Category: News

Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel actress Charisma Carpenter has come forward to join the public discussion about allegations of misconduct against Joss Whedon. It’s the latest in a long line developments involving WarnerMedia’s investigation into Whedon’s alleged behavior, so let’s do a little background here.

Last August, WarnerMedia opened an investigation into allegations brought by Justice League actor Ray Fisher against Whedon, who he accused of misconduct and abusive behavior on the set. Jason Momoa publicly supported Fisher while seconding the need for an investigation, and Gal Gadot subsequently added that her experience on the set (after Whedon took over for the departing Zack Snyder) “wasn’t the best one.” Subsequently, WarnerMedia declared that investigation was complete, and “remedial action” was taken, although they did not elaborate upon exactly what that action was.

WarnerMedia also said that Fisher didn’t cooperate with the investigation. He has denied this declaration, and after he was dismissed from The Flash movie as Cyborg, he’s continued to regularly tweet about the subject, most recently to demand an apology. And now, Carpenter is joining the #IStandWithRayFisher movement. She did so by detailing her own experiences with Whedon in a statement on Twitter:

For nearly two decades, I have held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me to this day.
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Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers. The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer. It is with a beating, heavy heart that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively.
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Last summer, when Ray Fisher publicly accused Joss of abusive and unprofessional behavior toward the cast and crew during reshoots on the Justice League set in 2017, it gutted me. Joss has a history of being casually cruel. He has created hostile and toxic work environments since his early career. I know because I experienced it first-hand. Repeatedly.

Charisma detailed more allegations, including how Whedon allegedly berated her for weight gain after receiving the news that she was pregnant:

[O]nce Joss was apprised of the situation, he requested a meeting with me. In that closed-door meeting, he asked me if I was ‘going to keep it’ and manipulatively weaponized my womanhood and faith against me. He proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me the following season once I gave birth.

At six months pregnant, I was asked to report to work at 1 am after my doctor recommended shortening my work hours. Our to long and physically demanding days and the emotional stress of having to defend my needs as a working pregnant woman, I began to experience Braxton Hicks contractions. It was clear to me that 1 am call was retaliatory.

Back then, I felt powerless and alone. With norther option, I swallowed the mistreatment and carried on. After all, I had a baby on the way, and I was the primary breadwinner of my growing family. Unfortunately, all this was happening during one of the most wonderful time in new motherhood. All that promise and joy sucked right out. And Joss was the vampire.

Charisma also reveals that she participated in WarnerMedia’s Justice League investigation, and she’s “deeply pained” by their decision to fire Fisher as Cyborg in The Flash. She adds that it took years for her to come forward to also speak out against Joss Whedon out of fear that retaliation would destroy her career. “As a single mother whose family’s livelihood is dependent on my craft, I’m scared.” Still, she added, “I can no longer remain silent. This is overdue and necessary. It is time.”

You can read Charisma’s full statement below.

(Via Charisma Carpenter on Instagram)

This morning, the 2021 nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were revealed, and the list includes folks like Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, and Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl and company band guested on the Howard Stern Show this morning, and while there, they discussed the nomination, with Grohl making a pick for who he thinks should induct the band if they manage to get into the Hall.

Grohl said (as Consequence Of Sound notes):

“To be honest, this band started with this demo tape I did. I called it Foo Fighters because I didn’t want anyone to know it was me. […] Coming out of Nirvana, I didn’t want to say I had a solo project. One of the reasons I did that was because when I was young, someone gave me a record from someone named Klark Kent. It sounded a lot like The Police, because it was actually Stewart Copeland, the drummer of The Police. He made this record under the name ‘Klark Kent.’ That’s really the thing that inspired me to start the band and call it Foo Fighters. I think Stu would be a great guy to induct the band.”

Meanwhile, the band’s Pat Smear had his own pick: Grohl’s mother, Virginia Grohl. Elsewhere during the chat, Stern asked the group, “In all honesty, does that turn you guys on, or does it really not matter? Is it bullsh*t?” Nate Mendel responded, “It’s the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, it’s not bullsh*t at all. It’s an honor. It sounds like the political answer, but it’s true.”

While the band hasn’t been inducted yet, they certainly have a strong resume, as they’ve maintained a high level of success over the course of two decades and change. They’ve been nominated for 27 Grammy Awards and have won 11 of them. Additionally, every album since 2002’s One By One has achieved a Billboard 200 chart peak of at least No. 3, with two of those, Wasting Light and Concrete And Gold, topping the chart.

The much-discussed Britney Spears documentary, Framing Britney Spears, includes footage of Sarah Silverman mocking the pop star at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. “[She’s] 25 years old and she’s already accomplished everything she’s going to accomplish in her life,” Silverman joked. “It’s mind-blowing. And she’s so grown-up. She’s a mother, you know? It’s crazy. It’s weird to think that just a few years ago on this very show, she was this, like, sweet, innocent little girl in slutty clothes riding around with a python.” She also called Spears’ kids the “most adorable mistakes you will ever see!”

Ever since the documentary was released on Hulu, Silverman has been hounded by fans of the “Toxic” singer who feel that her jokes went too far. She replied to the criticism on Twitter, writing, “I was known then 4 roasts. MTV asked me to mini-roast Britney after her big performance. While she was performing I was having diarrhea & going over my jokes. Had no idea she didn’t kill. Unfortunate. Art changes over yrs as we know more & the world changes.” This was the same VMAs as Spears’ notorious performance of “Gimme More,” which the New York Times called a “fiasco” (it also inspired the “leave Britney alone!” video). “Ms. Spears teetered through her dance steps and mouthed only occasional words in a wan attempt to lip-synch her new single,” the review continued. Silverman wishes she could “delete” her cruel jokes at Spears’ expense, but “I can’t.”

This wasn’t the first time she faced a backlash to her Britney jokes, either.

Silverman was slammed at the time, too. Days after the VMAs, she told Us Weekly, “The joke that everyone was upset about — me calling the kids ‘adorable mistakes’ — was the most innocuous joke. It never occurred to me that would be deemed hurtful or over the line. I don’t want to get into feuds with girls half my age. I’m in it to be funny and not for the drama. It’s embarrassing.”

There’s a lesson to be learned in all this. And that’s:

(Via US Weekly)

Maybe the best word to describe Daniel Kaluuya is “focused.” While interviewing the Get Out star for his tremendous performance as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah (which just garnered him a Golden Globe and SAG nomination), it honestly, at times, felt like interviewing a professional athlete. Kaluuya speaks with an intensity and confidence about his performance that does feel like he’s about to go out and win a World Cup.

As an example, part of what’s so remarkable about Kaluuya’s performance of Fred Hampton is that there really aren’t any other performances over the years. He’s playing this larger than life figure, and his performance will be seen for generations as the performance of record. It’s the kind of performance that can affect a historical figure’s legacy. And the thing is, Kaluuya obviously knows this. And admits, yes, there is a responsibility and he was quite aware of it. But at the same time you have to push that aside and do the job. For Kaluuya, failure wasn’t an option, nor something he even thought about. If he started thinking about failure, well that’s how a person fails. (Actually, maybe Kaluuya might win a World Cup one day. I sure wouldn’t bet against him.)

Kaluuya also expands on his plans to make a movie about Barney. Yes, the lovable purple dinosaur. And he was a bit surprised by the confused reaction to this news, but, as before, you have to ignore all that and just get the job done.

(When our interview started I was given a time limit that was double what I was told before, which I tried to clarify, to Kaluuya’s amusement.)

I have that much time? I thought it was half that? Not that I wouldn’t want to spend as much time talking to Daniel…

[Laughs] You did not want to do that! You did not want to do that. He was like, “What the fuck?”

For the record, I would spend any amount of time.

“I got shit to do.”

No it’s, “Oh, I’m going to bore this man to death.”

Nah, man. It’s never that, man. I’m sure you’re a fascinating and interesting human.

Well, you’re out of luck there. But, first, congrats on the Golden Globe nomination.

Thank you so much.

Were you excited?

Yeah. I was excited in the sense that it means more people are going to hear Chairman Fred. Watch Chairman Fred. It can reach a wider audience because of it, so I’m excited in that sense.

Is there a weight to playing Fred Hampton? Maybe responsibility is the better word.

There is a weight. There is a weight and there’s a responsibility. Sometimes you have those kinds of moments, to see how strong you are or to get stronger. That’s what tension and resistance does. I had to step up and stand at my full height in order to reach the incredible spiritual heights that he reached. I did that. Then drop by drop a river is formed. I moved like that. Didn’t try and do too much too quick. Just little by little, and not beat myself and judge myself when I didn’t go in the right direction in the process of building an interpretation of Chairman Fred.

I’m curious what you mean by that. I get the impression you want to play this man as a human being, but also show his gravitas. Those can be hard things to combine.

Yeah, he’s a human being with gravitas. The gravitas is part of his humanity. You just have to go a different way. Gravitas, it’s a human trait and you have to go that way. Own it and go, “Okay, this is who he is.” Accept who he is. Accept it as a guide and go closer towards it is how I approached it and thought of it.

What did you find to be the most difficult aspect of playing someone like him? The thing I can’t stop thinking about is there aren’t many performances of him, so this will be one people watch for years to come. If something goes wrong, this is a real human being with a real legacy.

To be honest, I don’t even engage in “don’ts.” I cannot afford to engage with it falling through, it not working out. It’s going to happen. It’s happening. The end.

Right…

What can I build from that? How am I going to read the text? That’s all ego. I have to surrender that in order to play this in a certain way. I engage with all my characters. I’m in service of the story. I’m in service of the narrative. I’m in service of Chairman Fred. That’s how I engage with it. If I engage from a service standpoint, there is no fear.

Surrendering ego. How does one do that? Because that sounds like something that’s easier said than done, for anyone.

Yeah, you’ve got to decide, bro. You’ve got to decide and you’ve got to make it happen. That’s the end of the day. Do you have control over your mind or do you don’t? Is your mind in control of you? Is your mind bigger than you? You know what I mean?

Yes.

I’m thinking in my mind and I go, yo, we’re going this way. Oh, nah, nah, nah. Nope. We’re going this way, and I move accordingly. So that’s how I see it. If I become aware of those negative thoughts, I do not allow them to consume me. If I’m unaware, then I’m unaware, and then it’s consuming me. I’m unaware. I’m unconscious. But if I’m conscious and I’m up, then I’m bigger than that. I am bigger than that. I think everyone is bigger than that. It’s just do you believe in it or not?

Also, this is stuff that my mom passed down. This is my mom’s stuff. There’s real-life that my mom’s gone through. My experience pales in comparison to what she’s overcome. Nah, I don’t even engage with that. I’m blessed. I’m born here and I’m getting it, and every goal that we have we’re achieving. Not even in an arrogant way. Just because it’s here. That’s the way it is and I’m blessed that my mom gave me those factory settings.

That’s a really nice thing to say about your mom.

Oh, I appreciate that. It’s the truth, my guy.

Was there a specific scene that you found particularly rough? [Note: there are spoilers ahead, which depict real-life events.]

Doing the poisoning scene on the day of the 50-year anniversary was a really tough day. It was just a tough day in general. To be doing that scene on that day, it was really heavy.

Oh, I didn’t know that. It was actually filmed on the 50th anniversary?

It was really, really, really, really heavy and everyone felt it. We just knew it was a moment. We had a speech, said a couple of words, really thankful to be here and thankful for what Chairman Fred did for us to be here together. To honor him and to honor his words and bringing it to a wider audience. So that was a really heavy day. Even the stuff I was saying in that scene, the decision he makes in that scene, to say that on that day, was really heavy. I think if I did it another day I wouldn’t be able to do it like I did it.

LaKeith Stanfield said he had a tough time playing William O’Neal, giving someone who did what he did some humanity. As an actor getting into the role of Fred Hampton, did you ever resent LaKeith’s character?

You’re talking about the 50th anniversary, that scene, right?

That scene stands out as an example.

No, because I was unconscious. Chairman Fred was unconscious. That was really happening. However, I didn’t feel comfortable playing it in a way where he was oblivious. I think there’s a line where I go, “When I get out.” And I just said, Shaka, I was like, “I’ve got to give it to O’Neal and give that line. Give him that thing and have an ambiguity within, in the sense that he knows his time’s up in one way, shape or form. Or this time in this chapter.” You have that with the imminent birth of Chairman Fred Jr. You have that with the decision he makes in the scene. People want him to flee and you can tell that something has shifted. I just thought that he knows something’s up. Spiritually speaking, I wanted to transmit that. If people pick up on it, they pick up on it. If you don’t, you don’t. But I wanted to have that ambiguity there that he wasn’t oblivious of his unconscious.

Were you surprised by the lack of past Fred Hampton portrayals?

No, because the reason why there’s not many portrayals is the reason why he’s not figure in the position that he’s supposed to be. He was assassinated. He’s assassinated in the sense, his body, but also his trajectory, his words, his ideas, and his strategies were usurped. And the credit of him of being the origin of certain ideas was taken away from him. Especially, when I was doing the research, wow, there’s so much information about him, about his death. Not a lot of information about how incredibly he lived. Also, it was from an outside point of view. It wasn’t from in the party or from Chairman Fred. So I can understand the assassination that happened with Chairman Fred was a physical one, and a spiritual one, and a social one: in terms of suppressing him being known in a certain way.

So that’s what I meant earlier about the weight and responsibility, because your performance, people are going to watch over and over again for a very long time.

Well, it is. And at one point you’ve got to go, are you strong or not? Are you big or not? You got to go around carrying it. Then you get to point where your muscles get stronger, your muscles get stronger, your muscles get stronger, and now you’re just carrying it. You’ve got heavier, you’ve gained weight, and you’re built for it. It’s not something at the beginning of the process I felt like I was built for. It was something I really worked at and conditioned myself. And understanding myself. And coming there with empathy and love and service. I moved like that. But I understand your point of view from your vantage point. It’s like, “Yo, this is a big weight. This is a big responsibility!”

Right. In soccer terms, it’s like you have to score a goal here and you did. But it’s not easy to score a goal.

But the concept of easy, I don’t even engage with. The concept of easy doesn’t help me in any process. It’s what’s the truth. It’s what’s the truth. If I’m trying to score a goal, that’s going to ensure that I don’t score the goal.

That’s interesting.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, I do.

I can’t come from that space. I’m coming from what’s honest? What’s truthful? How am I vessel? How am I channeling this? Then there’s no ego. It’s like, I’m not trying to do this. Boom. I’ve done that. I did that. In that sense, so I just go, “That happened.” That’s what I’m trying to say about surrender. I really mean that. It’s a state of being that I have to be in order to move closer to that spiritual space in order to be a vessel and a channel for it.

A few months ago a story broke that your production company is making a Barney movie and people seemed confused by it. I just watched a documentary about Sesame Street, I assume that’s similar to how you feel about Barney. Are you going to bring back David Joyner? Maybe that’s too specific of a question, but I’m just really curious about this.

Yeah, we’re developing it at the moment. I can see the reaction was really interesting because I was like, oh, they don’t see how I see it. Oh, okay. Cool. I see it. Then I just keep moving. To be honest, I don’t really enjoy “announcements.” I prefer trailers to press releases. It’s that thing where I get that’s the game and it came out. I think we see something, we see something that’s interesting, and we’re going to just go into that direction. If people don’t get it, then they don’t get it. I can’t really engage with them because it’s a different level of investment. But I appreciate their viewpoint and I listen at times when they say this and that, because actually there’s some cool ideas in criticism. If you take away your ego and your personal views on it there are some really cool ideas. I go, oh, I never saw it like that. Cool. Cool. I’ll take that on. So, I’m open, I have strong opinions loosely held, and I just move like that.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Let me tell you a story about two sisters raised worlds apart, quite literally on opposite sides of the map. Despite the mileage between them, they grew up in similar surroundings and became women of similar tastes with similar dreams. And when they finally met — after plenty of girl’s nights and quality time spent together — they set forth on a joint journey to establish themselves in the wine industry.

It sounds a lot like the vino version of The Parent Trap, doesn’t it? Well, there’s no double-Lohan in this plot. This is the very real story of two real women who make real wine that’s really delicious. I’m talking about Robin and Andrea McBride of McBride Sisters Collection.

Robin McBride was raised in Monterey, California, while her kid sister Andrea McBride grew up in Blenheim, located in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. They were unaware of one another’s existence and didn’t meet until they were 25 and 16, respectively. But when Andrea McBride moved stateside to attend the University of Southern California, the duo quickly fostered a bond rooted in a similar personality trait: a sincere appreciation for the places they were raised — coastal enclaves where the grapevines are vast and respect for the land runs deep.

“We both grew up with this background of vineyards and winemaking families and wineries nearby,” Robin McBride says. “We were both learning more on our own as adults, getting our wine chops together and starting our wine journey. At a certain point, we started to realize that this was part of our story—this was who we were.”

That love of terroir led to the McBride Sisters Collection, a range of affordable, high-quality, sustainable wines produced by the sisters and their team on their properties in both California and Marlborough. Wines that, above all things, are meant to be shared.

“We like to say our wines pair best with great times and great people,” Robin McBride says.

To help you get acquainted with the McBride sisters and the wines they produce, we rounded up eight of their most popular bottles. These wines are easily accessible in retail shops across the U.S., and you can find them online in the linked price points below.

McBride Sisters Collection Central Coast California Chardonnay

ABV: 13%
Average Price: $17

The Wine:

Made with 100 percent chardonnay, this pale golden wine is not the buttery, toasted vanilla stuff that’s usually associated with the grape. This is a youthful sipper. It’s extremely aromatic and beautifully expressive—a quality of every single one of the wines under the McBride Sisters Collection umbrella. And it’s completely driven by fruit, likely a nod to its fermentation process, during which the wine spends 85 percent of the time soaking in stainless steel barrels.

Tasting Notes:

The aromas of pineapple and honey permeating from a bottle of this wine will instantly transport you to a tropical oasis. But the character and complexity of this chardonnay zaps you right back into reality. It’s lightweight for chardonnay but it commands attention. On the palate, the wine is soft and creamy with the slightest hint of oak that balances out all the ripe pear, apple, and lemon flavors.

Bottom Line:

Drink this wine with a five-piece crispy chicken dinner from Popeyes, a portobello mushroom burger, or something light that’s hot off the grill. Heck, drink this chardonnay with a pound of pasta drenched in parmesan and sprinkled with black pepper.

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself drinking more than you’re eating, though.

McBridge Sisters Collection Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

ABV: 13%
Average Price: $17

The Wine:

Being raised in areas where environmental practices are based on protecting and preserving the land, it was important for Robin and Andrea McBride to focus on sustainability when they set out to make their own wine. “When you have a product that based in agriculture, taking care of the land and the environment is paramount. You can’t destroy the place where you are creating the process. All of it makes for better wine,” Robin McBride says.

That seems inherently true for the sisters’ sauvignon blanc. You can almost taste the sparkling sunshine, glistening coastlines, and rolling hills of Marlborough.

Tasting Notes:

This wine smells like a fruit bath at an exotic luxury spa. The fragrances of peach and mango are delightfully soothing to the senses against aromas of Green and Yellow Delicious and Fuji apples. The palate beams with notes of key lime pie (without the caloric guilt), while the body of this wine has an interesting oily mouthfeel that is balanced out with refreshing acidity and mineral undertones in the finish.

Bottom Line:

This sauvignon blanc may be the closest you actually get to experience the bliss and beauty of New Zealand. Drink it when you need an escape.

McBride Sisters Collection Hawke’s Bay New Zealand Sparkling Brut Rosé

ABV: 13.5%
Average Price: $23

The Wine:

This pretty bubbly is a blend of pinot noir, chardonnay, and malbec grown in vineyards located in one of New Zealand’s most prestigious fine wine regions: Hawke’s Bay. Although you can’t tell from its reasonable price point, this exceptional sparkling rosé is quite the award winner. It’s nabbed a platinum medal at the Monterey International Wine Competition and a gold medal at the San Diego International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is greeted with fragrances of strawberries and cream and a delicate bouquet of roses. The sip leans into the red fruit with notes of tart raspberries, ripe strawberries, cranberries, and a splash of peach. The shiny little bubbles dissolve into an almost creamy texture on the palate, which cleans up well with a dry finish speckled with just a little bit of spice.

Bottom Line:

Drink this wine when you want a standout bubbly that won’t break the bank.

Black Girl Magic California Riesling

ABV: 13.5%
Average Price: $20

The Wine:

As two of the few Black winemakers in the world, the McBride sisters launched their products with an agenda to change the industry for the better and interact with people of all walks of life who were interested in wine. They got an opportunity to do just that when they were asked to showcase their wines at the 2018 Essence Festival in New Orleans. Initially, the McBride sisters created the Black Girl Magic label as a way to celebrate the city’s first Black woman mayor — but when the wine kept selling out, they knew they were on to something much bigger.

Of course, you don’t have to be a Black woman to enjoy the splendor of wines like this Californian riesling. Wines under the Black Girl Magic label are for “anybody who identifies with the spirit of beauty, power and resilience,” Robin McBride notes.

Tasting Notes:

This wine smells like jasmine petals and honeysuckle blooms. The palate shines with bright citrusy notes of juicy nectarine, pineapple, and guava. There’s a little bit of residual sugar in this medium-light wine that gives it a dash of sweetness, but that’s all balanced out with acidity that’s not too pulling and results in an elegant, mouthwatering finish.

Bottom Line:

You’ll want to drink this wine ice cold with a couple dozen oysters.

Black Girl Magic California Red Blend

ABV: 13.5%
Average Price: $25

The Wine:

This garnet-colored wine is comprised of Merlot and Cabernet grapes. It’s another award winner, having scored a gold medal at the San Diego Wine & Spirits Challenge.

Tasting Notes:

This wine is like a blackberry cobbler, without all the messy aftermath of baking a pie. The nose is loaded with smells of dark fruits like blackberry, blueberries, and Java plum, plus a little bit of tobacco. Those notes show up front and center on the palate too. But then there are these seductive hints of mocha, toffee, and cherry that develop throughout the sip.

This wine is full-bodied with a memorable peppery finish.

Bottom Line:

This is a red wine that’s super versatile. It will pair with just about anything from steak to grilled chicken and even hearty vegetarian dishes.

Black Girl Magic Merlot

ABV: 13.5%
Average Price: $25

The Wine:

Here’s a wine made of 100 percent merlot grown in California that will give your red meats and winter stews some sophistication. This garnet red wine is luscious and juicy with aging potential that will make it worthwhile today or years from now.

Tasting Notes:

Take a whiff of the black cherry cola, spiced cocoa, and plum spilling out of the glass with this wine. As the wine opens up, the palate is overcome with flavors of vanilla bean, cherry, fig, and chocolate that get a lift from chewy tannins — the naturally occurring polyphenol found in fruit seeds and skins that informs a wine’s astringency. The finish is opulent and lingering.

Bottom Line:

This is a wine for the dinner table. It will pair nicely with steaks and lamb chops, mash potatoes swimming in gravy, and winter vegetables.

Black Girl Magic Zinfandel

ABV: 13.5%
Average Price: $25

The Wine:

Produced in California, this wine is made with 100 percent Zinfandel. Although it’s leaning on the dense side, it shows incredible fruit and the type of character that will convince you to pour glass after glass.

Tasting Notes:

The aromas of this slightly purple wine — dried cherries and red plums — leap out of the bottle. The sip is generous with the fruit flavors, evolving into a melange of jammy red and blackberries, Medjool dates, and a sprinkle of peppercorn. The body is bold and silky, you can feel the weight of this wine at first sip through its rounded, lengthy finish.

Bottom Line:

This wine will stand up to almost any holiday meal and is a good one for making celebrations all the more special.

Black Girl Magic Rosé

ABV: 13.5%
Average Price: $20

The Wine:

This friendly, easy-going rosé is made with a blend of pinot noir, merlot, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, and malbec. This is a dry-yet-mouthwatering expression, meant for drinking all year round.

Tasting Notes:

The smell of orange blossom and red berries and cherries are hard to miss once you pop the cork on this bottle. As bursting as this rosé is with floral and red berry fragrances, it’s just as crunchy with notes of apple and pear and bright citrus flavors that will leave you licking your lips after each sip. There’s some fresh acidity that’s noticeable in the palate, but overall this wine is refreshingly light.

Bottom Line:

This is that easy-drinking rosé you’ll want to sip no matter the weather, the time, or the place. Drink it while you Netflix and chill with bowls of salty and sweet snacks, or pair it with your grilled fish and roasted chicken. It’s good whether you decide to enjoy it with food or as a solo sipper.

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and if you don’t already have plans, don’t worry. Justin Bieber and TikTok have you covered. While many of us are scrambling to figure out what to do to fete our romantic partners on the heart-shaped Hallmark holiday, Bieber at least has a thematically appropriate concert streaming live on TikTok, where he’ll be performing one of his most beloved, romance-inspired projects: His December 2013 “compilation album,” Journals.

For those who may have missed out on one of the blog era’s biggest musical moments, Journals was the moment Justin officially “grew up” in the eyes of many, setting aside his usual pop tunes for an album of maturish, feature-packed alt-R&B. Employing a small army of the genre’s best-known and respected producers including Andre Harris, Darkchild, Maejor Ali, Poo Bear, T-Minus and more, Journals saw Justin embark on his first foray into the world of unapologetic Black music, accompanied by some of the biggest names in rap at the time. Big Sean, Chance the Rapper, Future, and Lil Wayne all appeared, helping to lend an edge that the former tween pop star had been missing.

While it received lukewarm reviews at the time of its release, among a certain subset of fans, the album was a tremendous hit, even going so far as to earn Justin the unofficial nickname “Biebervelli,” playing on Tupac’s Makavelli alter ego. It’s a very fitting album for a Valentine’s Day event, especially after a year in which most concerts were forced to move online for safety reasons. Some of us may end up spending V-Day by ourselves, but at least we won’t be alone.

Tune in via Justin’s TikTok at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT or, if you miss it, catch the encore Monday at 1 pm ET / 10 pm PT,

Throughout its run, Key & Peele always seemed to leave a space for sports fans, a testament to the fandom of hosts Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael-Key. The show explored everything from why basketball players slap one another’s butts to the tragedy of brain injuries for NFL players, to most famously why football broadcasts have little videos of players introducing themselves and their colleges.

That came in “East/West College Bowl,” which many rank among the best sketches in the show’s run and which Key broke down in an episode of 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt over at The Ringer this week.

According to Key, the idea for the sketch came after watching a broadcast in which the Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, rather than stating that he went to the University of Michigan simply said, “you know the school” with some gusto. The admittedly silly line inspired Peele to then write up the entire sketch full of names like “Jackmerius Tacktheritrix” that get more absurd as the sketch (and its sequels) go along.

Even funnier, Key describes how Peele was not even a football fan when they wrote the sketch, but had discovered by way of playing Madden that there existed a player named D’Brickashaw Ferguson, to which Key replied, “Have you heard of the SEC?” And thus, a beloved sketch was born.

Donald Trump Jr. ranting about his father’s second impeachment trial was bound to be wild, given that he’s taken a slight break from appearing on Fox News in his energetic ways that make people wonder if an intervention is in order. He has always denied rumors when he’s accused of being blitzed out of his mind, but it’s hard to overlook those previous suspicious instances when he does stuff like wildly rant about Hunter Biden during a weekend jaunt that inspired lot of “Motel 6” jokes and made people wonder what the heck’s going on. What shall people wonder about with Don Jr.’s latest Fox News appearance to speak with Sean Hannity?

That answer’s a simple one: how does Don Jr. wildly rant for at least 1 minute and 45 seconds while appearing to not come for air? It’s mystifying to watch happen:

“If it wasn’t for double standards, the Democrats would have no standards at all” is only one of his declarations. He also accused Democrats of selectively editing the video footage used in the opening remarks of Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD). And he believes that this impeachment is all about hypocrisy because, in Don Jr.’s mind, his father’s inciting of an insurrection was “mild” compared to Black Lives Matter protests:

“You sort of highlighted all the hypocrisy that we saw during 10 months of rioting, looting, arson, in-your-face type of politics. Candidly, whatever my father said on January 6th was mild in comparison, but if you were to take his speech and compare it to literally any stump speech ever given in the history of politics, you would see absolutely no deviation.”

Beyond Don Jr. refusing to see the truth here — that there’s no comparison between peaceful BLM protests (looters, allegedly including Jake Paul, were generally not affiliated with the actual movement) and the deadly U.S. Capitol riot, in which MAGA insurrectionists stormed the premises and which left at least five people dead — it is very hard to get past Don Jr.’s bizarre ability to not breathe (through his nose or mouth) while ranting unabated.

Meanwhile, Trump’s second impeachment trial (which Trevor Noah has compared to a Michael Bay movie) continues after Trump’s newest bumbling lawyer, Bruce Castor, caused quite a reaction (even from Ice-T) with his opening remarks, which made Rudy Giuliani look like the pro of all pros. Also last night, Sean Hannity gently suggested that Trump replace Castor, so it’ll be interesting to see who Trump hires next.

As part of a long story on their relationship this week at GQ, newly-engaged sports power couple Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird shot a Couples Quiz video, and the results were predictably hilarious.

Asked to give Rapinoe’s father’s first name, Bird froze, only able to think of the grandfather’s name, not the father’s (it’s Jim). But later on in the video, there were several charming and interesting moments including the reveal of Rapinoe’s dream vacation in Tahiti, why Rapinoe loves to play in Los Angeles and Portland, and which milk additive the couple uses in its coffee these days.

Though Rapinoe accompanied Bird to the WNBA Bubble in 2020, the two largely lived the year out of the spotlight, but ahead of the Tokyo Olympics this summer in which both women figure to be prominently featured in Team USA’s exploits, they are growing as a couple as well. Rapinoe is in the running for her second gold medal if she makes the U.S. Women’s National team, while Bird could win her fifth for the women’s basketball team.

And most importantly, though they’re in a simple studio answering silly questions, both Rapinoe and Bird made sure to bring out some of their best fits to show off their ever-impressive fashion sense.

Then-president Donald Trump was banned from Twitter in early January for his role in inciting the attack at the U.S. Capitol building that left five people dead.

“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” a statement from the social media platform read.

On Monday, Twitter CFO Ned Segal confirmed that even if Trump runs for office again (“We will be back in some form,” he said the day he left the White House), he’s still banned. “The way our policies work, when you’re removed from the platform, you’re removed from the platform, whether you’re a commentator, you’re a CFO, or you are a former or current public official,” he said on CNBC. “Remember, our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence, and if anybody does that, we have to remove them from the service and our policies don’t allow people to come back.” Despite (or because of?) deplatforming the extremely online former-president, Twitter is doing fine:

In its earnings report Tuesday, the company provided a unique disclosure on user growth in the current quarter, saying it saw above average growth throughout the month despite “unusual circumstances.” … Twitter shares were up as much as 13% as of Wednesday morning.

Trump’s anger was reportedly at “an eight” on a scale of one to 10 while watching Tuesday’s impeachment trial, so it must be killing him that he can’t tweet. Now, or ever again. He’ll have to save his Diet Coke takes for real life.

(Via CNBC)