AI tools are relatively new when it comes to being widely accessible on a consumer level. Despite that, a lot of them are already pretty dang good. In terms of impersonation via audio or video, AI tools are producing some convincing results, and here we have a case where they’re not being used for good at the expense of Cardi B.
An online ad for an entity called USA Wellness Wave (about which there appears to be virtually no information online) features an AI-generated voiceover that bears more than a passing resemblance to Cardi, although some of the vocal rhythms and other nuances give away that it’s not the real deal. The video uses unrelated videos of Cardi speaking to give the impression that it’s actually her talking, and the voiceover promotes a supposed “stimulus-style program” that promises free and easy money to applicants.
AI is crazy smh….another lawsuit that fell right on my lap…I love easy money https://t.co/nMqFQpqHAv
The clip was shared on Twitter recently and Cardi caught wind of it today. It would seem she’s not a fan, as she re-posted it and wrote, “AI is crazy smh….another lawsuit that fell right on my lap…I love easy money.”
In a matter of clearly grave national importance, there’s been a lot of focus on Jon Hamm sporting nipple rings for his Trump-loving sheriff in Fargo Season 5. The actor reportedly went so far as to work with a “nippleologist,” which is apparently a real thing and a sign of Hamm’s dedication to his craft.
However, Fargo fans were greeted with more than just painstakingly accurate nipple rings during the two part Season 5 premiere. During a pivotal scene where the FBI is questioning Hamm’s Sheriff Roy Tillman about his discretionary application of the law, the character emerges from a hot tub giving everyone a full-on view of Hamm’s backside.
FX
We are happy to report that what you saw in the premiere was the real deal. Fargo creator Noah Hawley confirmed to Vanity Fair that those cheeks are 100% Hamm:
That’s all Jon. Don’t forget the nipple rings! Tillman is deeply invested in religious traditions but also wears nipple rings. It’s Tiger King America, which manages to mix conservative and what would be called liberal values in a way that is fascinating. It was really great to explore that with Jon’s character, because he’s not your father’s Christian lawman. It’s a more unexpected, more unfamiliar guy who is basically saying, I am the law. That’s what we saw with our previous president—whatever he was, that’s what the law was. And there’s a sort of unsettling carnality to Jon’s character, you know, where he wants the moral high ground but he’s also got a sex trunk. So where does the line get drawn, and who gets to draw it? That really is the thing.
The two-part Fargo Season 5 premiere in all it’s Hamm-butt glory is available for streaming on Hulu.
Last night, Dancing With The Stars held a special Taylor Swift-themed night, where each of the teams performed a routine to a selection from the pop star’s catalog.
One of the groups, Jason Mraz and dancer Daniella Karagach were shocked when they received a perfect score (40/40) for their tango to “Don’t Blame Me,” from Swift’s 2017 album, Reputation (as People notes).
“I was more nervous tonight than I was on the first night because I have that experience of forgetting moves,” Mraz told the judges after the performance, as he felt he had struggled in the previous weeks, but was now fueled by the power of the Swifties. “I went home and pet my cat, I cried a little bit, I meditated, I did my yoga and I’m here,” he added.
TONIGHT on Dancing with the Stars: A Celebration of Taylor Swift, it’s a Swiftie soundtrack and we could dance to this beat forever more! Tune in live at 8pm EST on @ABCNetwork and @DisneyPlus. BYO party shoes and living room dance moves.#DWTSxTaylorSwiftpic.twitter.com/12JyvBZuSV
Even the judges had some Swift jokes prepared, as Bruno told Mraz, “Reputation restored! You are back with a massive hit!”
Mraz had practiced with Karagach, but it’s also worth noting that he’s also been a duet partner with Swift herself — giving him some confidence when it came to the competition. Way back in 2011, he joined Swift on stage during the Speak Now tour stop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The two did a duet of his hit 2008 song, “I’m Yours.”
Revisit Mraz and Swift’s duet below.
here’s some footage of jason mraz and taylor swift performing i’m yours together at a concert back in 2011.
When Thanksgiving is done right, families evenly divide the labor so that everything gets done and nobody works too hard. Someone takes charge of roasting the turkey, others contribute with sides, somebody is on dishes, and there’s always one family member happy to mix up some cocktails.
While most families shouldn’t have to resort to aggressive tactics to ensure this balance, Colleen Rast Cederberg, 31, has created a unique solution to keep the labor duties in her family. She made a “Thanksgiving Draft.”
“My sisters were spending all day cooking, and my brothers were spending all evening cleaning and I was just kind of hearing from both sides that there was kind of an imbalance,” Rast Cederberg, the middle child of 5 siblings, told Fox News Digital.
Rast Cederberg explained how the draft works in a TikTok video that has been seen 650,000 times.
“This is how I do Thanksgiving so that my siblings and I don’t kill each other,” Rast Cederberg opens her video. “We give every dish a point value from one to three. The cranberry dish is a one and the turkey is a three.”
In the weeks leading up to the holiday, the family jumps on a video call to choose their particular dishes, just like NFL general managers do during their annual draft. They also decide who’s on cleaning and dish duty.
“We all draft what dishes we want to make,” she says in the video. “We also do this thing called ‘flex kitchen,’ which means you basically hang out in the kitchen for an hour and our job is to keep the kitchen clean – so unload the dishwasher if it’s ready, helping out the people cooking, whatever it takes to keep the kitchen moving.”
While some family members think it’s a little too rigid to outline of “rules and responsibilities on Thanksgiving,” Rast Cederberg says everyone happily participates in the system.
The Thanksgiving Draft has received a lot of love in the TikTok comments section from people who love organization. “My type A personality is obsessed with this. Dear lord, I wish my family was like this lol,” Nicole A Gaskins wrote. “I have never desired hanging out with people as much as I do right now. Omg the organization, the spreadsheets. It’s all so beautiful,” Buzzsaw408 added.
One big question in the comments inspired a quick follow-up video from Rast Cederberg. “I wanna know the root fight that happened where this was the solution?” Optimistic asked.
“I had older siblings that were doing all the cooking and younger siblings that were doing all of the cleaning and this was my solution to kind of smooth everything between the two factions because everyone should do a little bit of both,” Rast Cederberg said in a subsequent TikTok post.
Once you thought that Rast Cederberg’s draft was taking Thanksgiving organization as far as it can go, she dropped this nugget: An AI-generated schedule for cooking the holiday meal. She fed ChatGPT all of the recipes she is going to make on Thanksgiving, and it created a detailed cooking schedule for the entire meal.
More Thanksgiving planning hacks this one complements of @bjc6109
Dogs can smell fear, but can they sniff out the truth? Your dog might actually be smarter than you’re giving it credit for. It turns out, dogs are pretty good at picking up on human behavior. Science says so. A team led by Akiko Takaoka of Kyoto University in Japan conducted a study which found out that dogs actually know if you’re to be believed or not.
The study involved tricking dogs in the name of science. Humans have known for a long time that if you point at an object, a dog will run to it. Researchers utilized this information in their study. During the experiment, they pointed at a container that was filled with hidden food. Sure enough, the dog ran towards the container. Then, they pointed at a container that was empty. The dogs ran towards it, but found that it had no food.
The third time the researchers pointed at a container with food, the dogs refused to go to the container. They knew the person pointing wasn’t reliable based off their previous experience. 34 dogs were used in the experiment, and every single dog wouldn’t go towards the container the third time. This experiment either proves that dogs can spot a liar or that dogs have major trust issues.
In other words, if you lie to your dog, your dog forms the opinion that your word isn’t good and will behave accordingly. “Dogs have more sophisticated social intelligence than we thought. This social intelligence evolved selectively in their long life history with humans,” said Takaoka, who was also surprised that dogs were quick when they “devalued the reliability of a human.”
John Bradshaw of the University of Bristol in the UK, who wasn’t involved in this study, says that the results indicate that dogs prefer predictability. When gestures are inconsistent, dogs tend to become nervous and stressed.
The researchers have plans to repeat the experiment swapping out the dogs with wolves because wolves are closely related to dogs. The point of this isn’t to get bitten by wolves, but rather, to see the “profound effects of domestication” on dogs.
LAS VEGAS – Dutch DJ/producer Martin Garrix chose not to wear his Whoop over the last 24 hours. The wrist device, which monitors daily exertion and recovery, wouldn’t have given him data he wanted to see in the lead-up to the inaugural Formula One Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix. Garrix flew in on Friday, played a late-night show at Omnia on Friday night, did an extended set at the Marquee Dayclub on Saturday afternoon, rushed through some other obligations, and got to the Paddock in time to see his long-time friend Max Verstappen win a thrilling race on the Vegas Strip. To cap it all off, he performed the closing ceremony at the track, then celebrated with Max back at Omnia into the early morning.
There’s not much time for recovery over a typical F1 weekend. Add the craziness of Vegas, and the decision to not want to track that behavior entirely starts to make a bit more sense.
The prevailing story being written about race weekend — the first in a 10-year agreement between F1 and the city — was about how much of a disaster it would be. Take your pick of national (and international) outlets, and you could have your fill of anthropological observations from the ground about road closures and taped-over views on walking bridges and empty restaurants and oh-so-many quotes from grumpy Uber drivers. Each of these pieces would’ve had you believe the Strip was impossible to navigate and people were miserable. Couple that with some incendiary quotes from Verstappen himself — and a damage-inducing drain cover that shut down Thursday’s practice — and those headlines finding every way to mention “gamble,” “bust,” “big bet,” “jackpot,” or any other betting term imaginable seemed to suggest this thing would be lucky to happen at all.
In response, Vegas did what it always does: put on a show. The race was exciting, including a last-lap maneuver from Charles Leclerc that left the crowd stunned and gave him a second place podium finish. Verstappen even changed his tune a bit, singing “Viva Las Vegas” and clearly enjoying himself in the champagne spray. Fans and workers alike walked away with smiles, whether they were in the grandstands, the Paddock Club, or any number of well-executed brand setups from the Heineken House to the Red Bull Energy Station. Vegas being Vegas, the race had DJs, just oh-so-much wealth, plenty of gambling-themed photo opportunities, Elvises, a wedding chapel in the Paddock, Shaq (because, obviously, Shaq had to be there), celebrity chefs, exotic cars, brands, brands, and more brands, and even Rihanna.
Garrix wasn’t surprised. As someone who has had a residency in Vegas for a decade and who travels the world — he frequently pops up at F1 races — he had a perspective few others shared. He watched the construction almost weekly, and still can’t believe the staff pulled it off in just under a year. But he stressed that this is only the beginning. Vegas has a tendency to make a big plan and merely fill in the details later. With proof of concept and time to iron out wrinkles ahead of next year, the race can evolve to match the skill Verstappen desperately craves, while continuing to add the flair that only the Strip can provide. It won’t always be smooth, it won’t always make sense, and it’ll always induce an eye-roll or two to those who haven’t offered themselves over to the kitsch and absurdity of Sin City. But it won’t be boring. And the Sphere will keep watch over us all.
The Platinum-selling artist went long from a hotel suite at the Cosmopolitan on the race, his friendship with Verstappen, his love for F1, and what makes Vegas so special.
Martin Rickman: What’s your relationship like with F1?
Martin Garrix: I love F1. I love the sport. I love the adrenaline. I love just the races, and the excitement. I’ve been very lucky to be part of a lot of races around the world together with Heineken and it’s cool. I’ve known Max since, I think I was 18 and he was 16 when we met. So it’s been very cool to see him rise to the phenomenon he’s now, but also I’m close to some of the other drivers and it’s cool because we’re doing something completely opposite. They’re very healthy. There are sportsmen, and I party and am up late at night, not on a regular schedule. So it’s cool to find a balance in the middle where we can meet and there’s actually a lot of points that we can relate on, which is nice.
Your lifestyle and what you’re asked to do, it does put a lot of strain on your body and your mind — traveling at different times, meeting different people, kind of having to stay on at all times. Drivers have a similar experience in different ways. Obviously, their physical is in the car, your physical is performing. Do you find that you guys relate to each other?
Yeah, I definitely think there’s a lot of things in common. Also, depending on the team, it’s teamwork. It’s a lot of pressure because in the end, it comes up on our performance. There are a lot of people doing everything they can in advance, etc. But in the moment itself, it’s you got to do well or you f*ck up. But F1 is a top sport. They’re in an amazing shape. They’re very, very aware of sleep, alcohol, everything, which is cool. It inspires me to live more healthily and it is amazing. We get to travel the world together. I’m not doing every race, but together with Heineken I’m doing Vegas, I did Mexico recently. I’m going to do China. I’m not sure if it’s announced yet. Canada was f*cking sick.
So there’s a lot of cool things. And it’s nice because I’m close to Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, and Max, and we’re all at races for a completely different reason. They’re there to f*cking race. I’m there to entertain the audience after the race, but it’s nice to see friends all over the world. We get to travel together and there’s a lot of connecting points where we can actually, after they did their thing, after I did my thing, we can decompress together, which is nice.
What’s the most surprising thing about those three guys that maybe people don’t know about them?
I think it’s how dedicated they are to the sport. Some people they see, oh, drivers, they show up to the race, they race. Max every time I’m with him in his free time, he’s racing on the sim. It’s the craziest thing. All he does with F1 is racing, traveling, racing. You would expect him to be home and to relax, to decompress. But he’s still racing. He’s practicing the new circuits. He’s on the sim. Same thing for Lando, same thing for Daniel, and I can relate to it with music as well. Once you have a passion for something, it doesn’t feel like work and you want to get better. You want to bring your A-game. So it’s cool to see that because what I do is completely different, but there’s some similarities in a way.
Yeah, passion is universal.
And they’re passionate as f*ck. It’s amazing.
You talked about being inspired to do more things for yourself, to kind of keep yourself right, physically, and mentally. What are some of the things that you’re trying out that you’re learning?
I think the most important thing is to have routines. Find out your routine, find stuff you like. I love playing padel [tennis]. I love windsurfing. I picked up going to the gym again. So I think it’s a few things that, and also if you start your day with a workout for the rest of the day, you’re way more productive. You feel more good about everything. And there was a few years that I missed that mindset. It happens. But no, I feel really good. I’m excited about everything. I’ll work out and for the rest of the day, I’m like this, I want to do this, this, this. I’ll be more productive in the studio, which is good.
Do you know the first race you ever went to or when that was?
I think it was Singapore, the one with Dua Lipa, yeah, in 2018. And I was playing the after-show performance. The marina and looking out on it after the stage. It was cool. And just for me too, because you watch the races on TV, to be there in person, you hear the sound of the cars. It’s like the adrenaline, there’s nothing comparing to it. It’s raw. It’s f*cking hits you.
What are you working on now that has you really excited?
Everything. I’m working on a lot of music, like crazy amounts. I’m doing a score for a TV show. I started on it last year, but then the writers’ strike happened, so everything got delayed, but now it picked up again. So that’s exciting. There’s a lot of cool Garrix stuff coming. I’m working on some stuff for other artists writing-wise. There’s a lot of stuff in the works. I’m very excited. I think I finished a follow-up for my last single, I think I finished it two days ago. But it’s nice. It’s a good feeling once you’re in the studio and you make something and you’re confident enough effort towards to be like, oh, this might be the follow-up.
You’re really familiar with Vegas, and obviously a lot of people are coming into Vegas for the first time, or they’re F1 fans who aren’t as familiar with it. What is it about Las Vegas that makes this a good destination for F1?
I think Vegas is the city of entertainment. F1m besides being a sport, has a crazy amount of entertainment as well around the race. And I think people maybe this weekend in particular have wanted F1 to fail in the city because of the preparations, because of everything. But I do think Vegas, if you look at Monaco, the race has been there for f*cking god knows how long, and you build, you grow. This race has the potential to become one of the biggest races. It would be cool if they could make some adjustments to the tracks or make it a little bit more challenging. But listen, you see some shots of the f*cking track even in qualifying, and it looked insane.
It looked like a video game. Every single shot, you’re just like, how the f*ck is this real? And I do think a lot of people around the world, they see it. They’re like, oh my god, this looks crazy. But once you’re here, once you’re actually next to the circuit, it’s just, it is wild. So I’m excited to see how Vegas will grow, how Vegas will get better, but I can’t believe the amount of work they did in the last year. I’ve been to Vegas every other weekend, so I saw the progress of them trying to fix the asphalt, building the f*cking paddock. It’s actually ridiculous how much work they got done in a year. Some people are a little bit … maybe mean is not the right word, but they’re very judgmental towards everyone. I think what they did here is monumental, and I think this could become one of the biggest races in F1.
You said you’ve known Max since he was 16. How has he changed in the time since then?
Well, the funnest thing about Max is he has not changed one single bit. Same person. He’s just obsessed with racing. Even in his free time, whenever, if I’m touring and I get home, the last thing I want to do is DJ. My brain needs a little break, and I need to decompress. Max won in the Netherlands, and I flew with him to Monaco after the race, and we were on the plane, laughing, etc. Having a good time. I was like, ‘Hey man, let’s have some drinks’ He’s like, “No, man, I’m going to go Sim race.’ I’m like, “Bro, you’ve just f*cking won. You just won the race, you lunatic!” But he is inspiring. He’s so passionate about racing. And it’s a mindset, and especially for racers much like artists, you’re by yourself, you’re solo. But I feel like racers, they’re so strict on themselves. There was one time he came in second, this was I think eight years ago, and I was like, “Hey, congrats man, congrats on the podium.” This was before he won every race. And he looks at me straight, dead serious. He’s like, “Congrats on what? I’m the first to lose.” I’m like, “What the f*ck?”
It’s crazy. That mindset. If I’m second with anything, I’m like, f*ck yeah, I’m stoked. Of course, you want to be number one, but to see it as a loss? But I think that’s what makes him, him. Same thing for Daniel, and same thing for Lando. It’s like f*cking tunnel vision, which is amazing.
This interview has been briefly condensed and edited for clarity. Uproxx Sports was invited on a hosted trip to the F1 Vegas GP through Heineken for reporting on this piece. However, Heineken did not review or approve this story in any way. You can find out more about our policy on press trips/hostings here.
The 20 bourbons below are all fantastic in their own ways. There’s a lot of variation to this selection of whiskeys, and that means that should be something for everyone this Thanksgiving. Granted, this isn’t going to be the easiest bourbon to find. Or particularly wallet-friendly. That’s kind of the whole point. You’re going to pay a big premium on some of these bottles but you can get them.
In short, if you want to show up to Thanksgiving dinner and weekend with a mic-drop bourbon, this is the list for you. Let’s dive right in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This sourced bourbon is built from 11 and 18-year-old bourbon barrels. The real star of the show with this whiskey is that those bourbons were finished in Armagnac, Cognac, and sherry casks before vatting and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with sticky toffee pudding that really amps up the cinnamon and nutmeg next to black-tea-soaked dates next to some stewed prunes wrapped in chili-chocolate-laced tobacco leaves and dripped in honey and then walnuts.
Palate: A savory fruitiness opens the palate with figs and pumpkin that leads towards an apricot jam with a hint of clove and cinnamon next to light touches of old library leather and funk.
Finish: A faint hint of dark berries arrives on the mid-palate before the finish luxuriates in burnt toffee, almond shells, more of that leather, and dried-out apricots.
Bottom Line:
This is a great insider bourbon. It’s also a dessert bomb, making it the perfect cheese course or pie course pairing whiskey this Thanksgiving.
This new release is a masterful blend of whiskeys from the core of America’s distillery region. The blend in the bottle is a batch of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee whiskeys that are balanced to highlight classic bourbon notes at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Peach cobbler with a big scoop of malted vanilla ice cream pops on the nose with a light sense of rye bread crusts, caramel pie, and mild orange zest cut with oaky tobacco.
Palate: Apricot jam over buttermilk biscuits leads the taste toward white pepper spiciness, winter spice barks, and a bright burst of grapefruit pith before this mild sense of white grape juice and almost savory melon arrives.
Finish: That melon goes full honeydew on the finish with a bit more of that orange before black peppercorns and smoldering smudging sage drive the end toward woody tobacco boxes wrapped in old leather.
Bottom Line:
This bottle is from the folks at Preservation Distillery (who bottle the famed Olde St. Nick whiskeys). This is a great food pairing whiskey for the whole Thanksgiving experience. It also makes killer whiskey-forward cocktails with a rye vibe that shines through — think Manhattans and Sazeracs.
18. Widow Jane The Vaults Aged 15 Years A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
This year’s Widow Jane The Vaults takes the age statement up to 15 years. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of Tennessee and Indiana bourbons that rested for 15 years before batching and re-filling into Chinquapin oak casks for another three months of mellowing in Widow Jane’s Red Hook warehouse.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Perfectly toasted marshmallow gives way to cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven with a sense of real-deal sasparilla cut with vanilla ice cream and a hint of mint before an almost savory fruitiness arrives that’s part sandy pear and part yellow melon.
Palate: The vanilla takes on a lemon chocolate vibe (a very underrated combination) before the mint shocks the palate toward rich and chewy tobacco dipped in honey.
Finish: Sharp cherry cola drives the finish toward fresh honeycombs with a hint of nutmeg sprinkled in next to vanilla pound cake cut with poppyseeds and almond oils.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice craft bottle to drop on a Thanksgiving table. It’s rare and delicious and suits any part of the meal from soup to nuts.
The latest Distillery Series from Woodford leans into the California oak. In this case, the whiskey in the bottle was made from barrels of bourbon finished in Sonoma County Pinot Noir, brandy, and red wine bourbon barrels. Those barrels were then batched and just proofed down before bottling for this special release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Freshly ground cinnamon drives the nose toward grilled peaches and pineapple before deep and oily vanilla arrives with a sense of fresh plums dusted with a hint of salt.
Palate: Those plums stay fresh on the palate as the vanilla really kicks up with a nice balance of old oak, a hint of leatheriness, and old tobacco dipped into mulled wine.
Finish: That mulled wine takes on an oakiness with more leathery tobacco on the finish as the plums are just stewed with winter spice barks and then folded into berry pie.
Bottom Line:
Woodford Reserve is such a well-known luxury brand already that Thanksgiving calls for a special bottle. Plus, the wine finish of this one leans into food pairing for a big holiday meal. You know what to do!
16. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 18 Years
This is a super rare limited release for fall 2023. The whiskey in the bottle is Beam’s standard mash bill that’s distilled at a slightly different temperature and treated with a little more care during aging by placing barrels in very specific locations throughout their vast warehouses. After 18 long years, the best of the best barrels are small batched, and just proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark molasses and pecan clusters with salted dark chocolate lead to brown butter, old figs, and salted caramel with a woody sense of cherry and apple bark next to cinnamon-laced cedar sticks with burnt orange.
Palate: The palate is full of lush vanilla notes next to singed cherry bark and apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, star anise, salted black licorice, and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans with a hint of dried red chili spice turning up the heat on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end has a floral honey sweetness that balances everything toward orange blossoms and bruised peaches, cherry tobacco, and clove tobacco.
Bottom Line:
Knob Creek is a great heritage brand and this limited edition bottle is perfect for celebrating the gathering of any bourbon-loving family. The quintessential Kentucky sweet bourbon vibes really speak to dessert courses, but this works all around either as neat pours or in phenomenal cocktails.
This year’s Cowboy Bourbon from Garrison Brothers is a blend of only 118 barrels of six-year-old Texas bourbon. 1,000 bottles of the crafty Texas whiskey will be available in mid-September at the distillery with an additional 8,600 bottles going out nationwide the first week of October.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a rush of sharp cinnamon bark wrapped up with old saddle leather, freshly fried apple fritters, walnuts, old cedar bark braids twisted up with dried wild sage, and a hint of dried yellow mustard flowers with an underlying sense of maple syrup over pecan waffles.
Palate: The palate leans into the spice with a hint of allspice and ginger next to apple pie filling with walnuts, brandy-soaked raisins, and plenty of brown sugar next to spiced Christmas cake dipped in dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The end takes its time and meanders through salted caramel, stewed plums with star anise and sharp cinnamon, a hint of vanilla Dr. Pepper, and a mild sense of chocolate-cinnamon-spiced chewing tobacco buzziness with a warming Texas hug that’s part Hot Tamales and part chili-spiced green tea.
Bottom Line:
This is a massively bold whiskey. This is the pour you drop on the Thanksgiving table when you want to challenge palates.
14. Hardin’s Creek ‘Frankfort’ Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is the same 17-year-old Beam bourbon aged at the Frankfort, Kentucky campus. This set of warehouses is more easterly in the state where the humidity gets bold in the summer and the foothills of Appalachia start to roll in. The actual buildings are also tighter with less ventilation, creating a more enclosed hot box vibe for the ricks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft woody notes pop on the nose with a sense of old tobacco in a cedar humidor next to toasted marshmallows over a smoldering campfire with rum raisin, bespoke cherry soda pop, and salted caramel that’s cut with molasses leads to a medley of sugar cookies cut with almond and lemon oils next to spiced nut cakes.
Palate: The caramel gets dark and salted on the tip of the tongue as the palate leans into mincemeat pies and dark mulled wine with a sense of brandy-soaked fruit cake, rich marzipan, and soft pipe tobacco with a sense of floral honey backing everything up.
Finish: The end takes on a woody vanilla pod vibe over soft notes of winter spice barks, soft cedar, and old saddle leather shined with cherry wax and honeycomb before a malty chocolate shake arrives with a lush and silky finish full of holiday spices and dry smudging sage piled up in an old rickhouse on a warm but musty day.
Bottom Line:
This is just delicious Kentucky bourbon. It’s also the bottle you bring to Thanksgiving when you want to show how beautiful Jim Beam can be.
13. George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof (BTAC 2023)
This year’s batch of George T. Stagg was distilled in the spring of 2008 and left to rest in warehouses C, I, K, L, and M around the Frankfort Buffalo Trace campus. After 15 long years of rest, the barrels were batched and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a classic sense of Cherry Coke, old leather tobacco pouches, and rich buttercream made with real vanilla next to fall leaves in an orchard and then this sense of Neoplotian ice cream creeps in that leans toward the strawberry and chocolate ice cream part.
Palate: The palate opens with a deep sense of an apple orchard on a cold fall day with leaves underfoot next to deeply-seeded dark cherry, cinnamon bark, clove buds, and allspice berries with a sense of the Neopolitan ice cream popping up again late.
Finish: The creamy vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry drive the finish back toward the old orchards, fall leaves, rickhouse floors, and soft cherry-spiced tobacco leaves rolled with cedar and smudging sage with a nice warming Kentucky hug on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is another bold AF bourbon but it has such deep nuance and creaminess, especially when you pour it over a single large rock. The vibes are all about dessert as well, making it the perfect end-of-day pour for any Thanksgiving meal.
12. Booker’s Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2023-03 “Mighty Fine Batch”
This new batch from the Beam team honors Beam Master Distiller Booker Noe’s old favorite phrase when a batch of bourbon worked out just right. The cask-strength batch of bourbon was pulled from prime barrels from prime spots across the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky. Once batched, the whiskey was bottled 100% as-is at barrel strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark brown sugar and cask warmth pops on the nose with a sense of deep and very real vanilla under a heat lamp and lashing the air with deep vanilla smells as caramel sweetens the rest of the air with bourbon-y vibes of oak, leather, and tobacco.
Palate: That deep and warm vanilla drives the palate toward a Kentucky hug from a grizzly bear as the ABVs warm toward sharp winter spice barks, dark cherry cola, and marzipan cut with dark chocolate and more dark cherry before the old oakiness arrives with a hint of warehouse floor.
Finish: The grizzly bear Kentucky hug only gets sharper and hotter on the finish as the brown sugar, dark cherry, and old oak lead to a creamy lush vanilla finish that’s just kissed with eggnog, marzipan, and spiced holiday cookies.
Bottom Line:
Booker’s is made for special occasions. Hint, hint…
11. King of Kentucky Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel Sixth Edition
2023’s King of Kentucky from Brown-Forman in Louisville, Kentucky is a 16-year-old masterpiece. The batch this year was pulled from 51 barrels all filled on July 19th, 2007. Those barrels were left alone all these years in Warehouse G in the Louisville Brown-Forman Distillery. Once batched, the whiskey went into the bottle 100% as-is at cask strength, yielding only 3,800 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Toasted coconut and brandy-soaked dates lead the way on the nose with a rich sense of good salted dark chocolate, vanilla buttercream, and honeyed Graham Crackers sandwiching toasted marshmallow.
Palate: That dark chocolate takes on a creaminess (kind of like a small espresso mocha) with a sense of sticky toffee pudding cut with black tea, those brandy-soaked dates, a twist of orange, and plenty of nutmeg and cinnamon before leathery notes of old boots and dry tobacco arrive with an ever-warming heat from the ABVs.
Finish: The ABVs buzz to a warmth that peaks before it gets hot as the finish rides a wave toward orchard barks, mince meat pies, mulled wine, and whispers of pear marzipan.
Bottom Line:
Sticky with the bold AF bourbon pours, this is a banger. It’s so deliciously dessert-forward with a firey base. This also feels like the perfect “welcome to the holidays” pour with deep Christmas vibes.
10. Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 13 Years
This whiskey was made by Eddie Russell to celebrate his 40th year of distilling whiskey with his dad, Jimmy Russell. The juice is a collection of a minimum of 13-year-old barrels that Eddie Russell hand-picked. Those barrels were married and then bottled as-is with no proofing or filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet and dried fruits invite you on the nose as a touch of fresh, creamy, and dark Black Forest cake mingles with mild holiday spices, dried almonds, and a sense of rich pipe tobacco just kissed with sultanas.
Palate: That dark chocolate and cherry fruit drive the palate as a hint of charred cedar leads toward vanilla tobacco with more of that dark chocolate and a small touch of honey, orange blossom, and a whisper of dried chili flake.
Finish: That honey leads back to the warmth and spice with a thin line of cherry bark smoke lurking on the very backend with more bitter chocolate, buttery vanilla, and dark cherry all combining into chewy tobacco packed into an old pine box and wrapped up with worn leather thread.
Bottom Line:
This is the whiskey you pour when you want a quintessential example of Kentucky bourbon. It’s so good, folks. Drink it however you like to drink your whiskey.
9. Jack Daniel’s 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey, Batch 1
Jack Daniel’s doesn’t hide any of its processes. The mash at the base of this whiskey is a mix of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye. Those grains are milled in-house and mixed with cave water pulled from an on-site spring and Jack Daniel’s own yeast and lactobacillus that they also make/cultivate on-site. Once fermented, the mash is distilled twice in huge column stills. The hot spirit is then filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal that’s also made at the distillery. Finally, the filtered whiskey is loaded into charred new American oak barrels and left alone in the warehouse. After 12 years, a handful of barrels were ready; so they were batched, barely proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is creamy with deep notes of old boot leather, dark and woody winter spices, black-tea-soaked dates, plum jam with clove, and an underbelly of chewy toffee-laced tobacco.
Palate: That creaminess presents on the palate with a soft sticky toffee pudding drizzled in salted caramel and vanilla sauce next to flakes of salt and a pinch of orange zest over dry Earl Grey tea leaves with a whisper of singed wild sage.
Finish: The end leans into the creamy toffee chewy tobacco with a hint of pear, cherry, and bananas foster over winter spice barks and a deep embracing warmth.
Bottom Line:
This might be the best Jack Daniel’s release of the last decade. It’s an instant classic and perfect for pairing with a slow and food-filled day like Thanksgiving.
8. 15 STARS Fine Aged Spirits Sherry Cask Finish A Select Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Sherry Casks
This brand-new release from 15 STARS (arriving on shelves on September 26th, 2023) is made from a blend of 10 and 13-year-old Kentucky and Indiana bourbons. Those barrels were batched by the 15 STARS crew and then the whiskey was re-barreled in sherry casks for a final touch of maturation. That whiskey was then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Plums, dates, and figs come through on the nose with deep marzipan cut with pear brandy and dipped in salted dark chocolate next to eggnog spices and creaminess with a good dose of Christmas nut cakes.
Palate: The eggnog lusciousness leads the palate toward soft vanilla cookies, salted caramel chews, and a hint of spiced plum jam next to buttermilk waffles studded with pecans before old cellar oak adds an earthen layer.
Finish: The sweetness of the leathery dried fruits drives the finish toward winter spice barks and berries with a sense of old pipe tobacco braided with smudging sage and a whisper of dried mint next to cedar and fall leaves.
Bottom Line:
This is another fantastic bourbon. It pairs amazingly well with fall and winter flavors and works as a slow sipper as well as it works as a killer cocktail base.
This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The old Bomberger’s Distillery in Pennsylvania is where the brand started way back in the day (1753). The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak. The staves for that barrel were air-dried for three years before coppering, charring, and filling. The Kentucky bourbon is then bottled in an extremely small batch that yields around 2,000 bottles per year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet mashed grains — think a bowl of Cream of Wheat cut with butter and molasses — mix with sticky toffee pudding, old saddle leather, old cellar beams, and sweet cinnamon with a hint of candied orange and dark chocolate next to luscious eggnog with a flake of salt.
Palate: The palate is super creamy with a crème brûlée feel that leads to soft winter spices, dry cedar, and orange chocolates with a hint of pear-brandy-soaked marzipan in the background.
Finish: The end has a creamed honey vibe next to brandy-soaked figs and rum-soaked prunes with fresh chewing tobacco and salted dark chocolate leading back to dark chocolate and old cellar floors with a touch of smoldering orchard bark.
Bottom Line:
We’re deep into the mic-drop bourbons for any Thanksgiving or holiday shindig at this point. This is a “wow” pour of whiskey from Michter’s that suits slow sipping at any point of a big meal.
6. Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 17 Years Old (BTAC 2023)
This year’s Eagle Rare ended up being 19 years and three months old (the “17 Years” on the label denotes the youngest barrels used for the brand overall). This year’s release was distilled and barreled back in the spring of 2004 and then left to rest all those years around the Buffalo Trace campuses in warehouses C, I, K, M, and Q. Once the barrels were batched, the whiskey was proofed and bottled as-is otherwise.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is like eating a moist and perfectly balanced Black Forest cake while walking through an old barrel house and out into a fallow fruit orchard with fall leaves crunchy underfoot and rain barely misty the air with hints of cinnamon cake, smudging sage, and sweetgrass rounding things out.
Palate: Orange cake and salted caramel lead on the palate with a sense of dark chocolate tobacco moving the mid-palate toward dry roasting herbs and a touch of nuttiness.
Finish: Cinnamon sticks and nutmeg pop up on the finish with a hint of vanilla buttercream and eggnog before the spices dry out with a sense of mince meat pie and old leather tobacco pouches.
Bottom Line:
This is the whiskey you break out when you want the perfect example of drinkable Kentucky bourbon.
5. Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old
The whiskey barrels sourced for these single-barrel expressions tend to be at least 10 years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the whiskey goes through Michter’s bespoke filtration process before a touch of Kentucky’s iconic soft limestone water is added, bringing the bourbon down to a very crushable 94.4 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a peppery sense of cedar bark and burnt orange next to salted caramel and tart red berries with a moist and spicy sticky toffee pudding with some brandy butter dancing on the nose.
Palate: The palate blends vanilla tobacco with salted dark chocolate-covered marzipan while espresso cream leads to new porch wicker and black peppercorns.
Finish: The end has a pecan waffle vibe with chocolate chips, maple syrup, blackberry jam, and minced meat pies next to old tobacco and cedar with a sweet yet singed marshmallow on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is the whiskey you pour for the true bourbon nerd. It’s pretty much perfect as well and will suit every step of your Thanksgiving dinner and weekend — neat, on the rocks, or in a great cocktail.
This brand-new release from Wild Turkey is the first time Bruce Russell’s name has appeared on a bottle. Bruce teamed up with with dad (Master Distiller Eddie Russell) and his granddad (Master Distiller and legend Jimmy Russell) to create a bourbon that spoke to all three of their whiskey palates. The whiskey in the bottles ended up being a blend of 9-, 12-, 14-, and 15-year-old bourbon that all three of the Russells selected together. Once batched, that bourbon was bottled 100% as-is without filtering or proofing to highlight the beauty of the whiskey being made at Wild Turkey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Lush vanilla oils are cut with salted caramel and dark cherry root beer made with real sasparilla next to warming winter spices (clove, anise, and allspice) that lean toward mulled wine, cherry-laced tobacco, and hints of dry smudging sage braided with sweetgrass.
Palate: That woodiness leads on the palate before a rush of vanilla buttercream and toffee rolled in roasted almond and dusted with dark chocolate powder shifts the taste toward warm apple pie filling cut with more cloves and allspice and washed down with cherry cola.
Finish: That dark cherry is just kissed with floral honey on the backend as the spices take on a woody bark vibe and the toffee makes a buttery and lush return with a near marzipan feel before old oak staves from a musty rickhouse lead to another braid of sage, cedar, and tobacco on the chewy and silky end.
Bottom Line:
Thanksgiving is all about family and this bourbon is, well, all about family. That makes the theme of this delicious whiskey on point for a long family meal. My advice, pour this over a single rock and let it wash over you.
3. Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Barrels
This brand-new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is a collaboration with Chicago’s Goose Island’s iconic Bourbon County Stout. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of six- and seven-year-old Kentucky bourbons that are batched and then re-barreled into Bourbon County stout barrels. 12 months later, the whiskey is blended with another 9-year-old Kentucky bourbon, barely proofed, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A moment of honey draws you in on the nose before veering toward rich and very dark chocolate with a deeply stewed cherry cut with oily vanilla, mulled wine spices, and pear brandy-soaked marzipan with a hint of candied orange zest, dry espresso beans, and moist tobacco leaves.
Palate: There’s a moment of malted chocolate shakes on the taste that leads to a rich spiced Christmas cake brimming with walnuts, sultanas, candied cherry, candied lemon rinds, and leathery dates that lead to moments of creamy and very boozy eggnog poured over a Black Forest Cake.
Finish: The Christmas spices, fruit cake, dried fruit, and eggnog all combine on the finish to create a rich and sumptuous finish full of luscious textures and just the right amount of spiced whiskey warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is the one whiskey to serve with dessert. It’s exacting and delicious. It’ll also prime your palate for all the sweet and spicy treats to come as the holidays lead into the new year.
This is Buffalo Trace’s classic wheated bourbon. This year’s Weller BTAC was distilled back in the spring of 2011 and left to rest in warehouses C, L, M, and N for 12 long years. Those barrels were batched and this whiskey was bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Deep and dark candied black cherry mingles with dry cedar bark, molasses, real vanilla beans, nutty brown butter, and old leather rolled in pipe tobacco and just kissed with smoldering sage and dry chili pepper flakes.
Palate: The palate opens with a full blast of ABVs, making the front of your tongue tingle, as floral honey, cherry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream, and brown butter streusel cut with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove lead to a hint of dry orange tobacco.
Finish: Cinnamon sticks and clove buds floating in maple syrup arrive on the finish with a sense of old leather boots, the oak in an old rickhouse, orchard barks, and soft notes of vanilla and cherry cake.
Bottom Line:
This is a bottle of elevated wheated bourbon that’s amazingly drinkable for a barrel-strength whiskey. Overall, you cannot go wrong pouring this at any point during Thanksgiving.
1. Heaven’s Door Bootleg Series Vol. V 18-Year-Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged in Spanish Vermough Rogue Casks
The new Bootleg Series from Heaven’s Door is here! This year’s edition is an 18-year-old bourbon that’s finished in Spanish Vermouth Rouge casks. The whiskey was batched and bottled as-is with a one-of-a-kind piece of art from Bob Dylan serving as a label that’s reminiscent of going on the road with Steinbeck or Kesey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old honey pots with crystalized honey at the bottom open the nose toward rich and salted caramel next to a moist and lush vanilla cake dotted with dried brandied cherries and a note of old oak wrapped in tobacco leaves.
Palate: That tobacco marries to the salted caramel on the palate as the vanilla and cherry swim in brandy with rum raisin and a whisper of smudging sage smoldering in the background with some more tobacco.
Finish: The honey sweetness takes on a crisp and clear sharpness on the finish as the cherry gets tart and then sweet like a cherry cake with whispers of chili-chocolate tobacco and old barrelhouses on a cold fall day full of leaves brings it all to an end.
Bottom Line:
You thought this was going to be a Pappy, didn’t you? This is better. This pour from Bob Dylan is a true crowd-pleaser while offering a wonderfully deep bourbon experience that suits slow sipping throughout the whole long Thanksgiving weekend.
Next weekend, Beyoncé is gifting fans with Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, a concert film centered around Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. The tour proved to be one of the year’s most critically acclaimed tours, and the Beyhive is dying to relive the show. Additionally, fans who weren’t able to make the sure during the first go-around are also looking forward to witnessing several iconic moments on-screen.
And with all things Beyoncé, fans know they are going to want to get their coins ready, as a major Beyoncé release doesn’t come without goodies.
Is there merch for Beyoncé’s Renaissance movie?
Like the Renaissance World Tour and the album itself, Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé will be accompanied by special merchandise. At AMC Theatres, fans will be able to purchase a large collectible fountain drink cup for $12.99 and a popcorn container for $22.99. Additionally, fans can also try the Alien Superstar cocktail at AMC’s MacGuffin’s Bar. Named after a song on Bey’s Renaissance album, the Alien Superstar is AMC’s take on a Paloma, made with tequila and gin, “with a splash of sophistication, a touch of fierceness, and a crown of bubbles,” according to AMC’s website.
Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé arrives in theaters 12/1. Find more information here.
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
What we have on our hands here is a Bachelor spinoff about an older gentleman looking for love from a group of similarly aged ladies. Which is… honestly kind of adorable. Good for them. And good for us, too, especially if one of the episodes features a date where they eat dinner at a diner at 4:45 and then go watch an episode of Columbo in matching recliners. This was written as a joke but honestly sounds kind of wonderful. That’s true love right there, people.
Kristen Stewart’s gay ghost hunting show has everything: slayances, spook-kikis, haunted strip clubs, and comedian Roz Hernandez snacking on donuts while she yells at homophobic poltergeists. The group – a hodgepodge of paranormal experts that includes a psychic, a witch, and a tarot card reader – road trips across the country in this docuseries produced by the Queer Eye creators, chatting it up with demonic entities and benevolent spooks to get to the root of some very real, very human problems. If there’s a better way to spend your weekend than watching a group of well-dressed Queer spiritualists commune with the dead while cracking jokes and busting stereotypes, we don’t want to know about it.
— This movie stars Sandra Oh and Awkwafina and Will Ferrell, which is a good start
— This is the official summary: “Anne and her estranged train-wreck of a sister, Jenny, must work together to help cover their mother’s gambling debts. When Anne’s beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild cross-country trek to get the cash.”
Rick and Morty used to take notoriously long breaks between seasons, but not this time. Season seven of the animated sci-fi comedy series returns less than a year after the season six finale. There have been big changes behind the scenes, however: co-creator Justin Roiland, who also voiced the title characters, was fired from the show. Tricky line to straddle going forward, but the show has rarely let us down before.
Rap Sh!t has returned for a second season which means there is a new batch of episodes that follow the consistently entertaining lives of Shawna and Mia as they rise up the ranks in Miami’s rap scene. Season one of the Issa Rae-led series was all about establishing their rap careers, and now in season two, the duo looks to take things beyond South Beach. With new heights come new struggles as Shawna and Mia will have their integrity tested over and over again in exchange for quick success. Through it all, you can expect to laugh and cheer on the duo all while enjoying the show’s stellar soundtrack which features appearances from real-life hip-hop stars and up-and-coming acts who fit the show’s aesthetic.
— A biopic of Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin, who helped MLK organize the 1963 March on Washington but whose efforts were minimized at the time and therefore largely forgotten since because he was openly gay at a time when that was not convenient for public figures
— From Higher Ground, the production company helmed by Barack and Michelle Obama
— Loaded with talent like Colman Domingo and Chris Rock and Jeffrey Wright and Audra McDonald
Despite Squid Game being a smash, global, runaway hit, something about a reality show did not sound so wise. Still, Netflix decided that they were up to The Challenge, and sure enough, some unfortunate allegations have surfaced. Still, it will be worth checking in to see how this show moves from dystopian-tale-that-portrays-a-horrific-reality-show to an actual reality show. People won’t be able to resist.
Apple TV+’s Fingernails turns love into an equation that can only be solved by, you guessed it, AI. Jessie Buckley plays Anna, a woman in a long term, algorithmically-sound relationship with Ryan (The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White) that’s been verified and sterilized by something called The Love Test – a machine that demands a couple’s fingernails in order to qualify their relationship’s percentage of success. When Anna meets her new co-worker Amir (Riz Ahmed), numbers give way to actual chemistry, causing her to doubt everything she thought she knew about love. It’s probably the most interesting soft-fi romance drama you’ll see this year.
Nearly every actor from the original, cult-favorite Scott Pilgrim film is back for this anime-inspired Netflix series that also functions as a clever remix. Is it as good as the actual run of sequels we should have been given over the last 15 years? Noting could be, but it comes close, leaning on its all-world voice cast and the very specific charm that drove the film and Bryan Lee O’Malley’s original graphic novels.
12. Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (Peacock)
PEACOCK
The blurring of the barrier between comedy and drama has been good for all of us, but occasionally we just need someone to throw a bunch of weird, wild, crap at the screen without there needing to be a message or a point. Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure Of Foggy Mountain (a film about some 20somethings getting lost in the woods while hunting for treasure), feels like exactly that kind of film, leaning toward comedy chaos with the Please Don’t Destroy comedy trio (of SNL digital short fame), Bowen Yang, Meg Statler, and late night comedy GOAT Conan O’Brien.
Taylor Sheridan currently has 6666 in the works on the Yellowstone side, but first, he’s taking viewers back to the real Old West. David Oyelowo portrays the legendary Black U.S. Deputy Marshal. This series will harken back to the Post-Reconstruction era, in which Bass Reeves became a notorious frontier hero by capturing thousands of the most frightening criminals in the land. Oyelowo will be accompanied by Dennis Quaid, Garrett Hedlund, and Donald Sutherland.
What if there was an animated movie for kids where Adam Sandler — now hear me out — voiced a talking lizard? And it was co-directed and co-written by Robert Smigel, the comedy genius behind many of the greatest SNL moments ever? And the rest of the voice cast included Jason Alexander, Cecily Strong, Bill Burr, Heidi Gardner, and Stephanie Hsu? Would you believe such a movie exists? Well, it does. It’s called Leo, and it’s on Netflix. Your kids need to be introduced to Adam Sandler eventually. Maybe start here and not, say, Uncut Gems. Save that until they’re older.
The seventh season of Big Mouth ties Orange is the New Black and Grace and Frankie as Netflix’s longest-running scripted series (it will break the record in its eighth and final season). Not bad for an animated show about horny teenagers and hormone monsters. Guest stars this season include Megan Thee Stallion, Lupita Nyong’o, and Pulitzer Prize winner Lin-Manuel Miranda as a pubic hair. Good show.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters stars Kurt Russell and Godzilla and… are you already sold? You should be. The first live-action TV show in the MonsterVerse — which also includes Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla vs. Kong — makes you care as much about the humans, including Kurt and his son Wyatt, as Godzilla and his “Titan” friends. In an up-and-down year for genre shows, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a highlight.
There are cringe comedies and then there’s Showtime’s The Curse, a limited series about a married pair of alt-HGTV home flippers gentrifying their New Mexico neighborhood via eco-friendly monstrosities and calling it philanthropy. Created by two masters of squirm – Benny Safdie and Nathan Fielder – the show is a voyeuristic exercise that tests fans’ capacity for second-hand embarrassment as its main characters, the affluent Asher (Fielder) and Whitney (a shockingly unlikable Emma Stone) bulldoze the soul of their small, impoverished community with just a few reality TV cameras and a staggering amount of white privilege. It’s the best, most uncomfortable TV show you’ll watch this year.
Mike Flanagan fans, get ready. The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass showrunner is back along with Carla Gugino, who will spook your soul right out of your bod and deliver a “consequential” evening to “a collection of stunted hearts” that is the Usher family. Yikes. Do not expect a literal adaptation of the Edgar Allen Poe short story. The story focuses here on the hell created by ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher, who built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege, and power. Horrible secrets shall surface when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman, portrayed with glee by Gugino.
Somehow, Joel Kinnaman has now been physically transformed to barely look like Joel Kinnaman while still starring in this alternate-history space-race series, and in the year 2003, the Earth’s nations are competing like hell to capture and mine asteroids full of precious minerals. That doesn’t sound ominous at all, and of course, there’s still plenty of beefing between nations after Happy Valley has grown in size on Mars’ surface.
There’s some Glass Onion flavor to this mystery series that follows Darby (Emma Corrin) accepting an invitation to visit a reclusive billionaire with an assortment of other guests. One of the lucky participants will be not-so-lucky and end up dead, and at that point, Darby must use her amateur-sleuth abilities (including hacking and being a typically astute Gen Z-er) to solve the case before anyone else ends up dead. Along with Corrin (The Crown), this show also stars Harris Dickinson of the upcoming The Iron Claw and Clive Owen, who is already so many projects and yet who should be in more.
David Fincher — director of movies like Fight Club and The Social Network — is back with another uplifting tale about a well-adjusted dude. From the official description: “Solitary, cold, methodical and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, a killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. Yet, the longer he waits, the more he thinks he’s losing his mind, if not his cool.” Jokes aside, Fincher does these kinds of movies as well as anyone and usually makes them compelling, so give it a go if you want to spend a few hours with a murderous sociopath in the safest possible way.
The final season of this royal soap opera is upon us, and this half-season confronts the royal elephant in the room while finally giving Diana her due during an exploration of her final year of life. Sadly, the world already knows how a car chase between the paparazzi and Diana/Dodi Fayed ended, but the show pulls off these four episodes with stunning grace. So much could have gone wrong here with the recounting and dramatization of tragic events that shook the world, but Netflix does the thing here. Not an easy feat for sure.
GOOD: Fargo is back, finally, for a fifth installment that features Juno Temple in Home Alone mode and Jon Hamm in a cowboy hat and a murderous little secret that ties them together. Joe Keery from Stranger Things plays a failson named Gator. There’s a lawyer named Danish Graves who has an eyepatch. There are homemade blowtorches and nipple rings and it’s all just extremely Fargo in all the ways you’ve come to expect.
BAD: Hmm. There’s really not any bad news here. But we already committed to this format so… let’s go with “it shouldn’t have taken until season five for them to cast Jon Hamm in Fargo.”
By spring 2024, it will have been one year since All American: Homecoming concluded its second season, and unfortunately, it seems like the wait for season three will continue past that mark. The spin-off from the original All American series, which is heading towards its sixth season, has been well-received by viewers. Despite this, it seemed like that show was at risk of being canceled after season two. Thankfully, CW picked up the series for a third season which will only deliver 13 episodes as opposed to the 20 episodes that seasons one and two delivered.
With all that being said, here’s everything you need to know for All American: Homecoming season three.
Release Date
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, CW hopes to release the third season of All American: Homecoming at some point in April 2024, along with the All American season 6. Production for both seasons was put on hold as a result of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which of course, caused delays for both All American and All American: Homecoming. Now that both strikes are over, production for both series can resume.
Cast
Pretty much all of the cast from season two of All American: Homecoming will return for season three, but there will be a few changes. Peyton Alex Smith and Kelly Jenrette will no longer be series regulars in season three. Smith plays the role of Damon Sims, a star collegiate baseball player and the love interest of Simone Hicks (played by Geffri Maya), while Jenrette Amara Patterson, Hicks’ aunt and the president of Bringston University. Both Smith and Jenrette will likely have recurring roles in season three, but it remains to be seen what these roles will look like. Additionally, Camille Hyde, who plays Thea Mays, remains undecided for season three as her role is unknown at the moment.
With that being said, the main cast for season three goes as follows: Geffri Maya as Simone Hicks, Cory Hardrict as Coach Marcus Turner, Sylvester Powell as Jessie “J.R.” Raymond, Jr., Mitchell Edwards as Cam Watkins, Netta Walker as Keisha McCalla, Rhoyle Ivy King as Nathaniel Hardin. The recurring roles for season three are Peyton Alex Smith as Damon Sims, Kelly Jenrette as Amara Patterson, Tamberla Perry as Keena Sims (Damon’s mom), Joe Holt as Jessie (J.R.’s father and Damon’s biological father), Martin Bobb-Semple as Orlando ‘Lando’ Johnson, and Blake Brewer as Nico Logan. We can also expect an appearance from Michael Evans Behling as Jordan Baker, Simone’s ex-boyfriend and the father of their child.
Plot
An official synopsis for season three has yet to be revealed, but with a refresher on where season two left off, we can somewhat see where things will go in the upcoming season.
Season two ended with the shocking reveal that Simone and Damon slept together in the closing episodes of the season. It was originally believed that the two just shared a kiss. Now, Simone, who is currently dating Lando, has a big decision to make about which boy she wants to commit to, if either of them, in her life. JR tells his KEK brothers that he will take the blame for allegations that the chapter hazed its members, something the brothers are extremely against as JR was the one who was against the idea of hazing the most. JR’s sacrifice is needed so that members like Cam can continue to attend the university on the scholarship they receive through KEK.
The biggest surprise in the season two finale was the reveal that Marcus is married. The news arrives during a celebratory moment between Marcus and Amara who informed the Bringston kids of their relationship. Shortly after the news is shared, Marcus’ wife knocks on the door for an arrival that shocks both Marcus and Amara. In an interview with Deadline, co-showrunners Nkechi Okoro Carroll and Marqui Jackson explained the decision to write a previous marriage into Marcus’ past.
We hadn’t specifically landed on the wife of it all for Season 2, but we knew there’s a chunk of time in Marcus’s life that shaped the man he is today. You don’t become the man he is today who is the father figure to the boys, the coach figure, the pillar of strength and support and everything… you don’t become as enlightened a man as he is now, without going through some stuff. Those are the gaps that we’re starting to fill in. And one of the things that happened in those missing years was that he got married. We will explain in Season 3 how and why she technically is still his wife.
Trailer
There isn’t a trailer for All American: Homecoming season three at the moment, but when there is, we’ll make sure to share it with you all.
How To Watch All American: Homecoming Season 3
All American: Homecoming season three episodes premiere on the CW channel. The following day, the episode will be available to watch on the CW website and app. Once the season is complete, it is expected that All American: Homecoming season three will be placed on Netflix.
When Will em>All American: Homecoming Season 3 Episodes Come Out?
New episodes in All American: Homecoming season three air on Mondays at 9pm ET/PT on the CW channel. The episodes are then available for viewing on the CW website and app the following day at 3pm ET/12 am PT.
‘All American: Homecoming’ season 2 is now available to stream on Netflix.
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