Rihanna has been teasing what will be her ninth album for three years now, and now she returns with some comforting news for those who wait. “I’m always working on new music. Just because I haven’t released an album in a few years doesn’t mean I haven’t been working on it,” she said in an interview with New! Magazine. “I’m not just going to put music out because people are craving it. I’m going to make it worth the wait – and it will be worth the wait.”
Rihanna also went on to say that her endeavors, whether it be in music or through her Fenty brand, are all “about achieving excellence,” adding, “That’s why I will never put an album out for the sake of it or do a movie for the sake of it or a fashion collaboration for the sake of it. I have to believe in it.”
Throughout the year, Rihanna has repeatedly talked up the album that still has no release date, from trolling a Rihanna lookalike to telling fans it would live to expectations. “You’re not going to be disappointed when it happens. It’s going to be worth it,” she told ET. “I’m not just gonna put it out just because people are waiting.” This came after Rihanna revealed in March she was “very aggressively working on music” in a profile with British Vogue.
DC hasn’t always had the best luck with movies, but their TV shows have been both solid and diverse. Their slate is wide enough to include the acclaimed Harley Quinn animated show as well as Doom Patrol, a kooky, live-action program centered on a team of superheroes arguably even more screwed-up than that eternally grieving billionaire who dressed up like a bat. While something like the 2017 film Justice League needed to get a mulligan, Doom Patrol is doing just fine, so well, in fact, that it’s been greenlit for a third season.
Doom Patrol’s second season bowed on HBO Max back in July, bringing back such characters as Diane Guerrero’s Crazy Jane, Brendan Fraser’s Robotman, Matt Bomer’s Negative Man, April Bowlby’s Elasti-Woman, and Jovian Wade’s Cyborg. Lorded over them all is The Chief, played by no less than former James Bond Timothy Daulton — a character who, it was revealed, is responsible for turning them into unwitting superheroes. Season 2 found the team protecting The Chief’s daughter, Dorothy (Abigail Shapiro), whose own mysterious powers make her a potential threat to the world.
Doom Patrol began its life back in 2018, streaming on the DC Universe streaming service. It migrated to HBO Max during its second season, as parent company WarnerMedia owns DC films and TV.
For a moment, it appeared that the New Orleans Saints and Alvin Kamara could be on the verge of a breakup. Kamara wanted to get paid by the Saints, and an unexcused absence from camp at the end of August mixed with a report that the team was “open to trading” him made it seem like something could be on the horizon.
However, cooler heads ended up prevailing between the team and the player, and as a result, a report on Tuesday from ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicated that a deal to keep Kamara in The Big Easy was coming. Fast forward to Saturday afternoon and the deal was finished, one that will compensate the Pro Bowl back handsomely.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Kamara and the Saints agreed to a five-year extension that will give him $75 million and $15 million in guaranteed money. ESPN confirmed the particulars of this deal, which is tied for the second-highest average annual value for a running back behind only Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers.
Sources: The #Saints & star RB Alvin Kamara have reached an agreement on a huge 5-year contract extension worth $75M in new money. He gets $77.133M overall and a $15M signing bonus. Kamara cashes in. Agent Damarius Bilbo of Klutch Sports did the deal.
Kamara’s ability to do a little bit of everything for the Saints is a huge piece to their puzzle. Last season, the former University of Tennessee standout ran for 797 yards with five touchdowns and caught 81 balls for 533 yards and a score.
Legendary reggae singer and frontman of Toots And The Maytals, Frederick “Toots” Hibbert, passed away Friday evening at the age of 77. The news came from an announcement made by his family, revealing that he “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family” in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. He is survived by his wife of 39 years and seven of his eight children.
The cause of death has not yet been announced , but Hibbert’s passing comes after he was hospitalized for showing symptoms in line with the coronavirus. A rep later said Hibbert was fighting for his life after he was placed in a medically-induced coma.
Hibbert formed the first version of The Maytals in the early 1960s after moving to Kingston, Jamaica. Following the addition of Jackie Jackson, Hux Brown, Rad Bryan, and Paul Douglas, the group changed their name to Toots And The Maytals in 1972. They were instrumental in forming the rocksteady and ska sounds, and their 1968 song “Do the Reggay” inspired the name “reggae.” Some of their biggest and longest-lasting hits over their long career include “Bam Bam,” “Sweet and Dandy” and “54-46 That’s My Number.” The group released their most recent album, Got To Be Tough, at the end of August.
There was a time, not that long ago, when Twitter let president and Fox News addict Donald J. Trump say anything. He’s repeatedly broken the social media service’s rules, tweeting things that have gotten plenty of other people suspended, sometimes permanently. And while they’ll never go that far — at least as long as he’s the most powerful man in the world — Twitter brass have started flagging rule-breaking tweets, not deleting them entirely but hiding them underneath a warning. On Saturday they did it again.
The offending tweet: one that found Trump once again encouraging voter fraud. It’s a subject close to his heart, as the pandemic he’s failed to control has rendered in-person voting in the forthcoming national election dangerous. Trump has repeatedly and baselessly claimed mail-in voting can lead to fraud, all while repeatedly telling voters to vote twice: once by mail, and then go to their polling place and, if they suspect their vote has been counted, do it again. Along with rendering their mail-in vote pointless, it’s also a felony.
Trump again pushed this lie. “NORTH CAROLINA: To make sure your Ballot COUNTS, sign & send it in EARLY,” Trump wrote. “When Polls open, go to your Polling Place to see if it was COUNTED. IF NOT, VOTE! Your signed Ballot will not count because your vote has been posted. Don’t let them illegally take your vote away from you!” (Again, voting twice is a felony. Don’t do it.)
Not long after posting it, Twitter did their thing, hiding the content under a warning. “We placed a public interest notice on this Tweet for violating our Civic Integrity Policy, specifically for encouraging people to potentially vote twice,” Twitter wrote. “To protect people on Twitter, we err on the side of limiting the circulation of Tweets which advise people to take actions which could be illegal in the context of voting or result in the invalidation of their votes.”
Previously Twitter blocked a tweet by the president’s team’s account, @TeamTrump, which spread misinformation about COVID-19, claiming, falsely, that children are immune to the disease.
One of the NBA’s conference finals are set, while the other could possibly be all sorted out in the next few days. In the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat made quick work of the Milwaukee Bucks in five, while the Boston Celtics knocked off the Toronto Raptors after a thrilling seven-game series. Out West, the Los Angeles teams are in pole position, with the Lakers hoping to finish things off against the Houston Rockets during Saturday’s Game 5 and the Clippers will look to do the same against the Denver Nuggets during Game 6 on Sunday.
The fact that the Western Conference is still a bit fluid means we don’t know for sure what the conference finals will look like. That has the schedule for everything a bit up in the air, but we have a pretty good idea of how things can shake out. As such, following Friday’s slate of games, the league announced how things will work for the next round of games.
While both of the Los Angeles teams would certainly like to avoid their respective series going to a Game 7, we’re still a ways away from those. Should the Nuggets force one against the Clippers, that would occur on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The Rockets, meanwhile, would hope to take the Lakers to one on Wed., Sept. 16.
Despite being unable to tour due to the pandemic, Phoebe Bridgers hasn’t had many issues performing tracks off her new album Punisher. Since the album’s June release, she’s done a number of livestream performances. On Saturday she’s performed an early morning set on CBS This Morning. Standing in a dimly-lit room while rocking a skeleton costume, Phoebe played three songs from the album, including “Kyoto,” “Garden Song,” and “I Know the End.”
Bridgers’ CBS This Morning set comes soon after the singer did a NPR Tiny Desk performance in a replica of the White House’s Oval Office. In addition to performing “Kyoto” and “I Know The End,” Phoebe also played “Moon Song,” another track off Punisher. Prior to that, the singer gave fans an interesting “world tour,” where she performed in locations such as her kitchen and bathroom. The latter also served as the location of her recent performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
For more content from Phoebe Bridgers, fans can check out her recent cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” which she performed with singer-songwriter Arlo Parks.
Watch Phoebe Bridgers perform on CBS This Morning in the videos above.
Movie theaters may be partially reopen across much of the United States, but the situation is far from ideal. Those that go sit in a theater with reduced capacity, a quarter filled to hopefully prevent people from spreading the coronavirus that’s not going away any time soon. Plenty of big movies have been bumped to 2021; the Halloween sequel, for instance, was delayed a full year, as horror movies definitely play better in packed houses. So it was only inevitable that the Candyman reboot has taken a similar tack.
Produced and co-written by Jordan Peele, Candyman was originally supposed to be released over the summer. When the pandemic showed no signs of abating, Universal optimistically bumped it to October 16. But that ain’t happening either. There are still around 1,000 COVID-19 deaths a day in America, and even if that number miraculously plummets in the next month, packed theaters are still not a good idea. And so you’ll have to wait till next year to see it, though no date has yet been chosen.
The Candyman reboot comes from producer/co-writer Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta, whose film is apparently so good that she landed the gig directing the Captain Marvel sequel. DaCosta wrote about the decision to bump her film to 2021.
We wanted the horror and humanity of CANDYMAN to be experienced in a collective, a community, so we’re pushing Candyman to next year, to ensure that everyone can see the film, in theaters, and share in that experience.
“We made CANDYMAN to be seen in theaters. Not just for the spectacle but because the film is about community and stories–how they shape each other, how they shape us. It’s about the collective experience of trauma and joy, suffering and triumph, and the stories we tell around it,” she wrote. “We wanted the horror and humanity of CANDYMAN to be experienced in a collective, a community, so we’re pushing Candyman to next year, to ensure that everyone can see the film, in theaters, and share in that experience.”
Like 2018’s Halloween, Candyman is a direct sequel to the franchise’s original, ignoring all other films in the series. The creepy and topical teaser is a masterpiece in and of itself, so feel free to watch that endlessly until the movie gets released, whenever that will be.
We’re in the midst of a really weird time in a really year. The end of summer and beginning of fall is confusing for so many reasons (and in this particular year, it’s insane). We’re inundated with pumpkin spice-flavored products, there’s already Halloween candy on grocery stores shelves, kids are back in school (or Zooming from home), and yet, somehow, it’s still 80 degrees and sunny outside. The timing isn’t right for darker, malty wintry beers and we just spent the whole summer imbibing IPAs, pale ales, and wheat beers.
So what to drink during this in-between time? We vote for lagers, marzens, and Vienna lagers (with even a few sour beers on tap). We’re still looking for something lighter and more crushable but we’re burnt out on classic summer brews. To pick the perfect lineup of “shoulder season” beers, we decided to turn to the professionals for help. We asked some of our favorite bartenders to tell us the most crushable beers for the unofficial time between summer and fall.
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale from Lexington Brewing is a new favorite for the later seasons. The beer has a great body, smooth mouthfeel and robust flavor profile. Despite being higher ABV, it is still very drinkable — almost too drinkable.
Hoss by Great Divide. This expression is maltier than you would expect from the light amber color but, as Great Divide usually does, the hop character breaks through for a crisp, dry finish that has aromas of fresh cedar and rye spice.
Devils Backbone Vienna Lager. It’s a year-round favorite of mine. The Vienna lager style is super similar to the marzen style (which is an Oktoberfest regular).
Jacks Abby Copper Legend is a really fun one and the cans are a proper pint as well so that’s nice. It’s subtly sweet, highly drinkable, and perfect for fall.
Elysian Great Pumpkin Ale
Molly Safuto, bartender at Mila Rooftop Bar in Glendale, California
Elysian Great Pumpkin Ale, great flavor and perfect for fall. Elysian Brewing company never fails in flavor and taste. It is 8 percent ABV though so you can’t crush too many bottles.
8th Wonder Rocket Fuel
Emmanuelle Massicot, assistant general manager of Kata Robata in Houston
8th Wonder Brewery Rocket Fuel Vietnamese Coffee Porter. This beer is made year-round, but during the hot Texas months, a porter is not usually what I would drink. But once the temperature cools down, Rocket Fuel is perfect. The beer is infused with cold brew and milk and the resulting Vietnamese Coffee flavors are spot-on with the perfect amount of bitterness and sweetness. At 5% ABV, it’s crushable and delicious.
Barrier Brewing Icculus Kolsch
Crystal Chasse, beverage director at Talk Story Rooftop in Brooklyn, New York
Barrier Brewing has a fantastic Kolsch that features hints of guava and hibiscus. I find that it is perfect for an early fall evening, when you’re still holding onto summer, but also looking for a crispness that embodies the cooler season ahead. The guava and hibiscus are soft and really support the refreshing Kolsch base.
Mother’s Brewing Oktoberfest
Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis
Crushable? Easily it’s the Oktoberfest from Mother’s Brewing. Just a touch lighter than a traditional marzen, but still malty and crisp.
Peekskill Simple Sour
Max Stampa-Brown, beverage director at Borrachito in New York City
Peekskill Brewery’s Simple Sour, no contest. Drinking one of those is like jumping into a pile of freshly raked leaves. I think they must have just carbonated and fermented pink lady apples. It’s dry, slightly tart, and screams fall in New England.
I’m not sure that this is what the rest of the country might consider a fall beer, but in California, it’s hot as all heck all the way through November. I’ve been enjoying the Dogfish Head SeaQuench for its fresh citrus notes. I’m not a big hoppy guy, especially if I’m drinking a few of them, but the freshness and briny notes in the beer are just crave-able.
Idle Hands Brocktoberfest
Frederic Yarm, bartender in Somerville, Massachusetts
Idle Hands Brocktoberfest with its malty notes of fresh baked crusty bread and a touch of caramel sweetness is one of my favorites. Similarly, Revolution Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest with bready amber malts and hints of fruit akin to pear, and an herbal leafy bitter finish is true to style.
Surlyfest from Surly, it’s a great Rye lager in the marzen style. Surly continuously produces solid beers, which is handy with it being on my doorstep as an immigrant living in Minnesota.
Christopher Osburn has spent the past fifteen years in search of “the best” — or at least his very favorite — sips of whisk(e)y on earth. In the process, he’s enjoyed more whisk(e)y drams than his doctor would dare feel comfortable with, traveled to over 20 countries testing local spirits, and visited more than fifty distilleries.
If you only know one fact about bourbon, it’s probably that it’s corn-based. To be considered a bourbon, the mash bill must contain at least 51 percent corn. But the rest of the mash bill can be made up of other grains, including barley and rye. There are many bourbons with much higher than 51 percent corn, but there are also plenty that utilize a large portion of rye in the remainder of their mash bill. This adds a subtly spicy, peppery flavor to the caramel, vanilla, and sweet corn notes bourbon fans are used to.
We love high-rye bourbons because we believe the liberal use of the spicy grain gives the whiskey a more complex, well-rounded flavor profile. It adds some sharp edges to the whiskey’s famed smoothness. Instead of the usual corn sweetness associated with bourbon, high-rye versions are warmer and spicier — perfect as Bourbon Heritage Month leads into fall.
If you know anything about Indiana’s MGP, it’s that the distillery makes a lot of whiskey for other brands. But you might not know that it actually makes a few of its own products. This includes George Remus Bourbon. MGP’s flagship brand is made by blending high-rye bourbons. The result is well-rounded whiskey with hints of rye spice and corn sweetness.
Tasting Notes:
From the first whiff, you can tell that this bourbon has a good deal of peppery spice (although the brand doesn’t disclose the percentage of rye). That’s followed by sweet cream and toasted caramel. The first sip yields hints of charred oak, creamy vanilla, and dried orange peel. The finish is long, warming, and ends in a pleasing peppery, spicy flourish.
Bottom Line:
Fans of rye whiskey will love this subtly spicy bourbon. It deserves to be sipped slowly in a rocks glass with a single ice cube.
This award-winning bourbon gets its kick from 18% rye in its mash bill. A popular choice among bartenders and drinkers alike, it’s made up of hand-selected barrels and bottled at 100 proof. Even with that ABV, it remains smooth, rich, and highly sippable.
Tasting Notes:
A whiskey of this caliber deserves to be nosed before taking your initial sip. When you do, you’ll embrace aromas of brown sugar, rich vanilla, and toasted oak. The first sip brings forth hints of dried fruits, cinnamon, caramelized sugar, and butterscotch. The finish is medium in lengths, effortlessly warming with a final exclamation of charred oak and sweet cream.
Bottom Line:
This high proof bourbon is perfectly suited for slow sipping. But we love to mix it into an Old Fashioned and let it meld with other complementary flavors.
There’s a reason Old Grand-Dad has become a cult favorite bourbon. It’s cheap, it’s well-made, and it’s high proof. The latter is especially true with the 114 proof version. This expression is a mix of sweet and heat — with 27% rye in its mash bill. The “old grand-dad” on the bottle is none other than Basil Hayden. His grandson started the brand (now produced by Jim Beam) back in 1882.
Tasting Notes:
You probably won’t be surprised that when you nose this whiskey, you’re going to be punched in the nose with a slew of flavors right away. Aromas of spicy rye, cinnamon, and charred oak immediately fill your nostrils. The first sip yields a fairly strong, warming alcohol flavor with hints of spice, juicy corn, and vanilla sweetness. The finish is long, hot, and contains more vanilla and a final kick of peppery spice.
Bottom Line:
While we absolutely love this bourbon, it’s pretty high in the spice/ heat department. It’s most well-suited for mixing into mint juleps and whiskey sours.
1792 Bourbon has something for everyone. Its varieties include Sweet Wheat, Full Proof, Port Finish, Single Barrel, and High Rye. The latter is the offering we’re going to be talking about today. While the brand doesn’t release its grain percentages, it’s obvious this bourbon is full of rye. Aged for 8 years, this whiskey is only produced in limited quantities and is a much sought-after bottle.
Tasting Notes:
The first nosing yields a huge aroma of peppery spice before anything else. This is followed by brown sugar, toasted oak, and dried cherries. Surprisingly, while the nose is full of pepper, the first sip is mellow, delicate, and full of candied orange peel, sweet cream, and rich caramel. The finish is long, pleasing, and filled with sweet corn and just a subtle hint of pepper at the very end.
Bottom Line:
While this is listed as a high-rye bourbon, it’s light and sweet and perfect for sipping on the back porch on a cold, fall evening.
Redemption is known for its rye whiskey so it’s no surprise that its bourbon is really pushing the limits between the two styles of whiskey. While it fits the criteria since its made up of 60% corn, most of the rest of the recipe is rye (36%!).
The brand truly believes that rye makes everything better and this bottle proves that.
Tasting Notes:
This whiskey deserves to be nosed before tasting. You’ll be met with aromas of peppery rye, sweet corn, and burnt sugar. The first sip brings forth brown sugar, cinnamon, and toasted oak. The finish is long, warming, and filled with long-lasting peppery spice.
Bottom Line:
This very spicy bourbon is well-suited for rye whiskey drinkers and deserves to be sipped neat while you sit around a warming fire on a chilly fall eve.
Regardless of which Basil Hayden’s Bourbon you buy, you’re guaranteed to sip on a high-rye whiskey. The brand is known for its use of rye to make its bourbons more well-rounded and complex. This 10-year-old offering is made up of 63% corn, 27% rye, and 10% malted barley.
Tasting Notes:
From the first nosing, you know you’re in for something special with this bourbon. First, you’re met with scents of cinnamon, charred oak, and subtle white pepper. The first sip brings up sweet cream, brown sugar, and sticky toffee pudding, which ends with just a pinch of cooking spice. The finish is medium, subtly warming, and a perfect combination of sweet and spicy.
Bottom Line:
This well-aged bourbon is perfectly balanced and should be treated as thus. Simply pour it over a few ice cubes and sip it slowly while you binge-watch your favorite streaming show or listen to your favorite album.
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