Veronica Greenfield, better known as Ronnie Spector of the 1960s girl-pop trio The Ronettes has passed away at the age of 78, according to a statement from her family on her official website. The statement reads:
Our beloved earth angel, Ronnie, peacefully left this world today after a brief battle with cancer. She was with family and in the arms of her husband, Jonathan.
Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor, and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude.
Her joyful sound, playful nature, and magical presence will live on in all who knew, heard, or saw her.
In lieu of flowers, Ronnie requested that donations be made to your local women’s shelter or to the American Indian College Fund.
A celebration of Ronnie’s life and music will be announced in the future.
The family respectfully asks for privacy at this time.
Spector is set to be the subject of an upcoming film which is reportedly to star Euphoria and Spider-Man: No Way Home actress Zendaya as the pioneering singer, who was known for the hits “Be My Baby,” “Baby, I Love You,” and “The Best Part of Breakin’ Up.”
Trinity Rodman’s soccer career continues to be on the rise.
Rodman has received her first call-up to the United States Women’s National Team on Wednesday, as head coach Vlatko Andonovski named her to the 25-woman roster for the team’s January camp. Rodman, 19, was the NWSL’s Rookie of the Year last season with the Washington Spirit after she was the youngest draftee in league history. She was also named the U.S. Young Female Player of the Year for 2021.
The camp is scheduled for Jan. 19-28 with no friendlies scheduled. The USWNT’s next games are scheduled for mid-February in the SheBelieves Cup. Rodman, who was called up for the U.S.’s friendlies against Australia, but opted out, could be on the roster for the cup if she performs well in camp.
Rodman is the daughter of former NBA player Dennis Rodman. To date, she has seven caps for the U20 team and has nine career goals. She remains age-eligible for the upcoming 2022 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
“She was one of the most exciting players in the league this past season, and she proved that she can be impactful at the professional level in NWSL. And now with that, she earned a call-up for the national team,” Andonovski said about Rodman in the release announcing the roster.
“Now, we don’t want to rush anything. We obviously have to be patient. She’s still young player, but we do want to expose her to the environment where she can get her feet wet a little bit, and get used to the environment, get used to my coaching and the players that she’s around, and hopefully she can continue growing and show that what she was able to do in the league, she can do that at the international level.”
For the first time since 2018, when Jimmy Kimmel had the unenviable task of pretending Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a good movie, the 2022 Academy Awards will have a host. No one has been officially announced yet, but Tom Holland is interested, and “the Academy did reach out to him to explore that possibility.” That makes sense: he’s the star of the highest-grossing movie of 2021 (and the entire pandemic-era). But Holland may have competition from another 20-something actor.
The New York Postreports that Pete Davidson is “in talks” to host the Oscars. “His people are talking to producers,” a source said. “He gets a demographic that is hard to get. He is in a good space, his career is doing well, and he is on the rise. He is a sex symbol, unlikely, but he is big with a certain generation.” It’s not that unlikely.
Davidson (who hosted NBC’s well-received New Year’s Eve coverage with Miley Cyrus) also has an in with the Kardashians, so maybe Kim can reprise her role as Delores from PAW Patrol: The Movie. That’ll bring in the ratings.
The normally stodgy show is looking for a “reset,” the source says, adding that the Academy wants to bring in younger viewers.
The awards show, directed by Glenn Weiss and produced by Will Packer, is set to air on ABC on March 27. Packer previously produced the 2019 film What Women Want, which starred Davidson as an assistant to Taraji P. Henson’s hard-hitting sports agent character.
Davidson is a legitimately good actor (check out Big Time Adolescence), and it’s understandable why the Academy would want a host who’s popular with The Youths after years of declining ratings. Also, he’s funny! That being said, I stand by my choice.
Cheer (Netflix series) — The Emmy-winning drama of the cheerleading world returns with Navarro Cheer looking to defend their champion status against rivals against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. Essentially, two charismatic coaches (one from Trinity Valley) are pitted against each other, and their teams will do anything it takes to be real contenders.
The Book of Boba Fett: Season 1 (Disney+ series) — The iconic bounty hunter returned, and this week’s episode will follow up on Boba’s previous train-robbing escapades. All of this follows the very accurate prediction of Patton Oswalt on Parks and Rec about this iconic character being a lot more alive than previously suggested.
DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow (CW, 8:00pm) — Sara’s starting to figure out that the team might not making the wisest moves on the timeline, and she’s discovering harsh truths while figuring things out.
Batwoman (CW, 8:00pm) — Sisterly bonding is still the name of the game for Alice and Mary. Meanwhile, Ryan, Luke and Sophie aren’t happy about it, and they’re indulging an idea from Renee Montoya.
The Wonder Years (ABC, 8:30pm) — Charlene tells Dean that he can’t be friends with females, and this naturally isn’t going over too well, and Brad’s working up towards his bar mitzvah speech.
Jimmy Kimmel Live — David Spade, Alana Haim, Jay Wheeler
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Sarah Silverman, Lewis Black, Fontaines D.C
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Keanu Reeves, Caitriona Balfe
Late Night With Seth Meyers — Isla Fisher, James Wolk, Bianca Richardson
LA-based artist Celeste Tauchar is the mastermind behind the new project Talker. After gaining momentum with the singles “Sad Chick” and “Summerlin,” Tauchar returns with the sizzling tune “Don’t Want You To Love Me” and to announce the debut EP, In Awe Of Insignificance.
Directed by Chanel Samson, Talker’s “Don’t Want You To Love Me” video shows Tauchar hoping that a mannequin will stand in the place of the perfect boyfriend. She dresses him up at the for a disco dance party and even creates a picnic in the back yard. But she eventually realizes that even a the plastic man isn’t a stand-in for the one she really wants to be with.
Speaking about the new track in a statement, Tauchar says she was inspired by the unfortunately all-too-familiar feeling of someone not feeling the same way as you do about them:
“When your past shows up to haunt you, you have to decide if you’re going to open the door. And when someone comes back, you have to weigh the options and decide if you’re willing to put yourself through the ringer again for them. It’s easy to just block anything that knocks you off your course. A classic he loves me/he loves me not/will they/won’t they – but sometimes you have to silence your rational thoughts and trust your emotions. This song is me doing exactly that.”
Watch Talker’s “Don’t Want You To Love Me” video above and find her In Awe Of Insignificance EP cover art and tracklist below.
WeHearNoise Records
1. “Don’t Want You To Love Me”
2. “Sad Chick”
3. “My Meds”
4. “For The Sake Of It”
5. “Summerlin”
6. “IRL”
7. “Growing Up”
8. “Little Bird”
In Awe Of Insignificance is out 3/25 via WeHearNoise Records.
Rival executives have since gathered that Los Angeles is willing to discuss the majority of its veteran roster in trade scenarios. “They’re pretty much open for business for anyone except their main guys and Terance Mann. I think they really are fine falling out of the playoffs and regrouping for next year,” said one Western Conference official. “I think they’re trying to shed the Marcus Morrises of the world, guys that have some value and maybe can replace them with younger talent, maybe cheaper [contracts], to free them to get someone else this summer.”
Notably, the Clippers do not have a first-round pick in next year’s draft because they dealt it away when they acquired George in a sign-and-trade. So, in theory, there’s no real benefit of them tanking to finish out the year in hopes of landing a higher pick. However, it stands to reason they could try to flip a veteran into draft capital while giving younger players minutes this year before Leonard and George return in 2022-23.
While promoting his new movie, Ron’s Gone Wrong, actor/comedian Zach Galifianakis stopped by the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast, where he revealed how his satirical talk show, Between Two Ferns, was meant to skewer America’s unhealthy obsession with celebrities. According to Galifianakis, it’s that same obsession that propelled Donald Trump to the White House, and he really wishes the country would get over idolizing the rich and famous. Via Mediaite:
Galifinakis explained his dream talk show was being able to mock celebrities. “It was kind of a fantasy thing,” he said. “Man if I could just get an interview show where I can roll my eyes at what they’re saying.”
The comedian then blamed America’s fascination with A-listers for Donald Trump’s presidency. “I mean celebrity, in general, should be mocked,” he continued. “It’s so ridiculous. It’s how we ended up with a celebrity president. America’s obsession with celebrity is a mental illness.”
Galifianakis isn’t wrong. America’s obsession with reality TV stars kicked into overdrive with the Kardashians, and it didn’t take long for that to devolve into Trump toying into a presidential run, which most Americans viewed as a harmless distraction. It’s just the loudmouth guy from Celebrity Apprentice? What could go wrong?
Well, he actually won and sparked an insurrectionist coup on the U.S. Capitol building on his way out the door. That’s what could go wrong. Plus all the other stuff, too. Zach is smart. We should listen to Zach.
Bad news for Roddy Ricch fans who were looking forward to seeing his performance on SNL this weekend: The Compton rapper was forced to pull out of his appearance — his SNL debut — due to COVID. Roddy shared the announcement on his Instagram Story, revealing that someone close to him tested positive, forcing him to forego the live show, but said that he was working on getting a new performance date.
Meanwhile, NBC has announced that Roddy’s replacement for this week’s episode will be Bleachers. Obviously, this throws off the rollout for Roddy’s recently released album Live Life Fast, but perhaps a later appearance may renew interest in the album and extend its shelf life. Roddy, whose 2020 megahit “The Box” was recently certified diamond, had previously supported the album with the singles “Late At Night” and “25 Million.” Live Life Fast debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, marking Roddy’s second top-10 debut, with 62,000 album-equivalent units sold.
However, if Roddy so chooses, he could potentially peg his SNL debut to another release. The rapper has said he’s working on the third installment of his fan-favorite Feed The Streets mixtape series and plans to release it later this year.
Cedar Ridge is probably best known in whiskey circles for their Iowa Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It’s become a standard-bearer for the corn-rich state and taken home a lot of big whiskey awards over the years. While that whiskey is great, we’re going to focus on a newer offering from the brand that we basically slept on last year, an American single malt.
Cedar Ridge’s American Single Malt The Quintessential won “Best American Single Malt” at the John Barleycorn Awards in 2021. That’s a pretty prestigious award given that the judges are some of the top industry folks working today — both in production and in journalism. Since I had a bottle sitting on my desk, I knew I had to get into it and see if the whiskey lived up to the hype. Let’s dive in and see what all the fuss is about.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of 2021
This whiskey is all about a grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made with 100 percent 2-Row Pale Malted Barley (the same stuff used in some of the biggest craft beers) from up in Saskatchewan. The whiskey is then matured in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed term. That whiskey is then finished in a combination of brandy, rum, wine, port, and sherry barrels before it’s vatted.
The whiskey’s blend is then made using the solera method — where the vat is never fully emptied before the next barrel is added.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is immediately full of bright fruit with a peach and pear vibe that leans into a malty banana bread with plenty of butter, cinnamon, and walnut next to a touch of Almond Joy (but the good ones from a high-end shop). The palate is soft and subtle with hints of spiced malted gingersnaps, light cream soda vibes (maybe a light sasparrila), and a mellow and creamy base of chocolate that’s not dark but not milky either. The mid-palate has a nice sweetness that’s slightly apple adjacent with an apricot hint that mellows into a final note of chewy toffees with rum-raisin lurking on the very backend.
The Bottle:
The bottle is a classic Scottish single malt bottle, similar to the classics from Diageo’s line. The label is full of information but clear on the essentials — what you’re drinking, proof, etc.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty damn fine sip of whiskey. This could, arguably, stand up to some pretty big name malts from Scotland in any taste test. It’s incredibly easy to sip neat but really shines with a drop or two of water with more of that chocolate, coconut, ginger, and malt coming out to play with this apricot jamminess that’s just delightful.
Ranking:
90/100 — This is pretty nice. It’s not wildly enthralling or game-changing. But as an American Single Malt… maybe it is? It’s incredibly nuanced and feels like it could stand up to any unpeated scotch.
Is it the “best American single malt” of 2021? It’s certainly very high on the list, and I can see this winning the day easily in a blind taste test.
Joe Rogan is not a doctor. Still, millions of people (including UFC president Dana White and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers) are listening to him for Covid advice. In 2021, Rogan came down with Covid and decided to take Ivermectin to treat it, and then he got mad about CNN reporting that he took “horse dewormer,” mostly because “I can afford people medicine, motherf*cker.” His declarations, very clearly, are not based upon science but various ramblings.
To quote Marc Maron’s characterization of Rogan’s rhetorical style, there’s a lot of “‘I don’t know, man” flying on any given subject, all for a reported $100 million deal with Spotify. Well, doctors are fed up with Rogan saying whatever he wants about Covid, no matter how dangerous, and YouTube recently deleted an episode that featured a Rogan guest comparing vaccine mandates to Nazi Germany. Well, dozens upon dozens of physicians have come together for a signed opened letter to Spotify, and here’s (via Rolling Stone) what the doctors have to say on the topic:
We are a coalition of scientists, medical professionals, professors, and science communicators spanning a wide range of fields such as microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, and neuroscience and we are calling on Spotify to take action against the mass-misinformation events which continue to occur on its platform. With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence. Though Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, the company presently has no misinformation policy.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast, provoking distrust in science and medicine.
The full letter is well worth a read since it really dives into the science of it all, along with much of the misinformation that Rogan’s been dropping, essentially as entertainment. They’re asking Spotify to stop “enabling” this dangerous rhetoric, and meanwhile, the very unvaxxed Rogan remains ticked off that he can’t perform at a crowded arena in Canada as the pandemic continues.
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