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Tyga’s Colorful ‘Mrs. Bubblegum’ Video Is Hilariously Booty-Filled

It isn’t often you get to write about watching a rap star literally eating ass in a new video without incurring a potential invasion of privacy lawsuit, but in the case of Tyga‘s new video for “Mrs. Bubblegum,” that’s exactly what happens. The… ahem… cheeky video finds the West Coast rap star surrounded by disembodied derrieres in a variety of hilarious situations including on a Mount Rushmore, as a member of Blue Man Group (the butts are drums, natch), dining on the aforementioned rump roast (served on a fancy plate!), and being swarmed by BUTTerflies. Sorry, I’ll stop now.

The song itself samples D4L’s snap-era ringtone classic “Laffy Taffy,” and if you listen closely, you can actually hear some of the vocals from that song’s inescapable hook. Tyga repurposes that hook, rewriting the lyrics from “shake that Laffy Taffy” to “shake that ass for me,” imploring listeners to imitate the gyrating, disembodied gluteuses that populate the video. Is it kind of crass? Absolutely. It’s also so irreverent and silly, it’s hard to get too mad at him. Meanwhile, his recent career resurgence has included a number of strip club anthems and an OnlyFans account. He’s certainly having himself a ride, at least he can laugh at himself along the way.

Watch the “Mrs. Bubblegum” video above.

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The Best Wine Clubs Online, Broken Down By Price, Quality, And How Much Fun They Are

So you want to drink more wine but you don’t feel like actually going out and buying it? You, my friend, are not the only one who isn’t always in the mood to search through store aisles or endlessly scroll on delivery apps to get good vino. I, too, wish an array of bottles would just magically appear at my doorstep from time to time.

Believe it or not, this is an actual possibility. There’s a way you can score a variety of bottles — a whole case even! — without ever leaving your home to purchase them, without needing to pick the specific style or varietal of wine. How, you ask, can one benefit from such a great service?

Easy. Join a wine club.

Whether you’re a wine newbie looking to expand your palate or a seasoned enthusiast on the hunt for more obscure, you’ll-never-find-this-in-a-store bottles, there are plenty of wine clubs that ship curated cases of wines to people across America month after month. Some of them even host virtual hangouts for members as well as various other interactive events like club-wide wine tastings with some of the country’s most celebrated sommeliers.

To help pick the club that’s right for you, we scoured through some of the coolest wine clubs online. And because we love a little competition, we ranked them all based on the price and quality of the club. Additional info on how you can sign up is linked in the price points.

Now off to the clubs!

10. Flight Cru

Membership Price: $208 – $389

The Club:

This is a club that those just beginning their wine journey will appreciate. Not only does it provide members with a mix of six or 12 bottles every month — from wineries in every corner of the world, at that — it helps drinkers advance their wine knowledge with tasting notes, monthly group tastings (virtual, for now), private one-on-one tastings with Flight Cru’s sommelier and access to wine tours and events.

The whole point of Flight Cru is to expose drinkers to wines from all over the world and give them the opportunity to experience regions in more ways than just with a glass.

Members can sign up for a Short Term Visa membership for $208, which gets them six bottles of wine over the course of three months. The Long Term Visa membership for $389 gets members 12 bottles of wine shipped out over a six-month span.

Bottom Line:

If you want to gain a deeper understanding of various wine regions (and possibly visit them), this club can teach you everything you need to know, on top of possibly helping you foster a community of wine friends through monthly tasting events.

9. Wine Access

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Membership Price: $150, quarterly

The Club:

The wines included in boxes from Wine Access are picked by a certified master sommelier, a master of wine, and an International Wine judge every month. Sometimes, the trio sends recommendations sourced from Michelin-star somms and some of the world’s most celebrated winemakers. All that to say, you’ll be receiving some top-notch bottles from all around the world, should you join Wine Access.

There are two clubs to choose from. First is the Discovery Club, in which subscribers receive six bottles — either all reds or a mixed box of red and white wines — from renowned wineries. Then there’s the Connoisseurs Club, which gets members two luxury bottles of red wine — I’m talking the finest wines of the world, the stuff you’re going to want to save for a few years and pop during a celebratory moment.

Both clubs send members wine four times throughout the year. And with every box, members will get access to video tasting notes and insights from the wine experts at Wine Access, as well as invitations to occasional group tasting events.

Plus subscribers can always go on the club’s site and buy individual bottles, should they fall in love with something included in their box and want to purchase more. There are hundreds upon hundreds of options in Wine Access’ bountiful wine library.

Bottom Line:

The options at Wine Access are nearly limitless, which means no two boxes are ever the same. This is the club when you want variety all the time, every time.

8. Cellar 503

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Membership Price: $40 – $50

The Club:

Okay, this wine club is hella specific. And by specific, I mean that this club only ships out bottles of wine made in Oregon. Whether a box of chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, sparkling rosé — whatever — it’s always and only ever going to be by Oregon from Oregon.

The state’s Willamette Valley in particular is home to some pretty spectacular wineries. But for some reason, it can be a challenge to finding good Oregon-made bottles in grocery stores and other places where wine is sold. This club is the solution for that and a gateway to exploring the wines of the Pacific Northwest.

Here’s the skinny on the club: Members can choose a Red Wine Club subscription and get two bottles of some fabulous Oregon offering for $55 a month. The White Wine Club offers two bottles of Oregon-made whites for $45 a month. And the Mixed Wine Club gets subscribers a bottle of red and a bottle of white for just $50 a month.

Bottom Line:


You should be drinking more wine from Oregon. This club is the perfect way to start doing that.

7. Williams Sonoma Wine Club

Membership Price: $90 or $210

The Club:

Have you entered the Williams Sonoma chapter of your life? Do you find yourself entering the store or filling your online shopping carts with glassware, plates, cast iron skillets, and more gourmet cookware sold at the kitchen and home emporium?

Well, then obviously, you’ll be interested in boxes of wine picked for you by William Sonoma’s elite league of sommeliers and wine professionals.

You get two options here: The Explorer Wine Club, which gives members a six-bottle box of wines sourced from around the globe for $90 a month, and the $210-a-month Entertainer Wine Club that comes with six bottles of occasion-worthy wines and bottles made for cellaring.

Bottom Line:

You’re going to need some wine to pair with the roasted chicken you plan to make with that Le Creuset dutch oven you bought during quarantine. This is the club to join when you want to take the easy approach and have someone else pick that bottle (and send it) for you.

6. Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant Wine Club

Membership Price: $39 – $249, monthly

The Club:

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant is one of the biggest French and Italian fine-wine importers in the world. So naturally, a club created by the company is going to give subscribers access to some of the best wines of those regions.

There are many types of clubs for members to participate in under the Kermit Lynch umbrella.

For $39 a month, members can get two bottles of wine from France and Italy through The Adventures Club package. Then there’s Club Rouge for $69 a month, which, as the name suggests, focuses on red wines while for $89 a month, members can get two bottles of white wine through Club Bianco.

If two bottles aren’t enough, there’s Club Chevalier. For $249, members can get a box full of artesian, rare, and aged wines every other month. Good luck getting on that waiting list though!

Bottom Line:

If you seek excellence in a bottle, this wine club is surely where you will find it.

5. Plonk Wine Club

Membership Price: $110 for four-bottle subscriptions, $160 for six-bottle subscriptions, and $285 for 12-bottle subscriptions

The Club:

All the wines shipped to Plonk Wine Club members are sourced from small-production wineries that specialize in organic, biodynamic wine.

The club is especially good at highlighting and showcasing some of the realllllyyyy good wines being produced in untapped regions of the world like Greece and Croatia, and wine made from grapes that hardly ever get a spot on shelves at stores. Looking to try some Hungarian Hárslevelű? This is the wine club that can get you a bottle of that.

Members can choose to take part in the monthly Red Wine Club, Mixed Wine Club, or White Wine Club, and they can choose how many bottles they want to receive in each shipment—four, six, or 12?

Even payment is customizable. Members can opt for a monthly plan and get a new box of wine shipped out every month, or they can opt for subscriptions that will send out wine three or six times a year.

Bottom Line:

This is the wine club to join when you’re tired of the same-old-same and want to excite your tastebuds with quality wine that you likely won’t find at your local wine shop or grocery store.

4. Natural Action Wine Club

Membership Price: $150 quarterly

The Club:

If you want to drink and make the world a better, more inclusive place, then this is the wine club for you.

The folks at Natural Action Wine Club work with a different natural wine producer for each box, and they are really specific in their choosing. Winemakers must meet the club’s “critical” sustainable and ethical standards to have their bottles included — standards centered around promoting inclusivity, sustainable farming methods, and employment opportunities for the BIPOC community.

Members receive four bottles of wine in a box four times a year along with information regarding the history and community impact efforts of each winery.

What’s even better, the club’s profits from memberships go directory scholarships and programs that will provide jobs, internships, and apprenticeships for BIPOC people.

Bottom Line:

This is wine drinking for a good cause. What’s not to love about that?

3. Winc

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Membership Price: $59.99 monthly

The Club:

Take a quick quiz and Winc’s experts will compile a box of four wines tailored to your palate. All of the wine mailed out each month is sourced and produced by Winc’s own in-house winemakers, and the bottles sent to members are picked by the club’s sommeliers.

What’s great about this club — aside from the array of fruity, zippy, earthy, and easy-drinking wines mailed out each month — is that members can rate the wines they like and don’t like, which helps the somms get a better idea of what type of wines to send next month. Members also get access to Winc’s forever-expanding wine library, so if they want to tac on bottles of their choosing, they can do that too.

Not a fan of a bottle sent? No problem. Winc has a refund policy for wines not enjoyed. Members also have the option to skip a month when they don’t need a box.

Bottom Line:

Can’t beat a box full of good wine for $59.99.

2. Winestyr

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Membership Price: Between $99 and $649 per shipment

The Club:

Whether you’re only starting your wine journey or deep in the game, this is an all-around great wine club for people who want to drink great wine. Boxes are curated by sommeliers, and all the wine comes from actual, viable wineries. This means there’s no guessing where the grapes come from, who makes the wine, or any of that other sketchy business some wine clubs fall prey to.

Subscribers have some options with this one. There are four different tiers of memberships all based on what type of wine you want to receive. There’s the All Reds package, which, obviously is all red wines. There’s an All Whites package, and for those who like to shake things up, a Mixed package. Drinkers who are mostly looking to upgrade their personal cellars can get down with the Collectors package — the most expensive membership but worth it for those looking for rare and high-scoring red wines.

For each package, members can choose how many bottles of wine they want to receive per shipment — three, six, or 12. Prices vary for each with. However, members have the option to receive shipments 12 times a year, six times a year, or four. Folks can also go on Winestyr’s website and buy individual bottles at a discounted price at their leisure.

Bottom Line:

Guaranteed quality wine from quality producers across the globe, plus purchase flexibility, and access to exclusive library wines, discounts, member events, and virtual tastings — what’s not to love about Winestyr?

1. Eater Wine Club

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Membership Price: Four bottles per month for $100 or 2 bottles a month for $70

The Club:

Eater’s wine club takes interaction to another level. Every month, subscribers are sent either four or two unique bottles of wine curated by a wine professional from an Eater-selected restaurant.

The chosen wine expert for the month not only chooses the wine for club members based on a theme of their choice, but they also guide members through the club’s virtual tasting for the month. For example, May’s box of goods was picked by San Diego sommelier Chelsea Coleman, who runs the natural wine shop Rose. Back in March, Rania Zayat — who we spoke to about her change-making, inclusive wine organization LiftCollective — guided subscribers through the islands of the Mediterranean and Aegean seas with wines sourced from Sardinia and Sicily.

The wines are almost always bottles you’ve never heard of but will want to add to your rotation, and the virtual club tasting is a total blast. Seriously! There are games, breakout sessions where you get to interact virtually with other members and Eater peeps, thoughtful discussions, pairing notes, and a lit chat box that goes all the way up with comments and debates amongst attendees.

Bottom Line:

Eater’s Wine Club is more than just a box of wine dropped off at the door — it’s a whole community. If you’re looking for interesting wines with the help of an actual wine expert to guide you through each of them, then this is the club for you. Not to mention all the new wine friends you’ll make along the way.

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An ‘Aquaman 2’ Producer Made It Clear That Amber Heard Was Never In Danger Of Being Fired Because Of Johnny Depp Fans

Following Johnny Depp losing his libel suit against The Sun, which ruled that the media outlet’s headline was “substantially true” when it called him a “wife beater,” the actor was immediately forced to resign from Fantastic Beasts 3. This chain of events caused his notoriously aggressive online fans to launch an effort to get Amber Heard fired from Aquaman 2 in retaliation. Despite the social media pile-on, in November 2020, Heard made it clear that the “paid campaigns” didn’t work “because they have no basis in reality,” and that she was set to film the Aquaman sequel.

Unfortunately, Heard’s confirmation that she was still in the Aquaman 2 cast didn’t stop the online campaign, and persistent rumors continued that she was set to be replact. Of course, those rumors proved to be baseless speculation as Clarke joined the cast of Marvel’s Secret Invasion, and Heard has since been spotted on the set of the Aquaman sequel, which is currently filming.

Now, Aquaman producer Peter Safran has cemented Heard’s job security even further by making it clear that the campaigns launched by Johnny Depp fans was never going to affect her role as Mera. Via Deadline:

“I don’t think we’re ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure,” said Safran whose James Gunn The Suicide Squad movie hits theaters and HBO Max on Aug. 6.

“You gotta do what’s best for the movie,” continued Safran, “We felt that if it’s James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was.”

“One is not unaware of what is going on in the Twitter-verse, but that doesn’t mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes,” said Safran.

The next time you see #JusticeForJohnnyDepp trending, as it so randomly does, just know that Heard was correct the first time when she said it has no basis in reality.

(Via Deadline)

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Florence Pugh Has Revealed Her Excitement To Appear In The ‘Hawkeye’ Series

In a better world, Florence Pugh would already be deeply installed in the MCU. Black Widow, in which she debuted her character, Yelena Belova, was supposed to kick off the summer 2020 movie season. Then forces conspired to bump it over a year. In fact, Marvel is only now filming the second thing she’s supposed to be in Hawkeye, the franchise’s next spin-off show, for Disney+. Back in December we learned Pugh would be among the show’s cast, and from a new social media post, it’s clear she’s more than anxious to get back in action.

The actress took to Instagram, re-posting a first look image from the show dropped by Entertainment Weekly. It shows star Jeremy Renner, reprising his bow-and-arrow sharp-shooting Avenger, as well as Hailee Steinfeld, who will play his protégée, Kate Bishop.

“I now want a bow and arrow,” Pugh wrote, adding, “Muchos love to @haileesteinfeld and @jeremyrenner, can’t wait to see you there.” She also mentioned the premiere date: Nov. 24.

Not that Pugh’s Yelena will just be chilling with Hawkeye and his mentee. The show finds her trying to hunt him down, blaming him for the death of her faux-sister, Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, in Avengers: Endgame. Meanwhile, back in the real world, Pugh’s on-screen not-quite-sibling just sued her employers at Disney over the way they released Black Widow. So maybe Pugh thought the MCU was in need of some good vibes.

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Netflix And Sony’s Upcoming Animated Film ‘Vivo’ Gets A Lin-Manuel Miranda-Filled Trailer

More and more it feels like it’s Lin-Manuel Miranda’s vibrant, musical world and we’re all just living in it. Fresh off the success of HBO’s In The Heights, we now have a trailer for Sony and Netflix’s latest collaboration Vivo. The animated musical follows “one-of-a-kind kinkajou” Vivo (voiced by Miranda) as he leaves his Cuban home on a mission to deliver a love song his elderly owner Andrés wrote for the love of his life, Marta, before it’s too late. However, in true animated family film fashion, the journey is anything but short and sweet, and Vivo is faced with countless colorful personalities and just as many obstacles. Luckily for us, Miranda is also providing a handful of original songs for the film as well, making the perilous journey a lot more fun.

In addition to Miranda, Vivo features the vocal talents of Gloria Estefan, Buena Vista Social Club’s Juan De Marcos, Zoe Saldaña, Ynairaly Simo, Michael Rooker, Katie Lowes, Leslie David Baker, and more. The film is written by Quiara Alegría Hudes (In the Heights) with The Croods’ Kirk DeMicco and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2’s Brandon Jeffords co-directing, and Tony and Grammy winner Alex Lacamoire (The Greatest Showman) serving as its composer and executive music producer. The Netflix original exclusive hits the streaming service August 6, and promise to offer an “exhilarating story about gathering your courage, finding family in unlikely friends, and the belief that music can open you to new worlds.”

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Maxo Kream Returns With The Sentimental ‘Local Joker’ Video

The last time rap fans heard from Houston rapper Maxo Kream was 2019, when he dropped his critically-acclaimed second album Brandon Banks, which I called a “masterful character study” in my review. Since then, he’s taken something of a hiatus as he mourned the death of his brother and regrouped for his eventual comeback. That comeback arrives today with the release of “Local Joker,” Maxo’s first solo single since early 2020, and its sentimental music video.

In the song, Maxo recounts his Houston upbringing, telling tall tales of his days doing knucklehead activities in the hood and taking stock of his experiences’ effect on the person he is today. In a press release announcing the new song, he provided a quote explaining his mindset in recording and sharing it. “‘Local Joker’ explains where I’m at in my life right now,’” he said. ” love Houston, I’m from Houston. My merch is Houston-focused. My music has a strong Houston influence — everything is Houston, it’s local. You can catch me in any part of Houston with the local jokers – but at the same time, I’m not a local joker because I’ve grown and expanded the territory that I touch. But home will always be home- and that’s Houston, Alief, fasho.”

Watch the “Local Joker” video above and stay tuned for more from the return of Maxo Kream.

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Mark Ronson Collabs With Paul McCartney, King Princess, And More On His New ‘Watch The Sound’ Soundtrack

Today marks the premiere of Watch The Sound With Mark Ronson, a new Apple+ documentary series. In it, Ronson and guests explore groundbreaking technologies that have impacted the music industry, and each episode ends with Ronson creating a song based on the techniques discussed in the episode. Alongside the show, those songs have been released on their own via the Watch The Sound soundtrack. That’s out now, and it features contributions from Paul McCartney, DJ Premier, Wale, Jónsi, Diana Gordon, Gary Numan, King Princess, Santigold, and Kathleen Hanna.

Ronson recently told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe of the show, “It is my dream TV show. After a lot of hours and hours of brainstorming and rambling and talking around it, we were just like, ‘Let’s do six episodes, six subjects — reverb, distortion, synth, sampling, drum machines, and Auto-Tune — and talk about how they revolutionized music and talk to the people who did your favorite stuff on them.’”

He also said of recording with McCartney, “He was going to put acoustic guitar down on [‘Alligator’ from McCartney’s 2013 album New], and he was like, ‘It sounds like an acoustic guitar, but I want it to sound like a record, as if you just put the needle down.’ […] That quote has stayed with me more than anything. That quote from Paul McCartney was almost the ethos of Watch The Sound as a show. […] In music, the most important thing is always going to be the song, the vocal, the performance. But then you go to that next level where you talk about arrangements, sonics, the kick, the snare, the 808. And that’s the thing that makes the difference between a really good song and an iconic recording, something we remember forever. Like, when the needle goes down on track one, you’re like, “Oh, sh*t.” So that quote from Paul definitely, even though I hadn’t thought about it before, is kind of like the symbolic fortune cookie statement of the show.”

Stream the Watch The Sound soundtrack above.

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10 things that made us smile this week

Ready for the weekend? Of course, you are. Here’s our weekly dose of good vibes to help you shed the stresses of the workweek and put yourself in a great frame of mind.

These 10 stories made us happy this week because they feature amazing creativity, generosity, and one super-cute fish.

1. Diver befriends a fish with the cutest smile

Hawaiian underwater photographer Yuki Nakano befriended a friendly porcupine fish and now they hang out regularly.


2. Denver police are handing out gift certificates to auto parts stores instead of ‘fix-it’ tickets

Police in Denver, Colorado have a new program designed to improve public safety as well as the relationship between the police and those they serve. Instead of issuing tickets, officers will now have the option to hand out $25 gift cards in situations where people are pulled over for minor “fix-it” violations.

Read the whole story on Upworthy.

3. Stunned wildlife lover set up a camera in a bird box and it got 41 million views

43-year-old John Chadwick started live-streaming footage of birds with their chicks so his family could watch their progress before they flew the nest. But just weeks after uploading the videos to YouTube, he racked up millions of views from around the world. “It’s gone a little bit bonkers,” John said. “I only wanted to show my neighbors, friends, nieces, and nephews what the birds were up to. I had no idea the films would attract such interest.”


UK wildlife fan sets up camera inside bird box- attracting 41 MILLION fans worldwide! | SWNS

www.youtube.com

4. Dad with impaired mobility can walk his newborn after crafty teens built him a ‘wheestroll’

Jeremy King, 37, of Germantown, Maryland has experienced difficulty with his balance after having surgery for a brain tumor. To help him take his newborn on a walk, a group of students at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland built him a “wheelstroll,” a car seat attachment that connects to his wheelchair.

Read the whole story at Upworthy.


High School Students Create Wheelchair Stroller for Teacher’s Husband

www.youtube.com

5. American gymnast Suni Lee made history, winning gold in the all-around

Suni Lee, 18, a Team USA member from Minnesota, became the Olympic all-around gymnastics champion on Thursday. Lee is the first Hmong American athlete to ever compete in the Olympics and the first Asian American to win the gold in the Olympics’ all-around competition. “It feels super crazy, I definitely didn’t think I’d be here in this moment with the gold medal,” Lee said after her win. “I’m just super proud of myself for making it here because there was a point in time when I wanted to quit.”

Read the whole story at Upworthy.

6. An Israeli woman donated a kidney to a Gaza boy

Harel Segal, a kindergarten teacher from northern Israel, donated her kidney to a three-year-old Palestinian boy from the Gaza Strip. She hopes her choice will inspire others to be more humane in a land of perpetual conflict.

7. Two big ships from British Columbia launched an expedition to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The three-month-long, multimillion-dollar venture will test a new system to trap ocean plastics and load them onto vessels. If the system works, the plan is to build bigger versions for larger-scale cleanups.

8. Tunisian teen swimmer shocks with surprise gold, and his family’s reaction is everything

Ahmed Hafnaoui had the swim of his life at just the right time on Sunday. After eeking into the men’s 400-meter medal race in last place out of the eight finalists, the 18-year-old swimmer from Tunisia shocked everyone by taking home the gold in the event at the Tokyo Olympics.

9. Hundreds of ‘tiny homes’ have been built to help provide shelter for struggling Los Angeles residents

Los Angeles is the latest city to experiment with micro-homes to provide secure accommodations for unhoused people while they get back on their feet. The colorful homes of the Alexandria Park Tiny Home Village are capable of housing 200 residents in 103 one- or two-person units.

10. California Congressman introduces legislation for a four-day workweek

Citing pilot programs that have yielded positive results, Democratic Congressman Mark Takano introduced legislation on Wednesday that would reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours.

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Dolly Parton Reveals The Best Purchase She Made With Her ‘I Will Always Love You’ Royalties

Whitney Houston’s defining song, “I Will Always Love You,” isn’t actually hers (despite how much she made it her own), as Dolly Parton wrote it. Houston’s recording, of course, has done quite well, meaning that Parton has received some hefty royalty checks from it. While guesting on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen recently, she revealed the best purchase she made with those royalties.

Parton said:

“I bought my big office complex down in Nashville. I thought, ‘Well, this is a wonderful place to be.’ I bought a property down in what was the Black area of town, and it was mostly just Black families and people that lived around there. It was off the beaten path from 16th Avenue and I thought, ‘Well, I am gonna buy this place, the whole strip mall.’ And I thought, ‘This is the perfect place for me to be,’ considering it was Whitney. I just thought this was great — I’m just gonna be down here with her people, who are my people as well. So I just love the fact that I spent that money on a complex and I think, ‘This is the house that Whitney built.’”

The building Parton seems to be talking about is Inca Hoots Productions, her studio and management office located near 16th Avenue, on 12th Avenue South. A 2020 feature by Fodor’s Travel described the complex, “Dolly’s star has risen so high that now, instead of recording in other people’s studios, she has her own. Inca Hoots Productions, an unassuming Mission-style compound on 12th Street, is Dolly’s production studio and management office. It’s closed to the public, but you can tell if she’s there because her massive tour bus will be in the gated courtyard out front. The name itself is a bit of her famous sense of humor: split up the letters differently and you’ll get the real meaning of the company name.”

Watch Parton speak about the purchase above, and find more clips from her appearance on Watch What Happens Live below.

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New(ish) Grocery Products We Love — Featuring A Review Of The Viral Mac & Cheese Ice Cream

Welcome back to our grocery store snack roundup! The only series that gathers a bunch of random new (and new to us) treats from our local grocery stores (and the internet) in an effort to see if they’re worth your time and money. Why do we do this? Well, we’ve all been there, scanning the grocery store aisles for a few extra snacks to make that market run of essentials seem a little more exciting.

Do you try the macaroni & cheese-infused ice cream to see if it’s as bad as you assume? Or do you just play it safe and go with your favorite variety of chocolate?

That’s why you have us — to help sort through those life-altering quandaries. Since we’re deep into summer right now, we’ve decided to theme this roundup around ice cream. We’ll include a few more snacks we’re digging on, but the focus is going to be on ice cream. So scan our list and future out what to indulge in!

Van Leeuwen — Kraft Macaroni & Cheese French Ice Cream (Dane Rivera)

Van Leeuwen

Average Retail Price: $12

I am by no means a fan of stunt food. Jelly Bellies that taste like vomit, food crafted for Instagram, almost every “food hack” on TikTok — it holds no appeal to me. So when my editor tasked me with seeking out this Kraft Macaroni & Cheese flavored ice cream from Van Leeuwen’s, I was… less than thrilled. Then I remembered Van Leeuwen makes some damn good ice cream and being a food writer is an insanely dope privilege that I shouldn’t complain about.

Still, an ice cream that tastes like mac & cheese is downright intimidating, with a high “gross” potential. Luckily, this turned out to be a pretty good flavor. It tastes a lot like cheesecake ice cream. It has a distinct tanginess to it that definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like the decadence of cheesecake, this is right up your alley. What differentiates it is a pronounced sharpness — a result of the cheddar, no doubt. After the initial shock and surprise, the ice cream really starts to grow on you.

If you’re still too scared to try this, we’ve got a hack for you (better than anything on TikTok): go the extra mile and utilize some chocolate syrup and crushed nuts on top. The salty-sweet connection will win you over.

The Bottom Line

Way better than a mac & cheese ice cream has any right to be. Great for fans of cheesecake ice cream who want something a little different.

Tillamook — Udderly Chocolate (Dane Rivera)

Tillamook

Average Retail Price: $4.74

I originally picked up this ice cream as part of a blind taste test in search of the best chocolate ice cream on the market. Tillamook’s Udderly Chocolate features a swirl of chocolate and white chocolate ice creams. I thought it would be an interesting inclusion but I was dismayed to find that the ice cream has bits of chocolate shavings in it as well. That means it’s not a “plain chocolate” ice cream and I had to disqualify it from the taste test, which is really a shame because this is one of the best chocolate-centric ice creams I’ve ever had.

The white chocolate adds a nice sweet contrast to the more rich and full-bodied notes of the classic chocolate but those disqualifying chips of chocolate are really what make this ice cream shine. They’re not big enough to be something to chew on. Instead, they reveal themselves subtly, only to melt in your mouth along with the ice cream — sweet, hidden little treasures.

The Bottom Line

Probably my favorite chocolate-based ice cream currently on the market.

Hardscoop — Madagascar Vanilla (Dane Rivera)

Hardscoop

Average Retail Price: $13.99 (per pint)

Now we’re into some dangerous territory here. Hardscoop is an alcoholic ice cream brand that uses a wine base to booze up their pints. Each pint contains 8% alcohol by volume, and while a single scoop isn’t enough for you to get a buzz on, this is no gimmick. Alcoholic ice cream is an easy sell, but what I appreciate the most about Hardscoop is just how premium the ice cream is. The brand didn’t cut any corners, the ice cream is thick and custard-y and each pint has a noticeable boozy smell to it.

My favorite flavor has to be the Madagascar Vanilla, because of how rich and versatile it is. A single scoop with a generous portion of chocolate syrup on top makes for a fancy restaurant dessert experience but my favorite way to enjoy Hardscoop is in the morning. A scoop or a spoonful of this stuff in your morning coffee is the perfect way to kick off a saturday. Bonus points if you have an espresso machine and you can fashion yourself a quick and easy affogato with an alcoholic edge.

The Bottom Line

A quality alcohol-infused ice cream that doesn’t cut any corners. Put a scoop in your coffee and thank us in the comments for changing your life for the better.

Breyer’s — New Cookie & Cream (Dane Rivera)

Breyers

Average Retail Price: $4.49

Cookies & Cream ice creams almost never have a satisfying amount of cookies inside of them. I don’t want a few bites of Oreo in a scoop, I want a 50-50 split, anything less is false advertisement. I mean, “Cookies” is right in the name! Breyers has attempted to remedy this widespread ice cream lie by beefing up their Cookies & Cream with 20% more cookies — it’s not quite where I want it to be, but I appreciate the effort.

While it’s not meeting my cookie quota, this ice cream really is quite delicious. Each scoop is a beautiful marble of cream and cookie with that soft and creamy consistency Breyers always delivers. Aside from the big chunks of cookies, speckles of tiny crushed cookies are peppered throughout the mix, giving you a bit of cookie with every bite.

The Bottom Line

One of the best Cookies & Cream flavors out there in the ice cream landscape.

Nubocha Dairy-Free Gelato (Dane Rivera)

Nubocha

Average Retail Price $12

Dairy-Free ice creams just don’t hold a candle to the real stuff. The consistency is never right, and it lacks that creamy, comforting quality that a perfect scoop of ice cream on a scorching summer day has. But as far as dairy-free ice creams go… Nubocha is pretty delicious.

They manage this by getting unique with their flavors. By approaching classics with a slight twist, Nubocha is able to make a dairy-free ice cream that won’t make you miss the real thing, because it stands on its own. Its chocolate flavor doesn’t taste like your standard milk chocolate ice cream, instead, it has an earthy Abuelita Mexican chocolate quality to it. The vanilla mixes in roasted cashews. Salted Caramel shows up with bits of hazelnuts and almonds, everything is slightly altered in a way that makes them unique to the competition.

You’ll never crave have a craving for dairy-free ice cream the way you do for the real stuff, but you just might develop a craving for these unique flavor blends.

The Bottom Line

A dairy-free ice cream that delivers by daring to be different.

Madhava Organic Balsamic Vinegar (Dane Rivera)

Madhava

Average Retail Price: $3.99

I know I know, it’s not ice cream, but I warned you that we’d sneak in some non-ice cream products into this list. Currently, I’m loving Madhava’s Organic Balsamic Vinegar thanks to its tart, fruity flavor, sumptuous umami quality, and versatility. Pour this on your scoop of Hardscoop and it’ll bring out notes of brown sugar and caramel with an umami finish that will turn your midnight snack into something you wouldn’t wince at paying over $10 for on a dessert menu.

The Bottom Line

Put a drizzle on your ice cream, trust us.

Pringles Scorchin’ Series (Dane Rivera)

Pringles

Average Price: $1.59

Generally, I like my potato chips plain and simple. Lays Original is, in my opinion, the best chip on the market. It’s versatile, you can dip them, eat them plain, squirt some lime on them — the perfect fried potato canvas. But like every true chip head, I reserve a warm spot in my heart for Flamin’ Hot. The Scorchin’ series is basically Pringles’ version of Flamin’ Hot and for the most part, it delivers.

The full line consists of Scorchin BBQ (my least favorite, it’s just not hot), Scorchin’ Chili & Lime (It’s allllllright, but I almost always prefer fresh lime over the artificial stuff) and Scorchin’ Cheddar, which is hands down the best flavor. The spice is satisfyingly hot, it lives up to the name “Scorchin’” and that chili pepper cheddar combination just works so well. It’s not as good as Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or Takis, but it’s far superior to all of the Baked Flamin’ Hot products on the market.

You got to give it to Pringles: they know how to bake a chip.

To take things to the next level, squirt some fresh lime on the Scorchin’ Cheddar and you’ve got the best of both worlds.

The Bottom Line

A Truly hot, truly delicious baked potato chip.

Jeni’s — Savannah Buttermint (Steve Bramucci)

Jeni

Average Price: $12

We usually do a “best new ice cream” list each summer and I crown a winner. This year, Dane has been working the ice cream beat. We may still pull off that list, but if we don’t I’ll say it here: This is the best ice cream flavor I’ve tasted since the pandemic started. And I taste a lot of ice cream.

Buttermints are clearly the best of the “grandma’s coffee table” or “restaurant cashier station” mints — though you never see them in businesses anymore because they’re served loose. There is this pillowy softness to them and the mint tastes both “fresher” than pinwheel mints and less chemical-y.

Most “mint” ice cream is either real mint — which doesn’t make a huge impact in ice cream and is a little too herbal — or ultra fake. This flavor offers a perfect balance. And, as always with Jeni’s, the mouthfeel is 100% on point.

The Bottom Line:

The standout flavor of summer 2021. Maybe not as splashy a title as “Kraft Macaroni & Cheese,” but the taste masters being refreshing in a way all mint ice cream should but most fails at.