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The Simpsons characters aren’t supposed to die. They’re supposed to live forever in background gags and flashback episodes. Moleman will get the last laugh and outlast us all. There have been a few permanent deaths in Springfield, however, including Fat Tony (good thing he has a look-alike cousin named Fit Tony), Maude Flanders (regrettably), and now, Larry Dalrymple.

“Who,” even the most hardcore Simpsons fan might be wondering?

Larry the barfly, as he’s better known, has been on the show since the first episode, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” almost exclusively in scenes set at Moe’s Tavern. He’s the drunk who isn’t Sam. Sadly, Larry met his maker in season 35’s “Cremains of the Day.” He died doing what he loved: drinking beer at Moe’s. “I don’t like the sound of that squish,” Carl says after Moe pokes Larry’s corpse with a mop. He’s later described as a “sad, balding drunk who hung out at Moe’s.” RIP. Pour out a 40 of Duff Dry in his honor.

The Simpsons executive producer Tim Long told TMZ that “he’s sorry to those fans upset about the death, and the sad episode in general… but, he says he likes that fans seemed to take it as hard as Homer and the gang did during the episode — because it speaks to how beloved the show still is.”

Larry joins Bleeding Gums Murphy and Dr. Marvin Monroe in the Dead Characters Who Were Never Popular Hall of Fame.

(Via TMZ)

People, generally speaking, like Taylor Swift; The fact that her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, just became the first project to accumulate 1 billion Spotify streams in a single week is evidence of that. Pair that with the fact that her Swiftie fan base is a passionate crew and it’s not often that you see people dissing Swift. With that in mind (and also accounting for the fact that he just likes her), Machine Gun Kelly absolutely refused to go after Swift.

This happened on yesterday’s (April 24) episode of Hot Ones Versus, a spin-off of the popular Hot Ones series in which two celebrity guests play a version of truth or dare, in which they have to eat a spicy wing to avoid responding to a potentially difficult question or prompt. MGK was paired up with Trippie Redd, and Redd asked MGK to say three bad things about Swift.

Kelly deadpanned to the camera and declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, you have got to be out of your motherf*cking mind if you think I want any smoke with that fan base. Also, Taylor is a saint and very nice to me, and Travis is my bro.”

Redd jokingly responded, “Kiss her feet while you’re at it,” and MGK replied, “Jesus Christ… I just… bro, she’s very nice! She’s very, very nice.”

Watch the Hot Ones Versus episode above.

Game 1 of the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans served as Oklahoma City’s return to postseason basketball. On Wednesday night, the Thunder used Game 2 of their first round series to do something else: Emphatically announce to any doubters that they have arrived, and while they’re young, they’re ready to compete for a championship right now.

Oklahoma City ran New Orleans out of the gym in Game 2. Thanks to the latest MVP-caliber effort by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a monster night from Chet Holmgren, the Thunder dominated on both ends of the floor en route to a 124-92 win.

Early on in the game, Oklahoma City made clear that they were not going to mess around. While the opening minutes were tight, the Thunder ended the first on a 17-6 run to take a 13-point lead. Most of the rest of the game was spent with New Orleans trailing by double-figures, as Oklahoma City mixed being scorching hot from the field with a level of defensive intensity that they’ve showed off throughout their ascendant 2023-24 campaign.

Gilgeous-Alexander was his usual brilliant self, as he had a career postseason high 33 points on an efficient 13-for-19 from the field with five assists, three rebounds, and two steals in 35 minutes. He was deputized in a big way by Holmgren, who had 26 points and seven boards while serving as a deterrent at the rim whenever the Pelicans wanted to attack.

No member of Oklahoma City’s starting five scored fewer than 13 points, and as a team, the Thunder shot 46-for-78 (59 percent) from the field and 14-for-29 (48.3 percent) from behind the three-point line. And after the game, a number of players came together as Gilgeous-Alexander gave a postgame interview to Allie LaForce of TNT, with Holmgren grabbing the mic and making clear that the league MVP resides in Oklahoma City.

As for the Pelicans, it was generally a night to forget. Jonas Valanciunas led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones both went for 18 points. The team only connected on seven of its 26 attempts from three.

Game 3 between these two teams will take place on Saturday afternoon in New Orleans, which will mark the first time that the series will move to the Smoothie King Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 3:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

Lil Nas X seems to be inching closer to the release of Nasarati 2, his follow-up to 2018’s Nasarati.

Lil Nas X takes pride in unconventionality, and so it is unsurprising that he has been releasing songs on SoundCloud as opposed to releasing singles in a traditional manner. On Wednesday night, April 24, he continued the trend by dropping “Trust Me” on SoundCloud. “This song means a lot to me,” Lil Nas X posted on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

The first verse finds Lil Nas X transparently recounting the adolescent exploration of his sexuality, including “Grindr sessions.” He raps, “Back in middle school, I was fiending for dick / Seventh grade, sending my homies some pics / Daddy never knew what I did as a kid / He would’ve crucified me but / Trust me, I get it.”

The Grammy-winning provocateur teased a snippet of “Trust Me” within a March 9 Instagram carousel captioned, “been hoarding music for years smh I hate my relationship with fear of my songs not doing well and perception. I wish I could just release music and not give af! Anyways enough venting…what’s you guys top 2 of these snippets??”

“Trust Me” was produced by Ojivolta and Omer Fedi, both of whom produced on Lil Nas X’s 2021 debut studio album Montero.

Previously, Lil Nas X released “Light Again,” “Right There,” and “Lean On My Body” on SoundCloud. Those three are also on Lil Nas X’s YouTube page, but as of this writing, “Trust Me” remains exclusively on SoundCloud. Lil Nas X’s Billboard Hot 100 charter “J Christ” remains his only traditionally released single of 2024.

Listen to “Trust Me” below.

Jimmy Butler sat and watched as the Miami Heat upset the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their first round series. While Butler is dealing with a knee injury he suffered during the Play-In Tournament, Miami got absolutely scorching hot from behind the three-point line and managed to pick up a 111-101 win over the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference.

Despite the fact that Boston are still overwhelming favorites to win the series, things are now moving to Miami, and if the Heat can defend their homecourt (which is a tall, tall task against the Celtics), they’ll win a 1-8 matchup for the second year in a row. So, as you can guess, there’s a whole lot of excitement in South Beach right now, and after Game 2, Butler got swept up in it by posting a meme to his Instagram account where he photoshopped himself over a picture and quote from Jaylen Brown.

If you go back to the postseason last year, Brown gave this quote after Miami went up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics managed to battle back and win the next three games to force a Game 7 in TD Garden, but Miami went on to win and earn a berth in the NBA Finals.

Usher has access to anyone at any time, and his son knows it. Naviyd, 15, did what any teenager would do in his position: Steal your world-famous father’s phone and hit up PinkPantheress.

“So…a week or so ago my son, Naviyd, stole my phone so he could dm his favorite artist @pinkpantheress,” Usher shared on his Instagram Story on Wednesday night, April 24.

The next post is a screenshot of Naviyd’s DM from April 9, reading, “Hello this is Usher’s son Naviyd I’m you true biggest fan please follow me back @_naviyd_ I put him on to masterpieces.” PinkPantheress graciously replied, “hahahahahaa this is wild!”

Next, Usher recounted what happened from his perspective, writing, “Now I just so happened to check my DMs earlier this past week and saw a message exchange from someone with a Powerpuff girl as their profile pic…so I’m like the hell is this.” (PinkPantheress’ Instagram icon is the Powerpuff girl Buttercup.)

Usher continued, “I open it and I’m like oh this boy done DMd this girl from my damn phone..” The following post is another screenshot — this time, showing Usher messaging an apology to PinkPantheress: “I’m so sorry … my son is a super fan.” Again, PinkPantheress was extremely gracious and replied, “don’t apologise! happy to have this interaction. I’d love to host y’all at the next show.”

Usher explained on his subsequent Instagram Story posts that he initially pretended that Naviyd “wasn’t allowed to go” to PinkPantheress’ Capable Of Love Tour “because he did the MOST just to connect with her on my account,” but he let him go to reward Naviyd’s super-fandom, which led to PinkPantheress taking a photo with Naviyd backstage and FaceTiming with Usher.

“PARENTAL TAKEAWAY,” Usher wrote, in conclusion. “This was a great moment for Naviyd … this was him movin on something he was passionate about. Yes… he violated my trust in the process and for that I will never trust him around my phone, but I should have known better. Nonetheless, I appreciate the hustle and him makin’ it happen. From a text, to a concert, to the artist. He masterminded this whole thing and made it happen.”

See all of the posts below.

In Uproxx’s review of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, Josh Kurp pointed toward “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?” as an example of Swift’s “genuine humor.” Perhaps the only person who can credibly one-up Swift’s self-deprecation — and can understand Swift’s omnipresence in monoculture — is Monica Lewinsky.

On Wednesday night, April 24, Lewinsky posted a photo of The White House on X (formerly Twitter) alongside, “you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me.”

The line from Swift’s “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?” has become a widespread meme in the days after Swift releasing The Tortured Poets Department last Friday, April 19.

For the uninitiated, Lewinsky was a ubiquitous figure in the nineties after it was publicly revealed that then-President Bill Clinton engaged in an affair with Lewinsky, an intern in her early 20s at the time. In 2021, FX aired the third season of American Crime Story, which focused on Clinton’s subsequent impeachment, entitled Impeachment: American Crime Story. Beanie Feldstein starred as Lewinsky, while Sarah Paulson portrayed the late Linda Tripp. Edie Falco and Clive Owen portrayed Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, respectively.

“You go to bed one night a private person, and the next day, you’re a public human being and the whole world hates you,” Lewinsky told The Hollywood Reporter in August 2021. “And you might go to jail. And you’re going to bankrupt your family. And, and, and… […] And just because I wasn’t on the news every night for 20 years in the same way that I was in 1998 doesn’t mean that this story ended. Ten years on, I still could not get a job. I couldn’t support myself.”

The Miami Heat have done it again, folks. After looking overwhelmed in the first game of their first-round series against the Boston Celtics — due in part to the absence of Jimmy Butler due to an injury — Miami was able to follow a familiar formula to steal homecourt advantage away from the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference. By the time the final buzzer went off at TD Garden, Miami picked up a 111-101 win to tie the series up at one win each.

Miami leaned heavily on the great equalizer early on in the game: the three-point line. After getting seriously outgunned from deep in Game 1, the Heat shot 8-for-15 in the first quarter from deep and ended the first half with an absolutely ridiculous 13 makes on 24 attempts, good for a 54.2 percent clip from deep.

The problem, however, was that they were still outgunned despite this. While Miami needs to hit threes to beat Boston, their defense also has to be spot on, and that just was not the case in the first half. Powered by 21 points from Jaylen Brown, 18 points from Jayson Tatum, and a team-wide 8-for-20 clip from deep, Boston took a 61-58 lead into the locker room.

But the Heat’s hot shooting did not relent, and not long after a triple by Tyler Herro gave them the lead for the first time in the second half, Miami opened up a double-digit lead thanks to a 15-3 run. Even though Boston was able to chip away to close the frame, the Heat’s arsenal of shooters kept them at arm’s length, and gave them an 85-79 lead after three.

Early on in the fourth quarter, any time the Celtics started to make a little bit of headway, something from the Heat — a Bam Adebayo jumper, a three from someone, etc. — cut them off at the pass. And by the time Herro stepped up to the free throw line to ice the win and stretch the team’s lead back to double-digits, the fans at TD Garden started to head for the exits.

All five of Miami’s starters hit double-digits, with Tyler Herro leading the way with 24 points, 14 assists, and five rebounds. Bam Adebayo and Caleb Martin both hit the 21-point mark, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 14 and Nikola Jovic stuffed the box score with 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a block. As a team, the Heat shot 23-for-43 (53.5 percent) from behind the three-point line. For Boston, Brown and Tatum combined to score 61 points, but as a team, the Celtics were 37-for-80 (46.3 percent) from the field and 12-for-32 (37.5 percent) from three.

Now, the two teams are heading back to Miami, where the Heat will look to defend their homecourt and make it so when they return to Boston, they only need one win to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Game 3 between the Heat and the Celtics will take place on Saturday afternoon at 6 p.m. EST on TNT.

Since last November, Diddy has been at the center of several very troubling allegations and lawsuits. Most recently, Homeland Security raided his Los Angeles and Miami residences. Thus, countless people are taking the opportunity to air their unfiltered opinions on Diddy, including 50 Cent, Kesha, Katt Williams, and Mase.

Add Gucci Mane to the list. On Wednesday, April 24, the Atlanta-bred rapper dropped “TakeDat,” a four-minute song that ruthlessly mocks Diddy. The first line uttered is, “I’m just f*cking around, but no Diddy.” Throughout the song, more or less every bar is punctuated with “No Diddy,” such as, “I got a Yung Miami b*tch from the city / I’m spendin’ money like a trick (No Diddy),” and “But she can’t be underage (No Diddy).”

The accompanying video finds Gucci Mane in a jacuzzi, surrounded by women. If the scene looks familiar, that’s because Gucci Mane not-so-subtly recreated Diddy’s scene from The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 “Big Poppa” video. And just in case there’s any confusion as to whether this was absolutely, one-hundred percent intentional, Gucci Mane posted a side-by-side image on Instagram alongside the caption, “Hardest song of the summer #TAKEDAT.”

Elsewhere in the video, Gucci Mane rides a motorcycle while delivering perhaps the song’s biggest blow to Diddy (and, unfortunately, the Detroit Pistons caught a stray): “Why you ain’t ever seen Wop at the brunch? / ‘Cause they might spike the punch, man, that sh*t too risky / Rule No. 1, never be too friendly / These industry n***** have bad intentions / I don’t trust nobody, and I stay my distance / Plus, your whole team suck, like the Detroit Pistons.”

Watch Gucci Mane’s “TakeDat” video above.

When it comes to the world of mixed drinks, things changed with the cocktail renaissance of the early aughts. Before that, if you wanted an old fashioned, you’d have to hope the ancient bartender at your local watering hole knew how to make one (or had the directions on a laminated piece of paper somewhere). Now, it seems like you can visit any big city, small town, or one-stoplight pass-through and find at least one “bespoke” or “craft” cocktail bar.

This has also led to countless novices taking up mixology in the privacy of their own homes.

But, for everyone who purchased a home bar or bar cart and filled it with the necessary bottles, tinctures, and ingredients, countless others felt too overwhelmed to do anything more than buy a bottle of Jack and a six-pack of Coke. We’re here to help those would-be home bartenders along on their journies. Well, technically a slew of bartenders are going to help.

“Chefs know that their food depends on great ingredients, and as a home mixologist, you should too,” says Jim Lunchick, mixologist at Merriman’s Waimea in Waimea, Hawaii.

With this in mind, we asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the most underrated home bar ingredients. They were kind enough to list their can’t-miss ingredients and even explained why they’re necessary home bar ingredients. We’re not talking about the alcohol or the tools today. Simply the important ingredients you can’t mix without. Keep scrolling to see all of their picks.

Fresh Herbs

Martin Gutierrez, bar manager at Joia Beach’s Bar in Miami

“In my opinion, one of the most underrated home bar ingredients is fresh herbs. While commonly used in cooking, fresh herbs like mint, basil, rosemary, and thyme can elevate the flavor profile of cocktails in a unique and refreshing way. Adding a sprig of mint to a mojito or a basil leaf to a gin cocktail can bring a burst of freshness and complexity to the drink that is often overlooked. The aromatic qualities of fresh herbs can complement and enhance the other ingredients in a cocktail, creating a more well-rounded and enjoyable drinking experience.”

Vermouth

Ray Tremblay, corporate beverage director of COJE Group in Boston

“I believe that vermouth is probably the most underrated home bar ingredient. It’s a staple of many classic cocktails, but in home bars, it’s usually collecting dust and poorly stored. Investing in quality vermouth and storing it properly in the fridge can result in some great cocktails such as martinis, Manhattans, boulevardiers/negronis, spritzes, and Americanos.”

Ice

Christian Taibi, bar czar at Mahina & Sun’s at The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club in Honolulu, Hawaii

“Ice! You can maintain bar quality drinks by prioritizing your ice. Mahina & Sun’s not only creates clear ice but has invented coconut water Ice. It’s incredible for not only the evolution of its texture and flavor in the cocktail as it melts but also its next-day benefits. Infusing ice with creative ingredients puts any whiskey, tequila, or any spirit on a journey.”

Bitters

Samantha Nieves-Rivera, event manager at Mad Room Hospitality in Miami

“I think there are a few underrated home bar ingredients, but I’d have to say bitters are the most underestimated. While some may see them merely as decorative pieces at their home bar or only good enough for an old fashion, they possess the power to elevate any cocktail. From margaritas to sweet rum punches, bitters add depth and complexity, transforming ordinary drinks into extraordinary experiences.”

Fruit

Jim Lunchick, mixologist at Merriman’s Waimea in Waimea, Hawaii

“The most underrated home bar ingredient is fruit. Are you using freshly squeezed, high-quality limes? I cringe whenever I see a bottle of premade margarita mix. And using dry, inferior fresh limes isn’t a whole lot better. The fruit you are selecting for your cocktails should be picked out with as much attention as your choice of spirits. In fact, the seasonality of the fruit should be a factor in deciding what drinks you are going to make at home in the first place. Do the mangoes at the store look and feel amazing? Then your mango colada will be amazing too. Is it fresh blackberry season? Muddle them into your old fashioned and celebrate.”

Simple Syrup

Justin Lawrence, head bartender at Vasili’s in Naperville, Illinois

“I think the most underrated home bar ingredient would have to be simple syrup. It’s not only used in so many popular cocktails but there are also so many cool ways to concoct your own at home. Even something as small as using demerara instead of regular white sugar is a huge difference maker. You can take that a step further and start adding different flavor profiles to suit your needs. I’ve recently been obsessed with making my own cucumber jalapeno syrup that I like to use in my tequila smash recipe. I use a 1:1 ratio and throw in tons of sliced cucumbers and jalapenos. I finish it off with a few bottles of Aegean tonic to bring the flavor of cucumber forward. You can try a technique like this with different flavors to fit your needs and it’s a fairly low-maintenance task.”

Salt

Kodi Satra, beverage manager at Tattersall Distilling in River Falls, Wisconsin

“Salt. We put salt in almost everything when it comes to food, but most people don’t think to do so in cocktails. It makes fruit pop in syrups, cancels bitterness/bite in spirit-forward cocktails, and overall, just makes for better flavor. We use Tamari in our old fashioned syrup which is a gluten-free soy sauce, along with demerara sugar and chicory. It helps all the individual flavors to pop. We put kosher salt in almost every syrup we use behind our bar for the same reasons. We’re always balancing sweetness/acidity/salt similarly to when cooking.”

Tomatoes

Kelvin Thairu, head bartender at Hero Bar in Nairobi, Kenya

“My take would be tomatoes either ripe or unripe. There are a couple of ways I use to extract flavors from a tomato, be it ripe, green, or even almost going bad. For fresh and green tomatoes, I can blend and extract clear water through filtering with cheesecloth and filter paper. I can as well mix with vinegar and sugar to make a shrub that will stay long without going bad, and it’s always very refreshing and good for sours. For the almost going bad, I do lacto-fermentation which works best with tequila or mezcal.”

Tea

Panji Wisrawan, head mixologist Apéritif Bar in Ubud, Bali

“Tea is the most underrated home bar ingredient, it’s always there in every house, easy to get, and offers layers of flavor in the cocktail making with its tannins and complexity. It can be a great mixer or infused with your favorite spirits. Or mix it into any punch or milk punch.”

Homemade cocktail aromatics

Petr Balcarovsky, lead bartender of The Apparatus Room in Detroit

“You can elevate your home bar experience with this underrated secret ingredient: homemade cocktail aromatics. These wonders have the power to transform your ordinary cocktail into a masterpiece that will leave your guests in awe. Not only does the aromatic spray take the flavors of your cocktail to new heights, but it also adds a touch of sophistication and elegance to your presentation. Imagine the conversations that will spark when your guests witness the final flourish of the aromatic spray. You can take your mixology skills to the next level with combinations of citrus oils and herbs to elevate your spring cocktail ideas, which will impress your friends and family with cocktails that are not just drinks but an experience to remember.”

Citrus

Simon Sebbah, beverage director at Grand Tour Hospitality in New York City

“I would say citrus overall (orange, lime, mandarin, grapefruit, etc.) is one of the most underrated home bar ingredients. It is very versatile when it comes to making drinks at home and allows you to have many different choices depending on the mood for you and your guests.”

Fats

Kyle Bobkowski, beverage manager at Crossroads Hotel in Kansas City

“Butter, oil, and fats in a home bar are very underrated and underutilized ingredients. Cooking some bacon for breakfast? Reserve the rendered fat pour it into some whiskey and freeze it and you have an automatically rich and savory liquid for an old fashioned or Manhattan. Have some extra coconut oil from a curry you were making but don’t know what else to use it for? Pour it into some rum or tequila, let it sit cold overnight and you’ll make some complex and dazzling coconut daiquiris or margaritas without using overly and artificially sweet coconut-flavored rums or other flavored spirits. I cook often at home and I’m always trying to upcycle or re-use ingredients in my cooking that would otherwise go to waste. An olive-oil-infused dirty martini is also a showstopper and olive oil is usually a fixture in kitchens and easy to infuse.”

Citric Acid

Daniel King, head bartender at Evelyn’s at Hutton Hotel in Nashville

“At the risk of sounding like a nerd, citric acid has found a very comfortable place in my pantry at home. Its foremost use is as a preservative for extending the life of fresh juices and syrups, which I don’t use nearly as quickly at home as we do in a commercial bar. It’s great for helping to extract oils from citrus peels when making oleo and works wonders in a homemade sugar or salt rim to add a little pucker.”