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Shortly after Secret Invasion started streaming on Disney+, Marvel found itself targeted by backlash after fans learned that the opening credits were made with AI. Well, surprise, it’s happening again.

According to a new report, Loki Season 2 is under fire for using AI-generated art for its official poster. AI art is still extremely controversial over justifiable fears that image generators are being trained on artists’ work without their consent (or compensation) and will ultimately replace human created art.

As for how fans were able to figure out the poster was made using AI, note the Roman numeral “IIII” just to the left of Tom Hiddleston’s face as well as abnormal poses for the characters:

Loki’s use of AI art was first noticed by illustrator Katria Raden who was able to find the original stock image that was used in the poster, which presents a major problem.

Via The Verge:

AI-generated stock imagery is a real issue for many creative professionals. As Raden notes: “licensing photos and illustrations on stock sites has been a way many hard-working artists have been earning a living. I don’t think replacing them with generated imagery via tech built on mass exploitation and wage theft is any more ethical than replacing Disney’s own employees.”

Despite the now-second AI controversy for Marvel, the Loki Season 2 premiere delivered record ratings for Disney+. According to Variety, it trailed just behind The Mandalorian Season 3 premiere and is reportedly primed to beat Ahsoka‘s five-day total for views.

(Via The Verge, Variety)

If you’re not an avid gin drinker and you’ve tasted some version of the popular spirit, there’s a good chance it was London dry gin. For the uninitiated, London dry gin is (like all gins) a juniper-infused spirit that often features aromas and flavors from additional herbs and botanicals. It’s well-known for its juniper berry-forward, herbal, earthy, dry flavor profile. It’s also the baseline for a variety of iconic cocktails, including the martini, gin gimlet, and the beloved gin & tonic.

Not all gin is good gin, of course. But the good news is that you don’t have to spend an uncomfortable amount of money to get a solid bottle. You can find quality bottles of London dry gin for under $25. Yes, you read that right. Flavorful, balanced, highly mixable, juniper-filled gins cost less than a meal at a fast-casual restaurant.

To prove it, I picked eight London dry gins and blindly tasted them. I nosed and tasted each and ranked them based on balance, flavor, and overall quality as a mixer. This isn’t a sipping-based test!

Today’s Lineup:

• Tanqueray
• Gilbey’s
• Broker’s
• Bombay Sapphire
• Beefeater
• New Amsterdam Stratusphere
• Burnett’s
• Gordon’s

Read to the end to see how your standard gin pour fared!

Part 1: Under $20 London Dry Gin Blind Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Juniper, orange peels, and some spices, along with a harsh alcohol aroma make for a very interesting nose. The palate is heavy on pine, orange peels, and cinnamon, and not much else. The finish is kind of bitter and there’s a lot of uncomfortable heat. Not a great gin.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

The nose is heavy (almost too much) on piney juniper. There are also notes of lemongrass, licorice, and other spices. Drinking it continues this trend with a bold kick of pine needles, orange peels, menthol, and licorice. The finish is warming, dry, and pleasant with more juniper flavor.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

The nose is all pine, lemon, ripe orange, coriander, lavender, and licorice. The palate is more expansive than the nose with hints of coriander, pine needles, lemon, wildflowers, and peppery spice. This full-flavored gin finishes dry, slightly acidic, and is filled with warming but not unpleasant heat.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

The nose is heavy on juniper, but it’s hard to find a second aroma. Maybe hand sanitizer? Rubbing alcohol? Something at least mildly abrasive. The palate also heavily leans into piney juniper. There’s also some citrus, but overall, the harsh heat makes it difficult to drink on its own.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find a heavy wallop of piney juniper and some backing flavors of coriander and citrus. Overall, not a bad start. Drinking it reveals more juniper as well as some mint, licorice, citrus, and more spice. It’s not a bad mixing gin, but a little heavy on juniper and has a little too much heat on the finish.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

This is definitely a unique gin, as orange aromas seem to be more abundant than the expected juniper. There are also some underlying cracked black pepper, coriander, and cinnamon aromas on the nose. The palate continues this trend with a ton of borderline synthetic-tasting orange up front followed by piney juniper, coriander, and maybe some mint.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

The nose begins with pine and moves into orange peels, lemon zest, licorice, and gentle floral aromas. Sipping it brings forth notes of orange zest, lemongrass, anise, juniper, and cracked black pepper. It’s a spicy, sweet, earthy gin that mixes well into classic gin cocktails.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

A nose of pine needles, mint, anise, and lemon peels greets you before your first sip. The palate is well-balanced with juniper up front followed by lemon zest, orange peels, licorice, coriander, and pepper. The finish is a warming, dry combination of citrus and pine.

Part 2: The Rankings

8) Burnett’s (Taste 4)

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $18 for a 1.75ml bottle

The Gin:

You’d have a hard time finding a cheaper London dry gin that doesn’t similarly resemble rocket fuel. That’s a lot of booze for $18. Produced for more than 200 years (making it one of the oldest brands in England), this juniper-heavy gin comes in a plastic handle, so… you know.

Bottom Line:

This is truly a bargain London dry gin. It tastes like it. Hide this gin in a drink with a lot of other flavors or you’ll regret it.

7) Gilbey’s (Taste 1)

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $14

The Gin:

Gilbey’s is another plastic handle, cheap London dry gin that’s crafted to be used as a mixer only. It’s flavored with a blend of 12 herbs and botanicals including the always present juniper as well as coriander, lemongrass, orange peel, cinnamon, and other spices.

Bottom Line:

Gilbey’s is another gin you might want to avoid unless you want to really hide it in a complex cocktail. But at that point, why devalue your complicated drink with this?

6) Gordon’s (Taste 5)

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $17

The Gin:

One of the oldest gins in the world still in production, Gordon’s London Dry Gin was first launched by Alexander Gordon back in 1769. The most popular gin in England since the 1800s, this value spirit is also the top-selling London dry gin in the world.

Bottom Line:

There’s a reason Gordon’s is so popular. It’s cheap and a decent mixer. Don’t expect any more than that though.

5) New Amsterdam Stratusphere (Taste 6)

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $17

The Gin:

New Amsterdam has long been known for its value gins and its New Amsterdam Stratusphere London Dry Gin is no different. Instead of the usual one-trick pony of the Juniper-forward classic London dry gin, the distillers at New Amsterdam opted to create a two-trick pony — juniper and citrus.

Bottom Line:

This is the bottle of London dry gin to pick up if you prefer your drinks to have more of a citrus lean and less of a juniper presence.

4) Tanqueray (Taste 2)

ABV: 47.3%

Average Price: $21

The Gin:

Tanqueray is a big name in the London dry gin world, yet it remains surprisingly reasonably priced. Distilled four times, this iconic brand doesn’t rely on a parade of flavors as it contains four herbs and botanicals. They are juniper, licorice, angelica, and coriander. All are quite present on the palate.

Bottom Line:

Tanqueray is a classic London dry gin. It has everything you could want and leans heavily into juniper. A great mixer.

3) Beefeater (Taste 8)

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $21

The Gin:

Beefeater is the nickname for the Yeomen Warder of King Charle’s Royal Palace and the guardians of the Tower of London. It’s also the name for one of the most popular London dry gins in the world. This classic gin is flavored with nine herbs and botanicals including juniper, lemon peel, and Seville orange.

Bottom Line:

This might be one of the most well-balanced London dry gins on the market. This is one for fans of juniper who also don’t want it to be totally overwhelming.

2) Broker’s (Taste 7)

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $21

The Gin:

Based on a 200-year-old recipe, Broker’s London Dry Gin is made with ten herbs and botanicals including juniper, sage, lemon, lavender, orange peel, licorice, and more. To flavor the gin, the ingredients are steeped for 24 full hours in pure grain spirit.

Bottom Line:

This gin is spicier than some of the others on the market and that’s a good thing. It will give your favorite drink a memorable, warming, spicy kick.

1) Bombay Sapphire (Taste 3)

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $22

The Gin:

There are few gins as well-respected and well-known as Bombay Sapphire. And yet, it remains fairly priced. This classic gin gets its flavor from the addition of ten specific ingredients including juniper berries, orris root, angelica, coriander, almond, lemon peel, licorice, cubeb, cassia, and grains of paradise.

Bottom Line:

When it comes to well-balanced London dry gins, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of Bombay Sapphire. I didn’t know I was picking such a stalwart as the champ but did nonetheless — what can I say? It’s good! And it ticks all the London dry gin boxes.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

There are many things I learned when nosing and tasting these gins. Clearly, it requires patience to meander past the flavor of heavy juniper found in some of these expressions. But the main takeaway is the idea that you can go cheap with gin, but not too cheap. There’s a big difference between a $21 gin and a $18 handle of gin in terms of overall flavor as well as harshness.

Your best bet, even if you want to save some cash, is to not go too cheap. You’ll regret it. And your cocktails will be worse because of it.

In April, Wednesday dropped their fifth studio album, Rat Saw God. The body of work features singles “TV In The Gas Pump” and “Bath County.” Today (October 10), Wednesday shared the trailer for their documentary, Rat Bastards Of Haw Creek, and their 2024 tour dates.

Wednesday’s 2024 tour will kick off on January 19, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Across the shows next year, Lowertown, Das Blisschen Totschlag, Hotline TNT, They Hate Change, and Draag will serve as supporting openers. For select dates, Karly Hartzman & MJ Lenderman will have a solo show with support from Dan Wriggins. Before their official tour, Wednesday will appear at several festivals, including Atlanta’s Highball and Paris’ London Calling.

Pre-sale for the shows begins tomorrow, October 11, at 10 a.m. local time. The general ticket sale will start soon after. Find more information here.

Watch the trailer for Rat Bastards Of Haw Creek above. View Wednesday’s complete 2024 tour dates below.

10/21/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ Highball Festival
10/25/2023 — Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere #
10/27/2023 — Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling Festival
10/28/2023 — Hamburg, DE @ Molotow ^
10/29/2023 — Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen ^
10/30/2023 — Berlin, DE @ Frannz ^
11/01/2023 — Cologne, DE @ Bumann & SOHN #
11/02/2023 — Zurich, CH @ Bogen F #
11/03/2023 — Luxembourg, LU @ Rotondes #
11/05/2023 — Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds #
11/06/2023 — Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall #
11/07/2023 — Glasgow, UK @ Mono #
11/09/2023 — Dublin, IE @ Workman’s Club #
11/10/2023 — Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club #
11/11/2023 — London, UK @ Pitchfork Festival London
12/08/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon +
12/09/2023 — Ojai, CA @ Deer Lodge +
12/10/2023 — San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop +
12/12/2023 — Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios +
12/13/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern +
01/19/2024 — Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre $
01/20/2024 — Winston-Salem, NC @ SECCA $
01/21/2024 — Boone, NC @ Lily’s Snack Bar $
01/22/2024 — Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry $
01/23/2024 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club $
01/25/2024 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel #
01/27/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall $
01/28/2024 — Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop $
01/30/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Eastside Bowl $
02/01/2024 — Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s $
02/02/2024 — Pensacola, FL @ The Handlebar $*
02/03/2024 — Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits $*
02/04/2024 — Orlando, FL @ The Social $*
02/06/2024 — Miami, FL @ Gramps $*
02/08/2024 — Savannah, GA @ Lodge of Sorrows $
02/09/2024 — Athens, GA @ 40 Watt $
02/10/2024 — Chattanooga, TN @ Cherry Street Tavern $
05/14/2024 — Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf %
05/15/2024 — Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom %
05/16/2024 — San Diego, CA @ Quartyard %
05/17/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether %
05/18/2024 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore %
05/20/2024 — Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall %
05/21/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre %
05/22/2024 — Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre %
05/24/2024 — Missoula, MT @ Zootown Arts Community Center %
05/25/2024 — Bozeman, MT @ The ELM %
05/28/2024 — Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre %
05/30/2024 — Omaha, NE @ Slowdown %
07/27/2024 — Greenville, SC @ Altered States Libation & Arts Festival
08/23/2024 — Málaga, ES @ Canela Party

# with Lowertown
^ with Das Blisschen Totschlag
+ Karly Hartzman & MJ Lenderman solo show with support from Dan Wriggins
$ with Hotline TNT
* with They Hate Change
% with Draag

It would probably be a college student’s worst nightmare to have his dad crash a frat party. Unless of course that dad is Will Ferrell.

Over the weekend, Ferrell was seen behind the DJ booth at a Sigma Alpha Mu party for his alma mater, the University of Southern California—the same college his son Magnus attends—channeling his popular role of Frank the Tank from “Old School.” Minus the streaking.

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Videos show the comedy actor in full DJ garb (black tracksuit, backwards baseball cap, shades, giant headphones) as he blasts songs like “Eye of the Tiger” and Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “Watch the Throne” hit “N—-s in Paris” to the crowd.

@lupetwins8803 #uscfamilyweekend @@WillFerrellOfficial #uscfootball ♬ original sound – Lupitatwins

Though the younger audience didn’t seem to recognize the songs (yes, really) Ferrell still got their heads bobbing along to the beat.

This is not the first time Ferrell has revisited his former college. Back in 2017, the “SNL” star went viral for his zinger-filled commencement speech to USC’s class of 2017, which also, unsurprisingly, included some signing as well.

But Ferrell isn’t the only musically inclined person in his family. That’s a trait clearly passed down to his son Magnus, who announced on his Instagram page that he’ll be releasing some new tracks on Oct 15.

@lupetwins8803 #usc#uscparentsweekend ❤️💛❤️💛 #fighton✌️ ♬ original sound – Lupitatwins

And perhaps the sweetest part of this viral moment is seeing how close Ferrel is to his son, something the father has previously labeled a parental priority. Back in 2008 for an interview with PEOPLE, he advised that moms and dads talk to their children “at least once a week,” adding “If you’ve got time, do it two or three times a week, but otherwise, I find the times where I let weeks and weeks go by without talking to my children, that adds up.”

There you have it folks—Will Ferrell, great music and awesome parenting…all rolled into one fun story.

Mischa is a mixed-breed dog discovered in a forest in Romania with her two siblings in March 2021. It’s believed she was just a month old when she was rescued. “They [Mischa and her siblings] were terrified of humans. If they hadn’t of been rescued, they all would of died from cold and hunger in the forest,” Paula Biddle, a volunteer at Noah’s Ark Dog Rescue in East Anglia, England, told Newsweek.

Even though Mischa’s and her siblings were fostered, she was returned to the kennel after she was sent to “didn’t work out with the resident dog.”

After spending just about all her life in kennels, the rescuers felt they were running out of time with Mischa because of her deteriorating mental state. As time passed, Misha “got more scared and started to shut down; she wouldn’t come near us at the kennels so we had to do something,” Biddle said.

---

​But on October 1, over two and a half years since being moved to a kennel, Mischa was fostered by Trish Edwards, who saw her story on the Noah’s Ark Dog Rescue’s TikTok page.

The video of her first moments outside the kennel shows how Mischa’s attitude completely changed once she was in a comfortable home environment. “We were all amazed at how different she was,” Biddle said.

@noahsarkdogrescue

Remember the video of terrified Mischa? Well she has gone into foster and the difference by the afternoon was amazing. We can’t thank the family enough fir giving Mischa a chance of a happy life. #dogrescue #thisisrescue #adoptdontshop🐾 #rescuedogsoftiktok #noahsarkdogrescue #dogadoption #kennellife #dogfoster #terrifieddog

The video shows what can happen to dogs when they are fostered or find a forever home. “What a beautiful and lovely dog. Terrified to the bone, but still no aggression. Hope she has found her forever home,” Jewelry by Jorika wrote on the post. “All they need is a chance and a bit of love and patience,” JohnnyMoore128 added.

If you’re interested in helping a dog like Mischa, learn more about becoming a dog or cat foster from the ASPCA.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is the highest-grossing concert film of all-time, and it’s not even out yet. The movie, which was shot over three nights of Swift’s Ticketmaster-breaking tour, has already earned over $100 million in advance ticket sales globally, surpassing the total theatrical run of previous record-holder, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never ($99 million).

Swift made the unusual (and profitable) decision to bypass the studios and sign a distribution deal for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour directly with AMC. She bet on herself, and it’s going to pay off. Literally. Variety reports that “Swift’s camp will receive roughly 57 percent of ticket sales, with theaters keeping the remaining revenues and AMC taking a small distribution fee.”

Based on the Eras Tour movie’s massive pre-sales, Swift’s camp will receive at least $60 million, a sum that should climb even higher beyond opening weekend. That’s to say nothing of home entertainment. After its theatrical run, Swift can carve out a separate deal there — and may even choose to self-distribute again, partnering with a company like Apple to release the movie on iTunes.

There’s only so far new money goes — but $60 million, on top of the countless millions she earned from the tour itself, is a good place to start.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour premieres in over 8,500 movie theaters across 100 countries on October 13th. It’s rated PG-13 for seductive dancing with a chair.

(Variety)

For the first time since the 2011-12 NBA season, the Portland Trail Blazers are going into the year without the services of Damian Lillard. We’ll make this quick as you know the story here, but Lillard is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks on the heels of a tense offseason where he requested a trade to the Miami Heat.

Now, Portland has to prepare for life without arguably the greatest player in franchise history, which is a difficult spot for a lot of teams, because it requires a full-scale rebuild after years of going all-in on getting the best out of that specific player. But while the Blazers probably won’t win a ton of games — someone in the Western Conference has to have a bad record — there’s talent on this team and there’s plenty of draft capital that can help them as they put together their roster going forward. Even if a postseason berth of any kind this year is a bit optimistic, this year has the potential to be a fun one in the Pacific Northwest.

Biggest Question: How Does Scoot Henderson’s Rookie Year Go?

We’ll never know everything that went on this offseason, but one thing we do know is that Lillard wanted Portland to turn the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft into immediate help. The team decided to not do that, and instead used the pick on Scoot Henderson, the dynamic guard from the G League Ignite who has been pegged as a potential All-Star for years.

Putting major expectations on Henderson right away is not fair. He is, at the end of the day, a teenager who is about to make the jump to the most difficult professional basketball league in the world. But for everything that Portland got (and will continue to get) in the Lillard trade — whether that be the one that sent Lillard our or the subsequent ones involving players they acquired for him — the most important piece of the puzzle is his successor, who will now get the opportunity to spread his wings and fly from the jump.

There’s a solid core around Henderson, and those players should help take some of the pressure off of him as he finds his way in the league. That might take a while, because being a rookie point guard is just not easy. But between his natural ability and the way he’s wired, it makes sense to want to bet on Henderson in the long-term — remember, while the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was never in doubt, there was a school of thought that Henderson would have gone first overall in plenty of prior Drafts, as he’s the sort of guard prospect worth building your team around. This year is a chance for him to lay down a floor, and even though there are going to be obvious growing pains, the flashes he’ll probably show are what the Blazers are banking on.

X-Factor: Shaedon Sharpe Taking Another Step

Sharpe’s unusual path to the NBA has been well-documented. There’s a chance he could have been in the conversation to go No. 1 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft if he played in college, but instead, he went through his only season at Kentucky without playing a single game. And while he was not perfect during his first year in the league by any stretch of the imagination, Sharpe’s flashes as a potential game-changing talent on the wing with rare athleticism were quite promising.

It’s worth noting that the Blazers’ priorities … we’ll say evolved as the year went on — they played 24 games after the All-Star break, won five of them, and Lillard was shut down for the final 10 games of the year. Sharpe’s play was a bright spot over this stretch, as he shouldered a bigger load down the stretch and responded well. Those final 10 games without Lillard were especially promising for Sharpe, as he played in nine of them and averaged 23.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 35.5 minutes a night while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 36 percent from three.

He’s similar to Henderson in that the infrastructure around him is going to be important, because even though he has a year of NBA experience under his belt, the amount of responsibility that is going to be on his shoulders is increasing. The reps he gets this year are going to be gigantic for the long-term outlook of the Blazers. If he makes the most of them, Portland’s post-Lillard rebuild is going to look even more exciting.

In our efforts to find the best fall craft cocktails, we’ve dug deep into dens of iniquity and hallowed archives. Pumpkin spice flips, apple brandy sours, sips dark and spicy, and so many more cocktails that simply ooze fall vibes. But I think I’ve finally cracked the code and found the absolute quintessential October cocktail. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, being that I’ve been looking for these drinks down various historical rabbit holes, but this wondrous drink is called…

The Applejack Rabbit.

Have you heard of it before? Seen someone order it? Had a bartender regale you with its history? If not, allow me.

The Applejack Rabbit dates back to the dark days of Prohibition and highlights apple brandy (a recurring theme for me this fall). Moreover, it just plain slaps. It’s one of those cocktails that you take a sip of and your eyes widen for a moment and then widen again on the finish. Yes, it’s that good.

Intrigued? Let’s dive in and get shaking one up!

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Applejack Rabbit

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. apple brandy
• 0.75 oz. fresh orange juice
• 0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 0.5 oz. maple syrup
• Ice
• Lemon peel

Back in the day, Applejack and apple brandy were pretty much interchangeable terms, depending on whatever part of the country you were in. So don’t feel tied to buying and using something with “applejack” on the label. Always use the best spirits to make the best cocktails. In this case, you can’t go wrong with the highly awarded Starlight Distillery Bottled-in-Bond 11-Year-Old Apple Brandy from Indiana. It’s a great sipper on its own and it shines brightly in this cocktail, with a deep and fresh apple orchard vibe with a nice layer of wood spices that really pop.

As for the rest of the ingredients, you can get them anywhere. But make sure to get real-deal maple syrup. That component is crucial to giving a buttery depth to the finish of this drink.

What You’ll Need:

• Coupe, Nick and Nora, or cocktail glass (prechilled)
• Cocktail Shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Hand juicer
• Paring knife
• Fine mesh strainer
• Jigger

Method:

• Add the apple brandy, orange juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, and a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker. Affix the lid and shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds (until the shaker is ice-cold to touch).
• Fetch the glass from the freezer and strain the cocktail into the glass. Express the lemon oils from the lemon peel over the cocktail, run the peel around the rim and stem, and then discard the peel. Serve.

Bottom Line:

This is light and citrusy on the front of the palate and then veers into a fresh and crisp apple bite that’s absolutely layered with fall spices. It’s almost airy but then goes deep on the finish toward a caramelized and buttery note that just works wonders with the spiced crisp apple vibe that came before it.

You immediately want to go back for another sip of this one. Then another. That finish just takes this cocktail to a whole new level and really draws out the entire experience. This is like a walk through an apple orchard on a crisp fall day followed up by freshly baked cinnamon rolls just kissed with orange oils and then brightened with lemon oils. It’s brilliant.

Master this easy shaker and you’ll cruise straight through October.

An institution in the world of sports is hanging up his skates. On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN announced that longtime hockey analyst Barry Melrose, who turned 67 earlier this year, would leave the network after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. One of his colleagues at the network, John Buccigross, posted the news to his Twitter account, along with a video that highlighted Melrose’s one-of-a-kind personality and his love for the sport.

After a professional career that spanned more than a decade and included NHL stints with the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings, Melrose moved into the coaching ranks, where he spent time with both the Los Angeles Kings and, for a brief spell in 2008, the Tampa Bay Lightning. During his first year at the helm of the Kings in 1992-93, Melrose helped the team make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, where Los Angeles would ultimately fall in five games to the Montreal Canadiens.

He’s perhaps most well-known for his tenure as an analyst with the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Melrose joined ESPN in 1996 and has been a mainstay in the network’s coverage of the sport for decades. The news of Melrose’s departure from the network comes on the day that the NHL will drop the puck on the 2023-24 regular season.

Earlier today (October 10), Christina Aguilera announced that she’s coming back to Las Vegas with a brand new residency. The show will be held at The Venetian’s Voltaire Belle De Nuit, and sooner than fans might have thought.

Aguilera’s residency will open on New Year’s Eve, with the first two dates being December 30 and 31. More dates are set to be announced later this week. For those looking to buy tickets to the opening dates, they will be available for purchase this Friday, October 13.

While not much information is known, Voltaire’s website states that there will also be VIP Packages for the shows. Right now, fans can sign up for the venue’s mailing list for an “exclusive first look” at future residency dates.

“I look forward to bringing Las Vegas a new show that fuses music, sophistication, and art in ways I have never performed before,” Aguilera shared about her new residency in a statement. “What I love about the intimacy at Voltaire at The Venetian Resort is how up-close-and-personal I can be with the audience… a truly modern twist on the performance experience.”

Tickets to Aguilera’s new residency will be sold through Ticketmaster. More information can be found on Voltaire’s official website here.