The Los Angeles squads were quiet in the lead-up to the trade deadline while teams like the Magic and Bulls and Nuggets put together the splashiest moves to begin the day. Still, the two West contenders both were expected to make some moves, as they were both in need of some additional depth at the deadline.
The Lakers spent the day reportedly in talks with the Raptors about Kyle Lowry, in a back-and-forth that reportedly hinged on the inclusion of Talen Horton-Tucker, while the Clippers looked elsewhere in the East for some backcourt assistance. Rajon Rondo, who is plenty familiar with a playoff run for an L.A. team after helping the Lakers to a title, hasn’t played much for the Hawks this season after they inked him to a $9 million deal this offseason, and as such, he was very much available at the deadline.
The Clippers swooped in to nab the veteran guard who they hope can bolster their shaky point guard situation come playoff time, sending Atlanta native Lou Williams back home to the Hawks along with some second round picks, in a deal first reported as nearing the finish line by The Athletic’s Shams Charania and confirmed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Hawks are in serious talks on Rajon Rondo to the Clippers for a Lou Williams package, sources tell me and @sam_amick. Williams could land in Atlanta or a third team.
Rondo has not been good for the Hawks this season, even when healthy, but he proved a year ago that regular season performance isn’t exactly indicative of much with what he can bring come playoff time. He is the definition of a 16-game player at this point and that’s what the Clippers are banking on and need more than anything, they’re just hoping he can pull off the same reversal this season. As for the Hawks, they get off of Rondo’s contract, which owed him $7.5 million next year, and bring in Williams who, if he plays for them, adds some scoring punch to the bench. As an added bonus, while Lou had hoped to call it a career in Los Angeles, going back home to Atlanta is the next best thing.
During the early years of his stand-up career, Zach Galifianakis had a very brief stint, which he’s often described as more of a two week trial, as a writer on Saturday Night Live. Despite things not working out and becoming evident very quickly that he just wasn’t a good fit, Galifianakis is still honored that he even had a chance to be in the room and take a crack at the show.
While calling in to Literally! With Rob Lowe, Galifianakis opened up about the two sketches that he actually got to pitch during the week that Britney Spears was scheduled to host. This would’ve been the May 13, 2000 episode, which was smack in the middle of her “Hit Me Baby One More Time” years. At the time, Galifianakis noticed that Britney “showed her belly button a lot,” so he came up with this idea where they’d use a green screen to “shrink” Will Ferrell who would play a security guard inside Britney’s belly button. As Galifianakis tells it, the pitch completely bombed.
“I feel like a tumbleweed went right across the writer’s room table, and a cricket riding it,” Galifianakis told Lowe. However, he got a chance to pitch another sketch directly to Britney, but that one still never saw the light of day.
“You’re being interviewed by Entertainment Tonight. There’s no jokes. And during the middle of the interview you just start bleeding from the mouth,” Galifianakis recalls telling Britney before describing her reaction. “She looks at me, and then she looks at the ground, and then I looked at the ground, and she looks back up at me, I look at her, and she goes, ‘Yeah, that’s funny.’”
Even though Britney said the pitch was funny, Galifianakis could tell by her reaction that there’s no way he should write this sketch and present it to anybody. So, he didn’t, and that was the end of his short time on SNL.
Rising R&B artist Fousheé had herself a breakout hit last summer when “Deep End” gained traction on TikTok, and since then, the single has been making its way up the Billboard charts. Now, the recent RCA Records signee’s breakout hit has put her in the history books.
On the latest Billboard Alternative Airplay chart (dated March 27), “Deep End” has achieved a new peak at No. 10 in its sixteenth week on the chart. The top 10 spots of that particular chart aren’t often occupied by Black women: As Fousheé notes in a video shared yesterday, this is the first time a song by a Black female artist has been in the top 10 of the Alternative Airplay chart in 32 years. The last time it happened was when Tracy Chapman’s “Crossroads” was top-10 in 1989.
Fousheé wrote alongside the video, “HISTORY WAS MADE! thank u from the bottom of my [heart].”
Fousheé previously explained the song’s origins, writing on Twitter, “I wrote Deep End when protests were just beginning. Minnesota was up in flames. When i picked the pen up that’s all I could think about. that’s how the earlier version of the song came about. […] I ended up writing a new version because I wanted the song to feel like victory instead of defeat & people were tired of being sad.”
Trade deadline day is exciting for NBA fans, but there is also the flip side, with players seeing longtime teammates move cities and leave to opposing teams. For young Denver guards Jamal Murray and Gary Harris, their strong relationship took a hit Thursday as Harris was dealt to Orlando in exchange for Aaron Gordon. In a tribute to Harris on Instagram, Murray wrote that “tears fell” as he sorted through old images of he and Harris through the years.
The pictures showed the two teammates together over their nearly five seasons together, with Murray captioning the tribute with “all love.”
With a backcourt of Murray and Harris, the Nuggets went from high-lottery squad to Western Conference finals team, with the two young guards coalescing into a nice complement to Nikola Jokic. Similar to players like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in Toronto or other duos from years past, this trade seems to have separated two close teammates who had pride over what they did to lift their team.
Of course, Gordon improves the fortunes of Denver’s team, and Harris had struggled in recent seasons offensively and with his health. The business of trade deadline day is part of the NBA, but stings on a human level, too.
The best answer, as far as we can tell, is “uniqueness.” We’re past the place where featuring “classic bourbon flavors” wins you any points. At this level, you need to be doing something bold to stand out.
In many cases, that bold something is simply being rare. When bourbon gets into the triple digits, it’s often very, very limited edition stuff. Complex barrelling techniques are also in the mix. Even the bottles themselves are finely crafted.
This list was assembled based on taste and that undefinable quality mentioned at the outset: uniqueness. If you’re going to have one of these bottles delivered this weekend (prices are linked), we want it to feel like a great value. Still, the only person who can answer whether these bottles are worth collecting/buying/drinking at this price is you.
At the end of the day, it’s your wallet, not ours.
This bourbon is kind of like Kentucky in a bottle — it’s all about Derby horses and the state’s own spirit. The juice is sourced from a set of 19 barrels from the center of an unnamed warehouse. Those barrels are small batched after 14 long years of resting and the whiskey is proofed with soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
This sip draws you in with a silken balance of cherry and vanilla cream that’s shockingly light. The taste builds on that foundation by adding in soft notes of cedar and cinnamon sticks next to a hint of dark chocolate with a whisper of pancake syrup sweetness. The end marries the cherry and vanilla into a cherry bespeckled ice cream, with hints of those woody cinnamon sticks and dark chocolate peeking in on the velvet finish.
Bottom Line:
With the Kentucky Derby coming up, this is a hell of a bottle to have around to celebrate that event (if that’s your jam). Moreover, if anyone ever asks what “smooth” tastes like in regards to bourbon, hand them a dram of this.
Breckenridge The Collector’s Art Series Limited Edition
This limited edition expression is a collab between multi-platform artist Detour and Breckenridge’s Colorado distillery and warehouse. Detour painted the barrels this whiskey was aged in and then created an inner-label work of art for the very limited run. The end result is a marriage of Colorado bourbon and street art that truly feels special.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a real sense of Christmas cake with dark spices, dried fruits, and candied oranges next to a backdrop of spicy stewed apple skins. The palate holds onto those notes (especially the holiday cake vibes) while adding in a deep cacao bitterness and almost dryness, leading towards an apricot note. The end is long-ish and holds onto the brown spices and dried fruit while adding a final note of buttery toffee sweetness.
Bottom Line:
Part of paying more for this whiskey is in supporting a BIPOC artist. Another part of paying this much is that the whiskey is legitimately masterful. The bottle is a conversation starter at any slow-sipping whiskey tasting.
Sadly, you’re going to have to be close to the distillery to find this one at this price.
Barrell Bourbon’s New Year releases are quickly becoming the most coveted blends from the brand. Their 2020 limited release is a marriage of five to ten-year-old bourbons from Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, New York, and Texas. All those barrels make their way to Kentucky where they’re batched and bottled at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a vanilla cake frosting sweetness on the nose that’s counterpointed by spicy stewed apples, yellow masa, and a touch of peach iced tea. The taste has a mulled wine spiciness and sweetness with hints of fig pudding, almonds, and chocolate-covered cherries spiked with brandy. This all adds up to a real holiday vibe (which is pretty appropriate for New Year’s) as the medium-length end touches on the dried fruits, nuts, and spices as it fades.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bottle to save for the holidays. Crack it open with loved ones and have a few drams. Then put it back on the shelf for another celebration down the road, preferably in winter.
Bib & Tucker’s barrel picks are always worth chasing down. These are rare one-offs that Bib & Tucker hands select for retailers to bottle and sell. The juice is a Tennessee bourbon (some say that means it must be Dickel) that’s aged for 12 long years in very lightly charred oak. The whiskey then goes into the bottle after being proofed down (ever so slightly) to 99 proof.
Tasting Notes:
There will be some variation to these, depending on which one you come across. Still, expect a fairly classic bourbon nose of creamy vanilla, salted caramel apples, and a hint of soft cedar. The palate should touch on dark orange oils next to bright red cherry, with a vanilla pudding base and a subtle dose of dark spice leading towards salted dark chocolate. The end is quite quick and leaves you with salted dark chocolate, orange, and a hint more of salted caramel.
Bottom Line:
This is an interesting pick if you can find one. The savory edges really help it stand out from the crowd, offering you a chance to expand your palate while tasting something very easy-drinking.
No, this isn’t a rye whiskey. It’s a one-off Woodford Reserve bourbon that uses chocolate malted rye grains in its mash bill. The mash is made from 15 percent rye that’s been malted/toasted until it takes on a dark and rich chocolate-y taste (think of the malts used for Guinness or any porter). The bourbon was released in late fall 2019 and is a one-of-a-kind whiskey that we’ll likely never see again.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with a sense of cornmeal that’s been dusted in dark cacao next to a vanilla pudding base with a hint of marzipan and savory fruit. The taste really holds onto that dark chocolate, taking it into full-on cacao nib territory with dryness and bitterness, while hints of chili spice and very mild pine mingle on your tongue. The finish lingers for a good spell as the cacao veers into a spicy yet dry tobacco chew, leaving your senses buzzing.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those bottles we wish could be an every-day dram. It’s just so f*cking silky and full of distinct yet well-balanced flavors.
Not for nothing, but this makes a crazy good Manhattan with some Antica Formula vermouth and a touch of orange oils.
Bardstown is another blendery that’s doing pretty amazing work with sourced barrels. In this case, that’s four barrels from Kentucky aged five to 13 years. The lion’s share of that mix, at 75 percent of the blend, is an eleven-year-old bourbon with a mash bill of 74 percent corn, 18 percent rye, and eight percent malted barley (that just so happens to be Barton 1792’s bourbon mash, but that’s probably just a coincidence…).
Tasting Notes:
This opens like a classic bourbon with rich and creamy vanilla next to sweet caramel popcorn and a hint of old cellar oak with a cobweb or two still hanging around. The palate veers into a cinnamon hard candy territory, with a serious sharp spice next to cream soda and a touch of dry pine. The finish brings about a slight tobacco chewiness that’s attached more to the vanilla than the cinnamon as it fades away fairly slowly.
Bottom Line:
This really does leave you wanting more. The velvet nature of the sip next to the sharpness of the cinnamon and creaminess of the vanilla is so finely balanced that the sip conjures a vision of scientists with beakers formulating the expression.
This bourbon is a representation of what great barrel selection can do. The juice is a blend of whiskeys that matured for ten to 20 years in Wild Turkey’s vast warehouses (specifically on the high floors of their low elevation rickhouse) and hit just the right flavor notes according to Master Distiller Eddie Russell’s palate.
Tasting Notes:
This draws you in with a nose full of orange oils, salted caramel, mild soft cherry wood, rich and buttery toffee, and a whisper of dried flowers. The taste brings that familiar Wild Turkey sharp spiciness but with more subtlety, like eggnog spices, with a creamy texture thanks to oily vanilla pods and a dry sense of oak. The fade is very long, leaving you with a spicy vanilla tobacco buzz next to another hint cherry wood and orange.
Bottom Line:
This feels like the mountaintop of Wild Turkey. It’s familiar if you know WT’s vibe but takes all those notes to their logical and delicious conclusion. Take your time with this one in a Glencairn and really dig deep to find more nuanced notes.
This is a very rare release from Beam. The expression was first released in 2017 to celebrate the premium brand’s 25th anniversary. The juice is a single barrel that’s between 12 and 13 years old and barreled as cask strength with zero fuss.
Tasting Notes:
This is bourbon with a capital “B” from top to bottom, with a nose full of oily and rich vanilla next to salted and almost smoky caramel kettle corn, a hint of dry oak, and very mild cherry tobacco. That cherry tobacco carries the taste towards holiday spices, creamy vanilla pudding, and an underbelly of buttery toffee. The end is long and amps up the spices towards Red Hots territory as the tobacco chew kicks up next to an almost cedar note, leaving you really buzzing on the tongue and across your senses.
Bottom Line:
This is a very rich and robust sip of bourbon. It is a little warm for the uninitiated, so we’d recommend exploring this dram with a rock in the ol’ Glencairn while sipping and nosing.
This is a very interesting expression. A while back, Diageo bought Stitzel-Weller, which was aging juice from Heaven Hill’s Bernheim distillery alongside its own old stock. They’ve been releasing leftover barrels from a bygone era through their various shingles (Bulleit, I.W. Harper, etc.) while also releasing so-called “Orphan Barrels.”
This is a 21-year-old barrel that was the second in a series of releases of 20 to 25-year-old one-off expressions from Diageo’s stash.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mix of almost crystalized honey next to vanilla husks, burnt caramel, dry pine, and worn library leather on the nose. The palate holds onto the vanilla as a base while adding in eggnog spices next to apricot and prune with a counterpoint of freshly cracked peppercorns. The end takes its time as those eggnog spices amp up to the point that the nutmeg feels more like a whole nutmeg and the cinnamon feels like a warm stick.
Bottom Line:
This really is a one-off that’s useful as either a collector’s item to squirrel away as an investment or something you bring out only for special occasions. It feels like something you’re never going to taste again when you take a sip, which makes you want to hide it away.
This is a fascinating mix of sourced bourbon and… good marketing. At seven years, it’s very young for such a pricy bourbon. The juice is hand-selected barrels that meet the specific taste and texture requirements of Saint Cloud’s team. That whiskey is then bottled at barrel strength with no other fussing, giving you a single barrel experience that’s one-of-a-kind.
Tasting Notes:
You’re drawn in with a white cake slathered in buttery vanilla frosting next to a salted caramel waxy wrapper vibe. The palate is subtle, with hints of darkly roasted coffee beans covered in equally dark chocolate next to marzipan, light spices, and a touch of soft and maybe wet cedar. The end holds onto the spices (think clove and cinnamon) as a touch of dried apricot and dried cedar slowly fades towards a velvet-yet-warming end.
Bottom Line:
This has a sweet Highland scotch vibe that’s really enticing. If you know someone into those types of scotches who also wants to get into bourbon, this is a great prospect.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
There’s more than one Princess Diana portrayal to be had these days. Emma Corrin did capture a Golden Globe for her role in blowing up the fairy tale with The Crown‘s fourth season, but there’s a movie version brewing out there too. And for anyone who may have been skeptical about Kristen Stewart taking on the People’s Princess in Pablo Larrain’s Spencer, well, there are at least a few photos that show that she’s disappearing (albeit silently) into the role.
That is to say, there’s been one Shy-Di image already, but above, Stewart shows off the infamous sapphire engagement ring that now belongs to Great Britain’s Duchess Kate. She’s also got the slight smirk (although never nefarious) going on and the styling seems to be on point. Production continues on the film (it’s on the final leg) that zeroes in on the weekend that Diana decided to divorce Prince Charles. This decision followed a disastrous Christmas holiday with the Royal Family in Sandringham. From the synopsis:
December, 1991: The Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage has long since grown cold. Though rumours of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different.
Spencer will co-star Sally Hawkins and Sean Harris, and Jack Farthing (Poldark, Official Secrets) has been announced to play Prince Charles. The film is set for a fall 2021 arrival, ahead of the 2022 25th anniversary of Diana’s death.
Paul McCartney is in the process of rolling out McCartney III Imagined, a version of his 2020 album reworked by a handful of other artists. The latest preview of the release is a Beck remix of “Find My Way,” which takes the track in a funky new direction.
Beck spoke about the remix with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, saying of how it came together:
“He just sent me that particular tune, so I just went right into it. The way I work with remixes is I’ll take the vocal and then I’ll just start from scratch. I’ll just build a whole new song. And that particular song, I actually changed it from major to minor, so I had to do a little bit of altering, but I think it served the groove a bit. And also Paul did the album himself as well, playing on the instruments. So it’s sort of done in the spirit of the record that he made. I think that’s, that’s what is great about remixes is completely take liberties and take the song completely somewhere unexpected.”
He also talked about when he first met McCartney and the time they’ve spent together over the years, saying, “It was probably in the early 2000s. I think Nigel Godrich, who’s produced a few of my records, was doing a record with him. So I went to go hang out with them in the studio a few times and got to learn things they were working on that never came out. He’s a legend, and over the years we’ve hung out. We did a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame thing. Been up to the house before, he’s the greatest.”
Listen to Beck’s “Find My Way” remix above.
McCartney III Imagined is out 4/16 via Capitol Records. Pre-order it here.
The Bulls were also a busy bunch on Thursday, as they made the big splash of the morning with the Vucevic deal, pushing their chips in on this season and trying to show Zach LaVine they were committed to building a winner around him. They weren’t done there, as they moved a couple more young pieces that hadn’t found a solid place in the rotation to Washington, sending Chandler Hutchinson and Daniel Gafford out to bring in Troy Brown Jr. and Moe Wagner, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Washington is trading Troy Brown and Mo Wagner to Chicago for Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchinson, sources tell ESPN.
Wagner will give them a reserve center behind Vucevic after they moved on from Carter, but Brown is the bigger prize. The former Oregon Duck has shown flashes in Washington, but never found his footing and he’ll serve as a replacement on the wing for the Porter Jr. minutes that go away. The Wizards get some more frontcourt youth in Hutchinson and Gafford, and all the four players involved in this trade get what feels like a needed fresh start. The Bulls still aren’t done, though, as Lauri Markkanen remains on the market, most notably in discussions for Lonzo Ball and the Pelicans.
Dolly Parton donated $1 million to fund research for the Moderna vaccine last year, but that wasn’t the only thing she was helping to develop. Popular artisan ice cream brand Jeni’s announced that they teamed up with the singer for a new flavor that combines strawberry jam and salty pretzels.
Jeni’s unveiled the Strawberry Pretzel Pie flavor Thursday, noting that it’s limited to only 10,000 pints and they expect to sell out soon after the ice cream hits shelves. Jeni’s also mentioned that a portion of proceeds from Parton’s ice cream will be donated to her Imagination Library charity, which gifts books to young children:
“WE MADE AN ICE CREAM WITH DOLLY. @dollyparton is the person we all want to be when we grow up. An unstoppable force for good with the power to bring people together — aka a walking, amplified embodiment of what we hope to be as a company. Strawberry Pretzel Pie is our ode to the Queen of Country: sweet and salty, with timeless appeal, deep American roots, and makes you feel good.”
Parton isn’t the first musician to team up with Jeni’s for an exclusive ice cream flavor. Back in 2019, Tyler The Creator unveiled a flavor called Snowflake, which was a combination of spearmint, peppermint swirls and white chocolate flakes. The flavor was so successful that Jeni’s asked the rapper to collaborate on another flavor last year, which he named Pluto Bleu. Tyler’s second ice cream was also a combination of flavors, a mix of blood orange and tropical blueberry.
Parton’s Strawberry Pretzel Pie ice cream hits shelves April 8 online and in-store. Find more information here.
Bo Burnham is an inspiration to YouTubers everywhere: if you’re good enough at making silly comedy videos, someday, maybe, you’ll get to play Larry Bird.
The comedian and actor, who appears in the Best Picture-nominated Promising Young Woman, will reportedly play the Boston Celtics legend in HBO’s upcoming series about the Showtime Lakers. (Has Larry Bird seen Eighth Grade? He — and everyone — should really watch Eighth Grade.) The three-time MVP won three championships with the Celtics, including one against the Lakers. That rivalry forms the premise of the show.
Based on the book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, the show “chronicles the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined its era both on and off the court,” according to Deadline. Burnham joins a stacked roster, including Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley, Michael Chiklis as Red Auerbach, John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss,Sally Field as Jessie Buss, Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Gaby Hoffmann as Claire Rothman.
It’s excellent casting, although I can’t help but wonder if HBO reached out to Nick Kroll to play “Larry Legend” first. Maybe his impression was too good.
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