Category: News

Fans of Lil Kim will soon be able to hear her voice on the upcoming season of American Gangster: Trap Queens as she signed on to narrate the show’s second season. The BET-led show is set to return on January 14 and it will highlight some of the most notorious female gangsters. The show’s synopsis reads that series as a whole “examines the lives and the legend behind some of America’s most notorious female criminals set against the backdrop of the cities they ruled.”

The first season of the show, which premiered in 2019, was narrated by Jeezy, but for a show centered on women, Lil Kim should fit in well to its story. Frank Sinton, the executive producer of American Gangster: Trap Queens, shared what fans can expect for the upcoming season in a brief statement.

“While addressing social issues such as systematic racial and gender disparities, the stories this season vary from thrilling to shocking and everything in between,” he said. The first five episodes of the new season will be released on Thursday with Perrion Roberts, Brandi Davis, Dwen Curry, Tiffani Rose Peak, and Shauntay Henderson getting their own episode.

In addition to her new narration role, Lil Kim and Foxy Brown were set to reportedly face-off in an upcoming Verzuz battle, but Swizz Beatz shut down the rumors and said it was unconfirmed.

Think back, if you can handle it, to a time before social media. How is it possible, you may ask, that people existed without Twitter and Facebook and Parler and Pinterest? Did they even talk to each other or merely grumble under their breath as they passed? It’s unclear, but somehow business got done and society managed to coalesce into something mature enough to create the vast digital spaces where MAGA coups could be organized in plain sight.

But with Donald Trump finally banned from Twitter, and MAGA-friendly Parler looking for new web hosting and likely to be taken offline for a stretch, conservatives are complaining that it’s getting a lot harder to rile up their followers with coup attempts, wild misinformation about elections and lunatic QAnon conspiracies.

Which brings us to Republican house member Devin Nunes of California, who believes that conservatives are simply out of ways to communicate with constituents now that social media companies are taking measures to ban hate speech and the spread of dangerous misinformation and conspiracies about satanist pedophiles running the government and Hollywood. In what was billed as an “exclusive” interview on Fox News on Sunday, Nunes claimed that “conservatives have no way to communicate” despite being on live television on the network that bills itself as the most watched news channel in the country.

As the Daily Beast noted, Nunes was pretty steamed on Fox News, bemoaning all the followers he might lose on Parler if the plug gets pulled on its web hosting after Amazon Web Services stops supporting it this weekend.

“This is clearly a violation of antitrust, civil rights, the RICO statute,” Nunes added, calling on the Department of Justice and the FBI to open a “racketeering investigation” into what he views as a coordinated “attack” on Parler. “I have three million followers on Parler,” the congressman whined. “Tonight, I will no longer be able to communicate with those people.”

It cannot be said enough that, despite conservatives claiming strict adherence to the constitution and carrying pocket versions of it with them everywhere they go, there’s an incredible misunderstanding of what the first amendment actually is and what it protects. Private companies deciding not to deal with dangerous and — especially this week, seditious — speech is not a violation of the first amendment because they’re not part of the federal government. And there’s also the hilariously simple-minded conclusion that, without Twitter, there’s simply no way to talk to anyone.

Dismissing the simple fact that he’s claiming an inability to communicate while talking on Fox News, there’s also a wide variety of other ways to, you know, get your ideas out there if you are a sitting member of the House of Representatives. Modern media has created a phalanx of conservative news outlets, and Nunes has written and published a book. And it’s also important to note that politicians have entire press staffs at their behest to write speeches, press releases and access many other forms of direct communication to journalists and, more importantly, their constituents.

Nunes is being willfully misleading, to say the least, though that’s really nothing new. What is new, and entirely his problem, is that there may now actually have to deal with consequences for misleading others and distorting reality.

The 2020-21 season hasn’t gotten off to the start the Washington Wizards wanted, as they fell to 2-8 on Saturday with a loss to the Heat while without Bradley Beal who is currently in the league’s health and safety protocol after a postgame conversation with Jayson Tatum earlier in the week who tested positive.

Aside from Beal, who continues to be one of the NBA’s best offensive players, one of the few bright spots thus far for the Wizards has been the play of center Thomas Bryant. The fourth year big man is averaging 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on tremendous efficiency, shooting 64.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range to start the season. It was a leap the Wizards hoped to see, but on Saturday, his season was cut short as he went down with a knee injury on a rebound attempt early in the first quarter.

On Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Bryant’s MRI had confirmed the worst and his season was indeed over after having torn his ACL.

It’s a brutal blow for both Bryant and the Wizards, as he was enjoying a career year and provided Washington with tremendous energy and spacing on the offensive end. Scott Brooks will have to get creative with lineups to account for Bryant’s absence, as Robin Lopez figures to get more minutes and Washington also will probably play more small ball to keep their spacing intact. Hopefully Bryant is able to make a full recovery and come back in full next season, because he had been one of the early breakout players in the NBA this season.

This weekend has been all about the six-game NFL Wild Card slate as the playoffs begin and teams try to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive. For 18 teams, those dreams fell to the wayside last week or well before and this past week hasn’t been about preparation for a game but preparation for the offseason and trying to set themselves up moving forward.

Houston is among the group of teams that entered the offseason looking for a new head coach and a new general manager. They’ve brought in the latter, Nick Caserio who has long been the Patriots director of player personnel, and head coach interviews continue, with Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady as the presumptive favorite for many. What is most interesting about the Houston coaching search is the list of names not on their interview list, most notably Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, who is considered one of the top candidates on the market.

Bienemy also happens to be the preferred choice for star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has heard nothing but effervescent praise from Patrick Mahomes about the OC. That Bienemy isn’t getting an interview and Brady is a lead candidate with far less experience has reportedly left the star very upset, and, as ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported on Sunday morning, has him at least mulling the possibilities of pushing his way out via trade and where he’d want to end up.

Not only did they not take his request for coaching search advice — something they had previously promised to do — but they also apparently chose Caserio over the two GM candidates that their search firm had recommended, leading to even more frustration, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Dolphins make the most sense for a Watson trade for a number of reasons, most notably that they have a young quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa that is the kind of prospect that could pique the interest of the Texans in moving their face of the franchise should he want out. From Watson’s perspective, the Dolphins are a team on the cusp, with a terrific defense and an offense with some solid weapons that seemingly could take the proverbial leap if they just had a better quarterback under center.

The report from Mortensen is fairly soft in terms of there being anything resembling a formal trade request coming in the immediate future, but simply seems to note that it’s on the table with how this offseason has started for Houston. If Watson does push his way out, he would become the top trade target for just about half the league, as he represents an upgrade at quarterback for all but maybe five teams.

While many eyes were on the political landscape in the United States, it should be noted that last week was one of the most active weeks in terms of coronavirus cases across the country. California has one of the country’s highest coronavirus case rates and according to the LA Times, one in five Los Angeles residents have tested positive for it. Unfortunately, Grimes is one of the individuals who received a diagnosis for the virus. The singer shared the news in a post to her Instagram story that read, “Finally got COVID but weirdly enjoying the DayQuil fever dream … 2021.”

Grimes also used the announcement to shout out SZA for her most recent single, “Good Days.” She showed love to the song with the planet, white heart, sparkle, dragon, and moon emojis. Her announcement comes after she released a Rave Edition of Miss Anthtropocene, an album she shared with her fans last year.

The project reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. It also reached No. 4 on Billboard Alternative albums chart. Prior to that, she dropped her poppy and ethereal track, “Delicate Weapon,” which appeared on the newly-released Cyberpunk 2077 video game.

Other notable people from the music world that have recently tested positive for the virus include Jeremih, Ashanti, Mustard, and 03 Greedo.

There are some actors who, no matter how huge they eventually get, will always be remembered foremost as SNL stars: Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Bill Murray, Tina Fey, and even Eddie Murphy. Then there are also those huge stars that were on SNL, and while many people remember that, it doesn’t figure heavily into their career identities. That list includes people like Robert Downey, Jr., Julia Louis Dreyfus, and even Chris Rock, who is probably better known for his stints as host of SNL than his three seasons as a cast member. Then there are people like Tom Hanks and Steve Martin, who were never actually cast members on SNL but have been on the show so many times that they’re often associated with the series, too.

Finally, there are these five famous actors, who almost no one remembers were even on Saturday Night Live because their stints were so short (and I’m not even including Schitt’s Creek star Catherine O’Hara, who was cast on SNL but never actually appeared on the series).

Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller joined the cast of SNL in 1989 while wanting to make short films for the comedy series. This, however, was before Andy Samberg and Lonely Island, so SNL was not as yet well known for their short, pre-taped films. Unfortunately, Stiller didn’t realize that he wouldn’t get to exclusively make short films, and he wasn’t comfortable performing in front of a live audience. After only four episodes, Stiller quit the series, although he would quickly bounce back the next year with the Emmy-winning sketch show, The Ben Stiller Show, before becoming a comedy superstar and returning to SNL as a host, as well as a couple of cameos as Michael Cohen.

Damon Wayans

Wayans’ best-known sketch work, obviously was on In Living Colour, the sketch comedy show created by his brother, Keenan Ivory Wayans. Five years before that, however, Wayans was briefly an SNL cast member, although he did not enjoy his time there (he’d only make it 11 episodes). Wayans didn’t appreciate playing background characters, and he got so fed up with working on the series that, in a fit of anger after Lorne Michaels made him change his costume, Wayans changed a character during a live show into a flamboyantly gay cop. He was fired “on the spot,” although he, too, would eventually come back to host the show.

Laurie Metcalf

Metcalf has several Emmy Awards, several Tony Awards, and was even nominated for an Oscar for her role in Lady Bird. She’s best known, however, as the wacky aunt, Jackie, in the long-running sitcom Roseanne and its spin-off continuation, The Conners. Metcalf, however, was also very briefly a cast member on SNL. So brief, in fact, that she only appeared in a single episode. Metcalf’s stint was so short that she barely remembers she was on SNL. Unfortunately, after her one episode, the series went on hiatus for retooling, and when it returned, she was no longer part of the series.

Rob Riggle

Riggle is far better known for his work on The Daily Show, his stand-up, his sitcom work, hosting the mini-golf game show, Holey Moley, and regular appearances on Fox NFL Sunday pre-game show. He’s a veteran actor, but SNL was his first real gig. Unfortunately, he was fired after only one season, which he attributes to the fact that he was hired onto a cast with a massive number of veteran stars, which left him with little opportunity or time to break-out. In his brief time with the show, however, he was at least able to witness one of the biggest blunders in SNL history: Ashlee Simpson’s infamous lip sync moment.

Janeane Garofalo

Though not as well known today, Garofalo was a huge star in the ’90s, known for movies like The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Wet Hot American Summer, Reality Bites, and Mystery Men. More recently, she’s known for her progressive activism and periodic television and film work. Interestingly, Garofalo was a cast member on the first show Ben Stiller did after his stint on SNL, The Ben Stiller Show, while Garofalo herself went to SNL after The Ben Stiller Show was canceled. She didn’t stay long, however, only making it until midseason. Garofalo bailed over “creative differences,” which is a euphemistic way of saying it was “the most miserable experience of my life.” Garofalo’s year, 1995, was a particularly bad year for SNL, where more writers sought to escape the show than to get on it.

Donald Trump, bereft after a ban from many social media services following a coup attempt in Washington DC last week, has remained quiet this weekend as much of America counts down the days until he shamefully leaves office. But another prominent Republican and celebrity is speaking up about the damage that event has done to the country and what needs to happen moving forward.

Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a video to Twitter on Sunday that condemned the attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters on Wednesday, an event that saw insurrection at the seat of American government and left five people dead. In a more than seven-minute long video, Schwarzenegger offered an important history lesson and perspective on the MAGA riot in Washington and the lessons we need to take from the violent uprising that could have been much, much worse.

Schwarzenegger, who grew up in Austria, compared Wednesday’s coup attempt to Kristallnacht, or The Night Of Broken Glass, a pogrom against Jews in Austria in the buildup to the second World War.

“Wednesday was the Day of Broken Glass right here in the United States. The broken glass was in the windows of the United States Capitol,B” he said. “But the mob did not just shatter the windows of the Capitol, they shattered the ideas we took for granted. They did not just break down the doors of the building that housed American democracy, they trampled the very principles on which our country was founded.”

The former governor of California explained the fallout from that awful night in his home country and how it changed people in the years to come, including domestic violence he described in his own home. Though Schwarzenegger said he hopes the same march to violence and an end of democracy isn’t coming in America, he laid out why Americans “must be aware of the dire consequences of selfishness and cynicism” of what Trump and his true believers did.

“President Trump sought to overturn the results of an election, and of a fair election,” he said. “He sought a coup by misleading people with lies. My father and our neighbors were misled also with lies, and I know where such lies lead.”

Schwarzenegger called Trump “a failed leader” and assured that “he will go down in history as the worst president ever” but he also called out the “spinelessness” of Republican lawmakers who enabled Trump’s coup attempt by baselessly questioning the election results, even after the coup attempt where they were rushed from the Senate and House floors because of the attack.

“They’re complicit with those who carried the flag of self-righteous insurrection into the Capitol,” Schwarzenegger said, referring to the confederate battle flag that was carried into the building for what’s believed to be the first time in history on Wednesday.

It’s an important attempt at perspective about what happened in Washington, an event with fallout the country will have to endure for generations to come even in the best of circumstances. We’ve seen many lawmakers call out Trump and treasonous Republicans like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley in recent days, but few have been more recognizable to the American people, nor done it with this much depth and perspective.

Oh, he also broke out his Conan sword.

The most recent episode of Barry aired on May 19th, 2019, which is 602 days ago. That’s one of the longest hiatuses between actives seasons going today, although Donald Glover’s Atlanta reached 976 days today (Atlanta‘s third season, however, will premiere in the first half of 2021). So, when can we expect the next episodes of the dark, HBO comedy?

According to a Bill Hader appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, the third season got as far as the table read for the first two episodes back in March 2020. They were a week away from shooting the season.

That’s the bad news: The pandemic stalled production on the series indefinitely.

The good news is this: Over the course of the pandemic, Bill Hader and his Barry co-creator, Alec Berg, used the break to not only finish writing the third season but to write the fourth season, as well. In the meantime, they’re just waiting to get the greenlight from HBO to resume production, and since the third and fourth seasons have been written, we shouldn’t have to wait as long between seasons once the series ramps up again.

Hader also spoke about the cliffhanger at the end of the second season, and how he had written himself into a corner. He likened it to the pressure he felt the longer he did Stefon on SNL, except that here, “I can’t just rely on John Mulaney to make me laugh. I actually have to finish my lines.”

“We really, really screwed ourselves here,” Hader continued, referring to the second-season cliffhanger. “We’re still saying that. We’re still trying to figure it out.”

Don’t worry, though. The Emmy-winning series starring Bill Hader, Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Henry Winkler, and Anthony Carrigan will be back as soon as it is safe to do so, and with some of the best minds in comedy, I have no doubt they’ll figure a way out of their hole.

Calling out the “best Four Roses bourbon” may be fun, but it isn’t particularly easy. The brand is renowned for having a deep bench with ten unique bourbon recipes. Having ten barreled bourbons in the various warehouses — which are based on two mash bills (one high-rye and one low-rye) and five different yeast strains — means there are a lot of great flavors to play with when marrying barrels and blending the final expression that makes it into each bottle.

All that variability makes for an interesting line of whiskey. It’s also a pretty small slate, all things considered.

Whereas some brands (even small ones) have six, ten, 20, or more expressions to choose from, Four Roses has four core bottles and one yearly limited release. Yes, there are plenty of one-off releases in the single barrel and small batch formats. But as far as yearly standards go, there are only five Four Roses bottles to choose from. That makes ranking them deceptively hard — you spend a lot of time splitting hairs.

To rank these five bottles, we had to consider price and availability, along with taste. We looked first and foremost at what tasted the best, then factored in the value and the ease-of-finding each expression. We know, very scientific stuff.

Let’s get into it!

5. Four Roses Bourbon

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $23

The Whiskey:

This introductory juice from Four Roses is a blend of all ten of their whiskeys. The barrels are a minimum of five years old when they’re plucked from the warehouses, blended, brought down to proof, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a bit of steeliness to the nose that’s mellowed by hints of dried florals, apple, and a touch of honey and spice. The taste doesn’t veer too far from the nose as the apple turns more honey, with mild vanilla and more honeyed sweetness. The end is subtle and short with a touch of green oak, spice, fruit, and one more dash of honey.

Bottom Line:

Was anything else going to be last on this list? This is a workhorse bourbon that’s best used as a mixer in cocktails or highballs. Can you drink it on the rocks? Of course. Still, there’s a lot of room to go up — quality-wise — from here.

4. Four Roses Small Batch Select

ABV: 52%
Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This expression uses six of Four Rose’s ten whiskeys in their small-batching process. The idea is to blend both high and low-rye bourbons with yeast strains that highlight “delicate fruit,” “slight spice,” and “herbal notes.” The whiskeys tend to spend at least six years in the barrel before blending and proofing with just a touch of Kentucky’s soft limestone water.

Tasting Notes:

Raspberry and cloves mix with old oak on the nose and boy, does it draw you in. The palate amps up the dark berry sweetness with a bit of tartness, as a stone fruit vibe comes into play. The spice heightens and leans more Christmas spice with a focus on nutmeg. Finally, a wisp of fresh mint arrives to counterpoint the whole sip as the oak, vanilla, fruit, and spice all slowly fade out.

Bottom Line:

This was the toughest one to place. It’s a very easy sipper all around (with a nice bit of water or ice to let it open up). But we’d argue it works better as a cocktail base and at $60 a bottle that seems a steep for a mixer.

3. Four Roses Small Batch Barrel Strength Limited Edition 2020

ABV: 55.7%
Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

Last year’s Limited Edition was a solid release. The juice was a blend of four whiskeys leaning into both high and low-rye mash bills and the “delicate fruit” and “slight spice” yeast strains. The whiskey was then aged around 12 years before the different barrels were married and put into the bottle unfussed with.

Tasting Notes:

Cherries cut with cinnamon and vanilla cream greet you with a touch of toasted oak. That vanilla carries on as the spices lean into full-on Christmas spices and a good dose of caramel corn next to blasts of orange zest, vanilla, peach, and pear. The end holds onto the spice, orange, and creaminess as it slowly fades out, leaving you buzzing with warmth.

Bottom Line:

We really wanted to rank this higher — it’s probably the best sipper on the list. But it’s hard to source and likely marked up well beyond MSRP if you can find it.

That said, you might just have some, so simply add a drop or two of water and take your time enjoying this fine dram.

2. Four Roses Single Barrel

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $49

The Whiskey:

Four Rose’s standard single barrel expression is an interesting one. This is their “number one” recipe, meaning it’s high-rye (35 percent) mash bill that’s fermented with a yeast that highlights “delicate fruit.” The juice is then bottled at 100 proof, meaning you’re getting a good sense of that single barrel in every bottle.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a nice maple syrup sweetness up top that leads to cinnamon bark, pear orchards, and plenty of vanilla. The taste holds onto the pear and spice while mellowing with meaty plums and a fatty nut underbelly leading to a slight tobacco buzz around the mouth. The end is velvety and full of that fruit, leaning into a stewed plum pudding feel with plenty of spice, vanilla, and nuts on the slow fade.

Bottom Line:

This is really nice to sip, especially with a rock. Also, at around $50 per bottle for a single barrel, it’s a solid cocktail base for Manhattans, Sazeracs, and boulevardiers. Plus, you should be able to find this pretty easily on your local liquor store shelves, giving it a solid edge.

1. Four Roses Small Batch

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $38

The Whiskey:

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a blend of four whiskeys. The blend is split evenly between the high and low ryes with a focus on “slight spice” and “rich fruit” yeasts. The whiskey is then blended, cut with soft Kentucky water, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

Soft and sweet orchard woods (think apple and cherry) greet you alongside hints of dusty brown spices and ripe red berries. Hints of caramel lead back to the berries and an almost vine-y earthiness next to a bit more of those spices. The end is velvety and lasting. The fruit really is what you’re left with, sort of like a blackberry jam that’s been steeped with cinnamon sticks at the very end.

Bottom Line:

For under $40, this is the best deal both taste-wise and for use. You can sip this easily with a little water or on the rocks. It’s a really solid cocktail base all around. And it’s a great highball mixer.

Taste-per-dollar, it’s tough to beat this expression from Four Roses.

Alex Jones has his own warped version of reality he tries to manifest to what’s left of his audience, but even he seems done with QAnon believers after a week in which the Donald Trump-obsessed, baseless conspiracy helped manifest a coup attempt at the US Capitol.

Jones is a conspiracy theory lunatic in his own right, but on Saturday video of Jones railing against QAnon to the point where he breaks character and starts laughing went viral on Twitter.

Jones interrupts his Q-affiliated guest and called them “full of sh*t” before doing what he does best: rant and rave.

“Because every god damn thing out of you people’s mouths doesn’t come true. And it’s always ‘oh, there’s energy’ or ‘oh, now we’re done with Trump,” Jones said. “You said he was the messiah! You said he was invincible! You said that it was all over. That they were going to Gitmo. And now that he’s part of a larger thing of Q.

“I will not suffer your Q people after this,” Jones continued, pointing directly into the camera. “I knew what you were day one, I know what you are now, and I’m sick of it.”

At one point, Jones starts laughing and puts his head in his hand, trying to regain composure. He somewhat succeeds, relatively speaking. It’s definitely not fair to consider Jones the voice of reason about much of anything other than perhaps chili recipes, but as MSNBC host Chris Hayes rightfully pointed out, there is something strange about even him having enough of Q lunatics.

Or as another person Twitter pointed out, well, it takes one tenuous grasp of the truth to know another.

Alex Jones punting on a conspiracy theory only means that a new conspiracy theory is about to get a new ally, but it is stark to see Jones declare something completely baseless to be well, a huge fraud far too many people are falling for. Broken clocks, things of that nature, I suppose.