Kevin Costner has been toying with the hearts and cowboy hats of Yellowstone fans this year by embarking on a new western project that has nothing to do with the Dutton family and their various family dramatics. As Yellowstonecomes to a close, Costner seems mostly unbothered and ready to share his next role with fans and horses alike.
Costner posted a photo from his new ranch on the set of Horizon, the upcoming western which is being co-written, produced, and directed by the man himself. The film is slated to be one of at least four (!) installments in Costner’s new series, which will follow the post-Civil War expansion in the American West.
“We’re deep into the production of #HorizonFilm, and, I have to tell you, I haven’t felt this way about a movie since we were making Dances With Wolves,” Costner wrote in the caption. Notice how he specified “movie” because we all know how much fun he had on the set of Yellowstone, right? He added, “Can’t wait to share it with all of you.”
Costner controversially cut back his shooting schedule for Yellowstone season five, leaving production in a delayed limbo while the rest of the cast and crew scramble to wrap up his storyline. The actor won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of John Dutton, and that was enough to get him to peace out on the character altogether. While the upcoming second half of season five is set to be the last, there are still a whole bunch of Yellowstone content to come.
While none of his Yellowstone castmates commented on his latest post, he did get a heart emoji from Vecna himself, Jamie Campbell Bower, who is also set to star in the film. So it’s nice to know that he’s always welcome on the set of Stranger Things if this gig doesn’t pan out.
Now that people have had nearly two months to marinate on that, Lollapalooza released full schedules and set times galore. The four-day event will unfold across eight stages: Bud Light, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Bacardi, BMI, Kidzapalooza, Perry’s, Coinbase, and T-Mobile. All times are local, and the festival noted that “all times are subject to change.” But for now, this is what fans will have to work with.
Thursday, August 3, will feature Eilish on the T-Mobile stage beginning at 8:45 p.m. Diplo will go on the Perry’s stage from 8:30-9:45 p.m., while Karol G is slated for 8:40 to 10 p.m. on the Bud Light stage.
Friday, August 4, will simultaneously host Kendrick Lamar (8:45 p.m.) on the T-Mobile stage and The 1975 (8:45 to 10 p.m.) on the Bud Light stage. Jessie Reyez is expected on the Coinbase stage from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m., and Sabrina Carpenter will handle Coinbase before that from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. Fred Again.. is slated to warm up the T-Mobile stage for Lamar from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m.
On Saturday, August 5, fans can choose to cap the night with either Odesza (8:45 p.m.) on the T-Mobile stage or Tomorrow X Together (8:30 to 10 p.m.) on Bud Light. The day’s schedule also includes Pusha T (8:45 p.m.), JID (6:45 to 7:45 p.m.), Maggie Rogers (6:45 to 7:45 p.m.), and Niki (5:45 to 6:45 p.m.). If none of those acts do it for you, there are literally 43 other sets to sample.
It will all come to a head on Sunday, August 6, with Red Hot Chili Peppers on the T-Mobile stage beginning at 8:30 p.m., Lana Del Rey over on the Bud Light stage from 8:30 to 10 p.m., and Louis The Child performing on the Perry’s stage from 8:45 to 9:45 p.m. Other notable Sunday sets include Rina Sawayama (6:45 to 7:45 p.m.), Lil Yachty (4:45 to 5:45 p.m.), Joey Badass (5:45 to 6:45 p.m.), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (6:30 to 7:30 p.m.), Maisie Peters (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.), and Bakar (2 to 2:45 p.m.).
See the full Lollapalooza lineup and schedule below, and find ticket information here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again was given a stern warning from Rap-A-Lot founder J Prince this week over his jabs at Drake. For several weeks, the 23-year-old rapper has been sending shots at much of the rap, from Lil Durk to NLE Choppa to Soulja Boy. However, J Prince drew the line at YoungBoy dissing Drake, with whom he shares close ties.
And although Drake himself hasn’t responded to YoungBoy’s provocations, fans may be wondering just why the Baton Rouge rapper keeps sending shots at Drake in the first place. On the song “F**K The Industry Pt. 2” from his new mixtape Richest Opp, YoungBoy raps, “B*tch, I send them hitters to hit at you, boy, don’t say sh*t to me / Talk to Drake ‘cross FaceTime, he wasn’t feelin’ me / Told me that he f*ck with Durk, damn, that sh*t was gettin’ to me / Told me that he like the sh*t I’m doin’, but can’t do sh*t with me / So when we cross our ways, f*ck what you say, b*tch, you my enemy.”
That verse may bear the answer for YoungBoy’s issues though. Drake is well-known as an associate of Chicago rapper Lil Durk, with whom YoungBoy has had a longstanding feud. That beef seems to stem from YoungBoy’s friction with Durk’s OTF artist and fellow Chicagoan, the late King Von. After Von asserted that YoungBoy “got caps in yo raps,” YoungBoy began issuing diss tracks directed at Von along with his O-Block affiliates. This prompted Durk to take up the beef on Von’s beef, notably making references to YoungBoy on “Ahhh Ha.”
It’s clear from “F**k The Industry, Pt. 2” that YoungBoy plans to continue his war of words with Durk, and apparently, that extends to just about anyone who counts Durk as a confederate. Whether he’ll actually prompt a response from Drake remains to be seen, but Soulja Boy and NLE Choppa have already pretty much shrugged off his attention-baiting antics, so it seems unlikely that the track will have much impact beyond garnering some petty buzz for his new tape.
For many, their first experience with Nigerian afrobeats singer Victony, born Anthony Ebuka Victor, came with the growing hit song “Soweto.” As of today, that record has three versions: the original, a remix with Don Toliver and Rema, and a remix with Omah Lay, which altogether, speak to the song sweeping virality thanks to trends on TikTok and more. However, for others, especially those entrenched in the afrobeats space, Victony is a name they’ve seen and heard for a couple of years.
His second EP Outlaw, where “Soweto” is housed, was released last summer following celebrated collaborations with Burna Boy (“Different Size”) and Mayorkun (“Holy Father”). These records aren’t pedestrian releases either, no, they found extended life and were undeniably popular with fans of the genre and even to those who weren’t its most loyal followers.
This is one of my favorite aspects of today’s afrobeats space. Especially over the last half-decade, the genre has been seen in more of a mainstream light than ever. Records have been graced with the “song of the summer” title, claimed high positions on the Billboard singles chart, reached gold and platinum status, and been present on award-winning projects. In short, afrobeats is hot right now.
The same could be said for Victony. In a matter of just over 12 months, Victony found himself as a worthy member of afrobeats’ new class of rising stars. What makes it more impressive is prior to 2020, Victony had no desire to be a singer.
“All I wanted to do was rap,” Victony, who is just 22 years old, says over a Zoom call. “In my teenage years, I started listening to Drake and Kendrick Lamar, a lot of rap stuff just trying to imitate what they were doing.” Victony just like many other musicians at this time, made use of the pandemic as an opportunity to explore this sound and try new things. “I tried out the singing thing and seeing it blow up was pretty interesting,” he says. “It gave me the confidence to keep on exploring and do stuff without limit.”
The result of that was his 2020 debut EP Saturn, a six-track release with a lone feature from Falz on the highlight track “Maria.” “The reception was amazing, the people liked it,” Victony recalls of this project’s release. “I decided to do more singing. That gave me the confidence to work in the afrobeats space and find comfortable ground and just build on that.”
That desire to continue his foray into afrobeats was almost cut short thanks to a tragic accident that left him in a wheelchair for months. Though Victony survived the crash, his close friend Doyin was killed as a result of it. It proved to be an extremely dark time for the singer, and he credits his supporters, from his family to his friends to his fans, for aiding his recovery.
“They reached out, and that just kept me going,” he recalls. “My family, friends, and fans being around to encourage me, just knowing I have people gave me the strength to overcome [those] dark times.”
It didn’t take long for Victony to reach a higher status and become more recognizable in afrobeats. “Holy Father” with Mayorkun arrived the year after Saturn, and in 2022, he teamed with afrobeats heavyweight Burna Boy for “Different Size.” Both records did wonders for Victony, and in the singer’s opinion, these opportunities came as a result of his most unique assets: his striking voice and crafty pen.
“My voice, I feel, is really unique,” he says. “That’s one thing that was really striking on the ‘Holy Father’ song. Once it comes on, you’re like, ‘Who’s this?’” As for his pen, Victony believes its sharpness is what helped him land a feature on “Different Size.” “The way I craft my words together is pretty unique,” he notes. “It’s really refreshing to hear to on a song like ‘Different Size.’ I feel like that’s what made Burna reach out to me.”
The success of “Holy Father” and “Different Size” bookend the release of Victony’s sophomore project, Outlaw. Its seven songs make for a much more refined body of work compared to Saturn. “What I wanted to achieve with the Outlaw EP is to show people that I’d finally gotten really comfortable with the genre and found my space and my unique sound,” he says.
May it be the sweet-talking and love-swept “Chop & Slide,” or the high-spirited “Jolene,” or the amapiano-leaning “Apollo,” Outlaw presented the very best of Victony. These undeniably strong records, though they support and reaffirm Victony’s talents, they did sit behind the success of “Soweto,” the penultimate and breakout track on Outlaw.
More than six months after the song’s release, “Soweto” was an undeniable viral hit thanks to the powers of social media. The song was due for a remix and Victony had plenty of candidates that were suitable for it. The first remix was initially supposed to feature Nigerian singers CKay and Omah Lay. However, Victony was able to put together a version with Rema, a Nigerian singer who is a growing star in his own right, and Don Toliver, an addition that would give “Soweto” more appeal in the States.
Still, Victony had a plan for the previous remix that he has somewhat been able to put into action. “We had all verses in and I thought we might release everything at different points just to give the song some sort of longevity,” he reveals. Though the verses have been teased in some manner, Victony does believe that the remixes will all see the light of day soon. “A lot of people really like Omah Lay’s verse on TikTok and Twitter,” he says. “On all my socials, people hit me daily telling me that I need to put it out. If they still want it, yeah definitely, I’ll release it.” True to his word, Victony would release Omah Lay’s remix of “Soweto” days after our interview.
One record that may see the light of day is the version of “Chop & Slide” with Burna Boy. A preview of that record made its way online which somewhat ruined the plans Victony had for it. “People weren’t supposed to know that Burna was on the song,” he admits. “That kind of put me in a very tight position. I can’t really guarantee what plans we have for the ‘Chop & Slide’ remix, but we’re definitely on it. Everybody wants Burna Boy on the song right now.”
It’s been just over two years since Victony took on the afrobeats world, and in that time he’s achieved great success, worked with top talent, and pushed his name to the masses. The limits Victony once hoped to break through are miles behind him and his newfound space in afrobeats is vast enough to continue his current operation without interruption while also giving him the room to try new things and achieve new goals, something he hopes to accomplish on his third project.
“This year, what I want to do is come in and solidify my identity, I really want to do that,” he says. “Over time, we’ve been working on some really unique stuff that will be new to the game and it’s gonna solidify the Victony name and establish a stronger presence.” There’s strength in numbers and Victony continues to prove that with each record and each accolade, but most importantly, there’s strength in having no limits towards what can be accomplished. Victony is proving that now with “Soweto” and it’s only a matter of time until he does it again with a future release.
In fact, that term is coming more and more to mean “all the whiskeys that aren’t a particular type of whiskey, legally speaking.” So that could be, say, an expression that’s a blend of bourbon and rye or a straight whiskey that can’t legally be called a bourbon or even a whiskey made with a different mix of grains, like a wheat whiskey. Since the trend is leaning toward this sort of usage for the phrase, that’s how I typically use it — unless I’m specifically talking about the entirety of American whiskey in a global context.
To that end, it’s time to blindly taste some new and award-winning American whiskeys and rank them. For this exercise, I kindly asked my wife to grab some American whiskeys off the shelves. We ended up with a mix of straight whiskeys, blends of ryes and bourbons, special cask-finished straight whiskeys, and a wheaty or two. It was a good mix!
Our lineup today is:
Whiskey War Double Double Oaked A Blend of Straight Whiskeys
Blackened Cask Strength Volume 01 A Blend of Whiskeys Finished in Black Brandy Casks
Chicken Cock Double Oak Kentucky Whiskey
Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Foursquare Blend of Straight Whiskies Finished in Foursquare Rum Barrels
Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey
Chattanooga Whiskey Founder’s 11th Anniversary Blend A Blend of Straight Whiskeys
Middle West Double Cask Collection Oloroso Wheat Whiskey
When it came to ranking these whiskeys, it was… very hard. Every whiskey on this list is good to great. Most of these whiskeys are so good that I seriously considered not even ranking them and just saying, “Buy the one that speaks to you, they’re all great in their own way.” But, where’s the fun in that? Upon deeper analysis/tasting, there were standouts that did push ever higher and there were weaker pours.
Still, these are all good freakin’ whiskeys, folks. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Nose: There’s a sweet sense of salted caramel on the nose that gives way to dried chili pepper, old wet leather sheets, pink peppercorns, and a hint of burnt orange rinds over cider-soaked cinnamon bark and raw waffle batter with a whisper of pecan.
Palate: The palate hits that burnt orange and caramel note harder as minor keys of winter spice, fruit cake, and rum raisin darken the taste.
Finish: The end has a sense of pitchy firewood and sweet oak next to smudging sage and spearmint-chocolate tobacco just dusted with lemon pepper from the 90s.
Initial Thoughts:
Well, this is great. It’s deep and lush with a real sense of high-level craftsmanship.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Leathery figs, old vanilla cookies, buttery toffee, and candied orange peels mingle with a very light sense of oatmeal cut with butter and maple syrup.
Palate: The palate is nutty and lush with a salted caramel vibe next to silky vanilla sauce bespeckled with poppy seeds and brittle toffee next to a hint of spiced oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips.
Finish: The nuttiness turns into smooth marzipan on the finish with a sense of chili-spiked dark chocolate next to cinnamon caramel syrup and soft vanilla cake.
Initial Thoughts:
Yeah, this is really f*cking good.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Hints of back porch wicker on a sunny day under a cedar tree mingles with dark chocolate with a hint of salt layered with dried cherry and toasted coconut next to salted caramel lattes.
Palate: Rich bourbon vanilla ice cream in a waffle cone leads to a sugary berry syrup with a hint of cinnamon and clove on the light palate.
Finish: Cinnamon-spiced vanilla tobacco rounds out the short-ish finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This felt a tad short-winded. I wanted more but it just wasn’t there.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Woody banana and rich marzipan pop on the nose with a deep and sharp clove, anise, and cinnamon vibe next to peanut butter clusters dusted with toasted coconut, burnt orange zest, and sea salt with this whisper of rum-soaked raisins and old oak in the background.
Palate: The rye funkiness drives the rummy oak tannins towards a soft sticky toffee pudding with rich toffee, mild vanilla oils, and a sense of spiced mincemeat pie.
Finish: The finish is lush and silken with a sense of fresh and warm vanilla pods over warm grog with a handful of dark and woody winter spices countered by luxurious and buttery salted caramel with a fleeting hint of smoldering marshmallow.
Initial Thoughts:
This is one of my favorite pours of 2023 — not even “so far” as there is little that’ll beat this. It’s fan-f*cking-tastic whiskey.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of a freshly baked loaf of whole wheat bread on the nose with a slight sweetness, toasted oats, soft dry nuts, dried fruits, and a layer of honey accented by a thin line of clove.
Palate: That honey and clove come out further on the palate as creamy spiced malt with a hint of choco caramel mingles with dark winter spices and a small note of vanilla.
Finish: The end sweetens and warms up considerably with the caramel and honey as very spicy dark chocolate builds to a hot finish.
Initial Thoughts:
I like this. It’s a little warm on the mid-palate and finish and could have used a single cube of ice, but that’s almost just semantics at this point.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark chocolate and nutty holiday cakes dance on the palate with a sense of spiced plum jam next to soft vanilla pudding that slowly morphs into fancy cream soda.
Palate: A hint of waffle cone and walnut salted caramel ice cream drives the palate a soft sense of oak and holiday spice barks with a hint of stewed apple/pear in the background.
Finish: The orchard fruit layers into spiced chewy tobacco with a sense of plumminess that’s part holiday cake and part creamy pudding.
Initial Thoughts:
This was just really good too. I don’t know what else to say.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose leans into smoked black pepper with a hint of salted caramel next to coconut nut clusters, demerara syrup, and a twinge of dried smoked cherry.
Palate: There’s an earthiness to the palate that’s almost mossy in a dry way next to more smoke cherry and wet brown sugar with a twinge of marzipan just kissed with dark orange.
Finish: The nuttiness drives the dry finish toward very thin whisps of smoked dark fruit and winter spice barks.
Initial Thoughts:
This is very nice. But again, kind of left me wanting more.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Classic bourbon notes of rich vanilla and spiced oak lead the nose toward rich and creamy eggnog with plenty of allspice and nutmeg next to cinnamon sticks dipped in warm apple cider.
Palate: Lush marzipan dipped in salted dark chocolate and rolled in dried dark cherries vibe with brandy-soaked prunes and dates next to subtle hints of burnt orange and old oak.
Finish: Those brandy-soaked raisins drive the finish toward an end brimming with dark chocolate, dark cherry, and dark spice vibes.
Initial Thoughts:
Very tasty.
Part 2 — The American Whiskey Ranking
Zach Johnston
8. Chicken Cock Double Oak Kentucky Whiskey — Taste 3
This Kentucky whiskey — not a bourbon or rye — is made with a mix of eight-year-old barrels. Once batched, that whiskey was then re-barrelled into new American oak again for a final rest before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
Not to Monday morning quarterback, but this felt like it needed to be a 50% or even 55% ABV to really shine. It was good, don’t get me wrong. But I needed a little more oompf to really take it to the next level.
That all said, I can see this being a great building block for a killer whiskey-forward cocktail any ol’ day of the week.
This new single-barrel release from Barrell Craft Spirits via ReserveBar is a blend of bourbon and rye whiskeys. Once batched, that whiskey went into a single barrel from Islay that held peated single malt whisky over in Scotland for years. That barrel was then selected by the team at ReserveBar and bottled 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
This left me wanting more in the sense that I wanted bolder smokiness/peatiness. It was there. But I needed more of a kick from it. That is me 100% nitpicking anything to try and rank these. Overall, this is tasty and unique (Islay cask finished American whiskey? Sign me up!), which alone makes it worth checking out.
6. Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey — Taste 5
This brand-new release from Heaven Hill is their famous wheated whiskey at barrel proof. The mash of 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley is fermented and distilled and then left for seven to nine years in open-air warehouses. Once batched, the whiskey goes into the bottle without any filtering or proofing.
Bottom Line:
This first barrel-proof release from Heaven Hill’s Bernheim is a big hit. It’s easy to see why if you’re already a fan of the brand and wanted it in all its barrel-strength glory.
This works for me too. I might lean more toward using this in a Manhattan or Sazerac but it’s clearly a decent sipper and will certainly bloom further with a little ice or water in the glass.
This limited edition release from Ohio’s Middle West is all about the locally-grown red winter wheat in the mash bill (recipe). That wheaty beer is distilled and then loaded into new American oak where it rests for five years. Those barrels are batched and that whiskey goes into Spanish Oloroso sherry casks before batching and proofing.
Bottom Line:
This is where I get into the weeds. This is delicious. Each entry from this point on is a minuscule incremental increase in depth and flavor. So, re-read the tasting notes above and if those speak to you, buy it now.
4. Blackened Cask Strength Volume 01 A Blend of Whiskeys Finished in Black Brandy Casks — Taste 2
This new line from Metallica’s Blackened is all about the cask strength versions of their now-classic “sonically-enhanced” blend of straight whiskeys. In this case, the blend is a mix of bourbon and rye that are batched and re-barrelled in black brandy casks that are blasted with, you guessed, Metallica tunes during the finishing maturation. Finally, those barrels are batched and bottled as-is at barrel strength.
Bottom Line:
This is another winner. Metallica aside, this is good whiskey with a killer profile and depth. If you are a Metallica fan (even remotely), this is a no-brainer addition to your bar cart.
3. Chattanooga Whiskey Founder’s 11th Anniversary Blend A Blend of Straight Whiskeys — Taste 6
This very limited edition whiskey is made from a blend of Chattanooga’s own whiskey blended with classic whiskey from MGP of Indiana. All the barrels are over two years old (young by a lot of people’s “standards”) and barrelled in toasted and charred oak. Those barrels were batched (using nine to 11 barrels at a time) and that whiskey was then added to Chattanooga’s solera vat (where whiskey is always added before the old wooden vat it’s fully emptied). That whiskey was then lightly proofed and bottled as-is otherwise.
Bottom Line:
This is a limited run of whiskey that’s worth tracking down right now before it’s gone forever. It’s deep, fun, and engaging from top to bottom.
2. Whiskey War Double Double Oaked A Blend of Straight Whiskeys — Taste 1
This Ohio whiskey is hewn from a rye-heavy mash bill. That spicy juice is then rested in new American oak for a spell before being vatted and re-barreled into another brand-new American oak barrel, all adding up to five years of mellowing. Those barrels are then batched and bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey was awarded Best Blended Whiskey of 2022 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and this batch received another double gold this year.
Brasstacks, this American whiskey lives up to all that hype. And amazingly, even with those Elysian-level accolades, you can still get this. That won’t last forever, so move fast to get some.
1. Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Foursquare Blend of Straight Whiskies Finished in Foursquare Rum Barrels — Taste 4
This is a much-sought-after blend from Kentucky darling Bardstown Bourbon Company. The blend in this case is a mix of seven-year-old Indiana rye with a mash bill of 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malted barley blended with a 17-year-old Tennessee bourbon with a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. Once those barrels are batched, the whiskey is re-barreled in Foursquare rum barrels for an additional 23-month rest.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best rum-barrel-finish whiskeys to date. Seriously. It’s also one of the most delectable whiskeys of 2023. It’s pure fire. This is a whiskey people will be talking about on every end-of-year list. I’m calling it now … in May … it’s that good.
Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the American Whiskey
Zach Johnston
Run to your nearest liquor store to see if you can snag that Bardstown and Foursquare collab. It’s so delicious that I’m still thinking about it right now. It’s kind of all I want to drink.
That said, you really can’t go that wrong with any bottle on this list. The top four or five are the prime cuts but the bottom few are all perfectly fine and tasty too — they just didn’t blow my socks off which is asking a lot anyway.
I’ll say it again, read those tasting notes and find the whiskey that speaks to you or sparks your interest, and then click those price links to see if you can snag one.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the conservative firebrand who appears afraid his balls might shrivel up if people in his immediate vicinity utter the word “gay” at any given time, is planning to announce his candidacy on May 25th. DeSantis will reportedly file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission next week before kicking off a major fundraising party and a string of donor events to raise the millions it will take to go up against his former mentor, Donald Trump.
Now, running against another Republican who might just be orchestrating his presidential campaign from the inside of a jail cell seems like a no-brainer, but this is Ron DeSantis we’re talking about. Even with Trump’s recent string of lawsuits, some which carry serious jail time and others which confirm what we all knew to be true — that he’s a gross, corrupt, creep — DeSantis is somehow still behind him in the polls. Like, 30 percentage points behind.
Announcing his candidacy will allow the Florida governor to begin fundraising in earnest — something he couldn’t do while simply contemplating a presidential run — but all the money in the world can’t make some of his recent political moves attractive to moderate voters. Currently, DeSantis is signing bills into law that strip gay and trans people of their rights, and he’s also in a one-man losing war with Disney, an obsession that could cost his state billions and land him in legal trouble as well.
But sure, take your own brand of right-wing crazy to the national stage DeSantis. We can’t wait to hear more about how your conservative buddies would rather have their teeth pulled without anesthesia than hang out with you.
“I wrote it in a really different way,” she said. “The chorus was originally: ‘I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand, but I can’t love me better than you can.’ It used to be more, like, 1950s. The saddest song. Like: ‘Sure, I can be my own lover, but you’re so much better.’” She added, “The song is a little fake it till you make it, which I’m a big fan of.”
“Flowers” comes from her new album Endless Summer Vacation. About the record, she explained, “When it comes to the sequencing of ‘Endless Summer Vacation,’ I divided it by two parts, ‘AM’ and ‘PM,’ to kind of represent almost an act,” she said. “The ‘AM’ to me is representing the morning time, where there’s a buzz and an energy, and there’s a potential of new possibilities. It’s a new day.”
The Writers Guild of America labor union is currently on strike, marking the largest labor stoppage that we’ve seen from the organization since their three-plus month long strike back in 2007. You can read up on why they are striking right here, and ever since it began earlier this month, plenty of individuals and organizations have expressed their support for the WGA.
This includes Stephen A. Smith, who backed the writers during a recent episode of the Know Mercy podcast. Smith told the story about his contract dispute with ESPN that led to him leaving the network in 2009, which he called “devastating” but stressed was “the best thing to ever happen to me in my life” because “I became a master of my business, which means I ultimately found out exactly what I was worth.”
Smith turning this into a point about, say, James Harden hitting free agency or Lamar Jackson’s now-resolved contract dispute would have made sense. But instead, he used this as a jumping off point to express support for the WGA.
“I say all of that to say, to the Writers Guild Association of America, you have a supporter in me,” Smith said. “And I think that, sooner than later, this strike will come to an end and we’ll all be blessed with you putting your wonderful talents on display, to make sure this nation and this world is entertained due to your brilliance as writers.”
Collective Music Group rapper 42 Dugg was sentenced to a year in prison for failing to report for a previous sentence for carjacking and firearms possession. This situation isn’t working for CMG founder Yo Gotti. The Memphis rap mainstay was willing to pay big money to secure his artist’s release, posting a call to action on his Instagram Story. According to XXL, he wrote, “I got $2 million for any lawyer that can get Dugg out early.[That’s] what I want for my birthday #FreeDoggy”
Dugg appeared to be having a miserable time in prison as well, sharing an Instagram post of his own (perhaps through an intermediary) in which he claimed that he wasn’t being given hot water in the commissary to heat up food. “Man, I’m in this b*tch heating my food up with water from the nasty ass shower — they don’t even give us hot water to heat food up,” he asserted. “Ain’t no microwave, I can’t get no visits from my family, nothing. I’m sure they gone do some more illegal sh*t but what I ’pose to die in this b*tch for probation violation?”
Even before Dugg’s troubles, though, Gotti was working hard on prison reform. Last year, he allied with Jay-Z and Meek Mill to throw support behind a bill to prohibit the use of rap lyrics in criminal trials, and before that, he and Jay sued the Mississippi Department of Corrections over inmate rights violations, prompting the prisons’ healthcare provider to end its contract. Hopefully, their efforts will yield greater results in the future, because the prison system as it stands is pretty awful.
Have you ever been walking your dog around the neighborhood, noticed a pretty flower, and wondered what kind it is? Have you ever looked at your dog and wondered what breed they are? Well, a new feature on your iPhone called Visual Look Up provides you with information about plants, pets and landmarks while you’re on the go.
A lot of people don’t even know that this helpful feature exists. It became available with iOS 15, so if you’re running an older operating system, then you’ll have to update your iPhone or iPad to use the feature.
Open a photo in full screen; the Visual Look Up button (an “i” enclosed in a circle with a small star on the left side) indicates that Visual Look Up information is available for that photo.
Swipe up on the photo or tap the Visual Look Up button.
Tap the icon on the photo or at the top of the photo information results to view Siri Knowledge and more information about the object.
I photographed a cactus outside of my home to try the feature out. After taking the picture and opening it up on my iPhone, I noticed that the Visual Lookup Button appeared at the bottom of the photo. I clicked it and could learn more about the cactus by clicking on “Look Up — Plant >,” which appeared beneath the image. The same information is available by clicking on the leaf icon that appears on the photo.
The Visual Look Up told me that the succulent was a Bilberry cactus when I always thought it was a San Pedro. Who knew?
Next, I tried the feature on my dog, Archie. I’ve had him for over six months and still haven’t figured out his breed. I’ve been told he is probably a mixture of Labrador, Boxer, Pit Bull, and/or German Shepard.
I took a photo and used the Visual Look Up to see which breed came up. This time, after I clicked the Visual Look Up link, instead of a leaf appearing on the photo, I got a pawprint. Cute!
Lo and behold, according to Visual Look Up, Archie is a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. I’ve never even heard of a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. I definitely have to look into that.
Finally, I wanted to see how good the feature was at identifying landmarks, so I drove to the closest one near my home, the Walter Pyramid at Cal State University Long Beach. It’s a local icon, so I used the app to see if it could identify the structure.
In this case, the feature didn’t deliver as well as I had planned. The landmark’s name didn’t pop up in the results. Instead, it identified it as a landmark and shared a link to photos others have taken of the pyramid. After clicking on those, I could determine its name.
This feature is an easy way to identify things when it’s hard to find a reasonable way to search for them in Google. Let’s face it, you’re not going to get reliable results if you Google “tall green cactus” or “brown and white dog with droopy jowls.”
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