Last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite was one of the more exciting shows in the no-crowd pandemic era of wrestling, but unfortunately some of that excitement may have come at the expense of some of the performers’ bodies. It seemed pretty clear to anyone watching closely that three wrestlers got hurt over the course of the show, and today we can offer a few more details about their situations.
Fenix dove to the outside after his match with Orange Cassidy, but none of the wrestlers brawling out there managed to really catch his weight, and he was seen falling directly to the ground, where a referee quickly checked up on him. According to Bryan Alvarez at the Wrestling Observer, Fenix is just “banged up” and still expected to compete in the Ladder Match at Double or Nothing on Saturday.
Britt Baker was down in the corner in her tag match, when her opponents Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida dropped her partner Nyla Rose onto Baker’s bent knee. Afterward she was seen clutching it and being attended by an official at ringside. Currently she’s still scheduled to wrestle Statlander on Saturday, but the Observer notes that she still has to be medically evaluated today, and it looks like it might be “a pretty serious knee injury.”
In the final segment of the show, Matt Jackson appeared to hurt his ribs jumping off of a wall in the football stadium onto the Inner Circle. He took more than one shot to the ribs after that, and could be seen looking pained as the show ended. He’s supposed to be in the Stadium Stampede match at Saturday’s event, but he’ll also be evaluated by a doctor today.
Hopefully everybody will be able to work on Saturday, but we’ll know for sure soon enough.
It’s been five years since Ellie Goulding released her third studio record Delirium, and this February marked the 10-year anniversary of her break-out debut Lights. While Goulding has put out a few tracks in the years since her last release, her new single “Power” marks the UK singer’s triumphant return.
For the track’s accompanying visual, Goulding sought directorial help via FaceTime from creative duo Imogen Snell and Riccardo Castan, who has also worked with the likes of Madonna and The xx. Shot in isolation, the “Power” visual is Goulding at her most vulnerable yet, featuring montages of blurred selfie videos and an intimate peek into her home.
While Goulding has yet to reveal concrete details about her upcoming release, the singer offers a glimpse into her forthcoming full-length effort with the single. “Power” previews her fourth album through bright tones and her far-reaching, saccharine vocals which can be distinctly heard on her recent Blackbear collaboration “Worry About Me.”
In a statement alongside the single, Goulding said she wrote the single as a reflection on dynamics she’s experienced in modern relationships: “I wanted to release this song off my upcoming album as a preview into the world my new album is in! ‘Power’ is about relationships in the 21st century, how they can now be dictated by social media, superficiality and material things. Dating can sometimes start out with lies or embellishments. The girl in the song is disillusioned by love and the cruel, good looking, self-obsessed people she keeps ending up with.”
The Last Dance brought back a tremendous amount of 90’s nostalgia, as basketball fans were transported back to the era when Michael Jordan reigned over the league. It rekindled debates and discussions about Isiah Thomas being left off the Dream Team, Jordan’s first and second retirements, and a whole host of “what ifs.”
It also brought some of the central figures of the 90’s NBA back into focus, such as Ahmad Rashad, who was a regular in the documentary as someone that saw Jordan’s career through the most unique of lenses: a reporter for NBC but also as one of Jordan’s closest friends. Rashad has a perspective on Jordan’s career that’s all his own, and was able to offer some additional commentary on social media to add to the stories being told in The Last Dance.
This past Monday, Rashad hosted a livestream of Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals in a partnership with Gatorade, with guests Sue Bird, Zach LaVine, James Wiseman, and Ron Harper. Following that, Rashad spoke with DIME over the phone on behalf of Gatorade about what it was like reliving that game again, what it’s been like watching The Last Dance with Jordan each week, his role in Jordan’s pregame ritual, the Inside Stuff 90’s reunion, Inside Stuff‘s legacy, and what it was like being by Jordan’s side as he launched into superstardom.
I think The Last Dance was at its best when it was either showing the behind the scenes footage or giving us a glimpse into Michael Jordan the human, like the section in the finale on Gus Lett. As someone that knows that side of Mike, was that something you were glad the public got to see?
Yes. I thought one of the major things of all of that is you got to see Michael Jordan as a human being. You know, he’s a regular human being that deals with all the things us regular people deal with, but it was a great chance to see him outside of dunking and shooting and all those kinds of things, you really got to see it. It was like being a fly on the wall, and I think that was the greatest thing. Because everybody that had seen him play during that time, you never got to see that. You never knew that side of him, the human being side, and I thought that this was an excellent time for people to just see who was Michael Jordan.
What was watching this like for you as someone who saw a lot of those moments and more, getting to relive it again 20-plus years later?
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Well, you know, we watch it together. So we would sit down and we would laugh at stuff. We would reminisce, it was almost like a high school reunion. We’d talk about certain things, we would watch a game and we’d talk about a certain player. “Remember that guy, he could do this and this?” “Aw yeah, I remember that shot.” “Hey remember that time we were almost late and we had to…”
You know, it was one of those kinds of things of looking back and kind of realizing all of it, and then it was all the action was around a game. So then watching the game and remembering all the things that happened over the course of the game. It was a lot of fun for us, and it was something we did every Sunday for the entire time. So it was a lot of laughing and a lot of joking around. It was one of those kinds of things, us reminding each other of stuff. So it was pretty cool.
You’ve taken to social media some to fill in gaps and elaborate on some stories told in the doc. How much fun have you had reflecting on all of this and having a chance to tell some of these stories to a generation that doesn’t know them?
You know, the most fun I had was when Gatorade and NBA got together to provide a way for fans to see this game all over again, and I got the chance to do it with Sue Bird and Zach LaVine and James Wiseman and Ron Harper. So, to get together with them and do it, I thought was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, because people could watch the game that maybe they’ve never seen it, but they got insight from us over the course of that game — almost like we were sitting in your living room and watching it with you, and that became a lot of fun. Where I could go to Harp and say, “Harp remember this?” Or I could go to Sue and say, “What would you have done in this situation?” Or James as a young man, “Who impresses you most?”
Just those things that, when you sit down and watch a game you’re never going to be able to have us in your living room, up to that point, but because of Gatorade, they put us all together and we had a chance to react to things going on. I thought that enhanced the viewership, it enhanced your knowledge of what’s going on, and hopefully it entertains you in a way that it would never happen again. It was a great idea, I mean, they came up with just a big, great idea just to do this and I just have never seen it before, but I certainly had fun.
Yeah, I was going to ask about that, because you had a wide age range. You have Zach LaVine who probably was real young when that happened, James Wiseman wasn’t even born yet. You have Sue Bird who was definitely watching as a teenager, and you have Ron Harper who was actually on the floor. How interesting was it to see them watch it and give their insight from all different perspectives?
Well it was fun, and it was fun to see some of the reaction that they had. James Wiseman is probably a lot older in his reality than his age, because he said some things that were pretty pertinent from what he was taking away from the game. The other stuff, like you just said, Sue Bird is one of the greatest players who ever played and then you had Ron Harper who was actually in the game. So I would say stuff to Harp because I remember talking to Harp during that time. We would talk during that entire time, so it was almost sort of a lead through. I would lead them through what was going to happen, and what did happen and Harp could say why it happened, and Sue could say what she would do in those situations, and James could say who impressed him most, and the same thing with Zach. I think it was a great group of people and it covered every aspect of that great game from every viewpoint.
We saw some a few times you shared some pregame moments with Mike, in the car on the way to, I believe, Game 2 of the Nets series and in the back of the locker room talking to him before Game 7 of the conference finals against the Pacers. What was it like being there and seeing his process of getting ready for big games and what was he like in those moments?
He was very businesslike, to a point. Because we had … there was a thing we would always do. I would get to the arena early and find a room, and then Michael and Phil Jackson would come to that room, and we would sort of be hiding out under the bleachers somewhere in this room in every arena that they played in. That was my job, to find a room we could be in. And we would talk about everything but basketball. We’d be joking, talking telling stories, just really having a great time, and then when we left there it was just a feel that now was time to get serious. So just that walk to the locker room, that whole jovial thing went away and it was serious. And I think any time you saw that I was in the locker room was usually after we went to that room where we laughed a lot, because it would’ve been very little laughing at that point you saw. There was a game to be played and it got a little bit serious at that point.
I don’t even know, even when I looked at that I was kept thinking, “How did I get in there?” You know? They don’t let anyone in that room, but I remember walking through the locker room all the time. Nobody ever said anything, and I look at it like, they don’t let press people go back in the training room, but that was like my spot. It was just a whole different thing. I felt like I knew all the guys on the team, so no one was ever surprised by it. It was just … and having been a professional athlete, I know what it’s about when you’re getting ready to go to battle. I know what it’s like. So the trick is to not get in the way. You can’t get in the way, they’re going to where they’re going just don’t get in the way.
You’ve told a few stories recently about other folks in the media being upset over that relationship you had. I saw the Jim Gray story you told and then talking about that ’93 sunglasses interview and people thinking you shouldn’t have been the one to do it.
[laughs] Yeah…
How did you navigate that and just learn to deal with that part of it, where some of your peers in the media were jealous or upset you were able to do some of those things that aren’t offered to most?
Well, I didn’t pay any attention to it. I was just doing what I do. I can’t make any excuse for it, I mean, it’s not my fault that the player they all want to cover is one of my best friends. That’s fortunate for me, because I had that job and I had that access. But I had that same sort of access with Phil Jackson. It’s like when Phil told Jim Gray that, “Ahmad’s family, you’re media, so get the hell out.” I think that pretty much answered it. Like, no word was said after that and we kept on doing what we were doing.
It’s hard to fathom exactly how popular and how famous Michael was. The doc touched on the Be Like Mike campaign, which Gatorade recently rebooted, but what is it about Jordan that you think made fans connect with him in the way they did that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it like that with any other athlete?
Well, I had never seen it with any other athlete, either, but you almost have to take it to another level. It’s like a great — it’s like the Rolling Stones or somebody. They put on great concert after great concert after great concert, well that’s the way Michael played. He was great, great, great, greater, greater, greatest. Every night. It wasn’t one of those things where, I don’t think you’ll hear the story very often that they went to watch the Bulls play and Michael scored eight points.
If you went to see them play, he took it upon himself, because he told me one time, “You know what drives me? There’s somebody in those stands that’s never seen me play before. I don’t care where the game is, I don’t care where we play. There’s somebody in the stands that’s never seen me play.” And he felt like he owed them to show them who he was. And that was kind of cool, and I’m sure you have entertainers that feel that way too. Especially great entertainers where every show is a great show. And Michael was a great entertainer and every game was a great game.
The last thing on that. The other thing that I thought was, Chicago was the perfect town to have Michael Jordan. It’s one of the great sports towns in the country, if not the greatest. And it was just perfect. The Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan fit like a glove.
Absolutely. You just had the Inside Stuff 90’s reunion. How much fun was it having all those guys together, swapping stories and catching up? I mean, I can’t imagine there’s been a time where all 20, 25 of y’all have been able to do something like that.
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[Laughs] That was so much fun. I felt so good that these guys did it for me, and I didn’t even have to ask twice, just once and they all showed up. It was so much fun. It was like having a whole group of guys over to my house, and we all thought you guys all come over, have a couple beers, talk about the old days and kick it back and forth. Well, good luck doing that, but once we had that there, that’s exactly what it turned into. There was more stories and guys cracking on each other and they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, either. It’s like, that might’ve been the first time — I talked to David Robinson and he said, “I hadn’t seen any of those guys in 15 years.”
So it was fun, that was another sort of like high school reunion. And I had stories of all of ’em, Karl Malone, John Stockton, all these guys there were more and more stories, and then once we just got started we just rolled with it and it was just a lot of fun. I think that’s worth doing again.
Yeah, it was a blast to watch. It kind of felt like we were watching a bunch of old friends catching up. And I think this was always kind of the beauty of Inside Stuff, and this was something I wanted to ask. It was never just, OK we’re going to do this formal, sit down interview. It always felt like those guys were so comfortable, and I know it’s something that’s influenced me when I have the opportunity if I have a chance to do something that’s not just sit down across from a player. Is that something you as a former athlete knew was a good formula to follow, and was it always the plan of, if we can get them out of the media room and into their element they’re going to be more open and more willing to show their personality?
Well it was my plan when I was executive producer of Inside Stuff was that every single interview I did, or we did, was not just a set interview, and it was a conversation where everyone can become comfortable and say whatever you want. It wasn’t just a flat out interview, it was a conversation so you would actually see what these guys are all about. You would learn so much more about who you’re interviewing by having a conversation as opposed to a quiz, and to show them doing things and being normal. What’s their normal side? What’s the side people can relate to? Because you can’t relate to them playing basketball, they can do that better than anybody you’ve ever seen. But you can relate to them going to the store. Like, who goes to the store? You ever been to the mall? You ever change a tire? So, stuff we all do, and it was fun having those guys deal with that. And it created an atmosphere of everybody being comfortable. It wasn’t just them being comfortable, but me being comfortable and also the viewers being comfortable.
And like you said, with all of those guys being willing to hop on that call kind of shows how important Inside Stuff was to that era and the growth of the NBA’s popularity. How proud are you of the legacy of the show and what y’all were able to do over 15 years?
It is something I’m very proud of. One of the greatest achievements of my life was to executive produce and managing edit that show. That was such a strong show and we were the first of that genre, and nobody could do anything like it. It was the only show like that, and we really hit a home run. We also were lucky that we’re on the cusp of the NBA going global, and Inside Stuff was on in, like, 200 countries, 180 countries, something like that. What helped also was it was in Michael’s era where Michael was blowing up all over the world. So, we were almost on that sort of sleigh and he was taking us a long, and the whole league, they had so many stars at that time and the music thing and the social dressing, and the NBA was on fire. And we were able to capture that.
I also remember we used to do a stay in school special every year during the All-Star, and we’d have everyone from Will Smith to everybody there to co-host the thing, and do all these things for the kids. Once we got their attention about basketball we could slip in some educational things once you get the attention. Everybody sort of looked forward to it. So it caught on every single element of that era. We were right at the top and we were riding the crest of that, and did it in such a great way that I think people felt — you know television is different. When you’re on television you’re coming into people’s homes. It’s different than going to the movies. When you go to the movies, there’s a distance between you, but when you come on every Saturday to somebody’s home, you become a part of their home. A day doesn’t go by for me, even now, that somebody doesn’t say, “I watched that show every Saturday.” That happens every day, so it just makes me feel good that it was really something that was done one time, it’s never really been done again, and it was done really well, too.
You mention this was when Michael and the league was going global, and you were there for some of those trips around the world — the trip to Paris in 1997, and then of course the Dream Team in 1992. What was it like seeing that in person and seeing the global explosion when you were with the Dream Team or with Michael overseas and just seeing him become this global superstar?
It was like Elvis [laughs]. But nobody remembers Elvis either, he’s too old, but it was overwhelming. Yeah, I remember being in Paris and we were going to get some cigars from a cigar shop, and we get in a van and there must’ve been four or five cop cars in front and behind, and by the time we got to the store there were people lined up for blocks just to get a glimpse of him coming out of the truck. It was just like that, and when the game came in they got a chance to see Michael Jordan. It’s like the whole world knew about him, but now you got a chance to see him in person and the excitement was over the top.
And then the Dream Team, it wasn’t only Michael, it was all those other guys, too. I mean, it was the Dream Team, led by Michael, but also the group that was with him were all great players too. It was just fascinating. Every time they’d go out and beat teams by 20, 30 points and, you know, everybody lived up to the billing. Sometimes in entertainment it’s hard to live up to the billing, where you get a billing that’s so big and you wait for it and then people get a little let down. Well this was past great, they really shattered whatever you were thinking, they went way over the top of that.
And even the guys on the opposing teams would lose by 30 and then go get autographs.
[Laughs] Yes, I remember that! I remember when guys would do that, the end of the game they didn’t care if they lost by 50 they just wanted an autograph and a picture.
I mean, I can’t blame them.
The thought of them winning was probably not a thought.
To close, and I know this is probably an impossible question, but do you have a favorite Michael Jordan story or just a story that really encapsulates who he is?
You know what, it’s so many little ones that show … I mean he was really committed. I remember when he came back to New York [in his last game at the Garden in 1998] and he had on some old shoes that he wore years ago or something, and they were too small. At halftime, I had to interview him and his feet hurt so bad they were bleeding, they had swole up in his shoes so he couldn’t take them off. I said, “Why don’t you just take them off and put on another pair?” And he said, “I can’t take them off, I won’t be able to get my feet back in a shoe.” So he played the whole second half with his toes bleeding and every time he stopped he said it was like someone sticking knives in his toes, but it didn’t stop him. It didn’t stop him from continuing on out and playing. The guy was just committed, really committed.
But I think the one thing people need to understand, the attitude you saw him towards his teammates and trying to get everybody fired up and committed to playing, it’s not unlike — you think Larry Bird wasn’t like that? You think Magic Johnson wasn’t like that? Those guys were all like that. Those were guys that wanted to put their foot on your throat. They got everything they could get out of their teammates. Everything they could get out of their teammates. This was just the first time you saw inside a locker room, but it’s not the only time you see great players lead like that. You lead by performance and bringing guys along. I think that was something that you never would’ve seen had you not seen this Last Dance.
Obsessed’s Britt Ellis and Taylour Chanel are back to talk about the one thing we’re all doing right now — binge-watching TV.
In the above video, Ellis and Chanel break down their affection for Dead To Me and Insecure before deep-diving into Amazon’s Greg Daniel created sci-fi comedy, Upload. This with the help of series star Andy Allo, who stops by to discuss some of her favorite parts from season one while offering some insight into the show’s brewing romance and glimpse at the future.
For Dead To Me, it’s the addictive cliffhangers and snackable binge-watching quality that has the Obsessed team hooked. That and Britt’s committed stan-dom of star Christina Applegate who, along with Linda Cardellini, powers the show as it focuses on the messiness of female friendships, the power of grief, and the importance of wine. Seriously, we cannot overstate how big of a role wine has on this show.
As for the fourth season of Insecure, even though Issa and Molly are on the outs, the ladies are loving the return of fan-favorite character Lawrence, Issa’s ex. The door might be open for a rekindling of their romance. At the very least, there’s a soft breeze, and with a fifth season already greenlit by HBO, both Ellis and Chanel think now’s the time for audiences to catch on to how damn good this comedy series really is.
Check out the video above for a deeper dive into the binge-worthy shows we’re obsessed with and our convo with Andy Allo.
Brooklyn native Joey Badass has been quiet on the music tip for a minute, but that hasn’t stopped him from showing up where it matters most. Complex reports that Joey made a sizable donation to COVID-19 relief for New York City’s students, pairing with Fund For Public Schools to contribute $25,000 toward the city’s students — specifically, its homeless ones.
According to the report, there are more than 100,000 homeless students every year, with around 15,000 students living in shelters on any given night. This vulnerable population faces extra risk during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which also affects their learning and ability to complete courses. To that end, Joey’s donation will help with basic needs so students can focus on schoolwork, which will help prepare them for life after the coronavirus crisis has cleared.
In a statement, Joey said, “Now this COVID-19 crisis has been tough on a lot of us, but I can only imagine how hard it is on the homeless students. In the New York City public school system, there are about 1.1 million students currently enrolled. Over 100,000 of them are actually homeless. Now that’s about 1 in 10, and 85 percent of those kids are Hispanic or black. And that’s why I’m partnering up The Fund for Schools and the Department of Education to help them stay on track. Please join me in our efforts to support our most vulnerable students.”
You can watch Joey’s announcement video above and donate to the Fund For Public Schools here.
NPR’s staple live music segment Tiny Desk has found a way to cope with the pandemic. Rather than inviting musicians to their Washington, DC office to perform short sets amid crowded bookshelves and colorful trinkets, they are instead imploring artists to record sets from home. Comprised of working couple Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, Sylvan Esso showcased their shimmering tones in a Tiny Desk performance from their living room in Durham, North Carolina.
The couple’s chemistry is immediately apparent, often exchanging knowing glances which end in a giggle. And their artistry relies on a similar connection. Sanborn offers much of their instrumentals, producing each track on a synth in real-time while Meath delivers her soaring verses. For their abbreviated set, the duo pulls from their 2017 record What Now to perform “Die Young,” “Rewind,” and “Radio.”
The performance arrives just after Sylvan Esso’s collaboration with Local Natives. Just ahead of the lockdown in March, Sylvan Esso linked up with Local Natives on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to rework their 2016 Sunlit Youth track “Dark Days.” Now, the two have released the version as a single. In a statement alongside the remixed track, Local Natives said praised Meath for her musicianship:
“We last played it live on Kimmel a little over 2 months ago, which now feels like a distant memory from a bizarre alternate reality. Despite the looming anxiety of those final pre-quarantine days, that performance felt especially cathartic for us and was made all the more poignant by having Amelia on stage with us. She not only lent us her incredible voice but she wrote a beautiful new verse that taps into the nostalgia and the longing we all feel for a different time.”
Watch Sylvan Esso’s Tiny Desk performance and listen to their Local Natives collaboration above.
Defining someone as a “beer influencer” is a strange task. The word “influencer” alone is a freaking landmine. While virtually everyone in the content creation world longs to be influential, people still bristle at anyone marketing themselves as such. We’re using it here as a funky umbrella term that includes beer writers, brewers, beer sommeliers, beer-tenders, beer models, beer podcasters, beer advocates, and just plain old, well-respected beer lovers. In short, people we deem influential in this world.
That said, this list has caused controversy before. Last year’s launch kicked off a firestorm that led to a fair bit of industry drama and, in the end, some positive, progressive conversations about the challenges women in beer face. Those problems haven’t gone away. Meanwhile, the pandemic has added a whole new set of complications for the industry. It’s a trying time for small-time operators across the board right now. All the more reason to follow people who live, breathe, and drink in the craft beer ecosystem. People who are deeply invested in the state of their industry and keen to share it with the rest of us.
So here you go: 20 “beer influencers” we love in 2020. A chance to learn about beer from the people who make it and champion it. A chance to discover new pints, bottles, and growlers from beer podcasters, writers, and advocates. But first-and-foremost, a chance to have fun with endless combinations of grain, hops, yeast, and water.
Natalya Watson (beerwithnat) is a great entry point for any beer-curious tippler. Watson has a deeply enjoyable beer podcast that’s supported her Instagram feed. Watson is also a certified Advanced Cicerone, YouTuber, and author of Beer: Taste the Evolution in 50 Styles.
Watson’s Instagram feed is all about beer education alongside useful beer reviews, making it an excellent repository for extending your beer knowledge.
Mark Dredge is a beer, food, and travel writer with a killer beer-themed Instagram feed. Dredge has also authored six books about beer and the most recent — A Brief History of Lager — is yet another must-have for all beer lovers.
Following Dredge on Instagram is a no-brainer for any level of beer enthusiast. If you crave knowledge, this man has it.
Aristotle Green’s feed offers a glimpse into a beer hypeman’s life on the frontlines and behind the scenes. The Queens-based “Curator of VIBES” for his local brewery takes you into beer fests and the New York City beer scene. Granted, the feed does tend to focus on Green’s home brewery Finback (which you should also follow), but that doesn’t take away from the feed being a fun look at beer-making, drinking, and hyping.
New York-based Alison Grasso works as an audio and visual editor by day and champions craft beer by night (and weekends!). Grasso has a masterful beer-forward YouTube channel and created the #WomeninCraft video series.
Grasso’s feed is a great way to learn about new beers, beer bars, and the female brewers who are helping define the industry.
Charlotte Fisher’s feed, Hops and Charlie, falls squarely into the beer model category with a Florida focus. The feed is an easy follow overall, with great beer call-outs from craft breweries all over the U.S., sunny Florida backdrops, and a chill mood.
Cory Smith, who primarily writes for Good Beer Hunting, is the person to follow if you want to up your beer knowledge dramatically. Smith is an ambassador for the intersection of beer, travel, and food around the world (with a focus on his current home of Copenhagen). His Instagram is an easy follow for anyone looking for great shots of beer, beautifully plated food, and insight into the brewers and chefs who make all that magic happen.
Mike Potter wants to upend the “white dude with a beard” stereotype that has gripped American craft beer for the better part of three decades. Potter founded Black Beer Culture out of his Pittsburgh digs. The movement and its corresponding Instagram account have been instrumental in bringing a wider awareness to Black American brewers and beer lovers while also serving as a spot for all novices to learn about the wonderful nuances that make a great beer.
Bella, the force behind One Hoppy Lady, is a Certified Cicerone Beer Server and a professional photographer. That gives her a deep knowledge of beer to pair with her acumen behind the camera. Both add up to a fantastic beer feed on Instagram. Bella’s tastes tend to be impeccable and the beers she highlights in her feed are definitely worth hunting down (no matter how much effort that takes).
Artist, photographer, and beer-lover Tara Eckes calls out a lot of great beer. Eckes feed is also a great spot to find shout outs to great stops for road trips in America’s vast Southwest. Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico’s scenic byways, breweries, diners, beer bars, and breath-taking nature are as much a highlight as the actual beers Tara recommends.
Lindsay Hayes is on the frontline of beer drinking. Hayes was working as a beer-tender in Nashville at Southern Grist Brewing before moving to Divine Barrel Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina. That means Hayes knows how to select an awesome beer for you to drink and maybe fall in love with. This makes Hayes’ feed an informative follow for anyone looking for something new to drink.
Caitlin Johnson, the Austin-based beer and travel blogger behind Big World Small Girl, brings life and color to her Instagram as she travels, eats, and drinks her way around the world (obviously that will be more localized in the months to come). Her feed touches on poolside cocktails and spirits brands alongside more classic travel wish fulfillment, but it’s really the beer that’s the main event.
While Johnson posts beer from all over, her feed is a must for anyone visiting Austin who wants to drink (and eat) the best of the best.
Miguel Rivas’ Instagram feed opens with “Every beer has a story. Every story has a beer.” We’re already all-in on The Beer Trekker from that phrase alone. Rivas hosts Instagram live streams with some of the biggest and most important names in brewing from around the world. This makes Rivas’ feed one of the best repositories of brewer resources on the internet which, in turn, makes it a highly trustable place to find equally great beer.
Peter David’s Worst Beer Blog is, by far, one of the funniest follows on Instagram. The brewery fail clips alone — full of exploding tanks and scurrying brewers — are enough reason to follow. David’s feed is also a great place to get the most forehead-slapping beer news on the internet these days, with his deep commenter base bringing more entertainment value to every single post.
If you’re not on Instagram, Worst Beer Blog is on Twitter and just as great a follow there.
This is the perfect account if you’re looking for straight-up beer recommendations. San Diego’s Craftbeeray is all about giving you those beer tips with a laser focus on the pints themselves. Ray’s posts are concise moments he experiences in the beer world with even more concise descriptions of what he’s drinking.
Émilie Leclerc blends a vintage aesthetic, travel, food, and beer into her feed on Instagram. The actress-model-journalist has a great love for beer, especially the beer from her home, Quebec. Leclerc travels the world drinking some of the best beer being brewed out there, making her feed a great place to find out what’s going on in the scene up in Canada but also further afield.
Megan Stone is a brewer with cred from both Mikkeller San Diego and Modern Times Beer who advocates for women and LBGTQI folks in the beer industry. Her Instagram handle, Is Beer A Carb, finds the rainbow-haired tattoo model traveling, drinking, and advocating for beer and the people making it.
Alyssa Thorpe is the head brewer at Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery out in Denver, Colorado. She’s a master brewer with a great eye for great beer around the country. Thorpe’s Instagram feed is a great way to find out what this expert in the field drinks and finds herself inspired by — all so that you can drink it too.
If we were ranking the photography aesthetics in play with these influencers (we’re not), Julie Roesser’s Craft Beer Deer might be at the top. Roesser is a professional photographer who also adores all things beer. That combination makes her Instagram feed one of the most beautiful beer feeds to be found on Instagram, full stop. The crystal clear vision, seen through a photographer’s eye, leaves the beer looking gorgeous in every photo.
Mikealaa Crist is a big advocate for the California Coast beer scene and knows all the spots to hit in that region. Crist is also a former assistant brewer and has been working in the brewery scene (in sales and marketing) for years now. Following along Crist’s feed is an easy one. You’ll get beautiful California nature with killer beer recommendations from an industry stalwart.
Melis is the mind behind the travel and beer feed, The Girl With Beer. Her feed combines quality beer recommendations with full-on #FOMO travel experiences around the world while also advocating for women in the industry. The Girl With Beer is the best of both worlds of travel and the brewing industry with a real sense of accessibility and, of course, lots of awesome pints along the way.
The best new hip-hop albums coming out this week include albums from Bino Rideaux, Gunna, Key Glock, Kota The Friend, Skooly, Wurld, and Yoshi2k. It’s a packed week, with some of hip-hop’s hottest rising stars contributing to the canon, reflecting rap’s increasing diversity and talent.
An LA-based rapper who was closely affiliated with Nipsey Hussle, Bino’s been around for a while, but has received more and more attention since paying homage to his late friend with “Pride 2 The Side” earlier this year. His latest mixtape will give him a chance to come into his own, with only two features — Fredo Band and Mozzy — while his single “BET” is making its rounds, showing off his penchant for singsong rhymes and upbeat, relatable lyrics.
Gunna — Wunna
Gunna is one of rap’s burgeoning A-listers, with only a hit album separating him from that upper echelon. His new album may be his best chance to break through, thanks to singles like “Skybox” and an impressive list of features that still leaves him plenty of room to stand on his own after spending so much of his careers shining on features and alongside his Drip Harder partner-in-rhyme Lil Baby.
Key Glock — Son Of A Gun
Memphis rapper Key Glock may have stepped up huge on his Yellow Tape earlier this year, but it looks like he wants to double down on the goodwill that project generated by striking while the iron is glowing hot. It’s not only impressive for him to follow up so quickly, but with Son Of A Gun foregoing features, he’ll have an opportunity to demonstrate just how much dimension he’s got to go with his work ethic.
Kota The Friend — Everything
Brooklyn’s Kota The Friend called his upcoming album “more positive” than his previous full-length, Foto, emphasizing the upbeat, feel-good nature and the links between himself and his genre-spanning collaborators, Bas, Joey Badass, Kyle, and Tobi Lou, among others. One thing that can be counted on is his sharp insight and crystal clear self-image.
Skooly — Nobody Likes Me
One of the first products of 2 Chainz’s joint venture with Atlantic Records, Atlanta rapper Skooly is ready to make his full-fledged debut with Nobody Likes Me. After distinguishing himself on the T.R.U. tape, No Face No Case, earlier this year, Skooly is bound to show more facets of his style on his new project, roping in some of his city’s top stars for his big introduction.
Wurld — Afrosoul
Nigerian Singer/songwriter Wurld fuses soul and African pop on his new EP, with an aim toward proving his versatility and star power.
Yoshi24k — Alien
Hailing from New York, Yoshi24k may appeal to fans of SoundCloud stars like Smokepurpp, Yoshi is a departure from some of the major stars from his city. Rather than leaning into the drill sound or traditional boom-bap, he carves his own path with atmospheric production and melody work, showing up as his own self-possessed artist.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
While The Last Dance reached its conclusion on Sunday evening, there has been plenty of fallout in recent days in the form of folks expressing discontent over the project. Former Chicago Bulls teammate Horace Grant was vocally upset with a number of aspects of ESPN’s 10-part docuseries on Michael Jordan and his final year in the Windy City, while a report indicates that Scottie Pippen wasn’t particularly happy with how he was portrayed, a sentiment shared by a few former teammates. Even Jerry Reinsdorf objected to something Jordan said in the series finale.
One person who popped up in the doc and offered up a bit of a critique is Gary Payton, the former Seattle SuperSonics guard who squared off against Jordan in the 1996 NBA Finals. Payton, perhaps the most tenacious defensive guard of all time, did not check Jordan for the first three games, which saw Seattle go down 3-0. Upon moving over, he appeared to give Jordan a hard time and helped the Sonics pick up a few wins, but when he explained his plan for guarding MJ, this happened:
“The Glove? I had no problem with the Glove. I had no problem with Gary Payton.”
It is insightful analysis by Payton, and Jordan’s reaction is perhaps the funniest moment of the documentary, even if the numbers indicate that his play fell off once Payton checked him. However, Payton was not particularly happy with Jordan’s reaction, something he articulated during a cameo on the first episode of the Opinionated 7-Footers podcast with Brendan Haywood and Ryan Hollins.
Payton did make it a point to say that while he got riled up, he understood why this was Jordan’s approach. Via For the Win:
“Oh you know I was hot. I was thinking about calling him at the time. … But you know what, that’s what I expect out of Mike because I would’ve said the same thing. I would’ve said the same thing. You know me, B. I’m not gonna admit to nothing, man. I’m not gonna admit to somebody that D’d me up or did nothing.
I’ll always tell you that any time in my career, nobody gave me problems but one person, and that’s John Stockton to me. That is just the way the game goes. I’m not mad at Mike because Mike didn’t have too many games that nobody D’d him up.”
Payton gripe doesn’t seem to come from the same place as the rest of the critiques the doc has gotten from former players, even if he wasn’t a fan of the way Jordan viewed their Finals battle. Still, he gets why and even relates to Jordan’s comments, and managed to get a bit of a dig in on the Hall of Fame guard by bringing up his battles with Stockton.
HBO Max arrives on May 27 with a vast library and loads of original content that will arrive in waves. It’s becoming clearer that lots of current subscribers will get rolled into HBO Max at no additional cost (check here to see if you’re one of the lucky ones), but what, exactly, are people looking forward to most from the newest streaming service? A few months ago, it looked like the complete Friends library would be the most prominent library attraction, but that may not be the case. And after yesterday’s response to HBO Max confirming that it would #ReleaseTheSnyderCut of Justice League, one could gather that comic book fans are also pumped for the launch.
That assumption would be correct, and according to a new poll from the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros.’ full DCEU library (all the comic-book-nerd stuff, even including non-DCEU entry Joker) is actually a bigger draw than Friends. Also higher on the list than Joey Tribbiani refusing to share food? HBO’s epic George R.R. Martin series, despite the divisive eighth season. Here are the numbers:
The Warner Bros. TV and movie library — which encompasses all 10 seasons of Friends — is also a lure, with 32 percent of respondents saying that they’re more likely to subscribe to HBO Max because of that programming. But among specific IP, the DC Extended Universe (26 percent) and Game of Thrones (23 percent) had more pull than Friends (21 percent).
Yep, it sure seems like a sound investment for HBO Max to have agreed to release Zack Snyder’s still-in-process cut of the 2017 film ultimately helmed by Joss Whedon. Even though the Snyder Cut won’t arrive until 2021, the service is sending a very clear message that the comic book audience is an important one, and subscribers could respond in kind. Between HBO Max (which I suspect will eventually absorb the TV shows currently streaming on DC Universe, and Doom Patrol is already on the way) and Disney+ (with all the MCU movies and TV shows), the future of streaming will be quite nerd-oriented, even if we don’t know when upcoming adventures will land in theaters.
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