Uproxx cover star Griff treated fans to her new song, “Astronaut,” today. Rounding out her Vert1go Vol. 1 chapter, the ballad features piano from none other than Coldplay’s Chris Martin. The two had discussed collaborating after she opened for the band on tour.
“He really got stuck in,” Griff shared. “We listened to maybe 30 of my songs together, but he kept stopping ‘Astronaut.’ Chris advised me to strip it all back and keep things simple, so I had the cheek to ask him to play on it himself and I am so honored he agreed.”
It found Griff lyrically struggling with feeling abandoned in love. “In young relationships, when someone needs time to figure out and find themselves without you, it hurts because you’re left wondering what about yourself wasn’t enough for them,” she added.
Along with the song’s release, Griff dropped a live video of her performance that was filmed at London’s Greenwich Maritime Museum.
She also has two forthcoming headline tour dates. Fans can catch her at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles on February 6, before she heads to New York’s Le Poisson Rouge on February 9, 2024. From there, Griff is playing a European tour, with a complete list of dates and more information available here.
Check out the video for Griff’s “Astronaut” above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Two decades after Band Of Brothers transfixed the HBO audience, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are back with another (that is, after The Pacific) WWII-set drama series. Masters Of The Air will soon land on Apple TV+ after hailing from Spielberg’s Amblin Television in conjunction with Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone. The series’ directors include Cary Joji Fukunaga, Tim Van Patten, Dee Rees, and Anna Boden with Ryan Fleck. Here’s the latest information on this upcoming sensory overload:
Plot
Over the course of nine episodes (up from the originally envisioned eight) Masters Of The Air will tell the real story as relayed in Donald L. Miller’s book, Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. A teaser trailer portrayed the stunning visuals and camaraderie from these real-life events, and a full trailer showed the sh*t hitting the fan, as is obviously going to be the case when fighting Nazi Germany is involved.
John Orloff (Band Of Brothers) and John Shiban (Breaking Bad, The X-Files) wrapped their arms around the book to carve out the film’s story and screenplay, and Apple TV+ promises “a true story of brotherhood and American airmen in WWII Europe.” The film will spend time with the Tuskegee Airmen (the first Black military airmen of America) along with the “Bloody Hundredth,” i.e. the 100th Bomb Group, which will be initially led in the series by Austin Butler’s Major Gale Clevin.
Butler recently detailed how Hanks recruited him for the project while they were finishing up Elvis filming in Australia. Via Variety:
According to Butler, Hanks told him: “You have immersed yourself so deeply in ‘Elvis’ that, for your mental health, it would be wise to go straight into something else. If you just jump off the train, you might have emotional whiplash… and, you know, I’ve got this thing I’m producing.’”
It’s not exactly a vacation of a role, but at least it kept Butler from crashing down to earth, so to speak, after winning an Oscar for portraying Presley’s voice. The film not only contains action-packed aerial bombardment sequences but also a German POW camp, English villages, and bucolic fields.
Apple TV+
Here’s more from Apple TV+’s description.
Masters of the Air” follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air. Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich, is at the heart of “Masters of the Air.” Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.
Cast
Along with Butler, this series will star Barry Keoghan, fresh off freaking people out and dancing naked in Saltburn. The cast also includes Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Rafferty Law, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, Ncuti Gatwa, and Nate Mann.
Release Date
The series premieres on Friday, January 26, 2024 with two episodes, followed by new episodes on Fridays through March 15, 2024.
Trailer
A two-minute teaser trailer went in on the visuals:
In a newer trailer, the peril truly begins:
Masters of the Air will take flight on January 26, 2024.
50 Cent and Rick Ross are at it again. Although we’re about a decade removed from the height of the two rappers’ rivalry, it looks like the feud is heating up again.
So, why do they dislike each other so much?
That answer could keep us here all day, so let’s just stick to the latest round of offenses.
50 Cent Trolls Rick Ross’ Sales
Most recently, 50 — who legitimately never lets go of anything — trolled Ross for the allegedly low sales of Too Good To Be True, his new joint album with Meek Mill. In a video on Instagram, 50 enjoys his tour as it heads to Australia, but makes sure to take a moment for spite: “If you sell 31,009 CDs,” he says. “I shouldn’t talk to you.”
Setting aside that 31,000 is pretty respectable in the streaming era (and that 50 hasn’t dropped an album since streaming became the main avenue for music consumption), as well as the fact that the album only had about two weeks of promotion, it doesn’t seem 50 wanted to pass up the chance to get at one of his rivals.
Rick Ross Claps Back At 50 Cent
Ross later posted his own video responding to 50’s low sales accusations. “Just got a DM saying, ‘Rozay, we believe 50 Cent just made a comment about you online,’” he said. “I seen it and I said, ‘Y’all don’t know 50 Cent like I do. He wouldn’t do that.’ For one, his b*tch Dreamchasers. She been a Dreamchasers b*tch for many years, still is. That’s when she told me I was her favorite.”
“For two, n****, we been rich,” he said. “We still getting money. Them n****s was laughing at my first-week sales. Them n***as was doing a million and I did 150, 180 and they was laughing but…You smell that saltwater, right? Don’t let them n****s trick you.”
Rick Ross speaks on 50 Cent after Charlamagne called him a ‘diabolical genius’ pic.twitter.com/uOYkY1ukdI
SXSW will return to Austin next March. Throughout the Texas city, SXSW attendees can look forward to attending a multitude of conferences, film screenings, and musical showcases and performances.
Today, performers from various cities and countries were announced to take the stages within Austin’s iconic and off-beat venues. These performers hail from within the US, as well as Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, and Wales.
Among the performers are Afro-fusion singer Äyanna, Canadian R&B up-and-comer Chxrry22, Germany’s Malugi, and more.
What is the SXSW 2024 lineup?
You can see the full line-up of artists and the cities they’re representing below.
250 (Seoul, South Korea)
Afternoon Bike Ride (Montreal, Canada)
Akira Galaxy (Los Angeles, CA)
Ako（a子） (Himeji City, Japan)
Alexander Biggs (Melbourne, Australia)
Alex Nicol (Montreal, Canada)
Amis du Teche (Breaux Bridge, LA)
Angelo Moore and the Brand New Step (Austin, TX)
Anna Smyrk (Melbourne, Australia)
Anna Vaverková (Prague, Czechia)
Another Sky (London, UK-England)
Arches (Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
Askew (London, UK-England)
Axel Flóvent (Reykjavik, Iceland)
Äyanna (London, UK-England)
The Ayoub Sisters (London, UK-England)
Bad Bad Hats (Minneapolis, MN)
The Beatbox Collective (London, UK-England)
beccs (Warehan, MA)
Bee Bee Sea (Castel Goffredo, Italy)
Being Dead (Austin, TX)
Benjamin Walker (Chile, Mexico)
Bess Atwell (Brighton, UK-England)
Bleach Lab (London, UK-England)
BLK JKS (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Bloomsday (Brooklyn, NY)
Blue Lake (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Boy With Apple (Gothenburg Sweden)
BROTHER DEGE (Lafayette, LA)
Buffalo Nichols (Milwaukee, WI)
Caleb Landry Jones (Garland, TX)
Camidoh (Accra, Ghana)
Carla Geneve (Perth, Australia)
Certainly So (Nashville, TN)
Cha’keeta B (Austin, TX)
Chalk (Belfast, UK-N. Ireland)
Chartreuse (The Black Country, UK-England)
Chelsea Carmichael (London, UK-England)
Chiaki Mayumura (Setagya, Japan)
Chief Cleopatra (Austin, TX)
China Bears (Bridgwater, UK-England)
Chxrry22 (Toronto, Canada)
CLT DRP (Brighton, UK-England)
Conchur White (Portadown, UK-N. Ireland)
CURRLS (Brighton, UK-England)
Danny Bonilla (Dallas, TX)
Dasom Baek (Seoul, South Korea)
Daydream Twins (Austin, TX)
Dead Tooth (Brooklyn, NY)
Delights (Manchester UK-England)
DICE (Perth, Australia)
Dirt Buyer (Brooklyn, NY)
Discovery Zone (New York, NY)
Divorce (Nottingham, UK-England)
Dobrawa Czocher (Warsaw, Poland)
DOMICO (Tokyo, Japan)
Do Nothing (Nottingham UK-England)
Dream Nails (London, UK-England)
Dumb Buoys Fishing Club (London, UK-England)
dust (Newcastle, Australian)
Earth Tongue (Wellington, New Zealand)
Eleni Drake (London, UK-England)
Elisapie (Salluit, Canada)
Elle Shimada (Melbourne Australia)
Ellie Bleach (London, UK-England)
Emily Barker (Perth, Australia)
Emily Frembgen (Brooklyn, NY)
Emma Aibara (Yokohama, Japan)
Enola Gay (Belfast UK-N. Ireland)
Etta Bond (London, UK-England)
Fantasy Of A Broken Heart (Brooklyn, NY)
Fat Dog (London, UK-Englan)
FAZI 法兹 (Xi’an, China)
Field Guide (Winnipeg, Canada)
Folk Bitch Trio (Melbourne, Australia)
FONTINE (Winnipeg, Canada)
Forest Claudette (Melbourne, Australia)
Friedberg (Berlin, Germany)
Fust (Durham, NC)
Gavin James (Dublin, Ireland)
Glasser (New York, NY)
Glixen (Phoenix, AZ)
Good Looks (Austin, TX)
Grandbrothers (Berlin, Germany)
GRÓA (Reykjavik, Iceland)
Gruff Rhys (Cardiff, UK-Wales)
Gurriers (Dublin, Ireland)
HALLEY (Waseda, Japan)
Harvest Thieves (Austin, TX)
Hause Plants (Lisbon, Portugal)
The HawtThorns (Nashville, TN)
HIEN (Budapest, Hungary)
HighSchool (Melbourne, Australia)
Hinako Omori (London, UK-England)
HMS Morris (Cardiff, UK-Wales)
Ho99o9 (Newark, NJ)
Holly Macve (Brighton, UK-England)
Hooks & The Huckleberries (Albuquerque, NM)
Hour (Philadelphia, PA)
The Howdies (Athens, GA)
Humour (Glasgow UK-Scotland)
HYPNOSIS THERAPY (Seoul, South Korea)
IFE (New Orleans, LA)
Iona Zajac (Glasgow, UK-Scotland)
Iris Jean (Alkmaar, Netherlands)
Izo FitzRoy (London, UK-England)
Jack Barksdale (Fort Worth, TX)
Jack Harris (Cleveland, OH)
JADA (London, UK-England)
Jad Fair and the Placebos (Manor, TX)
Jaimee Harris (Nashville, TN)
JÁNA (Stockholm, Sweden)
Jazz re:freshed DJs (London, UK-England)
Jeannel (Berlin, Germany)
Jeshi (London, UK-England)
JFDR (Reykjavík, Iceland)
JM Stevens (Austin, TX)
Jon Muq (Austin, TX)
Jon Vinyl (Toronto, Canada)
Juani Mustard (Viña Del Mar, Chile)
JUANPALITOSCHINOS (Mexico City, Mexico)
Justin Webb (Nashville, TN)
Kali Claire (London UK-England)
Ken Yates (London, Canada)
Kikuo (Tokyo, Japan)
Kroi (Tokyo, Japan)
LAIR (Jatiwangi, Indonesia)
Laney Tripp (New Smyrna Beach, CA)
Larry Seaman (Austin, TX)
Laura-Mary Carter (Brighton, UK-ENGLAND)
Laura Misch (London, UK-ENGLAND)
Lauren Housley & The Northern Cowboys (Sheffield, UK-England)
Lauren Lakis (Austin, TX)
L E M F R E C K (Newport, UK-Wales)
Library Card (Rotterdam, Netherlands)
Lindsay Beaver & Brad Stivers (Austin, TX)
Lisa Morales (Austin, TX)
Logan Crosby (Milledgeville, GA)
Logan Halstead (Powell County, KY)
Los Cogelones (Mexico, Mexico)
Lottery Winners (Leigh, UK-England)
Madam Radar (Austin, TX)
Malugi (Berlin, Germany)
Mama Terra (Glasgow, UK-Scotland)
The Manatees (Southampton, UK-England)
maxime. (Montreal, Canada)
May Rio (Brooklyn, NY)
Meagre Martin (Berlin, Germany)
Mia June (Perth, Australia)
Mick Flannery (Cork, Ireland)
Minas (Cardiff, UK-Wales)
Miranda and the Beat (Brooklyn, NY)
Miranda del Sol (New York, NY)
MØAA (Seattle, WA)
Moody Bank$ (Austin, TX)
Nagasaki Swim (Rotterdam, Netherlands)
Natalie Jane Hill (Asheville, NC)
Native Harrow (Brighton, UK-England)
néomí (Den Haag, Netherlands)
NeOne Wonderer (Wolverhampton UK-England)
Neon Waltz (John O’groats, UK-Scotland)
Night Lunch (Montreal, Canada)
NOBRO (Montreal, Canada)
O. (London, UK-England)
Omni (Atlanta, GA)
OSKA (Vienna, Austria)
PAPISA (São Paulo, Brazil)
Pelvis Wrestley (Austin, TX)
Perennial (Amherst, MA)
Pink Pablo (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Planet Giza (Montreal, Canada)
Plastic Palms (Turin, Italy)
poolblood (Toronto, Canada)
Population II (Montreal, Canada)
Presence (Camarillo, CA)
The Psychotic Monks (Saint-Ouen, France)
PVA (London, UK-England)
Pylon Reenactment Society (Athens, GA)
Rainbow Girls (Bodega, CA)
Ralphie Choo (Madrid, Spain)
The Rare Occasions (Los Angeles, CA)
Redbud (Austin, TX)
rEDOLENT (Edinburgh UK-Scotland)
Robby Hecht (Nashville, TN)
Rodeo Boys (Lansing, MI)
Rory James (Edinburgh, UK-Scotland)
RUBIO (Mexico City, Mexico)
Sam Williams (Paris, TN)
San Gabriel (Austin, TX)
San Saba County (Austin, TX)
Seafoam Walls (Miami, FL)
Selfish Sons (Brisbane, Australia)
She’s In Parties (Colchester, UK-England)
Sinkane (Brooklyn, NY)
Skateland (Austin, TX)
SNACKTIME (Philadelphia, PA)
Soda Blonde (Dublin, Ireland)
Sofia Kourtesis (Berlin, Germany)
Sofi Paez (Berlin, Germany)
Softee (Moorhead, MN)
South Summit (Perth, Australia)
SPRINTS (Dublin, Ireland)
Stuck in the Sound (Paris, France)
Styrofoam Winos (Nashville, TN)
Sui Zhen (Melbourne, Australia)
The Sully Band (San Diego, CA)
Sultan Stevenson (London, UK-England)
Swallow the Rat (Auckland, New Zealand)
Sycco (Brisbane, Australia)
Talia Goddess (Brooklyn, NY)
Tamera (London, UK-England)
Teenage Sequence (Fort Worth, TX)
Telehealth (Seattle, WA)
TENGGER (Seoul, South Korea)
testpress (Glasgow, UK-Scotland)
Texas String Assembly (Austin, TX)
TFD (Total F*cking Darkness) (Vancouver, Canada)
This Is Lorelei (New York, NY)
THUS LOVE (Brattleboro, VT)
The Tiarras (Austin, TX)
Tokyo Syoki Syodo (Shimokitazawa, Japan)
TRACY DE SA (Sevres, France)
Tufan Derince (Diyarbakir, Turkey)
twst (Barry, UK-Wales)
Venus Twins (Brooklyn, NY)
Vera Sola (Los Angeles, CA)
The Vices (Groningen, Netherlands)
The View (Dundee, UK-Scotland)
VLURE (Glasgow, UK-Scotland)
Vulva Voce (Manchester, UK-England)
Water Damage (Austin, TX)
William The Conqueror (Newquay, UK-England)
Wyldest (London, UK-England)
The XCERTS (Aberdeen, UK-Scotland)
Yb. (Brisbane, Australia)
YHWH Nailgun (New York, NY)
Yo Diablo (Valencia, Spain)
Yogetsu Akasaka (Tokyo, Japan)
YU-KA (Tokyo, Japan)
Zheani (Brisbane, Australia)
Zoon (Winnipeg, Canada)
ZÓRA (Budapest, Hungary)
zouz (Montréal, Canada)
Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The NBA schedule has slowed down this week to allow the In-Season Tournament to take center stage. Monday and Tuesday night saw the Pacers, Bucks, Pelicans, and Lakers all punch their tickets to Las Vegas with wins in standalone national TV spots, with Pacers-Celtics and Lakers-Suns delivering high-intensity thrillers.
While the semis and finals are still to come on Thursday and Saturday in Vegas, the tournament has already proven to be a success. Sure, there are some tweaks that could make it even better, but given how many fans and players weren’t high on the idea when it was announced, it’s been pretty incredible to see the difference in energy of the tournament games so far. That has turned many of the In-Season Tournament’s skeptics into believers, with Kevin Durant being among the most prominent, as the Suns star noted he wasn’t a huge fan of the idea but is now very excited about the tournament — and “pissed off” the Suns won’t be in Vegas with a chance to win the first NBA Cup.
Giving players a little something extra to play for in November and December has given the Tournament games an added focus and intensity. For some players, it’s all about making a little extra cash, while others see a chance to win a trophy (and maybe more importantly, lose out on one) and lock in a bit more. This year’s semifinals are also a perfect mix for the league of two young, up-and-coming teams in the Pacers and Pelicans and a pair of recent champions in the Bucks and Lakers. Everyone expected the young teams to see this as an opportunity to grab the spotlight, with Tyrese Haliburton making no mistake he was very excited for his first ever game playing on TNT on Monday night. He took advantage of that and without question raised his star profile with a dominant performance to close out the Celtics in the fourth quarter.
The question was whether the grizzled veterans of the league would care enough to add a sprint to the middle of their regular season marathon pace. That has been answered pretty emphatically by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Damian Lillard, who have stepped their games up to punch a ticket to Las Vegas for a chance at the Cup. All told, the NBA would be hard pressed to come up with a better first year for the Tournament, with a mix of young and old, showing every team around the league what the possibilities are.
Beyond giving those eight teams a standalone primetime game, slowing the schedule down has provided the opportunity for teams to take a brief break from the regular season grind, get some rare real practice time in, and evaluate what they’ve done over the first quarter of the season. Here, we get to do the same in our Week 6 version of DIME Power Rankings, headlined by the same (somewhat surprising) team that’s been in the top spot for weeks…
1. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-4, Last week: 1)
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The Wolves just keep winning and now hold the NBA’s best record. The defense is still the best in the league, Karl-Anthony Towns is playing some of the best ball of his career, and they’re about to get Jaden McDaniels back.
2. Boston Celtics (15-5, Last week: 3)
The Celtics got knocked out of the In-Season Tournament by the Pacers in the quarterfinals, largely due to their offense stalling out down the stretch. While they’ve managed to keep above water with Kristaps Porzingis out with a calf injury, it was pretty clear how much they missed the big fella against the Pacers. His return is expected soon, but I do wish we’d gotten to see the playoff simulation dry run of the IST with a fully healthy Celtics team to see if those problems from last year would persist or not with Kristaps playing.
3. Orlando Magic (14-6, Last week: 2)
The Magic got popped by the Nets to end their winning streak, but on the whole they continue to impress. Paolo Banchero has figured out how to score efficiently, Franz Wagner has been great in crunch time, and their guard play has been better than expected. This next month will tell us a lot about this Orlando team, as they face a lot of the expected contenders in the East with the Cavs (x2), Celtics (x2), Heat, Bucks, Pacers, Sixers, and Knicks all on the December schedule.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (15-6, Last week: 4)
The Bucks had a dominant offensive outing on Tuesday night against the Knicks and have now scored 130+ points in four of their last six games. The defense is still a major question mark in Milwaukee, but the offense has the ceiling of being the best in the league and when they have it going from three, they’re basically unstoppable.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (13-6, Last week: 6)
OKC keeps rolling right along with some of the best balance in the NBA. They’re top-6 in ORtg and DRtg and are first in three-point percentage as a team (40.2 percent). Their role players are thriving around their budding core of Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the latter of whom is a legit MVP candidate.
6. Denver Nuggets (14-7, Last week: 8)
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Speaking of MVP candidates, Nikola Jokic continues to be the NBA’s most consistent dominant force, as he’s averaging a hysterical 29.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game, even with a career-worst 30.1 three-point percentage. If the threes start to fall, good luck, and he’s been able to keep this team afloat while Jamal Murray takes his time getting healthy. Maybe most importantly is that the Denver role players have popped the last couple weeks, headlined by Reggie Jackson who has been tremendous filling in for Murray. Given their bench concerns, if he can carry that quality play over to the second unit once Murray is back, that’d be huge for the Nuggets.
7. New York Knicks (12-8, Last week: 14)
The Knicks didn’t have their best in Milwaukee on Tuesday and had their three-game winning streak snapped to get knocked out of the In-Season Tournament. The biggest issue was on the defensive end, where they had been playing as one of the NBA’s best but simply didn’t have answers for Giannis and Dame. The good news is, Julius Randle continues to play well and Jalen Brunson looks like a star, but they’ll have to bounce back quickly to regain their defensive form before playing the Celtics on Friday.
8. Philadelphia 76ers (12-7, Last week: 5)
Philly dropped both of their games this week to the Pelicans and Celtics, playing without Joel Embiid in both of those contests due to illness. In shocking news, the reigning MVP is important to this team. He’ll be back this week and that should help Philly get back on track (also helping is they get to play the Wizards on Wednesday).
9. Los Angeles Lakers (13-9, Last week: 11)
The Lakers continued their undefeated In-Season Tournament run with a thrilling win over the Suns, and LeBron James seems fully locked in as he chases the NBA Cup. I am fascinated to see how they matchup with the Pelicans in the semis because teams that can get out and push the pace have been the teams that have given L.A. the most issues recently — and the same will be said if they make the Cup Finals against either the Pacers or Bucks.
10. Phoenix Suns (12-9, Last week: 7)
The Suns have come back to earth a bit after their 7-game winning streak. Kevin Durant is still playing at an outrageous level, but the three-point shooting has cooled off a touch as a team and the defense still is a work in progress, leading to a three-loss week.
11. Sacramento Kings (11-8, Last week: 9)
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The Kings are both wildly exciting and wildly frustrating at the same time. The offense still has an incredibly high ceiling, but they haven’t been as consistent this year, particularly shooting the ball. Some nights they just won’t make the adjustment when shots aren’t falling and will shoot themselves out of a competitive game by forcing it up in hopes the lid on the basket will remove itself.
12. Cleveland Cavaliers (11-9, Last week: 13)
The Cavs look to be improving but still are capable of head-scratching performances, like losing to the Blazers at home. The next two weeks figure to be telling of how much they’ve actually improved, as they have the Magic, Heat, Magic, Celtics, Celtics on the schedule.
13. Indiana Pacers (11-8, Last week: 16)
The Pacers feel like the team of destiny in the In-Season Tournament, as Tyrese Haliburton is embracing the opportunity to make himself more of a household name for NBA fans outside of Indiana. They played a tremendous second half against Boston, and while the Celtics were without Kristaps Porzingis, the Pacers still have to be pleased that they closed a game out with some defensive stops and not just simply out-scoring their opponent. That task gets much trickier in Vegas when they face a red-hot Bucks offense, but they’ll be ready for a shootout against Dame and Giannis.
14. New Orleans Pelicans (12-10, Last week: 17)
Brandon Ingram had an unbelievable showing in Sacramento, willing the Pelicans to Vegas and a date with the Lakers in the IST semis. New Orleans is, statistically, the definition of “fine” as they are 14th in both offensive and defensive rating. I am a bit more bullish on their potential going forward now that Trey Murphy III is back, as he gives them a dynamic they otherwise don’t have, and Willie Green suddenly has a lot of options at his disposal and showed in Sacramento he’s willing to simply ride with the hot hand, no matter who they are — Zion Williamson was a spectator for most of the fourth quarter of that win.
15. Miami Heat (11-9, Last week: 10)
The Heat have been scuffling of late, suddenly finding themselves in high-scoring shootouts every night, which is not typically the kinds of games they want to be in — granted, the Bucks and Pacers will force just about anyone into those games right now. The biggest concern in Miami right now is that Bam Adebayo, who was off to a tremendous start, is dealing with a hip injury and isn’t sure when he’ll be back on the court.
16. Dallas Mavericks (11-8, Last week: 15)
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Dallas has also cooled off substantially from their red-hot start and now look a lot like the rest of the middle class of the NBA, where there’s just not a lot of consistency night to night (even half to half) aside from Luka Doncic putting up huge numbers. This week brought an incredible example of that as they went on a 30-0 run in a game they still lost, which is very hard to do. This upcoming week should be a chance to stack wins against the Jazz, Grizzlies, and Blazers, but they also just dropped one to Memphis (without Luka, it must be noted).
17. Brooklyn Nets (10-9, Last week: 19)
The Nets have been jarringly good offensively this year, getting great contributions from their role guys like Lonnie Walker IV, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Royce O’Neale, all of whom are shooting north of 40 percent from three. The problem, as it is for so many teams in this tier, is on the defensive end where they just lack much in the way of size inside beyond Nic Claxton. Still, they’ve won four of their last five and seem to be in a pretty good groove of late on the offensive end, and will look to keep that going to pull away from the group hovering around .500 in the East.
18. Los Angeles Clippers (9-10, Last week: 22)
The Clippers thumped the Kings and split their mid-off with the Warriors to climb a bit in this week’s rankings. It’d still be nice to see this team string together like a five-game stretch of really good ball to provide any confidence they’ll be a real threat come playoff time, but for now a 2-1 week will suffice as a success.
19. Atlanta Hawks (9-10, Last week: 18)
I really thought Quin Snyder would be able to coax something decent out of this team on defense, but they’re just atrocious on that end. This is the fourth best offense in the NBA and the fifth worst defense, which will keep Atlanta right around .500 once again. They’re not that far off from being the Pacers or the Kings, but they’re just worse at winning close games right now.
20. Houston Rockets (8-9, Last week: 12)
Houston was on the road for three games this week, so you know what that means: three more losses. Houston still has not won a game on the road (0-8) this season, but are back home for three of their next four, so you can expect at least a 2-2 stretch coming up.
21. Toronto Raptors (9-11, Last week: 20)
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We have reached the point where the Raptors head coach has offered to take the whole team out to dinner if they win three games in a row. That kind of promise is usually reserved for little league teams, where a trip to Golden Corral will get the boys fired up, but maybe it’ll work for the Raptors too.
22. Golden State Warriors (9-11, Last week: 21)
Steph Curry: Very, extremely good at basketball. The rest of the Warriors team: Not so much. Golden State’s two losses this week came by a combined two points, but unfortunately for them, only the In-Season Tournament cares about point differential.
23. Chicago Bulls (7-14, Last week: 26)
The Bulls won two games against good teams this week. Coby White had 54 points combined in those wins over Milwaukee and New Orleans in Zach LaVine’s absence, and maybe they’ll find a little spark. At minimum, it appears they haven’t completely quit just yet, which is good.
24. Utah Jazz (7-13, Last week: 23)
Lauri Markkanen is still sidelined with a hamstring injury, but the Jazz have stayed at least a bit frisky in his absence to not completely bottom out. This week gets tough, though, as the Mavs, Clippers, and Thunder loom on the schedule.
25. Portland Blazers (6-13, Last week: 24)
Speaking of teams that are frisky, the Blazers jumped up and nipped the Pacers and Cavs on their recent road trip. Anfernee Simons is nearing his return to the court which will only make Portland even more dangerous, and while this isn’t a particularly good team, it’s also not one you can just pencil in as a W on the schedule.
26. Memphis Grizzlies (5-14, Last week: 27)
Getty Image
There are some signs of life in Memphis, as they picked up wins over Dallas and Utah this week. Desmond Bane has been very good and they’re close enough now to see Ja Morant’s return on the horizon. They might have fallen too far for that to matter in the playoff race, but they might be able to salvage something if they can just find a few more wins in these next six games.
27. Charlotte Hornets (6-12, Last week: 25)
LaMelo Ball is dealing with ankle issues again, which is just a bummer given he was having another very good start to the season after missing so much time a year ago. They have what should be some winnable games against teams in the East’s Play-In race coming up, but without Ball optimism is low in Charlotte right now.
28. Washington Wizards (3-16, Last week: 28)
There’s a real separation at this point for the bottom three in the NBA standings, starting with the Wizards who lost their two games this week against Orlando. Their schedule is brutal for the next two weeks, so I wouldn’t expect much to change with their spot in these rankings.
29. San Antonio Spurs (3-16, Last week: 29)
The Spurs are probably glad the Pistons exist, or else we’d probably talk more about their 14-game losing streak. They almost ended it against Atlanta, but came up two points short in a shootout. They’re at least supposed to be really bad this year, but at some point it’d be nice for the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama to remember what a win feels like.
30. Detroit Pistons (2-18, Last week: 30)
We may be witnessing a truly special season from Detroit, as they are wading into Process Sixers and Charlotte Bobcats territory right now. They play Memphis on Wednesday in a critical game for them, because that is the most winnable game on their schedule for a few weeks and if they don’t win against the Grizz, it’s possible they go back-to-back months without a win.
These days, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are the “couple” (Swift’s word) rocking the worlds of both music and sports. It all started, though, with Kelce shooting his shot, which Swift thought was “adorable.”
“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell. We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date. […]
As for what Swift’s referring to: Back in July, on an episode of his and brother Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast, Travis told the story of his first time trying to meet Swift, at a Kansas City stop of The Eras Tour. He said, “I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings, so I was a little butthurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her,” Kelce said, noting the bracelets had his phone number on them.
Jokingly, he added, “She doesn’t meet anybody — or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal,”
Meanwhile, Swift noted that she’s really coming to like football, saying in her Time interview, “Football is awesome, it turns out. I’ve been missing out my whole life.”
Sampha dropped his new music video for Lahai highlight “Can’t Go Back,” but that’s not all: He also unveiled new 2024 North American tour dates in support of his recent album.
Of the song, he said, “I spent a lot of time predicting negativity would come my way based on previous life experiences. I would rush past everything thinking I had no time to do anything. I think writing this song was part of learning how to forgive myself in that state of being and to say it’s ok to start now. It’s not always too late. It’s just as important to slow down and recognise I have boundaries and a bandwidth.”
As for that tour: Starting with the Miami date on March 26, fans can currently register to participate in a presale through Sampha’s website. More information can also be found there.
Check out the “Can’t Go Back” video above. Continue scrolling to view a complete list of Sampha’s tour dates.
12/07/2023 — Paris, France @ Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione
02/23/2024 — Auckland, New Zealand @ Powerstation
02/24/2024 — Tapapakanga, New Zealand @ Splore Festival
02/26/2024 — Sydney, Australia @ Hordern Pavillion
02/27/2024 — Brisbane, Australia @ The Tivoli
03/01/2024 — Melbourne, Australia @ Margaret Court Arena
03/03/2024 — Perth, Australia @ Supreme Court Gardens
03/23/2024 — Mexico City, Mexico @ Ceremonia Festival
03/26/2024 — Miami, FL @ Miami Beach Bandshell
03/28/2024 — Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
03/29/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
03/30/2024 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
04/02/2024 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
04/04/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
04/05/2024 — Madison, WI @ Majestic
04/06/2024 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
04/08/2024 — Denver, CO @ Summit
04/09/2024 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Complex
04/10/2024 — Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall
04/12/2024 — Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
04/13/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox at Market
04/14/2024 — Vancouver, British Columbia @ Vogue Theatre
(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent Power Book III: Raising Kanan episode will be found below.)
Season three of Power Book III: Raising Kanan got off to a wild start in episode one and it’s just what we expect from the Power Universe. The new season started by showing the aftermath of the Mafia attack and how it affected Kanan and his family. Kanan and Raq are still at odds while Marvin and Jukebox work to repair their relationship. Lou-Lou also has his issues with Raq and then there’s Detective Howard and Detective Burke. The latter was killed by Howard after Burke poked her nose a bit too far into Howard’s past and uncovered all of his darkest secrets. With all of that being said, where does that leave us heading into episode two?
When Will ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ Season 3, Episode 2 Come Out?
The second episode of Power Book III: Raising Kanan season three, titled “Flipmode,” will arrive on December 8. The Dylan C. Brown-directed episode will be available on Friday on the STARZ app starting at midnight EST/PST. The episode will later air on the STARZ TV channel at 8pm ET/PT. Here’s a synopsis for “Flipmode”:
Raq continues her farewell tour with one last job for the Mafia while Kanan dives further into the drug game with an innovative business idea. Howard faces a new threat at the precinct.
New episodes of ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am ET/PT and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm ET/PT.
There is no greater fast food dish than the double cheeseburger. It’s a flavor bomb of culinary perfection — juicy, savory, beefy — a true joy to bite into. It’s the sort of food that ignites the pleasure centers in your brain and makes your mouth water. There isn’t a single menu option that bests the double cheeseburger, not even the fried chicken sandwich (try as they might).
Whether you eat fast food daily, weekly, once a month, or once a year, if you want the best most rewarding experience, make it a double cheeseburger. But where is your money and time best spent? We’ve thought about this a lot — putting burgers from fast casual and fast food chains to the blind taste test, exploring the more adventurous builds, hell, we even sampled 19 different burgers from the same restaurant, all to find the very best.
And we think we’ve found it. Ready to know the champ? Here are the best double cheeseburgers your money can buy ranked from inessential to most delicious.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Food Rankings From The Last Month
18. Dairy Queen — Two Cheese Deluxe 1/3lb Signature Stackburger
Dairy Queen
Thoughts and Tasting Notes:
This burger is shortcoming upon shortcoming. The meat is too dense, with a cardboard-like texture making eating two patties overwhelming. The lettuce is watery, the tomatoes are never ripe (in my experience) and the overall build of ketchup, mayo, pickles, and onions feels as if DQ is just checking the necessary boxes of what should be on a burger.
DQ keeps messing with the build here — it used to have one slice of American Cheese and one slice of Swiss and weighed in at a whopping 1/2lb. The burger has shrunk recently, changing to 1/3lb (which I think is a slight improvement, given the meat), and that Swiss was swapped in for a slice of White Cheddar. I preferred the Swiss.
The Bottom Line:
It’s the sort of burger that makes you wonder “Was I better off just making a burger at home?”
Papa Burger? Is A&W sold on that name? It sounds like something a divorced dad who has the kids for the weekend calls his “specialty” dinner. This burger just tastes sad…
The bread is way too dense and dry, the shredded lettuce is often translucent and tastes wilted, the cheese doesn’t melt for some reason, and the meat is dry — which A&W tries to hide by slathering on “Papa Sauce,” the grossest name for a spin on Thousand Island ever.
The Bottom Line:
Considering A&W can barely make a decent root beer, you shouldn’t come here expecting to eat a good burger.
Burger King’s Double Cheeseburger will reveal to you why so many BK restaurants are closing nationwide.
This burger simply isn’t good. The beef is charbroiled to the point of crispiness, resulting in probably the driest meat patty in all of fast food. The bread is too thick, and the pickles, ketchup, and mustard don’t taste nearly as good as they look in the above photo (the entire burger doesn’t look anything like the photo above would suggest).
It brings me no joy to rank Sonic this low because I like Sonic — I think it’s a pretty solid fast food restaurant that I would suggest to friends for a very specific type of fast food. That type of fast food unfortunately is not a burger.
It’s not that this burger is bad, it’s just that everything ranked above it is significantly better. The burger build is fairly standard stuff: two salt and pepper seasoned patties, two slices of American cheese, pickles, ketchup, onions, mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes on a toasted bun. The onions here are diced, allowing for occasional bursts of sharp flavor that cut well through the pickles, while the ketchup provides some bright sweetness that pairs well with the umami quality of the tomato.
Notice I haven’t talked about the meat yet? It’s… fine. The flavor doesn’t jump out, it’s more texture than anything.
I also have a minor gripe with the fact that Sonic places a slice of cheese on the bottom bun. Cheese, meat, cheese, meat Sonic! That’s how you stack a double cheeseburger.
The Bottom Line:
If you’re going to Sonic get some mozzarella sticks, or jalapeño poppers, chili cheese fries, a breakfast burrito, hell… get a hot dog! Just don’t get a double cheeseburger unless you want to be underwhelmed.
Consider this my call for Jack in the Box to bring back the Meaty Cheesy Boys. When I was much younger there used to be a JiB commercial that parodied N*SYNC and the other boy bands of the time with a song by the Meaty Cheesy Boys that went a little something like this:
“Girl you know that there’s one thing that I love, and it’s not you that I’m thinking of. I want the Ultimate Cheeseburger! Cheese, meat, cheese, cheese, meat and that’s it! Baby, you know it’s hot and juicy because Jack won’t make it until you order it.”
Here’s a low rez version of the ad for those who need a refresher:
A few things:
1. This is a hilarious song to sing when you’re hungry (bonus points if you’re singing it to your partner).
2. It’s easily the best song about a cheeseburger ever (besides Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” obviously).
3. It’s a sad reminder that Jack in the Box used to have standards. There was a time they didn’t make your foot until you ordered it. They’ve dropped that policy and it shows.
This burger just isn’t that great. Jack in the Box’s meat quality is bottom-of-the-barrel stuff, this tastes like your typical frozen patty with no depth of flavor. While I appreciate the medley of cheeses which includes two slices of American cheese and one slice of Swiss cheese and provides a mix of salty and nutty flavors, overall this burger comes across like it’s missing something.
JiB uses a lot of ketchup, mustard, and mayo to trick you into thinking this burger has big flavor, but without an enjoyable meat component, it just falls flat.
The Bottom Line:
Do yourself a favor and order the Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger. It’s far superior.
I have sung the praises of the Double Del Cheeseburger many times in my life, and I think the reason is that I’m surprised that Del Taco, a Mexican-inspired fast food chain, makes a pretty decent burger. But when I think about it, I haven’t actually ordered this thing that many times. Because why would I choose this over a taco or burrito?
Here is what works about this burger: the patties are juicy and perfectly cooked. The American cheese melts (which can’t be said for some of the lowest-ranked burgers on this list), the tomatoes are bright and vibrant, and the burger sauce is tangy and gives each bite a savory finish.
But at Del Taco you’re better served with a big Avocado-packed burrito or even a crunchy taco.
The Bottom Line:
Good, but not great enough that you should order this over an Epic Avocado or Cali Burrito (it has fries inside of it!) instead.
12. McDonald’s — Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese
McDonald
Thoughts and Tasting Notes:
As I mentioned in the opening of this article, I eat a lot of cheeseburgers. But no other cheeseburger has shifted around between bad, good, and great as much as McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.
I think I’ve figured out why. When you order this burger from McDonald’s, you need to eat it immediately. What you’ll find here are two big and beefy patties of meat seasoned with a touch of salt and a lot of black pepper, three slices of cheese, paper-thin pickles, caramelized onions, ketchup, and mustard.
The ingredients all combine for a wonderful mix of beefy, salty, sharp, and tangy flavors with a touch of sweetness. But if this burger sits for any time, it becomes nearly inedible. The beef will start to harden and dry out, which makes eating through two-quarter-pound patties an absolute chore.
The Bottom Line:
For best results, eat your quarter pounder immediately after ordering. It won’t survive even a 15-minute drive home.
Carl’s Jr has several double cheeseburgers but simplifying the menu down to the single best double on the menu was fairly easy. Easy because the Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger was disqualified. That’s not a double cheeseburger it’s a double bacon cheeseburger. If you don’t want bacon, you gotta go Superstar.
Here you get a mix of special sauce and mayo above two cheese-topped charbroiled patties, sliced onions, and tomatoes. Carl’s does what Burger King can’t, they actually manage to make a charbroiled burger that is juicier than it is dry. I like the charred flavor here, it adds an extra dimension to what is otherwise a standard double cheeseburger.
The Bottom Line:
The best charbroiled double cheeseburger in fast food. But if you’re looking for something more adventurous, definitely order that Double Western Bacon.
It pains me to say this but if you haven’t been to Umami Burger in a few years, you should know things have changed in a big way there. Eating this burger used to be a near-religious experience, but now they straight-up taste like they’re made out of ghost kitchens — there is no character here, it tastes similar to your average hotel room service burger.
Ever since the brand was sold to SBE Entertainment Group the quality has significantly dipped. That’s what happens when “making profit” is the business model instead of “making burgers.”
The build of the OG burger consists of umami sauce, dill pickles, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, American cheese, and grilled onions. Unfortunately, nothing about this burger really stands out.
The Big Buford makes the case that more cheeseburgers should utilize red onions over white. Red onions have a milder bite and a bit more sweetness, which pair nicely with this burger’s umami-rich tomato, earthy dill pickles, and ketchup, mustard, and mayo mix.
The build here makes it so that you get produce first, and then your layers of meat and cheese. I prefer meat first but I’m not opposed to this build! The burger is juicy, the produce is one point, and it’s overall a pretty damn good burger.
The Bottom Line:
Rally’s makes some good burgers, I don’t think the brand has anything truly great but you can’t go wrong here. This burger and a side of fries is a meal worth ordering.
While I called Carl’s Jr’s Superstar the best fast food charbroiled cheeseburger, the Habit’s Double Charburger is the best charbroiled cheeseburger in all of fast casual food.
The meat is juicy and savory with a distinct flame flavor that melds perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. Below the charbroiled patty is a stack of carmelized onions alongside tangy pickles, mayo, shredded lettuce, and juicy tomatoes.
This burger has one thing holding it back: the toasted bun. I like a toasted bun as much as anyone else, but The Habit’s bun is always so toasted that it gives an audible crunch. It’s an issue at every restaurant in the chain that I’ve ever been to so it must be company policy to over-toast the bun, which is a shame because I think that takes away from how good the meat is.
The Bottom Line:
A great burger that is held back by its overly toasted bun.
Wendy’s iconic square patties are so thick that Wendy’s is the only fast food chain where I’d rather eat a single cheeseburger than a double. Having said that, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that the Dave’s Double isn’t great. It’s overwhelming, incredibly greasy, and very salty, but… still great!
One bite into this burger and the meat will burst with addictive-greasy umami-esque flavor notes. The bun is soft and buttery, the cheese melts perfectly across each square-shaped patty, ensuring none of your cheese gushes out to the side. The onions are crispy, the tomato juicy, and the pickles have a snap and tang, but… this lettuce drops the ball.
Jesus Christ, Wendy’s has to do something about this lettuce. Inside each burger is a single leaf of Romaine. The water clinging to the leaf and its overall limpness of flavor and texture tamps down the savory elements of this burger and single-handedly holds it back from ranking higher.
The Bottom Line:
A delicious burger but a reminder that lettuce isn’t just a throwaway ingredient. It can make or break a great burger. So I’m going to go ahead and say skip this one and order a Baconator instead, which ditches the lettuce for bacon.
This gigantic burger (my guess is 1/2 pound) features two thick beef patties, two layers of cheddar cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato, shredded lettuce, and mustard.
One bite will flood your tastebuds with a sumptuous beefy flavor that makes way for sharp and nutty cheese notes, the snap of tomatoes, and a sweet and briny combo of flavors from the red onions and pickles.
The Bottom Line:
If you’ve been sleeping on Chili’s line of burgers, you’re f*cking up.
Fat Burger’s XXL Double King Burger holds the title for the only double cheeseburger that can make shredded lettuce work. The lettuce has a great snap to it, offering a nice texture, while the pickles and onions add a sharp sense of tang and mild spice, which pair nicely with the two well-seasoned patties sandwiched together by two slices of melted American cheese.
In a subtle twist, Fat Burger places each slice of cheese under the patty. I swear this changes the way a burger hits the palate — not in a worse way, just in a way that comes across as slightly off to me. Call me picky if you want, but we are essentially splitting hairs at this point in the ranking. Small minuscule details like this make all the difference when we’re near the top of the ranking.
The Bottom Line:
Each bite is a wonderful savory bomb of flavor. It’s not our favorite but it might well be yours.
This year I tried 19 different Red Robin cheeseburgers and this was my favorite double (non bacon) cheeseburger on the entire menu. The build is slightly smaller than a typical Red Robin burger and features two burger patties, Campire mayo (which is a tangier smokier version of mayo) crispy fried onions, and two slices of American cheese.
The meat is juicy while the sauce brings in some smokey tang to each bite which pairs nicely with the sweetness and crunch of the onion.
In-N-Out will always hold a special place in my heart. As a Los Angeles native, the very first cheeseburger I ever ate was a Double Double, so every burger I’ve had since is measured up against what this burger offers. It is to me, simply what a burger is supposed to taste like.
The meat patties here are delicious, perfectly seasoned, and cooked to a medium well state. The burger has a semi-salty mouth-watering quality that is paired with the best American cheese in all of fast food.
Seriously, In-N-Out, where do you get your cheese from? Start retailing that sh*t ASAP.
The bun is perfectly toasted with a crisped edge that provides a pleasing crunch with each bite. The lettuce is crispy and fresh, the tomatoes are juicy, thick, and always ripe, and the special sauce is delicious with chunks of tart relish.
In-N-Out’s burger is so on point that it’s the only chain that hasn’t given in and produced a bacon cheeseburger. Because they don’t need to. This is such a good burger that it doesn’t need another meat to make it next level.
The Bottom Line:
A truly amazing cheeseburger that is worth the hype it receives. Elevate it by asking for chopped chilis in your burger.
The draw of Five Guys is that the burgers here are fully customizable. So let me talk about the base before offering some builds.
The meat patties are fresh beef cooked to order. They’re juicy, beefy, and I’d guess just under a quarter of a pound. The bun is a standard sesame seed bun and the cheese is salty, a bit creamy, and melts perfectly. Just the meat, cheese, and bun make for a delicious burger that some days will hit the spot even better than our number one choice.
One of my favorite builds is bun, meat, cheese, grilled jalapenos, and onions. It’s beefy, spicy, salty, and incredibly savory.
Another great build is to ask for a grilled cheese and add two patties, this will give you a crispy buttery bun and a more decadent spin on a classic cheeseburger. Elevate this with some barbecue sauce and grilled mushrooms and you have a sweet, smokey, and savory umami bomb of a burger.
The Bottom Line:
This burger is neck and neck with our number one choice. Five Guys is expensive (a double will run you $12), but if you know how to build your burger, it’s worth every penny.
I can say with confidence that Shake Shack has the greatest hamburger patty in all of fast food. I know, I’ve tasted patties completely dry and this one stands far and above the rest.
The way the meat melts in your mouth is just fantastic. It has this wonderful depth of flavor, it’s meaty, juicy, fatty, savory, and has an interesting slightly sweet carmelized crunch to it thanks to the Maillard crust. It is burger perfection. And that’s just the meat!
The produce here is also bang on — the tomatoes are juicy, the lettuce has a slight bitter complexity to it, the burger sauce is sweet, tangy, and rich, and the cheese is a great balance of salty and creamy flavors all served inside a soft and spongey potato bun.
The Bottom Line:
The greatest fast food double cheeseburger your money can buy right now.
A woman named Jackie pulled a move straight out of a romantic comedy recently, and it has the internet rallying around her potential love interest. Jackie met a guy at a bar and liked him so much that she gave him her phone number. Well, 80% of her number, that is.
The world heard about it on January 17 when Twitter user Henpecked Hal shared a picture of the napkin with her partial phone number written on it. “My 22-year-old cousin met his dream girl at a bar and it’s going pretty well,” Hal wrote in the tweet.
“Call me! 512-3*1-2*04,” the message read, along with “I’m worth it.” The 512 is an area code in Austin, Texas.
After congratulating his cousin on meeting his “dream girl,” he asked: “Did you get her number.” The cousin replied, “most of it.” The Tweet also attached a photo of a list of phone numbers the cousin called to try and get in touch with the elusive Jackie.
u201cMy 22 year old cousin met his dream girl at a bar and it’s going pretty wellu201d
The tweet has gone insanely viral, racking up nearly 60,000 retweets, 85.6 million views and 776,000 likes.
The next day, Hal revealed that the woman reached out to him. In the screenshot of her message, she wrote: “Heeeyyy, so you likely won’t see this but I’m Jackie from the tweet!”
“Tell your cousin that next time I see him I’m going to…” she continued, but Hal blurred out the rest of the message to conceal her identity.
“I just talked to him! WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER????” Hal replied. “He said he’s halfway through the list, which means he’s actually like 10 per cent of the way through it.”
“He may not be as clever as he thinks,” Jackie responded, “give me HIS number, I’m taking over this operation.”
A lot of people in the comments said they thought Jackie was cold or arrogant for playing hard to get and making poor Hal’s cousin try 100 different numbers to find out which one was her. But Hal says that it’s all an extension of the conversation the two had at the bar.
“For the people saying she’s arrogant, high maintenance or whatever: these kids talked for an hour about a shared interest in true crime, mysteries, etc,” Hal tweeted. “My cousin bragged that he always solves the case before the show ends (editor’s note: not this time). I think she’s awesome.”
So, all Jackie did was give him another mystery to solve. If he’s such a great amateur detective then he should be able to reach her, right?
Some people in the comments have suggested that the story is fake. One person noted that the notebook page with the phone numbers on it had an indentation at the top which could be the “5” in Jackie’s phone number from the napkin. The implication is that Hal wrote on the napkin while it was on top of the notebook, leaving an indentation. But other people pointed out that the writing didn’t match.
“The programmers who sent scripts and code, the excel junkies who sent me docs to share with my cousin, y’all are wild,” Hal tweeted. “I couldn’t come close to getting back to everyone, but I appreciate it.”
Nearly 90 million people have followed the story of Hal’s cousin and Jackie. Let’s hope there’s a happy ending or at least they get to meet up and see each other again to talk about the mystery that brought them both together.
This article originally appeared on 1.21.23
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(@SaycheeseDGTL) 
