Simone Biles is arguably one of the greatest athletes in the world, and inarguably the world’s best female gymnast. Her dominance in the world of gymnastics is all the more impressive due to her age. At 24, she’s hardly “old,” but she is years beyond the average Olympic gymnast and years past when most elite gymnasts are considered in their prime.
That hasn’t stopped her from being the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), of course. But her years of experience are also benefitting younger gymnasts, as Biles has embraced a supportive mentor role for her potential teammates.
A short clip of Biles putting a silver bow in 15-year-old Zoe Miller’s hair has people praising Biles for setting an example of character and leadership.
Biles is loving being a role model to the younger gymnasts on the team. “It’s meant the world, especially having the younger ones to kind of guide through the way,” Biles told NBC. “I’ve been here for so long, so to be a mentor for them has meant everything to me, and to share these accomplishments and these goals.”
And people are loving Biles for it.
“Simone taking care of the baby goat,” wrote one commenter. “She knows she didn’t receive the same treatment, but she’s the game changer for the next Gen. That’s Simone Biles greatness, another perfect 10 in life’s lessons.”
“She’s the GOAT and yet she takes the time to do this,” wrote another. “That’s what sets her apart. Other athletes of her caliber sit off to the side in their own little world with headphones on and that’s a valid choice BUT I love seeing this humanity and humility with a teammate.”
@MichelleBYoung1 @NBCOlympics @Simone_Biles This what “team” is about.
Like Biles, Zoe Miller, the young gymnast in the video, has a guaranteed spot on the U.S. Olympic team after last week’s trials.
Biles, however, has not lost in competition since 2013. She is the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport, making her literally the greatest of all time. She’s nailing moves that other gymnasts won’t (or can’t) even attempt. When we look at Simone Biles, we’re looking at a true phenomenon. What a gift that she’s also a phenomenal teammate.
Of all of the streaming platforms fighting for your attention, Paramount+ might be the one with the most surprisingly deep film catalog.
No, really, there are a ton of great movies lurking over there. Their roster of classic films alone is worth the subscription price, and we’ve name-dropped a few standouts in the streaming guide below. But the lineup of cult favorites and contemporary titles is nothing to scoff at either. We think we’ve got a pretty good mix represented on this list — from sci-fi epics to ’90s teen comedies and yes, a Bill Murray Christmas movie — that’ll keep you thoroughly entertained.
Here are some of the best movies streaming on Paramount+ right now.
Martin Scorsese is known for crafting crime epics but his usual anti-heroes are kingpins and mob bosses, not the slimy, fast-talking Wall Street shark that Leonardo DiCaprio delivers in this more white-collar fare. Based on a true story, the film recounts the felonious, often hilarious hijinks involved in Jordan Belfort’s rise from mid-level stockbroker to a multi-millionaire playboy involved in one of the biggest corruption scandals in history. DiCaprio’s performance is basically the acting equivalent of a wadded-up ball of manic desperation and delusional self-confidence, and he’s joined in his drug-addled descent into madness by Jonah Hill — sporting a bizarrely mesmerizing set of prosthetic teeth — Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bernthal, Margot Robbie, and more. You’d have to be strung out on quaaludes not to get excited about this one.
The tortured artist thing only goes so far, especially when you consider how many times we’ve all seen that story across dozens of brilliant but cliche-filled music bios. Rocketman is not exactly that thing, injecting the formula with electric song and dance numbers that give a splashy Broadway musical feel to the transformative moments in Elton John’s career and life, entertaining viewers and matching the vivacity of his stage presence.
Matthew Broderick plays a depressed high school teacher who tries to manage his imploding marriage while facing off against a determined and cunning student in this dark comedy that features Reese Witherspoon in one of the best performances of her career. Witherspoon plays Tracy Flick, an overachieving student with dreams (of becoming the student body president) that are quickly dashed by the school’s popular jock. Tracy’s willing to go to extreme lengths to win the race, Broderick’s Mr. McAllister is willing to anything to stop her and, by the end of their high school gladiator match, we’re not sure which one we really want to come out on top.
Any of the Indiana Jones films could have made this list, but we’ll go with Last Crusade on account of it being the funniest in the series. There are moments of undeniable silliness here that land so well, like Indy coming up for air from a makeout session to remark on the sounds of Venice, Harrison Ford’s Scottish lord accent whilst looking for tapestries, or Sean Connery quoting Charlemagne after using a flock of birds to down a Nazi plane. It also has the densest plot, valuable backstory, amazing chemistry between two of cinema’s most charming tough guys in Ford and Connery. They perfected the formula of what an Indiana Jones film could be and then they stopped making them for almost 20 years.
A mind-bending, futuristic crime drama starring Tom Cruise and Colin Farrell, directed by Steven Spielberg – what’s not to like about this sci-fi entry? Cruise plays John Anderton, a police chief in charge of a unit capable of arresting criminals before they commit their crimes thanks to a trio of psychics called “precogs.” When Anderton is identified as a future murderer, he goes on the run with one of the precogs and uncovers a deeper conspiracy that forces him (and us) to question the nature of free will. By now, Cruise is a bonafide action star, but this turn marks one of the more interesting career choices he’s made within the genre.
Speaking of terrific sci-fi movies, this Amy Adams-starring epic takes a more methodic, thoughtful approach to the classic alien invasion story. Adams plays a linguistic genius named Louise who struggles to figure out a way to communicate with two creatures that have inexplicably shown up in Montana. While Louise tries to buy more time in understanding the visitors, she butts heads with the military side of the operation who keep pressuring her for quick answers on what they see as a threat. There’s some time-travel mumbo-jumbo we won’t spoil — mostly because we’re still not sure we fully understand it — but Adams is terrific in this and we’re kind of bummed she didn’t get any awards recognition for basically acting her way out of a hazmat suit with just an Etch-A-Sketch.
There’s a generation (or two) that probably knows Elliot Gould as Monica and Ross’s kindly dad on Friends, as a member of Danny Ocean’s crew, or worse, don’t know him at all. But for a time in the ‘70s, he was one of Hollywood’s most interesting actors, connecting with Robert Altman on MASH, California Split, and The Long Goodbye, where he plays Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler’s iconic PI. Marlowe has been played by about a dozen actors previously and since Gould took his turn — most notably by Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum. There’s a type, but Altman and Gould took things in a slightly different direction in a scattered but brilliant who done it with Gould as an ultra-cool, detached seeming PI tangled in his friend’s messy life. Gould has been working on pushing a sequel uphill for years. Here’s hoping someone puts money on the table to make it or otherwise refresh the story in the near future, if for no other reason than to inspire exploration of the original.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo star in this mystery crime thriller directed by David Fincher that recounts the decades-long manhunt for the Zodiac Killer — a criminal who committed several murders in the Bay Area in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Enough true crime documentaries have dropped since this debuted that we all know how this cat-and-mouse game will eventually end, but it’s the journey that matters here. Gyllenhaal plays a newspaper cartoonist who becomes obsessed with the case, decoding ciphers sent by the killer and targeting a man he believes could be the Zodiac. Downey Jr. plays a crime reporter who partners with Gyllenhaal on the case and leaks information to the police. Both deliver stand-out performances that’ll keep you invested even if the ending’s been spoiled.
The supposed dream scenario of finding a big bag of money is explored in this 1998 film from Sam Raimi that might qualify as a domestic horror tale if you accept family dysfunction, jealousy, and paranoia as true monsters. A gem of a film that deserved a lot more hardware in its day, A Simple Plan is a slow burner that feels connected to some of the Coen Bros’ earlier, less complicated, and less quirky works. The more obscure 1993 John Cusack starrer, Money For Nothing, is another one that might be ripe for comparison.
Before Owen Wilson was flirting with God-like Marvel villains, before Ben Stiller was producing and directing prestige drama fare, and before Will Ferrell introduced America to the most popular musical competition in the world, all three starred in this comedic adventure about a clueless fashion model and a political assassination plot. Come for the still-quotable one-liners, stay for the patented “Blue Steel” staredown.
The Star Trek franchise was wounded in the early ‘80s. Star Trek: The Motion Picture had gotten a cool reception, and while there was a vocal fanbase still eager for more, there were enough concerns to cause a behind the scenes shakeup that altered the creative direction of the sequel with the director Nicholas Meyer and producer Harve Bennett taking the reins from series creator Gene Roddenberry. The end result connects directly to Star Trek: TOS and the “Space Seed” episode, injecting adventure, action, vengeance, and self-reflection from a middle-aged Captain Kirk and crew. William Shatner was never better as Kirk, blending the overwhelming charm of the character with a sense of rage and frustration as a part of a chess match with Khan (Ricardo Montalban) that has very real stakes for his character.
It feels mildly off-the-mark to include a Christmas movie on a non-Christmas movie list, doesn’t it? But Charles Dickens’ story (which was adapted here for the late ‘80s by Mitch Glazer and former SNL madman Michael O’Donoghue) about greed and an epiphany about empathy and charity feels like it might strike a few relevant notes. The film also features one of Bill Murphy’s best big-screen performances. Murphy always seems most at home when playing an asshole or someone right on the cusp, and there’s no denying that label here as he plays the dark, moody as hell, and wickedly funny (and mean) Frank Cross. Go wild, watch it in June or July.
A ridiculous movie that manages to be wildly entertaining, dropped in an era where special effects epics and old guard absurdist action sci-fi films were still finding ways to work together. The film features Hilary Swank, Aaron Eckhart, and members of their crew trying to pull a reverse Armageddon, which is, they have to drill to the core of the Earth to stop the end of days. If you liked the subterranean chaos within the recent Godzilla vs. Kong, this will definitely appeal.
Jack Black is charming as hell in this kid-friendly comedy about a wannabe rockstar who catfishes as an elementary school teacher and finds a unique way to enter his local Battle of the Bands competition. Black’s Dewey Finn is the kind of old-school rock-enthusiast you can’t help but flash some devil’s horns at and watching him convert a classroom of uptight kids into rebels, anarchists, and star-powered performers in the kind of pure, innocent fun you crave in a feel-good comedy watch — which this totally is.
Another absurd film that isn’t so much good as it is amazing, Face/Off is a triumph in scenery-chewing, letting Nic Cage off the chain as a criminal maniac who is having the very best time injecting chaos into the world while messing with the sullen and driven fed that’s on his trail (John Travolta). And then they switch! And Travolta lights up like a Christmas tree while playing Cage’s character with a touch of madness and a whole lot of swagger. Throw in some signature John Woo slow-mo action scenes, fake science nonsense, and four garbage trucks worth of bullets, and you’ve got a ‘90s action classic.
In a new oral history commemorating the 15th anniversary of The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep has revealed that she swore off method acting after spending the production maintaing the icy demeanor of her iconic character Miranda Priestly. According to Streep, the experience was not very fun as she kept her distance from her co-stars, who were apparently having the time of their lives.
“It was horrible! I was [miserable] in my trailer,” Streep told Entertainment Weekly during the cast reunion. “I could hear them all rocking and laughing. I was so depressed! I said, ‘Well, it’s the price you pay for being boss!’ That’s the last time I ever attempted a Method thing!”
However, it doesn’t seem like Streep was that hard on co-stars Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway, who said the famed actress was still approachable. But Blunt acknowledges that it probably wasn’t fun for Streep to be that closed off considering she’s normally “so gregarious and fun as hell.” As for Hathaway, she appreciated what Streep was trying to do.
There’s this scene where [she says], “You’re just as disappointing as the rest of those silly girls.” I remember when the camera turned on me, the pressure really got to me, and I’d had such emotional fluidity in the day up to that point, but it just wasn’t there anymore. I remember having the experience of watching [her] watch me, and [she] altered [her] performance ever so slightly, and just made it a little bit different, and brought more out of me and got me to break through whatever barrier I had.
While The Devil Wears Prada is now considered a modern classic with outstanding performances all-around, that was enough pretending to be Anna Wintour for Meryl Streep, thank you.
In this week’s episode of UPROXX Sessions, Lil Skies drops by to deliver an upbeat performance of his rebellious single, “How You Feel.” Coming from the Pennsylvania rapper’s deluxe version of the January 2021 album Unbothered, “How You Feel” finds the second generation rapper observing the highs and lows of rap stardom as he wonders, “I don’t got nobody in my corner, who do I trust?”
Skies, who rose to stardom after his SoundCloud favorite single “Red Roses” helped spur his debut major label mixtape Life of a Dark Rose to a No. 23 Billboard debut in its first week, released the deluxe version of Unbothered in May, adding seven new songs, with features from Drakeo The Ruler, Trippie Redd, and singer Zhavia Ward.
Watch Lil Skies’ performance of “How You Feel” above.
UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross,UPROXX Sessionsis a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.
Lil Skies is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It seems Elon Musk and Miley Cyrus got friendly when they were the host and musical guest, respectively, on Saturday Night Live back in May, because Cyrus apparently let him in on one of her biggest secrets: She’s actually Hannah Montana. Musk spilled those Disney Channel beans on Twitter yesterday, which prompted some (fake) outrage from Cyrus.
Musk posted an Anonymous-style image of a person wearing a Guy Fawkes mask that is captioned, “Hannah Montana is actually Miley Cyrus.” A red-faced Cyrus responded, “What the f*ck @elonmusk ?!?! I told you that in confidence! You can build a rocket but can’t keep a damn secret?!?!” Musk went on to insists the slip-up wasn’t his fault, writing, “133T H4X0R got my phone. Nuthin I could do. Sorry babe.”
What the fuck @elonmusk ?!?! I told you that in confidence! You can build a rocket but can’t keep a damn secret?!?! https://t.co/Uzg0feWhQI
Aside from presumably spending time together backstage in the week leading up to their shared SNL episode, the pair also appeared in the “Chad On Mars” sketch, with Musk playing himself and Cyrus playing a Space X technician.
Meanwhile, Grimes, who popped up during a Mario-themed sketch on the episode, praised both Cyrus and Musk’s performances, writing on Instagram, “@mileycyrus is good live and so chill! So grateful to the SNL team for being so kind and letting me sneak in as princess peach snd so proud of my beautiful E (which I know will upset the grimes fans so I apologize in advance) but he killed it”
W.L. Weller is “The Original Wheated Bourbon.” The history of the brand goes back to William Larue Weller and his inclusion of wheat in his bourbon back in 1849. The recipe and bourbon’s heritage was carried into the 20th century by Julian Van Winkle, Sr. at his Stitzel–Weller Distillery. Eventually, that distillery closed and the brands were sold off. Both Weller and Pappy ended up at Sazerac, which moved the production to Buffalo Trace’s distillery in the 1990s.
Today, Weller is one of those bourbons that has reached ridiculous heights of popularity and pricing. Part of this is due to the small yearly runs of the brand’s core and specialty expressions. Another part is due to the relentlessness of the bourbon hype machine. Weller is a quality wheated bourbon that’s also the progenitor of the bourbon most folks consider the best bourbon ever, Pappy Van Winkle — naturally the frenetic bourbon fanbase was going to geek out over it and drive prices up.
Since this is a whiskey that requires serious investment, we’re going to give you our take on each bottle and rank them according to their taste alone. Retail price is… sort of considered in the ranking below, in that we take price-vs-flavor into account to some degree, but it’s a secondary factor. This is really all about how each expression dances across the senses, first and foremost.
If you want to try one of these bottles yourself, click on the price links to see if you can find an expression or two in your area.
Buffalo Trace doesn’t publish any of their mash bills. Educated guesses put the wheat percentage of these mash bills at around 16 to 18 percent, which is average. The age of the barrels on this blend is also unknown. The point of this juice is the proof (which is pretty high, all things considered) and the blending skill on display.
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla. Vanilla. Vanilla. That could sum up this sip aptly from top to bottom. There’s a sense of vanilla blossoms on the nose with a hint of old wood and maybe a hit of wet leather. The palate leans into the … you guessed it, vanilla. The taste is slightly cream soda-esque with a lightness that’s nice while sweet apples stewed with cinnamon sticks arrive late. The end is short and warm and leaves you with a vanilla tobacco chewiness and buzz.
Bottom Line:
Something has to be last in these rankings, so here we are. This is a perfectly fine whiskey that should cost you fifty bucks. It only falls down by being a little too hot and a little too vanilla dominant. The higher proof doesn’t really feel like it’s adding much besides covering up more vanilla maybe?
This really feels like it was specifically crafted to be a mixing bourbon for bold cocktails.
This is the same bourbon as above but cut down with more of that soft Kentucky limestone water. The juice is bottled at a very approachable 90 proof.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a nice sense of a slightly salted caramel over a soft-yet-tart apple with a hint of kettle corn lurking on the backend. The taste starts with soft floral honey that peaks with a rich butterscotch candy still in its wrapper before falling away towards a cedar box full of vanilla tobacco leaves. The end of this one is silky with that floral honey circling back around and leaving you with a sweet sensation.
Bottom Line:
If this was actually $25 on the shelf, it’d easily be the best in class on every single bourbon list for that price point. It lives up to the hype but doesn’t overdo anything. It’s subtle yet direct. In the end, though, this is a great mixer and only a solid on the rocks sipper in a pinch.
Still, this beats out the 107 because it just makes more sense and has more accessible textures and flavors.
This Weller is pulled from one barrel at a time. The masters at Buffalo Trace know their warehouses and hand-pick these barrels for their standalone perfection. The tastes and textures are then dailed in through the judicious addition of the soft water, bringing this down to an incredibly approachable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
The dram opens with a mix of fresh mint next to ripe red cherries with a vanilla backbone and a shaving of dry wood. The taste holds onto that vanilla while building towards eggnog spiciness with hits of dark chocolate, salted caramel corn, espresso bean bitterness, and this small flourish of white pepper. That powdery pepper lingers and warms as the sip slowly fades away, leaving you with those creamy eggnog spices, woody vanilla husks, and a mild tobacco buzz and warmth by way of a pine humidor.
Bottom Line:
This is a departure and I can’t figure out if it’s genius or just okay. The thing is, this isn’t Buffalo Trace’s best single barrel expression by any stretch but it’s so unique that it’s really hard to know where to put it. In a blind taste test, it’d be really hard not to peg this as a very high-rye bourbon. So, it’s here — number five out of seven.
This is the most interesting expression from the brand. A few years back, Buffalo Trace asked hardcore Weller fans to “Craft Your Perfect Bourbon.” C.Y.P.B. was born according to those fans choosing their favorite bourbon recipe, proof, warehouse location, and age. A consensus shook out that pinned the ideal whiskey to a wheated bourbon aged on the highest warehouse floors for eight years that’s then bottled at 95 proof. Today, that manifests yearly as a very limited release that’s part fan service and part special limited edition bourbon for all of us to enjoy.
Tasting Notes:
Based on last year’s release, there’s a nose of dried orange peels that have been loaded into an old cedar box and left in the back of a cupboard for years. Then this creaminess arrives that’s kind of like the halfway point between a vanilla flan with caramel sauce and spicy sasparilla. As the taste rolls towards the back of your mouth and settles in, you get this warming sense of eggnog spice next to soft tobacco leaves and dark chocolate-covered marzipan.
Bottom Line:
This is silky smooth and a definite winner, if you can find it. Full disclosure, from here on out, this ranking is splitting hairs. Hit me on a day with a different mood, and maybe this is number one or three.
This expression is Weller in its purest form. There’s no water added. There’s no filtration. There’s no single barrel supplying the juice in the bottle. This is a marrying of the best barrels wherein the whiskey stayed at 114 proof from going into the barrel to coming out of it.
Tasting Notes:
Imagine red Bing cherries soaked in vanilla syrup then dipped in caramel and allowed to harden then sprinkled with a pinch of sea salt and dusted with mild, powdery cinnamon on the nose. The palate holds onto that mild cinnamon and vanilla but then builds this big, layered vanilla cake with a buttery frosting full of caramel and baking spices with a hint of cherry tobacco and soft, dry cedar in the background … kind of like smoked stained wood paneling in an old bakery. The finish lingers and really leans into the buttery vanilla notes and, eventually, you’re left with this velvet warmth and a distant echo of dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is what Weller can do when they don’t play with the proof and just let the barrels shine. It’s pretty damn fine and very versatile. You can sip it neat or on the rocks and it’ll shine. Put it in a cocktail, and you’ll one of the best damn cocktails you’ve ever made.
This expression of Weller rests in the warehouse for 12 long years. A fair amount of juice is lost to the angels during that stretch. In the end, the whiskey is vatted from the barrels that survived and then proofed down to a soft 90 proof.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a deep, creamy sweet corn note on the nose that gives way to old wool sweaters and vanilla pancakes rolled around soft marzipan. The palate has a warm biscuit vibe with hints of buttery toffee syrup and old cutting boards that still smell of dark spices and dried fruit. The end takes its time and touches back on the cakey vanilla, buttery syrups, soft marzipan, and old, fruit-stained wood as it gently fades away.
Bottom Line:
This just hits all the right marks. It’s a super easy yet refined sipper that has no rough edges. It’s versatile while being approachable. It’s just … nice. It’s also still kind of findable and buyable by the average whiskey drinker, which doesn’t really count for much in this ranking but is a sweet side benefit.
This wheated whiskey from 2008 eschews the more common rye and adds in North Dakota wheat. The juice is then barreled and stored in two warehouses where 73 percent of the whiskey is lost to the air and elements. The juice is then bottled untouched and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes:
There’s soft bourbon vanilla that leads towards almond-encrusted toffees inside a pine box with a dark chocolate bonbon hidden somewhere inside all that nutty toffee. The sip leans into a cherry and dark chocolate bespeckled ice cream with a solid vanilla bean base and a dusting of crushed-up walnuts and maybe even peanut. The end is slightly dry and leans more towards cedar and straw with spicy cherry tobacco buzz.
Bottom Line:
Looking back at this whole line, this 12-year-old special limited edition of Weller really hits all the brand’s high points in one bottle. It also happens to be one of my all-time favorite bourbons. So… there’s that.
The beauty of this dram, though, is that it’s a crazy high-proof — seriously, this is above absinthe levels of alcohol — is so refined and easy-to-drink that it’s damn near a magic trick. This is the whiskey that’ll take you to a new level of bourbon appreciation. It’s just a phenomenal example of what great aging can do to create a remarkable one-off whiskey for the ages.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive commission pursuant to some entries on this list.
Another Nintendo Direct has come and gone, but everyone came into Tuesday’s E3 2021 direct with big expectations. E3 time is when all the heavyweights show their best stuff and there were plenty of titles that everyone wanted to see some news for. While not everyone got their wish, Nintendo definitely didn’t disappoint in what they had to offer. There were some obvious announcements, like a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update, but there were also a couple of major surprises. One thing that we can always expect with Nintendo is, even when it’s being predictable, it will never stick to the status quo — it’s part of what makes that company so fascinating. With all of that said, here’s what we learned from Nintendo Direct E3 2021.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2
Everyone has been eagerly anticipating Breath of the Wild 2 game ever since it was first announced back in 2019. While we’re still waiting for more information on it, this trailer gave us just the tease we needed to be excited about a 2022 release date. More than likely it’s going to fall into the holiday side of the 2022 release window, but as long as there’s no delay we’re going to be exploring Hyrule again in 2022. That’s enough to hold us over.
Metroid Dread
This was easily the biggest surprise of the entire Direct. If there was going to be Metroid news, the expectation was that it was going to be related to Metroid Prime 4. Instead, Nintendo showed us a brand new 2D Metroid expected to release in October. Even more surprising, it looks like it’s going to be a direct sequel to Metroid Fusion which came out all the way back in 2002. Most of us assumed a proper 2D Metroid game was never going to come out again so to say this caught a lot of us off guard would be the understatement of the year.
Shin Megami Tensei V
The Shin Megami Tensei series may be some of the most aggressively anime-style JRPG’s out there, but there’s a reason people were really excited to see a new trailer alongside a release date. They’re some of the best JRPG’s out there and being an exclusive on the Switch is a big win for Nintendo. This is a trailer that is either going to create excitement for the people who want to play it or confusion for anyone that doesn’t know what it is. For anyone that was intrigued by it, but never played a Shin Megami Tensei game before, give the Persona series a try. They’re a great entry point into this franchise.
WarioWare: Get It Together
The WarioWare games are an absolute blast. They’re some of the best minigame collections ever made and the chaotic nature of them leaves fans exhausted after playthroughs. It’s always excellent to see we’re getting a new one of these, but the $50 price tag going around right now is a little much for a minigame collection. These games are fun but maybe wait for a price drop.
Mario Party Superstars
Everyone falls into one of two camps with Mario Party. You either love them or hate their very existence. For everyone that falls into the former, this announcement is really exciting. All the best mini-games, and best boards, combined into one game with online play. Get your friend group together all across the country and yell at each other on the best boards the series has to offer. Just like the old days. There’s even random matchmaking to play with people online for those feeling truly sadistic.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 15, 2021
Fans of Tekken were excited to find out that Kazuya is joining Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the next DLC character. Since Tekken is well known for having one of the most absurd storylines of any video game series, it will be funny to see if they can find a way to squeeze Kazuya joining Smash into the canon story. Either way, this is just more proof that Smash Bros. is the greatest assembly of video game characters ever made. There isn’t a single video game character off the table to join Smash Bros. at this rate and that’s kind of cool. Who’s going to join next?
Where Is Bayonetta 3?
The major missing announcement from this entire Nintendo Direct was Bayonetta 3. The wacky, heel gun, angel slaying Demon had her third title announced for the Nintendo Switch all the way back in 2017. It was nothing more than information that it was in development, but it’s almost four years later and we’ve heard nothing about it since. Nintendo was kind enough to give us an update on Metroid Prime 4 at least existing, but the only proof we have that Bayonetta 3 is still in production is the Platinum Games website tells us it is. Where is Bayonetta, Nintendo?
The WNBA announced it will hold an All-Star Game in 2021, which hasn’t happened in a Summer Olympic year since 2000. The game will be held in Las Vegas, where it was hosted in 2019, on July 14. The event is exciting news for a fanbase that is just getting to see players in person again after the 2020 bubble was strictly televised. It’s big for the players, too, as every four years they were unable to add an All-Star accolade to their resumes regardless of play.
The league is putting a twist on how the game will function this time around. All-Stars chosen from Team USA will play against the rest of the field in a sort-of warm-up match before the group heads to Tokyo. As of June 15, Team USA’s Olympic roster has not been chosen, though the pool can be seen here.
One of the best parts of the All-Star Game is getting to see new players earn that honor of being an All-Star, and this season there are plenty of players making cases for a first selection. Here are five worthy choices to consider sending to Vegas for their first All-Star experience.
1. Betnijah Laney, New York Liberty
If Laney isn’t an All-Star this year, we’re going to have a problem. The Liberty’s best player is playing even sharper than her breakout Most Improved Player of the Year-winning 2020 season, scoring 21.6 points per game on 48.7 percent shooting from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range with 5.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds. She’s scored 20 or more points in nine games this season… and she’s only played in 10 games.
Betnijah Laney dropped 20 PTS in the first half (7/11, 4/5 3PT) ⁰⁰What a start to her Liberty debut
Laney isn’t just the Liberty’s star, she’s one of the league’s stars. It’s incredible to think she was cut by the Indiana Fever last year before the start of the season. Laney deserves a trip to the desert.
2. Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings
It’s wild to think that Ogunbowale has yet to play in an All-Star Game despite winning the WNBA’s scoring championship last season, but the bubble had no mid-season honors for the league’s best players. Now’s the time to right that wrong. Ogunbowale is averaging 20.9 points per game on a shaky 38.6 percent shooting, but is sinking 35.9 percent of her 3-point looks while contributing 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
An All-Star Game isn’t right without the league’s most clutch player, who is already responsible for an 8-0 run in the final two minutes of a Wings’ 1-point win against the reigning champion Seattle Storm.
The fourth-best offense in the league is led by Ogunbowale and her backcourt teammate, Mabrey. The two shared the floor at Notre Dame, and are now wrecking opponents in the big leagues. Few thought the 2019 No. 19 pick would make this big of an impact at the next level, but the sharpshooter is now the favorite to win the 2021 Most Improved Player of the Year award. Through 11 games, Mabrey is scoring 16.9 points on 46.1 percent shooting from the field and 39.2 percent shooting from 3-point range. She’s taking a ton of looks from distance too, firing 6.7 per night, while securing 5.7 boards, dishing 3.2 assists, and grabbing 1.5 steals.
If the stats aren’t enough, let Mabrey’s range be the reason why you want to see Dallas’s second-leading scorer at All-Star.
Marina Mabrey and Skylar Diggins-Smith got into it a little bit late in the Mercury/Wings game. #WNBApic.twitter.com/ri0y9eTxAi
Atkins is one of the most under-the-radar two-way stars in the league. She was key in the Mystics 2019 championship win, and now the 5’8 wing is scoring a career-high 18 points on 45.5 percent shooting from the field and 45.5 percent shooting from 3-point range while often being tasked to guard the opponents’ best guards.
If my words aren’t enough, let her teammate Natasha Cloud explain:
In her second year since leaving the Connecticut Sun, Williams has found her shooting stroke. The six-year veteran is scoring a career-high 17.5 points per night largely due to her increased 3-point rate. She’s nearly doubled her attempts (6.6) and is making 44.2 percent of them while averaging 6.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
More than that, Williams has been there in the clutch. This game-winner against the Liberty is only a glimpse at the fun she could bring to All-Star weekend.
Jean Dawson piqued the interest of many with his 2020 sophomore album Pixel Bath, which expertly toed the line between hip-hop, pop-punk, and hyperpop. He’s now slated to tour with Brockhampton and even received a kind co-sign from pop-punk godfather Travis Barker, who said his music is “slept on.” Continuing to expand on the world he built around his debut effort, the musician offers an inside look at his dizzying dreams with his surreal “Dummy” video.
Dawson’s “Dummy” video, directed Mowgly Lee and Bradley Calder, opens with the musician awaking only to find himself still in a dreamlike state. With quick jump cuts that mimic the song’s hurried beat, the visual follows Dawson as he rides through the city in the dead of night before being transported to a vast meadow of golden flowers. The song itself mirrors the disorienting style of the visual as Dawson teeters between pop-punk-style refrains and melodic raps.
Dawson says of the song, “Every time someone tries to tell me about a dream they had it always feels like a run on sentence — ‘Dummy’ is a run on sentence.”
Ahead of the visual’s release, Dawson shared the mini-documentary Burnout, which gives insight to his creative process. “The older I get, the happier I get,” he explained in the film. “And I think that’s the opposite for people. Thankfully, I think it’s because I do the thing that I want to do. When we’re younger, I think we’re forced to do things that we don’t understand.”
Watch the “Dummy” video above and listen to his latest song, “Ghost*,” below.
Nikola Jokic had a tremendous 2020-21 season, taking home the league’s MVP honors for his work in getting the Denver Nuggets to the 3-seed, scoring at a career-high level on career-high efficiency while still proving himself as the NBA’s best passing big man.
However, his season ended on a less than positive note when he got ejected in the third quarter of Game 4 against the Suns for a Flagrant 2 on Cam Payne out of frustration with the lack of a whistle going his way. That was the last thing he did on the season, and after the foul Devin Booker and the Suns unsurprisingly took exception and got in the face of the Serbian big man. It’s probably for the best that this is the NBA and actual fights never break out because Jokic is, one, a giant human being and Booker is not in comparison, and, two, Jokic had some serious backup ready.
Seated in the lower bowl right by where the kerfuffle broke out were Jokic’s likewise incredibly large brothers and while Nikola was fairly calm as Booker got in his face, staring down the Suns star and jawing, the other Jokic boys were feeling a bit rowdier in the stands, ready for a fight.
Those are a couple of big ol’ boys who looked ready to rumble and you could see that security was just hoping they’d stay where they were, barking at the Suns and that nothing would happen on the court that might lead the brothers to feel the need to defend Nikola. That would be highly unlikely, but their presence is probably a significant deterrent to anyone who is thinking about starting an actual fight with Jokic. It’s also a little funny that of all the Jokic’s, I think Nikola is the one who looks the least like a professional athlete in terms of body type despite being one of the very best basketball players on the planet.
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⁰⁰What a start to her Liberty debut
(@TheNoLookPass) 
: IG / soo.sue.mee