Category: Worldwide

Believe it or not, 2020 is already halfway over. The year has been more than eventful, to say the least, and much of it has been spent indoors in quarantine. But thankfully, pop musicians served up some great releases to provide solace from the state of the world. Dua Lipa looked to the past with her ’80s-inspired sophomore record, The Weeknd issued a brooding, vibe-heavy contender, and Charli XCX did something unprecedented with her latest release.

With all the new music that’s debuted this year, it’s hard not to let some slip through the cracks. That’s where Uproxx comes in. We’ve rounded up some of the best pop albums 2020 has seen thus far, check it out.

For more of our mid-year coverage, check out our Best Albums and Songs Of 2020 So Far.

20. Niia — II: La Bella Vita

Esteemed producer Robin Hannibal doesn’t work with just anybody, so the fact that he’s all over Niia’s second full-length album, II: La Bella Vita, should be a tip-off — this independent LA-based songwriter is the real deal. Tapping into her love for jazz and Mariah Carey, La Bella Vita expertly showcases Niia’s incredible voice and emotional storytelling.–Caitlin White

19. Camila Cabello — Romance

Camila Cabello’s second studio album, Romance, dropped late enough in 2019 that it’s getting counted in 2020 — right along with Harry Styles’ equally tardy Fine Line. Cabello’s collaboration with rising rapper DaBaby on “My Oh My” and her steamy duet with current boyfriend Shawn Mendes, “Senorita,” are the standouts on this sophomore effort.–C.W.

18. JoJo — Good To Know

JoJo came back like she never left and impresses with her Warner Records debut Good To Know. Though she was held captive by Blackground Records for years, JoJo proves why talent overrules all with each track that lives on the project. The nine-song release is a modern, intimate take on love with sensual tracks such as “So Bad” and “Lonely Hearts” rising to the next level. Further proving JoJo hasn’t missed a step since her long hiatus, her song “Comeback” featuring Tory Lanez is one of the most popular songs on TikTok. Good To Know is JoJo’s reintroduction to the world and she didn’t waste time making the most of it.–Cherise Johnson

17. Lady Gaga — Chromatica

There’s not much ground left to cover for Lady Gaga. She’s headlined the Super Bowl. She’s starred in a record-breaking movie. She’s scored No. 1 songs, sold-out world tours, and won an Oscar to go along with all those Grammys. So when Chromatica hit, fans weren’t totally sure where she would go. The answer, we should’ve known, is straight back to the dance floor. On one of her most cohesive and catchy records to date, Gaga feeds her core fanbase with banger after banger — and early single “Rain On Me” even hit No. 1, giving her yet another accolade to add to her ever-growing list.–C.W.

16. Boniface — Boniface

Boniface might be a relatively unknown band from Winnipeg, Canada, but that doesn’t stop their emotional, glittering debut from being one of the best pop albums of 2020. Not since the early days of Arcade Fire have sweeping, personal anthems about love, loss, and the space between the two felt so epic and important. The band’s frontperson, Micah Visser, is an unmissable presence live — definitely check them out the next time that tours and concerts are safe destinations for music fans.–C.W.

15. BTS — Map Of The Soul: 7

BTS’ fans (the “BTS Army,” if you will) have proven themselves more than deserving of world-class pop, and justly, that’s what BTS has provided and continues to offer on their latest. Map Of The Soul: 7 is a reflective album lyrically, and an adventurous one instrumentally, as the group brings disparate influences under their glossy pop umbrella.–Derrick Rossignol

14. Banoffee — Look At Us Now Dad

Excellent Banoffee singles have been floating around the indie-pop world for years now, and her early EPs built something of a cult following for the Australian songwriter. Well, 2020 was the year these diehards were finally rewarded. Look At Us Now Dad explores family trauma, fake friends, and the power of the people who love us unconditionally through a lens of glitchy, forward-thinking pop. Collaborators like Empress Of, Sophie, and CupcakKe round out one of the most compelling records in pop’s sometimes same-y genre.–C.W.

13. Lauv — How I’m Feeling

With his debut studio album How I’m Feeling, Lauv identifies the existential dread collectively felt by his peers and translates it into digestible yet pragmatic pop. Throughout the record, Lauv expertly critiques the dejection and anxieties of a generation that grew up online and reminds listeners that they aren’t alone. The record is also a showcase of up-and-coming singers that Lauv hand-picked to feature on a cluster of songs.–Carolyn Droke

12. Jessie Reyez — Before Love Came To Kill Us

Treading in the murky waters between chilly, Northern R&B and sultry nighttime pop, Before Love is highlighted by Reyez’ wicked sense of humor and lyrical sleight-of-hand. She casually references Casino, holds her own alongside seniors such as 6lack and Eminem, and shows both her vulnerability and strength through the back-half ballads that give her distinctive voice free reign to cut loose and prove that she’s got a different kind of range.–Aaron Williams

11. Halsey — Manic

A longtime advocate for mental health awareness, Halsey channels her experiences with toxic behavior in relationships on Manic. The record chronicles a wide range of emotions through lyrics, with Halsey at times revengeful while simultaneously finding empowerment through honesty. The record also sees a number of unexpected collaborators, with Halsey leaving space for musicians like BTS’ Suga and Alanis Morissette to work through their own rage.–C.D.

10. Kehlani — It Was Good Until It Wasn’t

Plagued by a few album delays, Kehlani returned with her latest set of love stories on her sophomore album, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t. Across the record’s 15 songs, she showcased her maturity and self-awareness, while defending the heart she wore so boldly on her sleeve. With help from Masego, Lucky Daye, Jhene Aiko, and more, her sophomore effort stands as her strongest release to date.–W.O.

9. Empress Of — I’m Your Empress Of

Lorely Rodriguez told Uproxx the title of her latest is “an arrival point where I have this confidence on this record.” Indeed, I’m Your Empress Of is an undeniably self-assured effort, as Rodriguez expresses herself through varying means on songs as different as “Love Is A Drug” and “Give Me Another Chance.”–D.R.

8. Conan Gray — Kid Krow

After a tumultuous childhood, Conan Gray learned at an early age to channel his thoughts and feelings into art. His self-expression quickly led Gray to amass a devoted YouTube following, and when he eventually transitioned to songwriting and music videos, the writing was already on the wall — this kid is a star. Officially releasing his full-length debut, Kid Krow this spring, Gray has already had massive streaming hits many times over singing about the perils and pleasures of young love, the strength of friendship, and how the internet has forever changed the lives of Generation Z.–C.W.

7. Rina Sawayama — Sawayama

Another pop newcomer who is staking her claim in a big way, Rina Sawayama released her de facto self-titled debut, Sawayama in April, and if you’re a pop fan that hasn’t heard it yet, add it to your must-hear list immediately. Fearlessly combining elements of punk and glam rock with dance-floor beats and ‘90s pop, there’s something for everyone in the Japanese-British pop star’s eclectic sound. The cherry on top is her unstoppable smash, “Commes Des Garcon (Like The Boys),” which remains an early contender for my personal song of the year.–C.W.

6. Chloe X Halle — Ungodly Hour

The Bailey sisters have resided in the spotlight for the better part of the last couple years. Chloe x Halle played adolescent sisters on the hit TV show, Grown-ish, while blossoming as a promising R&B act. Two years removed from their Grammy-nominated debut album The Kids Are Alright, Chloe and Halle returned with the sophomore effort Ungodly Hour. The album’s thirteen songs not only showed the Baileys improved musically but it also proved that they were growing up, losing a bit of innocence and embracing their imperfections in the process.–W.O.

5. Selena Gomez — Rare

After finally getting free from the on-again/off-again relationship status with Justin Bieber that never ends, Selena Gomez made the kind of breakup album that is, well, rare. On her third solo album as an adult pop star, Gomez urges her exes (and her past self) to “Look At Her Now,” finds a way to “Dance Again,” and most of all, celebrates her newfound sense of self on her first No.1 hit, “Lose You To Love Me.” Bieber is married to someone else, and settled down, but Selena is just figuring out how to make the dance floor her own.–C.W.

4. Charli XCX — How I’m Feeling Now

Charli XCX broke the mold with How I’m Feeling Now. Written and recorded from quarantine using social media as her crowdsourcing tool for collaboration, the record boasts playful hooks, futuristic distortion, and all the emotions that arrive with experiencing a global pandemic alongside a longtime partner. Charli expertly melts together industrial grime, fluttering tones, and lively production that further cements her niche corner of pop with boundary-pushing music lovers.–C.D.

3. Harry Styles — Fine Line

Harry Styles is redefining what it means to be a rockstar with his sophomore album Fine Line. Styles previously admitted the album’s theme is “all about having sex and feeling sad.” But rather than being explicit, those themes are artfully woven throughout the record. Styles sheds the apathetic attitude so often attributed to rock stars and ushers in an era of emotional masculine maturity through soul-searching tracks like “Falling,” while still managing to hit cinematic high notes with “Adore You.”–C.D.

2. The Weeknd — After Hours

The Weeknd took pop in a bold new direction on his latest album… or rather, a bold, vintage direction. After Hours owes a lot to the synthwave music that came before it, but The Weeknd is too big a talent to simply turn in a genre-driven tribute: The style is a vessel for the superb songwriting and performance chops that have made him one of the biggest stars of recent years.–D.R.

1. Dua Lipa — Future Nostalgia

Future Nostalgia came out in March, which was really only a few short months ago, but given everything that’s happened since, it feels like this album came out years ago. The record’s earliest single, “Don’t Start Now,” did come out in 2019, so it’s not just quarantine that makes it seem like Dua’s next phase has been in the works for a while. But even if there’s a sense that Lipa’s pop sensibilities precluded our current darkest timeline, her timeless disco flair just keeps getting better with time.–C.W.

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

“I had a murder habit and it was bad…” – Michelle McNamara

I’ll Be Gone In The Dark, the six-part HBO docuseries that revolves around Michelle McNamara’s 2018 true-crime masterpiece, isn’t a standard true-crime series. It’s much more than that, just like McNamara’s work transcended the rest of her nonfiction literary genre. It must also be noted that the Liz Garbus-directed series is more than a straight-up adaptation of the book itself. Yes, the project digs deep into McNamara’s writings, but it’s also a “portrait of an artist” — one who pursued justice for dozens of survivors and victims’ families, decades after law enforcement let the case go cold. It’s about those survivors, and it’s about the citizen investigators, including Michelle. She was a wife, a mother, a friend, a blogger, and, yes, an obsessive, who was instrumental in solving this case, but not before it consumed her as well.

The obsession factor tears through the book and the series on several levels. Take McNamara’s meticulous piecing together of maps and clues and methods, the places and times where she wrote, her wildly popular website, and her 2013 article in Los Angeles Magazine that traced his footsteps — all of it points toward her dedication. She was obsessed with catching a madman, who was obsessed with his victims’ lives, watching their patterns and casing their existence before invading their homes, where he committed 50 rapes and 12 murders in the state of California throughout the 1970s and ’80s. Well, Michelle cased his psyche and tore apart his methods, and following her 2016 death (due to an accidental overdose of prescription medication, which was tied to the nightmares fueled by this case), her determination is unquestionably what inspired one detective to push harder with new DNA innovations to pin down a suspect.

Joseph James DeAngelo is expected to plead guilty, the day after this series debuts.

This documentary series isn’t really about DeAngelo, though, in the sense that he’s not given the spotlight once he’s apprehended. The way that this happens — this refusal to humanize him, to even speak his name more than necessary — is glorious and a fine flourish in an often devastating series. In this way, Liz Garbus honors Michelle’s quest to ensure that a victory in this case is about illuminating the stories of survivors and victims’ families. It’s about giving life back after decades of living with the ongoing terror that the Golden State Killer (once known as the East Area Rapist) wrought. More importantly, it’s about stripping away the final shreds of power held by a predator.

I’ll Be Gone In the Dark should be undertaken with a trigger warning. It’s not light viewing by any stretch, although it is ultimately affirming and a celebration of McNamara’s prowess. By the very nature of the story, the series is dramatic and suspenseful, but in no way does this series sensationalize the violent crimes that sparked McNamara’s search for justice. She deftly wrote about terrifying subject matter in an empathetic and non-sensationalized way. Never in her mind did she forget that the victims weren’t mere numbers. Instead, she was interested in people, and Michelle was unfailingly human as well. If you haven’t read the book, Amy Ryan’s reading of passages within the series will get you up to speed, soon after opening titles roll under an Aimee Mann cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Avalanche.” Like the lyrics of that song, Michelle wished to conquer pain: by throttling it and ripping away what it took away for all those years.

That’s exactly how Garbus directs this enormous undertaking of a TV series. She pieces together excerpts of Michelle’s 2018 book — which was completed by investigative journalist Billy Jensen and crime writer Paul Haynes with a greenlight from her husband, Patton Oswalt, who penned the afterword — with interviews from survivors (who react to the arrest), investigators, and Oswalt. Ultimately, this is an expansive docuseries that more than adequately does service to the epic source material.

Beyond that, even, the series contextualizes the shelving of the case for far too long. The “hows” and “whys” there are important, and if not for the dogged determination of Michelle, and her fellow amateur sleuths (and the message board for A&E’s Cold Case where many of them originally congregated), the Golden State Killer may have gone to his grave with his secret. Instead, he will soon be reduced to an afterthought within HBO’s I’ll Be Gone In The Dark series, the very title of which (like Michelle’s book) takes his words — once voiced to a victim after an hours-long sexual assault — and claims them in the name of justice. This is no paint-by-numbers true-crime docuseries. There’s no straightforward telling of events here, no singular “aha!” moment to be found. Instead, this is a six-hour journey that illuminates the power of survival and pays proper tribute to the unmatched legacy of writer Michelle McNamara.

HBO’s ‘I’ll Be Gone In The Dark’ premieres on Sunday, June 28 at 10:00pm EST.

For months, Tenet was being held up as the movie that will welcome America back to movie theaters. It even held firm to its July 17 release only up until recently, as almost the entirety of what was once the 2020 summer movie season relocated to later in the year. But now its been rescheduled once more: As per The Hollywood Reporter, has been bumped to mid-August.

The announcement was made Thursday evening, with Warner Bros. giving the movie its second bump. Previously the latest from Christopher Nolan — starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Elizabeth Dembicki, plus what looks like some backwards time madness — was rescheduled two weeks, landing on the July 31 spot. Now, right after one of the largest days of reported new cases since the virus hit the U.S., it’s been moved two more weeks, to August 12.

And what of Mulan? Disney’s live-action remake of their 1998 animated favorite is still technically scheduled for July 24. However, according to THR, the company is expected to make a similar announcement, especially as they recently revealed Disneyland would be delaying its reopening, with no new date announced.

Meanwhile the nation’s movie theaters are, as of this writing, still scheduled to mostly reopen mid-July. Stress “as of this writing.”

(Via THR)

I first watched Will Ferrell’s latest, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga, while having drinks and cooking dinner for friends, which is probably the best way to experience it. Comedy, at least in movie form, so often feels hard these days, like an extended breathless attempt to squeeze the most jokes possible into the twistiest plot. Eurovision, from Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin (whose post-Wedding Crashers output has included a lot of god-awful trash) feels more like a lark, a series of riffs on a theme. It breathes, and thank God. Comedy was never supposed to feel like work. Eurovision feels like a vacation.

It’s an achievement to make a movie about the Eurovision Song Contest funny, because the Eurovision Song Contest is already funny — hilarious and absurd and extremely European. Many have failed at making comedy from already-funny things, the same way everyone trying to make a fictionalized Tiger King surely will. Eurovision Song Contest gives us all the bad pop songs and wild outfits and wigs we expect, but executes with the perfect mix of critique and reverence, all without neglecting the subtler jokes. With so much footage shot in Iceland and Scotland, it also works surprisingly well as eye candy.

Will Ferrell plays Lars Erickssong, a fluffy-haired Icelandic boy whose origin story begins with seeing Abba perform “Waterloo” on television as a child (even his name, “Erickssong,” is a subtle-ish pun on Icelandic patronymics, with “song” instead of “son” at the end). He dedicates his life to winning the contest, “so that no one can ever laugh at me again,” essentially missing the entire point of the contest. He’s quickly joined in this quest by childhood friend Sigrit Ericksdottir (the ever adorable Rachel McAdams). People keep confusing the two for siblings, to which they have to constantly reassure people that they’re “probably not.” Which is a joke on both Iceland’s relatively small population living on an island for generations, and another joke on patronymics (based on their names, both their fathers are named Erick).

None of these jokes are especially revolutionary, but they’re funny enough, and more importantly, Eurovision doesn’t subscribe to the recent school of thought where the height of comedy is constant bickering. It feels like Will Ferrell and his co-writer Andrew Steele watched a few Eurovisions and went to Iceland and simply allowed themselves to be inspired by the people and setting. Oh, and funny accents. Funny accents still play.

The strength of Eurovision is that it’s well-written enough that it might work even if it was neither a Will Ferrell vehicle nor a comedy, which isn’t normally true of Ferrell vehicles. He’s such a skilled improviser that the temptation has always been to just sort of give him a situation and stand around while he acts it out. Eurovision is Zoolander-esque in the way that it’s more about the subject than the individual actors, bouncing Ferrell off a series of memorable oddballs (including a few extremely Icelandic ones) to great effect.

When the other Icelandic aspirants to the big Eurovision contest are eliminated in an accident, Lars and Sigrit are the only ones left standing. Meanwhile, the head of Iceland’s central bank is worried that an Iceland victory could bankrupt the country (which is only just coming out of a decade-old recession). All the while, there’s a romantic subplot in which Sigrit has fallen in love with Lars but Lars is too dumb to notice. Which is complicated further when Lars encounters a love rival, in Alexander Lemtov, an absurdly baritoned Russian (presumably based on the Trolololo guy) played by Dan Stevens, who is so deliciously over the top that he practically steals the entire movie. Seriously, hire this guy for more comedies.

As opposed to, say, Judd Apatow, who seems to cast funny folks and then give them leeway to do their funniest line reads and ad-libs on a basic premise, Dobkin cast skilled dramatic actors, like Stevens (Downton Abbey, The Guest) and Pierce Brosnan (who plays Lars’ father), and has them fully commit to a silly script. Both methods can and have worked, but here Dobkins’ method feels refreshing, freeing the actors from the air of desperation that comes with improv (is this funny??) and giving it succinctness.

And then, of course, there are the songs. From Lemtov’s “Lion Of Love” (with extremely homoerotic back-up dancing) to Sigrit’s climactic power ballad, pretty much every song is at least a toe-tapper, and usually an earworm. The way Eurovision combines broken English parodies with earnest ballads and a gloriously silly pop hit medley in the middle, it’s sort of like Popstar, a jukebox musical, and a Pixar movie all rolled into one. With a handful of legitimate hit songwriters writing goofy Euro-pop parodies and on-location shooting in Iceland, it’s a movie that goes to great lengths and great expense to create a movie experience that feels easy.

‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga’ is available June 26th on Netflix. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

Last month marked two years since Kyle shared his debut album Light Of Mine. The release arrived after years of mixtapes, released under an array of monickers, the first one dating back to 2009. Fast-forward well over a decade and the California-bred artist is putting the finishing touches on his sophomore album, See You When I’m Famous. And after a few singles and a few delays, Kyle has revealed its release date.

The musician took to Instagram, posting a picture of the album’s artwork, which boasts a yearbook picture from his high school days edited to include a pair of iced-out Gamecube chains, as well as a pair from his high school graduation. Alongside it he revealed that See You When I’m Famous would arrive July 17, leaving about three weeks until the fans will be able to listen to his latest opus.

It was just last month that Kyle revealed that he originally planned to delay the album until the coronavirus pandemic ended, as he intended for it to be “enjoyed outside in the sun in the company of friends.” However, after rethinking his decision, he realized his goal for fans should have been to “make you happy when times are tough.” Soon after, he released his “What It Is” single, which was followed by the Hit-Boy-produced “Bouncin.”

Check out the cover for See You When I’m Famous above.

See You When I’m Famous is out 07/17 via Atlantic.

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

Several NBA players, ranging from Davis Bertans to Avery Bradley and Willie Cauley-Stein, will not be heading to the Orlando bubble, even as key members of teams vying for postseason glory. While some player absences were expected, the discussion continues on whether the league should press on in its plans and, with that in mind, a (very) prominent member of the NBA community voiced his skeptical opinion this week.

In a podcast interview with DawgTalk101 (h/t Ben Golliver), superstar forward Kevin Durant said he “probably” would not have made the trip to Orlando along with the Brooklyn Nets, even if he was at 100 percent health after his Achilles surgery.

“I feel, me right now, I probably wouldn’t have played because the unknown going into that situation looks crazy right now, seeing so many new cases,” Durant said. “It’s just so unpredictable. It’s easy for me to say right now because I’m injured, but I probably wouldn’t have went down there.”

Durant tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-March, giving him firsthand experience that many players do not have at this juncture. From there, Durant did support players if they choose to play in Orlando.

“If the guys feel safe enough to go play, that’s cool, I’m with them,” said Durant. “If they don’t feel like they should go down there and play or don’t feel safe, I’m with them too. I’m all about what the group wants. If it’s good for the betterment of the whole group, then I’m cool with it.”

Later, Durant said he “probably would have chilled,” also citing the three-month layoff in between the last NBA games and the projected arrival in Orlando. In an overall sense, it is far from surprising that any player would say they did not want to make the trip. Still, Durant is one of the more high-profile players in the league and, while the Nets probably wouldn’t make a run to the title even if he was playing, it is more than noteworthy that a player of Durant’s caliber would express this sentiment on the record.

While his 2018 hit “Ye” propelled him into the mainstream, Burna Boy’s 2019 album African Giant proved that his time in the spotlight would not be temporary. The album was received positively by both fans and critics and it also awarded him his first Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album. But after two legs of the African Giant Tour, Burna made it clear that he was trying to double his efforts by calling his next album Twice As Tall. With the release set to arrive this summer, Burna returns with his latest single, “Wonderful.”

Soaked in joy and pure happiness, “Wonderful” is preceded by a powerful a capella that sets the tone for the rest of the song. As the production builds up, Burna enters to shout praises to the sky, singing that he’s thankful for the blessings he’s received in life. The single also details his personal journey and growth, all while he commends himself for the amount of pride, perseverance, and hustle he exhibited on his way to success.

“It’s important for me to show that music is a uniting force that transcends state lines, barriers, and borders. This song is about the ‘wonders’ of seeing the impact of my music on people’s lives as they shared their joy, pain, and pleasure with me while I toured the world,” Burna Boy said in a press release for the song. “It serves as a note that no matter how far you go, or how hard you work; you must be ready to come home, the pandemic forced us all to take refuge in our homes. Above all, Africa is home, it is the motherland to all people. For us to truly matter, Africa has to matter.”

You can listen to “Wonderful” in the video above.

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

Technically, summer is rolling, with weather from coast to coast feeling like it’s mid-July. We’ve already announced our cocktail of the season — the beer spritz — and you won’t be shocked to learn that light, easy, and refreshing won the day. That’s the warm weather drink trifecta, right there.

Truth be told, quarantine has us leaning way into the “easy” part of that equation. That’s why we’re nominating 2020 as the “Summer of Two-Ingredient Cocktails.” To call out a few favorites under that banner, we enlisted the help of some of our favorite bartenders. Check out their favorite thirst-quenching two-ingredient drinks using gin, whiskey, rum, and tequila.

The Ranch Water

Megan Radke, bartender at Canon in Seattle

My favorite 2-ingredient cocktail is “The Ranch Water”. It’s is just El Tesoro Blanco and Topo Chico Soda Water and has been my go to lately. I’m an agave girl and adding some bubbles is the perfect way to have something tasty that lasts awhile.

7 & 7

Hay Culham, beverage manager at Bonsai at Hilton Pensacola Beach in Pensacola, Florida

I have a handful of two-ingredient cocktails that are my go-tos. It depends on my mood and the environment I’m in. If I had to choose just one, it would have to be a 7 & 7. Simple, refreshing, and easy.

Scotch and Coconut Water

Anna Mains, brand ambassador at Monkey Shoulder

Scotch (I suggest Monkey Shoulder) and coconut water. Tropical flavors and scotch play really well together. I fell in love with this simple cocktail in Puerto Rico, it’s a staple there. It’s perfectly light, refreshing, and dangerously delicious.

Whiskey Sour

Sebastian Derbomez, brand advocacy manager at William Grant & Sons

Lemon and sugar! They are the two ingredients necessary to make a refreshing sour, you are then free to select your favorite spirit and alternate as you wish. Just add whiskey and you have yourself a simple whiskey sour (even though that technically make it ingredients).

Gin & Tonic

Vance Henderson, brand ambassador at Hendrick’s Gin

I have many two-ingredient favorites, but my hat currently rests next to a take on the gin & tonic called the “Whimsical Tonic” which uses 1 ½ parts Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice and three parts elderflower tonic. Add in a cucumber slice and some petite edible flowers and we’re set for sipping time.

Martini

Jessie Smyth, bar director at Genever in Los Angeles

It would have to be some kind of martini using Gray Whale gin. Depending on the time of day, I’ll go from a reverse martini (two parts vermouth : one part gin) to a 50/50 (equal parts gin and vermouth) to a more classic ratio of 2 gin : 1 vermouth. I love the different flavors that get highlighted in both the gin and the vermouth as you tweak something so simple as the proportion of each. It’s really a fun experiment. Swapping out the dry vermouth for a blanc vermouth, or Lillet, or Salers, or maybe even sherry changes things too. There are endless flavor combinations that can amplify the nutty almond notes, the salty komb, or the fresh mint in a gin like Gray Whale.

Bourbon Lemonade

Samara Rivers, founder of the Black Bourbon Society

I love a highball (whiskey and soda) and a Bourbon Lemonade. It’s so easy and simply refreshing with a lot of ice. There are few things more refreshing than the combination of bourbon and lemonade on a hot, summer day.

Simple Paloma

Piero Procida, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles

A Simple Paloma. You can leave out the Lime Juice and Simple Syrup and just do equal parts of tequila and grapefruit flavored soda like Jarritos or a Fresca and served on the rocks.

Whiskey Highball

Lenny Eckstein, co-founder and head distiller of Deerhammer Distillery in Buena Vista, Colorado

The highball is where it’s at for me. Soda water and whiskey (I’ll typically use my own Deerhammer American Single Malt) and a garnish of expressed Lemon peel and mixed into a tall ice-filled glass. This is my steady sub out for a beer in every situation, and I’ve actually become quite fond of garnishing or steeping with some fresh-picked whole leaf hops when they are in season.

Tequila & Soda

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

Tequila & soda. Agave spirits are already great but, drawing out the flavor in a tall drink can really help certain components stand out. A squeeze of lime or grapefruit can pull everything together into a subtly acidic trifecta.

Dark ‘N’ Stormy

Gravy Thomas, global advocacy and ambassador community manager at William Grant & Sons

Even with just two ingredients, the “Dark ‘N’ Stormy” has always been a favorite of mine. It’s so simple but it does the trick. There’s something that the ginger beer does to rum that makes your taste buds go wild.

A common criticism and talking point of those who favor our current American healthcare system over the type of single-payer system that countries like Canada have, is that while Canadians may spend less on healthcare out of pocket when compared to Americans, they’re often subjected to wait times so long that it leads them to seek care in the United States. This has always been a misleading argument. According to the AARP, while Canadians do experience longer wait times, that doesn’t mean they aren’t getting the care that they need. One of the ways Canada has managed to keep healthcare costs at bay is by limiting supply for elective surgeries, a system that could be overhauled if Canadian citizens wanted to pay. They don’t, and those who do get their elective surgeries done in America.

Beyond that, the differences between the current American healthcare system and single-payer are, generally speaking, nuanced and complex. And it turns out that the health insurance companies are well aware of that fact, even if they act like it’s all totally simple and straightforward. At least according to Wendell Potter, former Vice President of corporate communications for the health insurance company Cigna, who came clean in a Twitter thread about the type of health insurance propaganda he used to push at Cigna, and how it was designed to mislead the American public, and how that deception has come to affect the country’s failed response to the coronavirus.

“Amid America’s #COVID19 disaster, I must come clean about a lie I spread as a health insurance exec,” begins Potter, “Here’s the truth: Our industry PR & lobbying group, AHIP, supplied my colleagues & me with cherry-picked data and anecdotes to make people think Canadians wait endlessly for their care. It’s a lie & I”ll always regret the disservice I did to folks on both sides of the border. In Canada, no one gets turned away from doctors due to lack of funds, In America, exorbitant bills are a defining feature of the system.”

Potter also takes some time in his thread to dispel the popular talking point that the American health care system has better quality of care, writing:

“When it comes to #COVID19, there’s been ~ 21 deaths per 100,000 in Canada, versus 34 per 100,000 in the U.S. Remember, In Canada there are no co-pays, deductibles or co-insurance ever. Care is free at the point of service… you learn a lot about a healthcare system when a global crisis hits & different nations have different results. Canada’s single-payer system is saving lives. The U.S. profit-driven corporate model is failing.”

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins, while the U.S. has almost 2.5 million cases of COVID-19 across the country, Canada has just 104,087 cases. Visual representations of Canada’s efforts to flatten their COVID-19 curve show us that by all accounts, the American response to the coronavirus has been a significant failure. It should also be noted that Canada’s total population 37.59 is only a fraction of that of the U.S. which has a total population of 328.2 million (California alone has a population of 39.51 million), so even in a best-case COVID-19 scenario, the U.S. would still likely have a higher case count than Canada.

Obviously, a Twitter thread about how big medicine acts in the interests of profits isn’t going to dissect the issue in every which way, but Potter’s overarching point stands: COVID-19 has shown that our health care system — like much of America — is due for a massive refresh.

The NBA 2K League is rolling along with its season with players playing remote, which brings some unique challenges. While gaming offers a rather easy transition to remote play, there’s a big difference playing online from separate locations rather than being in the same room with your team.

Communication can be tricky, but there’s also the risk of connection issues. Last Tuesday, a game between Nets GC and Pistons GT was interrupted with 4:13 seconds to play in what was heading for a blowout win for the Pistons. An investigation by the 2K League determined that Nets small forward Marquis “Randomz” Gill was the reason for the interruption as he quit the game purposefully while it was still going on. Gill has been suspended for next Monday for the Nets’ series with Cavs Legion GC as a result.

Rage-quitting happens all the time in online gaming, and trailing 71-39 late in a game certainly is the kind of situation you might expect to see someone quit. However, that’s when playing 2K online with some random person, not playing in the official NBA 2K League, and as such it’s unsurprising the league wouldn’t take kindly to that happening.

It’s the kind of thing that can only happen in this remote setting and the league suspending Gill for a night of games is clearly ensuring the rest of the league is aware of the punishment that can come their way if they did the same thing.