Category: News

Pat Sajak is certainly known for his quick wit on Wheel of Fortune, even if some fans think he can occasionally cross the line. A recent instance where he appeared to make fun of a contestant’s speech impediment, for example, drew outrage from viewers and even sparked a petition for his removal from the show.

Other times, though, fans have appreciated Sajak’s quick thinking and banter with contestants. And that’s mostly been the response from fans after Friday night’s episode, when the longtime host made what some thought was a reference to a very suggestive euphemism.

Contestant Heather was working on a puzzle on Friday night when she asked for the letter D. It’s a common occasion on the show, as D is one of the more common letters in the English alphabet. But viewers, including noted video capturer CJ Fogler, certainly took notice of Sajak’s response when Heather asked for the letter.

“She wants a D, and she’s going to get one,” Sajak said after a brief pause. It was a quick reply, and one that wasn’t explicitly, well, explicit. But most people seemed to be picking up what they appeared to think Sajak was putting down here.

At least he didn’t open the prize envelope early this time, I guess.

Perhaps the most highly-anticipated college basketball game that took place on Saturday came when UConn and Iowa squared off in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. So much of the anticipation came from the true freshman matchup between the Huskies’ Paige Bueckers and the Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark, and while the game was not especially close — No. 1 UConn beat No. 5 Iowa, 92-72 — these two going toe-to-toe was a glimpse at one of the best individual rivalries that the sport of basketball will have for the next few decades, even if both are close friends.

In the aftermath of the game, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green took to Twitter to discuss women’s sports. Namely, he wanted to discuss how it, as an entity, could grow in prominence, specifically mentioning the conversation around unequal pay.

Green’s broad point, told through a series of tweets that he didn’t know how to thread: Focusing on pay and not unlocking ways to increase revenue by “telling INDIVIDUAL stories and building up the interest in the players.”

As a potential example of this, Green wondered why Bueckers does not declare for the 2021 WNBA Draft, saying that while he understands she is not eligible by the terms laid out by the league’s CBA, he believes this would be the kind of norm-shattering event that takes power from leagues and gives it to players.

Now, even if Green’s intentions are not coming from a bad place, he does show his overall ignorance on the subject by suggesting the issue is that women athletes are not doing everything they can to promote change. An expert in this field, USWNT star and fervent advocate for equality in sports Megan Rapinoe, saw what Green had to say and issued a response.

Among other things, Rapinoe made the point that there is only so far that folks like her and the USWNT can take their battle on their own, saying that “change cannot be made if the only people who care about the change enough are the ones who are suffering the most from it.”

Green went on to say that stories involving women athletes, mentioning Diana Taurasi, are not told. Rapinoe then responded by saying this is not because Taurasi doesn’t have a compelling story or there haven’t been attempts to tell it, but rather, because no one wants to tell it.

Rapinoe might be the authority on these sorts of things — she went to Washington this week on Equal Pay Day to testify in front of Congress and visit the White House alongside USWNT teammate Midge Purce — so it would behoove Green to both listen to what she has to say and do what he can do as one of the most prominent athletes in the United States to be part of the solution here.

Most of the focus on Thursday in the NBA world was on the myriad action before the league’s annual trade deadline. From Nikola Vucevic to Victor Oladipo and others, many prominent names are on the move, while others like Kyle Lowry are staying put after all kinds of rumblings. Another well-decorated player that was not traded on Thursday is seven-time All-Star big man LaMarcus Aldridge but, rather than staying with the San Antonio Spurs, the two sides came to a buyout agreement that was announced shortly after the deadline.

It comes as no surprise that Aldridge and the Spurs are parting ways, simply because that was the widespread expectation for the last few weeks. However, no trade could be found and Aldridge reportedly gave back a hefty sum to pave the way to free agency. Then, several days later, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Aldridge will head to the Brooklyn Nets, something that was eventually confirmed by the big man’s agent.

Brooklyn’s frontcourt has been a weak spot ever since parting ways with Jarrett Allen in the James Harden trade. While promising big man Nic Claxton has emerged, Aldridge provides an interesting element as a potential “stretch big” that can shoot threes (37.9 percent in the last two seasons) and defend reasonably at the rim, should he work his way into the team’s rotation.

It will be interesting to see how Aldridge fits in with the Nets, presumably because he will be in a vastly different role than he has occupied for more than a decade with the Blazers and Spurs. He is no longer a foundational piece and, in Brooklyn, he will take a backseat to the team’s considerable offensive firepower, minimizing his role and maximizing what he can still bring to a team.

For all intents and purposes, three teams are jockeying for the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference this season. While a handful of teams — up-and-comers like the Bulls, Hawks, Hornets, and Knicks or usual stalwarts hoping to catch fire down the stretch like the Celtics, Heat, Pacers, and Raptors — will do everything they can to crash the party after the trade deadline came and went, there is a clear gap between all of those teams and the trio at the top.

The Philadelphia 76ers have held onto the 1-seed while Joel Embiid has been out with a knee injury, while the Brooklyn Nets are a game and a half back and the Milwaukee Bucks are 2.5 back. Funny enough, the odds of winning a championship jumble that trio: The Nets are the favorites league-wide at +250, with the Bucks sitting pretty at +900 and the Sixers coming in at +1100 following the deadline.

It is impossible to predict with total certainty on March 27 what comes of all of this. It is incredibly plausible that any of these teams can come out of the East, both because of how wide open things are this season and because they’re all incredibly good — in various ways, the trio of stars all of these squads possess (Embiid/Harris/Simmons, Durant/Harden/Irving, Antetokounmpo/Holiday/Middleton) can give the others problems, and in a superstar-driven league, this is going to matter as we get to the postseason.

All of this makes the race for the 1-seed this year so much more important than it has been in recent memory. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic means we won’t know how home-court advantage will manifest — it seems hard to imagine that we’ll be able to safely see 17,000+ people into an arena any time soon — a case can be made that going all-out to get the 1-seed is the single most important thing that Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Philly can do over the coming two months.

Yes, getting to host a potential Game 7 in the conference finals in your own building is a huge plus, regardless of whether big crowds are involved. But beyond that, the sheer ability to avoid the other two teams in the conference semis is such a huge potential boost to the 1-seed that the calculus that comes from resting players down the stretch is changed somewhat. Instead of Philly giving Joel Embiid an extra couple of games off, or Steve Nash going all-in on load management, the potential to avoid one another or the Bucks — instead getting, in theory, a far more manageable matchup against the winner of the 4/5 series — is itself a potential gigantic boost for a team’s hopes of making the NBA Finals.

Projecting out the remainder of the season, Tankathon notes that the Sixers have the easiest schedule of the bunch, with the good news for them being that only one of them — Saturday night’s trip to L.A. to take on the Clippers — occurs before Embiid is expected to return from his knee injury. All three teams play one another at least once before the season ends: Milwaukee plays both Brooklyn and Philly twice, while the Nets and Sixers square off once during a mid-April tilt in the City of Brotherly Love. And while we can only take so much out of regular season matchups, the teams have generally played one another close this season. The Bucks beat the Sixers by four in overtime earlier this month, the Nets beat Milwaukee by two in January, and while the season series is split, 1-1, between the two Atlantic Division squads, Philly outscored Brooklyn by three points over 96 minutes of action.

All of this is to say these are three very, very good teams that play one another pretty well, although we’ll certainly learn more as they continue to meet down the stretch. All three teams are in the top-10 in net rating, with Milwaukee being the best of the bunch and Philly being the best of the trio (and the entire league) over the last month. Brooklyn, meanwhile, is the farthest from their potential final form of the group, as the Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving grouping has only played 186 minutes together due to various injuries and absences. The biggest thing looming here is Durant’s absence with a hamstring injury that has held him out since Feb. 13, but Steve Nash seems optimistic his return is around the corner.

Regardless of when Durant comes back, all three of these teams are going to be dangerous in the regular season. All have at least 26 games left to figure out whatever tweaks need to be made and make a push for the 1-seed, which is very, very attainable for all of them. It is, with the trade deadline passed, the crown jewel for which all three teams are battling, because while playing Atlanta or Miami or New York is not easy, it is far more palatable of a second-round matchup than the 2 or the 3. It won’t mean a sure-fire berth in the NBA Finals, of course, but beating championship-caliber teams in the conference semis and the conference finals is extremely hard. At the very least, this, along with the fact that teams 4-10 are separated by 3.5 games and do not want to need to go to the play-in tournament to earn a playoff berth, will hopefully mean that the stretch run of the regular season in the Eastern Conference is as good as ever.

While the reaction to Lil Nas X’s new single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” has been mixed, largely because of its music video and the images displayed in it, the singer has landed upon early success with the track itself. On Saturday morning, the rapper learned the video for his new song reached 10 million views on YouTube and rose to the top position on the platform’s Trending section. In addition to that, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” debuted at No. 3 on the US Spotify chart with 1.236 million streams. The great start left Lil Nas X overjoyed and he posted a video on Twitter to thank fans for their support.

“I just woke up so it’s sh*t probably all over my face,” he said in the video. “I just hit No. 1 on YouTube Trending, 10 million views, and we No. 3 on Spotify and I want to say thank you to everybody cause I don’t take none of this sh*t for granted. I appreciate you, I love you, this sh*t took a lot for me to step out of my comfort zone like this. Yeah man, I love y’all.”

This video, which he also posted on Instagram, produced another great moment for Lil Nas X as it brought forth a comment from his fourth grade teacher who said, “Congratulations! So proud of you!”

After posting the video, Lil Nas shared another personal message about the new single. “I spent my entire teenage years hating myself because of the sh*t y’all preached would happen to me because I was gay,” he said. “So I hope u are mad, stay mad, feel the same anger you teach us to have towards ourselves.”

You can watch Lil Nas’ thank you video above.

Chet Hanks has time and time again found himself dealing with some amount of backlash and controversy due to his social media antics. From his questionable use of patois to thirsting over Adele following her Jamaican flag bikini photo, the antics of Tom Hanks’ son seem to be never ending. In his latest example of this, Chet roped Jack Harlow and R&B singer Jon B when he declared that a “white boy summer” was in route. The announcement was delivered through a video Chet posted to his Instagram account.

“Ok guys, I just wanted to tap-in real quick,” he said to start things off. “I just got this feeling man that this summer is about to be a white boy summer. Take it how you want. I am not talking about [Donald] Trump or the NASCAR-type white.” He added, “I am talking about me, Jon B and Jack Harlow- type white summer. Let me know how you vibe with that. Get ready, cause I am.”

He doubled down on his comments in the video’s caption, writing, “Is it bout to be a #WhiteboySummer or am I trippin ???? Tag a REAL vanilla king #Respectfully.”

Naturally, the video caught the attention of many as some dismissed Chet comments and labeled them as outlandish while others laughed at how Jack Harlow and Jon B were dragged into his claims as they were minding their own business.

You can watch Chet’s video above and scroll down to read some reactions to it.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Sharon Osbourne, a founding member of the CBS show The Talk, will not be part of the broadcast when it returns to air next month. CBS announced on Friday that Osbourne would not return to the daytime program, which had been on extended hiatus after allegations against Osbourne exploded on air.

The incident came after Osbourne defended another TV host embroiled in scandal as a result of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Piers Morgan’s reaction to the interview on Good Morning Britain, in which he claimed not to believe Markle’s account of events that led to her cutting ties with the Royal Family, ended with him leaving his show as well.

But Osbourne, who is a friend of Morgan’s, defended him on Twitter in an event that soon put her own TV career in jeopardy. As the New York Times recapped, an on-air discussion of that defense forced the show to publicly address Osbourne’s own history of racist comments.

“What would you say to people who say that, while you’re standing by your friend, it appears that you give validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist, even if you don’t agree?” Ms. Underwood asked.

Ms. Osbourne said she felt as if she were “about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is a racist.”

“How can I be racist about anybody?” she asked during an especially tense moment in the exchange. “How can I be racist about anybody or anything in my life?”

The show was abruptly put on pause after that March 10 episode, and the delay was extended as more allegations against Osbourne were raised by others on the show. CBS then conducted a review of Osbourne and her behavior on the show, further delaying its return to air. As Deadline reported, not every allegation was found to have merit, but it further hurt Osbourne’s chances of returning to air.

To add flame to the fire, back on March 12 initial Talk co-host Robinson Peete took Osbourne to task for allegedly calling her “too ghetto” for the show and working to get her axed in 2011. Throwing personal correspondence with the ex-21 Jump Street star up on social media in reaction, Osbourne also claimed she had no power to get anyone fired from The Talk and that she never used terms like “too ghetto” in reference to Peete. That latter declaration was weakened when a clip from Season 1 of The Talk surfaced of Osbourne using that very term on-air in reference to Remini.

Through the investigation, Osbourne has been both remorseful for her actions on Twitter while later defending herself. Reports indicated that she’s contacted legal representation, and a number of interviews and PR statements have made the drama around The Talk intensify even as it wasn’t on air. As The Hollywood Reporter laid out, Osbourne at one point said that she had been “set up” to get fired.

Initially contrite on Twitter, Osbourne then went on the offense during the show’s hiatus. She gave interviews to both Variety and Entertainment Tonight, claiming that she had been “set up” by the producers and was offered up as a “sacrificial lamb.” Her publicist also issued a doozy of a statement, alluding to Remini and Robinson Peete’s comments by noting “The only thing worse than a disgruntled former employee is a disgruntled former talk show host.” It’s not typically the strategy of someone expecting to keep their job, so the writing seemed to be on the wall.

CBS said on Friday that there was no evidence that executives “orchestrated” or “blindsided” hosts when discussing Morgan and the subjects that ultimately ended Osbourne’s time on the show. Friday’s news of Osbourne’s departure also came with a date for The Talk’s return to air. The show will be back on April 12.

Here’s CBS’s statement in full:

The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home. As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace. We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts.

Nearly nine months ago, Lil Nas X shared a snippet of a track titled “Call Me By Your Name” on Twitter. While there was no way to know how long the wait would be until the song arrived, there was certainly no telling how the singer would release the track, which is now titled “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” as it arrived with a wild video.

In it, Lil Nas journeys through a fictional hell and Earth even gives the devil a lap dance during his time in the underworld. The response to the video has been mixed, with some praising him for it and others not too fond of it. One person who’s a big fan of the video would be Big Sean, though, who praised Lil Nas for it on Instagram.

The interaction between to two artists came when Lil Nas asked fans in an Instagram post to name their favorite part of the video. As the responses came in, Big Sean took a moment to share his own. “The creativity n confidence to do you fully is my favorite part!” he said. “Keep rocking bro.” As expected, the comment caught Lil Nas’ attention and the singer thanked Big Sean for the love. “Wow bro thanks!” he replied. “Means a lot coming from you! i’m blasting deep reverence today!”

Lil Nas’ “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video was not the only thing he shared on Friday. He also revealed his debut album would be titled Montero and that it would arrive this summer. He made the announcement while mocking viewers who were critical of the new song’s visual.

You can view the post and comments above.

If you’re a drinker, there’s a pretty good chance you have a go-to bottle of gin, vodka, tequila, rum, Scotch, rye... you get the idea. You know, the bottle that you always have on hand for slow sipping and mixing into your favorite cocktails. This is especially true for bourbon aficionados, a loyal bunch if ever there was one.

Since the marketplace is flooded with bourbon options, help identifying quality expressions is always welcome. Today, we’re putting bartenders in the hot seat — asking them for the bottles they reach for time and again. You know, the bottles they stock their home bar carts with.

Check their picks below!

Evan Williams Single Barrel

Dean Hurst, beverage director for Datz Restaurant Group in the Tampa Bay

Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon is always a great drinking whiskey and one of the best values still left on the shelf. Being a single barrel selection, you get a wide range of textbook flavors in every bottle, from creme brûlée to saddle leather.

Average Price: $28

Woodford Reserve

Chris Hennessy, bartender at Dylan Whisky Bar in Kilkenny, Ireland

My home has never been without a bottle of Woodford Reserve bourbon, one of the few drops that can hit every aspect of the flavor wheel you can experience from an individual whiskey. Its combination of corn, rye, and malted barley — 72:18:10 respectively — will bring you to flavor-town in high definition.

Fruity and floral waves of honeysuckle, ripe berries, dried apricot, and rose petals balanced against wooden notes of cedar shavings and fresh pecans/walnut bitter nuttiness. Seville orange sharpness against crisp menthol warmth, and dusted with nutmeg — this dram hints all corners of the palate to satisfy any drinker.

Average: $33

Bulleit

Eoghain Clavin, brewery ambassador for Guinness

Bulleit Bourbon has an especially high-rye content, giving it a bold, spicy character with a finish that’s really clean and smooth. A really affordable bottle and a great sipper or base for classic cocktails.

Average Price: $29

Buffalo Trace

Dennis Shea, beverage director at Fish & Fire Food Group in Washington, DC

My go-to is always Buffalo Trace Bourbon. The taste is rich with vanilla, toffee, and candied fruits and is sure to please. This along with the price make it a very attractive option.

Average Price: $24

High West American Prairie

Tom Garvin, beverage manager at Tribeca’s Kitchen in New York City

American Prairie by High West Distillery is a beverage that I’m always happy to see on a back bar. It’s really affordable and can be great even if it is simply poured over ice or in a whiskey sour.

Average Price: $36

Elijah Craig Small Batch

Chandra Richter, vice president of beverage development and chief mixologist at Drinkworks

I love Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon. It’s a big, bold bourbon that won’t break the bank. I think it is a really great buy and one I always have on the shelf. Plus, it makes a fantastic old-fashioned.

Its big, rich, smoky notes pair so well with aromatic and citrus bitters, resulting in a really complex and satisfying cocktail.

Average Price: $32

Wild Turkey 101

Matthew Lawson, bar manager at Culaccino Italian Restaurant + Bar in Franklin, Tennessee

Anyone who knows me is well aware that Wild Turkey 101 is a constant on my shelf. The low-proof distillation and longer-than-average aging allow the whiskey to pick up an incredible amount of barrel character, affording us a high-octane product that finds a great balance between sweetness and spice from start to finish at an incredible price point.

Average Price: $25

Maker’s Mark

Austin Zimmer, bartender at Le Privé in New York City

The Maker’s Mark is the best value bourbon, below $40, very smooth, and easy to mix. These are the main reasons why it’s one of the best-selling bourbons in the world.

Average Price: $27

Redemption

Evan Charest, bartender in Los Angeles

Redemption Bourbon is my go-to. Personally, I believe it is the best bang for your buck and versatile enough to be a great go-to cocktail-wise. Light notes of vanilla and caramel plus the rye content add a nice hint of spice.

If I can’t serve it neat, it has no business being in a cocktail, and Redemption covers all the qualities I want for my go-to bourbon for cocktails.

Average Price: $29

Bib & Tucker Small Batch

Maren Nazera Erickson, bartender in San Antonio, Texas

Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon is an approachable and affordable option for bourbon enthusiasts of any drinking level. With tasting notes of vanilla, toasted honey, and chestnut, a pour of any of Bib & Tucker’s age statements will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside like a giant hug.

Average Price: $53

Old Forester 100

Johnny Swet, bartender at owner of Jimmy at the James Hotel in New York City

I think a lot of bartenders — myself included — like Old Forester 100 proof. It comes in around $25 which is a bargain. The spice really cuts through the sweetness of the bourbon. It’s great for cocktails as well as on the rocks.

Average Price: $33

Evan Williams Black Label

Joseph Fredrickson, bartender at Society Lounge in Cleveland

My go-to bang for the buck bourbon for a long time has been Evan Williams Black. For the price, it’s a steal with notes of vanilla, cinnamon, pecan, and a slight peppery note. Mind you this is no bottle to impress your friends, but if you want to keep yourself and friends happy while keeping them away from your high-cost, hard-to-find bottles this is my favorite option.

Average Price: $16

Cardi B has been dealing with a heavy dose of negative comments recently, especially after her Grammy performance of “WAP” and “Up” that once again left conservatives up in arms. It hasn’t stopped her success, in fact, much of the criticism toward her comes as a result of her achievements, like “Up” recently becoming the fifth No. 1 single of her career.

Despite this, people still find a way to try and paint her in a bad light, including a rumor that she dismissed recently on Twitter. The artist responded to a claim that Eminem turned down a potential collaboration with Cardi because “she doesn’t care about the culture or her craft.” Once Cardi caught wind of the tweet, she quickly shut it down.

“I get off the internet and ya makin sh*t up,” she said. “I haven’t sent no songs to no artist yet. Love his work and much respect. This don’t even make sense.”

While the collaboration with Eminem isn’t one that’s been put in motion yet, Cardi did tease the existence of other songs with artists that have yet to be named. “Since they like to make up LIES about me cause their so obsessed just know this,” she added. “Y’all laughing about this fake rumor but wait until y’all see these next collars (winking emoji).”

You can read the tweet above.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.