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HBO HBO Max Max just released its August streaming lineup and there are a few original series worth getting excited for.

A second season of the flashy, LA Lakers biopic Winning Time arrives early in the month to deliver one of the most riveting sports rivalries of all time while Issa Rae’s hip hop comedy, Rap Sh!t brings the laughs as it embarks on a cross-country tour. More Abbott Elementary, a few great films from the Warner Bros. vault, and plenty of docuseries are also on the menu this month.

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Max this month.

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty: Season 2 (streaming 8/6)

Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and the LA Lakers defend their title this season, facing off against familiar rivals like Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. But the drama isn’t just reserved for the court. Season two of HBO’s breakout sports biopic sees everyone from Adrien Brody and John C. Reilly to Michael Chiklis and Jason Clarke pushing the Lakers to greatness as coaching shakeups and ownership succession questions threaten the magic happening in the paint.

Rap Sh!t: Season 2 (streaming 8/10)

Self-made rappers Mia and Shawna are hitting the road for a cross-country tour that promises the chance at superstardom if they can get past their dislike for their headlining artist and figure out their voice in an industry determined to make them conform.

Abbott Elementary: Season 2 (streaming 8/21)

Who knows when we might see a third season of this Emmy-winning comedy series so, for now, take comfort in the fact that you can re-watch all of season two on Max.

Coming to Max this August

Avail. 8/1
A Hologram for the King (2016)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
A Royal Affair (2012)
Agent Cody Banks (2003)
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004)
American Gangster (2007)
Amsterdam (2022)
Angel of Mine (2019)
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Annie Hall (1977)
Antitrust (2001)
Before Midnight (2013)
Best Man Down (2013)
Beyond the Reach (2015)
Blown Away (1994)
Body of Lies (2008)
Bulletproof Monk (2003)
Chernobyl Diaries (2012)
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (2010)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
De-Lovely (2004)
Deadfall (2012)
Death Wish II (1982)
Death Wish 3 (1985)
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)
F/X (1986)
F/X 2: The Deadly Art of Illusion (1991)
Fame (2009)
Fargo (1996)
Flash of Genius (2008)
Good News (1947)
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
Ice Station Zebra (1968)
Infinitely Polar Bear (2015)
Inside Job (2010)
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Kill Your Darlings (2013)
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Kingpin (1996)
Leaving Las Vegas (1996)
Love Is Strange (2014)
Maggie’s Plan (2016)
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005)
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)
My Scientology Movie (2015)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)
Night Catches Us (2010)
Night Moves (1975)
Ocean’s Eight (2018)
Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
Our Family Wedding (2010)
Out of Time (2003)
Restless (2011)
Ronin (1998)
Rubber (2010)
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Shattered (1991)
Soul Plane (2004)
Spaceballs (1987)
Spawn (1997)
Stage Fright (1950)
Stan & Ollie (2018)
Star 80 (1983)
Stealing Harvard (2002)
Take Shelter (2011)
The Age of Adaline (2015)
The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Amityville Horror (2005)
The Assistant (2020)
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
The Bronze (2015)
The Comedian (2016)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Exception (2017)
The Fluffy Movie (2014)
The Getaway (1972)
The Good Lie (2014)
The Goodbye Girl (1977)
The Hollars (2016)
The Hunted (2003)
The Illusionist (2010)
The Iron Giant (1999)
The Killer Elite (1975)
The Mean Season (1985)
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
The Omega Man (1971)
The Phantom (1996)
The Prince & Me (2004)
The Seagull (2018)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
The Wash (2001)
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007)
They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
This Is Elvis (1981)
Till the End of Time (1946)
Torpedo Run (1958)
Transcendence (2014)
Travels with My Aunt (1972)
Twister (1996)
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
Whiteout (2009)
Wild Wild West (1999)

Avail. 8/3
House Hunters, Season 200 (HGTV)
House Hunters International, Season 172 (HGTV)
Vlad and Niki, Season 2B

Avail. 8/4
Khun Pan 3 (2023)

Avail. 8/6
Big Sky Kitchen with Eduardo Garcia, Season 2 (Magnolia Network)
Evil Lives Here, Season 14 (ID)
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Season 2 (HBO Original)
Worst Cooks in America: Love at First Bite, Season 26 (Food Network)

Acail. 8/7
Kim vs Kayne: The Divorce (Discovery Networks International)
Ugliest House in America: Summer Road Trip, Season 4 (HGTV)

Avail. 8/8
Bugs Bunny Builders, Season 1F
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets (HBO Original)

Avail. 8/9
Contraband: Seized at the Border, Season 1 (Discovery Channel)
Doubling Down with the Derricos, Season 4 (TLC)
Get Hard (2015)

Avail. 8/10
Cookie Monster’s Bakesale (Max Original)
Rap Sh!t, Season 2 (Max Original)

Avail. 8/12
Belle Collective, Season 2B (OWN)
I Survived Bear Grylls, Season 1 (TBS)

Avail. 8/14
Forensic Files II, Season 4A (ID)
Signs of a Psychopath Season 6 (ID)

Avail. 8/15
90 Day: The Last Resort, Season 1 (TLC)
Good Bones, Season 8 (HGTV)
House Hunters International Season Volume 8: Season 188 (HGTV)
Scent of Time (Max Original)
What’s Wrong With That House?, Season 1 (HGTV)

Avail. 8/16
Battle of the Decades, Season 1 (Food Network)

Avail. 8/17
Avatar (2009)
I Love You, And It Hurts (Te Quiero y Me Duele) (Max Original)

Avail. 8/18
American Masters: Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light (2000)
MarkKim + Chef (Max Original)
Time of Essence, Season 1 (OWN)

Avail. 8/20
Disappeared: The Bradley Sisters (ID)
Sister Wives, Season 18 (TLC)
Stand Up to Cancer

Avail. 8/22
Bobby’s Triple Threat, Season 2 (Food Network)

Avail. 8/23
BS High (HBO Original)
Why The Heck Did I Buy That House?, Season 2 (HGTV)

Avail. 8/24
Bargain Block, Season 3 (HGTV)
Save My Skin, Season 4 (TLC)

Avail. 8/25
Tracked, Season 1 (Discovery Channel)

Avail. 8/27
Disappeared, Season 11 (ID)
We Baby Bears, Season 2B (Cartoon Network)

Avail. 8/29
Bugs Bunny Builders: Hard Hat Time, Season 1C (Cartoon Network)

Avail. 8/30
Design Down Under, Season 1 (Magnolia Network)
In With the Old, Season 4 (Magnolia Network)

Avail. 8/31
Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake, Season 1 (Max Original)

Leaving Max in August

Leaving 8/5
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions (HBO Original)

Leaving 8/12
A Very Venture Christmas (2004)
From the Ladle to the Grave: The Shallow Gravy Story (2011)

Leaving 8/13
Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House (2008) (HBO Original)

Leaving 8/28
Tokyo Revengers (Dubbed & Subtitled) (2021)

Leaving 8/31
20 Feet From Stardom (2013)
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
93Queen (2018)
A Vigilante (2019)
Acts of Vengeance (2017)
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
Airplane! (1980)
Anger Management (2003)
Basic (2003)
Best of Enemies (2015)
Big Daddy (1999)
Blue Bayou (2021)
Brokedown Palace (1999)
Bullitt (1968)
Cobra (1986)
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Demolition Man (1993)
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
Dunkirk (2017)
Eagle Eye (2008)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Finding Forrester (2001)
Ghosts of Mississippi (1986)
Godzilla (2014)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Going in Style (1979)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
Heist (2015)
Hellboy (2004)
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (1996)
Hellraiser V: Inferno (2000)
Hellraiser VII: Deader (2005)
Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)
Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
House at the End of the Street (2012)
Hunter Killer (2018)
I Am Love (2009)
I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)
Iris (2015)
Jackson (2016)
Jersey Boys (2014)
Johnson Family Vacation (2004)
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Just Cause (1995)
King Kong (1933)
Lemon (2017)
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Letters to Juliet (2010)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Make Your Move (2003)
Miss March (2009)
Miss Sloane (2016)
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
My Bodyguard (1980)
My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Netizens (2018)
Never Grow Old (2019)
Norma Rae (1979)
Outrage (2009)
Over the Garden Wall (2014)
Paparazzi (2004)
Ready Player One (2018)
Results (2015)
Robin Hood (1991)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
RocknRolla (2008)
Rush Hour (1998)
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Rush Hour 3 (2007)
School Life (2017)
Sinister (2012)
Sleepers (1996)
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
Squidbillies (2004)
Tangerine (2015)
Taxi (2004)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
Tequila Sunrise (1988)
Thanks for Sharing (2012)
The Accused (1988)
The Animatrix (2003)
The Big Hit (1998)
The Card Counter (2021)
The Cold Light of Day (2012)
The Crazies (2010)
The Pick-Up Artist (1987)
The Ring Two (2005)
The Sentinel (2006)
The War of the Roses (1989)
TMNT (2007)
Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
What a Girl Wants (2003)
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Whip It (2009)
White God (2015)
Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger (2014)
Wild (2014)
Wild Hogs (2007)
Woman Walks Ahead (2017)
Yogi Bear (2010)

Ever since Jamie Foxx was hospitalized with a mysterious medical complication back in April, there has been no shortage of rumors and conspiracy theories about what’s really going with the actor.

Due to his notoriously private nature, Foxx has not yet disclosed the exact nature of his health issues, but he did recently share a video thanks his fans for all of their love and support. That video arrived after Foxx was spotted around Chicago in a series of surprise public appearances.

However, despite Foxx clearly being very much alive, alert, and cognizant, that hasn’t stopped the conspiracy theories from running wild on social media. The latest rumor claims that Foxx has been “replaced” because he looks different in his thank you video to fans. Ice-T caught wind of these crackpot theories and immediately shut them down.

“People would rather believe that Jamie is now a Clone or AI, than the man was just seriously sick and damn near die,” an exasperated Ice-T tweeted. “Cause he doesn’t look EXACTLY the same??? YOU look different after a bad cold! Smh weirdos.”

While Ice-T hit the nail on the head that Foxx has been sick for over five months now, and the actor candidly revealed that his recovery has been difficult, another Twitter user pointed out another contributing factor for why Foxx looked different: Camera angles.

“People don’t understand how camera lenses work,” Jared Monroe tweeted. “Probably lost a little weight and the lighting is different. But 90% of the difference is just a telephoto lens (probably a 70-200mm) vs the super wide selfie camera on your phone.”

Long story short, no there isn’t a sophisticated Jamie Foxx AI clone running around, you dorks.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Lana Del Rey wasn’t the only famous person picking up a service industry shift this weekend.

While in Iowa for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race over the weekend, David Letterman dropped by a Hy-Vee supermarket in Grimes. “This is my first time in a Hy-Vee store. We don’t have them where I live and I’ve known of them through the racing team, but what I’ve known of them is the tip of the iceberg,” the former late-night host said, according to the Des Moines Register (he co-owns a race car sponsored by Hy-Vee). “So I walk in here and it’s the world of the future.”

Letterman spent roughly an hour in the store, where he “filmed a series of skits with two store employees, Caden Grimes and Elyse McIlhon. They played with a gumball machine, bagged groceries in the self-checkout area, and organized soup cans.” Letterman also ate (drank?) soup straight from the can, which should become a new tradition in the midwest.

Letterman posted about the experience on his Instagram. “I spent spent a considerable amount of my life in a grocery store in Indianapolis, and it was the last of the singular, independent owned grocery stores and I loved it,” he said in the video. And if I can give something back to the marketing community, I would like to do that – but I don’t have all day, of course.”

You can watch footage from the trip below.

I can’t wait to find out which random celebrity will be spotted pumping gas at an Exxon in West Virginia next!

(Via Des Moines Register)

As K-pop gets more and more popular stateside, more artists in other genres have become more eager to collaborate with K-pop stars to increase their own reach, and it’s paying off. The latest is Latto, who teamed up recently with BTS’ Jungkook (or Jung Kook, as he’s apparently presenting himself to US audiences) to release “Seven” — and in the process, reached her biggest career milestone yet.

The latest week’s Billboard charts have arrived and guess who’s landed at the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100. That’s right: Jungkook, Latto, and their collaboration “Seven,” which has become both artists’ first-ever No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart. That accomplishment has them overtaking Jason Aldean’s Jim Crow anthem “Try That In A Small Town” (I guess the power of diversity and globalism is still stronger than thinly veiled dog whistle racism).

“Seven” is, of course, thought to be the first single from Jungkook’s speculated solo debut; its success indicates that the appetite for said project is just as high as fans could expect from a solo member of BTS, one of the most popular boy bands in the world. It’s also just one of many crossovers between hip-hop and K-pop recently, including J-Hope’s J. Cole collab “On The Street,” FIFTY FIFTY’s Kaliii crossover “Barbie Dreams,” and Blackpink’s “Bet You Wanna” with Cardi B.

Christopher Landis, a choir director at Hingham Middle School in Massachusetts, didn’t tell his students he was engaged to Joe Michienzie three years ago. According to Inside Edition, whenever they asked who Michienzie was, Christopher would say, “That’s Joe. He’s my friend.”

Landis kept his relationship a secret in front of his students because he wasn’t sure how their parents would react. Sadly, even today, LGBTQ people still have to be discreet about their personal lives in some professions.

This is sad for the teachers who have to stay closeted and also for the LGBTQ students who miss out on having a positive role model.

However, somehow the secret got out and two mothers of Landis’ students, Margit Foley and Joy Foraste, approached Michienzie to see how they could get the students involved in their wedding.

“At the end of the summer, Margit and I heard he was getting married. He’s the best teacher, and he’s got this great energy, and he makes every school function fun. We thought, wouldn’t it be awesome to do something for his wedding?” Foraste said according to The New York Times.

The women emailed the other choir parents to see if their children could perform at their teacher’s wedding rehearsal dinner.

“We hoped we’d get at least 15 kids to do it,” Foraste said. But 50 of the 70 kids in the chorus said they’d be there to support their teacher’s wedding. They secretly rehearsed for four Sundays in a row at a local library so Landis wouldn’t catch a whiff of the plan they hatched.

The kids and their parents kept the secret for four months before the big day and had to get off school and travel 30 miles to the event. Landis had no idea what was about to happen but he felt something was up when people at the dinner started picking up their phones.

Out of nowhere, 50 kids filed into the room, songbooks in hand. After Dona Maher, a colleague of Landis’, banged out the first few notes of the French National Anthem on her keyboard, the kids began to sing the word, “Love.” It was the perfect song for the occasion, “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles.

Video taken by the bartender at the event shows Landis unable to hold back the tears as his kids sang their hearts out. It was a beautiful moment of acceptance for a teacher who wasn’t sure if his kids and their parents would understand his love for his husband-to-be.

After the performance, Landis turned to the crowd with a huge smile and said, “These are my kids.”

“It was so wonderful for the kids to see him with his family and his close friends, and they saw him as a person, not just their teacher,” Foraste told The Patriot Ledger. “They saw how much it meant to him. He immediately started crying and the kids started crying. It’s something they’ll never forget.”

This article originally appeared on 11.10.22

A quick-thinking 10-year-old boy escaped a woman trying to lure him by pretending that a local store clerk was his mother. ABC 6 reports that Sammy Green was walking home from school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on Friday, November 11, when a strange woman started following him.

The woman “started walking with him and asking him where his family was, asking where his dad was,” Sam Green, the boy’s father, told ABC6. The boy didn’t know the woman but she insisted that she knew his family.

She tried to lure him into going with her by promising she’d buy him “anything he wanted” at Wawa, a local convenience store that sells shakes, sandwiches and other treats.

“She was like, ‘I’m going to Wawa, are you going there? What are you getting from Wawa? Where’s your family at?'” Sammy told CBS.

“She said she probably knew me and was going to Wawa and that he was supposed to go with her and he could get anything he wanted,” Sam Green said.

In an attempt to flee the suspicious woman, Sammy walked into Dani Bee Funky, an unconventional gift shop, where he went straight to 17-year-old Hannah who was working the register. “He was like, ‘Pretend like you’re my mom,'” Hannah told CBS, “and I was just like, ‘all right go to the back.’ He didn’t want to leave my side.”

Security footage shows that Hannah then calmly walked up to the store’s front door and locked it, preventing the woman from coming inside. After she was locked out, the woman walked away. “I was still shaking when I was in here,” Sammy said.

The security camera footage is hard for Sammy’s dad to watch. “When we were watching that video, I cried every time I saw it,” said Green.

u201cthat are so scary i glad he was able to get help nnA 10-year-old boy in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, escaped a woman who was following him.nnThe boy asked a cashier to pretend to be his mother nhttps://t.co/2WYLX9nQvNu201d

— Hu1ea1nh Lien ud83cudff3ufe0fu200dud83cudf08 (@Hu1ea1nh Lien ud83cudff3ufe0fu200dud83cudf08)
1668604197

The shop’s owner has nothing but praise for Hannah’s calm way of handling the dangerous situation. “I am very proud of her. Hannah is a 17-year-old young lady. She did everything correctly,” Small said.

This story is a great reminder for parents to talk to their kids about what to do if they are approached by a suspicious person. The first thing they should know is that it’s OK to say “No!” as loudly as possible to a suspicious person. They should then scream, “Help! This is not my mom or my dad!” to alert the adults around them and then run. If they are grabbed by the person they should bite, punch and kick as hard as they can until they can get free.

Sammy’s dad is proud that his son remembered what he told him to do when confronted by a suspicious stranger. “Think of every scenario and make sure that children know and also practice it,” he reminded parents. “Practice your situations and scenarios just like fire drills.”

For the time being, Sammy is going to have a family friend walk him to and from school. The Pottstown Police have spoken with the woman and she is now getting help for mental health issues.

This article originally appeared on 11.17.22

All people have a need to communicate, but the way we do that varies greatly from place to place. Every culture has its own communication peculiarities that make our human family delightfully diverse.

Not only do humans speak thousands of languages around the world, but we also engage in culturally specific speaking styles, speech patterns and body language, some of which are immediately identifiable.

Case in point: the Italian “finger purse.”

Italian people are known for using their hands a lot when speaking. Italian hand gestures can vary a bit between northern and southern Italy, but one of the most universally recognizable is the pinched fingers or “finger purse.” That’s the gesture in which the tips of the fingers and the thumb are pressed together (forming a purse shape) and pointed upward, often in a repeated back-and-forth or up-and-down motion, sometimes with one hand and sometimes with both. Along with the rhythm of punctuated emphasis on certain words, especially when speaking passionately, the finger purse is often used to convey a question with a sense of annoyance, exasperation or confusion.

It’s a gesticulation most of us associate with a classic Italian grandma or grandpa, but when you see it coming from a tiny little Italian person, it’s utterly hilarious. A viral video, originally shared by @guiseppe_matilde on TikTok, shows a preschooler engaging in a passionate rant that is unmistakably Italian, both in the actual language she’s speaking and in her hand gestures.

u201ci absolutely need to have an italian baby who gesticulates with the passion of a 64 year old sicilian manu201d

— levy (@levy)
1667749365

According to Italian speakers in the comments, the little girl is conveying a story about how someone commented negatively about her wearing a miniskirt. u/shykawaii_shark on Reddit shared:

“Rough translation for English speakers. Not a literal translation, I made it easier to comprehend

Mother: What kind of sense does that make!

Daughter: They told me ‘What sense does going out with a miniskirt make?’ Like, think for yourself! I can wear my miniskirt, and you mind your own business!

Mother: Exactly!

Daughter: Think about your own miniskirt, not mine!”

Got a feisty little feminist here.

The full video on TikTok is even better (but it doesn’t have the Italian subtitles):

@giuseppe_matilde

Secondo voi ha ragione matilde ? #foryoupage @Giò Canaletti seguitela tutti su istragram matilde_vaccar

As adorable as this video is, it’s also an example of how culture gets passed on from generation to generation. An Australian study found that young humans across different cultures imitate adults in ways that animals don’t. Animals will imitate adult behavior to the extent that it’s efficient and necessary to perform a task, whereas humans will mimic even silly or frivolous behaviors that have no purpose whatsoever.

“Animals focus on getting the job done,” Mark Nielsen, a psychologist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, told Science. “Humans seem to almost forget about the outcome and copy everything we see.”

That mimicry of unnecessary actions may contribute to the complexity of human cultures. After all, it’s not really necessary to do the finger purse to make a point, but Italians do it anyway. Little Italians pick it up from adult Italians, and so the classic Italian communication style is passed on.

And thank goodness it is, because babies gesturing in Italian is absolutely adorable.

This article originally appeared on 11.09.22

What started out as a lighthearted class presentation quickly turned into a fabulous humanities lesson for all.

A teacher under the pseudonym Larry Lexicon has 1.8 million followers on TikTok, where they tune in to catch the funny-yet-inspirational interactions Lexicon has with his students.

Recently, Lexicon had his class rolling with his meticulously crafted PowerPoint explaining what certain Gen Z words mean.

“All year long I’ve been listening to you and making a list, which I’ve compiled here for you — the Gen Z Term Dictionary,” he told the class, saying that they should speak up if anything was inaccurate.

Here’s what he came up with.

He took “bruh,” (aka the “staple of their generation”) to simply be the alternative for “bro,” except that “bruh!” can also be used as an exclamation. That was correct.

Although the word “Rizz,” was fairly new to him, he also correctly guessed that this was short for “charisma,” and thus refers to someone who has the ability to charm.

“You can use it in all kinds of ways. Like I’m the Rizzard of Oz!” he joked.

“Bussin” he took to mean that something was good, particularly food. Also correct. He even knew that “bussin’ bussin’” meant that something was really good. Clearly, Lexicon had done his homework.

@larrylexicon Let me know if there are more terms I need to add to my list! #larrylexicon #doyourbuckingvocab #genzterms #teacherlife #highschool #teachersoftiktok #school ♬ original sound – Larry Lexicon

However, a few people pointed out in the comments that many terms have roots in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). So in his third TikTok, Lexicon chose to make some revisions, and explained to the class why those revisions were important.

“I know you think you came up with a lot of these words, but you didn’t, and they’ve been around for a long time,” Lexicon said, noting how parts of AAVE language are at first “looked down upon by society as uneducated or thuggish” yet nonetheless sneak into daily vocabulary through pop culture.

“What happens is it makes its way into like, white suburbia, and you get a middle-aged dorky white dude mislabeling it just for a whole generation as a term dictionary,” he said. “And it ends up erasing the importance of it.”

@larrylexicon Food smacks, music slaps. Got it. #larrylexicon #aave #genzterms #teacherlife #teachersoftiktok #school #revisions #slaps ♬ original sound – Larry Lexicon

Lexicon then admitted that it was a mistake made by his own ignorance, which was okay, because he was able to take feedback, learn and act on it to grow.

“Being ignorant’s OK, but being willfully ignorant and not doing anything about it — not so OK.”

Viewers who have been following Lexicon’s series applauded him for taking the time to make even a silly little powerpoint into an important conversation for everyone involved.

“I love how you’re learning it and then teaching it! This is education!” one person wrote.

“The fact that you came back and showed HOW TO LEARN and that it’s OK NOT TO KNOW but not ok to be willfully ignorant,” added another.

“This is a hell of an example for your students,” read the top comment.

In case you’re curious, here are all the words gathered so far for the newly re-titled “AAVE-inspired Gen Z term dictionary.”

• “Delulu”— delusional.
• “Eepy”— really sleepy.
• “Be so for real”— “Are you serious?”
• “Witerawy”— “Literally,” but with emphasis.
• “Baddie” — “A pretty girl, typically very curvy and independent.” But can also be a guy.
• “Gyatt” — A substitute for “gosh darn!” typically used in response to seeing a baddie.
• “Getting sturdy” — A dance usually used when winning, kind of like a touchdown dance.
• “Bet” — Another way of saying “OK” or “alright.” Likely a shortened version of “you bet.”
• “Slaps” — a verb for when a song is really good. Or food. Maybe? Debate’s still out on that one
• “Cap” — A lie.
• “No cap” — The truth.
• “On god”— undeniable truth.

Lexicon plans to add new words each week throughout the remaining weeks of school. If you’d like to follow along, he can be found on TikTok.

This article originally appeared on 5.19.23

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert frequently behaves like the MAGA defender of the Second Amendment. She recently held up a t-shirt that labeled guns as hole punchers of humans, and her firearm-happy ways are so infamous that SNL parodied her, and of course, Boebert acted triggered in response. So while it was sad to recently see Boebert nonchalantly trash a pin that meant to commemorate an Uvalde shooting victim, it wasn’t exactly a shocker, given that she frequently tweets about her opposition to gun control.

As originally shown in a video posted by Sarah Fishkind, Boebert swiftly disposed of a pin that depicted the Converse sneakers of 10-year-old Maite Rodriguez. Recently, Boebert posted a sort-of apology video via Patriot Takes, and as seen below, Boebert claimed that she had no idea what the man handed her, only that she recognized him for behaving “aggressively” during a previous “press conference.” She continued:

“If anyone thinks that I was disrespecting a child who tragically lost their lives at the hands of an evil, evil person, I want to apologize for the appearance of that. But that’s not at all what it was. I simply didn’t want to receive anything from this aggressive man who was harassing me and my office.”

Brett Cross, the uncle of Uzi Garcia (and who was raising the child in his home), isn’t buying that this video is any form of an apology. In the below response video, he declares that Boebert “don’t give a rat’s ass” and accused her of lying with her explanation. Cross maintains that the “aggressive man” was a very different person than the man who handed Boebert a pin. And he wasn’t done.

“Nah, see you’re apologizing because you got caught, and it’s on camera” Cross argued. “That’s why, not for the ‘appearance’ of anything. You got caught, and instead of just being adult enough to be like, ‘You know what? I really don’t care,’ because we know you don’t, you’re gonna try this bullsh*t.” Here, you can watch the video, which ends with Cross exclaiming, “F*ck her.”

Tequila is the ideal summer spirit. It’s bright, flavorful, ideal for shooting with some friends during a backyard bbq, perfect for mixing into bright cocktails (juicy strawberry margarita, anyone?), and is super sippable (if you spring for the good stuff). No matter what kind of drinker you are you can get a lot of mileage out of tequila, so why settle for your tried and true brands?

To help guide you to the best under-the-radar (or semi-under-the-radar) bottles for the rest of summer, we’re shouting out a range of expressions for shooting, mixing, and sipping. Every expression of tequila — your blancos, reposados, añejos, extra añejos, and even cristalinos — will get some shine here. The only parameter is that these are all bottles that we’ve sampled and loved this year and still have in rotation in our bar carts.

Let’s dive in!

Astral Tequila Blanco

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $20.99

The Tequila:

Astral is produced at NOM 1607, Grupo Solave, home to Kendall Jenner’s 818 and similar to that brand, Astral shares easy drinkability that makes for a smooth and bright tequila.

Astral’s Blue Weber agave is tahona extracted, utilizes agave fibers during fermentation and is copper pot still distilled.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Nail polish remover at the onset with thyme and green pepper qualities.

Palate: Luckily that strong chemical smell doesn’t migrate to the palate, which is dominated by flavors of roasted agave, spearmint, and bright orange zest.

Finish: Smooth and sweet with prominent vanilla flavors.

The Bottom Line:

Smooth and inviting, Astral’s tequila Blanco is an ideal shooting and mixing tequila. For the price, it’s bright and spiky while still offering an ease of drinkability.

Nosotros — Tequila Blanco

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $36.99

The Tequila:

Produced at NOM 1438, Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, home to a jaw-dropping 176 brands, Nosotros cooks its mix of lowland and highland agave in stone brick ovens extracting the juices via a roller mill. The result is very zesty and bright.

The brand has taken home a Double Gold at San Francisco World Spirits and serves as one of the best tequilas in this price range. The brand also makes Tesla Tequila (which is just aged Nosotros Blanco) so if you’ve ever been curious about what that tastes like… start here!

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Bright green and grassy, this tequila has a very natural and vegetal smell.

Palate: The flavor begins with a refreshing cool mint infusion before moving into the celery and asparagus realm.

Finish: Floral jasmin with prominent zesty citrus qualities.

The Bottom Line:

The ideal party tequila. La Historia de Nosotros Tequila is perfect for shooting in celebration or mixing into a big vat to keep the party rolling.

Casa Azul — Organic Tequila Añejo

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $129.99

The Tequila:

Calling your tequila brand “Casa Azul” when there is a super popular “Clase Azul” brand that sells very iconic bottles is… setting yourself up for a challenge. But don’t hold that strikingly similar (and impossible to Google) name against the brand, Casa Azul delivers!

Produced at NOM 1480, Tequila Las Americas, Casa Azul utilizes organic single estate agave that is cooked in stone brick ovens, roller mill extracted, and distilled in copper coil stainless still pot before being aged in American oak bourbon casks for 12-13 months which helps give it a mellow whiskey like quality.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Brown sugar molasses and roasted agave with hints of warm oak.

Palate: Cracked black pepper dominates the palate with hints of minerality with some nutty roasted notes peaking in an out.

Finish: Toasted oak and roasted agave dominate the finish with a sort of wet leather taste that lingers.

The Bottom Line:

It’s a sweet slow sipper. I love it on a summer night with a cool breeze on the balcony. If you don’t have a balcony, hit the roof (or just go outside) — there’s something about watching the sky while sipping this one that enhances the experience.

La Caza — Tequila Reposado

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $57.99

The Tequila:

La Caza claims its highland agave is cooked and fermented for over 90 hours to “the sounds of Mozart’s classical music.” Does that have any effect on the flavor? No, but we’re happy the workers at NOM 1414, Feliciano Vivanco y Asociados, have something nice to listen to.

The classic music-infused agave is cooked in stone brick ovens, roller mill extracted, and aged in American white oak barrels for four months. We’d love to see Mozart take a shot of this stuff.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A mix of maple, hazelnut, and floral jasmine greets your senses, activating the salivary glands before you even take your first taste.

Palate: Fruit and caramel dance on the tongue with a steadily growing spice that increases in intensity the more you drink it.

Finish: Sweet, smooth and a bit oily.

The Bottom Line:

A well-balanced and full-bodied versatile reposado that you can shoot, mix, and even sip, preferably to the sounds of Mozart.

Hijole! — Silver Tequila

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40.99

The Tequila:

I try not to judge any bottle of tequila before I drink it, but I couldn’t help myself with Hijole! The Tequila is the official partner of the Mets, the Denver Broncos, the San Antonio Spurs, the Henderson Silver Knights, and the New Jersey Devils — meaning that this is stadium sports tequila. My expectations were low, as I’d never had a great cocktail at a sporting event, but I was wrong!

Produed at NOM 1614, Tequilera Tap, Hijole! Scored Double Gold at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition and uses agave harvest at six years maturity and cooked for 24 hours, roller mill extracted and fermented in stainless steel tanks.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Warm roasted agave and smooth vanilla worth savoring. You can taste hints of honey before it actually hits your palate.

Palate: Caramel and coconut, this tequila has a warm slightly tropical vibe that matches the summer season.

Finish: Coconut and vanilla with some toasted almond and a hint of tobacco leaf.

The Bottom Line:

I don’t generally sip blanco tequilas, but some Hijole! Over a big cube of ice on a hot day is a nice way to experience this bright and vegetal tequila. Aside from that, it’s ideal for shooting and mixing, but we lean toward the latter for this particular bottle.

El Tequileño — Cristalino Reposado

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $62.99

The Tequila:

El Tequileño is a fantastic brand with a variety of expressions that come out of Nom 1108, Jorge Salles Cuervo y Sucesores, where it is the only brand in production. Given its popularity and quality, I was extremely curious to see how the beloved brand would tackle a polarizing expression like Cristalino, and I’m happy to say the brand knocks it out of the park.

This additive-free tequila is rested for four months in American Oak barrels before being filtered to a cristalino state, offering a balance of mellow notes and bright agave flavors.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich vanilla begins your journey before notes of brown sugar take over, like fresh cookies baking in the oven.

Palate: Charred wood greets the palate before those vanilla notes peak out and morph into a delicate oak flavor mixed with coconut flesh.

Finish: Surprisingly not smoothed out to oblivion. A common criticism of Cristalino is that the filter negates the aging process, but what we have here is something that is mellow yet still bright and zesty. It’s got layered flavors and never get boring.

The Bottom Line:

If you have friends who still haven’t given in to the Cristalino trend — or if that’s you — give Tequileño’s Cristalino a try, the depth of flavor is striking and may make a believer out of you.

Cierto — Private Collection Reposado

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $119

The Tequila:

In many ways Cierto feels like the tequila brand of the year — this label has been incredibly hyped lately winning a total of 97 awards including Tequila of the Year 2019 at Intl. Spirits Competition NYC, Best Reposado at Craft Distillers Spirits Competition in 2022, and Double Gold at both the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the SIP awards this year.

I’m sorry to say that this premium tequila lives up to the hype, sorry because the price tag is steep, and — given its accolades — it’ll likely stay that way. The tequila is produced at NOM 1146, Tequileña. The repo is aged for 11 months in French Limousin Oak barrels.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Warm roasted agave notes dominate the nose but there is the slightest hint of chili pepper lingering. It’s inviting and sweet.

Palate: Bright mango notes mixed with chili powder with a balance of vegetal qualities and the more mellow notes of oak.

Finish: Chocolate and oak, this tequila finishes with that barrel-aged flavor but doesn’t come across as too woody, there is a lot of sweetness here that owns the finish.

The Bottom Line:

It’ll be an expensive, premium cocktail, but the shifting flavors of this outstanding reposado tequila make it one of the best-tasting bases to build a cocktail atop. If you can’t stomach diluting a $100+ reposado, we feel that, but at least treat yourself to one cocktail with this bottle.

LALO — Tequila Blanco

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $49.99

The Tequila:

I really like LALO for its obsessive commitment to a single expression, I’d love to see more tequila brands laser-focused on a specific style of tequila rather than trying to cover all the bases.

LALO cooks its Blue Weber agave in stone steam ovens for 20-32 hours, letting it rest for an additional 18 hours, and ferments the product in a proprietary champagne yeast. The flavor is bright, direct, and pure.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Lots of zesty citrus, it almost tickles the nose in a sneeze-inducing way.

Palate: Bright and buttery with some light caramel undertones and a grassy green quality.

Finish: Supremely vegetal and pure, this is a spiky and bright tequila but smooth and pleasant enough that you don’t need a chaser or any lime.

The Bottom Line:

LALO is great for all occasions, shoot it, mix it or sip it, it doesn’t disappoint no matter how you drink it, but we suggest savoring the nectar here — this is one of the best blanco tequilas out right now for the price.

Cierto — Private Collection Extra Añejo

ABV:

Average Price: $279

The Tequila:

We couldn’t close out this list without talking about, in our opinion, Cierto’s crown jewel expression, the additive-free Extra Añejo. Aged for 48 months in French Limousin Oak, this is the sort of tequila you reserve for special occasions and deserves to be savored with the slowest sip imaginable.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A very pleasant bouquet of maple, honey, vanilla, and nutmeg tantalizes the senses. It comes across like dessert in a glass.

Palate: Strong warm roasted agave notes with some savory butter notes with some cinnamon.

Finish: A pleasant burning oak finish that slowly morphs into chocolate as whatever is left stains your tongue.

The Bottom Line:

It’s a slow sipper, drink it completely neat and savor the combination of sensations you get from the nose, palate, and finish.

Mijenta — Tequila Añejo

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $199.99

The Tequila:

I’ve been singing the praises of Mijenta for a while now and if you have given this brand a try yet, start with the Añejo if you’d like to be blown away by a premium sipping tequila.

Produced at NOM 1412, Destiladora de Los Altos, Magenta’s agave is cooked in low-pressure autoclaves before being roller mill extracted and fermented in stainless steel tanks, double distilled in a stainless still pot and aged for a minimum of 18 months in French Oak, American White Oak, and Cherry barrels and Acacia casks.

The tequila is certified additive free.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There is a lot going on with the smell alone, I’m getting prominent chocolate notes over shifting caramel, roasted agave, cinnamon, and anise qualities.

Palate: The flavor begins in juicy sweet cherry territory before morphing into slightly bitter roasted black tea and caramel and a gentle dusting of nutmeg.

Finish: A mix of oak and coffee with a warm melted chocolate flavor that rests on the tongue and grows in intensity between sips.

The Bottom Line:

An ideal sipping tequila that is deliciously aged offering a deeply complex flavor that is a true joy to savor.