Category: Worldwide

Somehow it’s already October, and you know what that means — leaf peepin’ season is here. And the best place to do it, in my opinion, is in America’s Best Idea — our US National Parks. (Spoiler: I think National Parks are the best place for many things.)

While some higher elevations in the nations various parks are already experiencing peaking leaves, the next few weeks are really the sweet spot for peepers. Here are my recommendations for parks to visit, when the leaves are estimated to peak, and activities to maximize your views.

Great Smoky Mountains – Tennessee and North Carolina

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is synonymous with Fall Colors. So much so that their Fall Foliage Prediction Map is the gold standard for would be leaf peepers. It uses NOAA precipitation forecasts, average daylight exposure, and temperature forecasts to interactively predict when colors will be changing not just in the Smokies, but across the United States.

As the most visited National Park in the United States, you can expect leaf peeping season here to be crowded, but luckily you have some time. Due to the varied altitudes within the park, the fall color season lasts a little longer than some of the other parks on this list. The higher elevations — like Clingmans Dome at over 6,600 ft — will start changing first, and the colors will work their way down the landscape.

Don’t Miss: Drive Clingmans Dome Road and The Blue Ridge Parkway. Hike Alum Cave.

Peak Prediction: Mid-October to Mid-November

Shenandoah – Virginia

Shenandoah National Park is just 75 miles outside of Washington DC, but feels like you’ve been transported to another planet. With miles of hiking trails, waterfalls, wildlife, and seemingly never ending mountain vistas — this is a perfect place to see some dramatic fall color.

There are 75 overlooks along the famous Skyline Drive — and while they are all awe inspiring, I recommend Old Rag and Hazel Mountain.

This is also a great park to visit in tandem with Great Smoky Mountains. In just over six hours, you can drive the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway from one to the other and experience the quintessential mountain fall of your dreams.

Don’t Miss: Drive the 105 mile Skyline Drive. Hike Stony Man Summit Trail and portions of the Appalachian Trail.

Peak Prediction: Mid-October

Acadia – Maine

Acadia is known for fall. Before I visited this past summer, I would ask everyone I met who had spent time in Maine when I should go — summer or fall? Overwhelmingly the answer was fall. I decided to just aim for both, knowing that peak foliage season would be hard to predict and I was eager to see it.

Once I got back from my summer trip, I almost immediately started planning for another in the fall. Coastal Maine peaks a bit later than the rest of the state, so I’ve been obsessively refreshing the Maine Foliage Report for updates.

I can’t wait to live out my basic fall girl dreams surrounded by the leaves, quaint small towns, and surely a PSL in Maine.

Don’t Miss: Drive or hike to Cadillac Mountain Summit. Hike Bubble Rock Trail.

Peak Prediction: early to mid-October

Rocky Mountain – Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park is a bucket list destination in any season, but it really shines in the fall. The golden aspens peak earlier than other foliage, due to the high elevation, and the prime peeping is over in what feels like the blink of an eye. The fleeting nature makes experiencing the colors that much more special and otherworldly.

There are countless great drives and hikes worth seeing this time of year, just be sure you have the correct timed entry reservation (they go fast!).

Don’t Miss: Drive Trail Ridge and Bear Lake Roads. Hike Glacier Gorge and Wild Basin Trails.

Peak Prediction: late September to mid-October

Grand Teton – Wyoming

No National Park list of mine is complete without a mention of Grand Teton. There is just nothing like the dramatic and jutting peaks, the endless trails and lakes that are accessible to nearly anyone.

And fall is, in my opinion, the best time to visit this park. The crowds have lessened, the air is crisp, and the fall colors somehow make a magical place even more otherworldy. You can’t go wrong anywhere in the park or in Jackson this time of year. You have to see it for yourself.

Don’t Miss: Stop at Oxbow Bend and Schwabacher Landing. Drive to Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. Hike around Jenny Lake.

Peak Prediction: early to mid-October

Cuyahoga Valley – Ohio

Ohio might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of National Parks or fall foliage. But there is a hidden gem just between Cleveland and Akron. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a great place to visit in the fall. There is a Scenic Railroad that shows off the underrated midwestern fall colors, and plenty of laid-back hikes for a warm fall day.

Don’t Miss: Take a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Hike to Brandywine Falls and Blue Hen Falls.

Peak Prediction: mid-October

Zion – Utah

Zion National Park is not a secret in any sense of the word, but visiting during the fall is a great time to escape some of the hordes that clog the park mid-summer. Not only do you get a less crowded experience this time of year, but you might be surprised to find a beautiful display of fall foliage.

Utah isn’t known for its fall colors, but it should be. Zion has a whole different feel in the fall. The golden foliage mixed with the red and gold canyon is a sight to see. And you don’t have to deal with the oppressive summer heat. Win-win.

Don’t Miss: Hike Canyon Overlook Trail.

Peak Prediction: September to October

New River Gorge​​ – West Virginia

When I visited the United State’s newest National Park this summer for the first time, it was similar to my experience in Maine. Everyone told me I just had to come back in the fall. New River Gorge — sometimes referred to as the “Grand Canyon of West Virginia” truly pops in the fall. Yellows, oranges and reds abound in the gorge, with views at every turn.

Visit the third weekend of October for Bridge Day — a day commemorating the 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge — the parks signature and impressive feat of engineering. The bridge is closed for the day and BASE jumpers, rappellers, and bungee jumpers fling themselves from the 876 ft structure. Who knew leat peeping could be such a thrill?

Don’t Miss: Hike Long Point Trail and Fern Creek Trail. Visit Grandview. Take the Autumn Colors Express Train through the park for a truly unique view.

Peak Prediction: mid-October

Mammoth Cave – Kentucky

Mammoth Cave is known, of course, for being home to the worlds largest underground cave system — recently found to be even eight miles longer. But it is also a hidden gem for fall foliage. The red and golden-sugar maples light up in October.

Hike some of the more than 80 miles of trails, go underground if you dare, and then follow up your peeping with a visit to one of the many, many Kentucky distilleries. The perfect fall getaway indeed.

Don’t Miss: Hike Echo River Springs Trail and Green River Bluffs Trail.

Peak Prediction: early to mid-October

Hot Springs – Arkansas

Hot Springs National Park is not your average major National Park. Located inside the town of Hot Springs Arkansas, much of it is dedicated to the historic bathhouses it is named for. But outside of the bathhouses in and around the park area there are so many great opportunities for fall foliage viewing.

Arkansas is truly unexpected and underrated, in my opinion. Go and see for yourself — preferably in the fall.

Don’t Miss: Drive Hot Springs Mountain Scenic Drive to Hot Springs Mountain Tower. Visit Silver Mountain and Goat Rock Overlook.

Peak Prediction: late October to early November

As The View continues to take its time searching for a replacement for conservative co-host Meghan McCain, former White House communications director Alyssa Farah had a chance to try out for the vacant seat, and it was a veritable trial by fire. If Farah’s name doesn’t sound familiar, that’s because of the Trump administration’s seemingly endless parade of communications directors, and the fact that Farrah did not stay in the position very long. In fact, Farah resigned her post shortly after the 2020 election after getting a front-row seat for the chaos to come.

However, co-host Sunny Hostin couldn’t help but wonder why Farah went to work for Trump so late in the game, and she didn’t pull her punches while asking Farah about working for the troubled administration. “I have to say, though, when I think about it, you join in April 2020, that’s four years in. We knew who he was, how do you do that?” Hostin asked a surprisingly cordial Farah who didn’t bristle at any of the questions, and actually agreed with most of them. Farah even complimented Sunny when she called the former comms director a “stormtrooper,” which is something McCain would’ve never done. It would’ve been DEFCOM MY FATHER. Via The Daily Beast:

“That’s a fair point,” Farah said, laughing nervously, saying she “didn’t have any illusions” about who Donald Trump was. When she noted that she was initially working under Vice President Pence, Hostin shot back, “So you’re not working for Darth Vader, but you’re a stormtrooper.”

Instead of pushing back, Farah conceded the point, telling Hostin: “That’s actually very well said.”

After surviving Hostin’s gauntlet of questions, Farah made it clear that she’s absolutely through with Trump. “I wouldn’t support Donald Trump again,” she said. “Our country needs to go a different direction.”

(Via The Daily Beast, The View on Twitter)

Seasons are crucial to me when it comes to my listening habits. If a record that sounds like summer comes out in the winter, that feels to me like poor planning. This is not the case with Hovvdy’s new album, True Love, which was released on what is, for all intents and purposes, the first day of fall. (For context of how important this seasonal demarcation is in my family, we promptly attended an outdoor jack-o-lantern carving showcase on October 2.) True Love is the perfect album to throw on a fall drive with the windows down, hearing the leaves crunch under your car tires. It’s the soundtrack for a walk around the neighborhood when you find yourself in awe of our planet’s natural ability to create beauty, for now at least. You get the idea.

After a string of lo-fi releases that were focused primarily on vibe and melody, the Austin duo signed to a new label home in Grand Jury, and enlisted producer Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver) to help bolster their sound in the studio setting. “We were just able focus on the performance and songs, and then let him really take it,” Will Taylor explained over Zoom from a Portland hotel room on a day off from tour, nursing a coffee next to bandmate Charlie Martin. The resulting effort is twelve tracks that stay true to the bare-bones aesthetic that made Hovvdy special in the first place, but with access to studio wizardry that creates extra space for the band to blossom and evolve. “I think that we have both become more confident in our songwriting and organically leaning into our more pop sensibilities,” Martin elaborates. “This was a really fun step, to have fun with those pop influences while still keeping the core of it centered on strong, emotional songs.”

As touring returns and the rooms continue to get bigger for a band like Hovvdy, the unique ability to continue drawing upon the initial inspiration points and using them to reflect the current situation is surely what’s going to set the duo apart from the pack. True Love is one of the rare “return to roots” albums that build upon the band’s lore and set them up for further success. To celebrate the new album, I spoke with Taylor and Martin about the new resources afforded to them by a larger label, and the beauty of DIY, and more. The below conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Both of you guys had a lot of big life moments since the release of Heavy Lifter. You both got married, and Will, you had a baby. Did you ever think that the band might be over?

Will Taylor: The band has to adapt in ways to make our lives possible. We haven’t crossed anything crazy yet, but we’re certainly flexible and ready to adapt to any situation that comes. But so far we’ve been able to kind of keep our heads down and finish the record and have this surprise tour [with Dayglow] really last second, and it all works. So far, thumbs up — all is well.

This album sounds a lot more polished and less lo-fi. Was that a product of more resources readily available to you on Grand Jury, or something you’ve been working toward throughout your career?

Charlie Martin: I think we tried to take a big step forward with Heavy Lifter. It still ended up being like pretty low-fi, but it felt like a step forward. Whereas with this one, we went full-steam with Sarlo who co-produced and mixed it. We kind of knew from the jump that it could be as hi-fi as we wanted it to be. I think we maintained a lot of the texture that we always go for. But yeah, it’s super satisfying to finally have something that feels like it’s really up to standard in terms of, like, fidelity.

What was the writing process like before you guys put anything to tape? How did the songs come together?

C.M.: We always start songs kind of independently, then started sharing demos. We ended up boiling down like 25 or so songs down to 12, which was more than previous records. This is a very fresh batch of songs.

W.T.: I don’t think either of us write the lyrics outright, then try to put it to music. I’ll play the chords and sing until I find a melody that sits nice. Then sometimes I do the terrible game of trying to fit lyrics with that melody that I did.

C.M.: He usually just starts with a chord progression and then I start with just the first verse and it kind of just builds from there. But writing on piano, most of the time I write the melody first. The last song on the record, “I Never Wanna Make You Sad,” was actually an instrumental piano, something that I had been playing for months and kind of struggled with whether or not I even wanted to add vocals to it. Then for our last session, I ended up hitting something that I liked, and it ended up being like a proper song.

Last year you guys released that standalone single called “I’m Sorry,” which seemed to incorporate more electronic tones, which made it seemed like you might be heading in a more experimental direction. Then True Love jumped back into the Hovvdy bread and butter with expansive and folk sounds. Was that a song you just needed to get out because it was in your head?

W.T.: That song was paired up with another other song called “Runner.” We did those with Sarlo as our first… I can’t find any word for it, but we wanted to work together. We knew we wanted to do something new-ish so we both had songs built around drum machines and added stuff like that. To be completely honest, we thought that may end up being the record too, or, like, a good chunk of it. Then we met up for the album sessions, and Sarlo encouraged us to bring our most heartfelt songs. So just with our limitations on actual gear, and also just trusting our initial skillset, and the acoustic guitar, we kind of just stuck there.

C.M.: I remember coming into that first session [for “Runner” and “I’m Sorry”] honestly being a little intimidated. The first time working with a kind of hope high-profile producer, and maybe we both have the inclination to go bigger with the production. Then leaving that session, we had all gotten comfortable with each other. We had sort of a new confidence in ourselves that maybe led us back towards our roots, versus pushing forward with like some glossy, pop stuff.

Can you tell me a little bit more about working with Sarlo?

W.T.: There’s a lot that goes into the work that he’s doing for us. He’s at the computer the whole time so that we can be standing up, walking around, working on things, which is great. He’s a really good encourager, so trying to get the best side of us, which is really helpful. Just his expertise in recording, engineering, and mixing is a bit deeper than us.

The promo materials for this record say that True Love is a return to writing for yourselves, instead of writing what you think other people want to hear. Can you speak to that a little more?

W.T.: I think you’re always kind of juggling both. Ideally, you try a song and you can just, like, live in it. We tried a bunch of stuff on [Heavy Lifter] and had a lot of fun. But I think on this one, we really just wanted to serve the song as best as we possibly could with as little to no frills as possible. Which I think is a big difference of working for the song rather than working for the vibe, if that makes sense.

C.M.: Even with Taster, it was just me and Will staying up late, just trying to make something that sounds really cool and working really hard to do that. Whereas with this record, we knew we could come in with the most bare-bones, three-chord song, and Sarlo could make it sound as expansive and atmospheric as we wanted it to be. So it was really, like Will said, all about the song and the story and the message.

Is there a story or a thesis statement that you’re trying to embody with this album?

W.T.: I think the title is pretty good. Those two words are kind of heavy or just up-front. but they can mean a lot of things. Each individual word is also powerful in itself. These songs are lyrically more focused than usual, so it’s really all there. Whereas in the past, we almost didn’t want you to… I mean, kind of joking, but the lyrics were less important. I think now you can listen to this album and create your own story to associate it with your own life.

C.M.: Yeah. There’s really nothing cryptic about this record, which is a fun, kind of new thing for us.

Did you have a moment as a music fan when you were listening to a song and you thought, “oh, I can do this too”?

W.T.: For me, the Orchid Tapes-type stuff. Alex G, R.L. Kelly, Elvis Depressedly, and stuff. Seeing those bands the limitedness of it… they just did it themselves. It was kind of the first time I heard the term DIY. So I feel like they really made it feasible for us to make our own recordings and not be insecure about it.

C.M.: Yeah. Just realizing that, as long as you’re kind of decent or can fumble yourself through some stuff on guitar and keyboard and drums, and realizing that it’s about the layering and the chemistry of a recording. That was, I think, something we both discovered in that early bedroom pop phase.

W.T.: I think the limitations helped us in the beginning. There’s just kind of a certain charm to that. It just felt really wholesome. And I hadn’t heard a lot of music like that.

C.M.: There was just a real buzz about it, too. So it was just cool to see that possibility. It’s been interesting to see those artists, especially Alex G, all growing together.

It’s an interesting point of how creativity can actually be fostered by that bootstrapped mentality. It’s probably more rewarding to make something that’s completely on your own, and to add on those layers of resources as you keep building.

W.T.: It’s funny, we were talking to Sarlo because we weren’t sure where he heard our music. He said he heard Cranberry, which is the last record that we did all ourselves. And we both think that record sounds like shit. But we’re also proud of it in other ways. But yeah, he said someone was playing on that record and it kind of pissed him off. He was like, “This doesn’t sound good. Objectively, it doesn’t sound good. But I love it.”

True Love is out now on Grand Jury. Listen here.

On September 28, 1998, Pokémon Red and Blue hit shelves in North America. A week later — on my fifth birthday — I would get my very own Game Boy Light, a copy of Pokémon Red version, and at long last set off on my very first Pokémon journey. From that point on, my life and interests shifted dramatically, and I can pretty safely say if it weren’t for that clunky grey system and that little Red cartridge, I most likely wouldn’t even be sitting in this chair typing away about games every day. In short, Pokémon kinda sorta changed my life — and I know I’m not alone.

I am one of millions of kids who grew up alongside the series and fell completely in love with the wonderful world of Pokémon, and perhaps what’s even more fun to think about is the fact that our generation was just the beginning. In the 23 years since the Pokémon video game series launched in North America, the franchise has gone on to become the greatest-selling of all time at a whopping $105 billion in total revenue. Just to put that into perspective, that’s bigger than the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars combined. On top of much of this being attributed to Pokémon‘s nearly unwavering quality, so much of this is seems to be because series’ wasn’t made to start and stop with we kids who grew up in the 90s or early 2000s, but rather is one that speaks to both adults and children of every generation and pulls them in with simple gameplay and sweet creatures you oh-so-desperately wish were real.

So, in order to celebrate the series’ the world simply can’t get enough of, here’s a completely subjective (but hopefully fair!) ranking of all eight generations of the game from worst to best. As always, feel free to comment with your own ranking below because quite frankly I love hearing ’em.

8. Generation 6: Pokémon X and Y
Region: Kalos
While it might be at the bottom of the list, I feel I should state X and Y aren’t bad games as much as they just don’t do quite as much as the rest of ’em do for me. While the series’ first trek into 3D and the game’s lovely, French inspired map makes gen six memorable, when it comes to its storyline and added pokémon there is a lot to be desired. By and large the best things this game did was introduce fairy-type pokémon, allowing for a better counter against dragon-types, and create mega evolutions, one of the series’ better gimmicks in recent years.

7. Generation 7: Pokémon Sun and Moon, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Region: Alola
For many people, generation seven is, well… their least favorite. And you know, I get it. Gen seven tried a lot of new things (arguably too many things), and ultimately I would agree that not all of it worked. Hell, it seems even Game Freak agreed, hence the pivot back to gyms for generation eight However, I do respect the fact that they tried new things and I think some of their ideas were a bit brilliant. Personally, I loved the team looking at evolution in the more scientific sense and introducing variant types of pokémon. I also think that by-and-large the Alola region is so unique and well thought-out. It feels cohesive and lived-in in a way previous areas don’t, which was a welcome breath of fresh air. While the trials felt inspired but ultimately fell flat and z-moves felt uninspired and were simply “okay,” overall there was enough charm to these games to at least bump it up from last place.

6. Generation 8: Pokémon Sword and Shield
Region: Galar
While the Nintendo Switch might not be the mightiest console on the market (by a lot, really), Nintendo and its developers have seemingly made a very concentrated effort to do the absolute most they can with the lil’ guy. More and more, we’re seeing classic Nintendo series embrace an open world design, and I gotta say, I think Pokémon‘s eighth generation did it with flying colors. The wild areas, cutsey camps, and cities that make up the Galar region create a world that feels massive and like a natural step forward for the series, and the line-up of new pokémon felt like a call back to the first game in the series in a really charming way. While a lot of people had a lot of gripes with Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s limited Pokédex at launch, to me it felt like a very valid way for newcomers to not be completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of pokémon we’ve now accumulated and encouraged longtime fans to mix it up and try new party dynamics. The game also had such unique character dynamics, it’s overarching story felt fairly different from any previous entries.

5. Generation 4: Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Region: Sinnoh
I know gen four is incredibly beloved and I promise I’ll be the first one scolding myself if I go back to it when Shinning Pearl and Brilliant Diamond come out later this year and realize I should have placed them higher, but this is ultimately where I landed for now — sorry! All that said, the mechanical importance of gen four cannot be understated. Thanks to Diamond and Pearl, we got the physical and special stat split, a mechanic used in every game since that forces player to be more thoughtful about the stats and abilities of their party. It also was our first tease of the jump to 3D which was incredibly cool to see at the time and made the Sinnoh region even more fascinating and seemingly endless than it was. Last but certainly not least, when it comes to what generation had the most baring on future games, fourth might just take the cake. The legends and myths woven in the game are ones that are still important and talked about in games today, and make me all the more excited to replay it this winter and right before Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

4. Generation 5: Pokémon Black and White, Pokémon Black and White 2
Region: Unova
In my opinion, generation five doesn’t get as much love as it deserves. I think part of that is because of the the fairly valid criticism that a lot of the pokémon the game added to series weren’t incredible (thought I’d argue ghost and psychic-type fans were eating well), but regardless, I think it’s largely overlooked. When it comes to which Pokémon games have hand-down the greatest, most nuanced, and most emotional plot, Black and White win in a landslide for me. Characters have arcs in these games, and I’d argue N is one of the series’ greatest characters period. Whereas most Pokémon games have a story as a vessel to take you through the game, Black and White‘s gameplay is a vessel to take your through its story. In addition, the land of Unova feels incredibly dynamic, with the most robust soundtrack the game has ever had, beautiful art direction, and the added element of seasons for you to traverse through.

3. Generation 1: Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow
Region: Kanto
Perhaps the greatest argument that can be made for how wonderful the first generation of Pokémon games were is quite simply the state of the series now. Quite frankly all of these games and the entire “Pokémpire” would quite simply not exist if the first Pokémon games wasn’t such a stellar introduction to the series. Now, being the first in the series its safe to say — and natural — that gen one quite simply doesn’t offer everything later entries later added to it. However, this doesn’t feel like a lack as much as it feels like the game is simply streamlined and incredibly accessible — like a first entry should be. It introduced the now iconic battle mechanics of the series, created arguably still the most versatile roster of critters we’ve ever gotten in a Pokémon game, established the game’s main players (gym leaders, a professor, a rival…), and had an open enough world with a loose enough story to where folks truly felt they were beginning their own Pokémon adventure when they began. I tried my hardest writing this entry to make sure the nostalgia goggles were off, but truly it just deserves all the heaps of praise it gets.

2. Generation 3: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
Region: Hoehn
Much like generation four, generation three did some serious work for making Pokémon — primarily pokémon battles — a whole lot more interesting. In gen three, the Pokémon battle system got next to a complete overhaul as abilities, natures, and the game’s EV/IV system was implemented. These changes ultimately transformed the series’ into one that required way more thinking than ever before, created an incentive for folks to truly be the best and try to take down every trainer in the Battle Frontier, and, by large, added a competitive edge folks had been wanting. However, as we all know, fighting is only a small part of what makes a Pokémon game great. Gen three also triumphed in creating a world that felt almost fantastical and interwoven with nature in a way previous entries were not. It didn’t feel like you were in a human world inhabited by pokémon as much as it felt like you had been transported to a type of living you’ve never known.

1. Generation 2: Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal
Region: Johto
To this day, there isn’t a Pokémon generation around that makes the world of Pokémon feel as interconnected as it’s second — which is probably why I was utterly obsessed with it as a kid. With its direct link to Kanto (which also makes for a fantastic post-game full of borderline emotional moments) and eventual ties to Sinnoh, this is the title that really start to put how the games relate to one another into perspective and creates a world, not just a place. At the same time, the Japanese-inspired Johto region in itself also feels complete, beautiful, vast, and freeing. The second gen titles also did a stellar job of taking the same sort of loose story and push towards exploration that made the first one so popular, and doubling down, making the player feel less like they were on a straightforward quest and more like they were on a journey. Last but not least, the 100 pokémon the game added were a perfect mix of ones with connections to the previous generations’ and ones that felt entirely new. In short, the game did everything a sequel should do, on top of firmly planting down Pokémon‘s roots as a powerhouse series that was destined to go places.

This week, Krispy Kreme finally dropped an official cinnamon roll for the first time in the chain’s over 80 year existence, albeit for a limited time. The fact that Krispy Kreme has been around for the better part of a century and hasn’t thought to make a cinnamon roll is shocking to us, but sometimes iconic brands don’t do what’s in their best interest in the name of being true to the brand or whatever. Just think of how amazing In-N-Out would be if they would let us put some damn bacon on a Double Double…

Anyway, Krispy Kreme is rectifying things now. Even better news: they’re giving us two options — an Original Glazed Cinnamon Roll made from yeast-risen dough, hand-rolled with cinnamon and featuring Krispy Kreme’s signature glaze; and the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Roll, which is the same thing but topped with a few loose Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal squares and cereal milk-flavored icing swirl. The bad news is that these aren’t really cinnamon rolls (hear us out!)

Let’s dive in and talk about the good and the bad of Krispy Kreme’s first cinnamon rolls!

How Does It Compare To A Cinnabon?

I get it, you heard “Krispy Kreme Cinnamon Roll” and the gears started spinning, but this cinnamon roll doesn’t really exist in the same lane as the great mall and airport delicacy that is the Cinnabon. Whereas a Cinnabon has warm gooey layers of dough drenched in syrupy cinnamon and topped with thick ribbons of icing made from real cream cheese and vanilla, the Krispy Kreme Cinnamon Roll features… well, none of that.

It doesn’t even try to have any of that. This is, for better or worse, more of a cinnamon roll doughnut than an actual cinnamon roll. It doesn’t have that super gooey texture that a Cinnabon has, the bread here is more akin to your typical fried doughnut dough. I have no idea how they prepare this behind the scenes, maybe they’re still baking these things, but the texture is a lot closer to an average doughnut than any cinnamon roll I’ve ever had — so I’m pretty sure they’re just frying these things in the same doughnut frier as all their other pastries.

Original Glazed Cinnamon Roll/Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Cinnamon Roll

Now that I’ve delivered the bad news we can talk about the strengths of this… let’s just call it a doughnut. While I was disappointed to discover that this wasn’t a legit cinnamon roll, it still delivers on flavor, and that’s all that matters. Think of it less like a cinnamon roll, and more of a regular Krispy Kreme doughnut that goes HAM on the cinnamon and offers a form factor that is at least a little bit chewier than the average Old Fashioned.

I prefer it to an original Krispy Kreme.

While Krispy Kreme’s usual glaze would never work on a more traditional cinnamon roll, it works perfectly in service of this doughnut. The glaze to bread ratio is well-balanced here and the sections that don’t feature the glaze are still well flavored with cinnamon. Each bite follows a simple but effective pattern: glaze, then cinnamon, then bread. It all hits you in waves of deliciousness.

The Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Cinnamon Roll, on the other hand, is just lazy.

The only thing that differentiates this doughnut is the inclusion of a few squares of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and a sad squirt of cereal milk icing to top it off. It doesn’t impact the flavor in any way, the cereal milk icing is a welcome addition, but it’s used so sparingly it’s practically a garnish and the cereal itself is stale.

It makes sense that it would be stale, even if Krispy Kreme made the doughnut the morning I ate it (which they did) unless they’re keeping that cereal in a bag, it’s going to go stale within an hour of hitting air. That’s just common sense, but I guess I shouldn’t expect any cereal freshness innovations from a successful doughnut company that took 80 years to make a cinnamon roll, amirite?

Anyway, this feels like some unessasary brand synergy that is a step down in experience.

The Bottom Line

As long as you’re aware that Krispy Kreme’s cinnamon roll isn’t actually a cinnamon roll, it’s pretty damn good and offers a great cinnamon-infused snack. But don’t bother with the Cinnamon Toast Crunch — it’s got more stuff but it’s less satisfying.

The Ted Lasso Power Rankings are a weekly analysis of who and/or what had the strongest performance in each episode. Most of the list will feature individual characters, although the committee does reserve the right to honor anything from animals to inanimate objects to laws of nature to general concepts. There are very few rules here.

Season 2, Episode 11 — “Midnight Train To Royston”

HONORABLE MENTION: Higgins (I need the entire team to perform the play he wrote, perhaps as a web extra for me and me alone); Phoebe’s teacher (love her); Mae (runs her pub with an iron fist and I respect it); Will (doing the best he can); Colin (ditto); free champagne (one of the only lessons I’ve learned in life that has actually stuck is “never say no to free champagne”); a little room in the crotch (more valuable than plutonium); my sweet prince Dani Rojas (somehow, somewhere deep in my brain, before this episode even aired, I knew he could nail the ‘N Sync choreography); snakes (get them outta here); Henry (STILL ON THE PHONE); Banksy (I’m sorry but Banksy jokes will never not be funny to me)

10. Rebecca

Everything kind of went to — or is headed toward — hell this week, with Sharon leaving and Ted having feelings about it and Trent Crimm preparing to publish a story about Ted’s panic attacks and Keeley telling Roy about Jamie’s declaration of love and Sam getting wooed by another club and Nate kind of becoming the Joker. We’ll get to all of that soon enough. But first, the Rebecca-Sam thing.

I haven’t known what to make of this for a while and I do not think I’ll know what to make of it for another week or two, at least. It’s all strange. Part of me wants Trent Crimm to start sniffing around, if only because “owner of sports franchise begins torrid fling with star player” is just about as juicy a sports story as you’ll ever see. The tabloids would go nuts. I do not wish Sam or Rebecca any ill will (quite the opposite), but still. Picture that happening in the real world. It would be anarchy.

But there’s no time to focus too deeply on that because my brain has latched onto something else and won’t let it go. Follow me down this path:

• This episode is titled “Midnight Train to Royston”
• This resulted in the song “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips getting stuck in my head all weekend
• That song is about a woman who leaves her life and everything she knows to be with a man she loves who is leaving town, featuring the line “I’d rather live in his world than live without him in mine”
• Sam is considering leaving Richmond to return home to Africa to play for a super-team in Casablanca
• DO YOU SEE?
• DO YOU SEE WHAT MY BRAIN IS DOING TO ME?
• YES I KNOW ROYSTON IS STILL IN ENGLAND BUT COME ON

Do I think, honestly, that Sam will leave for Casablanca and Rebecca will follow him there? No, I do not, for a bunch of reasons. I just want to lay this all out so you can get a window into how my brain works. I think it explains a lot, but especially how these rankings work. You are welcome and I’m very sorry.

9. Trent Crimm, The Independent

I do not believe for a single second that Trent Crimm, a serious journalist with glasses, would give up a source to the subject of a damning article. Like, I got mad when it happened. It makes Trent one of the least ethical journalists in all of film and television, slotting in somewhere below Eddie Brock, probably, depending how you feel about a journalist and his symbiote literally biting off the head of the subject of a story.

This brings me an interesting point, though. What if season three of Ted Lasso opens with Venom inhabiting the body of Trent Crimm? Trent Crimm eating people and talking to a space monster. And the rest of the show stays exactly the same. Think on that for a few minutes this week.

8. Dr. Sharon

I will miss Dr. Sharon if this is indeed the last we see of her. Dr. Sharon is cool. And, Lord in heaven, do we ever need her back to deal with the Nate thing. That’s a problem. She should at least write him one of those letters.

Speaking of the letter… I’m glad we didn’t find out what it said. I’m curious, and it’s killing me a little because I am a nosy child with no patience, but I think this way is better. It makes it all more personal and touching. And it meant that no one on the show had to go to the trouble of actually writing something out that delivered the emotions it needed to. I’m sure laziness wasn’t their primary motivation with any of this but I do respect it anyway.

7. Nate

Hoo boy. Things are not going great for Nate, who is teetering over into supervillain territory to such a degree that I kind of expect him to show up next week sitting in a hollowed-out mountain and cackling in the dark. Some highlights:

• Complained loudly about receiving credit
• Kissed Keeley, the partner of his fellow assistant coach
• Leaked sensitive medical information about his boss — the man who elevated him from Kit Man to strategic wizard — to the press

Not great. Far from ideal. And he did this again, too.

The takeaway here is probably that Nate is going through a personal crisis about his self-worth and how he can square the competing factors of professional success and staggeringly low self-esteem, but, knowing and accepting all of that and being as understanding as I know how to be, I need him to stop.

6. Roy

Weird week for Roy and Keeley with each of them getting tempted by former and/or suitable other partners and confessing it all to each other in the middle of a photoshoot with cameras pointed straight at their faces. It says a lot about both Roy and Nate that he just kind of laughed off the impromptu kiss. But it also says a lot about Roy and Jamie that the little muscle in his neck bulged out so far that it looked like a mountain range on a topographical map when she told him that part.

Here, look.

There is a chance this muscle always does this and is not, in fact, a result of him clenching his teeth so hard he risks grinding them into dust. I don’t know. I have not and will not research it. It’s more fun to pretend it’s true. I want to see him and Jamie fight, just because I still want to know who would win. Sportsbooks should set odds on this so people can wager. I am being serious here. Kind of.

5. Ted

This Trent Crimm article is going to be a problem, and not having Dr. Sharon in the building when it drops and the feeding frenzy begins isn’t going to help too much either. I am genuinely not looking forward to it all, at least in the kind of way where I also intend to smash “Play Episode” very hard on the season finale very soon. I’m conflicted, is my point. This whole season has done a number on my emotions.

But let’s leave that for next week. For now, let’s all stop and give a hand to Jason Sudeikis for that silent display of face acting when he read Dr. Sharon’s letter. That was pretty great. I have no idea how actors do that, the summoning of emotions at the drop of a hat. It’s borderline sorcery, really. Especially considering Sudeikis comes from sketch comedy, not exactly a field known for tears. Good for him.

4. Sam Richardson

While this section could (and probably should) focus on the idea of a young billionaire who wants to dismantle his father’s empire and use the remaining money to create an African superteam in Casablanca, which is cool and something more billionaires should consider, I would rather stop here and mention that Sam Richardson rules.

He really does. And has for a while. He ruled as Richard Splett on Veep and he ruled in the wildly underappreciated Detroiters and he rules whenever he pops up in sketches on I Think You Should Leave and he ruled as a burgeoning action star in The Tomorrow War. He’s one of those actors who makes everything he appears in a little bit better, every time, without fail. He’s the greatest.

It all leaves me deeply torn, in a way. On one hand, I want him to finally land a big juicy leading role in a hugely successful show that launches him into the superstardom he has deserved for a while. On the other hand, I like that he keeps popping up in my favorite shows out of nowhere to steal scenes and entire episodes. I want him to show up in The Righteous Gemstones next, maybe as a charismatic rival televangelist. He would be perfect. You can see it all crystal clear if you close your eyes for a second. But you can’t finish reading this with your eyes closed, so maybe hold off until we’re done here.

3. Keeley

In the past two weeks, Keeley has had two world-famous athletes profess their love for her and had an assistant coach on the team she works for misread signals and slap a smooch on her out of nowhere, all while her career takes off in ways that get you photoshoots and interviews with fancy publications. She’s got a lot on her plate. Too much, probably. I imagine it’s all quite stressful.

It’s also nice to be appreciated. I guess that’s the silver lining here. Everyone just telling you that you’re great and that they love you. Again, it’s not ideal, as it’s creating a huge stinky pile of personal and professional crises, but also, like, it’s better than the alternative, you know? Plenty to consider here.

2. Sam

After a great deal of thought, analyzing the situation from every angle, with his relationship with Rebecca in a weird state of flux and this fascinating offer on the table to return to Africa to try to do something cool and none of it being compatible in any way that lets him have an ideal version of both at once, I have come to the following conclusion…

I just want Sam to be happy. I have no useful advice beyond that. He’s a good man. I do not expect him to take the offer in Casablanca because I do not know exactly how that would work for the show to have a main character on another continent, but it would still be cool if he did and became a huge star and national hero. Again, his happiness is most important to me here, though. Arguably too important. It’s probably not healthy to worry this much about fictional characters from the television. I’m fine.

I’m fine.

1. Coach Beard

This was going to be about three paragraphs on Beard doing the eyebrow grooming in the GIF above, but then I saw this tweet from my colleague Steve Bramucci.

And then I went to the Wikipedia page for that book and read this.

The book looks at fungi from a number of angles, including decomposition, fermentation, nutrient distribution, psilocybin production, the evolutionary role fungi play in plants, and the ways in which humans relate to the fungal kingdom. It uses music and philosophy to illustrate its thesis, and introduces readers to a number of central strands of research on mycology. It is also a personal account of Sheldrake’s experiences with fungi.

And then I had three thoughts crash into my head at once:

• It is perfect that Coach Beard is reading a book about fungi at work
• I would like an entire episode about Beard running a secret book club, possibly in another country, possibly that he takes a private jet to and from once a week under the cover of night and tells no one else about
• I can’t decide if I want to see him hallucinating on mushrooms or if he’s actually just been on mushrooms every second he’s been on screen since the first episode and the show just never bothered to tell us

It would explain a lot.

Girls just want to have fun in Wale‘s colorful new video for “Poke It Out” featuring J. Cole. After dropping the latest single from his upcoming album, Folarin II, Wale furthers his Q-Tip homages by reproducing some of the Queens rapper’s iconic video moments. As “Poke It Out” samples Q-Tip’s J Dilla-produced debut solo single “Vivrant Thing,” it makes sense that Wale borrows and updates shots such as the infamous head bob as he cruises the streets in a jeep full of women.

Women are the primary focus of the video, as Wale and his female entourage end up at a lakeside campsite (reproducing the beach run from the “Vivrant Thing” video), where the ladies hike, play football, and have a late-night bonfire. Then, Wale and his running buddy J. Cole trade verses against a plain backdrop that lets Cole’s words take center stage as he praises women with bodies ranging from “Meg Thee Stallion” to “Coi Leray” — both of whom Wale’s worked with in the past (click those links).

So far, Wale’s released three singles from his upcoming Folarin sequel, including “Angles” and “Down South,” which features Maxo Kream and Yella Beezy. The classic hip-hop references have been in full effect, promising a rap album that pays even more homage to the past while advancing Wale’s sound and stature in the future.

Watch Wale’s “Poke It Out” video above.

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

Folarin II is due 10/22 via Warner Records.

Last week, a video went viral on the internet of a dude doing everything he could to catch an alligator that appeared to show up on his lawn. A man by the name by Eugene Bozzi saw an gator and decided the best way to handle it was to grab a garbage pail, use it to back the animal into a corner, and once it had nowhere to go, scoop it up. If you missed it, here’s how the whole thing went down:

While the video took place in Florida, Bozzi is originally from Philadelphia, and because all news has a local spin, the local CBS station in the City of Brotherly Love had him on to ask him about what went down. Bozzi, apparently viewing this as an opportunity to get a joke off, decided to use his 15 minutes of fame to roast Sixers guard Ben Simmons.

“I just jumped into action, and I said, ‘You know what? I’m not gonna be Ben Simmons, I’m gonna go get me this basket,’” Bozzi said.

Simmons, of course, drew the ire of Sixers fans when he passed up a dunk in the waning moments of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the Atlanta Hawks, which Philly went on to lose. Currently, he is away from the team after requesting a trade, and despite the fact that the Sixers withheld $8.25 million worth of salary from him over the weekend, Simmons is reportedly steadfast that he will not play another game for the franchise.

On a recent episode of The Sarah Silverman Podcast, host Sarah Silverman discussed Jewish representation in Hollywood, specifically how non-Jewish actors and actresses are frequently cast as Jewish characters. “There’s this long tradition of non-Jews playing Jews, and not just playing people who happen to be Jewish but people whose Jewishness is their whole being,” she said, adding, “One could argue, for instance, that a Gentile playing Joan Rivers correctly would be doing what is actually called Jewface.”

Silverman is referring to Kathryn Hahn, not a Jew, being cast as legendary comedian Joan Rivers, a Jew, for a Showtime series. She continued, “It’s defined as when a non-Jew portrays a Jew with the Jewishness front and center, often with makeup or changing of features, big fake nose, all the New York-y or Yiddish-y inflection. And in a time when the importance of representation is seen as so essential and so front and center, why does ours constantly get breached even today in the thick of it?” Silverman pointed out other recent examples of Jewface, include Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in On the Basis of Sex and Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

The School of Rock actress pointed out common anti-Semitic tropes that so often get thrown around like “Jews run Hollywood,” “Jews are rich,” and “Jews are powerful,” which she said then “renders people very righteously unsympathetic toward Jews.”

“I wish they would realize that that is by design,” she said.

Silverman doesn’t have an answer for “how to fix this,” but “representation f*cking matters, so it has to also finally matter for Jews as well. Especially Jewish women.” You can watch a live taping of The Sarah Silverman Podcast above.

(Via Mediaite)

If you’re among the countless superhero movie fans who think DC needs to lighten up a bit, we’ve got some good news for you. Following Jason Momoa sharing how full of laughs the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom script is, another (and pretty unexpected) DC star has come forward singing praises of the studio’s upcoming line-up of caped-crusades: Ben Affleck.

While Affleck has been pretty vocal about his struggles with portraying the Dark Knight, ultimately revealing he dropped out of The Batman movie out of worries the dark script would lead to further alcohol abuse, for the first time in quite a while the actor seems pretty happy with the state of the DC Universe and his role within it. According to an exclusive interview with Variety, Affleck stated he had a ‘really fun’ time playing reprising the role of Batman in the upcoming DC film The Flash.

“It was a really nice way to revisit that as the prior experience had been difficult. This was really lovely. Really fun [..] I had a great time. I’m probably under some gag order that I’m not even aware that I probably just violated and I’m now going to be sued.”

This interview and Affleck’s newfound sunny disposition come a year and a half after the actor opened up about how difficult filming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League had been for him. According to Affleck, following the back-to-back filming of these movies he largely lost passion for the character and telling superhero stories.

“We had a script. I liked the script, I wrote it with Geoff Johns, who I have a lot of respect for. It just so happened that I had done a couple of those movies, and I kind of lost my passion for it. You know what I mean? I kind of lost my passion for telling those stories, I got interested in telling stories more like [The Way Back], and it just seemed like very clear to me that if it’s not the most important thing in the world to you, you’re not going to make a very good movie. The movie deserves to be made by someone whose dying to do it and can’t wait, and that wasn’t me at the time, so I moved on.”

Of course, we now know ultimately Robert Pattinson would take up the mantle left by Affleck and star as Batman in Matt Reeve’s The Batman, which the director claimed will be the “most emotional Batman movie ever made” in a recent interview. The Batman hits theaters March 4, 2022, followed by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Black Adam on July 29 and The Flash on November 4, in which we’ll see Affleck and Ezra Miller team up once again to save the universe.