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Maybe sit down for this one because we weren’t prepared for it either: John Cho is 49. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but apparently hardcore Cowboy Bebop fans are aware of this surprising fact about the actor, and they’ve been voicing their concerns about him tackling the role of Spike Spiegel in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the hit anime series ever since.

In the original series, Spike is only 27, so its understandable that fans would want a more age-appropriate actor, and in new interview, Cho readily admits that his age was the “biggest fear” for him as well. However, Cho also explains what made him push past the age difference and why he thinks being older will help add more depth to Spike even it required way more time in the gym than he would’ve liked. Via Vulture:

First of all, I couldn’t have done it when I was 27. I mean, maybe I would’ve been better suited athletically, but in terms of my discipline, I am strangely better suited at this age. I don’t think I would’ve done justice to the emotional depth we tried to give Spike. There’s always a trade-off. What young men are typically best at as actors is rage. And that might’ve been a more pronounced element in the character. What I’m better at, being older, is showing weakness and vulnerability and love. Those things are more accessible to me. Personally, I’d prefer the version I’m able to do now. That’s my taste.

While some fans were hyper-focused on Cho’s age, others were not as critical. In fact, there was a sizable freakout over Cho’s “lustrous” hair for the series, which caused the actor to trend back in June when Netflix offered up a quick teaser for Cowboy Bebop. Some were even saying Cho’s whole look is a “serve,” which we’re almost certain is a good thing.

(Via Vulture)

The job description for a communications director includes “traveling to industry conferences to represent the organization” and “handling media relations, such as scheduling public interviews with company executives.” Considering the last two times we checked in on Rudy Giuliani, he was shaving in an airport lounge (“traveling”) and claiming in a bizarre interview that he’s not an alcoholic (“handling media relations”), I’m beginning to understand why Christianné Allen has resigned from the job.

The 20-something “conservative activist” with a “thin resume” and an “inflated biography,” as Politico called her, stepped down from her role as director of communications at Giuliani Communications LLC. That’s according to the Daily Beast, which notes that Allen (a “MAGA influencer” who poses with semiautomatic rifles) has been replaced by Todd Shapiro, a “former spokesperson for Lindsay Lohan’s family who also claims to have represented Trump properties [and] Hooters of Long Island and New Jersey.”

Hooters of Long Island and New Jersey? No one man should have all that power. (Shapiro’s full list of clients can be found on his outdated website.)

“As I reflect, I am proud of the accomplishments we achieved. One of which was building Rudy Giuliani’s Common Sense podcast from conception to one of the top political podcasts in the country in under a year,” Allen said in a statement. Recent episodes include “Biden Endangers and Dishonors America, He MUST RESIGN” and “RUDY’S ALERT: 13 Christians Killed Every Day In The World Because Of Their Faith.” Allen was right to jump ship before whatever episode Rudy has planned for the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

(Via the Daily Beast)

Seth Meyers recently went off on Fox News over their reports about a horse-deworming medication called Ivermectin, which some conservatives believe is a cure for COVID-19. This is, of course, a very unsafe medication to take, and many calls to poison control have resulted from anti-vaxxers who somehow think that a horse med is a better idea than taking the jab. Well, the CDC issued a dire warning to stress, “Ivermectin is not authorized or approved by FDA for prevention or treatment of COVID-19.”

The FDA weighed in on the subject (on Twitter) as follows: “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.”

This hasn’t stopped patients from requesting the drug, which is what happened when the wife (Julie Smith) of an Cincinnati patient, Jeffrey Smith, pushed into the legal realm when a hospital declined to use Ivermectin as part of a treatment plan. This unreal report from Ohio Capitol Journal sums things up:

Butler County Common Pleas Judge Gregory Howard ordered West Chester Hospital, part of the University of Cincinnati network, to treat Jeffrey Smith, 51, with Ivermectin. The order, filed Aug. 23, compels the hospital to provide Smith with 30mg of Ivermectin daily for three weeks.

As Ohio Capitol Journal reports, Julie took it upon herself to consult with an Ohio doctor named Jeff Wagshul, who is not affiliated with the hospital, and who prescribed the Ivermectin. The hospital pushed back until the court order materialized, and here’s what (and conspiracy-oriented) Wagshul had to say to the news outlet:

In an interview, Wagshul said the science behind Ivermectin’s use in COVID-19 patients is “irrefutable.” The CDC and FDA engaged in a “conspiracy,” he said, to block its use to protect the FDA’s emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines. He said the mainstream media and social media companies have been engaging in “censorship” on Ivermectin’s merits, and that the U.S. government’s refusal to acknowledge its benefits amounts to genocide.

Again, the CDC and FDA are begging people not to drink the Ivermectin Kool-Aid. And social media users are, naturally, aghast that this is happening.

(Via Ohio Capital Journal)

Nine years ago, an Australian hospice nurse and blogger wrote a post about the lessons she learned working for several years in palliative care. After spending time with countless people in their final days she learned that they all had similar regrets.

The most common regret was that they wished they “had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

Just about everyone has had to make compromises in their lives due to the expectations of friends, family, coworkers, and society-at-large. How would we be happier if we gave up caring about what others think and lived as our true selves?

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A hospice patient in her final days is a great example of doing just that. Clare Burnett, 83, a terminally ill patient at Harbor Hospice in Johnson County, Kansas decided that she would get a tattoo that she always wanted because she no longer has to care about anyone else’s opinion. The fact that her husband is deceased made the decision even easier.

Fifteen years ago she got a tattoo of Tweety bird on her left leg but was never able to get a tattoo of his arch-nemesis, Sylvester the Cat, on the other. “Ever since I got Tweety, I’ve wanted Sylvester,” Clare told Fox 4. “But things just didn’t work out that way.

“My husband had a fit when I got Tweety so I didn’t get Sylvester,” Burnett told KCTV 5.

But all of that changed last week thanks to a program at the hospice that allows patients to live out their dreams in their final days of life.

“We grant wishes anywhere from small ones to hot air balloon rides, to meeting celebrities, to going to concerts like Garth Brooks and George Strait,” Tracy Bunch, a wish coordinator at Habor Hospice, told KCTV 5. “Right now, over the last two years, a lot of them have been actually getting them out of the nursing homes and taking them to their families homes.”

Clare was taken in her wheelchair to Midtown Tattoo in Kansas City, Missouri on Wednesday to have her final wish fulfilled. The tattoo artist took it “real, real easy” on Clare so that her new ink wouldn’t hurt.

The final results looked fantastic and Clare was over the moon about the new feline on her leg. When asked what others have to say about her new body art, Clare’s response was powerful.

“I don’t know. Don’t care. Haha! I think it’s gorgeous,” Clare said. “Look at that red nose. I think he’s gorgeous.”

Clare’s bold decision to live out her final days with the tattoo she always wanted is a great life lesson for those of us who haven’t lived long enough to have the same realization. We should all ask ourselves: What’s my Sylvester tattoo? What have I put off doing in life because I was worried about what others think?

Clare Burnett would probably say you should go out and do it.

Since the advent of social media, parents all over the country have shared photos of their fresh-faced offspring all primped and prepped for their first day of school. Frequently, we get to see smiling kids hold a sign noting their grade, usually on the family front porch, and nearly always toting the obligatory backpack.

In response, we all “Like” the photos and post comments about how fast time flies and how quickly kids grow up. It’s all very cute and sweet.

But what we rarely get to see is what the rest of that first day looks like for those kids. And when we do, the photos are truly worth a thousand words.

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The Inspirational Quotes Page on Facebook shared a collection of before and after pics on kids’ first days of school, and oh my, these babies look like they had a heck of a day.

Some of these kiddos look like they survived a natural disaster on their first day of school.

This kid just looks stunned after his first day of kindy.

Photo after photo of perfectly coiffed hair-dos totally undone by the day.

Umm, what the hole? You know there’s got to be a story here.

And here. It’s like the Hunger Games out there, friends.

It’s not just the kids, either. Imagine how teachers feel at the end of the first day. (I can speak from experience here—teachers are frigging superheroes. It’s a rewarding job, but it’s physically and mentally exhausting.)

Especially considering the challenge of living and trying to educate children through a global pandemic, it’s not surprising to see these before and after photos of the first day of school.

The after photos don’t negate the excitement of starting a new school year, of course, and let’s hope that most of these kids look so disheveled because they had so much fun and activity during their day. The images are a refreshing reminder that social media images don’t tell the whole story, though, and that kids’ lives aren’t as simple as we often mistake them to be.

We feel you, wee ones, because we’re draggin’ too. Solidarity.

Cardi B got into it over the weekend with an influencer who seemed to imply that Cardi was the breadwinner in her relationship with husband and Migos rapper Offset. The influencer, @jiggyjayy2, wrote on Twitter that Cardi “really be keeping the lights on at her and Offset house, she stay working hard and he be…” But Cardi wasn’t having it. “My man literally perform this mornin for college game day, performing later on again tonight after celebrating the finally of his HBO last night flying in tomorrow to ring the bell Monday on a investment,” Cardi wrote back.

Luckily, the two women immediately mended fences and even made a lunch date. The influencer responded, admitting that she was “being a lil shady to Offset cause he a cheater” and that Cardi “really stayed booked in busy, she be everywhere.” She also added that she empathized with Cardi’s defense of her husband. “It’s cool girl @jiggyjayy2,” replied Cardi. “U were just loud and wrong so I had to clock it… but I’m seeing you being attacked now in the name of Offset when it’s clearly because you’re pretty and popular and I can relate to that. So let’s have lunch on set?”

All’s well that ends well!

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

When it comes to beer terms, there are a lot of words and phrases drinkers need to learn if they want to have knowledgeable conversations about pale ales, IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, and even fruited sours. When it comes to IPAs — specifically double IPAs — one vital term to know is “dry hopping.”

For the uninitiated, dry hopping is a process of adding (you guessed it) dry hops late in the brewing process in order to give the beer more hop aroma and flavor notes. This is opposed to “wet hopping” — in which fresh, wet hops are added.

Dry hopping process creates extremely flavorful, floral IPAs and we honestly can’t get enough of them. Since summer is quickly coming to an end, we figured the time was right (while the days are still warm, hazy, and humid) to highlight eight of our favorite dry-hopped IPAs. Check them all out below and drink them while you still can!

Bell’s Hopslam

ABV: 10%
Average Price: $18.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

One of the highest-rated dry-hopped beers on the market, Bell’s Hopslam begins by being brewed with six different hop varieties. Later on in the process, it gets a crazy amount of extra flavor from dry-hopping with Simcoe hops. The result is a floral, piney, hop lover’s dream.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find hints of caramel malts, wet grass, grapefruit, peach, and floral notes. The palate is swirling with flavors like ripe tangerine, grapefruit, resinous pine, and sweet malts — all set against a nice, floral backbone. It’s piney, floral, and totally crisp and fresh.

Bottom Line:

If you only buy one dry-hopped IPA make it Bell’s Hopslam. It’s as hoppy, floral, and resinous as it gets.

Fiddlehead Second Fiddle

ABV: 8.2%
Average Price: $16.99 for a four-pack

The Beer:

Vermont’s Fiddlehead has gained a bit of a cult following over the years (since it opened in 2011) and for good reason. One of its best beers is its massively dry-hopped Fiddlehead Second Fiddle. This double IPA is highly sought-after by IPA fans because of its complex, slightly malty flavor that pairs well with floral, crisp hops.

Tasting Notes:

The aroma is like a field of pine trees that move into caramel malts, ripe tropical fruits, and fresh citrus zest. Sipping it brings forth hints of resinous, dank pine, mango, grapefruit, more malts, and a ton of hop bitterness at the end that is surprisingly pleasing.

Bottom Line:

This is a dank, slightly bitter beer for fans of potent, piney IPAs. If you can get your hands on a few cans of this Vermont classic, savor it.

Alpine Nelson

ABV: 7%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This year-round offering from Alpine is named for Nelson Sauvin hops. This is the main hop used during the brewing process as well as dry-hopping later on. The result is a well-balanced, slightly malty, resinous IPA you’ll want to sip on well into the fall.

Tasting Notes:

Upon nosing, you’ll be met with hints of grapefruit, mango, honey, resinous hops, and sweet malts. The palate is loaded with rich malts, wet grass, lemon peel, dank pine, and a nice hop bitterness to finish everything off. It’s a very well-rounded, complex, highly drinkable beer.

Bottom Line:

This is a well-balanced, yet supremely hoppy beer that is highlighted by Nelson Sauvin hops. It’s floral, fresh, and well-suited for end-of-summer drinking.

Weldwerks Juicy Bits

ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack

The Beer:

If you’re a fan of New England-style IPAs, you probably already know about the juicy, hazy flavor of Weldwerks’ aptly named Juicy Bits. It gets its floral, citrus flavor from being dry-hopped with Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic hops.

Tasting Notes:

Complex aromas of fresh melon, guava, tangerine, and pineapple greet the drinker first. This is followed by dank pine. The sip reveals more grapefruit, tangerine, mango, resinous pine, and just the right amount of bitterness at the very end. It’s refreshing, juicy, and delicious.

Bottom Line:

When it comes to dry-hopped hazy IPAS, it’s hard to beat the juicy, tropical fruit, and citrus flavor of Weldwerks Juicy Bits.

Firestone Walker Double Jack

ABV: 9.5%
Average Price: $12.99 for a four-pack

The Beer:

First launched back in 2009, Double Jack quickly became one of the most popular IPAs on the market. For some reason, it was retired in 2016 only to be victoriously brought back last fall. Triple dry-hopped using four hop additions, this is a potent, high ABV, piney, resinous beer for fans of classic West Coast IPAs.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is loaded with scents of honey, lemon curd, fresh-cut grass, caramel malts, and a nice floral hint. The flavor is classic West Coast IPA with notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pine needles, and light malts. The finish is refreshing, crisp, and has a nice hot of hop bitterness.

Bottom Line:

If you’re a West Coast IPA drinker who wants to get on the dry-hopped bandwagon, this is your jam. It has all the characteristics of the iconic style with added citrus and floral flavors.

Singlecut Jenny Said

ABV: 7.7%
Average Price: $18 for a four-pack

The Beer:

Singlecut Beersmiths is a brand well-known for its IPAs. One of its freshest, dry-hopped offerings is Jenny Said. It’s double dry-hopped to guarantee a crisp, dank, piney, resinous, citrus-filled, highly complex, and highly drinkable IPA.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is all tropical fruits, citrus zest, and a nice, floral hops presence that lets you know what you’re in for. The palate is filled with hints of ripe pineapple, juicy grapefruit, dank pine, slight malts, and a juicy, sweet finish without much bitterness.

Bottom Line:

If you’re more interested in the flavor of hops than the bitterness, this is a great choice for you. It’s full of hoppy flavor, but without much bitterness.

Stone Ruination 2.0

ABV: 8.5%
Average Price: $13.99 for a four-pack

The Beer:

You definitely know what you’re getting into when you drink a beer called Ruination. The first full-time West Coast double IPA on the market, Ruination is loaded with Magnum, Nugget, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra, and Azacca hops and dry hopped to create a supremely piney, dank brew.

Tasting Notes:

Crack open a bottle and you’ll be met with aromas of tangerine, grapefruit, fir tips, and tropical fruits. The palate begins with caramel malts and delves into citrus peels, pine trees, and a total wallop of bitter, floral hops.

Bottom Line:

While surprisingly well-balanced for the name, this is certainly a dry-hopped beer for drinkers who enjoy life on the more bitter side of the hops coin.

Epic Chasing Ghosts

ABV: 10%
Average Price: $16.99 for a four-pack

The Beer:

This beer is made by Epic and it is indeed an epic brew. This 10% New England-style IPA is double dry-hopped using Cashmere and Citra hops. It’s big, bold, hazy, juicy, and filled with tropical and citrus flavors that will leave you completely refreshed.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is slightly spicy and filled with scents of tangerine, ripe melons, mango, citrus zest, and pine needles. The flavor amps up the nose with flavors of ripe grapefruit, sweet peaches, slight caramel malts, candied orange peels, and a nice hint of cloves. It’s all rounded out with very little bitterness at the finish.

Bottom Line:

This is one of the most exciting beers on this list. It’s hazy, juicy, and full of tropical, citrus, and pine flavors you won’t soon forget.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

“Levitating” has become one of Dua Lipa’s biggest hits, and that has been thanks in large part to the remix of the song that features DaBaby. Since he has been embroiled in controversy, though, the remix has started to lose its hold as the predominant version of the song (as opposed to the feature-less, Lipa-only version). In July, the remix started to get phased out of radio and prominent playlists. Earlier this month, the solo version of “Levitating” started to replace the remix on some Billboard charts.

Now, solo “Levitating” has replaced the remix on the chart: On this week’s Billboard Hot 100 dated September 4, “Levitating” sits at No. 6, and unlike last week, DaBaby is not credited on the song.

A similar thing happened in 2020 (although not based on similar motivations), when Nicki Minaj’s credit on Doja Cat’s “Say So” was removed from the charts. At the time, Billboard explained, “After two weeks of Minaj showing as a featured artist on ‘Say So’ on the Hot 100 and other charts that utilize the same methodology, only Doja Cat is now listed, as the original version, without Minaj, is now driving the majority of overall activity for the song; the change does not affect any of Minaj’s achievements on those charts the past two weeks, and she continues not to be credited on the song on any airplay charts, as the vast majority of the song’s airplay is still for the original version.”

Meanwhile, with 34 weeks in the top 10 of the Hot 100, “Levitating” is now the longest-running top-10 song by a female artist and the third longest-running ever, behind The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” (57 weeks) and Post Malone’s “Circles” (39).

Elsewhere on the chart, The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” remains in the No. 1 spot for the fourth consecutive week.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There were a number of stories told during The Last Dance that offered fascinating tidbits of new information to already legendary stories about the 1998 Chicago Bulls, but few were better than the recounting of Dennis Rodman’s disappearance to Las Vegas for 48 hours, which culminated in Michael Jordan barging into his room to drag him out of bed with Carmen Electra.

Rodman’s wild weekend in Vegas got about five minutes of discussion during The Last Dance, but we are going to be getting much more on it soon, courtesy of a new movie that has been picked up by Lionsgate and Lord Miller called 48 Hours In Vegas, per Variety — with Rodman on board to consult. The movie will give Rodman’s weekend bender a feature film treatment, which will surely produce a wild, over-the-top movie as they’ll be free to embellish and lean into the absurdity of Rodman’s excursion to the desert.

“Dennis refused to follow the herd,” Lord and Miller said in a statement. “That is what made him a target and it’s also what made him a star. His weekend in Las Vegas is full of fun and hijinks but it is also full of important questions about the way public figures and workers are treated, especially when their individuality is expressed so vividly.”

There are no actors attached to the film yet, as the screenplay is still being written by Jordan VanDina, but how they cast the movie will be interesting. Finding someone who can play The Worm won’t be easy, but it’s a role that will certainly provide someone with a lot of interesting choices to make.

It has been a while since 50 Cent dropped a musical project, as he’s been primarily focused on producing and promoting his various television series with Starz, which include a new Power spin-off and the period drama BMF, as well as fending off lawsuits for ripping off his competition in the beverage industry. However, a new rap release inspired him to start writing music again recently, as he told People in a recent video interview.

The release in question was King’s Disease 2, the latest release from 50’s fellow Queens native Nas — specifically the song “EPMD 2,” which featured 50’s friend and mentor Eminem. Eminem’s verse, which set Rap Twitter on fire the night of its release, prompted 50 to want to write again. “When Em does something that stands out to me, it’s special,” he said. “He just had a performance on Nas’ album, and it made me want to record again because of my connection to it. He sounded so good that I was like, ‘I gotta write something.’”

He also addressed his long absence from the forefront of the rap game, saying, “I feel like I’m still in it. Even if I don’t share it with the general public, it forced me back into writing, going to the studio and recording something.” Perhaps once BMF — which also features Eminem appearing as FBI informant White Boy Rick — is finished airing, 50 will be ready to once again share his new music with the general public.

Watch 50 Cent’s full interview with People above.