Category: Viral

The first half of Game 1 of the Warriors-Grizzlies series delivered in a lot of ways, as Ja Morant took a starring role for the home team, scoring 18 points in the first two quarters, while the Warriors hung around thanks to another strong effort from Jordan Poole, who had 14 points in the opening half in his return to the bench.

Memphis took a 61-55 lead into the locker room after closing the half on a 7-2 spurt that started with Draymond Green getting tagged with a Flagrant 2 and an ejection for a two-part foul on Grizzlies big man Brandon Clarke.

On the announcement, Kane Fitzgerald noted that the first part was the wind up and hit to the face he gave Clarke on the initial foul, which Green then compounded by grabbing Clarke by his jersey and pulling him to the ground. On their own, they wouldn’t have been ejection worthy but both were deemed flagrant fouls by the referees, who decided two Flagrant 1’s on one play deserves a Flagrant 2. That naturally was not well received by the Warriors bench — although Green hopped around the court gesturing to the crowd to try and get his squad hyped as he left for the locker room.

Green will likely feel that this was another instance of his reputation hurting him with the officials, as he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt on either of his fouls on this play, despite his effort to hold up Clarke after pulling him down initially. Clarke would get fouled again on the next possession, making three of his four attempts, and then the Grizzlies sent the FedEx Forum crowd into a frenzy with this sequence from De’Anthony Melton and Ja Morant.

How Golden State adapts in the second half without Green will be fascinating to watch on the defensive end in particular, as his on-off splits illustrated how important he is to them being a top defensive unit in the league. Without him, the Warriors will either have to go much smaller with Andrew Wiggins playing some five at times to play the ultra-switching style they like to employ with Green on the floor or go big and hope Kevon Looney can at least help protect the paint some.

Thanks to Doja Cat the much-beloved Mexican Pizza is returning to Taco Bell’s menu next month. Which begs the question: when are we getting the Meximelt back? When Taco Bell streamlined its menu two years ago they dropped plenty of classics from their menu (shout out to the 7-Layer Burrito) but the Meximelt felt like the cruelest cut. Not only was this dish a favorite of many, it was easy to build and didn’t require complicated packaging like the Mexican Pizza. Most frustrating of all, it’s a hack away from still existing on the current menu… kind of.

The whole thing just feels so unnecessary, as if someone at the Bell’s headquarters had it out for the Meximelt. Or for all of us.

An easy hack for those missing the simple but addicting flavors of the Meximelt is to order a Cheesy Roll-Up and add Pico de Gallo and ground beef. It’s essentially the same thing, but it’s not quite as substantial. So we figured, why not make it ourselves until Taco Bell wises up — or a huge music personality urges them to bring it back and they cave.

Chance saved Wendy’s spicy nuggs back. Doja Cat handled Mexican Pizza. Who will be the Meximelt’s champion?

Despite our sadness over the Meximelt’s death, it’s not exactly — and I know this is hard for Meximelt stans to hear — anything special. It’s simply a ground beef soft taco with pico de gallo instead of lettuce, and a melted three-cheese blend instead of Taco Bell’s usual grated cheddar. That’s not exactly a culinary miracle, but there is something special about the way that the cheese melts and turns this dish into the exact middle point between a soft taco and a quesadilla.

It’s strange alchemy but, whew, it works. (Meanwhile, a slightly underdone Meximelt is horrifying. Again… odd.)

Because it’s so simple to make, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the internet is full of copycat recipes on how to recreate this dish at home. What is surprising though is that they’re all terrible. Not some, not most, all. Seriously, you’ll find questionable practices like adding ‘taco seasoning’ to your meat or worst of all, throwing the whole thing in the microwave to get it all melty.

(People who put tortillas in a microwave hate tortillas. Full stop. The Meximelt was cooked in a timed warmer, not a microwave — as was the Mexican Pizza.)

Today, not only are we going to teach you how to make the Meximelt, we’re going to teach you how to make it better than Taco Bell ever could. Let’s cook.

The Meximelt

Ingredients:

Makes anywhere between 8-12 Meximelts (depending on tortilla size/meat serving)

• 1 lb. Ground beef (80/20)
• 1 lb. Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Serrano Pepper (or Jalapeño if you want a milder heat)
• 3/4-1 onion (white, yellow, red, use what you’ve got)
• 1 Small Potato
• 1 tbsp. Paprika
• 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp. Dried Oregano
• 1tbsp. Chipotle Chile Powder
• 1/2 tbsp. Cumin
• 1/3 pound Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Oaxaca cheese (Or any three kinds of cheese of your choice)
• Kosher Salt (to taste)
• Crushed Black Pepper (to taste)
• Bundle of Cilantro
• Lime
• Any salsa of your choice (optional, but it’ll make the dish we promise)
• Flour Tortilla (king size or bigger).
• Pad of butter.

Because the Meximelt is so easy to make, we might as well make everything fresh, including the Pico de Gallo. If the idea of making your own Pico de Gallo causes you to break a sweat, chill out, we’ve got you, this is one of the easiest salsas to make and once you have it fresh it’ll be so satisfying and flavorful that you’ll never buy the pre-made stuff again.

We’ll make the Pico de Gallo first so the fresh flavors have some time to come together. For the best results make this the night before (you can also totally make the meat the night before too, this is a great dish to make with leftovers) but if you’re pressed for time, let it sit at least 30 minutes before serving.

Once our Pico de Gallo is mixed and marinating, we’ll grate equal parts cheddar, Monterey jack, and Oaxaca cheese (use mozzarella for authentic Taco Bell, or mix it up and use any three kinds of cheese) and cook our ground taco meat.

For the absolute best results and the most elevated flavor experience, I strongly recommend you take the time to follow Uproxx’s own Zach Johnston’s recipe for the best-braised taco meat. He uses beef stock resulting in a super juicy result with beautiful color. For the sake of saving time though, I’m going to follow this much simpler recipe. Your meat won’t be as juicy, but I think slightly drier meat works better in the Meximelt, plus we’re going to hit it with a tablespoon of salsa which is going to add that moistness you crave.

Pico de Gallo:

Method

• De-stem four Roma tomatoes (you can also de-seed — no seeds will give a prettier end result)
• Dice tomatoes into even cubes, if you’d like to get granular about how to chop a tomato and pick up some good technique in the process, definitely check out Vince Mancini’s Best Pico de Gallo Recipe Of All Time. But I’m going to assume you know how to dice.
• Throw diced tomatoes into a bowl with a pinch of salt. You could salt at the end, but salting early will help draw out some moisture.
• Dice 1/3 to 1/2 of a whole onion. You’re more than welcome to use more onions here, it kind of depends on how onion-heavy you want your Pico de Gallo. I like less onion, so we’re going to use the remaining onion for the ground beef. Once onions are chopped, throw them in the bowl with the tomato.
• Halve a Serrano pepper (deseed and remove membrane if you want a milder heat) and dice both halves into uniform cubes (keep these smaller than you diced the tomato and onion). Once chopped, throw them into the bowl with the tomato and onion.
• Grab a bundle of cilantro, finely chop it, and throw it into the bowl.

Now that we have all the key ingredients it’s time for the lime. Roll your lime on your countertop, cut it in half, and squeeze both halves over your mix. Once the ingredients are combined, start mixing.

Now let it sit and work its magic, onto the meat!

Taco Meat

Method:

The measurements on the spices in the ingredients list are really more of a ballpark, not gospel. I really encourage you to season this dish with feeling, you should be tasting the meat while you cook it, but if you’re afraid to eat while you cook, if it smells like a fragrant earthy bouquet of spices and flavors, you’re doing it right.

• Roughly chop your remaining onion, set aside.
• Dice a small potato (red preferably, I used Russet, use what you have) into small uniform cubes, set aside. You don’t want to give this a rustic chop, be as precise as possible.
• Place the pan of your choice (I use cast iron, use what you’re comfortable with) on medium-high heat with a touch of oil. Once the oil is rippling, add your chopped onion and cook until translucent and fragrant.
• Once the onions smell so good you think ‘mmm’, add your ground beef. Break up the meat into chunks, and season with a pinch or two of kosher salt, crushed black pepper, cumin, dried oregano, chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder. In the words of Marky Mark, “Feel it, feel it.”
• Once the meat is browned on one side, turn it over and continue cooking, breaking up the meat more as you cook.

• Once browned, create an open space in the middle of the pan and add your chopped potato to the rendered fat. Let it simmer a bit and then give it a good mix until the potato is evenly spread throughout the meat.
• Drain any excess fat and cover the beef with a lid over medium-low heat until the potato fully cooks.

Once the potato is cooked through, the meat is done, unto the main event!

The Final Step:

Method:

Now it’s time for the melt.

• Grate cheese into equal portions, if you’re planning on eating this all in one serving, grate about 1/3 of a block of each and mix together. Why did I choose Oaxaca over Mozzarella? I think the creamier queso fresco-esque flavors of Oaxaca are a better compliment than the saltier flavors of mozzarella. But really any cheese blend of meltable cheeses will do. Monterey Check adds round nuttiness to Cheddar’s sharpness, with the Oaxaca bringing the fresh creamy flavor. All three melt excellently.
• On a flat pan over medium-low heat, warm your tortilla on both sides until soft. Do this while spitting at your microwave.
• Turn the heat down to low and leave the tortilla on the pan.
• Spoon salsa across the entire surface of the tortilla like you’re making a pizza. I used habanero from my local carniceria, you can use anything, or skip this step, but it’s better that you don’t.

• Cover exactly half of the tortilla with cheese blend, and then add a generous column of meat down the middle followed by a column of Pico de Gallo. I think Taco Bell built this thing stupidly, but for authenticity’s sake, I won’t evenly spread the ingredients around (but I totally think you should, why wouldn’t you?).

• Once combined, add another layer of cheese, fold your tortilla in half, flip it over and cover with a lid until cheese melts.
• Once the cheese has melted a bit, flip it over again, cover it, and let it melt for a bit longer until gooey cheese starts to spill from the opening.

• For a final and completely optional step, remove the Meximelt, add a pad of butter to the pan and spread it around, kick up the heat, place your Meximelt back on the pan, and brown until crispy.

This is a step Taco Bell didn’t do and I think it’s a massive misstep to not. Giving this thing some extra time on the grill will help to crispify the tortilla, adding a crispy mouthfeel to the whole thing which makes it even more appetizing.

Bam. You just won your Cinco de Mayo cookout.

The Bottom Line:

You know what Taco Bell? Don’t bother bringing the Meximelt back, we’ve got this.

Tell me that isn’t the best version you’ve ever eaten. And even without the best presentation, it still looks mouthwatering, whereas Taco Bell’s looks like it’s made of Play-Doh. Biting into this thing ignites the senses — its auditory and oral ecstasy. The flavors hit you in waves of earthy, spicy, and supremely fresh notes with a crispy mouthfeel, and a sizzling aftertaste after each gooey cheesy bite.

Now you can choose to enjoy these in one of two ways. As the centerpiece item on your Cinco de Mayo food spread or throw the rest of the meat into the fridge and eat Mexi-Melt’s for every meal for the next three days. Your choice!

In January of 2021, not long after they permanently banned Donald Trump, Twitter came for Mike Lindell. The MyPillow guy was one of the loudest purveyors of voter fraud misinformation, and he’d violated the rules enough that they gave him the boot, not once but twice. But on a sleepy Sunday, he was suddenly back.

Lindell launched his new account with a video message proving that it’s really him. “Hello, everyone at Twitter, this is Mike Lindell,” Lindell said in the video. “I’m here to tell you about my new account here @MikeJLindell. That’s the only account over here at Twitter that I’m using. All those other ones are fake accounts and they’ve been using my name out there.”

He instructed people to “please share it with everybody you know,” adding, “Let everybody you know so we can get the word out over here at Twitter in case they do take it down. And thanks a lot for helping out.”

Indeed, the account may not be long for this world. Or will it be? After all, Elon Musk purchased the social media service last week, hinting that he may reinstate permanently suspended accounts, like the one belonging to former president — and Lindell favorite — Donald Trump. Musk appears to have not taken control of the service yet, so maybe Lindell should have waited a bit longer to make his valiant return.

(Via Raw Story)

The Milwaukee Bucks have drawn first blood in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Boston Celtics. Despite the game taking place in Beantown, the defending champions were able to take home court away from the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference behind a stellar defensive performance en route to a 101-89 win.

A cagey first quarter saw both teams rely on huge runs to create some separation. Boston landed the first haymaker halfway through the frame, as the team scored eight consecutive points and got the crowd at TD Garden rocking.

As they’ve done so many times over the years, though, the Bucks were able to take that punch, compose themselves, and strike back emphatically. A dunk by Jaylen Brown in which he rose over Giannis Antetokounmpo saw the Celtics go up by seven, at which point Milwaukee ripped off a 10-0 run to quiet the crowd and find themselves with a 27-24 lead after 12 minutes.

Throughout the first half, the Buck defense made life tremendously difficult for Boston. The team’s top two offensive players, Brown and Jayson Tatum, combined for 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting prior to the break, while the Celtics shot 16-for-47 (34.8 percent) from the field heading into the locker room. That mixed with a stellar performance in the first half by Antetokounmpo (14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) and the team connecting on 10 of their 20 attempts from three gave Milwaukee a 56-46 lead at the half.

The third quarter followed a similar format: Boston would make some sort of run and turn the pressure up on Milwaukee, only for the Bucks to be able to keep themselves from getting caught in the storm and going on a run of their own. The Celtics kept getting within two possessions, but each time, they were unable to get that final push over the line to tie things up or take a lead.

Even when Antetokounmpo committed an uncharacteristic foolish foul with 3:37 remaining and had to leave the game, Boston could not capitalize. Antetokounmpo attempted to poke the ball away from Tatum 30 feet from the basket, but there was enough contact that he was called for his fourth foul of the game.

Tatum hit a pair of free throws to make it a six point game, but Milwaukee managed to win the rest of the quarter behind their stellar defense — the Celtics scored four points while Antetokounmpo watched — and find themselves up, 78-70, heading into the fourth despite their star watching from the bench.

And once Antetokounmpo came back in at the start of the fourth, the Bucks put their foot on the gas and pulled away. The team went on a 9-2 run at the beginning of the period, led by as many as 16 points, and saw Antetokounmpo go off the backboard to himself for a dunk that felt like a knockout blow. After a foul by Grayson Allen with 1:59 left and Milwaukee leading by double-digits, both teams decided to punt on the remainder of the contest and empty their benches.

Jrue Holiday was Milwaukee’s top scorer, going for 25 points with 10 rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Antetokounmpo had a triple-double with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists, while Bobby Portis scored 15 points and reeled in 11 rebounds. While Tatum led the Celtics with 21 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals, essentially everyone Boston played struggled to get going against the Bucks’ defense, as the team went 28-for-84 (33.7 percent) from the field.

Game 2 will take place in Boston on Tuesday night, and is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks walked into TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon in the first game of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup. As he’s wont to do, Antetokounmpo put on a show on both ends of the floor, with his most impressive moment coming when he went off the backboard to himself.

Antetokounmpo tried to bulldoze Grant Williams as the shot clock was winding down, but realized the Celtics’ big man was a bit too much of an impediment. So instead of continuing to go that route, he opted for a turnaround jumper, which Williams also sniffed out.

So, with those avenues exhausted, Antetokounmpo said screw it and decided to just lob the ball off the backboard and go get it. Jayson Tatum couldn’t quite get there fast enough, and as a result, Antetokounmpo grabbed it with two hands and threw it down.

The fine folks up in Milwaukee, as you might guess, were big fans of the whole thing.

A little earlier in the game, Antetokounmpo found himself on the other end of a huge dunk, as Jaylen Brown skied high to clean up a miss and throw down with one hand. This is certainly not a bad way for him to get the Celtics back.

This week sees the release of the film that brought Sam Raimi to the subgenre whose modern incarnation he helped create: the comic book movie. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was helmed by the director of the Tobey Maguire-era Spider-Man trilogy, which came at a time when superhero movies were far from the only game in town, paving the way for Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies and, a handful of years later, the beginnings of the MCU. Raimi’s been doing press for his new sequel, and he was inevitably asked why he only made three Spidey films.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Raimi said they tried to make a fourth Maguire Spider-Man, but there were issues with the script, which he felt wasn’t living up to the previous three. On top of that, Spider-Man 3, released in 2007, made a bucketload of money but received mixed reviews, especially compared to its widely-acclaimed predecessor.

“It was a very painful experience for me,” Raimi said. “I wanted to make a Spider-Man movie to redeem myself for that. [The aborted] Spider-Man 4 — that was really what that was about. I wanted to go out on a high note. I didn’t want to just make another one that pretty much worked. I had a really high standard in my mind. And I didn’t think I could get that script to the level that I was hoping for by that start date.”

Raimi also discussed some of the ideas he had for the aborted Spider-Man 4. He thought about giving his longtime pal Bruce Campbell, who had cameos in the three films, the villainous role of Mysterio. There was even talk of bringing in Kraven the Hunter, a character getting his own movie starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Instead, Sony wound up waiting a few years and rebooting it with Andrew Garfield.

But that doesn’t mean Raimi’s done with Spidey forever. He floated the idea of reuniting with Maguire for a new franchise, though that might be tricky to pull off.

“My love for the characters hasn’t diminished one iota,” Raimi said. “It would be the same things that would stop me now that stopped me then: ‘Does Tobey want to do it? Is there an emotional arc for him? Is there a great conflict for this character? And is there a worthy villain that fits into the theme of the piece?’ There’s a lot of questions that would have to be answered. If those could be answered, then I’d love to.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released to theaters on May 6.

(Via Rolling Stone)

While collaborations with Beyonce and other artists are far and few nowadays, one way that Queen Bey interacts with her peers is by celebrating their birthdays with brief messages on her website. It’s something that fans and celebrities alike look forward to when someone’s birthday comes around. The latest example of that came with Lizzo who turned 34 last week. Beyonce showed love to the singer through a message on her website, but it’s the baby picture she used that took Lizzo by surprise.

Lizzo caught wind of Beyonce’s birthday message thanks to a screenshot of it on Twitter from the Beyonce fan account @BeyLegion. “Beyoncé?!” Lizzo replied. “Where u get this pic?? I ain’t seen this since I was born [crying emoji].” With this message, it seems like Beyonce has some Nardwaur-type team equipped to get their hands on baby pictures that have yet to leave the plastic-wrapped pockets of family albums.

The funny interaction comes after Lizzo announced that her third album Special would arrive on July 15. So far, the project is led by “Rumors” with Cardi B and “About Damn Time.” She also stopped by SNL to perform “Special” and “About Damn Time.”

You can view Beyonce’s birthday message and Lizzo’s reaction in the post above.

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

Perhaps the most highly-anticipated second round series in the 2022 NBA playoffs is the 2-3 matchup in the Eastern Conference between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. No one would be surprised if either team lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy, but first, they have to get through one another and prevent the other team from making it to the conference finals.

The tone was set early in Game 1, as both teams played a cagey first quarter that saw each go on substantial runs en route to a 27-24 Bucks lead after one. But the best moment of the period came via Jaylen Brown, who cleaned up a Grant Williams missed three by detonating on Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The reigning NBA Finals MVP went up for a rebound on the miss and had no idea that Brown ran in from the opposite corner. It gave Brown a chance to pick up a head of steam and effortlessly jump over Antetokounmpo for one of the best dunks we have seen all postseason.

It’s not often you see someone go up and over Antetokunmpo like this. Brown, funny enough, has a bit of a history of dunking on perhaps the best player in the world, and this is one heck of an addition to his highlight real.

In a new, explosive, three-part report, The New York Times meticulously dissects how Tucker Carlson, in their words, “became Trump’s heir.” That is to say, the Fox News host was able to position himself to become a kind of de facto leader of the Republican party when the former president left office in disgrace and banned from most of social media. It’s an exhaustive study, reporting on about five years of his weekly nighttime show.

But there are also some juicy stories from anonymous Fox News sources. For instance, Carlson — who has occasionally criticized Trump but is more often there to do his bidding and even recommend he support certain politicians — reportedly acted differently when not on air.

“In private, Mr. Carlson mocked the president’s habit of calling to head off his on-air attacks,” a source told NYT, referring to how Trump would sometimes phone into his show to pre-emptively defend a sure-to-be-disparaged policy move.

But that’s not all Carlson did. At one point, he simply declined to take the then-president’s call.

Will this enrage Trump? Or will the partially exiled ex-president do what he did with House minority leader Kevin McCarthy and forgive him his trespasses, perhaps because he realizes even he can’t alienate big honchos in his party? In the meantime, the three-part report on Carlson details how the host has spent years poisoning the minds of his viewers, making them think they’re victims under attack and pitching them white supremacist conspiracy theories, all while downplaying things like the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

(Via NYT and Insider)

The Philadelphia 76ers are heading into their Eastern Conference Semifinals bout with the Miami Heat shorthanded due to Joel Embiid’s orbital fracture and concussion. As it turns out, Miami will likewise be down a starter when things tip off on Monday evening.

The team announced its injury availabilities for Game 1 and revealed that Kyle Lowry, who did not play in Game 4 or 5 of the Heat’s first round win over the Atlanta Hawks due to a hamstring injury, will not be able to take the floor in their first postseason matchup against the Sixers.

Lowry suffered the injury late in Game 3 against Atlanta — which was the only game of the series Miami did not win — and in the lead-up to Game 4, Erik Spoelstra preached patience when dealing with the ailment.

“You have to be smart about it,” Spoelstra said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “The training staff determined that he wasn’t going to play tonight and we have everybody else available and that’s what we’re focused on right now.”

Miami turned to Gabe Vincent in Lowry’s absence. One of the breakout players for the Heat this season, Vincent averaged 10 points and four assists in the two games he started against the Hawks. It is unclear if he will be given the starting job for Game 1 against Philadelphia.