite artists always stop doing interviews or people don’t want to speak anymore. I’m only speaking to [a] select few folks anymore who really care about me deeply and have always been in my corner.”
In a video on social media, the host called out Kehlani for being “rude” and not having respect for urban media. “You feel like you don’t have to come to platforms like this and do interviews because you have Cosmopolitan and MTV and Vanity Fair that will feature you,” Lore’l said — accurately, I might add. “Good luck with your album, I heard it only sold 21K copies,” she added, spitefully. No artist is obligated to give any platform an interview, even if they are ostensibly “for the culture” — especially if they can’t be bothered to treat their interviewees with the bare minimum of human dignity.
Kehlani shot back on Instagram, pointing out, “I have kept it calm, collected, mature in the face of blatant disrespect when I could’ve went off. I finished interviews strong while being poked and prodded at. I JOYFULLY met thousands and thousands of fans this week, joyfully did many interviews very much available on youtube. if you know me you know I’m HIGH BRIGHT ENERGY until F*CKED WITH! stretching this situation for clout when it’s evident i was energetically RESPONDING to what was being thrown at me, and still at it was quiet, short & protective of my energy. y’all need this tho i get it.”
Lore’l violates Kehlani for her cringey interview on the Morning Hustle Show. “Good luck with your album, I heard it only sold 21K copies.” pic.twitter.com/ImcPKMlJFV
For what it’s worth, there has been an ongoing discussion about artists in Black music foregoing Black outlets when it comes time to promote their work, preferring outsider outlets like those mentioned above for glowing profiles and uncritical reviews. However, it’s also understandable; artists are people too and are entitled to their legitimate feelings. No one wants to feel disrespected by invasive questions or mocked for their missteps. Obviously, there’s a balance to be found in which outlets can ask intimate questions in a much more empathetic way. Plenty of folks on Twitter seem to agree, as you can see below.
See, there’s an actual music journalist out there that would have LIVED for a chance to interview Kehlani. But instead it was you. Sorry to that journalist. Sorry to Kehlani. These two took up space they ain’t have any business being in. Get a new job. https://t.co/UkzXjvYT8b
You have no right to talk about professionalism, if all you can do is ask sexual questions and insult your guest to the point of making them physically uncomfortable & shut down. Its clear this Lore’l woman is the one who needs additional training. Kehlani did not deserve that. pic.twitter.com/9VmaQDhAH8
How she need media training when you as the interviewer created an uncomfortable space for her? She literally asked all these invasive questions that had NOTHING TO DO WITH HER MUSIC!
— The Icarus Complex. 🫠 (@icarus_belle) May 10, 2022
i hate women like her bruh! you didn’t ask her if she was smashing nor fucking… you asked if she was scissoring sza? like how many straight male artist have you asked “are you giving this artist backshots?” like go to hell bro https://t.co/6LxtHr3gLe
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is like the Oscars of alcohol. And like the Oscars — or the Grammys or the Emmys or the Saturn Awards — there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes of this massive blind alcohol tasting that your average person watching it on television or seeing it from the outside couldn’t possibly know. Today, I hope to change that.
This year, I was lucky enough to judge four days of the sprawling SFWSC. In that time, I tasted 312 drams of alcohol double-blind — through 52 panels of booze. Most panels had six to nine glasses, with one having only four and another having 11. The liquor tasted came from all over the world, from calvados to baijiu to tequila to ready-to-drink cocktails to various whiskeys and pretty much everything in between. Hell, I even sat on a panel of fruit juice cocktail mixers.
All of this is to say that judging this event is for alcohol experts, not just “whiskey folks” or “rum pros” who focus on one thing. With that in mind, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.
Related: Double Gold Winners from the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition on UPROXX
The San Francisco World Spirit Competition has been around for 22 years. It was founded by Anthony Dias Blue, a legend in the industry, though me saying that may not mean much to industry outsiders. He’s kind of like John Huston. If you’re a film nerd, you know how important he is to film history. If you’re not, he’s the bad guy from Chinatown.
Over those 22 years, the competition has become the highlight of the alcohol award season. A “double gold” from SFWSC means prestige and, more importantly to the brand, sales. It provides a level of spotlight that brands can trade on. They’ll put neck hangers on bottles or stickers on labels declaring they’ve won double gold at the SFWSC, which adds a certain amount of shelf appeal at your local big box or liquor store. (There are also the bronze, silver, and gold medals that offer alcohol brands a certain cachet, but most of them aren’t putting silver or bronze medal stickers on their bottle to help sales.)
PART II — How It Works
Katelyn Tucker Photography
Not to keep comparing this to the Oscars, but like that award ceremony, every candidate is based on a company, distributor, bottler, or distiller entering their bottle in the competition. It’s not based on people going out and finding the best bottles. That said, the team at SFWSC will reach out to new and cool brands to see if they want to enter — so the pool ends up being a balance of who knows to go for the gold and who’s cool right now.
In the end, the entries come from people entering their brand(s) with a fee and supplying the correct number of bottles for tasting panels. From there, the bottles are warehoused and sorted in San Francisco. Each bottle is then used to pour samples for judges. In the end, the bottles have to be disposed of, per law.
PART III — Who Attends
Katelyn Tucker Photography
Anthony Dias Blue created a system where he’d invite the best of the best from the alcohol industry to San Francisco to judge spirits and award them medals (or eliminate them, but more on that later). This includes people from the media (like me), distributors, bar owners, sales reps, investors, experts, liquor store owners, and authors. People who work making the booze are generally not invited. Though with barrel picks becoming commonplace in whiskey, that line does get blurred (even I’ve done a barrel pick at Buffalo Trace).
My particular class of judges included people from local wine distribution in San Francisco to leading sake experts to media reps for liquor stores to bar owners to cocktail book authors. It’s a pretty wide net of alcohol-focused people and a diverse crew with even more diverse palates. As mentioned earlier, no one is there to taste only one spirit.
PART IV — The Table
Katelyn Tucker Photography
The tables are set up with three or four judges at each. They’re round and we’re all spread out so we can’t see each other’s notes or medal picks while tasting. A curator comes around with a server and clears and places the glasses between each panel. We have a spitter (obviously), palate cleaners (more on that later), and flat and sparkling water bottles.
This year there were tablets to enter our tasting notes, thoughts, and medals — making the job of the curator much easier. Lastly, before you sit down, you put on a white robe. This gives the whole place an air of officiality, not to mention ceremony.
PART V — The Process
Zach Johnston
As I mentioned in the lede, judges work through six to 10 panels per day. Each panel is six to eight pours, on average, with the numbers hitting between 60 and 70 pours total each day, ideally. Those panels cover every category, with clear spirits generally coming early and dark stuff generally coming at the end.
Judges then tabulate their tasting notes and medals individually at a table. The curator then comes to the table and checks all the medal “scores.” If all the judges have given a pour a gold medal, that’s an automatic “double gold.”
Here’s the rub: judges don’t always agree. There’s a rainbow where, say, three judges each give a different medal — bronze, silver, and gold. Then the bronze and gold judge tries to convince silver to either come up or go down.
Going deeper, we don’t just assign a “Gold” or “Silver” — it’s actually “gold minus,” “gold,” or “gold plus” (and the same with the other medals). If, say, I assigned a gold minus and the rest of the table had silver pluses or just silvers, that signals to the other judges that I’m happy to lower to a silver medal for that pour. Whereas if someone marks something “gold plus” and the rest of us are average silvers, then that judge needs to make their case because gold plus means they’re blown away and the silvers mean the other judges were not. And in that instance, we’ll all go back to our Glencairns to re-nose and re-taste as one judge makes their argument.
Sometimes it’s convincing and we come up. Sometimes it’s not and they come down in their medal.
If something is ranked “double gold,” the judges then have to decide whether that bottle is going to “sweeps,” which is where the “best in class” bottles are decided. Judges rate the pour — between 94 and 99/100 — and those bottles are sent to the big show/another blind tasting at the end where a new set of judges taste them again. One way to think of it is that the “double gold” medal is like an Oscar nomination and the “best in class” is actually taking home the trophy.
PART VI — The Palate Cleansers
Zach Johnston
I ate so much cheese every day.
Here’s a hard and fast rule from Fred Minnick: Tasting alcohol is putting it on your tongue, drinking it is swallowing it. No one is drinking the alcohol. We all spit.
Every judge has a plate of soft Muenster cheese, celery, and baguette. I’d say on average, most judges take a bite of something every couple of drams, or at least at the end of every panel. I’ve used celery a lot in the past in my own blind taste tests for UPROXX, it’s a great neutralizer for your palate. The servers who bring around and clear the glasses are also moving around the room and refilling everyone’s palate cleanser plates throughout the day.
PART VII — The Marathon
Katelyn Tucker Photography
We started at 9 am every morning, broke for lunch around noon, and then finished up by 3 pm. On one of those days, I had just over 80 drams. This was out of the ordinary. On that day, I was with Steve Beal (the guy who invented Bulleit for Diageo, amongst a million other legendary things) and Nate Gana (the world’s leading whiskey investing expert) and, I can tell you, we were all spent by the end.
It’s not so much that your palate gets blown out — there are breaks between every flight and plenty of palate cleansers. In fact, I’d argue that your palate gets more attuned as the day goes on. It’s more that your brain no longer knows what to do with the alcohol you’re teasing your system with. This leads me to…
PART VIII — What It Does To Your Mind and Body
Zach Johnston
If you talk to the people who taste an incredible amount of spirits for work, most of them will tell you they can no longer get drunk on that spirit. Basically, when you’re tasting whiskey on your tongue, your body sends signals to your brain that alcohol is coming in. But then you spit it out and remain sober. After a while, your brain just assumes that it takes 20, 30, or 50 shots to actually get you drunk because you can taste that much without getting drunk physically. It’s wild. I’ve stopped drinking whiskey recreationally because I don’t even get a buzz anymore, and I can assure you (hearsay or not) that I’m not the only one in the industry with this “problem.”
But there comes a point where you’re 60-odd pours in and your brain starts rebelling. It’s just had enough, which would be true of any food or drink judging position. Then your body rebels too. It wants anything else. You have a little bit of sea legs when you get up to leave but you want to leave as fast as possible. Ironically, you end up running toward very big flavors in food and a strong beer, cocktails, or wine (anything that’s not a neat spirit pour) because, again, your taste/palate is still there, sharper than ever even, but your body is kind of tired of being teased.
PART IX — Recovery
Zach Johnston
Each late afternoon and evening is all about the food and drinks. That said, some judges have to go to work at their bars or liquor stores after a whole day of judging, so I’m not speaking for everyone here. Still, your palate needs a full reset. Sazeracs, crisp white wines, and old-school West Coast IPAs are all in order. So many oysters, funky charcuteries boards, and spicy ramen bowls are had — really anything to wake up and reset the senses but also nourish your head.
Then sleep. At some point, you just shut down and sleep until the alarm goes off and you’re back at the judging table.
Let’s talk about the dreaded “E” on the medal list. Yes, some bottles are just straight-up eliminated. It’s rare but not super rare. So while it feels like judges are giving out double gold medals left and right, we really aren’t.
This is how my tables judged the spirits point by point:
Is the actual spirit well made? Do they know what they’re doing?
Next, does this deliver on what is promised? (Does the “Blueberry Gin” actually taste like blueberries?)
Finally, how refined/good is it overall? Does it stand out from the other spirits in the same panel? Are there flaws in the blend that feel out of place? Is it an instant “wow”?
I can tell you from experience that the bottles that rise to the top are instantly identifiable as perfectly crafted. But they also stand out amongst the six to nine other glasses in front of the judges as having “something extra.”
Overall though, there’s way more “that was fine” than “wow, that’s amazing.” And the “wow, that’s amazing” is what gets double gold and sent to sweeps for “best in class.” This is especially true of the whiskey categories where there are so many options (over 1,000 this year). The vast majority of those didn’t get double gold, much less sent to sweeps for a chance at best in class.
That said, it was super clear when one, two, maybe three pours in a panel tasted better than the rest. Bad booze is bad. Average booze is average. The greats truly do grab your attention. Yes, subjective palates come into play, but that’s where the aforementioned “gold minus,” “gold,” and “gold plus” nuances in grading come in. If something really speaks to you, then it’s on you as a judge to make your case for that pour.
Final Thoughts:
Katelyn Tucker Photography
312 pours of alcohol in four days is a lot… for anyone. As of this writing, I’ve only had 420 pours of individual whiskeys in the first four months of 2022. That being said, those 312 pours average out to six pours per judging panel, which isn’t that hardcore.
It took me about three days to really recover from this process. One, I shouldn’t have done it four days in a row. The pros do two days and have a break and then come back for a couple of days and so on. Luckily, I spent a long weekend in Napa Valley trying to get my body back in line with a lot of wine and food. I did try to drink a rye whiskey in Napa, but couldn’t get it down. My body was just too used to spitting all the spirits I tasted. It took about a week for my ability to actually swallow neat spirits to come back.
In the end, it was an experience that doesn’t really have a parallel in this job. It’s definitely illuminating in what you learn about booze — there’s a lot of hot trash out there that my work at UPROXX hadn’t really exposed me to, folks. In fact, I’d say there’s more trash than gems by far. And that’s sort of the point of these awards, finding those gems. It was my pleasure to track them down for you this year and I hope you find a few that work their way into your drinking rotation.
In today’s weird but true news, Succession actor James Cromwell superglued his hand to a Starbucks in midtown Manhattan earlier this morning to protest the extra charge for non-dairy milk. The best part? It was all live-streamed on Facebook!
“When will you stop penalizing people for their ethnicity and their morals? The senseless upcharge hurts animals,” The Oscar-nominated actor said while his hand was glued to the Starbucks counter. He was also sporting a “free the animals” shirt.
Cromwell was joined by other activists from PETA, a notoriously controversial organization with strange marketing tactics. “Stop this practice of charging customers more for something that should be available to everybody, that saves the planet, that does not harm animals and will make a difference. Your understanding this and your support is essential,” Cromwell said. “We’re here to bring attention to the damage that charging extra money does for animals and the planet and the people living on the planet.”
The actor’s monologue was cut short by police, but not before Cromwell used a knife to detach his glued hand from the counter. The specifics of that extreme action are a little unclear, but he appeared unharmed. He then allegedly added lotion to his glued hands.
Last year, Starbucks famously dropped the upcharge at its UK stores, so the US might not be that far behind. Though we probably didn’t need James Cromwell to superglue his hand to a counter for this to work. Just send an angry tweet like a normal person!
Las Vegas has always been a destination for sports bettors, as thousands have flocked to the desert to watch and bet on big events for decades. However, the relationship between sports leagues and Las Vegas was once icy, as sports betting was considered taboo and a risk to the integrity of the game — despite European sports leagues having figured out long ago how to make it work in harmony.
That has all changed rapidly, as anyone who has watched a professional or college sporting event in the last five years can attest to. Every league and network partner has a deal with an official sportsbook (or a few), with betting lines scrolling across the screen, proudly displayed and updated in real-time, no longer requiring analysts to offer a wink like the Swami or a “closer than the experts think” like Lee Corso when they expect an underdog to cover the spread. As sports betting spreads across the country, with 34 states adopting legal sports gambling, the market has grown, but Las Vegas remains a destination like no other — and leagues are starting to embrace it like never before.
The NBA began the dalliance with Vegas years ago when they put Summer League in town (dipping the toe back in after the disaster that was the 2007 All-Star Game), which has grown from six teams to all 30, as fans now pack the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion every July to watch top draft picks and journeymen alike vie for roster spots and try to make a name for themselves prior to training camp. Summer League’s success showed even young pros can handle Vegas just as well as any big city, and the town’s infrastructure for hosting thousands of visitors makes it a natural fit for leaguewide events.
Since then, the NHL, WNBA, and NFL have all come to town on a permanent basis, with the Golden Knights, Aces, and Raiders calling Las Vegas home now, and each of those leagues has brought its All-Star games to the city in the past two years. Most recently, the city played host to the 2022 NFL Draft, as more than 100,000 fans descended on the Strip for the three-day festivities at the end of April, with the NFL gleefully announcing it was “all-in” on Las Vegas.
The relationship between sports and Vegas has changed dramatically in recent years, and as the city tries to plant its flag as a premier sports destination, the various resorts and casinos in town are making investments to make their properties stand out to sports fans coming to town. The Draft was just the precursor to a monstrous year-plus coming up for Vegas sporting events, most notably including an NCAA Tournament Regional in March 2023, an F1 race in November 2023, and the Super Bowl in February 2024, as the new infrastructure of Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena, coupled with old favorites like the MGM Grand Garden Arena allow Vegas to play host to just about any sporting event of any size.
As a long time veteran of going to Vegas for sports reasons, having covered nine Summer Leagues and made dozens of pilgrimages to the Strip for NFL Playoffs, March Madness, Ryder Cups, and college football Saturdays, I’ve been somewhat unknowingly compiling a database of where to go (and when to get there) to best enjoy a sports weekend in the desert. After being invited out to take in Draft weekend by the LVCVA, I got to visit a few more places and also see how these big tentpole events go down in Vegas (because, with all due respect to Summer League, the Draft crowd dwarfs the number of people that come out in July).
Here, I’ll share my favorite sportsbooks, places to watch games, and golf courses to unwind on, as well as some advice for navigating a sports weekend with (and, more dangerously without) reservations and plans.
SPORTSBOOKS
A major sports weekend in Las Vegas typically starts and ends at the sportsbook — although less so for an event like the NFL Draft — and depending on your group’s size, you’ll need to plan ahead to be able to watch games together. Long gone are the days where most seats in the book are first-come, first-serve (especially on a big weekend), so know the policies of where you’re going ahead of time and if you can afford it, reservations will save you headaches and time on gamedays. A group of 6+ effectively requires you to book a fan cave or booth somewhere, but it’s worthwhile if you plan on spending your day posted up watching games. For just a few people, there are still places you can slip into without a reservation, but be sure to arrive early and stake your claim hours before the start of the biggest games that day. The best advice I can offer is to set up a mobile account when you arrive in town (whether at the book you’ll be watching from or a few so you can shop lines) so you aren’t beholden to the lines
Circa
The newest and biggest sportsbook in Las Vegas is worth the pilgrimage to downtown. The three-story screen is truly a sight to behold and with ample seating options (all seats require reservations for major events like the NFL Playoffs and March Madness, but stadium seating is open for non-premium game days) and a screen that puts every game within easy view for every seat, it makes it hard to beat for an immersive experience. One of the perks of the Circa book is that they built the casino around the sportsbook being the centerpiece, which means tables and virtual games are mere steps away, some still providing a view of the screen for when you want a little break from your spot. There is also Stadium Swim, which we’ll get to later which is its own, unique experience.
The longtime favorite for many, the SuperBook remains one of (if not the) best books in Las Vegas. It too boasts a monstrous screen that they shuffle games around on and the seats aren’t quite as plentiful, but are quite comfortable if you get there in time to snag one (for an NFL weekend, plan on at least two if not three hours before kickoff). Booths are available for reservations and for the biggest events, they’ll open up the theater with stadium seating to watch games projected on the big screen, with concessions down below. The updated food court area (RIP SuperBook Deli) provides a number of food options, although you’ll want to plan on a 30-45 minute wait on busy days and like just about everyone else, they have their own mobile app to allow for live betting without having to fight the lines.
The updated Caesars sportsbook is my vote for the best on the Strip, with a new screen that, while not as big, rivals that of Circa and the SuperBook for quality. There aren’t as many seats at Caesars as the other two, but for big events they’ll break out the risers and put seats behind the bar, as well as adding fan caves for March Madness and Super Bowl. Reserving a seat is a near must for any football weekend, much less a big event, but it’s as good of a centralized location as it gets on the Strip to watch games. It also has a leg up on the food scene around it, with a number of great restaurants and the Caesars food court a short walk away featuring a Bobby’s Burgers, Earl of Sandwich, Tiger Wok & Ramen (a personal favorite), and more that you can take back to your seat.
The Venetian book isn’t the most popular, but it’s one of my personal favorites for a few reasons. For one, every seat has a desk and outlets, which is a nice perk for a writer but also for anyone that will be on their phone a lot. They also have a quality screen and most seats, even for something like the NFL Playoffs, aren’t reserved — you still need to get there a couple hours early to claim them, but they’re there. Maybe the best thing going for the Venetian book are the food options. Black Tap is right behind it, Noodle Asia is next door and you can walk over and place a to-go order that’ll be ready in 20-30 minutes, and Yardbird is a two-minute walk and now features online ordering that you can pick up at the bar. For someone who wants to hunker down for a day and just watch games, Venetian’s hard to beat — also, they will sometimes open a pit of blackjack tables right behind it so you can light a little extra money on fire while watching the games.
Wynn
The Wynn book is a lovely place to watch games, with a big, bright wraparound screen and comfortable seating as one would expect from the high-end establishment. It’s similar in size to the Venetian book and they’re investing plenty into it as they launch WynnBet. There aren’t as many food options, but there is a sports bar-type spot in the book that’ll whip you up some delightful chicken tenders. As is the case with most places now, you’ll want to look into reserving a seat if you plan on being at the Wynn for games, but it’s as visually appealing a book as you’ll find on the Strip.
Reservations can be made via phone: (702) 770-3365
Mirage/Mandalay Bay
For as much promotion as they’ve put behind the BetMGM app, the physical MGM books on the Strip are somewhat surprisingly lagging behind in amenities. Mirage is, for now, the best, but with that property set to be closed and demolished to become the new Hard Rock in the coming months (the plan is this summer, but it could get pushed as these things can take time to complete transitions), the best MGM book resides at the far south end of the Strip at Mandalay Bay. It’s a large book, with lots of seats (not the most comfortable, but plenty of options), and it’s a favorite of locals for a reason. Not a ton of amenities, but if you want a place to watch games, Mandalay typically has a spot for you.
If you want to dig in with the locals, head out West to Red Rock, where you can slip in early and grab a seat in the first-come, first-serve book. As it becomes more difficult to find open seating for events like March Madness, arrive early enough and the Red Rock book will happily accommodate you. You also might bump into some Vegas royalty in the betting line, as I’ve found myself waiting for a window with Brent Musburger on a March Madness Thursday at 6:30 a.m. local. The food court has some solid options — no one would kick a Capriotti’s sub out of bed — and sometimes it can be nice to step away from the Strip.
Cosmopolitan
The smallest of the books on this list, but also one that I’ve found often has some seats because it’s just not a hot spot for sports betting. The Cosmo book has nice screens, even if not the biggest, and any book where you can jump upstairs and snag some Hattie B’s to-go earns some extra points with me. There’s also a pool table, some tabletop shuffleboard, and a pit of tables right there to help pass the time.
The sportsbook experience on game days isn’t for everyone, as it’s going to be either a big-time commitment to get there early to grab seats or a big financial commitment to get a booth or cave that can come with a hefty food and beverage minimum. Luckily, with the sports boom in Vegas, there’s an ever-increasing number of places you can go to watch games a bit more passively, while enjoying food, drinks, cigars, sun, and more.
Stadium Swim (Circa)
Stadium Swim is as unique an offering for sports fans as there is in Las Vegas right now, a true one-of-a-kind in a place where as soon as something gets popular, many more pop up. The giant screen (wisely placed on the west side of the pool to avoid afternoon glare) offers quite the view from the many pools (on multiple levels), daybeds, cabanas, and chairs. There are betting windows, bars, and a poolside casino for when you need to see some cards and step out of the sun. My best advice for Stadium Swim patrons is to bring plenty of sunscreen, that sandals are a must — the fake grass is somehow hotter than the concrete pool deck and will roast your feet — and to put food orders in well ahead of time, but the beef sliders are worth what can be an hour-plus wait.
Resorts World is the newest casino on the Strip, lying way up at the north end just past Wynn (and on the opposite side), but it is worth the trek. One of the jewels of Resorts World is Eight Lounge, a cigar bar located just past the casino floor that features some of the best vibes in Vegas for watching a game (or enjoying a nightcap after). It has all the perks of a cigar lounge without the heavy haze that typically floats through the room, thanks to a state of the art ventilation system that cycles all of the air in the entire place every four minutes, leaving it almost startlingly clear considering most everyone has a lit cigar.
During sports events, the lounge turns all the TVs to games and provides a laidback atmosphere to take in games while working a cigar from their extremely well-stocked humidor, with a staff that will help you get into the right stick for your tastes. They also feature a robust cocktail menu, as well as select food offerings from Brezza, the Italian restaurant next door. Eight also offers a good chance to spot some stars in your midst, as their 56 locker members include the likes of Charles Barkley, Mark Davis, Charles Woodson, and Marshawn Lynch (who might hop behind the bar and make drinks).
On the other end of the Strip is TopGolf at MGM Grand, where you can get a bay for up to six of your friends and watch games on the big screens located on the backside of the range (as well as a TV in your bay). At a peak of $95 for an hour on Friday/Saturday nights, it’s a pretty solid value if you have a sizable group and it’s hard to find that much space to stretch out anywhere in Vegas — while getting a chance to get some cuts in and work on your swing.
The best views of any sports bar in Las Vegas belong to the rooftop of Beer Park at Paris, where you overlook the Strip across the street from the Bellagio fountains. Beer Park also boasts its own betting windows, allowing even those without a mobile app to wager while enjoying the drinks, food, and views. The patio will, sometimes, be closed off in the north corner as it also doubles as an ESPN set (as it did for the NFL Draft), but there’s ample seating inside as well, with tons of TVs.
The nominal sportsbook at Resorts World features betting kiosks and some couches in one nook of the sports bar that is, otherwise, filled with hightop tables and bar seating. It’s a good place to watch a game, and tables can be reserved for a fairly small fee and a $25-50 food and beverage minimum per person. For a smaller group (3-4) it is a more economical option than some of the fan caves or booths at bigger books, with solid food and drink specials for game days.
One of the newest spots in Vegas is at Virgin (formerly the Hard Rock) off the Strip, and it takes some searching to find it but when you do it’s a pretty cool spot on the second floor of the hotel (past the cashier’s cage and up an escalator), with a patio that overlooks the pool and a large area of booths and couches inside a wall of TVs and a DJ booth, who spins during commercial breaks of big games. The food offerings come from chef Beau McMillan (for any fans of Food Network) and there are plenty of specialty drinks and cocktails.
Likewise tucked up an escalator, Walk-On’s is where the old Tobey Keith’s is in Harrah’s up on the second floor as you head out to the parking garage. The chain originally out of Louisiana has plenty of TVs, some unique food offerings like alligator alongside sports bar classics, and, maybe its best selling point is you likely won’t need a reservation to get a seat and hunker down for watching some games — the strawberry lemonade is also quite refreshing.
GOLF
Vegas is a top golf destination for a reason, with tons of highly rated courses and some that aren’t on Top 100 lists that still provide a fun experience. Here I’ll highlight a few of my favorites on the Strip, near it, and some that will require a bit a drive to reach that will help you pass the time when games aren’t happening.
Wynn Golf Course
Yes, it’s as spectacular as it looks, whether you’ve seen it out a hotel window or on TV for The Match. Yes, it’s going to cost a pretty penny, but if you have the means, it’s a worthwhile play, even just to check it off your list. After the late-September overseed, it reaches its peak, but I’ve played in July and it’s as pure a course as you’ll find anywhere, much less on the Las Vegas Strip. The caddies are knowledgeable and will help you get around — and also step in as a photographer from time to time — so be sure to budget the $50+ tip for their hard work on top of the greens fee.
Tee times can be made via phone: (702) 770-4653
Bali Hai
The other golf course on the Strip provides a different viewpoint, coming from just south of Mandalay Bay, and is more of a desert course, with a bit of rough and a lot of gravel to capture wayward shots. It’s always a fun course, but because it’s easier to get on (and cheaper) than the Wynn, you can bank on a 5-hour pace of play if you are playing during peak season.
Paiute Resort requires the longest drive of any of these from the Strip, but is a worthwhile experience. The Wolf Course is the gem, but all three present unique challenges and some truly stunning views from the very north edge of Las Vegas, sitting between mountains on both sides. The challenge at Paiute is, like most desert courses, the lack of forgiveness for missing fairways, compounded by high winds that can sweep through from the mountains and really wreck havoc — I have shot a 76 and 91 on the Wolf in successive days here, based purely off of wind.
On the value side of things, Las Vegas National is a lovely course just a few miles from the Strip that is almost always on my list when I’m out for Summer League because I don’t want to pay $200+ every single time I play. It’s kept in good shape, plays for a reasonable cost, and the staff is very accommodating to larger groups and folks who might just want to come out and get a cart to ride around and hang out. While it can get slow in the afternoon, it offers some cool views on the holes that venture back towards the Strip, but if you go for a twilight round, it’s not a lock you’ll get all 18 in.
Out towards Summerlin is Angel Creek, which also provides a good value option when you want to play but aren’t looking to spend a ton. The Mountain Course is my favorite, with a good test of your ball-striking but with a bit more forgiveness off the tee than some desert tracks, and they also have a par 3 (Cloud 9) that you can play under the lights as well.
It’s a Vegas golf list so I’m going to include the big two. Cascata, anyone can get on (for $450-$600 with dynamic pricing), but they do have a deal with Caesars if you’re staying at a Caesars property. To play Shadow Creek you must be staying at an MGM property and be ready for quite the greens fee, but they’re two of the top courses in the area for a reason, as they are always immaculate and present some stunning golf holes.
Cascata tee times can be made online here.
Shadow Creek package reservations can be made via phone: 1-866-260-0069
Reflection Bay
Out at Lake Las Vegas, Reflection Bay is a gorgeous course that feels different from most any other Vegas courses due to its position on the lake, meaning you’re more likely to lose a ball in water than you are gravely desert. It’s a bit of a trek from the Strip, but for a very different course than you typically play in that area, it’s worth a drive out.
This isn’t the TPC the PGA Tour calls home for the Shriner’s Open (that’d be TPC Summerlin, which is a private course), but TPC Las Vegas is a terrific desert track that will, once again, challenge you tremendously off the tee. It’s closed until September 2022 as they do some work on it, which means it ought to be in pristine condition later this fall and will have some new looks to it.
Uproxx was invited on a hosted trip to Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for reporting on this piece. You can find out more about our policy on press trips/hostings here.
Since the mid-‘50s, for nearly seven full decades, James Hong has been an always welcome staple of film and television. Now 93, he has over 450 credits to his name, one of the most recent ones being Everything Everywhere All At Once, in which he plays Michelle Yeoh’s emotionally distant but maybe not-so-retrograde father. It’s one of the meatiest roles on an enormous CV largely filled with top shelf character actor work. And when Hong finally got the Hollywood Walk of Fame star he so richly deserved, he turned it into a full-fledged party.
As per Variety, Hong’s new star, which joins the over 2,700 such adornments along L.A.’s Hollywood Boulevard, honoring industry legends and even certain former presidents, is the result of crowdfunding campaign launched by one of his Everything directors, Daniel Dae Kim. Launched in 2020, the petition amassed the $55,000 necessary for the star. And they did it in four days, because everyone loves James Hong.
Hong has been seen in all manner of productions. He’s the main baddie in John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China. He’s the impenetrable matire d’ on the Seinfeld episode “The Chinese Restaurant.” He’s memorable in Chinatown (and its sequel, The Two Jakes), Blade Runner, Wayne’s World 2, Airplane!, Missing Action, Tango & Cash, and the Kung Fu Panda films. His endless TV credits include Hawaii Five-0, Perry Mason, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Kung Fu, and too many more to list here.
Most Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonies aren’t too exciting. Some bring out the stars. Hong’s did, too, including his Everything colleague Jamie Lee Curtis, who told the crowd, “It’s about f*cking time that we are here honoring James Hong with a star on the Hollywood Walk to Fame.” Director Daniel Dae Kim revealed that he’s “so gangsta” that he only writes e-mails in all-caps, because using lowercase is for the birds.
Nobody gets too excited about buying neutral cooking oil, even chefs. But extra virgin olive oil is different. It’s not just a liquid to fry food in, it’s a true ingredient — a flexible and reliable product that levels up your kitchen game and also a sauce of sorts, perfect for dipping bread or drizzling on salads.
You might prefer a grassy-tasting California-made product or a more peppery Mediterranean one — either way, this elixir inspires true passion. Just ask the million-or-so people who read my last ode to the ingredient.
Whether you have the cash to splurge or just need the best bottle your money can buy (without carving into your cookie budget), we’ve got you covered. These 10 EVOOs (priced from most affordable to most expensive) each offer a bouquet of flavors and aromas, from grassy and earthy to botanic, rich, or even buttery.
Let’s dive in!
$10 RANGE — Monini GranFrutatto Selezione Italiana
Monini is an Italian-based olive oil brand that dates back to 1920. The brand’s GranFrutatto Selezione Italian blend consists of oils exclusive sourced from Italian groves selected by Zefferino Monini, the founder’s grandson, and like the more expensive brands, claims it has a higher polyphenol count than typical blends.
Tasting Notes:
Very robust, almost loud in flavor. It hits you with a mix of floral and grassy notes with a blunt and slightly bitter aftertaste.
Why We Love The Price:
It’s not the best finishing oil, it’s not going to turn your bread mouthwatering or elevate your salad, but as a kitchen workhorse, it always pulls through. It’s a cut above other brands in this price range and is made with olives from a single source, providing a more focused, less “muddy” flavor.
An award-winning EVOO (Gold at the World Olive Oil Competition, silver at the London International Olive Oil Competition, and Athena International) Ellora farms is a single estate olive oil harvested and bottled at the Kolymvari Olive Estates on the island of Crete in Greece.
The oil is cold extracted from cold-pressed Koroneiki olives that are completely climate controlled since harvest and extracted the same day as being picked.
Tasting Notes:
Herbaceous and fruity with a pleasing bitter finish and a lingering peppery bite. Probably the best value in the whole EVOO ecosystem.
Why We Love The Price:
Comes very close to delivering what brands double the price provide you. Complex and full of shifting flavors. Sure, you’re only getting about a single cup of oil for $13.95, making cooking with this oil a total waste of money. But over a salad or a dip for a good loaf, you’re not going to find more flavor for the price.
$15 RANGE — California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Everyone has seen this brand, it sits alongside Bertolli at just about every supermarket nationwide so if you’ve never tried this stuff, you’ve at least thought about it. We’ve been paying a lot of attention to EVOOs sourced from the Mediterranean on this list but don’t sleep on California. While it doesn’t have the same history, California EVOO is some of the best on the market, and California Olive Ranch is a great representation of the quality oil that comes from the region.
California Olive Ranch is made using cold-pressed olives grown in California, producing a beautiful and appetizing emerald-colored oil.
Tasting Notes:
Light body with flavors of green olive, grass, and artichoke that tiptoe across your taste buds. One of the few oils on this list with a delicate, even floral finish.
Why We Love The Price:
It’s cheap and is good for damn near everything, from cooking to as a dressing. There is a reason you see this topping a lot of EVOO lists and rankings, for the price point and flavor it’s hard to find a more versatile oil. Use it for everything. Cooking, marinades, across a salad, and as a bread dip.
$18 RANGE — Oleavanti Qadisha Grove Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Oleavanti makes small-batch virgin olive oils made from Lebanese olives grown and harvested in valleys that have been home to olive trees for over a millennium. The brand’s limited edition Ehden Grove EVOO took first place in our blind olive oil tasting from last year, and this time around we’re giving a shout-out to the brand’s Qadisha Grove blend.
Tasting Notes:
Made from 100% Souri Olives from Zgharta, the Qadisha Grove olive oil is noticeably nutty and fruity, it truly stands apart from every other oil on this list. The body has heavily herbaceous notes with whispers of peach and plum and a sumptuous buttery finish.
Why We Love The Price:
It’s a real shame that the more flavorful and interesting EVOOs tend to sell in small batches, but if this were in a traditional 500ml bottle, it would probably cost nearly $50, making this big flavor oil easier to fit within your budget. Don’t cook with it though, the flavor is distinct enough here that you’re not going to want to lose any of it to heat.
Instead, use this one with your favorite balsamic vinegar as a fine bread dip, the flavors are an interesting bouquet of notes you won’t find in a lot of other more typical blends.
$20 RANGE — Oleamea Organic Premium Everyday Extra Virgil Olive Oil
Oleamea’s Premium Everyday oil is made using a single blend of Memecik olives that are cold-pressed just four hours after being hand-harvested in Turkey. Memecik olives are known for their green and grassy flavors and pungent aroma.
Tasting Notes:
Delicate, but not so light that it leaves you wanting. Green olive and almond notes dominate the flavor ending with a subtle buttery finish.
Why We Love The Price:
It’s on the more expensive side for a workhorse but there are few dishes this oil won’t serve greatly. If you have the means, use this oil on everything from stir fry to salads, to seared meats and toast.
$25 RANGE (Bulk Bottle) — Trader Joe’s President’s Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Trader Joe’s sells a handful of different Extra Virgin Olive Oils and frankly, they’re not all good, but the President’s Reserve, made from 100% Italian olives and cold-pressed, is far and above the best. Excelling as both a finishing and cooking oil, Trader Joe’s doesn’t boast the richest flavor and most distinct flavor, but it gets the job done and tastes leagues better than brands like Bertolli or Carapelli.
Tasting Notes:
Noticeably fruity with notes of green apple and fresh-cut grass on the nose and a rich peppery finish.
Why We Love The Price:
It’s a great finishing and cooking oil and given that the bottle only comes as a quart so you’re going to get a lot of mileage out of it. It never feels like $25 wasted.
Another California EVOO, Cut 1886 is a slight step above California Olive Ranch in both price and flavor. It just tastes a bit more robust and interesting. The oil is made from cold-pressed olives harvested from the sun-drenched Bel Lavern olive orchards in Santa Barbara. The oil is produced in small numbered batches displayed right on the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Much grassier and more vegetal than California Olive Ranch, with a robust flavor that passes through notes of pear and cucumber through to more earthy notes like toasted almond and peppercorn.
Why We Love The Price:
It does what the $50 dollar brands do for literally half the price, so you won’t feel guilty about cooking with it. I love it on pasta, it brings a robust mouthwatering quality to anything that it’s drizzled on. It has a louder flavor than most brands.
$30 RANGE — Calivirgin Premium Unfiltered Olive Oil
Single source cold-pressed olive oil made from estate-grown Arbequina and Koroneiki olives grown and produced in Lodi California. The oil is housed in a white bottle, which protects it from degrading flavors due to sunlight. You’d think every olive oil would be housed in sun-proof bottles, but for whatever reason, it’s not common practice.
As far as high-quality olive oils go, it isn’t prohibitively expensive for what you get in flavor.
Tasting Notes:
Very aromatic, with heavy notes of ripe green olives. Fresh grassy notes greet the palate and settle into a lush fruity body with the lightest peppery finish. That peppery bite is barely there, so if you want an emphasis on the more vegetal qualities of EVOO, this is your blend.
Why We Love The Price:
Because this is California EVOO, we don’t have to deal with any added dollars from it being an imported product, which really makes it tastes like it’s punch way above its weight. It’s so good that this is going to be your go-to dipping oil. I’m sure it’ll pair well with anything that calls for a good finishing oil, but the way this tastes on a good loaf of sourdough is magical enough that you’ll consider making a whole meal out of solely dipping bread.
A gold-medal winning EVOO (it better be with that price), Pasolivo’s Tuscan Olive Oil is a bit misleading. While “Tuscan” is right in the name, the olives used to produce this oil are actually grown on Pasolivo’s ranch in California, it gets its regional name because the olives themselves are a Tuscan olive varietal.
So consider this Tuscan olive oil with a big asterisk, and that might actually matter… if this wasn’t so damn good.
Tasting Notes:
Grassy, extremely so with a warm and robust character and a floral finish with a lingering earthy after taste. There is a pronounced naturalness to this oil that brings out the deeper flavors of vegetables and seared meat, making everything it is used on taste just a bit more elevated.
Why We Love The Price:
It feels like you’re tasting something truly fantastic for the price. It’s pricey, but it packs a lot of flavors and doubles down on those grassy vegetal and floral notes. Really fragrant, it tastes way too nice to cook with, but I do it anyway.
$80 RANGE — Kosterina Original Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Harvested from Southern Greece and cold-pressed in small batches from early harvest Koroneiki olives, Kosterina boasts that their EVOO contains a higher polyphenol content than your ‘average extra virgin olive oil.’ Polyphenols are anti-inflammatory antioxidants and hardcore EVOO heads are obsessed with polyphenols, so if that’s you, this is probably your olive oil!
Do more antioxidants affect the flavor? Yes, actually.
Tasting Notes:
Very bold in flavor and herbaceous, with a rich earthy almost nutty body (I’m getting almonds and walnuts) with a floral pungent finish. Each time you taste it, it offers something new to discover. An absolute bouquet of flavors that is at times mouthwateringly sumptuous and fresh and vegetal.
Why We Love The Price:
We don’t. Kosterina is probably the most expensive olive oil on this list (though a more affordable 350ml bottle is available) but it is in a noticeably different class than most EVOOs you’ve likely tried in the past unless you’re an EVOO aficionado. Enough so that you absolutely will taste the difference. I keep this on the top shelf of my pantry and only bring it out when I’m trying to impress, either dinner guests or myself.
I’ve never had this on anything other than a nice fresh spring mix or on some sourdough with balsamic, to be honest. But the way this stuff pairs with arugula is a downright religious experience. Given the price, I kind of think it’s better as a gift than as a personal kitchen staple and as much as I love it, I can’t see myself actually buying another bottle. I will gladly accept it as a gift though!
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