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What do Miley Cyrus, Brad Paisley, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Justin Timberlake, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, and Dolly Parton have in common? Apart from the obvious musical talent and superstardom, you might guess they all live in Nashville – at least part of the time.

But you’d be a few miles off from the reported home of these and many other country music superstars. They actually find themselves — now or at least recently — living in and around Williamson County, just south of Nashville.

From Franklin to Brentwood and Leipers Fork, the smaller towns with quaint Hallmark-esque downtowns and live music on every corner have long been a slight respite for the celebrities and musicians of Nashville. And visitors are following suit. While Nashville is a lively and increasingly urban city with a honky-tonk edge, Franklin and its neighbors are eclectic, friendly, luxurious, and definitely worth a visit.

I spent a long weekend recently based in Franklin – just over 20 miles from Nashville – and here are my recommendations.

WHERE TO STAY:

The Harpeth Hotel

When visiting Franklin, there is no better place to stay than The Harpeth Hotel. Situated just a block off Main Street and within walking distance of nearly everything in town, it is a gem in the heart of the city. From check-in to check-out, I was blown away by the level of service from everyone at The Harpeth. My room was stylish and clean, with a large, beautiful balcony overlooking the city.

The hotel bar at The Harpeth was lively each night, with several areas to enjoy a cocktail, and the courtyard was unique and beautiful – the perfect spot for events or catching up with friends. I especially loved the library room off the bar, where I enjoyed a nightcap and local tomes. The intentionality is evident in this space, with local touches and nods to history.

The Harpeth boasts 119 pet-friendly guest rooms and suites luxuriously appointed with Frette robes, slippers, flexible workspaces, and turndown service. Be sure to taste some whiskey during your stay – the hotel has over 110 small-batch offerings.

WHERE TO EAT:

1799 Kitchen and Cocktails

The on-site fine dining restaurant at the Harpeth Hotel, 1799 Kitchen and Cocktails, was a surprising favorite of mine during this trip. It was much more a local haunt than a hotel lobby restaurant; the vibes were dark and moody, with intentional touches. I sat at a semi-private table with curtains that could be drawn to enjoy the perfectly prepared Bison Strip Steak. The dining room is designed circularly to evoke a whiskey barrel, with a carpet that mirrors a rock glass. The restaurant is known for its extensive whiskey list, offering over 110 small-batch and single-barrel spirits from all over the world.

McGavock’s Coffee Bar & Provisions

I started each morning in Franklin at McGavock’s Coffee & Provisions, a sleek coffee shop and restaurant in The Harpeth downtown. The vibe was always electric, with a full house of primarily locals (the biggest green flag in a coffee house) enjoying coffee with friends or working in the bright space. The lavender honey latte was perfect, the staff was the sort of Southern friendly that brings a smile to even the most curmudgeonly patron’s face, and the avocado toast was somehow different than any I’ve had prior.

Grays On Main

A staple in downtown Franklin since 2013, Gray’s On Main serves elevated Southern fare in a historic building that housed Gray Drug Co. for nearly a century. The second-floor bar and music hall is a popular spot for live music and a bar celebrating Tennessee brandy culture with epicurean cocktails. I fully leaned into the Southern hospitality during my late dinner visit, starting with Crispy Pimento Cheese with Moonshine Pepper Jelly and followed by Heritage Buttermilk Fried Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, and a bourbon mustard pan sauce that was to die for.

Puckett’s Restaurant

It wouldn’t be a visit to the Nashville area without a stop for a meal at Puckett’s. What started as a grocery in nearby Leiper’s Fork in the 1950s has evolved throughout the year to a thriving Southern restaurant and live music venue with six locations. Known for Southern staples like the meat and three, Puckett’s brings the atmosphere and Southern charm to any meal. I stopped by the Franklin location, just off Main St., for breakfast at the bar, filling up on Bubba’s Egg Benedict, a split biscuit topped with bacon or sausage, two fried eggs, and white pepper gravy on a bed of home fries.

WHERE TO DRINK:

Arrington Vineyards

Visitors may be surprised that Nashville has a “wine country,” but according to the massive popularity of Arrington Vineyards just outside town, not only does it exist – it’s thriving. The vineyard, which opened in 2007, is partially owned by Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn (you’ll quickly find that many establishments in the Franklin area are owned at least in part by famous musicians) and is always full of locals and visitors alike. The 95-acre property (including 16 acres of vineyards) is bucolic, with rolling hills, a grand barn, a pavilion, and picnic tables. Guests can bring in a picnic and spend a day enjoying the wines, views, and often live music on the premises.

I bought myself a bottle of rose on this trip, enjoying the peaceful weekday vibes before Ubering back to Franklin.

Leiper’s Fork Distillery

If you visit Tennessee but don’t visit a distillery, were you really even there? It is a question for the ages and one I, fortunately, will never know the answer to. When in the Nashville or Franklin areas, there is one distillery that is a must-visit: Leiper’s Fork Distillery. The distillery is known for producing high-quality, small-batch whiskies using age-old traditions and local ingredients. I enjoyed a whiskey cocktail in the ample outdoor space where there is often live music.

Next time, I’ll opt for the tour. I recommend you do the same.

Stable Reserve

When I walked into Stable Reserve, the sleek coffee shop/distillery on Main Street in downtown Franklin, well before noon and asked if it was “too early for a tasting,” I was met with kind Southern laughter and a chorus of “of course not” that sold me on the place before taking a sip. Luckily, the drinks were also impressive. The local family-owned and operated distillery, set in an original livery stable, recently opened but feels like it’s been there for years. The crowd was lively, the staff was attentive and friendly, and the spirits were smooth.

I especially loved the Stable Reserve Gin and Stable Reserve Coffee Cream Liqueur.

Wines In The Fork

While exploring the arts community of Leiper’s Fork, I was pleasantly surprised to find Wines In The Fork, a rustic tasting room on Leiper’s Creek. An outpost of Farmstead Roots, a local, sustainable farm, award-winning wine producer, and market, the Leiper’s Fork location is chock full of charm – and delicious wine. I opted for a tasting in the tasting room (although creekside wine tastings are available, along with the enormously popular Creek Dinner Series in the summer) and was impressed with each wine I tasted.

I especially enjoyed the Farmstead Sparkling and Farmstead Honeysuckle Vine.

Amendment 18 Cocktail Club

I was visiting Franklin during the soft opening of Amendment 18 Cocktail Club, a cocktail bar and speakeasy located downtown – so, of course, I had to check it out. Visitors enter the bar through the back entrance of a pizza place, flipping a hidden light switch to alert the hostesses of their arrival. The decor was perfect for the prohibition-era vibes, the drink was tasty, and the service was top-notch – even on its first night.

I’ll be interested to visit again once word has gotten out.

WHERE TO EXPLORE AND SEE LIVE MUSIC:

Downtown Franklin

Main Street in downtown Franklin is not just quaint and charming but also bustling. The street, designated as a “Great American Main Street” and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was full of people whenever I ventured out. With nearly all shops independently owned and operated, with every type of customer finding something for them, it is a place where you could spend an entire day. I recommend stopping at The Green Room for earth-friendly and sustainable gifts, Citizen for high-end sneakers and elevated clothing, and Rooted from Yarrow Acres – the plant shop of my dreams – before grabbing an espresso martini at Stable Reserve.

Leipers Fork

The village of Leiper’s Fork has a population of just 650 people, but its influence on music is of legends. With plenty of artists getting their start at open mic nights in the city, recording studios dotting the landscape, and the famous Lawnchair Theater – it is an unexpected cultural hub. Visit the upscale art galleries, shops, restaurants, and winery on the creek – and keep your eyes peeled for the country music stars who call this tiny town home.

Fox and Locke

The original Puckett’s Grocery in Leipers Fork is the location of the legendary Fox and Locke restaurant and music venue. The enormously popular spot for locals and visitors alike, it’s known for its Southern comfort food, live music, and open-mic nights. Many successful artists will hop on the stage at Fox and Locke, including Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Carrie Underwood – who surprised patrons with an unscheduled performance during a visit.

The Factory

Located in a former stove factory, The Factory at Franklin has been renovated and reimagined to house multiple restaurants, shops, bars, a theater, event space, and art galleries. The one-stop shop is a great place to try something new and local during your trip to Franklin.

Game of Thrones viewers weren’t quite sure what to expect in terms of quality from House of the Dragon. That hesitation was understandable, given the uneven treatment of the flagship show’s final season, which moved past George R.R. Martin’s source material and, to be purely speculative, could actually be the reason why Winds of Winter might never be finished.

That’s not worth dwelling on at the moment, however. Let’s talk about how HotD‘s success has inspired HBO to develop more prequel series.

HotD is, of course, based upon Martin’s Fire and Blood book, which begins around 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. There are a handful of other spinoffs that are being tossed around to varying degrees, but the next show to air (and this is still a working title) will be A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.

This show is in early stages at the moment with HotD holding the main focus while prepping for a Summer 2004 Season 2 premiere. However, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is happening (Martin has revealed that HBO greenlit a full first season already), unlike that Bloodmoon prequel, which only saw a pilot before being scrapped. Let’s talk about what we know so far:

Plot

This prequel series will be based upon Martin’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms trilogy of novellas (The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight) that take place about 100 years before GoT. In other words, the books are prequels to Martin’s five existing A Song of Ice and Fire novels. That saga, as noted above, might never be fully written, so everyone might as well enjoy the prequels for TV material as much as possible.

In the timeline of these novellas, Targaryens still sit upon the Iron Throne although the dragons have (for the time being) faded away following that atrocious civil war. The main focus shall revolve around the courageous Ser Duncan the Tall and his much less-tall square, Egg (real name unknown). Hence the “Dunk & Egg” nickname that sticks with these books while following the predecessors to Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne.

However, Martin has insisted that he does not want “Dunk & Egg” to be anywhere in the title of the series because he believes that it sounds too much like Beavis and Butt-Head. No really, that’s what Martin wrote on his non-blog:

“[N]o, it won’t be called TALES OF DUNK & EGG or THE ADVENTURES OF DUNK & EGG or DUNK & EGG or anything along those lines. I love Dunk and I love Egg, and I know that fans refer to my novellas as “the Dunk & Egg stories,” sure, but there are millions of people out there who do not know the stories and the title needs to intrigue them too. If you don’t know the characters, DUNK & EGG sounds like a sitcom. LAVERNE & SHIRLEY. ABBOTT & COSTELLO. BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD. So, no. We want “knight” in the title. Knighthood and chivalry are central to the themes of these stories.

Fair enough. Do note that he does not overrule any Thelma & Louise or Turner & Hooch associations, and take that as you will.

Martin also revealed that this series was one of the two prequels that he very much wanted to happen, and he pitched Dunk & Egg along with Dance of the Dragons, which obviously turned into House of the Dragon. He also confirmed that “Nymeria show is still in development. So is the Sea Snake show.” And he claimed to have been “working with writers” on the latter earlier the year, so hmm. He hopes that these will also be green lighted yet doesn’t mention reports of a Jon Snow series. There’s some GRRM-based animation apparently in the works as well.

Cast

We’ve got no freaking idea on who will be cast in this series as Ser Duncan the Tall. Physically speaking, Tom Hopper or Chris Hemsworth could work. Former Khal Drogo Jason Momoa surely cannot reenter GRRM’s world without distracting people. Momoa also might not fit the vibe, but we are having fun at the moment, so perhaps think about it a little bit. He makes everything better.

Release Date

Your guess is as good as ours, but it would seem that HBO wouldn’t want to wait forever to push this out.

Trailer

If only! Stay tuned.

We don’t know when A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight will come to HBO, but once we do, then you will know as well.

Joy Behar did not hold back her thoughts on The View as the panel recently unearthed tweets from Travis Kelce that showed the NFL star expressing some immature thoughts about women during his college career. As a self-avowed Swiftie, Behar became immediately concerned for Taylor Swift and got very blunt that she hopes the pop sensation breaks up with Kelce.

Via Page Six:

“Here’s one of his [tweets], ‘Damn, the Clippers girls gotta be the girls that don’t make the Lakers team ’cause they was all ugly,’” Behar read during Thursday’s episode of the talk show.

She then read two more of his old tweets: “Why can’t girls hide they back fat?” and “I feel like if you want to be a cheerleader, you have to pass a beauty test. There’s too many ugly cheerleaders out here.”

Behar did not hide her disgust with Kelce’s old tweets and called him “illiterate.” However, Whoopi Goldberg came to Kelce’s defense.

“Young people do young people stuff,” Goldberg said. “What you said 25 years ago, may not be the way that you feel this time. So everybody needs to lighten up and let these people do what they want to do.”

When Goldberg pressed Behar on why she was so “fixated” on Kelce’s social media posts, The View co-host affirmed her Taylor Swift fandom.

“I’m a Swiftie,” Behar said. “I love her because she’s getting young people out to vote so I don’t want her to be stuck with this idiot.”

(Via Page Six)

The New York Knicks have not won an NBA championship for 1973. They’ve had some good teams over the year — this year’s squad looks like it’s going to be pretty good, as well — but they’ve struggled mightily to get over that last hump. In fact, the Knicks haven’t even made it to the NBA Finals since 1999.

All this is to say that Knicks fans are starved to see the team lift the Larry O’Brien trophy, which was at the center of a question that Stephen A. Smith received on The Stephen A. Smith Show. The fine folks at Ballsack Sports asked a very simple question to Smith, whose non-ESPN show has, uh, we’ll say incorporated some topics that go far beyond the worlds of sports and pop culture lately:

As Smith explains, he was told that he needed to get out of his chair “to end this show” and respond to a question that he was not able to answer while sitting down. It appears he was unaware of what was waiting for him, and after briefly telling Ballsack Sports that their name is “so crass,” he reads the question and responds. What follows is like three and a half minutes of Smith explaining why his answer is no in the most Stephen A. Smith way that he possible could.

I do not know if he will ever replace Jimmy Fallon as the host of The Tonight Show, but I hope he does some day.

A holiday-themed review of Drake’s For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition (otherwise known as Scary Hours 3): J. Cole and Rosalía are on Drake’s nice list, while Joe Budden and Pusha T remain on Drake’s naughty list. There’s a lot to unpack — too much, really — so we’re just going to focus on Budden, who slammed Drake for “rappin’ for the children” on For All The Dogs upon its October 6 release. Drake seemingly responded on the Scary Hours Edition track “Stories About My Brother,” rapping, “Imagine us gettin’ our validation from an ex-musician searchin’ for recognition.” But there’s a lot more — seriously, just an overwhelming amount — where that barbed bar came from.

Below is what you need to know from Budden and Drake’s timeline of beef and disses.

“Good Riddance”

2009: Multiple outlets, including HipHopDX, traced Budden and Drake’s connection to 2009 due to resurfaced video from the early days of Budden’s Joe Budden TV YouTube channel. In it, Drake says he is “honored to be around” Budden because he used to listen to him. However, there was a song called “Good Riddance” around the same time in which Drake rapped, “If I copy Budden’s flow, you mimickin’ his career / And the same money we hearin’ you giving to charity.” It’s not totally misguided to wonder whether that ancient bar is the root of Budden’s bitterness, considering Drake went from a self-proclaimed fan to mocking Budden’s career trajectory.

Joe Budden Hates On Views

May 2016: During an episode of Budden’s since-renamed podcast I’ll Name This Podcast Later, Budden criticized Drake’s album, Views, by saying Drake sounded “real f*cking uninspired” (as relayed by Complex). To be fair, Budden acknowledged Drake’s rap (and pop culture) prowess, saying, “When he puts something out, you stop what you’re doing, right?”

“4PM In Calabasas”

June 2016: It is believed that Drake threw subliminal shade Budden’s way in his single “4PM In Calabasas,” though Drake never mentions Budden by name. In the 68th episode of Budden’s aforementioned podcast, he addressed Drake’s credibility as a songwriter and the perceived diss toward him in a 20-plus-minute segment annotated by Complex at the time.

Joe Budden Drops “Making A Murderer, Pt. 1” And “Afraid”

July 2016: Budden (again, seemingly but more or less definitely) referred to Drake as his child in “Making A Murderer, Pt. 1.” The song’s interlude is audio from the aforementioned video of their first meeting, during which Drake outed himself as a fan and gushed over Budden. Later in the song, Budden raps, “You made me proud, lad, but it seems my child mad / With all the clout that he grabbed, it’s still doubts from his dad.”

Drake then responded with “No Shopping,” leading to Budden’s “Afraid,” which samples Drake’s “The Resistance” and finds Budden going at Drake repeatedly throughout. Perhaps most notably: “Yeah, Aubrey, that’s the one we trusted / Not this new Aubrey with his stomach sculpted / I’m disgusted, you’re such a f*ckin’ incumbent / Can’t govern, trust in the public becoming a f*cking puppet.”

Um, Liposuction?

July 2016: So, about that “Aubrey with his stomach sculpted” line. After the song’s arrival, Budden doubled down, tweeting that Drake had gotten liposuction (twice) from the plastic surgeon, Dr. Michael “Dr. Miami” Salzhauer. Uproxx did the important follow-up investigative journalism of getting plastic surgeons’ opinions on whether Budden’s outrageous claim could be true.

Joe Budden On Hot Ones

Yep, still July 2016: Budden stopped by Hot Ones, where he addressed Drake fans who had recently appeared uninvited outside of his home.

Drake Trolls Joe Budden’s Pool Party

August 2019: Drake is as elite at trolling as he is at rapping, as evidenced by an impressive commitment to troll Budden’s private pool party, which Budden made the mistake of streaming live on Instagram.

An Attempt At Squashing Their Beef

April 2020: The beginning of 2020 threw many confounding things our way, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and a potential Budden-Drake resolution — which, to be clear, are equally confounding. Budden went live on Instagram, and Drake was active in the comments. Eventually, Drake joined Budden on the Live, and they had a friendly exchange. Budden joked that Drake was avoiding him, to which Drake said, “I never avoid you; we’re just never in the same place.”

Petty Drake Thrives In St. Tropez

July 2022: Take it or leave it: Drake posted a video to his Instagram Story from a restaurant in St. Tropez that was playing Budden’s “Pump It Up” (as relayed by XXL at the time). “Where else, Joey, would you have them going so crazy?” Drake is heard saying in the video. It goes without saying by now that it was in a mocking tone.

Joe Budden Slams For All The Dogs

October 2023: Skipping ahead to the present to preserve whatever is left of our collective sanity. Budden did not care for Drake’s For All The Dogs album. Right after Drake dropped it on October 6, Budden dedicated a portion of his podcast to torching it. DJ Akademiks posted a snippet on Instagram, where Drake left a lengthy comment that felt like it was a decade in the making.

This is what Drake wrote:

“@joebudden you have failed at music. You left it behind to do what you are doing in this clip cause this is what actually pays your bills. For any artist watching this just remember you are watching a failure give their opinion on his idea of a recipe for success…a quitter give their opinion on how to achieve longevity…you switched careers cause the things that pop into your brain had you broke living cheque to cheque and the raps you write had 450 men showing up to your shows in dusty Enyce jeans to screw up their face to Mood Muzik 29 and pretend you are the goat…pls to any artist that’s doing what they feel is right don’t let these opinions affect your mindset after the fact…

This guy is the poster child of frustration and surrendering. You retired and we never hung up your jersey we don’t even remember your number. We know you for doing this…you withdrew from rap not cause you accomplished all you need to it’s cause it wasn’t working for you. I never want anybody in the generations to think that the whole ‘everybody’s entitled to their opinion’ is a real thing…this is a man projecting his own self hate and the fact I did and continue to do everything he wanted to do for himself. If you need it put in simpler terms I own a 767…he owns a modest house in the 973 and flies first class on special occasions.”

Drake Gets The Last Laugh (For Now)

November 2023: This morning, November 17, Drake dropped “Stories About My Brother” as part of For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition. In it, he raps, “Imagine us gettin’ our validation from an ex-musician searchin’ for recognition.” Welp!

Although Uproxx has covered Redveil a bit over the past couple of years, I can’t say I was all the way tuned in — that is until I saw him perform at Camp Flog Gnaw a couple of weeks ago. I think I can truly say I Get It now, and if you’ve been wondering about this semi-obscure but rapidly rising name in hip-hop, don’t worry; as usual, we’ve got you covered.

At just 19 years old, the Maryland native has already established himself as a force to be reckoned with in hip-hop and forged some pretty impressive connections on the way. In June this year, he appeared on the Danny Brown podcast, getting advice about getting booed offstage early in your career (there’s little danger of that happening to Redveil, though).

The young rapper has used those connections to land some on some pretty impressive collaborators’ albums and features, including Chance The Rapper, Denzel Curry (with whom he toured earlier this year), and Jpegmafia and Danny Brown’s Scaring The Hoes. He also opened on tour for Freddie Gibbs last year, exposing him to an even larger audience.

So far, he’s self-released three albums (Bittersweet Cry, Niagara, and Learn 2 Swim) and one EP (Playing W/ Fire, released early this year), establishing himself as a consistent producer and a formidable lyricist, even as he finds his footing both in the industry and in life. It’s early days, but with supporters like Brown, Curry, Gibbs, JID, and Tyler The Creator, I can see him becoming a star worth following.

The best shows to watch are the ones that get popular not because they are “good” but mostly because they are just “there” and everyone is talking about them, so you might as well just be involved in the conversation for convenience’s sake. This is what happened with Suits, a moderately popular legal drama from 2011 that appeared on Netflix this summer. It was one click away, so you just did it, and now you’re one of the many unintentional Suits fans who were born this year.

Suits star Meghan Markle was recently asked about the show’s increase in popularity, and she seemed just as shocked as the rest of the world. When a reporter mentioned how Suits had recently taken the nation by storm, Markle responded, “Isn’t that wild?” The reporter asked why Markle thought that the series was getting so much love, she admitted she had “no idea” but had nothing but love for her crew.

There are a lot of options when it comes to picking a good turkey at the grocery store. “Organic,” “air-chilled,” “heritage,” and “free range” are just a few of the buzzwords that fill up a turkey label these days. It’s okay if it’s all just a bit confusing. We’re here to help you sift through all the confusion and figure out which is the best bird for your Thanksgiving table.

The crucial starting point here is that you need to know yourself and what you want. If a pre-brined, factory-farmed frozen bird is fine for you, then that’s the path for you to take. If you can’t stomach that (sorry), then you’ll need to find the turkey that suits what you deem worthy of your feast.

One hard and fast rule is to be diligent if you’re looking for humane and unadulterated poultry. Read up at home, ask the folks behind the meat counter questions (within reason), and read those labels thoroughly. At the end of the day, it’s on you to do the hard work when finding the best bird for your Thanksgiving table — and if you want something that was raised ethically you’re going to have to wade through greenwashing and intentionally murky language choices.

Still, we’re here to help as much as we can — so keep reading to get some tips on decyphering those overloaded turkey packaging labels!

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What “Air-chilled” Means

This means the bird wasn’t put into a chlorine-infused ice water bath to cool it down as quickly as possible after slaughter. The USDA allows all poultry to contain 15% of that water as part of its weight to accommodate this process. You’re basically throwing 15 cents on the dollar away on bloody chlorine-infused slaughterhouse water when you don’t buy air-chilled poultry, and that’s just bad accounting. Plus, just eww.

“Air-chilled” means the bird never touches that water. Instead, the freshly slaughtered birds are run through a cooling room that does the same thing without the bird ever getting bogged down with dirty water or touching any other turkey. It’s safer, cleaner, and doesn’t add chlorine water to your Thanksgiving turkey.

BOTTOM LINE:

Overall, air-chilled is the only way to go.

What “Organic” Means

You’ll see “organic” on a lot of labels. But what does that mean exactly? Well, according to federal regulations that means that the turkey was never fed feed with “antibiotics or antifungals” and only “organic feed.” So organic sort of automatically also means “no antibiotics” as well. It also relates to how many herbicides and sanitation chemicals are used in the living space of the birds and keeping all of that to a minimum.

Those are all positives. The only drawback is that “organic” turkeys tend to be on the smaller side. Otherwise, all of these points seem pretty solid when considering what to put in your body on Thanksgiving.

BOTTOM LINE:

You might have to end up buying two smaller turkeys — which will bring up questions of oven space. If those issues don’t worry you, this is going to be a better-cared-for bird.

What Are “Heritage” Breeds?

Heritage turkeys are the closest to wild turkeys in domestication. They’ll have a much richer tasting meat. They won’t be juicier per se (that depends on your cooking skills) but these birds will be a tad fattier. That’s something you want in your Thanksgiving turkey.

Bourbon Red, Standard Bronze, Narragansett, Auburn, Buff, Black, Royal Palm, Slate, and Midget White are the breeds you’ll likely see. Sometimes the label will just say one of those breeds and assume you’ll know it means “heritage” without explicitly stating that the bird is a heritage breed.

It’s worth noting that these birds are going to be mostly found at local butcher shops, higher-end grocery stores (think Whole Foods), and farmers’ markets. It’ll probably be worth looking up your local poultry farm today and seeing if they have any birds left to pick up. Otherwise, don’t be afraid to ask the good folks behind the meat counter at your local grocery store. They might have something in the back.

BOTTOM LINE:

Fattier birds are better in our book. If you’re aligned with that, this is the play.

Pre-Brined Or Not Pre-Brined

If you’re buying a frozen turkey from the average grocery store, it’ll likely be pre-brined. Hell, even if you’re buying a fresh turkey, you’ll want to look over that whole label to see if it’s pre-brined or not — sometimes this information is buried on the back.

The difference can be drastic. Pre-brined turkeys are soaked in water solutions with salt and “spices” that, according to Butterball, “enhance tenderness and juiciness.” Really though, you’re letting someone else season your turkey in a factory setting. That’s never really ideal unless you’re in a huge hurry leading up to Turkey Day. That might be the case, obviously — it’s a busy season.

Dry or wet, brine is all about the nuance — and you want to be in control of that nuance. You can add aromatic herbs, botanicals, and fruits to amp up specific flavors that will make your turkey shine. Brining your bird gives you control over the flavor of the turkey and the outcome. If you can accommodate the time it takes to brine at home, it’ll enrich your turkey and keep it super moist while adding deep flavors. You want all of that.

BOTTOM LINE:

Brine your turkey at home if you can. You’ll need an extra day or two ahead of time (and a fair amount of fridge space) but it is 100% worth it.

“Free Range” Birds

“Free range” birds will likely be heritage breeds and usually air-chilled. They’re often “organic” products as well. So you’ll be able to hit all these points at the same time. You can mostly find these turkeys by going to farmer’s markets and/or farms in your area. Even if you’re in a big city, it’s worth a short train ride or drive out of town to hit up a farm. Likewise, you can go to a higher-end supermarket and ask behind the counter if you don’t see “free range” birds in the coolers. Sometimes grocery stores can do special orders for you. But you’d have to do that — again — like tomorrow at the latest.

Moreover, “free range” is a no-brainer. Don’t eat meat that lived a shitty life. It’ll taste blander, for one. Plus, you don’t want to eat an animal that suffered through the only days it had on this planet. It’s that simple.

BOTTOM LINE:

You vote with your pocketbook every time you go shopping. Vote for the ethical treatment of the protein you’re spending all that money on. Okay, we’ll get off our soapbox.

Frozen Or Fresh?

This is the big one. Do you buy a frozen bird or a fresh one? I’ve roasted both quite a few times and there’s rarely that big of a difference, especially if you’re buying from a grocery store.

The biggest difference I’ve been able to pinpoint is fresh from a farm versus frozen or fresh from a grocery store. There’s a pretty big uptick in the quality of farm fresh birds compared to ones that have to go through the process of getting into a grocery store, fresh or frozen.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you’re going “fresh,” get it from a farmer. If you’re not getting it from a farm, fresh or frozen will be splitting hairs.

In professional wrestling, the most compelling storylines are the ones that have some element of truth to them.

In their first confrontation, Swerve Strickland said he was ashamed of “Hangman” Adam Page. With every word that followed, it dug further into what the former AEW world champion has become. Swerve questioned how Hangman had gone from a cornerstone of the company to wrestling on the pre-show, and said he’d lost his fire.

That last part, to an extent, was true.

His program with CM Punk ended with Page dropping the AEW title, and rumors swirled on the difficult backstage dynamic between Punk and the Elite (Page, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks).

Page spent much of the last year in and out of short-stint rivalries. He found himself in tag and trios bouts with the Dark Order, reunited with the Elite to face off against the Blackpool Combat Club, and eventually landed in the pre-show Over Budget Charity Battle Royal, not making the AEW All Out main card.

One of the faces of the promotion and a beloved wrestler among AEW fans, Page says he was frustrated and considered all of his options, even unrealistic ones like briefly stepping away from the roster to reframe his path forward.

“At my lowest in all of this in the past couple of years, the thing that — I don’t want to say kept me motivated, but kept me going, was that I knew I needed to continue to do this to provide for my family. It was not something that I could walk away from,” an introspective Page tells Uproxx Sports.

“And I kind of found that at the bottom, knowing I was going to continue doing this, knowing that deep down there’s still a part of me who enjoyed it and loved it,” he continues. “I needed to throw myself into it more. Because if I’m going to be here, I damn well better have fun and enjoy it. That’s what all of this, for better or worse — (and it) has been a lot of awful, awful shit that’s happened — but for better or worse has helped me in a lot of ways to really feel something again.”

Now, Hangman is flying again. It’s evident in how he’s talked and carried himself from the moment he squared off in the ring with Strickland, with the payoff coming on Saturday night in a Texas Death Match at AEW Full Gear in Los Angeles.

“I needed to be challenged mentally,” he says. “I needed something to really sink my teeth into and regain some passion and desire that maybe had slipped away to some extent over the past year and a half. (Strickland) said some things that were hard to hear, but I needed to hear them and I’m very glad that I did because it’s motivated me to fix those things. All the things that have happened since then have been even bigger motivators to be the best me that I can be.”

Page’s motivation for Saturday couldn’t be higher, as he takes the words and actions of Swerve — which includes breaking into his home — to this ultimate resolution.

“The first (Texas Death match) I was challenged to, a little terrified of the prospect. But I found my feet in it very quickly. I didn’t sink, I swam, I thrived. Eventually found that it was a tool for me to escape the way that I normally try to conduct myself,” Page continues.

“I think wrestling is a very honorable thing. I think it’s a very sacred thing,” he continues. “And it was difficult for me at first to step away from that for a moment. You know, let there be no rules, let the violence flow. But once I found that I thrived in that and that it was only a moment in time that would come and go and I could set it aside for the rest of my life, I found that I loved it and it was a tool when someone took things too far or someone needed to be dealt with, it was a way that I could deal with them.”

Page’s perspective on wrestling formed a natural bond with The Elite early in his career. While their lives are very different, the group shares the same beliefs in and out of the squared circle.

“(In wrestling) there should be something for everyone and a little bit of everything, and I think we all collectively believe that there’s really no right or wrong way to do this,” Page says. “It’s not science, it’s an art and whatever your art is, you should pursue it and do it the way you want to do it. Ultimately, I think that it’s kind of something that’s drawn us together as wrestlers. The way that we see things, do things, our take on wrestling as an art is different and it’s led us in slightly different directions for right now.

“We all have the same beliefs, morally about people, that regardless of anything that people should be treated with dignity, respect, and you should appreciate what they bring to the table, whatever it is,” he continues. “That’s something that I’ve always appreciated about Matt and Nick and Kenny as well. They’ve always treated people well, treated people kindly.”

Their views on wrestling and life is what led to them collectively to making a decision to stay in AEW. Page says they felt like four voices were louder than one when negotiating their deals. He pointed out that they’ve traveled alongside one another on a journey that has included a number of stops — in New Japan, in Ring of Honor, and the very start of AEW.

“It felt like one big ride, and it wasn’t a ride that we wanted to get off of together,” he says. “So whatever we did next, we knew that we wanted to do it together.”

That ride continues into Saturday, where Hangman says he plans to take care of business against Swerve.

“I fully intend to finish that for good on Saturday,” he says. “Once I can bring closure to that, for me, I feel that now I’m in a very different place than I was for the past year and a half, and I feel extremely motivated and I know that once my current goal is done, (winning the world title again will) be my next one.”

Hangman says winning the championship was a very special time for him. He was the fourth champion in the promotion’s history following Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Omega, and the gravity of being at the very top of the AEW food chain is not something that is lost on him.

But heavy is the head that wears the crown, and even Page admits that the physical and mental strain got overwhelming, going as far as to admit that he was “so deep in it … almost too much.”

As time has gone on, though, he’s been given an opportunity to reflect on his spell as champion. And as he does that, he’s able to look back on what he accomplished and hold his head up high, all while feeling a sense of excitement about what his future holds.

“The whole thing was taxing on my body, on my mind, on every part of life that you can imagine,” he says. “Looking back at it, I can always say… I wish I had done something differently or this or that or had it ended this way or that way. But I’m not going to do that. I’m proud of it. It’s more than most wrestlers ever accomplish in their lifetime. I should be proud of that and I am proud of it. And I’m looking forward to doing it again.”

Initially, Nicki Minaj’s upcoming album Pink Friday 2 was set to come out today, November 17, but Minaj delayed the project to her birthday, December 8. She still made today interesting, though, by opening pre-sale sign-ups for her Pink Friday 2 world tour.

How To Buy Tickets For Nicki Minaj’s ‘Pink Friday 2’ 2024 World Tour

Minaj shared the link on social media today (here’s the link), and while tickets aren’t for sale just yet, fans can RSVP with their phone number or email to be notified with more information when it becomes available.

The actual tour dates have not been shared yet, but the RSVP site reveals the tour is set to hit the North American cities of Austin, Boston, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Hartford, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Montreal, Nashville, Newark, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington DC. Internationally, the tour will go to the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.

Meanwhile, Minaj recently spoke about her plastic surgery regrets, saying, “I guarantee you, if you change anything on your body and do anything surgical and all this, you’re going to — more than likely, not definitely, more than likely — look back one day and say, ‘I was fine just the way I was.’ And that’s what happened to me.”