Earlier this week, the Daily Mail reported that Millie Bobby Brown turned down a $12 million offer to star in a Stranger Things spinoff. More like the Daily Fail, because according to the writers of the Netflix series, the rumor is BS.
“Yeah there’s nothing in this article that is true. Don’t know why we have to keep debunking this rumor but get those clicks you guys!!” @strangerwriters tweeted in response to the article.
Yeah there’s nothing in this article that is true. Don’t know why we have to keep debunking this rumor but get those clicks you guys!!
During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast last year, the Duffers said their spinoff ideas were not centered on pre-existing characters. “I’ve read these rumors that there’s gonna be an Eleven spinoff, that there’s gonna be a Steve and Dustin spinoff or that it’s another number,” the Duffer Brothers said. That’s not interesting to me because we’ve done all that. We’ve spent I don’t know how many hours exploring all of that. So it’s very different.”
For her part, Bobby Brown sounds ready for the Stranger Things chapter of her life to be over. Not out of animosity, or anything, but she’s excited for something different. “I’m definitely ready to wrap up,” she told Seventeen. “It’s been in our lives for a very long time. But I’m very ready to say goodbye to this chapter of my life, and open new ones up.”
For decades, Beam was known for their standard Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey line (Jim Beam White Label, Jim Beam Black, Jim Beam Rye, Jim Beam Apple, etc.), their small batch lines (Knob Creek, Baker’s, Booker’s, and Basil Hayden), and their “Olds” line (Old Overholt, Old Grand-Dad, Old Crow). Today, those lines have all expanded while new labels/expressions like Legent, Hardin’s Creek, Little Book, and some experimental labels have hit liquor stores around the world. Beam’s bench runs deep and covers everything from blended American whiskey to high-end masterpieces and everything in between.
There’s a lot is what I’m getting at. So today, I’ll be pulling from my tasting notes and ranking all the Jim Beam brands, which are as follows:
Jim Beam (straight bourbon, straight rye, and flavored whiskeys)
Knob Creek (small batch straight bourbon and straight rye)
Booker’s (small batch barrel proof straight bourbon and straight rye)
Little Book (small batch blended straight whiskey)
Baker’s (single barrel straight bourbon)
Legent (special barrel-finished straight bourbon)
Hardin’s Creek (limited edition straight bourbon)
Lineage (travel retail straight bourbon)
James B. Beam Distiller’s Share (experimental straight bourbon)
Old Grand-Dad (high-rye straight bourbon)
Old Tub (bottled in bond and unfiltered straight bourbon)
Old Crow (budget straight bourbon)
Old Overholt (budget straight rye)
But I’m not just ranking the brands, I’m also calling out the one single expression you should track down from each brand. Yes, some of these brands only have one bottle under that label — seven out of 16 to be exact. The other nine brands from Jim Beam have some very long lists of expressions to their name. Booker’s for instance, puts out at least four expressions per year. Regular ol’ Jim Beam has about 14 expressions. Knob Creek has nine core expressions. You get the point. I’m winnowing each brand down to the key expression that you should add to your bar cart.
Savvy? Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This is an old-school American blended whiskey. That means that the actual whiskey in the bottle is made from a blend of neutral grain spirit (cheap vodka) and straight whiskey. In this case, that split is 72.5% grain spirit blended with 27.5% straight whiskey from Clermont, Kentucky.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of apple pie on the nose that leads to a vanilla extract note and maybe some faint oak soaked in vodka.
Palate: The palate is creamy and sweet for a micro-second (think caramel candy) but then devolved into wood-flavored vodka.
Finish: There isn’t one.
Bottom Line:
Look, this is an $8 bottle of booze. You get a faint sense that this is/was “whiskey” but you really have to stretch your imagination to get there. Skip.
15. Beam’s Eight Star — Beam’s Eight Star Kentucky Whiskey, A Blend
This American blended whiskey mixes 75% neutral grain spirit with 25% straight whiskey from Beam’s Clermont and Frankfort, Kentucky facilities. That whiskey is then proofed and bottled for the bottom shelf.
I don’t mean this is a shitty way, but this feels like the plastic flask you keep under the kitchen sink as a cleaning solvent.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Caramel sweets and corn husks are present on the nose with a slight sense of vanilla.
Palate: There’s a hint of oak and maybe cherry vanilla on the palate with a rip of alcohol burn.
Finish: There’s a lot of ethanol at the end.
Bottom Line:
It doesn’t quite “taste like burning” but it’s close while also tasting kind of like nothing at all. It’s weird. Yeah, you can skip this altogether and just pay four or five bucks more for a Jim Beam White Label and drink legit and tasty straight bourbon instead.
14. Old Crow — Old Crow The Original Sour Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is a classic bourbon that became part of Jim Beam about 30-odd years ago. Until then, it was famed for being the drink of choice of President Grant, back in the 1870s — which gave it a lot to hang its hat on as a brand. The whiskey in the bottle is a year younger than a typical Jim Beam bourbon — so three-ish years — and it is cut way down to 80 proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh Wonder Bread and burnt popcorn lead to buttery caramel and a dab of vanilla oil.
Palate: The palate is very balanced between a sense of caramel, cherry, and “spice” with a wintry vibe.
Finish: The end is pretty short and watery with the vanilla and brown spice leading to a dash of dry straw.
Bottom Line:
This is barely bourbon on the flavor profile (it legally 100% is). Again, pay an extra couple of bucks and just get a nice bottle of Jim Beam White Label or like eight more dollars for a Jim Beam Black. They’re lightyears better than this one.
13. Old Tub — Old Tub Unfiltered Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Back in 2020, Beam decided to release this “distillery-only” expression nationwide. The classic Jim Beam whiskey is a tribute to what the brand was before Prohibition. “Jim Beam” used to be “Old Tub” as a brand back then. Anyway, the whiskey in this bottle is Beam’s low-rye bourbon that’s batched to comply with Bonded laws, meaning the barrels are from one distilling season, from one distillery and distiller, and bottled at 100 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has a sweet yellow corn meal, a hint of butterscotch, and a mix of creamy honey and creamy eggnog with plenty of nutmeg and allspice next to a very distant dry woody note.
Palate: The palate has a touch of candy corn next o Almond Joys, sweet cinnamon Hot Tamales, and black cherry tobacco leaves rolled up with dried sweetgrass.
Finish: The end is lightly dry with a sawdust vibe next to apple stems and burnt orange.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice but kind of rough-around-the-edges straight bourbon. This is a decent enough cheap bottled-in-bond bourbon for mixing. You’ll definitely want to use this for mixing highballs (think ginger ale, 7-Up, or fizzy water with a big garnish).
12. Old Grand-Dad — Old Grand-Dad Bonded Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The juice is made with a mash bill of 27% rye alongside corn and malted barley, which is Beam’s official “high-rye mash bill” (recipe). The whiskey is then aged for at least four years in a bonded warehouse and bottled at 100-proof, which lets a bit more of the aged whiskey shine in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of green spice counterpointed by a creamy vanilla pudding with a touch of brown sugar and spices.
Palate: There’s an orange blossom floral/fruity nature that sharpens to an orange oil cut with Christmas spices, which leads towards more of that vanilla pudding with a touch of oak.
Finish: The finish leans into the vanilla, green pepper, dark spices, fruit, and oak as a final note of corn arrives to remind you this is bourbon and not rye.
Bottom Line:
People love this cheap yet tasty pour. It’s fine and the Bonded version is definitely the expression you want to get from this brand. This is a good shooting whiskey, works as a mixer with soda, and can be layered into a cocktail in a pinch. We’re still pretty far from slow-sipper territory though.
Freddie Noe — Beam’s eighth-generation Master Distiller — created this expression by blending classic Basil Hayden with bourbon partially aged in California red wine casks. The resulting batch is then proofed down to Basil Hayden’s historically low 80-proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of orange zest on the nose with sour mulled wine spices — star anise, cardamom, cinnamon — next to Cherry Coke and vanilla cake with white frosting.
Palate: The palate is soft yet creamy with a nutty spiced cake vibe next to zucchini bread with a dollop of butter next to tart, dried berries dipped in brandy with a hint of dark cacao in the background.
Finish: The end is pretty short (low-proofed) and finishes with a sense of old oak staves soaked in sour red wine with a dash of burnt orange and dried winter spice rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is one of my favorite Basil Hayden expressions. It’s deep and fresh. It also works really well as a food pairing whiskey thanks to the soft red wine vibes throughout the profile. If you’re a bourbon and red wine lover, then this is a must-buy.
10. Old Overholt — Old Overholt Bonded Straight Rye Whiskey
This rye hails from the Pennsylvania rye traditions of the early 1800s. The brand was moved to Kentucky almost 200 years later thanks to Beam. The whiskey in the bottle is a bit of an enigma since Beam doesn’t disclose the mash bill. It is aged for four years and bottled at 100-proof per bottled-in-bond laws.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This leans a bit more towards a high-rye bourbon than an out-and-out rye whiskey, with hints of vanilla, dry oak, and sweet corn.
Palate: The taste really leans into the vanilla with a creamy pudding vibe leading towards salted caramel, more dry wood, roasted almonds, and a final spurt of heavy spice with a grassy edge.
Finish: The finish stays dry and nutty as the spiciness is more woody than peppery with a green edge.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice rye. I’d lean more toward mixing cocktails with it thanks to that bourbon sweetness and higher proof. Still, this is a pretty fine bottle of classic sweet and nutty Kentucky rye at a great price point.
9. James B. Beam Distiller’s Share — James B. Beam Distiller’s Share Toasted Brown Rice Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Jim Beam has been toying with brown rice for a while now. In this case, the rye in the bourbon mash bill was replaced with brown rice. The whiskey was then aged for five years before it was re-barreled into new toasted oak barrels for a final rest. Finally, those barrels were batched, slightly proofed, and bottled for this experimental release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is like opening a can of sweet and nutty brown bread and then drizzling it with toffee while a rush of dry grains and old orchard wood lingers in the background.
Palate: Spiced molasses bread leads to hints of cherry cake, vanilla cream, and millet tea with a touch of caramel.
Finish: The end leans into woody spices and sweet oak as the orchard wood starts to singe and the spice leans toward a barky and almost herbal winter vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is just fascinating. It’s very out there for a Kentucky bourbon. I’d get this if you’re looking to expand your palate and drink something somewhat out of character from Beam.
8. Baker’s — Baker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel Aged 8 Years 1 Month
Baker’s is pulled from single barrels in specific warehouses and ricks across the Beam facility in Clermont, Kentucky. The bourbon is always at least seven years old. In this case, it was aged eight years and one month before bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sourdough rye crusts and star anise with a fleeting hint of caraway counter cellar funk and cherry/vanilla tobacco on the nose.
Palate: The palate lets that vanilla get super lush with a sense of cinnamon bark and allspice berries next to hints of dill and fennel.
Finish: The end has an eggnog softness with a bit of Red Hot and chili-laced tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a very rye-heavy bourbon with a great funkiness to it. This is the bourbon you get when you want more herbal and floral depth on top of a classic sweet and fruity Kentucky bourbon. Thanks to that, it’s a great and fun sipper that just keeps delivering new nuance and flavors. If you’re an Old Grand-Dad fan, this is really going to be your jam.
This bottle from Beam Suntory marries Kentucky bourbon, California wine, and Japanese whisky blending in one bottle. Legent is classic Kentucky bourbon made by bourbon legend Fred Noe at Beam that’s finished in both French oak that held red wine and Spanish sherry casks. The whiskey is then blended by whisky-blending legend Shinji Fukuyo at Suntory.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Plummy puddings with hints of nuts mingle with vinous berries, oaky spice, and a good dose of vanilla and toffee on the nose.
Palate: The palate expands on the spice with more barky cinnamon and dusting of nutmeg while the oak becomes sweeter and the fruit becomes dried and sweet.
Finish: The finish is jammy yet light with plenty of fruit, spice, and oak lingering on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This sherry-finished bourbon is spot on. The whiskey has a great texture and depth, making it a great sipper or cocktail base. If you want to make a great Manhattan or just have an everyday easy sipper around, get this bottle.
6. Little Book — Little Book Chapter 6: “To The Finish” Blended Whiskey
This year’s Little Book is another masterpiece from Beam’s Master Distiller, Freddie Noe. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of four-year-old straight malt whiskey finished with cherrywood staves, four-year-old straight malt whiskey finished in applewood smoked barrels, four-year-old straight malt whiskey finished in hickory smoked barrels, four-year-old straight malt whiskey finished with maplewood staves, and Beam’s classic five-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, making this a kind of single malt/bourbon hybrid. The whiskey was bottled after blending with no filtering or proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose reveals hints of sour cherry, tart apple cores, and bright orange zest with a smidge of smoked plum in the background with a dash of winter spice and maybe some oatmeal cookie dough.
Palate: The palate kicks in with a mix of winter spices and dry green herbs (a hint of sage?) next to lightly smoked sweet cherry wood and some dry hickory that leads to a hint of cherry root beer.
Finish: That cherry layers into a dry tobacco leaf with a thin line of dark chocolate and some rum-raisin as the finish veers toward orchard wood with smoked apricot and a twinge of salted vanilla cream lurking underneath it all.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is Beam inching us toward their eventual American single malt whiskey rollout. That aside, this is a masterful blend that just hits differently than other Beam products. This is a unique and delicious blended whiskey that will take you on a journey. If you want to cement your status as a real whiskey nerd, then this bottle is a must.
5. Jim Beam — Jim Beam Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Each of these Jim Beam bottlings is pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability, according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this whiskey is pulled from less than 1% of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this a very special bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla pound cake and salted caramel are countered by spicy cherry tobacco, mulled wine vibes, and dark chocolate cut with orange zest and a hint of corn husk.
Palate: The palate brings in some floral honey sweetness and more orange oils with a sticky toffee pudding feel next to more spicy cherry tobacco and a hint of coconut cream pie.
Finish: The end amps up the cherry with a little more sweetness than spice before salted dark chocolate tobacco folds into dry sweetgrass and cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
It’s wild how good this bourbon is for this price. Look, I love some Jim Beam Rye and Jim Beam Black Label from this brand. But their Single Barrel 108 Proof is just too good in general not to be the one Jim Beam bottle to have on your shelf.
4. Hardin’s Creek — Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This new expression from Jim Beam is about highlighting the beautiful high-end barrels from Beam’s vast rickhouses. The whiskey in the bottle is a classic low-rye Beam that rested for 16 years and a 15-year-old high-rye bourbon. Once batched, that whiskey goes into the bottle as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a rich spice mix of woody cinnamon, soft nutmeg, almost bitter cloves, and dusty allspice with a hint of black licorice leading to a buttery caramel sauce with a flake of salt, twinge of vanilla oil, and whisper of cherry tobacco in an old cedar humidor.
Palate: The palate builds on that classic foundation with layers of old boot leather, hard sultanas, meaty dates, stewed plums, and rum-soaked Christmas cake with candied orange rinds and cherries.
Finish: The end soaks the raisins and candied fruit in maple syrup with a hint of sour cherry laced with ancho chili peppers and woody spices.
Bottom Line:
This yearly limited edition is a masterclass in long aging and excellent blending from the Fred and Freddie Noe. Moreover, this is just delicious whiskey that speaks to the beauty of cherry/spicy classic Kentucky bourbon whiskey. This whiskey goes deep and is essential for any true bourbon fan.
The last batch of Booker’s of 2022 is a nod to Booker Noe’s father, Pinkie Noe. The whiskey in the bottle was created from barrels from the middle/sweet spot of four warehouses. The average age of the batch ended up being 6 years, 10 months, and 10 days old when it was bottled completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is full of dark brown sugar vanilla pods and winter spices that start to lean toward chili and cumin and then a sense of a well-seasoned pork butt before it goes into the smoker — it’s kind of like raw leather.
Palate: The palate is classic bourbon with a rich vanilla white cake frosted with buttercream next to bold dark cherry, woody notes of dry reeds, and salted caramel with a twinge of orange oils.
Finish: The end has a mild sense of tangerine flesh and star fruit that leads back to warm ABVs and dark winter spices layered into fresh tobacco and old cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
There are so many Booker’s batches that could have been here. I might be partial as I was sipping this with Fred Noe a couple of weeks ago at the distillery and that experience really endeared this expression to me. Part of that was seeing Fred’s excitement about the blend. Another aspect of it is that this is simply delicious. Plus, this is still around on shelves, meaning you might be able to snag one.
2. Knob Creek — Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 18 Years
This limited-edition release celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Knob Creek, which started back in 1992 during the darkest days of bourbon. The whiskey is Beam’s standard mash bill that’s distilled at a slightly different temperature and treated with a little more care during aging by placing barrels in very specific locations throughout their vast warehouses. After 18 long years, the best of the best barrels are small batched, and just proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark molasses and pecan clusters with salted dark chocolate lead to brown butter, old figs, and salted caramel with a woody sense of cherry and apple bark next to cinnamon-laced cedar sticks with burnt orange.
Palate: The palate is full of lush vanilla notes next to singed cherry bark and apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, star anise, salted black licorice, and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans with a hint of dried red chili spice turning up the heat on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end has a floral honey sweetness that balances everything toward orange blossoms and bruised peaches, cherry tobacco, and clove tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is the best Knob Creek after the 12-year expression. I dig their Rye Single Barrel Select as well. Really though, this is the high watermark for the brand. It’s delectable, deep, and a delight to sip. It too makes a mean Manhattan.
1. Jim Beam Lineage — Jim Beam Lineage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey A Father And Son Collaboration
This whiskey was released for the struggling travel retail market late last year. The whiskey in the bespoke bottle is a 15-year-old classic Beam bourbon that was aged on specific ricks in Warehouse K (the most famed warehouse on the Clermont, Kentucky campus). Father and son Fred and Freddie Noe both selected the barrels to make this blend and released it almost completely as-is with just a drop of that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic from the jump with a soft caramel candy with vanilla buttercream frosting over spiced choco-cherry cake, a touch of clove-studded burnt orange rind, and soft marzipan with a hint of old oak cellars.
Palate: The palate is lush with a sense of Black Forest cake — stewed cherries, vanilla cream, moist chocolate cake, dry dark chocolate shavings — next to a bunch of woody and barky winter spices with a hint of hazelnut and burnt orange.
Finish: The end leans ever-so-slightly into old cedar bark and rich spiced cherry tobacco layered with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and a hint of sharp mint and maybe some more of that clove.
Bottom Line:
This is Beam at its best. The best part is that even though this is a travel retail release, you can actually get it in the U.S. at the distillery. Wherever you find it, it’s worth tracking down and adding to your collection. It’s delicious.
(Yes, I know this is technically a “Jim Beam” expression, just like Old Tub. But this is its own line as a travel retail release under the “Lineage” moniker.)
Before Swift’s concerts in Glendale, Arizona last weekend, she made a donation to the Arizona Food Bank Network (as People notes). Terri Shoemaker, vice president of external relations at the organization, told AZ Central, “It’s not every day that you get a call from someone who works in PR for Taylor Swift, so we were dubious at first, but happily, it turned out to be absolutely real.”
Shoemaker also noted that according to Swift’s PR agent, the singer “planned to make a positive impact in the communities where she was touring.”
Indeed, that seems to be true: On March 22, Three Square Food Bank in Nevada, where Swift is set to perform this upcoming weekend, revealed they also received a donation from Swift, writing on Instagram, “We don’t know about you, but we’re feeling grateful on this day, March 22! @TaylorSwift has made a generous gift to Three Square, allowing us to provide thousands of meals to families and individuals struggling with hunger. Thank you to Ms. Swift for supporting our mission and the local community.”
The Los Angeles Lakers could get LeBron James back sooner rather than later. Despite missing the last 12 games with a foot injury, James is apparently eyeing up a return to action before the postseason starts, which would give the Lakers a much-needed boost as they enter the play-in tournament or the playoffs.
Even with James out, though, things have been going pretty good in Laker Land lately, as the team has gone 7-5 in his absence. Anthony Davis has unsurprisingly been terrific, but a pair of guards — Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell — have stepped up in a big way with James on the sideline. Reaves, in particular, is playing the best basketball of his young career, and on Thursday’s episode of Keyshawn, JWill, & Max, ESPN’s Jay Williams told Keyshawn Johnson and Max Kellerman that he has some reservations about how James coming back will impact their play.
“Everybody keeps saying, and I’m the one that said it first and so I started digging down into it: ‘Well, if you bring back LeBron, this team can get to potentially the Western Conference Finals,’” Williams said. “How do you bring back LeBron? The more I sit there and think about it, the more I think about, when you bring back LeBron in this short period, how in the hell is Austin Reaves supposed to continue playing at this level? The ball is in Austin Reaves’ hands a ton, you guys know the kind of lather, the kind of rhythm that you get when the ball is in your hands? You increase the amount of possessions, the volume of possessions, I feel way more comfortable with the rock now.
“When LeBron comes back — and Austin Reaves has been ballin’, D’Lo has been ballin’,” he continued. “But now you bring LeBron James back, are you gonna play LeBron James off the ball if you’re Darvin Ham? You really gonna do that when it comes time for playoff basketball? There’s almost a part of me, Key, that somewhat believes that, yeah, bringing back LeBron, if you had 10 games left in the regular season, 15 games left, it gives him time to get more acclimated. But with what, a week left in the regular season, if that’s the time frame, with two games left, maybe the play-in, maybe into the playoffs, that’s almost maybe working against Austin Reaves and D’Lo.”
When asked by Kellerman if bringing James off the bench is a viable option, Williams, who has praised Lakers guards on TV before, said, “You try to, but still, LeBron is ball-dominant,” while Johnson agreed that he’ll come off the bench as he works to figure out his rhythm.
“That’s what I’m saying, find that rhythm, the ball needs to be in his hands to find a rhythm, right?” Williams responded.
After a conversation about the aesthetics of Reaves as a basketball player, Williams tied a bow on the conversation.
“All I’m saying is, you drop LeBron James in with two games left, man, Austin is doing his thing, D’Lo,” Williams said. “Now, I don’t know how you make guys not defer to maybe one of the greatest players the game of basketball has ever seen.” When Johnson asked if James is sitting and watching and decides it is best to fit into how the Lakers are currently playing, Williams posited that it’s “easier said than done, because at the end of the day, in clutch moments, you’re gonna look at the dude, you’re gonna look at the guy.”
Williams does have a point that bringing James back very well could have a negative impact on guys who are blossoming in larger roles, although it is easy to argue that the trade-off is worth it because James is the kind of player who can win you a championship, even if having players around him performing at the levels we’ve seen out of Reaves and Russell recently is an important piece of the puzzle.
When was the last time you heard a “that’s what she said” in the wild? Five years ago? A decade? Longer? It was stale by the time Michael Scott said it for the first time on The Office — and that was in 2005. The entire point of Michael’s enjoyment of “that’s what she said” was to show how desperately unfunny he is. Speaking of desperately unfunny…
In response to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) tweeting, “House Dems are fighting hard for the American people. Right-wing extremists are fighting each other,” Elon Musk wrote, “That’s what she said.”
First off: huh? Is the “that’s what she said” referring to the use of the word “hard”? Or is it a meta non-joke? It’s certainly not an actual joke. Also, it’s 2023. Elon needs to update his material — or go back to “borrowing” memes.
This isn’t the first time that Musk has dropped a “TWSS,” either.
It appears to be one of Musk’s stock replies, along with “looking into it” and the rolling on the floor laughing emoji. You’re one of the world’s richest person, Elon. Hire someone like Henry Winkler, who is good at Twitter, to write your tweets. Or post photos like Clint Eastwood. Anything but “that’s what she said.”
Anyway, Twitter can’t get enough of this EPIC win.
he’s quoting the beloved character Michael Scott, widely known as the funniest person in his workplace
A local reporter at Hometown Life shared a unique and heartfelt story on March 16 about a mother struggling to find shoes that fit her 14-year-old son. The story resonated with parents everywhere; now, her son is getting the help he desperately needs. It’s a wonderful example of people helping a family that thought they had nowhere to turn.
When Eric Kilburn Jr. was born, his mother, Rebecca’s OBGYN, told her that he had the “biggest feet I’ve ever seen in my life. Do not go out and buy baby shoes because they’re not gonna fit,’” Rebecca told Today.com. Fourteen years later, it’s almost impossible to find shoes that fit the 6’10” freshman—he needs a size 23.
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— (@)
The teen’s height doesn’t stem from a gland issue; he comes from a family of tall people. Both his parents are over 6 feet tall.
Eric plays football for Goodrich High School in Goodrich, Michigan, but doesn’t wear cleats, which led to a sprained ankle. He also suffers from ingrown toenails that are so severe he’s had two nails on his biggest toes permanently removed.
Last year, the family was lucky enough to stumble upon five pairs of size 21 shoes at a Nike outlet store. It was discovered they were made especially for Tacko Fall, the NBA player with some of the most enormous feet in the game. To put things in perspective, Shaquille O’Neal wears a size 22.
However, Eric soon grew out of those as well. The family was left with one more option: have orthopedic shoes made for Eric at the cost of $1,500 with no guarantee he won’t quickly grow out of those as well.
After his mother’s heartfelt plea to Hometown Life, the family got much-needed help from multiple companies, including Under Armour and PUMA, who are sending representatives to Michigan to measure his feet for custom shoes.
CAT has reached out to make him a custom pair of boots. Eric hasn’t had any boots to wear for the past five Michigan winters.
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— (@)
Kara Pattison started a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of the family to help them purchase custom shoes for “the rest of the time Eric has these feet.” It has raised nearly $20,000 for the family in just over a week.
“The success of this fundraiser is well beyond what was ever expected,” Pattison wrote on the site on March 18. “The Kilburns plan to open a bank account dedicated to Eric’s future footwear and some specialized sports equipment. He can use this to get a helmet that fits for football along with pads. They will also look into a football and track jersey for him.”
The sense of relief felt by Rebecca, Eric and the rest of the Kilburn family must be incredible. It has to be frustrating to be unable to provide your child with something as basic as footwear.
“It’s been overwhelming,” Rebecca told Hometown Life. “I have been this puddle of emotions, all of them good…It’s the coolest thing to be able to say we did it! He has shoes! I am not usually a crier, but I have been in a constant state of happy tears…We are so grateful.”
Road rage is something that I pointedly choose to avoid as an affliction. That is a good thing because I fail to avoid plenty of other rabbit holes that aren’t as readily vanquished by self control over here. Beef, on the other hand, lets all of the road rage hang out. The series’ trailer previews the lay of the land, in which Ali Wong’s character flips the bird at Steven Yeun’s already maxed-out character, and then… it. is. on.
All due to one near collision and mutual temper tantrums, these two essentially appear to destroy each other’s lives. It ain’t worth it! And even though the show does look like voyeuristic wish fulfillment for some audience members, Wong and Yeun recently spoke at SXSW and admitted that they didn’t know that this series would take a physical toll on them as well. Given that Yeun has been through some really horrible sh*t onscreen, it’s saying a lot that this show made him break out in hives after filming concluded, and the same result came for Wong, as reported by Variety:
“Our bodies shut down,” Yeun said.
“Steven and I both broke out in hives after the show. Mine was on my face. His was all over his body because he’s weak like that,” Wong said, to wide audience laughter. “It definitely took a toll on us, but we didn’t even realize until after the show ended. I mean, I won’t even talk about what happened to your elbow.”
Wong suggested that she might not have taken this job if she would have known how grueling the stressors of this show would be, although she is “really glad” that both she and Yeun took the plunge. Maybe it’s time for Wong to mentally relive her Keanu Reeves on-set moments as a stress reliever? It couldn’t hurt do that for any reason at all.
When people talk about fashion styles that deviate from current norms, reactions tend to be polarized. For example, back in 2020, Harry Styles made headlines for months after he wore a dress. Now, Shawn Mendes has said something that’s also stirring divided responses.
Mendes spoke at a Tommy Hilfiger event in London on March 21, and during the conversation, he said, “I think the crop tops, they’re just… they’re super beautiful. They look great on men. They look great on men, so don’t be afraid to pick them up, guys. They look good.”
Shawn Mendes encourages men to wear crop tops:
“They look great on men, so don’t be afraid to pick them up guys. They look good.” pic.twitter.com/4xglDB2hy3
In a recent interview with Evening Standard, Mendes also spoke about friend and music producer Mike Sabath wearing a crop top from Hilfiger’s female line, saying, “We put the crop on him and were like — hot. That’s it. Like, yes. He would look amazing in anything. I think it’s just a representation of what clothing is today, you know, that masculine-feminine thing.”
Naturally, Mendes’ comment got a variety of reactions.
Some haters disagreed with him. One Twitter user wrote, “Ew. Why must we continue to make our men feminine?” Another tweeted, “bring back real men please.”
Ew. Why must we continue to make our men feminine?
Others are on Mendes’ side, though, like one person who commented on the original TikTok video, “Honestly I wish crop tips would catch on tbh. Would make a good workout shirt , they used to be in , in the 80s I think.” A Twitter user shared a similar comment, writing, “crop top shirts was originally created by MEN for MEN and was part of men’s fashion for years before women began wearing them… short-shorts too. Just saying because the audacity of people to mock men and boys who wear it is just ridiculous when their grandad prob rocked it.”
crop top shirts was originally created by MEN for MEN and was part of men’s fashion for years before women began wearing them… short-shorts too. Just saying because the audacity of people to mock men and boys who wear it is just ridiculous when their grandad prob rocked it.
Plus they’re grueling, especially for anyone who has a family. You can’t expect chef René Redzepi to run a restaurant forever when he could probably walk away with $30K per night doing private dinners for the mega-rich and corporate sponsors. Does that frustrate you? Blame late-stage capitalism, not a chef who actually wants to enjoy his life.
I suppose it makes a lot of sense, though. High-end dining establishments like Noma are famous for having dishes that require 20 ingredients or maybe 100 ingredients which they refine until the final presentation seems simple. Much of the flavor and complexity comes from the fact that they are making wildly ornate sauces, vinegars, oils, etc. which they are then using in limited capacities. This is all to say that creating things like elevated sauces and flavor enhancers has… sort of been their stock in trade all along.
The only difference is that now they won’t make the final dish. You will.
Curious to see what Noma would come out of the gate with, I ordered their first product — “Smoked Mushroom Garum” (they now have four products in the market). “Garum” is fermented fish sauce, so what we’re talking about is a fungus-based flavor enhancer. They could have called it “Vegan Fish Sauce” but how pedestrian is that? Regardless of the name, this is an elixir that you might substitute or use in tandem with MSG, yeast flakes, shiitake salt… all the stuff you shake into the pan to ramp up umami flavors.
Like most flavor enhancers, the Noma Smoked Mushroom Garum proved incredibly malleable — so it’s no surprise that I went through the whole bottle over the past month. And like most everything associated with Noma (so I’ve heard!!!), it balances surface simplicity with deceptive depth. This leads us to:
Before writing this, I did a brief perusal of Instagram to see how other people are using this product. It’s mostly the same — a capful at a time. Though some folks are using a bit more (Lucky them! The product itself isn’t too expensive but shipping pushes it up to $50/ bottle.) The creamy noodles above make a lot of sense because, combined with yeast flakes, you’re getting almost a parmesan flavor. The noodles above are udon and the recipe also features cashew butter but I think it would have worked equally well with olive oil and spaghetti.
That’s the great thing about products like this — their versatility. The application below — stewed collard greens — seems a lot more traditional but I love it and did my own riff on it multiple times:
Here’s how I used my bottle of mushroom garum before it ran out:
A capful in taco meat.
A capful in ground beef for smash burgers (which my nephew deemed “Better than Mcdonald’s!”)
A capful in carbonara sauce.
A capful in chicken soup.
Two capfuls in stewed dandelion greens.
Three capfuls in Thai beef larb.
Three capfuls in ramen broth.
Four capfuls in vegan “cheesy” potatoes.
You get the idea. I tried it with everything. Sometimes vegan; sometimes not. I often paired it with other flavor enhancers, like MSG or actual fish sauce. And of course, I also tasted it plain for the sake of this review:
NOSE:
Don’t wedgie me, but.. this smells like the inside of a pizza oven that has been used a few hundred thousand times. You get the meaty notes and the earthiness. There’s a little bit of funk but it’s light enough that it could as easily be from a few stray mushrooms and some cheese that slid into the oven’s deepest reaches as it could be from some super scientific process invented by Noma Projects.
PALATE:
It tastes mostly like mushroom broth with… a bit more. There’s some smokiness. There’s some funk. It’s a less funky fish sauce but certainly doesn’t taste un-fishy. There’s a meatiness. That’s the flavor this product seems to cultivate the most “meatiness without real meat.” There’s a light fermented note.
After sipping a spoonful I wrote this down: “Yet another reminder that we don’t need ‘fake meat’ to imitate beef and pork. We already have mushrooms.”
It’s also pungent and pronounced enough that once you’re used to it you can kinda-sorta discern its presence (like fish sauce), rather than just using it because you believe my review or have faith in Noma’s prowess. I like that it doesn’t just fully vanish into a dish.
BOTTOM LINE:
This is a fantastic flavor enhancer. If price was no object, I’d call it a must-have. Especially if you, like me, want your burgers and tacos and lasagna all taste “mysteriously and inexplicably” better than everyone else’s. Noma’s smoked mushroom garum deepens the umami notes in most any dish (especially slow-cooked dishes) and creates enough intrigue on the palate that you want to go back for more.
I personally think it’s best with other flavor enhancers too — MSG, fish sauce, etc. But that’s because I’m an umami fiend.
If you’re vegan but crave the meaty depth that cheese and beef offer, you just found your north star. It’s a natural substitute for oyster sauce, fish sauce, and other Thai cooking essentials, as well as the cheeses and sardine sauce used in Italian cooking.
Is it cheap?
Not exactly, once you calculate shipping. But it’s the cheapest way to experience René Redzepi’s genius that you’ll ever get.
John Wick cannot be stopped. Keanu Reeves’ unretired assassin has spent the past near-decade igniting the box office, one action-packed movie at a time. But Hollywood pundits are predicting that the fourth installment in the hit series, John Wick: Chapter 4, will sell a record number of tickets for the franchise.
As Deadline reports, box office prognosticators are guessing that the newest film in the series — which officially opens on Friday, March 24, with previews beginning on Thursday afternoon — will rake in a whopping $115 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Broken down even further, the movie is estimated to bring in $65 to $70 million in the U.S. and Canada with an additional $45 million from foreign audiences.
According to Deadline, the film is already booked to play in 3,800 theaters with just under half of those (1,675) being “IMAX, premium large format, and motion-enhanced seats (Dbox, 4DX, MX4D)” theaters.
According to Box Office Mojo, each subsequent chapter in the John Wick series has nearly doubled the box office take of its predecessor. Worldwide, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum made a total of just over $328 million. So if the trend continues, the newest film — and what is presumably Reeves’ last go at playing Wick (save for a rumored appearance in the upcoming spin-off) — could be looking at a pretty massive release.
Adding to interest in the film is Ballerina, the upcoming spin-off starring Ana de Armas, and the recent death of Lance Reddick, who played Charon, the concierge at New York City’s criminal-friendly Continental Hotel, in all four films. The movie’s end credits have already been altered in order to dedicate the film to The Wire actor.
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Andrew
(@LttleGel) 
(@samannounces) 
